Home Thoughts From Dubai

Did you know : a) 1.3 m Earth’s would fit into the Sun b) the ‘land mass’ of San Francisco is 49 sq miles and has a population of 800,000 (yep I also thought it was more) c) a rat can last longer without water than a camel d) a raison dropped into a glass of fresh champagne will bounce continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top until the bubbles expire (I can just see you all rushing to try this one) and e) the first CD pressed in the US was Bruce Springstein’s ‘Born in the USA’
Thoughts for the week : a) I am not totally useless. I can be used as a bad example b) my toilet paper packaging says “recycled” ffs sake gimme a break c) Better to understand a little than to misunderstand a lot d) Dear Santa; I want a big fat bank account and a slim body………AND PLEASE DON’T MIX THEM UP LIKE YOU DID LAST YEAR.

General Reflections from 2011 :
Now I will keep the first HT of the New Year short. I know you are only gently getting back into full flight and you have probably read enough about the happenings of 2011 through exhaustive coverage on TV and in the Media. I am currently working on some upgrades to the site and will also change the format for you over the next couple of months. You know what they say about ‘familiarity’ !!!! Although the ‘happy marriages’ (see those two words CAN be used together !!) of so many of my friends (and Jo and me of course) suggest that I could probably stick with the current formatting and you would still love the Blog !!
So ‘gentle’ is the theme of the week. But before that just one important ‘housekeeping credit’ for 2011.
To my DEAR DEAR friends at Etihad what a Wonderful airline you are. And on this occasion it is the ENTIRE team right up to the COO in Abu Dhabi. Another wonderful showing recently which resulted in me being given a special invitation into the FIRST CLASS lounge at AD airport. And what a wonderful experience that was. I could comfortably ‘live’ there !!! And don’t you all go around thinking that my heart and words can be ‘bought’ – in this case all the credit is deserved. And particularly to Justin, Teresa and Alan in the Dublin office.
Anyhow with Emirates commencing their direct flights to Dublin next week (from Dubai), I can now irreversibly confirm that I will be staying (for life !!) with the ‘cousins’ in Abu Dhabi. Even if it works out a lot more expensive for me – taxi’s from AD to Dubai Marina cost Euro 50 each way. But I guess sometimes the better things in life cost that bit more.
Interesting that the Middle East now have three of the worlds 5 best airlines – Emirates, Qatar and Etihad. All are a different class.
Now I better get off my knees and onto some serious journalism !!!

Now I promised not to go into ‘repeat overload’ of the year just completed but lets hope that 2012 will not be as ‘Globally changing’ as 2011 was. Who would have thought when one woke up on January 1st 2011 that the next 365 days would have – a) the leaders of Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Tunisia all be ousted and that those in Bahrain, Yemen and Syria still struggle with being in control b) that Osama bin Laden would be successfully ‘taken out’ c) that Colonel Gaddafi would experience a similar fate d) and the despot and mind crazed North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-il would not make it to Christmas Day e) or such great ‘Global names’ as Joe Frazier (boxer), the wonderful Steve Jobs, the talented but troubled Amy Winehouse, Betty Ford of Betty Ford Clinic fame, Peter Falk (Columbo), Liz Taylor, her actress peer Jane Russell, Jimmy Saville and many many more (including my Mum – see below) would not be around to celebrate the firework fanfares of December 2011 f) or that Japan would suffer a natural disaster almost as catastrophic as Hiroshima with over a quarter of a million people dying from the tsunami and the knock on Fukushima nuclear meltdown g) not to mention (I don’t understand that expression when one usually goes on to do the exact opposite) the THREE high grade earthquakes in New Zealand (and the mag 7 ones in Argentina, Burma, Thailand, Chile, Alaska etc), the 100,000 + (yep the final figure) birds that inexplicably fell out of the sky in North and South America, the near 1 million fish that also died without explanation in the Pacific, floods in too many locations to mention and just the hundreds of natural disasters around the Planet f) that the Euro would be on the verge of collapse – and lose 15% of its value against the US$ and so many more of the serious and sad things that happened during 2011. But let me not bore you in that type of way. Let me briefly review some of the less well covered headlines

The ‘Real’ memorable moments of 2011
• Pippa’s (cute) ass. Yep can you imagine your sister winning all the attention at your wedding ceremony.
• Imagine having one of the most powerful jobs on the Planet, have unimaginable amounts of money and wealth, are an icon to many students around the world, a presidential candidate for your country, can pretty much buy anything or anybody you want, oh and you have an adoring wife and children AND despite all this you want a ‘quickie’ on your way to the airport. Yep good old Dominic SK, decided that it was worth giving up all the above for a bit of quick rough sex with a chamber maid – now THAT is why guys have a ‘misunderstood’ reputation
• Well up until May, two of the best known names in the world were very similar – Yep there was the baddie – Osama ………………….. and the ‘less baddie’ – Obama. And the week following the ‘departure’ of the former from us, there were more than 1,000 ‘media gaffes’ around the world. Everything from ‘Obama did not try to flee’, to ‘Surprise raid results in Obama no longer being a problem for world security’ to ‘at last some good news for President Osama’, to ‘white house raid results in Obama execution’ AND TWO Fox News (yep the US based Network ) news anchor’s actually declaring ‘ Obama is dead’ – is it any wonder this station is so well ‘respected’ by so many on the Tea Party side of US Politics !!!
• Sinead O Connor (the bald Irish singer) seems to continue to struggle with what it is like to share a bed with a man. Her latest marriage (fourth) was to an ‘online’ partner and it lasted all of 17 days (of which 10 of them they were not together). What was ‘he’ thinking when she said yes !! Did you know that the countries with the highest divorce rates in the world are a) Maldives b) Belarus c)the USA d) Cuba and in fifth place Ukraine. Usually because of the guy
• And then there was the final demise of the worlds most aging Gigolo. No, not good old Hugh Hefner (who by the way got married ……………. and ‘unmarried’ again during 2011), but Silvio B. Yes the former Italian Prime Minister. Finally his ‘bunga bunga’ parties – where young gold digging stunningly beautiful naïve and conversationally deficient girls offered themselves to aging, balding, obese and rich older (or much older) men. Yep and all these parties and their ‘fulfilling’ consequences are now to be a piece of history. And poor old Silvio will probably end up spending some time in a ‘different type of shower ………….. where dropping the soap is not recommended !!!! But who knows maybe that is an experience he may enjoy.
• And what about Gigolo Sarkozy. His wife (which is the woman he currently sleeps with on more than 120 days a year – and please no smutty suggestions that this is for tax and image reasons !!) had a baby. Yes, apparently it IS his. So some of those nights were used for other than watching movies and talking about Carla’s singing career (and despite rumours that BOTH are having extra marital affairs) !! And so little Guilia – yep that’s what I thought, it sounds more Italian than French – now has the burden of carrying her parents ‘problems’.
• And what about the embarrassing array of candidates the US Republicans have running for the US Presidency. Take Rick Perry’s excruciating 53 second pause/mumbling as he on a live TV show said there were ‘three Federal Government offices I would close if I became President’. The problem was that he was on live TV and he could only remember two of them. So he brought everybody’s embarrassment to a close with a very convincing ‘I have forgotten. OOpps’. Yep you have to love the guys the strongest Nation in the world put forward as the guy how decides which button to press in a Defcon 1 emergency.
• And one final memory from 2011. It involves Christina Aguilera “honouring America” by forgetting the words to what is possibly one of the most famous songs of all time – the National Anthem of the USA. The occasion ? Well the final of the Super Bowl (yep the most watched sports event in the US).
Christina warbled her way through The Star Spangled Banner (written by a lawyer in 1814), shrieking what appeared to be the alternative lyrics, “whose broad stripes and bright stars through the papulous fire, what so proudly we watched at the twilight’s last reaming” (or maybe it was “Twilight’s last screening”, I bet she’s Team Jacob).

Christina later explained the flub on Ellen, saying that she “took in the moment a little bit too much”. “The Moment” of course being the name of her favourite cocktail; 2 parts tequila, 2 parts vodka, 1 part MAC red lipstick and 1 part beef and cheese burrito.

The Wishes for 2012 (I hope it does not sound like I am looking for ‘world peace’)

1. That the Irish Government wake up to telling Europe that we cannot repay our debts without some reduction on the current level owed
2. That Iran and its brutal regime are controlled in some way by the West – as I have said many times it is the single MOST likely cause of the next World War
3. That Journalists and Financial analysts around the world (and particularly Ireland) are STOPPED from destroying the Planet with their penchant for only spreading and writing negative news stories and causing a lot of the economic crises that we all have to live with
4. That Sarkozy and Merkel both lose their re-election campaigns – and that greater Euro protection leadership is put in place. Which means maybe sacrificing some of their banks.
5. That the Euro will still be with us
6. And finally that a lot of the ‘wrongs’ of the world are corrected. In saying this I am reminded of the legendary story from Native American History. An elderly Cherokee Native American was teaching his grandchildren about life…
He said to them, “A fight is going on inside me, it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf is evil—he is fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, competition, superiority, and ego.
The other is good—he is joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too.” They thought about it for a minute, and then one child asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win, Grandfather?”
The Elder simply replied, “The one you feed.” So much of what happens on the Planet is within our own control !!!

Finally A friend of mine is a leading Irish artist has just completed four years of work to produce a dozen world class paintings of race horses, and these are being exhibited in Dublin at the moment. Some of the horses are owned by Sheikh Mohammed and the exhibition will travel to Dubai in March. Date and venue yet to be finalised. So some of this art could prove very valuable in the future. So have a look on
www.CharaNagle.com

Sadly My Mother died a couple of weeks before Christmas. Here are some thoughts by which she will be remembered by her Children and those who knew her.
Our Mother Remembered
First and foremost she was a Lady. Regal, Engaging, Charismatic and Beautiful – beauty of the heart complemented with photographs betraying Princess Grace like external looks right into her fifties. Then she was a Mother to five children who can only look back and thank THEIR luck that she was THEIR MOTHER. A Mother on which Legends are based. A Mother who always put her children first and for whom she made many many un-acknowledged and unknown sacrifices. A Mother with a very personal belief in what the word ‘Home’ meant for her family – love, happiness, security and unity. A ‘safe house’ with lots of love and laughter and happiness.
Then she was the adoring Wife to her husband of forty five years before he was taken from her in August 2000. A special Wife who raised her children without him feeling ‘love threatened’ and despite the enormous love and time she gave to her children ensured he felt he was the only person in her world. A Wife that never misunderstood the balance needed between these two critically important life roles.
And all this never left her short of being a Great Daughter (to our Grand-parents who died in 1972 and 1981) Sister, Cousin, Grandmother and Great Grandmother. She even had three God-children – all treated with ‘special love’.
Then she was a Businesswoman who ran a number of privately owned retail shops. Then a great Friend to so many people around the world. Her infectious friendliness, personality, affability, worldly knowledge, listening but engaging style and appreciation of everybody being equal and having an important role in life, gave her uniqueness. She was a bridge (the card game) champion with a string of victories that qualified her to play at Irish International Category – but never wanted this status. She just wanted the enjoyment of the game. With her friends.
A Lady who never had a full drivers licence (she mischievously side-stepped her driving test on many occasions), but drove every day of the year until she fell ill last year. A Lady who was private but you felt you knew her. A Lady of pride but never boastful. A Lady of success but was not afraid of, or unsympathetic to, failure. A Lady who worked hard but always had time to help or talk. A Lady who never knew what time of day it was, but that did not matter as all important things got done. A Lady who was legendary for getting lost in the major cities of Europe but always made the airport for the trip home (even if leaving it a bit late). A Lady who never had a watch but had enough ‘watchers’ to ensure she never missed an important occasion. A Lady who instinctively knew ‘the right thing to do’.
A epi-centre of the family for advice, thoughtfulness, love, humour, selflessness, knowledge, instinctiveness and intuitiveness. A Lady who always seemed to have cakes in the oven even for visitors who were never expected. A Lady who understood the words internet, 3/ 4 G, Skype etc if a little challenged as to how to use or understand. A Lady who unselfishly sacrificed some of the quality in her life so that others could have less pain in theirs. A Lady who despite 6 years of illness never once complained.
You may not have known her but she knew you. For if you were a friend of any of Her Children, you were a friend of hers. Yes somebody really special who the Planet is less rich for having lost her. It is with great pride that Ann, Fiona, John, Derval and myself can call her OUR MOTHER. We will ALL miss you, your encouragement, your guidance, your love, your smile and just being the unique irreplaceable Mother you were.

Boring event or person of the Year :
I give this years award to the Media of Ireland (yep from Joe Duffy to George Hook to Ivan Yates etc) for their constant coverage of all the negative aspect of Irish economic life. Never a positive or encouraging story from their world. SSSSSSSSSSSSSSZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ and Shame on them.
Fun Corner
California vintners in the Napa Valley area, which primarily produce Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Grigio wines, have developed a new hybrid grape that acts as an anti-diuretic.
It is expected to reduce the number of trips older people have to make to the bathroom during the night.

The new wine will be marketed as

PINO MORE

I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE
I just could not help it …. Sorry

Some New Year one liners

To kick start my New Year, I took an IQ test and the results were negative.
The trouble with jogging is that the ice falls out of your glass.
When I thought about the evils of drinking in the New Year.
I gave up thinking.

You will (well most of you) love this one
It was New Years Day and Billy asked his mother, “Mom, why are wedding dresses white?”
The mother looks at her son and replies. “Billy, this shows your friends and relatives that your bride is pure.”
Billy thanks his Mom and goes off to double-check this with his father. “Dad why are wedding dresses white?”
The father looks at his son in surprise and says, “Billy, all household appliances come in white.”

1. People who point at their wrist while asking for the time. Do I point at my crotch when I ask where the toilet is?

2. People who are willing to search the entire room for the TV remote because they refuse to get up and change the channel manually.

3. People who say “Oh you just want to have your cake and eat it too”. Damn right! What good is cake if you can’t eat it?

4. People who say “it’s always the last place you look”. Yeah, I tend to stop looking once I’ve found it.

5. When people watching a film say “did you see that?” Do they think I paid $12 to look at the floor?

6. People who ask “Can I ask you a question?”. Did they give you a choice?

7. When something is ‘new and improved!’. Which is it?

8. When people say “life is short”. Life is the longest damn thing anyone ever does!! What can you do that’s longer?

9. When you are waiting for the bus and someone asks “Has the bus come yet?”. If the bus came would I be standing here?

The definition of Cricket as explained to a foreigner:
You have two sides, one in the field and one out. Each man that’s in the side that’s in goes out, and when he’s out he comes in and the next man goes in until he’s out and then he comes in.

When they are all out, the side that’s out comes in and the side that’s been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out.

When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in. There are two men called umpires who stay all out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out.

When both sides have been in and all the men have been out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those
who are not out, that is the end of the game!

Now given that I did not get the Christmas HT out to you this year hear are a few seasonal entertainment fun points for you
1. Blonde goes into the Post Office and asks the guy behind the counter for ’50 Christmas stamps for my Christmas Cards’. The clerk asks ‘what denomination’ ? The blonde all indignantly says ‘May God help us. Has it come to this ? Ok give me 22 Catholic, 12 Presbyterian, 10 Lutheran and 6 Baptists’ !!! and
2. Here is a link to a fun seasonal song. I hope it works but if not just type it in yourself and enjoy http://bcove.me/vm5g6y8q

Ford has announced plans to acquire French automaker Renault and engineering teams have already joined forces to create the perfect small car for women.

Mixing the Renault “Clio” and the Ford “Taurus”, they have designed the “Clitaurus”..
It comes in pink and the average male car thief won’t be able to find it, let alone turn it on, even if someone tells him where it is and how to do it.

Rumour has it though, that it leaks transmission fluid once a month and can be a real bitch to start in the morning!
Some have reported that on cold winter mornings, when you really need it, you can’t get it to turn over.

New models are initially fun to own, but very costly to maintain and horribly expensive to get rid of.
Used models may initially appear to have curb appeal and a low price, but eventually have an increased appetite for fuel, and the curb weight typically increases with age.
Manufacturers are baffled as to how the size of the trunk increases, but say that the paint may just make it LOOK bigger.

This model is not expected to reach collector status.
Most owners find it is best to lease one, and replace it as needed.

THIS IS WHY WE LOVE OLD PEOPLE ……………….

A farmer stopped by the local garage to have his lorry fixed. They couldn’t do it while he waited, so he said he didn’t live far away and would just walk home.
On the way home he stopped at a shop and bought a bucket and a gallon of paint. He then stopped at another shop and picked up a couple of chickens and a goose. However, struggling outside the store he now had a problem – how to carry his entire purchases home.
While he was scratching his head he was approached by a little old lady who told him she was lost. She asked, “Can you tell me how to get to 160 Partington Lane ?”
The farmer said, “Well, as a matter of fact, my farm is very close to that house. I would walk you there but I can’t carry this lot.”
The old lady suggested, “Why don’t you put the can of paint in the bucket. Carry the bucket in one hand, put a chicken under each arm and carry the goose in your other hand?”
“Why thank you very much,” he said and proceeded to walk the old girl home.
On the way he says “Let’s take my short cut and go down this alley. We’ll be there in no time.”
The little old lady looked him over cautiously then said, “I am a lonely widow without a husband to defend me.. How do I know that when we get in the alley you won’t hold me up against the wall, pull up my skirt, and have your way with me?”
The farmer said, “Bloody hell, love, ! I’m carrying a bucket, a gallon of paint, two chickens, and a goose. How in the world could I possibly hold you up against the wall and do that?”
The old lady replied, “Put the goose down, cover him with the bucket, put the paint on top of the bucket, and I’ll hold the chickens .”

And here’s one on older men – they only get wiser!
A woman decides to have a face lift for her 50th birthday.
She spends £15,000 and feels pretty good about the results.

On her way home, she stops at a Paper shop to buy a newspaper.
Before leaving, she says to the shopkeeper, ‘I hope you don’t mind my asking,
but how old do you think I am?’
‘About 32,’ is the reply.’
A little while later she goes into Morrison’s and asks the counter girl the very
same question.
The girl replies, ‘I’d guess about 29.’
The woman replies with a big smile, ‘Nope, I’m 50.’

Now she’s feeling really good about herself.. She stops at a Chemists on her way
down the street.

She goes up to the counter to get some toothpaste and asks the counter girl this
same burning question.
The girl responds, ‘Oh, I’d say 30.’
Again she proudly responds, ‘I’m 50, but thank you!’
While waiting for the bus to go home, she asks an old man waiting next to her
the same question.

He replies, ‘Lady, I’m 78 and my eyesight is going. Although, when I was young
there was a sure-fire way to tell how old a woman was.
It sounds very forward, but it requires you to let me put my hands under your
bra.
Then, and only then can I tell you EXACTLY how old you are.’
They wait in silence on the empty street until her curiosity gets the best of her.
She finally blurts out, ‘What the hell, go ahead.’
He slips both of his hands under her blouse and begins to feel around very
slowly and carefully…
He bounces and weighs each breast and he gently pinches each nipple.
He pushes her breasts together and rubs them against each other.
After a couple of minutes of this, she says, ‘Okay, okay….How old am I?’
He completes one last squeeze of her breasts, removes his hands, and says,
‘Madam, you are 50.’
Stunned and amazed, the woman says, ‘That was incredible, how could you tell?’
The old man says, ‘Promise you won’t get mad?’ ‘
I promise I won’t’ she says.

‘I was behind you at Morrisons.

And here is one many of you have probably heard before but here goes again ………….
A six-year-old walks into the kitchen where his mom is preparing a meal and says, “Mom, the last few nights I have woke up to this thumping noise coming out of your bedroom and when I look to see what it is, you’re sitting on top of dad and bouncing up and down. Why are you doing that?”

The startled mother recovers quickly and says, “Your dad is a little overweight and I’m trying to get him back to normal size. I bounce on him to get all the air out of him.”

The little kid just shakes his head and says, “Mom, you’re wasting your time because, once a week, that nice-looking lady next door comes over and blows daddy right back up!”

A bloke calls his mate, the horse breeder, and says he’s sending a friend over to look at a horse.
His mate asks, ‘How will I recognize him?’

‘That’s easy; he’s a dwarf with a speech impediment.’
…
So, the dwarf shows up, and the breeder asks him if he’s looking for a male or female horse.

‘A female horth.’

So he shows him a prized filly.
‘Nith lookin horth. Can I thee her eyeth?’

So the breeder picks up the dwarf and he gives the horse’s eyes the once over.
‘Nith eyeth, can I thee her earzth?’

So he picks the little fella up again, and shows him the horse’s ears.
‘Nith earzth, can I thee her mouf?’
The breeder is getting pretty ticked off by this point, but he picks him up again and shows him the horse’s mouth.

‘Nice mouf, can I see her twot?’
Totally mad at this point, the breeder grabs him under his arms and rams the dwarf’s head up the horse’s fanny, pulls him out and slams him on the ground.

The midget gets up, spluttering and coughing.
‘Perhapth I should rephwase that. Can I thee her wun awound a widdlebit?’

Q…. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter ‘A’?
A… One thousand

Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers have in common?
A. All were invented by women.

Q. What is the only food that doesn’t spoil?
A. Honey

YOU KNOW YOU ARE ENTERING 2012 when…

1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave.
2. You haven’t played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
4… You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don’t have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries…
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn’t even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12 You’re reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn’t a #9 on this list

And finally an old one but it is a New Year

One day, in line at the works cafeteria, Jack says to Mike behind him,’My elbow hurts like hell. I suppose I’d better see a doctor!’

Listen mate ; don’t waste your time down at the surgery, Mike replies.

There’s a diagnostic computer at Tesco. Just give it a urine sample
and the computer will tell you what’s wrong, and what to do about it.

It takes ten seconds and only costs five quid….a lot quicker and
better than a doctor and you get Clubcard points’.

So Jack collects a urine sample in a small jar and takes it to Tesco.
He deposits five pounds and the computer lights up and asks for the urine sample. He pours the sample into the slot and waits.

Ten seconds later, the computer ejects a printout:

‘You have tennis elbow. Soak your arm in warm water and avoid heavy activity. It will improve in two weeks’.

That evening while thinking how amazing this new technology was, Jack began wondering if the computer could be fooled.

He mixed some tap water, a stool sample from his dog, urine samples from his wife and daughter, and ‘pleasured himself’ into the mixture for good measure. Jack hurried back to Tesco, eager to check what would happen.

He deposits five pounds, pours in his concoction, and awaits the
results with a grin. The computer prints the following:

1) Your tap water is too hard. Get a water softener.

2) Your dog has ringworm. Bathe him with anti-fungal shampoo.

3) Your daughter has a cocaine habit. Get her into rehab.

4) Your wife is pregnant. Twins. They aren’t yours. Get a lawyer.

5) And if you don’t stop wanking, your elbow will never get better….

Thank you for shopping at Tesco

Currency Corner:
Having got my Euro/$ and Euro/£ year end rates absolutely right (I predicted 1.395 and 0.835 respectively), one might get a little complacent with the 2012 predictions. NOT me. I have told you very often there is NOBODY who consistently wins when playing the FX markets.
I do however have a confidence with my belief that the $/Yen is ‘the call’ of 2012. To me there is a ‘certain’ profit (ie a profit with certainty) in buying the $ against the overvalued Japanese currency. So buy at 76.70 or better and sit back to take your profits – probably in the first quarter.
With the Central Bank of Japan stating its desire to have a weaker Yen and Japanese exporters declaring the need for a $/Yen rate nearer 85, I pick this as my currency certainty of 2012
In relation to the Euro/$ I think we will see a weaker rate over the first 6 months of the year to be followed by a surge in its value in the final half of the year. So I predict a y/e rate of 1.42
I also think this ‘trend’ will follow the Stg/Euro rate. So expect it to go from 0.825 over 0.86 through the course of the first and second six months.
Equity Corner :
So 2011 has been a roller-coaster one for us. And with some small exceptions was expensive. While the FTSE was down 6% on the year, the Dow Jones was marginally up. While the Dow Jones was up marginally on the year it hides the very volatile 24% movement between the high (12,876) and the 52 week low (10,404). The UK FTSE was actually down 8% over the twelve months and had a peak to trough movement of 22%.
So Global Bourses had their MOST volatile 12 months since 1987
And so to 2012. Just two tips. Invensys in the UK – in my view this take-over favourite will fall to a predator (the Chairman of the Company is a ‘specialist’ at this sort of thing and he is now 15 months with Invensys). Price has moved over the new year but is still good value at £2.10. And although there are many other tips that would be worthy of comment here I think we need to have one financial stock – even though it will probably be three years before banking gets back to normal or will escape the control of the Regulators (who are destroying the industry through over-regulation). So I will go with Bank of America.