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Saturday, August 28, 2021

How to Flip Houses: A Starting Guide for Beginners

If you're new to purchasing and flipping houses, you've definitely noticed that there's a lot to learn. Buying and flipping properties aren't as easy or straightforward as it appears on TV. However, if you take the time to learn how to do it correctly, you can successfully flip properties. There are also methods for shortening your learning curve and putting precautions in place to reduce your costs.
 
I know readers out there know that I am a stock investor more than a property investor. But one of my best friends who live in San Francisco gives me the idea that I can be making money flipping houses. He is currently working in a home construction company. Moreover, he is learning how to renovate and build houses. I believe there are opportunities for us to work together and share profit in the future. I already have a stock portfolio that holds U.S. equities; however, I don't mind expanding my business portfolio to other ventures.
 
I think the real-estate business in the U.S. has much room for me to grow my assets. Moreover, I am interested in having my own Business Green Card to travel back and forth to America. I love San Francisco since I grew up over there. I want to be able to spend quality time with my friends who live there. Due to this reason, I decided to write an article on this topic. This article will teach beginners how to flip a house and some mistakes to avoid along the way. I am also going to talk about my plan in this business niche. 

Friday, August 27, 2021

Alibaba is in Big Hot Sale

The stock of Alibaba (Ticker: BABA) has taken a beating this year. It started at $227 in January and is now about $160, a 30 percent drop. This is a big blow for stockholders, especially given that it happened when U.S. shares were setting record highs after record highs. China's market performance has been poor this year. The S&P 500 has gained 20.8 percent this year, while China's Hang Seng Index has lost 7.5 percent. Surprisingly, the underperformance was mostly planned. Mind you, not by the firms themselves, but by force far more robust than they are.
 
The stock market in China did not fall because of an economic slump, the COVID-19 pandemic, or anything else. They're also not down due to weak earnings—at least not in the most recent quarter. Instead, they're down due to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) crackdown on digital companies, which has many investors worried.
 
As you may be aware, the CCP is currently led by Xi Jinping, its most powerful leader in decades. He has been dubbed China's most powerful man since Mao and is famed for getting his way. Following his ascension to power, Jinping shook up the Chinese government to expand his control. He established working groups in which he served as the leader, and he made essential government bureaucracies directly accountable to him. The end consequence was a leader with an unrivaled capacity to achieve his goals.
 
Now fast forward to the present day. Xi Jinping is a man on a mission to resurrect and rebuild China. Moreover, he promotes the Belt and Road Initiative, a massive infrastructure project connecting Asia and the European Union. He is bolstering China's military. He's advocating the concept of the "Chinese Dream," a daring new vision for the next century in China. Overall, he is a forward-thinking leader with enormous intentions for his country.
 
China's tech billionaires appear to be excluded from Xi's goal. A speech by Alibaba's Jack Ma is said to have enraged Xi Jinping in 2020, prompting a full-scale attack on not just BABA but China's whole digital sector. Shortly after the speech, the government began implementing the policies that have sparked so much debate today, including penalties, app de-listings, and attempts to halt U.S. IPOs.

These measures are at the heart of much of the current debate around BABA. Everyone knows the company has a winning combination of growth and value, but the negative thesis is that China's regulatory crackdown will limit growth in the future.
 
It may. Chinese tech companies may grow more slowly in the future than they would have if Jack Ma hadn't spoken up. BABA's $2.8 billion penalties have already taken a toll on profits, and the CCP isn't finished enacting restrictions.
 
Nonetheless, the selloff that we've seen is unreasonable. BABA isn't suddenly valued 30 percent less because it will be subjected to regulatory scrutiny in the future. Its stock price is a typical illustration of Ben Graham's "Mr. Market" delivering a terrific business at a low price. As a result, in this essay, I'll present a bullish case for BABA, suggesting that its combination of growth and value is worth the political risk.