Forbes magazine Publisher Rich Karlgaard started off the 11th Forbes Cruise for Investors this morning with an excellent presentation. He said Americans seem to hate a good economy, but that’s a good thing for investors because it keeps expectations low. He pointed out that there is a correlation between one’s view of the economy and one’s view of President Bush. He also talked about the media and how it tends to lean left and focus on the negative. He even made some predictions about real estate. He said the gap between real estate prices on the coasts and prices in the interior is greater than it has ever been. He believes that baby boomers will increasingly retire to interior regions of the country. He favors college towns in low tax, non-union states.
John Dessauer spoke next. He was extremely bullish about the stock market. He sees stocks going much higher primarily because of corporate earnings growth. He says stock price appreciation has lagged earnings growth rates. Therefore, he believes it will require a strong rally in stocks to straighten things out. According to Dessauer, those who warn about slowing earnings growth are simply wrong.
In addition to the presentations, the cruise has been wonderful. As usual, the food is great. However, the seas have been extremely rough the last couple of days. Running on a tread mill was all but impossible. I finally had to give up after half a mile. In fact, most people look drunk simply walking around on board trying to keep their balance.
