This week's Motley Fool Money podcast, recorded early due to engineer Steve Roido's upcoming wedding, featured Chris Hill, Seth Jason, James Early, and Shannon Zimmerman discussing market trends, corporate deals, and individual stock picks.
The conversation kicked off with Jeremy Grantham, co-founder of GMO, dubbed the "perma bear" for his past warnings. Grantham, who predicted the 2007 global bubble, now suggests the market is "too pricey" and advises investors to reconsider stock exposure in favor of U.S. blue chips. Shannon Zimmerman noted Grantham's value in analyzing market fundamentals and highlighting the "career risk" faced by money managers. Seth Jason, however, pointed out that Grantham isn't a true "perma bear," having also called the market bottom. While the S&P is up 40% since March lows, earnings are only looking "better than expected" against drastically reduced expectations, a backdrop Seth believes supports Grantham's caution. James Early added that current aggregate earnings, often achieved through cost-cutting and one-time events like bank write-downs, are unsustainable and potentially misleading. Despite Grantham's focus on aggregates, the panel agreed that bottom-up analysis remains crucial for identifying opportunities even in an overvalued market.
Next, the hosts dissected the 10-year partnership between Microsoft and Yahoo against Google. Yahoo will leverage Microsoft's Bing search technology, with Yahoo selling premium search advertising for both. With Google dominating 65% of the search market, and the new alliance holding 30%, Seth Jason was skeptical, calling it "not much" of a game-changer. He highlighted Microsoft's history of losing money in search and Yahoo's stock falling 12% post-announcement, suggesting Yahoo missed a better deal previously. James Early saw Yahoo saving on search tech development costs and Microsoft gaining market share, enabling more ad sales, though he doubts it will unseat Google. Shannon Zimmerman, surprisingly, called it a "smart move for Microsoft," arguing it diversifies their revenue and buys market share in a space they want to be in, unlike Yahoo which essentially gives up its core business.
The housing market was then discussed, following news of the Case-Shiller Price Index showing a 0.5% rise in single-family home prices from April to May (the first increase since 2006) and an 11% surge in new home sales from May to June. Seth Jason strongly countered the positive media spin, stating these numbers are misleading. He pointed out the new residential sales figure came with a "plus or minus 13.2%" margin of error, meaning it could actually be a decrease. Year-over-year, sales were down 21.3%. For Case-Shiller, Seth noted that *seasonally adjusted* numbers still showed a slight monthly drop, emphasizing that the press often omits crucial details to tell a "happy story." Shannon Zimmerman countered that even a small uptick, like the seasonally adjusted 0.16% drop, indicates a slowing pace of decline and could be the start of a recovery.
In a segment of quick takes on "best performer over the next five years":
* **Retail (Amazon, Costco, eBay):** Shannon picked **Costco** for its consumer staple appeal. Seth and James both chose **Amazon**, believing it continues to dominate eBay.
* **Food (Chipotle, McDonald's, Starbucks):** James and Shannon both favored **Chipotle** for its growth potential and resilience. Seth leaned towards **McDonald's**, citing high valuations for Chipotle and Starbucks.
* **Operating Systems (Apple, Microsoft, Google):** Shannon made another unexpected choice with **Microsoft**, seeing Apple on an "innovation hamster wheel" and Google primarily as an ad company, while Microsoft is undervalued with Windows 7 upcoming. James, a Mac owner, stuck with **Apple**, citing its reliability and Microsoft's "irrational" pursuit of search. Seth acknowledged Apple's potential gain in market share but Microsoft's lead in absolute numbers.
For their "stock on the radar" for August:
* Shannon reiterated **Microsoft**, citing its valuation and anticipated Windows 7 success.
* James offered a cautious perspective on **China**, expressing distrust in their economic data and advising investors to stay away.
* Seth highlighted **Under Armour**, noting its mid-teen apparel revenue growth despite overall tepid results, calling apparel key for its higher margins and expansion into other segments.
Finally, the hosts offered marriage advice to Steve Roido. James suggested "Norm's Beer and Wine" for pre-wedding relaxation. Seth offered the classic "she's always right." Shannon advised, "always consider whether you would rather be right or whether you'd rather be happy" and emphasized the importance of clear communication, "say out loud what you want."