<p>Krillies, yeah. I would keep mum too. I am going to look at those stocks.</p>
<p>BunsenBurner, I think I am long celera. I would have to look. lol I was long hgsi too.
On the plus side, I have been long gild for 12 years. Doct posted a link about not selling your winners. I wish I never sold any gild. My idea when I bought the biotechs 12 years ago was never to sell any for at least 10 years. But, I am a trader so I am fighting inner demons who want me to sell. (I have been watching Buffy the Vampire Slater).</p>
<p>GILD is a solid company with a healthy pipeline. They restructured their business model by selling all of their antisense patents to ISIS and turned into a premiere small molecule antiviral drug co. Sort of found their “blue ocean” when everyone else decided to fish elsewhere. I have not been following celera for ages… Have to look. Another company I like is my local co that makes targeted cancer antibody therapies (invest at your own risk ;)). I like their CEO’s attitude: take care of the cancer patients, and the stock price will follow (he is also very conservative money-wise and is well known for his solid financial decisions).</p>
<p>I just turned down funding a first mortgage for 128,000 (total mortgage is 256,000). It is a townhouse rental in a great area. I would put my daughter in there if I had to foreclose.</p>
<p>The purchase price is 400,000. The borrower has a great job, great credit.
The reason I didn’t do this deal is the bottom floor slopes. I didn’t know that. It slopes 12 inches from one side of the house to the other. 12 inches is a lot. The complex is going to put new floors on top of the old floors but they aren’t going to touch the foundation. I don’t like that. The cost of putting a floor on top of a floor is 15,000. I think the foundation work would be a lot more. </p>
<p>We have been talking about faster money here in this thread lately. The loan was for a minimum of 5 years. I would take 9 percent a year for 5 years and be really happy.</p>
<p>The internet stocks started tanking Spring 2000 while the large cap tech stocks kept going until early fall and then started tanking. I recall taking a huge amount of profits from spring to fall 2000 and winding up with a lot of taxes for the year. I also recall Panera Bread rising and rising and rising while the tech stocks were cratering. And then I went short in 2001. I learned technical analysis in 2000 - it’s a world of its own and I can’t imagine trading without the technical and fundamental skills today.</p>
<p>I second that, BC. Of course, nowadays the banks could be overly cautious about issuing loans, but when the entire complex has a structural problem… the banks could be doing the right thing. I’m curious, does the ceiling slope, too?</p>
<p>I am not sure about the ceiling. I don’t think so. </p>
<p>The buyer may be right. I know the area well but I am not sure about this complex. If the new floor works out, I think the buyer will do ok. </p>
<p>It bothers me that the whole complex has issues. Every homeowner was just assessed 15000. If the floor solution doesn’t work, then what? Another assessment?</p>
<p>I am on the verge of lending to finance a real estate purchase as well. Could be a condo in Cambridge. I will lend 101% of purchase price at 4%; interest-only for 10 years. A mutually beneficial transaction. My son has a job but no credit and no money and I need income. oh, and he also needs a place to live.</p>
<p>What I remember from 2000 was that I owned equal $ amounts of 2 funds, 1. Janus 20 and, 2. A Vanguard value index fund. I was amazed how both funds tanked almost identical amounts… after being at a nice profit I watched them go to 20 or 30% loss… can’t remember what, and bailed out at the lows. Janus 20 really made me wonder… did they own Enron? I would have accused them of mismanagement except for the fact that the performance was so similar to the index fund.</p>
I have not been following celera for ages… Have to look. 
oh, and he also needs a place to live.</p>
