Stratfor writes today:
“Moscow’s options are varied, but its most likely strategy is three-pronged: bring pressure to bear on eastern Ukraine with limited military incursions; create unrest in the Baltics (now part of NATO and the European Union) and the Caucasus, and prevent anti-Russian movements from coalescing in eastern Europe.
“Europe’s position now becomes critical. Fractured and burdened by its ongoing financial crisis and lacking unity on military issues, the European Union could find it difficult to counter Russian moves – whether they appear as financial incentives to the struggling states of central and eastern Europe or threats of armed conflict along the periphery. Looking into the future, the Ukraine crisis ultimately could test the core assumptions binding the EU – and the NATO alliance – together.”
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What worries me more than the weakness of the west is that Putin changed course over the period of only 10 days, first saying that Russia didn’t want to annex Crimea before the vote, and then going ahead with a full legal Russian takeover. The theory that Putin is a strategist with a plan is wrong: he made those hands-off statements before he acted in a contrary fashion to them.
So now the EU, NATO, the former Comecon, and the US will no longer believe any Russian promise. This is not a sign of strategic wisdom but of political weakness.
Today we have news of a water crisis in Brazil; stock down ratings in Jordan, London, and Dubai; my advice for an Irish bookie; news on Mongolian real estate; a profit warning from Canada, a “sin [without] bla bla bla” comment on Portuguese telecoms; news on the first company in our portfolio hit by Putin’s Crimea land-grab; a note from Thailand; and a really raunchy new stock pick.
*There are major players trying to bridge the gap between alternative energy sources and the power grid. The gap is a major problem for solar roofing (because the sun doesn’t shine overnight and people want a hot shower in the morning). It is a problem with wind power when the breeze stops blowing. While some pundits consider the idea of reversing the water flow in dams to store alternative energy for when it is needed, the future of electric cars and solar heating depends on better storage batteries.
There are many players. The battery guys are Rayovac (SPC), Energizer (ENR), Duracell (PG), Eveready (BSE). The electric car crowd includes not just Tesla (TSLA), but also Prius (TM), Mitsubishi (MIELY), Mazda (MZDAF), and China’s BYD in which Warren Buffett has invested. And not to forget brown goods makers like Panasonic (PCRFF), Samsung (SSNLF), LG, Sony (SNE), Hitachi-Maxell (HMXLF).
Here is my entrant, raunchy Electrovaya (EFL.TO, EFVLF on the pinks.) It designs and makes patented lithium ion SuperPolymer(R) batteries, battery and energy storage systems for clean electric transportation, portable energy, utility scale energy storage, smart grid power, consumer, and healthcare markets. Its manufacturing processes do not use toxic chemicals like cadmium or lead (why most batteries have to be recycled) or n-methyl purrolidone, which may cause birth defects. They are protected by 150 patents.
