Muscle Bar by Arnold might be the best protein bar I've ever had. I just ordered 6 boxes of the frosted cinnamon bun. They have 370 calories, but sugar content is minimal. I'm bummed VPX stopped selling their Zero Impact bars, but these Arnold bars are even better. These things are a great meal replacement and keep me full for a few hours post workout even.
I bought back into mslp recently..
think end is finally near on fed fluffed market.. Global market bubble in general.. Chinese currently blowing up a stock market bubble for a nice climax just like they did back in 2007...
Stand Back: China's Bubble Will Burst
Singapore, which I'm visiting at the moment, opens your mind to the highly improbable. Rich, ethnically diverse, cheerfully efficient, globalized in the extreme, it's a man-made economic miracle -- astonishing proof of what market forces combined with superb top-down direction can achieve.
Even in Singapore, though, there are limits to what you can believe. I struggle to imagine, for instance, that China's stock market isn't a bubble.
China's leadership has long been impressed with the Singapore model. Since Deng Xiaoping, its government has been much more interested in capitalism in the style of Lee Kuan Yew than class struggle in the style of Karl Marx. In China, the mix of markets and smart management has indisputably worked another miracle, and on a vastly larger scale than Lee's.
More from Bloomberg.com: Greece's Last-Ditch Talks Aim at Agreement Before Monday
It's a record that can make investors credulous. Lately, the government has defied predictions of an economic hard landing: The economy has slowed, but hasn't crashed. Beijing wanted a gentle slowdown -- part of its effort to rebalance the economy toward consumption and away from exports and investment -- so it pulled some fiscal and monetary levers and that's what happened. Targeted growth of 7 percent in gross domestic product this year, fast by any other country's standards, looks achievable.
QuickTake China's Pain Points
Many investors seem to think officials can direct the stock market just as precisely. It's only a matter of time before they're proved wrong.
You could argue, in fact, that they already have been. The government wants a strong stock market for several reasons, including to support demand as property prices sag and growth in credit and investment slow. It has been talking up share prices. Official news outlets extoll the virtues of stock ownership. But the government surely can't have wanted the frenzy that in recent months has pushed the valuations of many companies to preposterous levels. Manic episodes rarely end well -- and in many respects, this is mania.
More from Bloomberg.com: Greece Enters Fateful Week After Brussels Talks End Fruitlessly
The Shenzhen market is up almost 200 percent over the past year. Its price-earnings ratio stands at a little less than 80. (Standard & Poor's 500 Index is up 9 percent and has a ratio of 19.) Much of the demand for Chinese shares is credit-fuelled and comes from small investors new to the game. In one week in April, according to The Economist, Chinese investors opened 4 million new brokerage accounts -- and, by the way, two-thirds of the country's newcomers to investing left school before the age of 15.
Technology stocks, heavily represented in the Shenzhen index, are especially in demand. (Tech stocks: What could possibly go wrong?) The price of China's highest-flying stock, Beijing Baofeng Technology Co., increased 4,200 percentin the 55 trading days after it went public; on Friday it was valued at 715 times reported earnings. Alibaba's valuation of 55 times earnings looks cowardly by comparison. Companies change their names and rebrand themselves as technology firms -- then watch their valuations soar.
More from Bloomberg.com: Greek Talks Seek Agreement as Germany Warns of Euro Exit
All this as the economy slows down. If it isn't a bubble, I don't know what is.
The more it inflates, the greater the damage when it bursts. Granted, by rich-country standards, China's stock markets are still small in relation to the wider economy. The direct wealth effects of a big drop in share prices therefore won't be as big as in, say, the U.S. But the indirect effects are dangerously unpredictable. The fact that a lot of shares have been bought with borrowed money will worsen the impact on many households and put lenders at risk as well.
The blow to confidence will be all the greater because the government has acted so conspicuously as a market cheerleader. That's why the bursting of the stock-market bubble could conceivably deflate the myth that what Beijing commands of the economy shall be so. And who knows where that might lead.
think end is finally near on fed fluffed market.. Global market bubble in general.. Chinese currently blowing up a stock market bubble for a nice climax just like they did back in 2007...
Stand Back: China's Bubble Will Burst
Singapore, which I'm visiting at the moment, opens your mind to the highly improbable. Rich, ethnically diverse, cheerfully efficient, globalized in the extreme, it's a man-made economic miracle -- astonishing proof of what market forces combined with superb top-down direction can achieve.
Even in Singapore, though, there are limits to what you can believe. I struggle to imagine, for instance, that China's stock market isn't a bubble.
China's leadership has long been impressed with the Singapore model. Since Deng Xiaoping, its government has been much more interested in capitalism in the style of Lee Kuan Yew than class struggle in the style of Karl Marx. In China, the mix of markets and smart management has indisputably worked another miracle, and on a vastly larger scale than Lee's.
More from Bloomberg.com: Greece's Last-Ditch Talks Aim at Agreement Before Monday
It's a record that can make investors credulous. Lately, the government has defied predictions of an economic hard landing: The economy has slowed, but hasn't crashed. Beijing wanted a gentle slowdown -- part of its effort to rebalance the economy toward consumption and away from exports and investment -- so it pulled some fiscal and monetary levers and that's what happened. Targeted growth of 7 percent in gross domestic product this year, fast by any other country's standards, looks achievable.
QuickTake China's Pain Points
Many investors seem to think officials can direct the stock market just as precisely. It's only a matter of time before they're proved wrong.
You could argue, in fact, that they already have been. The government wants a strong stock market for several reasons, including to support demand as property prices sag and growth in credit and investment slow. It has been talking up share prices. Official news outlets extoll the virtues of stock ownership. But the government surely can't have wanted the frenzy that in recent months has pushed the valuations of many companies to preposterous levels. Manic episodes rarely end well -- and in many respects, this is mania.
More from Bloomberg.com: Greece Enters Fateful Week After Brussels Talks End Fruitlessly
The Shenzhen market is up almost 200 percent over the past year. Its price-earnings ratio stands at a little less than 80. (Standard & Poor's 500 Index is up 9 percent and has a ratio of 19.) Much of the demand for Chinese shares is credit-fuelled and comes from small investors new to the game. In one week in April, according to The Economist, Chinese investors opened 4 million new brokerage accounts -- and, by the way, two-thirds of the country's newcomers to investing left school before the age of 15.
Technology stocks, heavily represented in the Shenzhen index, are especially in demand. (Tech stocks: What could possibly go wrong?) The price of China's highest-flying stock, Beijing Baofeng Technology Co., increased 4,200 percentin the 55 trading days after it went public; on Friday it was valued at 715 times reported earnings. Alibaba's valuation of 55 times earnings looks cowardly by comparison. Companies change their names and rebrand themselves as technology firms -- then watch their valuations soar.
More from Bloomberg.com: Greek Talks Seek Agreement as Germany Warns of Euro Exit
All this as the economy slows down. If it isn't a bubble, I don't know what is.
The more it inflates, the greater the damage when it bursts. Granted, by rich-country standards, China's stock markets are still small in relation to the wider economy. The direct wealth effects of a big drop in share prices therefore won't be as big as in, say, the U.S. But the indirect effects are dangerously unpredictable. The fact that a lot of shares have been bought with borrowed money will worsen the impact on many households and put lenders at risk as well.
The blow to confidence will be all the greater because the government has acted so conspicuously as a market cheerleader. That's why the bursting of the stock-market bubble could conceivably deflate the myth that what Beijing commands of the economy shall be so. And who knows where that might lead.
I know someone who deals with a US based company in Singapore and trying to deal with the same person for more than a month has become almost impossible.
They all end up leaving or simply disappearing because of work stress issues and a new name pops up a few weeks later, it would be quite comical if it wasn't so tragic
They must be getting worked to death over there
Colonialism isn't dead, it's simply been modernised for the 21st century
They all end up leaving or simply disappearing because of work stress issues and a new name pops up a few weeks later, it would be quite comical if it wasn't so tragic
They must be getting worked to death over there
Colonialism isn't dead, it's simply been modernised for the 21st century
Greece is playing hard-ball, it could get very ugly tomorrow.
Greece is fooked and needs to start again, outside of the Euro
Iceland and Turkey have done fine by staying out.
The Euro is a seriously flawed currency that inflates the price of everything by up to 100% compared to countries outside the eurozone
I was gobsmacked at the price of food when I went to Ireland 6 years ago, a 50 euro note buys you less food than a 20 pound note would in the UK
The euro is great for the big guys and bankers, but useless for the little dood
Greece is only about 2% of the eurozone, the REALLY big fear is about Greece quitting, taking a different path, and doing ok
Greece is fooked and needs to start again, outside of the Euro
Iceland and Turkey have done fine by staying out.
The Euro is a seriously flawed currency that inflates the price of everything by up to 100% compared to countries outside the eurozone
I was gobsmacked at the price of food when I went to Ireland 6 years ago, a 50 euro note buys you less food than a 20 pound note would in the UK
The euro is great for the big guys and bankers, but useless for the little dood
Greece is only about 2% of the eurozone, the REALLY big fear is about Greece quitting, taking a different path, and doing ok
Iceland has already taken the path that Greece is starting and stabilised itself
Put simply, Iceland declared the Banks bankrupt and guaranteed the depositor accounts of individuals
The bankers lost all their money while individuals were protected
This pissed the bankers off bigtime but was completely legal
Our not-so-free media doesn't like to talk about Iceland in anything but negative terms
The big eurozone fear is that Greece will precipitate a domino effect, with countries like Portugal Spain and Italy following suit
Put simply, Iceland declared the Banks bankrupt and guaranteed the depositor accounts of individuals
The bankers lost all their money while individuals were protected
This pissed the bankers off bigtime but was completely legal
Our not-so-free media doesn't like to talk about Iceland in anything but negative terms
The big eurozone fear is that Greece will precipitate a domino effect, with countries like Portugal Spain and Italy following suit
The free-movement-of-capital allows irresponsible governments to overborrow from the international loanshark system
It used to only be the really dodgy countries in Africa that suffered from this problem but the Eurozone made it possible for European countries to borrow so much money they bankrupted their own country if anything went wrong
Stupid Corrupt Politicians and Irresponsible Lenders have got us to where we're at now
It used to only be the really dodgy countries in Africa that suffered from this problem but the Eurozone made it possible for European countries to borrow so much money they bankrupted their own country if anything went wrong
Stupid Corrupt Politicians and Irresponsible Lenders have got us to where we're at now
The most interesting thing for myself over the next few weeks will be observing how our goose-stepping media all sing from the same hymn sheet where Greece is concerned
Greece bad!
Naughty naughty Greece!
The Greeks are all living on gravel and water for breakfast!
etc etc
Tough times ahead for Greece, no doubt about that, but at least what they have at the other side will be their country, and their currency, the Drachma, back in Greek hands
Greece bad!
Naughty naughty Greece!
The Greeks are all living on gravel and water for breakfast!
etc etc
Tough times ahead for Greece, no doubt about that, but at least what they have at the other side will be their country, and their currency, the Drachma, back in Greek hands
Turkeys tourism industry has boomed because it's outside the euro, they have their own currency, the Turkish Lira which makes Turkey dirt cheap compared to the eurozone
The Greek tourist industry will flourish once they finally untangle themselves from the euro
The Greek tourist industry will flourish once they finally untangle themselves from the euro
