Prices are Low

• Fidelity

  

  
  

  The need for a diversified portfolio to spread risk also makes the case for private assets. Going into 2025, with many markets still on the cusp of recovery, prices are low and there are opportunities for investment that could deliver solid returns in the medium to long-term.

Paradox

 

According to the Jan.4th Economist, Israel's bourse is the best globally. It lifted 29% in the year-to-year table, with almost no inflation, while fighting a multifront war. Some 80,000 Israelis emigrated, while the population grew by 1%. Apart from the 4.30 AM syren forcing me to go to the MAMAD, this is the best place to live.

The Yarmouk River is Ours

Israel has taken control of the Yarmouk riverbed and the Al-Wahda Dam. The dam, a joint structure between Syria and Jordan, supplies water to Jordan for drinking and agriculture and hydroelectric electricity to Syria. It stretches 110 meters and has a storage capacity of 115 million cubic meters. The dam provides approximately 30% of Syria’s freshwater and 40% of Jordan's. No kidding! 

We are on our way to becoming the regional hegemon a-la-Mearsheimer. 

The conquest of the Hermon Peak was publicized, but the acquisition of control over the region's water sources was kept silent.

Lives Wrongly Lived

 Average Women Age at First Marriage:

South Korea: 37.3 Spain: 36.4 Netherlands: 35.6 Norway: 35.2 Argentina: 35.1 Brazil: 34.7 Sweden: 34.5 Germany: 34.2 Ireland: 34 Finland: 33.9 Italy: 33.8 Australia: 33.7 Denmark: 33.6 France: 33.5 Portugal: 33.2 Canada: 32.9 Greece: 32.6 USA: 32.1 Mexico: 31.8 Romania: 31.6 Switzerland: 31.5 Serbia: 31.4 Russia: 31.2 Japan: 30.9 India: 30.4 Pakistan: 27.8 Belarus: 27.5 Estonia: 26.9 (Source: UN Data, National Statistics Agencies)

In my humble opinion, the numbers are wrong. It cannot be true.

Menorah made of missile fragments

Menorah made of missile fragments from Israel's enemies displayed in Tel Aviv.

The menorah is made up of fragments from Iranian ballistic missiles, drones from Yemen, and rockets from Lebanon.

The family of Julius Caesar

 

 The tree shown left shows only the imperial legal descendants. Many others died in infancy or were out of the law and are not registered. 

Water in Israel

 Poisonous article in The Marker about the recent decision of the Water Commission, formed by representatives of relevant ministries, to lower the price of water for consumers. The income difference will be made up by using natural water resources instead of expensive desalinated seawater, and by reducing the assistance to "weaker" municipalities. In my time, we channeled about 200 million dollars per year to those municipalities for water and sewage infrastructure building. 

The former head of the Water Authority, Giora Shoham (pic), declared that it was a racist discriminatory decision. Maybe, those millions went to Israeli Arab villages that were unable to finance themselves (corruption, inefficiency, crime). The idea of the Water Authority was that we were not helping them but ourselves. Absolutely true. Allowing the development of differences would be bad for us.

All these are based on the fact that 10% of Israel's population is fantastically productive and that allows the Government (every government since 1948) to be "large'  with the natives and to maintain one million Haredim that do no work nor serve in the Army.