nugget

78 ms·

811.
by nugget 11y ago
It's more than 10%. Many Chinese buy via LLCs which makes ownership impossible to determine. I work with one HOA board in Seattle where 50% of the units are now owned by Chinese investors. They are debating whether to pass a restric
812.
by nugget 11y ago
If you've lived through previous real estate cycles you know that prices can move very fast, especially to the down side. It would probably take 2 out of 3 of the following in order to trigger this in the Bay Area: meaningful interest
813.
by nugget 11y ago
Real estate prices are extremely responsive to very small changes in demand. Chinese buyers compose the majority of international buyers in most investment markets. I see the ownership makeup of several 200+ unit HOAs where we are allowed
814.
by nugget 11y ago
We'll know if/when China is actually successful in stemming capital outflows because we'll see it reflected in real estate prices in tier 1 North American cities.
815.
by nugget 11y ago
That's one advantage that urban planners have. These people don't need to be upper-middle class by income. They just need to be trendy culture-wise and support the development of safe, fun neighborhoods. I have a friend in Broo
816.
by nugget 11y ago
Harvard and MIT - sure. But what about the millions of people who went to schools that no one has ever heard of, or for-profit schools like University of Phoenix? In addition to that. Do you see the broad concept of conspicuous consumptio
817.
by nugget 11y ago
Not yet, but it's on the horizon. The current model of student debt for a degree which conveys little to no advantage in the job market is unsustainable. Once it starts to turn the deflation will be rapid and impactful. Not only doe
818.
by nugget 11y ago
Normally yes but not in areas where prices are already at the maximum ceiling of what people can afford. Raising property taxes shifts net income from the property owner to the taxing authorities. This reduces net income (yield or CAP rat
819.
by nugget 11y ago
SF yes I totally agree with you. But what about NYC specifically Manhattan? How do you make it significantly more dense than it already is? The best answer for NYC is probably to aggressively gentrify as many neighborhoods as possible, wh
820.
by nugget 11y ago
Housing functions like a reverse auction. In the most HCOL areas, demand usually outstrips supply to such an extent that prices float up to a maximum ceiling (40-50% of avg income IIRC). Above which people's checks would bounce. Tha
821.
by nugget 11y ago
From a second market type broker who trades private tech company shares (Oct 1st 2015): ''We have only 4000 shares of Square left at $16.50. I believe Goldman is going to price the IPO well north of $25 and the $16.50 is less tha
822.
by nugget 11y ago
Statins alone are a >$10b annual market, down from $20b annually before Lipitor's patent expired. Pharma companies have proven that curative treatments can be priced near the net present value of all future disease management costs
823.
by nugget 11y ago
Basic income is the only solution in the medium to long term, we might as well start planning the foundation for it now.
824.
by nugget 11y ago
I totally agree with your take on the hedge fund industry as a whole. I probably should have clarified. I was speaking specifically about a very small group, like Michael Burry and Gary Schilling, who I admired for their outspoken and tra
825.
by nugget 11y ago
The most interesting signal I've seen from the world of finance is a number of smart hedge fund managers shutting down their funds over the past few years, stating that fundamental value investing is now impossible as the markets are t
826.
by nugget 11y ago
These protestors just hurt themselves in the long run. That's the saddest part. ''The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.'' Yes, and we all have a moral obligation to stand up to injust
827.
by nugget 11y ago
Besides the acceptable ads program being an obvious cover narrative for extortion (that would be criminal in almost any other industry), my thought was always: if in some alternative universe this business model starts to gain widespread tr
828.
by nugget 11y ago
Sure, my point is just that food delivery is one of the most expensive options for feeding oneself (compared to cooking at home or take out). People order food a few times a week, but it seems unlikely for them to redesign their lives arou
829.
by nugget 11y ago
This is an important topic that should be top of mind for all of us and discussed on a regular basis. Facebook is trying hard to become like AOL in the mid 90s. Total control from soup to nuts. Zuckerberg and his team are very clever and
830.
by nugget 11y ago
I suppose that benefits them on both sides of their marketplace: the # of less price sensitive consumers in the upper class increases and the # of (educated, reliable, service oriented) people available for cheap on demand labor in the lowe
831.
by nugget 11y ago
Sometimes I wonder if this whole food delivery boom is being supported by millenials who simply haven't faced the need (or desire) to budget yet. How sustainable is spending $25 per person per meal for those outside the top quintile?
832.
by nugget 11y ago
Here's an interesting paper on the topic: http://www.nber.org/papers/w19829 I agree that females who would have become nurses and secretaries in the past are now becoming physicians and executives, and without dou
833.
by nugget 11y ago
Of the 30% of lower class kids who go to college, how many are successful in the ways they want to be? A lower class kid who wants to become a doctor should have the same opportunities as anyone else and we should work hard to support them
834.
by nugget 11y ago
There are a few challenges here. Unless you fundamentally alter the way trust funds shelter wealth and income across generations, then all raising the inheritance tax does is widen the gap between the 1% (who you will tax) and the .1% (who
835.
by nugget 11y ago
There are some interesting social trends at work here. One of the most interesting to me is the concept of Assortive Mating. This is the idea that 30 years ago a physician, for example, would likely marry a nurse, or an executive would li
836.
by nugget 11y ago
I can relate to his comment. In particular I have no idea how my parents (a young couple in the 80s) decided to have 3 kids, other than blind optimism or a sense of security that doesn't seem to exist for us today.
837.
by nugget 11y ago
I couldn't find the exact # but it seems like between 60% and 70% of all 25 year olds in California currently live with their parents. I'm shocked that the number is this high. I would love to see the same rates for 30 year olds
838.
by nugget 11y ago
There were two major trends that started around 1980 and contributed to housing prices rising meaningful faster than inflation and natural population growth: first, women joining the work force and creating dual-income families, and second,
839.
by nugget 11y ago
Sometimes democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to eat for dinner. You spend your life thinking you are the wolf and then wake up one day to realize you're the sheep and the wolves are at the door.
840.
by nugget 11y ago
A variable basic income formula creates incentives for fraud and malinvestment and incurs more administrative costs and overhead. Keep it simple. Give the same amount to each citizen like Alaska does with their natural resources fund. In

More ›