The Options Box

[Koikaze]

Hi, Poet. Re: "Okay, so I blew it last week". I've heard it said that misery loves company, but whoever said that is full of hogwash. I dislike being in your company (under these circumstances).

Now, to top it all off, Alan Abelson, in his marvelous column in Barron's, has expressed the opinion that we might go up for a while. I could probably count on the fingers of one hand the times he has ever made a bullish comment ... even a short term one, like this one.

I don't know if you've ever read him, but he is a genuine delight. He can do things with words that will tickle your soul. He has been the main course of my Sunday morning breakfast for many years. About a year or so ago, he quoted John Maynard Keynes on the greatest stock market advice that has ever been formulated:

It seems a friend of Keynes had been watching the market during the depression and decided that what was happening was irrational. He made that observation to Keynes in asking his advice. Keynes' response was (approximately) "Friend, the markets can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent."

A real hip-slapper, that.

Fred