Keep this in mind when it comes to international investing

http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=609359

The correlation between corruption and poor performance is so high that it can make a big
difference on how international investments perform.  So, I pay attention to where a fund invests etc
from a variety of perspectives.  Thought this list will guide you too in your choices.

AAPL update

This Einhorn-induced euphoria on AAPL may not last since a 1B stake in a 400B company does not amount to much.  So I took profits on many of my AAPL puts for now (eg. sold at 68, bought back at 28).  May get back later if AAPL goes down temporarily with the rest of the market and when Einhorn gets his nose stubbed, since I remain bullish for the long term with a price target of 600+
For now, I want to stay out the rink to avoid being crushed by the gorillas, that is all.

Time to load one's canons - My first set of actions

If you followed me in bailing out of the market, now is the time to start identifying what you want in your portfolio when you are ready to jump back in.  Here is a candidate worth looking at.  I have written some puts (promises to buy) on MLM (Martin Marietta) at 90 and 85 based on (a) the asserted fair market value of 110 for the stock, (b) its market share in materials, and (c) the fact that sometime sooner than later, the governments will have to plunk in money into public works to increase employment.  I doubt the PUTs will get exercised and I may have to buy the stock.  You may wish to read

http://seekingalpha.com/article/1627902-martin-marietta-a-rare-fair-priced-materials-company-for-the-long-term-investor?source=yahoo

and whatever else and find out more.  In any case, this is one stock in my list for a future portfolio.

Why get worried ?

http://www.moneynews.com/MKTNews/Massive-wealth-destruction-economy/2013/06/20/id/511043/?promo_code=13E5C-1&utm_source=taboola