Market Mad House

In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. Friedrich Nietzsche

Berkshire Hathaway

Long Ideas

Self-Driving Cars Are Almost Here: Is the Insurance Industry Ready?

Even Warren Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.B) owns the iconic GEICO, has taken notice of the potential havoc this disruptive technology could wreak on insurers.

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Long Ideas

GoDaddy: Where Float Does Not Generate Income

Time might prove that GoDaddy could be that very elusive animal, a true value investment in technology. Value investors should definitely keep an eye on this stock and pay very close attention when its earnings report for June.

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Market Insanity

All New Cars will be Self Driving by 2025

If that prediction is true auto insurance costs could drop by as much as 80% because accidents are the main risk ensured for. By the year 2040 your auto insurance bill could be $10 or $15 a month for a brand new car!! Naturally that won’t do Progressive (NYSE: PGR) and Allstate’s (NYSE: ALL) profit margins much good.

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Market Commentary

Is Deflation Beginning?

It looks as if an economic downturn has begun. Only time will tell if this is actual deflation or simply a case of the jitters on the part of consumers. One thing is clear though; the rumors of an economic recovery seem to be greatly exaggerated.

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Long Ideas

Google Could Revolutionize Auto Insurance

Entering auto insurance would make a lot of sense for Uber because insurance has been one of the barriers blocking drivers from adopting its service. Some communities, like Kansas City, Missouri, have even banned Uber because of inadequate insurance. Offering insurance could remove that barrier and defuse one of the taxi cab industry’s main objection to Uber.

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Long Ideas

Uber Drivers in Good Hands with Allstate

Auto insurance could be a gateway for selling other products, such as disability insurance, bonding, life insurance and health insurance, to networked transportation drivers and others in the gig economy. The potential profits to be made could be enormous; a survey that Edelman Berland conducted for the Freelancers Union found that 53 million Americans, or 34% of the population, are involved in some sort of freelance work.

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Long Ideas

Retailers Still Not Accepting Apple Pay

A look at Apple Pay’s website indicates that most of the retail outlets taking the payment app are specialty stores and smaller regional chains. From the looks of it, Apple is still having a very hard time getting retailers to adopt its payment solution.

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Long Ideas

Progressive’s Wireless Device Could Be a Safety Threat

The whole telematics issue raises the interesting question of whether auto insurers are still a good investment. Value investors like Warren Buffett have long thought of auto insurers that way because of all the float their premiums generate, but is that still true in the face of all the competition in today’s insurance industry?

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Crazy StocksStocks

Target Switches Gears in the Grocery Aisle

hat gives Target more control over pricing and promotion and increases its ability to offer special discounts or promotions to loyal customers; for example, lower prices to those who use its popular shopping apps and credit cards. This strategy has worked well for Kroger, which often undercuts Walmart Stores Inc.’s (NYSE: WMT) prices with its house brands. A similar strategy has worked well for Costco Wholesale Inc. (NASDAQ: COST), which heavily pushes its store brands.

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Politics

National Healthcare Could Boost the Economy

f something as shoddy, as poorly designed and as inefficient as Obamacare can have such benefits, just imagine what would result from a real national healthcare program like the expansion of Medicare to cover all Americans.

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