"BMT Investors" Bulletin Board

[kscarbel2]

President Trump threatened Apple with a tariff of at least 25% if it does not manufacture iPhones in the US, ramping up pressure on the tech giant to secure more domestic production.

I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone’s that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else.. If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the US.

[mowerman]

I’m certain most of us are wondering why we’re paying 1,000 bucks and more for cellphones thier putting together in 3rd world countries and exactly who is benefiting from this??????? Bob

[kscarbel2]

China is a potential adversary. But what I really worry about is us; the enemy within. Can we get our own act together - our own values, our own capability, our own management? The amount of mismanagement is extraordinary - by state, by city, for pensions, and that stuff is going to kill us.

Jamie Dimon

 

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[mowerman]

Yes I mentioned that couple of weeks ago .. bean counters  hard to find real  leaders my wife’s company is a perfect example… the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing, and if you have a legitimate complaint or suggestion, nobody wants to hear it, and it never gets to the top … bob

[mowerman]

So in other words, they sold us down the river years ago and now there’s no way of paddling back ha ha pretty much the size of it. I’m glad I’m old. Next generation can worry about it…. Bob

[mowerman]

Tried to buy a belt about six months ago. That was absolutely nothing I could find anywhere made here . Boot world wanted 50 bucks for Chinese belt …. I’m not paying that found one in kohls for half that made in Spain bob

[kscarbel2]

 

[mowerman]

nice to hear from a multi billionaire thats not spending his entire interview badmouthing everything congress is trying to improve,,,wow,,bob

[kscarbel2]

"I could end the government's deficit in five minutes. You just pass a law that says that any time there's a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election.”

Warren Buffett

[kscarbel2]

Oil is spiking $5 because Israel has launched attacks on Iran.

Oil futures shot higher and U.S. stock-market futures sank Thursday evening on reports that Israel was attacking sites in Iran, raising new fears of an all-out conflict in the Middle East.

Explosions were reportedly heard in Tehran. “In the wake of the state of Israel’s preventive attack against Iran, missile and drone attacks against Israel and its civilian population are expected immediately,” Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said. Nuclear and military sites were being targeted.

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[kscarbel2]

Financial Times  /  June 13, 2025

Israel’s strikes against Iran have threatened to ignite a regional conflict that disrupts oil supplies across the Middle East, with traders reviving the decades-old question of whether Tehran could respond by closing the vital industry chokepoint at the Strait of Hormuz.

Brent crude, the global benchmark, surged 12% to a high of $78.5 in the early hours of Friday morning after Israel launched dozens of strikes against Iran’s nuclear program and military facilities, killing at least two top commanders.

Prices fell back to $75 a barrel as it became clear that Israel [at the request of the US and Saudi Arabia] had stopped short of targeting Iran’s oil infrastructure, but prices could move significantly higher depending on how Tehran retaliates.

The market is reasonably calm because the Israelis chose not to target oil infrastructure, but if you’re Iran, you know that’s the Achilles heel. They could attack oil facilities in the Gulf or tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

About 21 millionn barrels of oil from Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates pass daily through the narrow waterway separating the Islamic republic from the Gulf states, representing a third of the world’s seaborne oil supplies. Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait in the event of an attack.

Tehran could launch attacks on tankers to disrupt traffic, as it did during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. However, that would also disrupt the more than 1 million barrels a day that Iran exports to China.

When Iran and Israel exchanged air strikes in April and October 2024, it was Iran that struck first with Israel retaliating. This time, the sequence has reversed — a shift that could significantly influence market expectations and risk perceptions. If Iran disrupts oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, targets regional oil infrastructure or strikes US military assets, it could push oil up above $100.

Equally, Israel could escalate its assault by targeting Iran’s vital Kharg Island terminals, which are responsible for 90% of Iran’s oil exports and the primary source of income.

[kscarbel2]

It appears the gutsy decision of BMT Investors COO Barry Holden during Covid to deeply invest in the then beaten down oil stocks is going to pay off impressively in the billions.

Rather than BMT Investors purchasing property on that unnamed Caribbean island, we will likely acquire the entire island instead. Disney Cruises has already extended a long-term lease offer on the northeast corner to construct their third Disney island destination. They would be a good neighbor and tenant.

[mowerman]

On 6/12/2025 at 6:06 PM, kscarbel2 said:

Oil is spiking $5 because Israel has launched attacks on Iran.

Oil futures shot higher and U.S. stock-market futures sank Thursday evening on reports that Israel was attacking sites in Iran, raising new fears of an all-out conflict in the Middle East.

Explosions were reportedly heard in Tehran. “In the wake of the state of Israel’s preventive attack against Iran, missile and drone attacks against Israel and its civilian population are expected immediately,” Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said. Nuclear and military sites were being targeted.

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I just got a gut feeling well all this mess going on over there somehow we were going to get involved. I really don’t think the president is interested in getting involved but maybe pressured into it somehow… hope I’m wrong Bob

[kscarbel2]

Look at the amount of debt we raise every year. What is it today? Thirty-six, thirty-seven trillion dollars, going up a trillion a year in interest alone. That's scary. I hope Washington would heed my warning that we have to be mindful of the importance of our status in the world economy and the world markets. If we fritter that away, we're in trouble. Four weeks ago, we couldn't float a 20-year bond. They were unbiased. That's a dangerous signal. That's the beginning of a crisis. That should make us say, "Hey, wait a minute." When the integrity of our debt is subject to question, the next thing is your currency. I think it's time to get some balance here. Regarding the President’s tariffs, I don't understand the goddamn formula. I believe he’s been poorly advised about this trade situation, and the formula they're applying. We've now got this Iranian thing to go along with tariffs. I think people are getting cautious. And the facts and numbers that came out today indicated that sales and manufacturing are slowing.

Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone

[mowerman]

excellent thanks for that,,,,,on the positive side ,,news channels here are reporting a 1 percent decline in sales,,bob

[kscarbel2]

5 takeaways from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s appearance Tuesday before the US House Financial Services Committee:

Powell declined to comment specifically on the potential for cutting interest rates at the Fed’s next meeting, in July. He reiterated that policymakers need to see more information about whether tariff hikes will feed through to faster inflation. The experience of the cost-of-living surge that began in 2021 has left the Fed wary about any sort of repeat, he said.

The Fed chief indicated that June and July inflation figures will be particularly important; now is the time when higher import duties ought to be showing up. The Fed is “perfectly open” to the idea that the pass-through will be “less than we think, and if so, that will matter for our policy.”

The dollar’s prime role in the global financial system remains intact, Powell said in response to repeated questions on this point. Volatility in the Treasuries market in April didn’t damage the dollar’s status, he said. “These narratives of decline are premature and a bit overdone.”

Powell swatted away questions about tax and immigration policy. But he reiterated that the US is on an unsustainable path for borrowing and said there’s no way to know where the tipping point is for the debt burden. The shift in immigration policy has reduced growth in the US labor force, though demand for workers has also been coming down, he said. Housing was another popular topic of questions, but Powell said the Fed has no long-term effect on supply and demand.

Stocks stayed higher through the three-hour hearing, while interest-rate futures continued to reflect expectations for the Fed to resume rate cuts in September. The dollar and Treasury yields were lower. The S&P 500 Index was up 1.1% as of 1:14 p.m. In New York, with two-year Treasury yields down about 5 basis points, at 3.82%.

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[mowerman]

well just as i thought main street media,,,trying to scare everyone into stuffing thier mattresses with money and causing an unnecessary chaos,,,i swear these fools need a hobby,,bob 

[kscarbel2]

 

[kscarbel2]

President Trump is suspending trade talks with Canada, over its plans to continue with its tax on technology firms.

He calls the technology tax a direct and blatant attack on our country.

The Canadian tax is scheduled to go into affect on Monday. 

Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately. We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period.

 

[kscarbel2]

 

[kscarbel2]

Canada has rescinded its digital services tax in response to President Trump suspending trade talks with the aim of continuing negotiations.