July 9, 2008 12:05PM

Naming Names: Individual Stocks to Buy, Markets and Policies To Hate and My Health and Stuff

By Cody Willard

I’ve always liked Thoreau, even though I associate him with the time my college basketball coach (by title, not by mentorship), Dave Bliss turned to me in the middle of a practice one day and asked me if knew who Thoreau was. We UNM Lobos had lost a couple games in a row and dropped out of a short-lived run in the Top 25, and he was not happy about it. Sure I said and he said, “you know what quote of his I’m thinking of right now?” I laughed and said, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation,” which probably wasn’t the smoothest move by a walk-on wanting to get much more time on the court.

He quoted instead that “These are the times that try men’s souls…”  Hey, I know it’s not by Thoreau, but I’m just writing it like I remember it.

At any rate, Thoreau’s name came up in a discussion with my mom and here’s a Flip It quote of the day:

“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation…me, I live my desperation loudly.”

Thanks to all of you for the very kind and supportive words about this disease and its results. I’m taking care of myself and resting and getting better.

A couple market-related thoughts to communicate, partly because requested by you guys:

• Don’t confuse a strong counter-trend rally with an end to the bear market we’ve entered. Remember your time horizon — and know that caution remains key during this part of the economic cycle…
• Stick with Apple and Google as longs here. And Softee — I’d probably be a buyer of more of all three right now…regardless of my concerns about the broader markets.
• Pfizer, Altria…yeah, those are still buys too, IMHO.
• Crox also — been telling some of my former hedge fund partners to buy more lately too.
• GM is still a binary outcome set up. Sticking around the $10-13 level would hurt the trade set up I referred to in that post, but I still think it’s heading much higher or to zero in the next few months and that’s the time horizon on that trade…did I mention remember your time horizons on any trades and investments you make?
• Can you believe the gall of Ben and his cronies who want yet more power and central control of the very financial markets that their policies and endless bail outs and money creation have left in depression?
• And from a longer-term perspective, do these guys not realize how badly they’re continuing to destroy our economic standing relative to the rest of the world? You don’t think those foreign banks’ hundreds of billions in write-offs from those investments stamped clean and safe by the liars at “AAA-rated by US-approved agencies” like Moody’s and S&P are just going to be forgotten in the coming quarters and years, do you?

Anyway, I’m doing fine and as I wrote on my facebook page — I won’t be stopped. Not even by a tick!
PS. This weekend, we’ll be publishing the July edition of my investment newsletter, The Cody Report, where you can get more detailed fundamental stock and market analysis. Sign up at TheCodyReport.net to get it.