Saturday, November 26, 2011

Fire Kubiak!


Whatever happened to the all those people who were screaming "Fire Kubiak"? I haven't heard much from them lately.

For the past few years, it seems that every discussion I've had with Houston Texans fans has included at least one fan of the opinion that the Texans would never be winners as long as Kubiak was the coach.

Gary Kubiak is Too Soft!

I could be wrong, but it seems to me that for many people the problem was Gary Kubiak didn't scream enough! We need somebody like Bill Cowher -- or, Mike Ditka, or Vince Lombardi, or .... That's what I kept hearing.

In my experience, for every Vince Lombardi, there was a Tom Landry. For every Mike Ditka, there was a

Thursday, November 10, 2011

If You Had Invested $1 in the Stock Market in 19xx (graph thru 2012)

Want to approximate what $100 invested in the stock market in 1932 would be worth now? The graph below will help you estimate what $100, $1,000, $10,000 or any other amount would be worth if invested in 1932, 1982, 2002 or any other year -- assuming dividends were reinvested.

How Much Would $1 Invested in the Stock Market in 19xx be Worth Now contains a spreadsheet to make these calculations precisely -- along with several related computations (e.g. calculating the compound annual growth rate). However, you need Excel or some other spreadsheet software on your computer in order to use that spreadsheet. This post will help readers who do not have the necessary software approximate the results of the spreadsheet.

What If You Had Invested $1 in 19xx?


What would my investment in stock market be worth now? BOY 2013

The graph above (click to expand) shows that, for example, $1 invested at year-end 1928 is "now" worth

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

October 2011 Stock Market Update


Turnaround

A month ago, the Dow had just completed its fifth straight losing month, and the worst month of the year; it was within hailing distance of its 52-week low. The VIX, a measure of volatility (and fear) had just had its highest monthly close of the year. And, we were headed into October -- the month that gave us the 1929 crash, the 1987 crash, and perhaps the most stomach-churning month of the 2008-2009 crash.

Early in the month, on October 3, a new 52-week closing low was indeed established -- 10,655. However, rather than give us a repeat performance of Octobers past, spurred on by optimism regarding resolution of the European sovereign debt crisis, the Dow