By Elliott Lapin, Staff writer

The Crosby High School boys soccer program players pose after the end of the first day of tryouts on Dec. 6

The Crosby High School boys soccer program players pose after the end of the first day of tryouts on Dec. 6

Photo: Cougar Soccer Twitter, @crosbysoccer

The Crosby High School boys soccer program players pose after the end of the first day of tryouts on Dec. 6

The Crosby High School boys soccer program players pose after the end of the first day of tryouts on Dec. 6

Boys soccer: Crosby Cougars motivated to get back to the playoffs

Last season the Crosby Cougar boys soccer team missed the playoffs for the first team in three seasons. Since last season ended, the team has been focusing on the goal of returning to the playoffs.

The first day of tryouts was Dec. 6. The first scrimmage was on Dec. 13. The first match of the season is on Jan. 2. The first district game is on Jan. 28.

It makes us hungry to play games, said senior Hugo Lopez. We want to establish a winning mentality.

The 2019-2020 team returns seven starters and 13 varsity players. Among the returning players are: senior Jonny Encinia, a second team All-State player and first team All-District player from last season, senior Steven Godinez, a first team All-District player from last season, sophomore Antoni Sanchez and senior Carlos Enamorado, both second team All-District players from last season.

Coach Trevor Helburg sees all that returning experience as a significant factor this season.

Crosby tied Porter 2-2 in the scrimmage at Cougar Stadium on Dec. 13.

Our takeaways were we need to work on some of our defensive principles. We got a little lazy or disorganized in the backfield a bit, Helburg said. But there are some positives in that we went down a goal and came back and scored. A lot of guys made their varsity debuts.

Crosby plays seven non-district games throughout January before starting District 22-5A play on Jan. 28 at Galena Park.

Absolutely (I approach non-district games differently than district games), Helburg said. I think non-district the objective is to see who can play where, change the formations, try to make tactical changes and personnel changes, said Helburg. To see what works and what doesnt, so, when games really matter, you know what you can work with.

Enamorado said he is looking forward to the matches against Galena Park this season. Crosby lost both matches against Galena Park last season, and he said that he felt like the team did not plays as well as it could have in those matches.

Crosby has an early season non-district match at Dayton. The rivalry is known as the Highway 90 Showdown, as the two schools are separated by an 18-mile stretch of Highway 90.

Encinia mentioned that the players have been playing soccer together for many years, both in school and outside of school. Helburg agreed that the teams closeness is one of its biggest strengths.

I think theyre real important. Helburg said. Not necessarily the result, but how we play. We work a certain style of play. We try to do things a certain way, and we want to be able to see that in the first couple of games to see that all the work we put in the offseason has paid off. The result is not as important as the way that we approach it.

When asked about the teams goals for the season, Lopez made it clear that the team is approaching the season with one main goal, to make it to the playoffs.

elliott.lapin@hearst.com

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Boys soccer: Crosby Cougars motivated to get back to the playoffs - Chron.com

In October 2019, a 14-year-old and an 18-year-old were charged with first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing ofDevan Bracci-Selvey, who died in his mothers arms outside his southern Ontario high school. In response, provincial Education Minister Stephen Lecceannounced "new actions"to tackle bullying, notably without any new funding.

These strategies include consulting with students, parents, teachers and others to advise the ministry on bullying prevention, overseen by Christina Mitas, a member of provincial parliament and former schoolteacher. The province says it will also survey students about their experiences with bullying, train educators on "de-escalation techniques" and assess incident reporting procedures.

The school where Lecce made the announcement became asite of protest.

It was the second day of action by teachers against Premier Doug Fordsbudget cuts to educationthat will result inlarger class sizes and fewer teachers. When teachers might have time to undergo training to de-escalate bullying incidents is an open question.

Lecces strategies seem appropriate and effective. The minister offered words that sounded responsive and reassuring, saying: "We are taking action to root out bullying."

Mitas described making schools "safe and inclusive places" an "obligation."

I have been examining policies and responses to bullying since I began my doctoral studies in 2001. At that time, and still, hopeful phrases such as "root out bullying" and providing "safe and inclusive spaces" were predictable buzzwords that highlighted theneed to manage political optics.

Unfortunately, it is not plausible to "root out bullying."According to a studyof 7,000 students across 195 schools, students who attended schools with anti-bullying programs actually experienced higher rates of bullying than those in schools without.

Its common knowledge that bullying is about power, mostly exercised through physical size and other differences. Perhaps those who bully understand the benefits of the power they wield, explaining why they would resist giving them up. Bullying persists for good reason.

Asocial-status-rewardsperspective meaning there might be significant social and personal benefits to bullying might also help to explain why bullying behaviours are so tenacious in schools and elsewhere.

Research in neuroscience should also be considered.Brain scan analysesindicate that the pleasure centres in the brains of those who bully are stimulated through the exercise of power.Other evidence suggeststhat the areas of the brain that control self-regulation are inhibited.

The result, then, is a toxic mix of pleasure, impulsivity and cunning. Bullying behaviours seem stoked byMachiavellian motivations. Asblogger Lev Novakwrites: "Thats the whole point of bullying; to show that you are cooler than someone, to assert some form of dominance. let me tell you; bullying is fun. You are cool and the other kid is not. What a rush, what validation!"

Children and youth can plainly see that adults who bully others largely get away with it and arerewarded for it.Sports coaches,likethe disgraced Bill Petersof the Calgary Flames, are a case in point, even if they are fired or their contracts are not renewed.

Business and political leaders are also rewarded and admired for behaving like bullies through tyranny, force and humiliation. InThe Allure of Toxic Leaders, organizational behaviour expertJean Lipman-Blumenargues that such leaders attract others through their charisma and narcissism. According to her, media glorify such leaders and are "charmed" by them.

A related factor is that people who bully are validatedby bystanders, also known as an audience. The ongoing emphasis to encouragebystanders to interveneoverlooks the fact thatnarcissism depends on an audience.

There is no "holy grail" to eliminate bullying. The supposed "new actions" are nothing new. However, there may be one hopeful note in Lecces announcement.

A fifth strategy will betoreview the "definition of bullying in ministry policies to ensure it reflects the realities of today." Thedefinition that Ontario's ministry of education offersis one in which power imbalances can be channelled through the marginalization of various forms of perceived or real social differences, including religion, race, sexual orientation and gender identity.

As I havelong argued,social differences are implicatedin power and dominance.

However, the "realities of today" should not be limited to social differences or tocyberbullying as a scourgein the Wild West of the internet. A truly new approach would also investigate the factors that make bullying attractive, rewarding and legitimized in the first place, both in schools and beyond.

Such an approach would turn over new and largely overlooked stones instead of the same hackneyed, simplistic and politically expedient ones that have been around for decades.

Meanwhile, the last thing teachers, parents and students need is to be subjected to yet more consultations and surveys.

Gerald Walton is a professor ineducation of gender,sexuality andidentity at Lakehead University.

This article was first published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca.

Continue reading here:
Bullying stems from toxic motivations - Winnipeg Free Press

She was referred to as "Amazing Grace" by Wallaroos coach Dwyane Nestor after scoring a Test hat-trick against Japan in Sydney but "amazing" is an understatement to how brave and courageousGrace Hamilton really was in 2019.

Amid captaining Australia in their four Tests against Japan and New Zealand, and helping the NSW Waratahs win their second Super W title, Hamilton was spending quality time with her father John, who died last month after a battle with cancer.

This year was tough because I knew that dad wasnt well and I knew we were going to go through that and I just wanted to play my best so he could see me do that, Hamilton said.

I know we talked about next year, playing rugby and he tells me what I should do and how I can be better so I just want to keep building that and building his legacy around rugby as well because he gave so much to that game and I just want to give as much as he did."

The former NSW Country Junior Rugby Union president was a towering figure in country rugby, who had a major influence in the game, including in establishing and developing sevens and girls' football in the central west of the state.

Hes never lost, and hes never forgotten, and hell always know Im playing and I cant wait for whats to come.

Deservedly, Hamilton was crowned the Buildcorp Wallaroos player of the year, fronting the Rugby Australia awards in Sydney just days after losing her father.

It was pretty special," she said.

That was a tough week for me but having my brother and sister there was just so lovely and its something Im just so lucky to have, is that family support.

They just support me in anything I want to do weather its rugby or off the field so that was really special for me its a testament to every single girl in that squad.

The 27-year old is now focused on having another stellar season in the green and gold but before she gets too excited about the expanded Test Series Hamilton and the Waratahs have some unfinished business.

For us we want to get that next level," she said.

I dont think that we hit our peak last year so we really want to step up our game and step up as individual players, but also as a team and play some good rugby so we can put a spectacle on and grow that support around Australia and around New South Wales.

I think our team could have performed better and we came off the field knowing that. Even though we got the win we knew that we were better than that win.

I think you learnt from a loss, but you also learnt from a win as well, so youve got to learn in every single area and thats important for us leading into this season.

While a good majority of the squad remains, the coaching ranks have changed with former assistant Campbell Aitken taking over the coaching duties from Matt Evrard.

The departure of former skipper Ash Hewson also leaves the door open for new leadership, something that Hamilton has cherished this year with the Wallaroos.

Its kind of something I havent really thought about yet, Hamilton said.

Its the biggest privilege you can have I think within the sport so for me to do that and to lead Australia out was probably the best moment in my life and in playing career especially, so its opened a lot of doors for me and Im so grateful for that.

We just came back into pre-season so were just about getting the group together and I think just putting our best foot forward leading into the Super W season in February.

Look, (Hewson) is a player that we will miss. She did a lot for us within our season but building into the future theres so many girls coming through and Ive never seen a squad this strong leading into the Super W.

With so many exciting prospects to look forward to, its the back end of the calendar that sets it apart for Hamilton with seven confirmed Tests to be played against higher ranked opponents.

Seven test matches, unheard of, and so excited, Hamilton said.

If the USA come over ... Ive never really played the USA. I did start playing over there, so Id love to play them, but I love a challenge and I love playing anyone.

I love playing the Black Ferns because I think we can be better and better and the more exposed to that kind of level of rugby the better were going to get.

We can compete, and weve got to compete for 80-minutes though, and thats something weve got to build leading into next year.

Australia is set to play in matchesagainst the US, Canada, France and England with two more trans-Tasman showdowns against New Zealand.

Originally posted here:
'I'm stoked he got to be there for it': Late father a motivation for Wallaroos captain - Rugby.com.au

>>> Quang Hai in 24-man shortlist for Best Footballer in Asia 2019

Ahead of the 2020 AFC U23 Championship in Thailand next January, the AFC has hosted a vote for fans favourite goal from the eight iconic goals of the tournament since its inception in 2013. Quang Hais superb free kick in the snow storm in the final of the 2018 tournament was in the running.

After one week, Quang Hai's free kick against reigning champions Uzbekistan U23s in the 2018 final in Changzhou (China) was the winner of the vote, gaining a total of 1,159,847 votes, streaks ahead of the second most voted for goal by Iranian player Mahdi Torabi against China U23 in 2016 which had a total of 298,037 votes.

The voting result for the most iconic goal at the AFC U23 Championship.

The goal by the Hanoi FCs midfielder was ultimately the deserving winner as it was not merely an equaliser for Vietnam in a very tense situation against Uzbekistan in that final, but also showed other noble values such as team spirit, unwavering belief and the desire of the entire team in the harsh weather conditions many of the players had never experienced before.

Talking about the iconic goal of Quang Hai, the AFC wrote while Uzbekistan won the tournament, Nguyen Quang Hai captured the imagination of fans with his 'Rainbow in the Snow' in the final one of five superb goals by the midfielder providing one of the most iconic moments the competition has ever witnessed.

In the final in January 27, 2018, Uzbekistan opened the scoring in the eighth minute, thanks to Rustamjon Ashurmatovs header, but Quang Hais Rainbow in the Snow levelled proceedings as half-time approached. Vietnam performed admirably and appeared to be heading for a penalty shootout as the game entered its 120th minute. However, substitute Andrey Sidorov volleyed home Dostonbek Khamdamovs corner to seal the victory in the 120th minute to help Uzbekistan claim their first title of the AFC U23 Championship.

Let's witness the superb goal "Rainbow in the Snow" by Quang Hai. (Video: AFC)

The iconic goal by Quang Hai is expected to bring a lot of spiritual meaning to him as a source of encouragement not only for the Hanoian, but also for his entire Vietnam U23 team before leaving for Thailand to attend this years finals.

Coach Park Hang-seo and his players are eager to recreate their impressive achievement in 2018, heading towards a Top 3 finish in the tournament held in Thailand to be granted a ticket to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Currently, Hai and his teammates are in Ho Chi Minh City for their final preparation ahead of the 2020 AFC U23 Championship. They have arrived home after a 10-day training camp in the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Park and his Korean assistants will join Vietnam U23 squad in Ho Chi Minh City this afternoon after a short Christmas holiday in their home country. The team will be back to training from December 25 to prepare for a friendly with V.League 1 side Becamex Binh Duong on December 28.

On January 1, 2020, the squad will set off to Thailand for the 2020 AFC U23 Championship. According to the plan, Parks side will have one last rehearsal with a final friendly with Bahrain U23s on January 3 next year.

On January 10, Vietnam will officially kick-off their Thai campaign with the Group D opener against the UAE, before facing Jordan on January 13. The reigning runners-up will wrap up their group stage with a match against DPR Korea on January 16.

See the original post:

Quang Hai's 'Rainbow in the Snow' top voted for AFC U23 Championship's Iconic Goals - Nhan Dan Online

After the Federal Communications Commission approved a $64.7 billion merger between Bell Atlantic and GTE Corp. in 2000, Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) was born. It became the largest local telephone company in the United States, serving 25 million mobile phone customers in 40 states. Verizon became a highly anticipated IPO for investors.

The first day of trading for Verizon Communications was July 3, 2000, with an IPO price set to $45.53 per share. An investor purchasing $10,000 of Verizon stock at the IPO would have 220 shares. Fast-forward to today, and Verizon is currently trading at $60.81 per share. A shareholder with 220 shares would have received $8,080 in dividends and a stock appreciation of $3,378 -- totaling $11,458, a 114.58% return on investment over the period of 19 years. Investors would have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.53% not including dividends -- 2.69 percentage points below the S&P 500's CAGR of 4.22% during the same period.

That 114% return over 19 years has been a solid run for a large, established company (although the S&P 500 rose 121% over the same time frame). And there are indications that the company can continue to show growth. But is it a stock for IPO shareholders to continue holding onto?

Image source: Getty Images.

Nomura Instinet and HSBC Securities downgraded Verizon in November 2019 for several reasons -- mainly pointing to a potential price war between Verizon and the competition. After the Department of Justice approved a merger between Sprint (NYSE:S) and T-Mobile US (NASDAQ:TMUS), Nomura and HSBC became concerned over a "race to the bottom," in which companies lower pricing to beat out each other -- and ending in very cheap unlimited plans offered to customers with small profit margins to sustain the business. AT&T (NYSE:T) fired the first shot at Verizon, announcing a price reduction on unlimited plans $5 cheaper than Verizon's unlimited plan.

The merger between Sprint and T-Mobile US will increase the competition for Verizon, as the company is currently serving 150 million customers in the United States -- which is 9 million more than AT&T's 141 million and 24 million more than the combined total of 126 million from the upcoming merger of Sprint and T-Mobile US. Competing for customers will be a daily battle that will rely on pricing, network speeds, and network availability.

Income investors will be keeping an eye on the performance of the two largest telecommunications providers: Verizon and AT&T. The company with the better forward dividend yield, price to earnings, and price to sales is currently AT&T. Verizon has a forward dividend yield of 4.02% versus AT&T's 5.32%, a forward price to earnings ratio of 12.7, which is higher than AT&T's 10.85, and a price to sales ratio of 1.93 over AT&T's 1.55. These fundamentals show a stronger case for owning AT&T than Verizon in the near term.

An investor holding 220 shares of Verizon will want to consider diversifying the holding and perhaps consider purchasing shares of AT&T if they want to continue investing in the sector as it is currently capturing a higher dividend yield and a better value. As the investments in 5G start to blossom, investors will see an increase in revenues from Verizon in 2021. However, AT&T is investing in 5G network speeds alongside Verizon.

In addition, AT&T has an advantage over Verizon, as AT&T is investing heavily in streaming by acquiring DIRECTV in 2015 and Time Warner in 2018 -- increasing revenue diversification.

Verizon's lack of revenue diversity puts pressure on growth during an industry consolidation and a potential price war, which hampers earnings-per-share growth. Verizon's forward dividend yield of 4.02% is great for income investors; however, AT&T's yield of 5.32% is better.

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If You Invested $10,000 in Verizon's IPO, This Is How Much Money You'd Have Now - The Motley Fool

A private survey has found that nearly 90 percent of institutional investors are worried about the possible negative effects of a law revision that tightens restrictions on foreign investment.

According to the survey, 86 percent of responding institutional investors worldwide believe the revised foreign exchange and trade law could negatively affect foreign investment in Japanese stocks.

Enacted in November, the revised law requires foreign investors to notify the government before acquiring a stake of 1 percent or more in listed companies in national security-related fields such as weapons, nuclear energy and semiconductors.

The threshold is far lower than the current 10 percent. The revised law is expected to take effect around May next year.

Organizations including the CFA Society Japan conducted the survey from Nov. 15 to 27, collecting answers from 115 institutional investors working for asset management companies, banks, life insurance businesses and others.

Institutional investors will be exempt from the tighter regulations unless they demand a position on the companys board or the transfer or discontinuance of a key business.

But many respondents are critical of what they see as an attempt to restrain shareholders from exercising the right to submit proposals.

Of the respondents, 70 percent opposed the revised law, citing the stricter requirement and the wide range of companies the obligation covers.

A respondent said the revised law is intended to suppress activist shareholders, and another commented that it bucks the current trend of improving corporate governance.

Market players say the scope of exemption is unclear and that details of the revised law are not widely known abroad because the government is not proving enough information in English.

The Finance Ministry is drawing up related ordinances.

Read the original:
Survey reveals worry over Japan's tougher rules on foreign investment - The Japan Times

320 South Canal Street, BMO Financial Group CEO Darryl White and Riverside Investment and Development CEO John ODonnell (Credit: Google Maps, BMO, Riverside Investment)

Riverside Investment & Development and Convexity Properties officially broke ground on their 50-story BMO Tower, after landing a $476 million construction loan for the West Loop project earlier this month.

The 1.5 million-square-foot-building will be home to BMO Financial Group, which signed a lease for 500,000 square feet and 14 floors. The firm also snagged naming rights to the building. Other companies with signed leases include the law firm Chapman and Cutler, which will also be headquartered there.

Globe St. first reported on the ground-breaking ceremony, held Friday.

The building, which will rise at 320 S. Canal St., and is expected to open in 2022. It will include 400 parking spaces, and there will be a 1.5-acre park adjacent to it. The project is near the Old Post Office, whose 2.5 million-square-foot space is undergoing a massive redevelopment.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot attended the groundbreaking ceremony, and said the BMO Tower will serve as a vital link to economic, cultural and recreational investments for residents and visitors, according to Globe St. [Globe St.] Jacqueline Flynn

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Riverside Investment breaks ground on 1.5M sf BMO Tower project - The Real Deal

As speculation started to ramp up regarding the sale of Weyerhaeusers forest lands in Montana, the buyer stepped forward to keep rumors in check.

On Saturday, attorney James A. Bowditch sent an email to media outlets announcing that Southern Pine Plantations would be buying 630,000 acres of timberland from Weyerhaeuser. The sale is expected to close in the second quarter of 2020.

While we cant provide specifics before the deal closes, (Southern Pine Plantations) has no plan to change the long-standing practices of the prior owners related to public access, forest management, grazing, existing outfitting agreements and conservation easements, and other programs. Again, we cant comment further at this time, but we felt it was in the public interest to provide this assurance to concerned Montanans, Bowditch wrote in the email.

Weyerhaeuserannounced the saleon Dec. 17, saying a private timberland investment company had agreed to by the land for $145 million in cash.

Because the sale includes a 110,000-acre conservation easement and Weyerhaeuser has long allowed locals to recreate on some its lands, people worried what the intent and policies of the new owner would be. Would they still be able to hunt, hike or cross-country ski in their favorite areas of the Salish Mountains between Kalispell and Libby?

In particular, wildlife advocates were concerned how new ownership and possible development would affect the ability ofgrizzly bears to migratebetween the Northern Continental Divide and Cabinet-Yaak ecosystems. Such connectivity is essential to keeping grizzly populations healthy, both in numbers and genetically. Without gene flow among all the populations, grizzlies could become inbred, particularly in the Cabinet-Yaak, which hosts only about 60 bears.

So far, only a few bears have tried to navigate across the people-packed Flathead Valley. Reducing the forested areas around the populated areas would make travel more treacherous for the large carnivores.

Bowditchs words may put a few fears to rest for now.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks director Martha Williams said last week that her employees would reach out to the prospective buyer once it was known. The identity known, theyll try to educate the Georgia-based company about Montanas wildlife concerns, from grizzlies and lynx to elk and grouse.

But a few concerns remain about why the southern company would want Montana timber. Although most of its property is in Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and South Carolina, it is an investment company that touts its ability to move fast on acquisition opportunities.

According to its website, We buy large acreage; keep some of the land that fits our long term management goals; then sell some of the land as large investment blocks and some of the land as individual tracts.

In other words, they can buy big stuff and turn around and sell it as small stuff that the rich can more easily afford.

Thats what happened three years ago in Idaho.

Thats when the Potlatch Corporationsold 172,000 acresof former Boise-Cascade land in southern Idaho to Southern Pine Plantations for $114 million. Potlatch had bought the land in 2007, anticipating the development of the Tamarack ski area, which later went bankrupt.

Three months after Southern Pine Plantations bought the land in May 2016, the company quietlyturned around and sold itto the Wilks Brothers.

Dan and Ferris Wilks of Cisco, Texas, are two billionaire brothers who have been buying up land in both Idaho and Montana since 2012 after making more than $3 billion in the fracking industry.

They gained notoriety in Montana after they tried to talk the Bureau of Land Management into swapping some land for the public inholding on their Lewistown-area ranch known as the Duffee Hills, a haven for elk and elk hunters who can fly into the little landing strip. When the BLM refused after an outcry from hunters, the Wilks shut down an access road to the Wild and Scenic Missouri River.

Having already developed a working relationship with Southern Pine Plantations, the Wilks Brothers may be trying to raise money to buy some new property. Earlier this year, theyput four ranches up for salein eastern Montana. If they scored the total asking price for all four, theyd pocket almost $44 million.

Contact reporter Laura Lundquist atlundquist@missoulacurrent.com

The rest is here:
Weyerhaeuser selling to timber investment group with Wilks Brothers ties - Missoula Current

Dan Hallett is vice-president and principal of Highview Financial Group

I have often criticized the investment industry for pumping out products designed to sell rather than build wealth for investors. I have also worked to raise investor awareness of how gimmicky products destroy wealth. The battle against such products took a step backward recently with an Ontario Securities Commission panels decision to allow the launch of a bitcoin investment fund.

The OSCs Investment Funds Branch was initially opposed to the fund; citing several concerns pertaining to public interests. The panels decision document clearly lays out the OSCs legal limits when it comes to approving products that are considered risky and speculative. Ultimately, the panel concluded that the fund will be able to reliably value the funds assets, secure the holdings (from hacks/theft) and complete a full financial audit.

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Many look to bitcoin and other assets such as gold and other commodities to provide diversification from traditional financial assets. An investment must meet two basic conditions for it to effectively diversify a portfolio. First, it must be weakly correlated with other investments. Second, it must produce a positive return. Bitcoin passes the first test with flying colours. But the second a positive return is quite a leap of faith, and violates the warning attached to virtually all investment products.

Regulators have long required every investment fund prospectus to be stamped with a statement reminding investors that past performance is no indication of the future. And yet, it seems that any assumption that bitcoin offers portfolio diversification is implicitly based on bitcoins performance during its one decade in existence. This is a drop in the bucket of financial market history. But there are two problems with this assumption.

First, we have no idea even using history how bitcoin will behave in a recession, financial crisis or bear market. History can be useful to gauge behavioural patterns and worst-case scenarios. But bitcoin hasnt existed through any such environment.

Second, by claiming that bitcoin can diversify portfolios, I wonder what basis is used for assuming positive future returns. As I stated for a Globe and Mail article on the panels decision:

We design client portfolios to achieve a specific goal a specific long-term return target. I can take each component of the portfolio and give you a very good ballpark estimate of how each piece will contribute to achieving that long-term goal. I have no idea how anyone can do this with bitcoin or any cryptocurrency. It cant be done.

We have designed an algorithm to forecast long-term asset-class returns. (The method is summarized in a 2012 blog post and has been pretty accurate.) But bitcoin doesnt fit into this or any other sensible model that facilitates a confident return forecast. Im certainly not comfortable blindly relying on 10 years of data to form any type of future return expectation; particularly since that decade overlapped a very long economic recovery and bull market.

Bitcoin and other crypto or digital currencies are likely to have a future. And blockchain technology seems destined to change some industries e.g., the way we handle legal documents. But investment assets require fundamental characteristics upon which to base some value assessment and, in turn, return expectations. In the absence of such characteristics, buying bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies either for attractive returns or portfolio diversification is speculating not investing.

See more here:
Cryptocurrency is a tool for speculation not an investment - The Globe and Mail

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Read the rest here:
How to confront the ghosts of investments past plus other top investing tips - MarketWatch