chhll
chhll
chIll in Ct
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chhll · 6 years ago
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chIll in Ct 今天 7 岁了!
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chhll · 7 years ago
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第一性原理
http://video.caixin.com/2018-12-12/101358078.html
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chhll · 7 years ago
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投资拒绝一再误判
人类历史在正知正见中前行,在颠倒误判中倒退。1995年,查理•芒格(Charlie•Munger)重返母校哈佛大学做演讲时系统呈现了“人类误判心理学”,提出了导致人类做出误判的24个原因,譬如“简单心理否定”导致误判、“自我确认倾向”导致误判、“拿锤综合症”导致误判、精神压力导致误判。
尽管一百多年来金融投资家们无数次试图使用模型与理论来推演市场的发展,但是因为推演过程中使用了各种假设和技巧,因此会扭曲现实所释放出来的信号。我们会发现这样一个不可回避的事实,投资者无论是运��先进的资产定价理论,还是复杂的财务技术指标都无法令预测结果与最终事实完全契合,二者甚至大相径庭。因此,我们不仅需要坦然接受误判的存在,而且还需要不断地修正自己的思考方式。
集体误判 VS 个体正见
我们一直存在“落入两边”的两种倾向:在个别情况下,过分夸谈“真理握在少数人手里,而错误握在多数人手里”,过度夸大精英人士的见解,并否定多数人的观点;而在大多数情况下,我们则过分强调“少数服从多数”的观点,无视少数人的见解。无论是倾向于少数人,还是倾向于多数人,都会在特定场合里失效,特别是后者。多数人的“一致性”判断往往是种集体误判。用多数来否定少数显然是不合适的。人数多不代表见解对。
集体误判是种家常便饭。股龄十年以上的人应该都有印象,上涨指数在从998点冲向6124点的半途中,包括券商研报、市场名嘴在内的主流观点都是“万点论”,一万点不是梦。无独有偶,时隔八年,当上涨指数从1849点冲向5178点时,市场的主流观点仍然是以前的“万点论”。两次都是刚过一万点的一半出头,A股就出现大幅下跌,然后步入漫长熊市。这在A股最近两轮牛市里堪称是“集体误判”的经典案例。在股票市场上,亏钱的人永远是大多数,这个比例可能会超过90%。赚钱的人寥寥无几,应该不到10%。在股市上,多数人一路上都在犯错,犯错的人数远远多于不怎么犯错的人数。当一个集体是由大多数犯错的人构成时,集体误判便屡见不鲜。
人数少也不代表见解错。所以,从一开始我们就应该尊重少数人的观点和想法,因为只有少数人懂得去深入、全面而独立地思考。譬如2001年的时候,有人就提出过“千点论”、“推倒重来论”,后来到2005年时候真的跌到了998点;2015年的时候,有人提出“双80%论”,即除了10倍市盈率以下的优质蓝筹股,市场上80%的股票还要下跌80%,现在大家也都见识到了。
当投资者遭遇亏损的时候,精神压力就会骤然加大。在这种压抑的心态下,投资者往往会丧失独立思考的能力,于是跟风从众,看媒体找资讯,听股评找权威,然后这些个体也就失去了正见。当然,独立思考是必要的,但“独见”也不一定是不偏不倚的正见。正知正见才是我们所要追求的真理。
权威误判 VS 合理质疑
主流观点通常也是权威观点。权威误判是集体中的权威个体出现误判,而其余个体又喜欢诉诸权威,最后导致大家一起误判。人们即使早就知道这种盲从行为是错误的,也会不知不觉倾向于接受权威的判断。
人类社会的权力结构是如此的等级分明以至于人们天生具有服从权威的倾向。权威是一种使人信从的力量和威望;权威经常是投资者的精神慰藉,甚至是精神支柱。股海里的人们之所以需要权威,仰仗权威,是因为人们经常会陷入迷茫之中,不知所措。在投资者的成长历程中,可能一开始需要“权威”这根精神支柱。在投资者无法自主做出准确度较高的决定时,他们经常需要依靠权威的判断。然而,成熟的投资者应当是自立的,听从自我本心的,能自主决定买什么股票,买多少,什么时候卖,卖多少。
如何发现颇具权威的个人或组织出现误判?我能想出来的相对完美的解答是“合理质疑”。这就要求我们要有足够审慎的态度,充分运用直觉与反直觉、正推与逆推,证实与证伪等思维工具做足研究工作,而不能夹带任何倾向或偏好去分析权威观点。做出正确的判断是相当不容易的,大家千万别把它当成是一件不费吹灰之力就能搞定的小事。
稍有些股龄的投资者应该还记得2015年牛市的时候,有些权威人士大谈这轮牛市将持续很多年,因为这是一次“国家牛”、“改革牛”。这些高大尚的用语,从权威人士口中说出的时候,似乎已经成为道德与政治的制高点,普通投资者难以抗拒,只能接受。可是后来的股灾证明了权威也会做出荒唐的误判。我并不是要否定一切权威判断,而是告诫投资者要有一颗不畏权威的心,敢于甄别甚至质疑意见领袖、机构、官媒的声音。投资者应当通过反复推演、内心感悟以及客观事实来判断未来可能出现的新事实。
个体误判 VS 自我确定
人类天生就有避免不一致的倾向。人们执着于前后一致,并在内心深处呼唤自己能坚守这种维持一致的“承诺”,于是就会导致认知偏见,然后出现个体误判。芒格把这种导致个体误判的原因归结为“自我确认倾向”。
哪怕市场上已经出现了不利证据的时候,人们仍然会情不自禁地到处搜罗一些能证明自己正确的线索。被套住的投资者经常会四处搜刮一些利好来安慰自己。当发现好消息的时候,投资者立刻转悲为喜,有时候还会将这些利好信息保留下来,或者刻意转发给自己的朋友来表示自己找到了一点佐证。人们倾向于不断证明,反复确定自己买的股票还不错。但要知道,自我确定就是在自我催眠、自我辩护。而自我辩护就是个体误判的开始。
当投资者预感到将来所要面对的“套牢”是不可避免时,他们一般会尽最大努力将这种忧心减少到最低程度。于是,投资者总是倾向于从最好的方面去看待那些必然发生的事情。可是,这种心理习惯有可能是灾难性的,因为投资者可能低估了所持股票下跌的幅度以及时间长度。乐观有时候确实是需要的,悲观也不一定就是坏事,而最难能可贵的是客观。
究根到底还是“先入为主”的心理习惯造成了“自我确定”的认知偏见。先入为主、自我确定是一种厌恶修正的思维模式。这种思维模式让我们不断地去修饰甚至掩饰自己一开始给出的单方面判断。如果这个初始判断是错误的,那么投资者将长时间陷入在这个误判里不可自拔。事实上,“前后不一”并不是道德缺陷,构不成道德谴责,它仅仅是自我纠错的一种行为。投资者一定要意识到这个思维陷阱的存在,一定要跳出来客观看待市场的涨涨跌跌。
不能被同一块石头绊倒三百次
德国哲学家黑格尔在总结人类犯错史之后感慨地说:人类从历史学到的唯一的教训,就是人类没有从历史中吸取任何教训。这句话放在股市里也是正确的。我们应当警醒,重复犯错使投资者深陷困境。
人们总在同一个地方不断摔倒。人被石头绊倒一次不要紧,要紧的是几天之后又被同一块石头绊倒。好了伤疤忘了疼之后的某年某月某一天,当他走过同一条路的时候,还是会被那块该死的石头绊倒第三次。错误就像这块石头,在路面上安静等待他的脚,一次又一次地去踢。所谓的“股神”,就是在同样的错误上不犯超过两次的人。
为什么人们会重复犯错?因为人们的习气很重,很难扭转自己的思维惯性,除非经历切肤之痛。人们总是屡试屡犯,屡犯不改,难以觉醒。人们会在同样的��题上犯错两三百次,而不是两三次。十几二十年来重复相同的错误,就是导致那么多投资者长期亏损的原因。
人都会有反复误判的时候,问题是怎么逃离这个困境。痛定思痛,保持警觉,反复复盘,善于学习,敢于纠错。人们应当以修正错误为乐趣,以寻找真相为乐趣,以寻找正知正见为乐趣。
手里拿着锤子,看什么都像钉子
“拿锤综合症”讲的是,如果人们的大脑不经过合适的训练,那么它就倾向于用自己知道的、习惯的或者喜欢的模式去思考问题,而这种思考方式经常会导致误判。这里涉及以下三类思考模式:直觉思维与反直觉思维、正向思维与逆向思维、证实思维与证伪思维。
直觉思维与反直觉思维,都有自己的应用场景,但大部分人的弱项是反直觉思维。人们与生俱来就有一些关于因果、逻辑的先天直觉,之后又从人生经历中融入了大量的后天直觉,这些都构成了后续我们判断事物发展的直觉思维。直觉思维在很多场合是适用的,比如看见一片乌云就知道后面会下雨。但是在投资里,直觉思维经常是不适用的,比如听说管理层出来救市了,不可以直接就断定股市会涨;比如看到季报出来业绩不及预期,不可以直接就断定股票会跌;比如知道美股昨夜大涨了,不可以直接就断定A股会涨;比如见到新股上市连板之后第一个涨停板打开了,也不能直接就断定后面会跌。很多投资者都太依赖直觉思维了,还美其名曰是“盘感”,其实这是一种懈怠思考的表现,是内心抵触再次深入考虑问题的表现。如此一来,投资者就很容易陷入我在本文开头提到的“简单心理否定”或者“简单心理肯定”的误区里。
正向思维与逆向思维,很难说后者一定比前者优越,但大部分人的弱项是逆向思维。这里要注意:第一,逆向思维是一种反其道而行的思维方式,反过来思考问题可以帮助我们发现更多问题;第二,思维是可逆的,当一种公认的逆向思维模式被大多数人掌握并应用时,它也就变成了正向思维模式; 第三,逆向思维并不是主张人们在思考时违逆事物发展规律,恰恰相反,逆向思维如果想获得成功就必须遵循规律。由逆向思维发展而来的逆向投资正是遵循“物极必反”规律的表现:譬如约翰•邓普顿的“在最悲观的低点进行投资,在疯狂非理性的高点抛出”;譬如沃伦•巴菲特的“在别人恐惧时贪婪,在别人贪婪时恐惧”;譬如约翰•聂夫的“对我们来说,丑陋的股票往往是美丽的”;譬如在三聚氰胺事件之后买伊利股份,在塑化剂事件之后买入贵州茅台,在美国芯片禁令事件之后买入中兴通讯。事实上,逆向投资隐含着“择时��要素。只有择时能力高,逆向投资才能做得好。如果买到半山腰,很多缺乏耐性的投资者最后只能割肉出局。
证实思维与证伪思维,各有所长,但大部分人的弱项是证伪思维。可能大家得先了解一下犹太���伟大思想家卡尔•波普尔。波普尔是乔治•索罗斯在伦敦政治经济学院求学时的导师。索罗斯的"彻底可错性"思想其实就是波普尔的“可证伪性”思想在金融市场的一种表述。可证伪性,指的是理论不能被证实,只能被证伪。能够自圆其说的逻辑不一定是对的,因为对于一个现象,人们总可以找到冠冕堂皇的理论来解释,然后试图通过几个例子(代表不了全体事实)来证明其正确性。于是,人们经常会把错误的原因当成了真正的原因,然后推出错误的预测与判断。这就是索罗斯讲的,我们对市场的理解永远是错的。因此,我们要遵循趋势,试错入场,没有执念,控制风险。这里的重要环节就是“试错 ”。
要想做好投资,不仅需要做大量的研究工作,还要学会正确地思考。如果只用一种思维模式思考,那么通常会眉毛胡子一把抓,这样误判的次数会大大增加,因此,我们需要建立自己的“思维工具箱”。此外,既然人们的误判是必然发生的,那么试错与纠错就显得格外重要。伟大的投资者都有非常强大的纠错能力,索罗斯是这样,芒格也是。在漫长的投资路上,幻觉无处不在,而真相只有一个。追求真相、纠正错误是这一路走下来最重要的事。总而言之,我们应当谨记《左传》讲的这句话:过而能改,善莫大焉
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chhll · 9 years ago
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韭菜
作为中国股市的基础,韭菜(被收割的散户)的生长情况很大程度上决定了股市行情起落的力度。这应该说是历来导致长熊短牛特征的中国股市的重要原因。现在股市表现乏味,有人说是这届韭菜不行。 对于这一看法,我绝不苟同。 韭菜,属百合科多年生草本植物。农贸市场上卖的韭菜,是看不到带根卖的,因为多年生,所以割完一茬又一茬,源源不断。韭菜耐割的生命力之顽强,值得所有人敬佩。 既然韭菜生命力如此顽强,那为何现在韭菜不在中国股市这块肥沃的土地上生长了呢?这其中有很多原因,但没有一个原因应该怪罪到韭菜本身身上。 首先,适合韭菜生长的土壤不止中国股市这一块。中国股市自经历了几轮股灾之后,土壤已十分贫瘠,不适合韭菜生长。韭菜流窜于田间地头野蛮生长继续,债券市场就出现了韭菜生机勃勃的景象。当然,韭菜没有直接入市,债券市场直接参与交易的门槛太高,但作为优先资金还是可以靠固定收益产品间接进入债市的。债市在股市之后的快速加杠杆,离不开韭菜们的功劳。 债市之后,楼市也出现了一茬茬韭菜旺盛生长,而且哪里营养好就涨到哪里,京沪深一线楼市房价暴涨,开发商和二手房业主割韭菜割得不亦乐乎。最近楼市消停后,商品期货这个以往不见韭菜踪迹的田地也开始出现韭菜,以至于有的期货公司营业部开户出现了排队的景象。最后,在各种菜市场、大卖场、大街小巷的所谓理财的庞氏诈骗公司里,都生长着大批韭菜。一旦爆出庞氏老板跑路案例,规模大到数百亿,小到数千万。 韭菜在这么多市场里大面积快速生长,还能在期市、庞氏游戏里冒着高风险生长,这能说这届韭菜不行吗?从规模和风险偏好看,韭菜完全行的很。 其次,说韭菜不行,其实是种韭菜的人不行。前一波牛市起来时,明明行情持续数月了,种韭菜的人非说沪指4000点才是牛市起点,结果5000点牛市就结束了。要知道,这轮牛市从2000点起来,说4000点是牛市起点的人,本身不懂田间地头的科学,不懂韭菜种植的科学,培育出来的韭菜揠苗助长不堪风雨,把中国股市慢牛活生生催熟成了疯牛。这能怪韭菜吗?不能。韭菜没脑子,只知道吸取营养,你种下去多少韭菜苗,撒下去多少化肥,全然不能怪韭菜。 韭菜种的不好也就算了,收割起来更是没技术,居然看到韭菜催熟太快怕来不及收割,干脆连根拔起。第一轮股灾是杠杆灾,收割韭菜的人居然釜底抽薪抽杠杆,这不是连根拔韭菜是什么?韭菜留着根能割了一茬又一茬,拔了根就只能骗新韭菜进来了,这难度可比割原生韭菜要难多了。 最后,韭菜被抛弃了。在股灾之后,中国股市的拥有者不想种韭菜了。因为之前这一轮牛市,加上之后的股灾,不但使得股市这块土壤贫瘠了,还让韭菜不好卖了,更重要的是,拥有者种植的韭菜,其实是被雇佣的小工长工收割偷了去,自己什么好处也没捞到,于是现在这块土壤只能进行翻耕修复。 新任证监会主席刘士余上任后,明确表达了以稳为主的管理思路,一切金融创新都被停止,管制不断加强。这位新管理者代表着土地拥有者的意思,这意味着人家不想在这里种韭菜了,不想种韭菜还哪有韭菜重新快速生长的道理?土壤修复投入的资金资源太大了,一时半会儿还修复不好,这一点太伤人心了。 所以说,不要怪韭菜不行,韭菜本身没有错,行不行全看种韭菜的人和土壤行不行,韭菜只管自顾自的生长,哪里生长环境好就在哪里生长,哪里有人喜欢种韭菜哪里就有韭菜涨。韭菜没脑子,能怪没脑子的韭菜吗?
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chhll · 9 years ago
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A股
2015年6月的三波股灾对资本市场的摧残,很多人会一辈子铭记。“股权质押的上市公司80%要破产了。”“券商可能集体爆掉。”“直接跌到2000点。”“休市才能救市。”这些现在听起来不可思议的呐喊声仍余音绕梁。
一位好朋友分享说:“我炒股10多年,头一次遇到这种情况,连续8个跌停,卖的机会都没有。”后来他拿出那只股票分享给身边的人,大家唏嘘不已。8个一字板跌停。“亏50%以内就是高手了。”这已经成了事后人们回顾股灾的普遍共识。
在大多数人看来,本轮股灾的发生是不可预知的、不可控的所有股民共同的灾难,随着时间的流逝,大部分人已经接受了之前惨痛的失败,要么默然,要么轻描淡写,而或继续在寻找时机杀个回马枪。在这样全球范围内都罕见的惨烈股灾面前,价值投资早已经淡出人们的语境,灾难面前讨论价值已经无异于欺骗。
从某种程度看,中国资本市场善良的广大个人投资者们,已经开始拒绝任何和因果相关的逻辑。他们宁愿相信这是赌场里的游戏。
硬币的另一面
我在市值管理和生态并购研究过程中,和很多A股资深投资者有深入交流,他们都是去年盈利7-10倍并全身而退的顶级高手,有个人投资者、有私募,大部分人有15年以上的职业投资经验,是多个国内专业机构高薪聘请的风控专家或超级智囊。从他们的眼里,市场并没有那么恐怖,故事也没有那么传奇。
“无非是大部分人思维里的错误判断集中爆发,貌似超出常识,损害更大了而已,这一切和20年的资本市场运行规律对比看,没有新情况和大偏离,还是大逻辑。”这是其中一位的看法。
另一位被业内认为20年从未失手的知名个人投资者(媒体喜欢叫他们“超级牛散”)对此也很淡然,“我们经历的事情太多了,所以内心是充满恐惧的。去年4000点之上我基本都是半仓操作,4500点以上且战且退,到了5000点就清仓了。所以去年在没有加杠杆的前提下赚了7倍。”这位自认为从不贪婪的“股神”对于股灾的非常独特——中国股市每次股灾都是小牛市的起点,他认为2016年股灾加速“投资大年”的到来。
一边是地狱,一边是天堂
一边是普通投资者讨论的“价值机遇”、“价值创造”,一边是超级投资者讨论的恐惧和历史记忆。这是中国资本市场独特的景观,对比起来,让人五味杂陈。
总体来看,中国资本市场在全球范围内确实有着明显的“中国特色”,概括起来包括:散户多、政府强参与、市场新、技术变革快、上市公司资源供应不充分。而在这样的市场基础上,伴随着GDP的迅速放大和经济迅速全球化,制度架构和治理水平早已支撑不了如此快速变化和进化的市场,更何况匪夷所思的“国家牛市”。
于是,价值投资这样全球通行的投资理念,在中国被扭曲和修正,这让市场不可避免的成为了辩证法绞杀的角斗场,本来应该伴随经济发展获利的资本市场设计初衷,演变成了极少数人获利的饕餮盛宴。
从市值管理的角度,这种不确定性同样给上市公司的发展进化带来了很多不利影响。本文,我尽可能真实呈现中国特色资本市场的悖论与逻辑,希望给不同层次市场参与者更多启发,同时给监管者善意的提醒。
一个健康的市场要让大多数人因为市场繁荣而成为赢家,而不是只让极少数人成功并承担道德枷锁,从这个角度看,本文揭示A股“中国特色”大逻辑的同时,最终目的是希望市场能在减少投资者痛苦的前提下迅速进化。
以下是我访谈多位A股“顶级高手”后的总结概括,和普通投资者的思维做一个鲜明的对比,更直观的呈现中国特色的价值投资大逻辑,希望在现实中能帮助一些朋友趋利避害,获得成功。
只可能在边缘处和普遍恐慌处获得高回报,不建议追星热门股票。
首先需要达成三个共识,第一个是A股市场的封闭性,即使开通了“沪港通”之后,A股与国际资本市场的流���性交换依然不足;第二个是上市资源的稀缺性,经过多轮股灾之后,IPO实际上再次停摆;第三个是退市机制不健全,没有优胜劣汰的机制。这三点导致了大多数情况下资金相对于可购买股票资产的相对过剩,对于不到3000多家的沪深上市公司,有几万亿的可支配居民可支配收入和机构资金作支撑,如果股市拥有健康的活力,应该说资金是充分供给的。特别是个人投资者(散户)主导市场,价值判断的多元带来了投资的多元化,几乎每一个股票都会受到特定人群的关注。对于明星企业更是大型机构和投资者重点锁定的对象,而这种现象的另一个副作用就是热门股成了机构资金配置的首选,但并非强力拉升和推动股价的最好标的。而利空消息发酵或者股灾,机构散户化让抛压趋同,这就导致了明星上市公司往往低回报和高风险并存。
上市公司价值源自向前进取心,而不是已经发生并沉淀于股价的业绩。
看一个公司的时候,普通的投资者往往习惯于研究已经获得的业绩,并且做出公司发展趋势的判断。这种思维方式容易让人陷入对已知利好的极度放大,以及对已知利空的极度恐惧,这两种情绪都是影响价值发现的。资本市场一个鲜明特点就是“利好出尽,利空出尽”的价值转换,市场会很聪明的记录已经存在的信息,这些大部分已经融入和反应到股价之中。所以,顶级高手往往通过研究上市公司向前战略布局的进取心来判断公司的价值进化,比如:一个公司想投资教育,顶级投资者就会去研究投资方向的成长性;一个公司切入供应链金融,顶级投资者会去调研这个业务的天花板和致胜要素,总之,高手们都是通过研究公司的新业务做投资判断,这让他们的思维更敏锐、结论更准确。
价格的合理性取决于预期的合理性,而不能简单认为股价高就有风险。
这是一个非常典型的逻辑对比,也是普通投资者很难通过长期持有高成长股票获得5倍以上收益的根本原因。一般情况下,高手会不断分析一个公司的战略进化效率,以及市场对此预期的变化,他们通过公司主体的高预期和市场低预期的对比发现价值,这样让顶级投资者可以更加自信的面对公司的稳定增长,并坚定持有。普通投资者,特别是散户,最典型的一个行为习惯就是“拿不住”,在他们的逻辑里,快速成长都是风险的累积,其实这个思维是被市场本身长期“纠错教育”的结果,大部分人投资者喜欢频繁操作,这种思维特别容易带来“持有焦虑症”,这也是影响高额收益的最重要原因。
普遍赌博心态决定豪赌安全边际,他们往往在早期参与并在市场亢奋的时候退出。
这是一个非常考验人性的逻辑陷阱,也是关于中国特色价值投资的一个非常重要的“大逻辑”。一般情况是这样的,一只股票上涨,你基于过去的判断觉得是炒作;后面加速上涨,你开始怀疑;最后在利好消息中爆发式上涨,由于多次“纠错教育”的结果让你的思维逻辑趋向于正面的判断。这个时候,最容易掉入接盘侠的逻辑陷阱里。而顶级高手眼中的市场正是充满了这样普遍赌博心态的个人投资者,所以他们发动的豪赌往往比我们的想象有更强的安全边际。比如很多顶级高手愿意豪赌壳资源,对于20-40亿的壳资源,豪赌其稀缺性和借壳重组预期;比如一个做股票20多年的ST大王,在历史中多次豪赌ST股票,大部分时候是胜利者的身份赚取暴利,豪赌的一个关键就在于他所洞察的市场心理,当然,另一个维度是上面提到的资源标的稀缺性。而对于豪赌的参与者,实际上他们是极其谨慎和保守的。
大多数情况下,上市公司治理结构决定发展潜力,不能简单的将公司在资本市场价值归结于产品和服务。
如果从广义的管理理论判断,产品和服务的质量决定盈利能力进而影响股价这一定是没错的,但对于上市公司来讲,这个逻辑太微观了。第一点,A股的大部分公司市值体现靠未来成长预期,这和中国市场高速发展有关;第二点,上市公司在这个独特的市场中往往是靠资金成本优势和竞争对手博弈,提供的产品和公共服务不一定是最好的或者进步最快的,但上市公司可以通过市场扩张的多种资本运作方式迅速的放大公司的资产规模。在这个大逻辑背景下,实际上上市公司的治理结构(包括所有制结构和董事会结构)决定了其进取心,也决定了他的发展潜力。比如:创业板很多新型行业公司,新型管理者的诚信水平实际上高于地方很多国资背景的上市公司,在顶级高手的分析中,用很多的精力理解公司的团队,特别是实际控制人和管理者的进取心,通过对体制优势的研判分析公司的成长性。比如:某四川家电类国资上市公司,在和经过体制改革的TCL以及完全民营企业属性的乐视相比,产品的优势只是局部,治理结构决定了其长期竞争力。
散户情绪对政策影响是确定性因素,所以他们知道散户悲情意识和政策拐点之间的关系,散户最悲观的时候往往是政策拐点,也是市场拐点。
如果客观的研究中国政府的监管思路,坦率的说,我能感受到政府和金融主管部门是非常呵护中小投资者特别是散户的,而且受散户的情绪影响也非常大,经常把散户的满意度看成治理成果的重要标志,这其实很多时候是“好心做坏事”,因为这种“同情心”往往被大资金利用,被顶级高手洞察,最后成为每一次“好心”都害了一批人。类似事情屡见不鲜,从个人投资者的角度,理解了这个“中国特色”和“大逻辑”之后,只需要记住一点就可以比别人多很多的机会,就是要在“��望中发现机会”。有一句话描述中国股市很恰当——行情在绝望中产生,在犹豫中前行,在欢乐中死亡。每一次散户悲情的极点都是市场的拐点,体会这点我们可以感受一下政府情怀对于理性市场的正反两方面影响。
大部分投资人无法通过专业信息获得投资判断,他们更乐意从传媒角度获取资讯,这导致对市值传播缺少想象力的公司被冷落。
A股中有很多上市公司不善于传播,特别是地方的一些国有背景的公司,这些公司往往是在特定行业拥有一定资源和长期积累了很强能力的。比如山东一家做医药产品包装的公司,每年利润增长20%左右,净资产很大,非常健康。但这种公司不具备现代公司的进取心和传播思维,往往价值被长期低估,这样的股票其实也是不值得普通投资者持有的,因为相对于中国市场的成长性,这个发展速度收益太低了。另一方面,美国的亚马逊在十多年不盈利的情况下股票依然高歌猛进,一个重要的原因是创始人贝索斯具备极强的传播和沟通能力,不断掌控和满足投资者的预期,并且不断传播新战略设定投资者的合理期望值。可见,顶级高手对上市公司传播能力的重视,是有一定道理的,这个大逻辑超出实际价值判断,是一个注意力经济的思维。
政策引导的是产能不是商机,所以他们只布局可能过剩产能的辅助性支持行业以旱涝保收的获取收益。
多年以来,中国政府在市场中的角色一直是被广泛讨论甚至诟病的话题。理论上看,国家的计划经济体制和监督模式目的是有效调配生产力要素、���止出现国外自由市场“特有”经济危机般的产能过剩和生产过剩。但是从实行的结果来看,这样的指导思想远远没有落实到具体实践中。现实是:国家计划和指导的产能几乎100%都是过剩的,国家行政限制的行为最后很容易被权力主体用作谋求市场准入的寻租方式,由于结合权力的市场行为的稀缺性,市场主体很容易错误的解读准入行为代表高价值。于是,太阳能多晶硅、水电站、风电、云计算、房地产等,数不胜数政策重点支持的领域都出现大规模的投资过剩,政府直接参与补贴的领域更是带来了市场环境毁灭式的破坏,比如动漫行业的垃圾动画片制作。对于顶级投资者而言,他们洞悉政府行为的副作用,所以往往早期介入中期套现,而普通投资者特别陷入政策引导的高风险投资。这也是政府治理需要解决的问题,如果每次政府的鼓励政策都成为投资陷阱,政府的公信力将受极大削弱。
救市解放的是流动性而不是救投资者,股灾中他们撤出市场时间窗口往往利用政府发布利好的时候。
包括对2015年第一波股灾的记忆,大家应该很清楚政府对此的作用,从今天我们看结果,第一轮的救市基本上是失败的。政府每次救市,希望达到安抚投资者信心的目的,但是客观上往往让大资本得以果断出逃,让中小投资者和散户由于信任政府而最终成了接盘侠。实际上,在中国资本市场发展的20多年里,这样的事情屡次发生,只不过每个7年左右的一轮行情主要的参与者都是新股民,所以大部分人并不知晓这个救市规律。如果我们用市场经济的思维看资本市场,政府只是其中一个参与者,它并不能完全改变所有人的预期,也无法作为对手方承载市场所有的做空动能。政府主要决策者也是清楚救市的核心目的,救的是市场交易流动性,防止市场崩盘,并非让中小投资者止损甚至盈利。这点我告诫中小投资者切勿盲目放大救市的作用。
证监会政策往往基于简单逻辑的静态预期,所以基本上所有证监会的政策放在多维度动态市场中检验都会水土不服。
从纯自由市场的角度看,监管机构是不应该介入市场中多空博弈的,甚至不应该提供过多的信息干预市场主体的判断。监管的目的是维护市场秩序,打击违规行为,并且确保市场价值主体的生态式健康进化。监管者对于市场的理解,其实是有限的,这一点普通投资者认识不足,还以行政主导一切的思维来看市场中的权力影响力。举一个例子:去年救市过程中,当政府公布1200亿将在第二天参与救市的时候,市场顶级高手对此的预判是“对于上万亿成交的市场大概能坚持5分钟以内”,而中小投资者一片狂欢的认为市场会发生反转,结果第二天高开低走套了很多散户投资者。可见,中国监管者简单逻辑和静态预期思维非常明显,缺少更高超的博弈和动态预期思维方式来研判市场,而上一届美联储主席伯南克给美联储救市作用只有两句话:美联储有广泛的权利提供有担保的流动性,作为最后流动性提供人。这两句话足以应对经济危机,世界范围经验看,简单原则比琐碎规定更能促进市场有序进化,但显然中国政府并没有深刻检讨对市场的过分干预。应该说监管的有效性和专业性一直是中国资本市场成长进化的最大障碍,即使目前金融反腐规范了部分行为,但是治理能力依然无法满足市场需求。从投资者的角度看,需要大家能够对证监会等机构的角色和市场影响力有更清晰的认识。
以上大多是比较抽象和枯燥的对比分析,也许对于很多人来说有一些维度过于独特,从笔者的视角看,这些都是中国特色价值的投资的大逻辑之所在。
谈到“大逻辑”当然因为我们相信“逻辑”是存在的,之所以称之为“大”,是因为这个逻辑超越了价值投资本身。A股的投资不仅要看价值,也要辩证批判的看多空双方的力量对比关系,看情绪面,政策面,看价值与价格,更重要的是要时刻牢记筹码稀缺性的现实条件,这些都是多维复杂推理和不确定性决策,绝对真理的提法往往是站不住脚的。希望以上提醒能让投资者在快速的市场变化中获得确定性收益。
基于上面的辩证大逻辑的前提,我再给广大投资者三个具体的投资建议:
首先,重视技术升级带来的确定性机会:无论中国资本市场环境和国外有多大差别,最根本的一点是完全一致的——科技推动生产力进步对市场价值的影响。上一波互联网技术热潮,到“互联网+”概念提出后基本已经进入了尾声,而新的一轮以“人机智能时代”WAR技术(WAR技术即WAR技术趋势,包括:Vehicle智能汽车、VR虚拟现实、AI人工智能、Robot机器人)为代表的新科技正在资本市场深刻的推动上市公司进化,这种新技术的应用化创新中一定会有大级别投资机会出现,这是所有资本市场共有的确定性因素。
其次,重视政策导入后的确定性红利窗口期:前面提到政策引导会让某些特定行业投资过剩,比如矿业投资在过去的10年是严重过剩的,但是矿业设备其间有了快速发展,所以跟随政策的最好方式是布局确定性受益的相关支撑性行业,而不进去最热的投资核心区。
最后,重视民营经济的高成长性:长期投资的理念在目前的中国资本市场非常值得提倡,在市场相对低迷的时候,对民营企业的创新型公司进行深入调研,找到治理结构领先和朝阳行业的公司进行长期持有,往往会有不错的收益。在这个方面,个人投资者比机构更有优势,因为操作会更加灵活和务实。
可见,在A股这样错综复杂的大背景下,确定性投资机会并不缺少,这需要广大投资者用“中国特色”和“大逻辑”两个独特思维来审视和寻找。
落脚到宏观层面。一个健康向上的资本市场起码需要满足三个最朴素的功能需求:发现价值、淘汰落后生产要素、优化资源和提高效率。从逻辑上看,只有市场是符合逻辑的,价值投资的真谛才能更好的发挥作用。而在于中国整体性需要重构,并且进化中的市场而言,我们必须拆解现实中的“大逻辑”来趋利避害。
合法合规前提下,盈利是“大逻辑”的最终目的,笔者这里也希望广大投资者能够正视现实、思辨的看待中国特色的价值投资。
“如果这个市场90%的人都是失败者,我们每一个专业人士都需要承担道德枷锁。”或许是这句话打动了本文中的几位被访谈者,笔者获得了他们很多真知灼见,这里也���为“情怀”和大家知无不言。
最后,希望中国资本市场每一个坚定的支持者,都能获得真实的收获。希望中国资本市场监管部门能从经济大局出发,用更开放的胸怀推动体制外人才引进和自身专业化进化。 只有让市场本身拥有价值才能创造更大价值。
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chhll · 10 years ago
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China's Incomplete Military Transformation
Assessing the Weaknesses of the People's Liberation Army (PLA)
Through extensive primary source analysis and independent analysis, this report seeks to answer a number of important questions regarding the state of China's armed forces. What have been the overall scope and scale of People's Liberation Army (PLA) modernization since the mid-1990s, and what is its likely trajectory through 2025? What are the missions Beijing has assigned to the PLA? What are the weaknesses in the PLA's organization and human capital? What are the weaknesses in the PLA's combat capabilities in the land, air, maritime, space, and electromagnetic domains? What are the weaknesses in China's defense industry (research and development and production)? The authors found that the PLA is keenly aware of its many weaknesses and is vigorously striving to correct them. Chinese military publications recognize that this is a tall order. Indeed, the PLA leaders and official media frequently state that the force seeks to harness the capabilities of the information age to conduct complex joint operations, even though it is not yet fully mechanized or structured to command and control the campaigns it aspires to conduct. Although it is only natural to focus on the PLA's growing capabilities, the authors found that understanding the PLA's weaknesses — and its self-assessments of the shortcomings — is no less important. Doing so can help provide a sense of the PLA's priorities for future modernization efforts, support U.S. military engagement with the PLA, and inform the development of strategies to deter or defeat Chinese coercion or use of force.
Key Findings
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Is Becoming More Professional and More Capable
The PLA's capabilities aimed at deterring or, if necessary, countering U.S. military intervention in the Asia-Pacific region, including systems designed to hold U.S. military bases, aircraft carriers, space systems, and computer networks at risk have improved markedly.
This Transformation Is, However, Incomplete
Chinese military media and PLA books and journal articles discuss the PLA's problems at length.
The PLA's senior leadership speaks of the "two incompatibles," perceived gaps between current PLA capabilities and the demands of winning a local war under informatized conditions and successfully executing the PLA's other missions.
PLA's Organizational Structure and Human Capital Issues Are Sources of Concern
The PLA's organizational structure appears to be an obstacle to its reaching the level of joint operations to which it aspires.
The human capital shortcomings include such problems as insufficient education and technical proficiency and rampant corruption.
The PLA Also Has Shortfalls in Its Combat Capabilities
PLA publications highlight shortcomings in joint operations capabilities, training, and combat support and combat service support functions.
PLA is concerned about the integration of increasingly complex weapons and equipment, the associated training, the level of mastery of critical capabilities, insufficient numbers of key enablers and protecting China's growing interests in space and the electromagnetic spectrum.
China's defense industry still suffers from a number of problems that have yet to be resolved, including widespread corruption, lack of competition, delays and cost overruns, and quality control issues.
Recommendations
Analysts should devote greater attention to studying the PLA's weaknesses — and its self-assessments of its shortcomings — to inform assessments of the future direction of PLA modernization, support the development of a military-to-military relationship with China that advances U.S. interests, improve the ability of the United States and its allies and partners to deter China from using force or coercion to resolve disputes, and devise strategies for countering Chinese use of force if deterrence fails.
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chhll · 10 years ago
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TEN REASONS WHY CHINA WILL HAVE TROUBLE FIGHTING A MODERN WAR
The introduction of new weapons and platforms into the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has captured the attention of much of the world for well over a decade. However, new equipment is only one element of the PLA’s long-term, multi-dimensional modernization process. There is much to be done and no one understands this better than the Chinese themselves. Based on what PLA commanders and staff officers write in their internal newspapers and journals, the force faces a multitude of challenges in order to close the perceived gaps between its capabilities and those of advanced militaries.
New weapons, increasing defense budgets, and recently corruption tend to generate headlines in the Western press, but at least 10 other factors raise serious questions about the PLA’s current ability to fight a modern war against an advanced enemy (some of which are discussed in a new RAND report, to which I contributed a collection of sources):
1. Shared Command Responsibility
From company level to the PLA’s highest headquarters, commanding officers share responsibility for their units’ actions with political officers who are responsible for “political work,” which involves insuring the PLA’s loyalty to the party through ideological training, officer promotions, the prosecution of the “three warfares” of psychological, media, and legal war, and maintaining morale and discipline. In the eyes of Western military officers, this situation violates the principle of war of “unity of command,” in which “all force operate under a single commander.” A major training trend over the past decade has been to improve political officers’ tactical proficiencies in the military tasks their units must conduct. In theory, commanders alone are authorized to make immediate tactical and operational decisions when necessary. However, at times there may be friction between commanders and their political counterparts. That situation may be exacerbated if corruption has permeated down to operational unit commanders and political officers. This shared responsibility system may suffice in peacetime situations, but it has not been tested under the stress of fast-moving, modern combat operations.
2. Army-Dominated Chain of Command and Force Structure
Despite Beijing’s declaration that “China is a major maritime as well as land country,” the PLA’s force structure and leadership continue to be dominated by the Army. Based on numbers provided by the Chinese government, the Army (including the independent branch of the Second Artillery, the PLA’s nuclear and conventional missile force) comprises over 72 percent of the 2.3 million active duty force, with about 10 percent in the Navy and 17 percent in the Air Force. In mid-2014, China’s Army had 24 full generals (who wear three stars), the Navy had three full admirals, and the Air Force five. Currently, in the Central Military Commission (the highest military command and policy organization), the Army occupies six of the 10 seats for senior military leaders, while the Air Force has two, and the Navy and Second Artillery one each. These numbers may vary slightly over time, but the vast majority of the PLA’s senior leadership still wears green. Only Army officers have commanded the PLA’s seven military regions. Though China recognizes threats from the maritime direction have increased and its future campaigns will most likely have major naval or aerospace components, it has yet to modify its command structure to prepare for these realities.Changes to the PLA’s size, structure, and joint operations command system were announced in November 2013, but the details have yet to be revealed. Whatever changes are proposed, it is likely they will take several years to implement and trouble-shoot, likely causing disruptions and discontent along the way for those people and organizations who lose power and authority in these bureaucratic struggles.
3. Too Many Non-Combatant Headquarters
Of the approximately 1.6 million personnel in the Army, 850,000 are assigned to the 18 group armies and a number of independent combat divisions and brigades, which comprise the Army’s main combat force. This means that roughly 750,000 Army personnel are found in local force units (mainly static border defense units), logistics units, schools and training bases, and an extensive system of provincial military district, military subdistrict, and county-level people’s armed forces department headquarters. These local headquarters are under the dual leadership of the PLA and the local civilian governments at the same level and oversee reserve and militia units and are responsible for conscription/enlistment, demobilization, and wartime mobilization. They were created decades ago when China’s transportation and communication infrastructure was underdeveloped and it was necessary to have military representatives physically present at every level of local governments. Currently tens of thousands of field grade officers are assigned to these headquarters. Because of improvements in China’s transportation and communication systems it may no longer be necessary for so many non-combatants to be stationed throughout the country. A significant reorganization and decrease in these local headquarters could help reduce the size of the PLA and, perhaps just as importantly, reduce the number of mid-level and lower-level officers tempted by opportunities for graft and corruption. Such a reorganization would likely face opposition from those who would lose their relatively cushy rear area jobs in the process.
4. Inexperienced Commanders and Staff
As the PLA has stressed the need to improve its capabilities in combined arms and joint operations, a common criticism has been that “some” commanders and staff officers are not adequately prepared for the tasks of integrating multi-service and multi-arms operations. As a result, much training is conducted according to the slogan “A strong army first needs strong generals; before training the troops, first train the officers.” In particular, the PLA currently emphasizes command of joint operations at division and brigade/regiment level compared to most previous joint operations, which were commanded by Army officers at army or military region headquarters. Only in the past two years have Navy and Air Force officers commanded joint exercises. In late 2014, the PLA announced it has decided on a program “for the selection, training, evaluation and appointment of joint operation commanding officers, so as to improve the training of joint operation commanding officers.” However, nurturing qualified commanders and staff officers is a long-term process involving education, training, and experience gained through assignments at different organizational levels.
5. Understaffed Battalion Headquarters
As the PLA has experimented with conducting combined arms operations at battalion level over the past decade it has learned that current regulations do not provide for enough personnel at battalion headquarters to adequately command and control supporting units, such as artillery and engineer units, assigned to reinforce infantry or armored battalions. Therefore, units throughout the PLA are attempting to find solutions to the problem by assigning officers or noncommissioned officers (NCOs) to assist the battalion commander in his operational duties. Increasing the size of the staff is necessary before the reinforced, combined arms battalion can become the “basic tactical unit” in the Army capable of executing independent operations as envisioned in many PLA writings.
6. NCO Corps Still Under Development
In the late 1990s, the PLA initiated a program to create a professional NCO corps to assist the officer corps in leading troops and performing administrative duties. Over the past decade, NCO selection, education, and training have been emphasized and NCOs replaced officers in many duty positions. Roughly ten years after the start of this program, in 2009 the PLA announced it was adjusting the system by adding an additional senior NCO rank increasing the number of ranks from six to seven. Selected units are currently experimenting with assigning “master chiefs” battalion and brigade headquarters and trying to determine exactly what the duties of senior NCOs should be and how they relate to the officers above them. It is likely that a generation will pass before the PLA NCO corps becomes the “backbone” of the force, as NCOs are considered in other armies.
7. Multiple Generations of Equipment in Units
Because of its size, the PLA faces the challenge of units in all services being equipped with multiple generations of weapons and systems. New equipment generally is introduced to units gradually over time so that some subordinate units have advanced equipment while other units have much older gear. For example, nearly half of over 6,500 tanks in Army are Type-59 or their variants (based on the Soviet T-55). This frequently leads to problems in interconnectivity in communications and computer systems. Moreover multiple generations of equipment in one unit complicates training, tactics, and especially supply and repair/maintenance. Units must constantly revise their tactics and methods of operation based on the technology available to them. Though the PLA has the goal of increasing standardization and interoperability among units, the fact of multiple generations of equipment greatly complicates achieving their development goals.
8. Insufficient Realism in Training
Continuing the trend of the past 15 years, increasing realism in training is a major objective for the PLA. Chinese military writers frequently criticize “formalism” in training and “training for show” as undermining the value of exercises. Several “professional blue forces” have been created to serve as enemy units in confrontational training exercises in joint– and single-service exercises as well as mock combat between services. A major goal in nearly all training is to expose problems so that they can be overcome in future training. Despite the progress that the PLA has made in these efforts, the PLA leadership is aware of the force’s continuing shortcomings in training. Moreover, increasing realism in training will require additional funds, particularly for fuel and maintenance expenses and for more and better training areas and training simulators.
9. Air-to-Ground Support Still Under Development
One of the most important examples of joint operations is air support to ground operations. As new aircraft, precision guided munitions, and means of communications are entering the PLA, the force continues to experiment in how to best conduct air-to-ground attack operations. Units appear still to be testing techniques for frontline ground units to control fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft in attacking enemy units in close proximity to their own positions, a function known as close air support. In 2014, the Air Force conducted its first public demonstration of an armed unmanned aerial vehicle executing a ground attack mission. Naval aviation units and the Air Force are just beginning to conduct joint operations with each other.
10. “The Peace Disease”: Lack of Combat Experience
The PLA’s last major campaign against a foreign enemy, the short 1979 war with Vietnam, involved only the Army. The PLA considers the amphibious landing to capture Yijiangshan Island from Kuomintang forces in 1955 as its first and only joint combat experience. Both operations resulted in heavy PLA casualties. PLA writers commonly refer to its lack of recent modern combat experience as the “peace disease.” At present, only a very few of the PLA’s most senior officers have ever been in a combat situation; no NCO or private has ever been in battle. The PLA’s deployments to UN peacekeeping operations, on disaster relief missions, and to the Gulf of Aden in maritime escort activities are useful but do not substitute for combat experience. The PLA extensively studies the wars other countries have fought, but book learning or even its gradually improving training programs cannot compare to the stress of an extended deployment in a combat zone.
Nonetheless, the PLA’s combat and deterrence capabilities gradually are increasing because of improvements in its personnel system, more realistic training, updated doctrine, enhanced logistics support, and the introduction of advanced weapons, communications, and computer systems. At the end of 2014, the Ministry of Defense spokesmannoted, “After many years of painstaking efforts, the modernization of the Chinese armed forces has made notable achievements. But, of course, in certain areas, we are still lagging behind when compared with the most advanced militaries in the world and more efforts need to be made.”
Conclusions
Even taking into account the significant improvements in PLA capabilities, senior military leaders consider time and people to be more important for successful military modernization than money and equipment. Accordingly, their time horizon spans to mid-century in a multi-generational process of evolutionary development.
Contrary to the assumption prevalent outside of China that PLA leaders are “hawks” urging aggressive or expansionist action, the factors outlined above, among others, could cause senior military leaders to advise caution in the use of force in private consultations with senior Communist Party leaders. Based on their knowledge of PLA capabilities and shortcomings, most senior PLA leaders probably prefer the use of deterrent measures and non-military means to achieve strategic objectives while the PLA continues to build its strength. An example can be seen in the East China Sea where non-military government entities have taken the lead in patrolling in the vicinity of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands with the PLA remaining mostly over the horizon.
However, if China’s civilian leaders decide to commit the PLA to battle before its modernization is complete, as loyal servants of the Party, the PLA leadership will seek to defeat the enemy quickly and decisively using all units and capabilities available. But it will also prepare for protracted conflict. China’s chances of success will vary according to where and when the battle is fought and who the enemy is. PLA confidence in winning will increase the closer to China it can operate and preferably if it confronts a lower-technology, less skilled enemy not backed by a powerful friend or ally.
Author’s note: A draft of this article was undergoing editing when the RAND report, China’s Incomplete Military Transformation, was released on February 11. As acknowledged in their report, I provided the RAND authors a database of Chinese articles I had been gathering for several years to support their effort. They used that information along with countless other sources in their work, but I was not otherwise involved in RAND’s analytical process, which concludes that the PLA suffers from “potentially serious weaknesses” that could limit its ability to fight and win future wars. As seen above, there are many areas of overlap in our analysis.
Dennis J. Blasko, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired), served 23 years as a Military Intelligence Officer and Foreign Area Officer specializing in China. Mr. Blasko served as an Army attaché in Beijing and Hong Kong from 1992-1996; in infantry units in Germany, Italy, and Korea; and in Washington at the Defense Intelligence Agency and Headquarters Department of the Army (Office of Special Operations). Mr. Blasko graduated from the United States Military Academy and Naval Postgraduate School and is the author of the book, The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation for the 21st Century.
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chhll · 10 years ago
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A股市 2015
2015年注定是中国股市难忘的一年。从牛市起步到疯牛的形成,再到股灾爆发流动性完全丧失,监管当局出手救市后又遭人民币贬值预期打压,政府不得不全球安抚,这一切仅仅在半年多的时间内完成,如梦亦如幻。 中国股市2015年的起点注定了这一年的惊心动魄。在2014年的年末,由于券商股的疯狂上涨,市场结构变得非常不稳定。整个2014年12月和2015年1月,市场几乎是在剧烈振荡中度过的。之所以有这种剧烈振荡,是因为券商股的大幅上涨引发了市场狂热,伴随着杠杆资金的运用,券商股股价和指数的波动率急剧扩大。这本就是一个警示信号,但整个市场包括各类媒体都没有对此引起足够的重视。甚至还有���方媒体鼓吹大牛市的起点。 造成这种局面的深层次原因,是中国当局再一次将中国股市抬到了一个相当的高度。由于传统经济的不景气,银行收缩信贷,无风险收益率持续下滑,央行主动或被动降息,但无益于信贷等传统方式融资规模的提升。似乎中国经济陷入了一个恶性循环。间接融资难以发力,直接融资就成为了新的期盼。中国股市就是在这样一个宏观背景下被赋予了政治色彩。 为了营造一个能够帮助债务问题缓解和经济转型的大牛市,中国股市迎来了奔放的黄金时期。金融监管在金融创新的名义下完全丧失,金融创新的快速推进又夹杂着浓厚的草莽色彩。证券这个利益链上所有人都摩拳擦掌跃跃欲试,监管的放松令大家愿意承担更多的风险,以获取更多的利益,不仅从股价的上涨中,还从市场的功能上。券商融资补充资本金投向创新业务,业务线各种积极推进,甚至银行也通过各种方式绕开各种限制、以看似合规的方式参与到了股市之中,民间资金更是肆无忌惮的直接或间接入市。一时间,中国股市的杠杆率急升,推动了1月份剧烈振荡后急不可耐的疯牛形成。 疯狂的上涨总有尽头,尽管人们并不知道它何时到来。在狂热情绪中,许许多多的风险信号被人有意无意的忽视。比如高风险偏好的资金已经大规模入市,而市场还在憧憬资产配置的大转移。比如机构和投资者净多仓位大规模提升,几乎买完了市场上的流动性,还在指望更多场外资金的入市。比如当市场波动率再一次显著持续的上升时,没有人意识到这意味着流动性出了问题。直到大部分人尽可能加足杠杆站在山峰上时,才开始有人意识到自己的脚下好像已经没有太多人了。 有些投资者在狂热的情绪中对流动性风险置若罔闻,认为以当时指数顶峰时的成交额并不会出现流动性问题,且相信有股指期货的做空就不怕现货兑现不了。但这无法解释为什么市场波动率的急剧上升。波动率的急剧上升其实意味着,市场参与者为了买入或卖出股票,需要支付更多的溢价,而这些溢价隐含的就是流动性风险。 但总归有一部分市场参与者意识到了风险的存在,并开始偷偷缩减自己在股市中的头寸。其中最为领先的可能就是银行。在上证综指接近5000点时,已经开始有银行控制向股市投入的杠杆资金。随后,监管层似乎意识到了疯牛不符合自己的工作开展计划,可能在一轮牛熊闪电形成后新股发行规模还未顺利持续的提升,于是着手风险控制。有些有意进行资本运作的集团高管也会发现,自己旗下上市公司市值太高,阻碍了资产评估和增加股权激励风险。当这些市场参与者渐渐清醒时,却发现稍有退却就会引发杠杆疯牛像多米诺骨牌一样排山倒海式的倾覆。 中国股市疯牛的重要原因之一是杠杆的过度运用,中国股市闪电熊的重要原因之一也是杠杆的过度运用。极高水平的杠杆是一把双刃剑。于是就在一瞬间,股灾从天而降,演变到最后就成了所有人为了逃出市场,不计成本的抛售股票,在股灾最极端的情况下,市场大部分股票都是无量跌停,并持续了数日。 极端的疯牛引来了极端的闪电熊,极端的股灾引来了极端的救市。救市是不得已而为之,因为各方利益牵涉其中,若不救市就可能引发系统性金融风险。要知道,在股灾爆发时,市场中到底有多少杠杆资金,牵涉到多少金融机构,监管层和市场似乎一样心里没有底。最后证金公司筹得资金直接入市扫货,连同券商基金一起锁仓自救,再加上上市公司有史以来最大规模的停牌潮以及之后大规模的增持,甚至对恶意做空出动了暴力机关,促成了代表着政府意愿的资金对股市全面控盘。股灾算是告一段落。 随之而来的是金融监管的一百八十度转变,从金融管制的极度放松到金融管制的极度收紧。这是特殊时期的特殊措施。极端的特殊措施拯救了市场,却也对市场造成了伤害。很多原本行之有效的资本运作模式和投资手段被摧毁,市场的价值体系混乱接近崩溃,迫使不少投资者或更谨慎看待市场,或干脆离开市场一段时间。 股灾结束了,然而市场余震还没消散。因中国股市崩溃引发的全球投资��对中国经济、金融市场的不信任逐渐形成,当资金离开股市时,还有大量资金开始逃离中国,这造成了人民币兑美元的贬值压力释放。当中国央行迫于全球渐起的货币竞争性贬值形势,不得已一次性大幅下调人民币兑美元中间价后,8月下旬开始,中国股市经历了又一波大幅下挫。 这次余震对中国的警示意义其实高于股灾,因为它直接触动了中国最敏感的神经──资金逃离。此时中国政府和央行正式出面,在全球进行安抚工作,传达人民币没有持续贬值的风险。中国央行为了改变全球投资者对人民币的看法,借助金融机构之手入市承接人民币,算是修正了之前一次性贬值所带来的影响。中国政府和央行的努力短期看来行之有效,人民币汇率不但被稳定住,甚至出现了明显反弹,还有全球各色重要人物表示对中国有信心。之后金融当局加强了中国资金非法出入的查处和监管,地下钱庄也被大规模冲击。 中国政府依然需要中国股市为经济提供融资功能,之前高杠杆的疯牛有百害而无一利,于是牛还是牛但模式被引导到了慢牛,至少现在看起来如此。在一系列升级的各种手段管控后,股灾时不得已推出的管制措施如今正慢慢退出。 2015年末的IPO重启标志着中国股市的重置。2016年中国股市将继续肩负重任,在政府和监管当局的引航下,小心翼翼亦步亦趋的前行。2015年令人窒息的疯狂和恐惧或许短期内不会重现,但必会是每一个市场参与者挥之不去的记忆。
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chhll · 10 years ago
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2015年《纽约时报》最佳儿童绘本阅读
自1952年以来,《纽约时报》书评版每年都会组建一个独立评审小组,挑选出时报最佳儿童绘本。它以艺术价值为唯一标准,也是同类作品的唯一年度奖。
2015年《纽约时报》最佳儿童绘本书单如下,按字母顺序排列:
From "Big Bear Little Chair"
来自《大熊小椅子》(Big Bear Little Chair)
《大熊小椅子》(Big Bear Little Chair)
故事、绘图:利兹·博伊德(Lizi Boyd)
该书巧妙地通过“对立”,向低龄儿童展示了“大、小和微小”的区别在于看待事物的方式。博伊德仅仅使用黑、白、柔和的灰,以及一点点红色,搭配赏心悦目的剪纸图案,以出人意料的方式并列呈现了大小事物:一片“大草地”很大,因为草地上满是小花朵;在用沙子建造的“微小城堡”前,高耸着一只“大海豹”。
共32页。编年史出版社(Chronicle Books)。16.99美元。(绘本,适合3至5岁)
From "A Fine Dessert"
来自《精致甜品:四个世纪,四个家庭,一种美味》(A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Treat)
《精致甜品:四个世纪,四个家庭,一种美味》(A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Treat)
故事:艾米莉·詹金斯(Emily Jenkins)。绘图:苏菲·布莱科尔(Sophie Blackall)。
书中描绘了四个小片段,分别发生在���格兰、南卡罗来纳州、波士顿和圣迭戈,这些片段讲述了数百年来,人们制作和品尝一种名为“黑莓傻瓜”(blackberry fool)的奶油甜点的历史。评审员约翰·利思戈(John Lithgow)称该书“魅力十足”。布莱科尔用墨水、水彩和黑莓汁绘制了温暖而精细的插画,展现了历史的跨越和亲情的延绵。
共32页。施瓦茨与韦德出版社(Schwartz & Wade Books)。17.99美元。(绘本,适合4至8岁)
From "Funny Bones"
来自《滑稽的骨头:波萨达和他的亡灵节骷髅》(Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras)
《滑稽的骨头:波萨达和他的亡灵节骷髅》(Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras)
故事:邓肯·托纳蒂乌(Duncan Tonatiuh)
本书是墨西哥艺术家波萨达的传记。波萨达普及了骷髅艺术(calaveras),使其既成为政治抗议的一种形式,又成为一种大众娱乐的方式。书中将波萨达的作品和托纳蒂乌可爱、巧妙的分层图案融合在一起。“这本书通过视觉美感来表达,与它的主题非常契合,”玛丽亚·罗素(Maria Russo)写道。“托纳蒂乌用引人注目的土地色调的数字拼贴,搭配少量暗紫色或蓝色,让人物看起来像是墨西哥传说人物的后现代后裔,有平滑的线条。”
共40页,艾布拉姆斯出版社(Abrams)。18.95美元。(绘本,适合6至10岁)
From "Leo: A Ghost Story"
《雷欧:幽灵的故事》(Leo: A Ghost Story)
《雷欧:幽灵的故事》(Leo: A Ghost Story)
故事:麦克·巴内特(Mac Barnett)。绘图:克里斯蒂安·罗宾逊(Christian Robinson)
雷欧是一个小幽灵。罗宾逊用动人的笔触,将他绘制成一个极为可爱、看起来充满希望的蜡笔轮廓。雷欧觉得,在他游荡的房子里,大家都不喜欢他。于是他搬到城市,和一个女孩交上朋友,女孩以为雷欧只是自己的想象。雷欧阻挠了一次抢劫,他作为幽灵的真实性得到了确定。评审员玛乔丽·因加尔(Marjorie Ingall)称赞,罗宾逊的绘画很“精彩”。她写道:“我喜欢《雷欧》的配色,白、灰和各种色调的蓝黑色,以及丙烯酸颜料和厚实纸张拼贴的组合。”
共52页。编年史出版社。16.99美元。(绘本,适合3至5岁)
From "Madame Eiffel"
《埃菲尔夫人:埃菲尔铁塔的爱情故事》(Madame Eiffel: The Love Story of the Eiffel Tower)
《埃菲尔夫人:埃菲尔铁塔的爱情故事》(Madame Eiffel: The Love Story of the Eiffel Tower)
故事:爱丽丝·布希耶-阿各特(Alice Brière-Haquet)。绘图:塞希尔(Csil)
本书讲述了作者想象的艾菲尔铁塔背后的故事:工程师居斯塔夫·埃菲尔(Gustave Eiffel)对病妻凯西(Cathy)的爱激发了他的灵感。塞希尔用严格的黑白配色,加上少许浅玫瑰红,勾画出错综复杂的繁复笔墨插图,展示了埃菲尔对细节的敏锐,再加上巴黎的魅力以及铁塔承载的雄心壮志,整体效果浪漫迷人,引人入胜。
共24页,Little Gestalten出版社。19.95美元(绘本,适合4至8岁)
From "The Only Child"
来自《独生小孩》(The Only Child)
《独生小孩》(The Only Child)
故事、绘图:郭景
一个小姑娘一整天都要自己照顾自己。她在城市里的公交车上睡着了,醒来时来到了一片未知的森林里。那是云朵上面的一个银色梦境。在那里,她和会飞的鹿、大鲸鱼和一只小海豹建立起了感情。这本“梦幻题材的无字处女作”让评审员萨曼莎·亨特(Samantha Hunt)沉醉在其中。书中的插图都是烟雾朦胧、看上去有些神秘的铅笔画。“美丽的图画背后涌动的暗流,”亨特说,“是中国一胎政策下童年的孤独。”
共98页。施瓦茨与韦德出版社。19.99美元。(绘本,适合5至9岁)
From "The Skunk"
来自《臭鼬》(The Skunk)
《臭鼬》(The Skunk)
故事:马克·巴尼特(Mac Barnett)绘图:帕特里克·麦当奈尔(Patrick McDonnell)
共32页,咆哮溪出版社(Roaring Brook Press)。17.99美元。(绘本,适合4至8岁)
From "Sidewalk Flowers"
《路边的鲜花》(Sidewalk Flowers)
《路边的鲜花》(Sidewalk Flowers)
故事:琼阿诺·劳森(JonArno Lawson) 绘图:西德尼·史密斯(Sydney Smith)
评审员卡尔梅拉·丘拉鲁(Carmela Ciuraru)对这本令人惊叹的绘本的评价是“值得珍藏”。一个小女孩和父亲穿过城市的街道步行回家。她发现,一些意想不到的地方长出了鲜花。她把献花采来做成花束,分给了一条狗、一只死鸟、一个流浪汉和家里已经睡着了的弟弟。正如丘拉鲁所写的那样,史密斯的插图简洁感人,“第一页上唯一的色彩是小女孩鲜红的连帽衫,让人想起了埃兹拉·杰克·济慈(Ezra Jack Keats)《雪天》(The Snowy Day)里彼得穿的风雪服。随着两人离家越来越近,书页上的颜色越来越丰富。”
共26页。格朗伍德/阿南西出版公司(Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press)。16.95美元。(绘本,适合3至8岁)
From "The Tiger Who Would Be King"
《想当国王的老虎》(The Tiger Who Would Be King)

《想当国王的老虎》(The Tiger Who Would Be King)
故事:詹姆斯·瑟伯(James Thurber) 绘图:尹珠熙(JooHee Yoon,音)
本书是瑟伯1956年推出的一个漫画寓言故事,讲的是一只痴迷于权力的老虎发起一场大战的故事。尹珠熙的插图色彩鲜艳,全都是鲜亮的红色、冷静的蓝绿色、黑色和白色,印刷风格的色块密集地挤在一起。每一页都满是令人思绪飞扬的动物生活场景。画面冲击感强烈,令人陶醉,既刻画出了战争的残暴,又表现出了骄傲、厌倦、震惊和悲伤等情感。
共40页。醉狮图书公司(Enchanted Lion Books)。18.95美元。(适合所有年龄)
From "Tricky Vic"
来自《特里基·维克》(Tricky Vic)
《特里基·维克:一个卖埃菲尔铁塔的人的真实故事》(Tricky Vic: The Impossibly True Story of the Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower)
故事:格雷格·皮佐利(Greg Pizzoli)
本书是一本传记,主人公是一个传奇骗子,曾经成功地卖掉了埃菲尔铁塔。书中充满了诙谐的玩笑,笔触充满活力,介绍了主人公从出生到离世的一生。他出生时叫罗伯特·米勒(Robert Miller),后被世人称作特里基·维克。他生于现在的捷克,在密苏里州的一座联邦监狱走到了生命的尽头。书中有浓厚的漫画气息,其中一处是用指纹代表特里基·维克的脑袋。“这是一个很难让人感到厌烦的故事,皮佐利风趣、简单却又精美生动的拼贴插图吸引着读者一步步深入,”玛利亚·拉索(Maria Russo)写道。
共39页。维京出版公司(Viking)。17.99美元。(绘本,适合7至10岁)
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chhll · 10 years ago
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股市投资反思
中国股市经历了始于6月中旬的一轮大幅杀跌后,8月中下旬上证综指又开始了新一轮更为迅猛的下跌,之前跌幅35%用时一个月,现在25%的跌幅却只用了一周,指数跌幅以不断创记录的方式,嘲讽着年初的众多股神。
虽然中国处在经济转型期,经济周期波动变短是一个必然,但是短成这个样子却是远超我的预期。当然本不该来的东西,走的也就理所当然,但是造成的伤害却历久弥新。
相比年初时候喧嚣的万点论,动辄就是10倍预期的估价,或许现在的下跌更加真实,但是真实往往是痛苦而不乐意被见到的,大多数人更愿意活在美好的虚幻中,很可惜资本市场从来都没有同情与怜悯。
上半年,我也一度怀疑自己对今年的股市判断失误了,5月份减仓后市场上涨反而加速,挣钱效应愈发明显。这一个月无疑是尴尬的,任何对多头的质疑都招来嘲笑甚至谩骂,无奈之际只能自己给自己放假,坐在电脑前不再看跳动的K线,开始看书,内容也很随意,或充实自己或消遣自己,中午约一些朋友出去吃饭喝咖啡聊聊天,生活过得很惬意。
可惜就像人生一样,快乐的时光总是短暂的,6月中旬市场开始下跌了,而且是以一种摧枯拉朽的态势。杠杆资金的特点就是不计成本,这点在这一阶段体现的尤为明显。很多人说这波下跌因为有杠杆的存在,下跌的态势会和以往不同,我怀着忐忑的心情按照自己的方式交易,也侥幸的净值创了两次新高。本来下跌的时候抢反弹是刀口舔血的事情,不做才是最好的策略,但是这轮下跌导致同行们净值下跌很快,而我因为前期空仓,且抄反弹的时候心态也非常好,即便做错也是大幅跑赢了同行。
证金救市后,牛市言论又再度喧嚣而至,仿佛昨天的下跌都没有发生过,或者那只是黎明前最后的黑暗,而我却完全不这么认为,在3950点的位置再次清仓去过自己惬意的生活。
时至今时,很多人都不仅仅亏掉了今年的盈利,甚至开始亏本金,很多加杠杆的资金已经灰飞烟灭了,那些和体育老师学的金融的分析师们也都安静了。一个客户电话咨询我一些观点,这会儿他明白了我之前和他说的“熊市死不了人,死人都在牛市里”的观点。年初我认为今年的经济情况不支持系统性牛市的观点刚刚被嘲讽,现在就应验了。虽然从业绩或者观点角度我对了,是个赢家,但我却找不到开心的感觉,中国的经济现状比年初更差了,这波资金推动的牛市给宏观经济带了深远的负面影响。作为投资者,我虽然躲过了下跌的风险,但是股市波动加大了我的再投资风险,这一波股市的暴涨暴跌几乎扼杀了所有的投资机会。
或许中国政府不在去年把流动性这头洪水猛兽放出来,中国的牛市或许能走10年,1000点可能会涨一年,慢慢的谈一场和资本市场的恋爱,可以一生。流动性像毒品一样加速在价格上体现一切预期,爱,半年就结束了。事已至此,过多的去指责过往政策的失误已然没有意义,只希望后边不要再出昏招,我一直不理解政府为啥不肯客观的去面对GDP增速下降的事实。失业没有问题,债务没有问题,流动性没有问题,为啥纠结于一个数字,要知道5%是一个转型成功的国家在转型期历史上最好的成绩。
而流动性对于转型期的国家,并不能提高GDP增速。传统的旧经济模式下,降息会使资金流入实体经济,在降息提高流动性的情况下,企业经营状况会有所改善,然后靠业绩去验证估值提升的合理性。然而在转型期,这个逻辑显然是说不通的,旧经济在去产能,你让他去加杠杆几乎是不可能的,新经济都是轻资产,在中国抵押制的信贷体系下是很难获得银行贷款的,因此降息提供的流动性在第一步提高股市估值以后缺少实体经济改善的验证,那么泡沫就在所难免。
降息的另外一个作用就是降低债务成本优化资产负债结构,结果又赶上人民币贬值,资产端又下去了,对冲掉了降息对资产估值的提升。如果市场化的自由贬值还好,就怕政府再去硬抗汇率,打掉自己的外汇储备,那才是最悲惨的时刻,希望政府能够正确的认识到市场是不可忤逆的,尊重市场,顺势而为才是最重要的。
巴菲特说从来没有一个美国人靠做空美国发财,其实在各个国家都是一样,每个国家都发生过金融危机,没有哪个国家因为发生金融危机而灭亡,最多是肉少吃点、钱少花点,时间长了你就习惯了。
最后劝个人投资者一句话,让专业的人做专业的事儿,您除了让专业投资者多赚点超额收益外,对资本市场没有什么贡献,也很难赚到钱。
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chhll · 10 years ago
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#Forever21ThreadScreen (at Osborne Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria)
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chhll · 10 years ago
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中国精英的海外资产
两万多名中国内地及香港投资者在避税天堂注册公司
美国一家独立新闻组织取得的机密档案和资料库显示,中国高层领导的近亲在加勒比海避税天堂持有隐秘的离岸公司,有助中共精英在海外隐藏巨额财富。
这些文件包括国家主席习近平的姐夫在海外与他人合伙的地产公司注册资料,以及前国务院总理温家宝的儿子、女婿注册的BVI(英属维尔京群岛)公司。
国际调查记者同盟(缩写ICIJ)获得的密件显示,近22,000名中国内地和香港的投资者在离岸金融中心注册公司,其中起码有15名包括富豪、全国人大代表、涉嫌贪污的国企高管等知名人士。
文件还显示,普华永道、瑞银集团(缩写UBS)等会计事务所和欧美银行扮演了关键性的中间人角色,为中国投资者在英属维尔京 群岛、萨摩亚群岛等离岸金融中心开设资产信托(trust)和公司。例如,瑞士金融巨擘瑞士信贷集团(简称瑞信)曾协助温家宝的儿子注册BVI公司,当时 温家宝仍是国务院总理。
有关的档案和数据库来自两家专门为投资者开设离岸公司、信托和银行账户的商业机构,也就是总部设在新加坡的保得利信誉通集团(Portcullis TrustNet)和总部设在英属维尔京群岛的Commonwealth Trust Limited.
ICIJ两年前获得这批内含250万份文件的离岸密档后,与欧美和亚洲等地50多名记者合作,展开为期一年半的跟进调查与采 访。ICIJ与合作的媒体自去年4月起发表一系列有关离岸金融中心的调查报道,在多个国家触发当地政府立案调查、高官下台。有关的政府因而修订有关公职人 员和企业的财务披露政策。
半年前,ICIJ 开始分析密件中有关中国大陆和台、港的离岸金融资料,今天首度发布初步的分析报告。
资料显示,中国大陆作为世界第二大经济体,对遥远的离岸金融小岛依赖日增。由于隐蔽、免税和方便国际贸易的特点,避税天堂大受中国投资者青睐。中国经济转型为社会主义和资本主义混合体后,已成为海外避税天堂的主要客户。
就ICIJ数据库所见,中国投资者所涉及的行业遍及石油、绿色能源、矿产、武器贸易等。
中国法律未规定政府官员公开个人资产。权贵利用平行经济(parallel economy)来避税、隐藏交易。据估计,2000年以来,流失到境外的资金至少有1万亿,甚至可能高达4万亿美元。具体路线难以追踪。
美国加州克莱蒙特·麦肯纳学院政治学者裴敏欣认为,中国精英在境内外资产的增长“不一定违法”,但往往与“公众利益冲突”,有“权力寻租”之嫌。”
政府高层的腐败在中国是高度敏感的话题。不少揭露高层领导隐蔽家族财富的记者和要求官员公开财产的公民都受到打击报复。
ICIJ调查团队的合作伙伴包括香港《明报》、台湾《天下杂志》、德国《南德意志报》和一家中国大陆的新闻机构。去年11月,该大陆媒体退出团队,表示受到政府警告,不得发表有关该数据库的报道。为免记者遭到打击报复,ICIJ决定不公开该大陆媒体的名字。
ICIJ的团队花了几个月的时间查看密件和离岸金融中心的投资者名单。中国投资者在注册离岸公司时,通常用罗马拼音登记姓 名,核实身份不易。要靠档案里注册人所提供的护照和地址来确认身份。但有些注册人没有提供护照和地址。本文没有包括数据库里疑似的“太子党”和官员,因为 无法确认身份 。
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中共领导人的血亲或姻亲俗称“红色贵族”或“太子党”。
ICIJ密档显示,至少5名中共中央政治局现任或前任常委的亲属曾在库克群岛(Cook Island)和英属维尔京群岛注册公司,包括习近平的姐夫邓家贵、温家宝的独子温云松和女婿刘春航。
邓家贵是习近平大姐齐桥桥的丈夫。他是地产开发商,投资过生产手机和电子设备的稀有金属。文件显示,邓家贵曾与李华和李晓平 兄弟合伙在英属维尔京群岛成立卓越通力地产发展有限公司(Excellence Effort Property Development),邓与李氏兄弟各占50%股份。去年7月,李氏兄弟出价20亿美元竞标,拿下深圳两块商业用地,成为新闻焦点。
习近平从 2012年升任中共中央总书记以来,高调反腐,曾发表讲话要“苍蝇”、“老虎”一起打。但另方面又打击呼吁政府官员公示个人财产的草根运动。
温家宝的独子温云松留学美国,曾与他人合伙成立新天域资本私募基金,专门投资中国市场,2012年出任央企中国卫星通信集团有限公司(简称“中卫通”)的董事长。中卫通属国资委管理,有望成为亚洲最大的卫星运营公司。
ICIJ密档显示,温云松2006年经瑞信香港协助,成立名为Trend Gold Consultants的BVI公司,自任唯一的董事和股东。公司于2008年解散。
投资者通常设立空壳公司,以便用离岸公司的名义开设银行账户,借此掩盖公司和真正开户人的关系。Trend Gold Consultants成立的原因不明。
ICIJ多次联系温云松和其他在文中提到的离岸资产持有者,大多数人包括温都没有回复。瑞信集团的发言人则表示“不予置评”。
不久前,有媒体爆出温家宝女儿温如春(又名常丽丽)的公司与美国金融机构商业往来的一些内情。
ICIJ现在独家发现,名叫Fullmark Consultants的这家咨询公司在英属维尔京群岛成立。此前未见媒体报道。《纽约时报》报道摩根大通(JP Morgan Chase & Co.)曾与Fullmark Consultants签订合同,向其支付180万美元咨询费。美国证券监管机构现正对摩根大通借中国高官子女来发展中国市场展开调查。
Fullmark Consultants的注册方式似有意隐藏与温如春的关系 。温的丈夫刘春航专长金融,曾在投行摩根士丹利(Morgan Stanley)工作。2004年,刘在英属维尔京群岛注册成立Fullmark Consultants,自任唯一的董事和股东。2006年,刘退出该BVI,同年加入中国银行业监督管理委员会(简称“银监会”)。
资料显示,刘退出后,Fullmark Consultants的全部股份转移给与温家宝家族关系密切的女富商张玉宏。张是温家宝弟弟温家宏的同事。据《纽约时报》报道,张曾为温家打点钻石、珠宝等生意 。
2005年10月,保得利信誉通向瑞银集团寄送账单,收取为Fullmark Consultants签发存续证明(Certificate of Good Standing)的费用,说明这间BVI公司和瑞银有商业关系。瑞银就ICIJ的查询发声明,表示该集团“了解客户”(“know-your- client”)的规定和处理与政治敏感客户关系的程序是“业内最严格的”,意指不会回应任何的查询。
2011年,维基解密”披露美国国务院在2007年发送的一则密电称温家宝“对家人的活动很反感”。电文说,“只要开价合理,温家宝的妻子和子女可以‘搞定事情’ 。”“ 温的亲戚“不一定是收受贿赂,(但)他们很可能会收取高昂的‘咨询费’”。温家宝去年结束十年任期,正式退休。
ICIJ还在离岸密件中发现邓小平、李鹏和胡锦涛等中共前领导人的亲属的离岸公司资料,(密件内容可按链接查看 )
有些中国问题专家认为,太子党的财富和生意(包括离岸资产)越来越大,会威胁共产党的执政地位。但掌权者自己深陷其中,难以制止。
常驻中国的美国律师史蒂夫·迪金森(Steve Dickinson)说:“如果没法给家人弄个几十亿,当共产党的领导人有什么意义呢?”史蒂夫曾经调查与BVI公司有关的诈骗案。他说,“这个问题规模庞大,对中国有重大的意义。但事实是每个人对此言不由衷或避而不谈。”
中国走向离岸金融中心
上世纪九十年代初,邓小平深化经济改革,中国投资者开始涌向离岸金融中心。
美国乔治华盛顿大学法学院教授Don Clarke(汉名“郭丹青”)认为,中国经济制度改革向国企倾斜,民间投资人特别是创业者遂向离岸金融中心寻求发展。 在“中国特色”制度下,开展对华贸易的西方银行家、会计师和商人,也推动了离岸模式的发展。
美国凯威莱德律师事务所(Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft)大中华地区业务主管李大诚(Rocky Lee)说:“刚开始采用(离岸模式)时,是我们外国人给这么做的。当时外国投资者普遍不适应中国的法律法规。”
就ICIJ数据库所见,中国投资者所涉及的行业遍及石油、绿色能源、矿产、武器贸易等。
90年代后期亚洲金融危机爆发,中国进一步加紧资本管制,客观上推动了内地人到海外投资。很多人此前已经到当时仍属英国管治的香港成立公司。眼看中国即将收回香港主权,内地投资者担心香港也不安全,便转向更远的离岸金融中心。
于是,英属维尔京群岛成为很多内地人转移业务和资产的最佳选择。
中国政府用税收优惠来吸引外资,也推动了内地投资者使用离岸金融中心。例如,一些中国厂商用“返程投资” (round-tripping)的方式避税:在境外成立子公司,由国内的母公司将在内地生产的产品低价卖给离岸的子公司。母公司由于账上利润少、甚至没 有盈利,自然免税。然后再由子公司把产品以高价卖给别的公司,把利润汇回母公司。这部分利润是当作母公司从英属维尔京群岛或香港获得的“外商投资”,也无需向中国政府缴税。
据英属维尔京群岛官方统计,中国和亚洲其他国家地区的离岸业务占当地业务的40%。1998到2002年英国派驻英属维尔京群岛的总督Frank Savage说,BVI政府向中国当局表示,BVI“管理有序、法律制度健全”,与中国政府建立了良好的关系。
但离岸体系的批评者认为,BVI“无疑”是进行隐蔽交易的天堂。总部在英国的倡导组织Tax Justice Network说,BVI公司“丑闻不断”。因为保密制度给予“BVI公司极大的自由,随意掩饰违法活动、滥用权力”。
上世纪九十年代在海外成立离岸公司的内地人有中国“八大元老之一”彭真的儿子傅亮。ICIJ密档显示,傅亮至少持有5家 BVI公司,在1997年到2000年间注册。其中一家公司South Port Development在2000年收购了一家菲律宾酒店。傅亮在内地投资游艇和高尔夫俱乐部生意。
离岸服务供应商信誉通公司(Trustnet)曾协助傅亮成立离岸公司。2000年,信誉通已在中国大陆全面发展离岸公司注 册业务,与毕马威(KPMG)、安永(Ernst & Young)、普华永道(Pricewaterhouse)、德勤(Deloitte & Touche)和安信达(Arthur Andersen)全球“五大”会计师事务所在上海开会讨论拓展市场。
ICIJ资料显示,普华永道通过信誉通,协助 中国内地和港、台投资者成立了400多家离岸公司和信托;瑞银集团则通过信誉通,协助内地和港、台投资者成立了1,000多家离岸实体。
2006年,瑞银香港协助当时的中国女首富杨惠妍成立名为Joy House Enterprises的BVI公司。杨惠妍继承父亲杨国强的地产王国碧桂园,当时净资产约83亿美元。 ICIJ向杨惠妍就离岸公司事宜提问,未获回应。
2007年,瑞银通过信誉通,协助地产大亨、SOHO中国创始人张欣成立BVI公司Commune Investment。SOHO中国在北京重建了很多地标建筑,不久前媒体报道, 张斥资2,600万美元购入纽约市曼哈顿区一栋五层的楼房。张通过代表,拒绝回答与BVI公司相关的问题。张欣在北京郊区打造的精品酒店“长城脚下的公 社”(The Commune by the Great Wall)亦取名commune (公社)。
天狮集团董事长李金元是7家BVI公司的董事。这些离岸公司在2004年到2008年间由普华永道帮助成立。从ICIJ文件来看,这些BVI公司与李的天狮集团有关联。天狮涉及生物科技、旅游、电子商务和房地产等多个行业。2011年,李金元的净资产约为12亿美元。
2005年,信誉通的一份“绝密”销售备忘录要求员工加强与瑞信香港的关系,积极示好。鉴于中国限制外资银行进入,信誉通另 辟途径。该份备忘录写道:“我们在上海的目标是国际律师事务所和会计公司。” 该公司的的市场攻势收到了成效。2003年到2007年,信誉通在中国大陆、港、台发展的客户数量从1,500上升到4,800。
信誉通还帮助两位现任全国人大代表成立离岸公司。
全国人大安徽省代表韦江宏是国企铜陵有色金属集团董事长。2006年,铜冠资源控股有限公司(Tong Guan Resources Holdings)在英属维尔京群岛注册成立,韦任董事。铜冠资源控股是铜陵有色金属集团的子公司。2007年,铜陵集团通过铜冠这间BVI公司向智利一 项价值5,000万美元的铜加工项目投资1,000万美元。
腾讯创始人、全国人大代表马化腾也持有离岸公司。2013年,马以100亿美元的身价名列“福布斯中国富豪榜”第5位。
2007年,他和腾讯另一名创始人张志东成为BVI公司TCH Pi的董事。马的发言人称TCH Pi是腾讯集团旗下公司,“与(马化腾和张志东)个人无关。”但这间BVI并未见于腾讯的公司文件,成立的目的不明。
利润和腐败
中国染指离岸金融中心以来,经济发生巨变,增长可观,离岸金融中心不只方便了用作“返程投资”,也成为海外投资进入金属、矿产等资源市场的渠道。
支持中国发展离岸金融市场的人认为,离岸金融可以推动经济发展。
“我认为我们应该面对的现实是,中国资本正在走出去。这对我们来说还是有利的,”中国商务部研究员梅新育说,“我当然支持企业在东道国注册。但如果东道国不能提供这种环境的话,在离岸金融中心注册公司,只不过是一个现实的选择。”
William Vlcek是离岸金融著作《Offshore Finance and Small States: Sovereignty, Size and Money》的作者。他认为在中国,官僚主义和政府的干预妨碍国内市场的发展。在离岸公司注册对商业活动有利。
有证据显示,中国一些公司和个人利用离岸公司进行非法活动。
2013年9月,前铁道部高官张曙光承认转移28亿美元到海外账户。中国银行发布的一份政府内部报告显示,自20世纪80年代中期以来,国家公职人员(包括国企高管)转移到海外的公款累计超过1,200亿美元,其中一部分通过BVI公司转移。
2000年,“保得利信誉通” 帮助中国远洋集团有限公司成立了BVI公司Cosco Information Technology 。这家BVI的董事包括当时的中远洋董事长马泽华和副总经理宋军。宋2011年以贪污、受贿、妨害作证被控三罪受审,被指调往青岛分公司后,在英属维尔京 群岛成立空壳公司以冒充合作公司。之后把建设青岛中远广场的数百万资金转移到该空壳公司。据新华社报道,宋军挪用公款600万美元,收受台湾合作方贿赂 100万美元。他用非法财产在北京、天津、青岛等地合共购入37套房产。宋军的审讯结果没有公开。
中国政府最近严打贪腐成风的石油行业,业内不少高管因为贪污被停职调查。三大国企石油公司中石油、中海油、中石化注册了不少离岸公司。ICIJ数据库里就有几十个与这三大石油巨头相关的BVI公司。
中石油前高管李华林因为“严重违纪”被调查,去年8月落马。ICIJ数据库显示,李是两家BVI公司的董事。
有些离岸公司见于母公司的报表,但有些是国企高管以个人名义成立的。中石油下属天然气公司昆仑能源的总裁张博闻、中海油总经理杨华均曾以个人身份成立离岸公司,目的不明。
ICIJ多次尝试联系中石油和中海油均未获回应。
目前身陷囹圄的中国前首富黄光裕也曾运用离岸公司进行商业操作。黄与妻子杜鹃在2001到2008年间至少成立了31家BVI公司。当时他们持有的国美集团是全国最大的电器商连锁。
2010年,黄因内幕交易、贿赂和操纵股价,被判有期徒刑14年。杜也以相关罪名获刑,但二审获改判,当场释放。
黄大部分资产被冻结,但利用离岸金融网络维系他的商业王国。2011年,黄名下的BVI公司Eagle Vantage Assets Management竞购英国退役航母,欲打造成高端购物商场。(英国政府最终销毁这艘航母)。
黄光裕目前通过Shining Crown Holdings and Shine Group这两间BVI公司控制国美集团30%多的股份。
离岸公司的未来
眼看企业寡头、政府官员和亲属非法敛财,一些中国人不顾安危,奋起质询。
草根组织“新公民运动”运用资讯网络和小规模的示威,向政府争取透明。去年春季,新公民运动创始人、民权律师许志永写道:“党政官员的个人财产都不敢公布,共产党还反什么腐?”
政府随即以“扰乱公众秩序”和“非法集会”罪名逮捕许,除了许,并关押该组织20多名成员。在中国,政府通常用这类罪名让异见分子沉默。
官方甚至惩罚揭露中共高层近亲资产情況的外媒。《纽约时报》和彭博新闻社报道太子党在国内持有的资产后,网站被中国政府屏蔽。驻华记者延续签证遭到延误。
英美和一些国际组织此前对离岸金融中心一直抱放任態度。直至离岸金融中心客户泛滥,方著手改革。相比之下,中国政府对改变离岸体系的呼声越来越小。
今年以前,中国的税法不要求申报境外资产,这漏洞使国人很容易借离岸来营运。 北京一位李姓公司法律顾问说:“中国的决策者没想到会有这许多钱流失到海外。”
当局正著手控制流入离岸金融中心的私人财产。今年元旦生效的法规规定国民要申报海外金融资产。
改革离岸体系的力度可能会对中国目前的改革有重大的影响。中国不仅是全球经济发展的重要市场,也是离岸金融中心的重要客户。
去年,200多名银行家和离岸金融专家参与了一个以亚洲地区为主的业界意见调查。调查发现,这些高管认为,“与中国有关的需求”是离岸市场增长的主要动力。一名BVI离岸服务公司的主管在调查中写道:“未来五年,中国是我们最重要的客户市场。”
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chhll · 10 years ago
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南丁格尔
在每年的5月12日,也就是国际护士节,中国的护士都会宣读为纪念英国社会改革家、现代护理创始人而写的《弗洛伦斯·南丁格尔誓言》(Florence Nightingale Pledge)。
本月,一份在线医学杂志刊登了护士燕小冰的辞职信,她在信中讲述了中国医院工作令人忧心的一面。《医学界杂志》编辑郑菊华表示,仅在四天的时间里,这份由该杂志微信号公布的辞职信的访问量就达到50多万,郑菊华确认了燕小冰的身份,但表示燕小冰拒绝提供更多细节。
护士和医生没有赞美他们的职业,而是抱怨受到人身攻击——比如6月初西南部城市昆明的一名病人持刀袭击护士的 事件。导致出现暴力事件的原因有病患治疗费用负担越来越重,不切实际的期望,以及医务人员短缺致使服务体系超负荷的现象。很多病人和病人家属坚信,医务人 员道德败坏,并认为服务缺陷、费用高昂、手术失败等问题都是医务人员导致的。实际上,医务人员往往报酬较低,一些人为了生存收取红包,也就是病人的贿赂。
燕小冰写道,实际上,现在的护士工作跟广为人知的“白衣天使”形象相去甚远。以下是燕小冰的辞职信全文:
6 月份才刚过几天,几天时间里,全国多地发生暴力伤害医务人员的事件。这让我很难过,庆幸的是,很快,我就不用再害怕这些,因为我即将离开这一行业。从此以 后,不用通宵夜班,不用提心吊胆,不用被催着接瓶加药,不用无穷无尽的准备检查考试,也不用像其他的姐姐那样挺着大肚子上夜班。
2012年,我从卫校毕业,进了省里的一家三甲医院,工作至今。我想,很多刚进入三甲医院工作的人,都会很高兴,家里人同样也会很高兴。同样的,时间久了以后,很多人也会很迷茫,难道这份工作真要干一辈子?
每个月要应付各种没完没了的检查,上了一天班回家,累得眼睛都睁不开,竟然还要背书,而且每个月要不定期的考试。而且考试的试卷还很奇葩,很多的考点跟护理半毛钱关系都没有,当然,领导说有,那就有吧,反正也无所谓了。
家里有人生病的时候,甚至自己生病的时候,还是不得不去上班。家里人生病了,怪你没时间照顾,只知道上班上班上班。
自己生病了,科室也说缺人,你再坚持坚持。前几个月,网上的新闻说,某医院的护士,发高烧请病假,领导不批准,最后那个姐姐死了,脑疝。我不知道最后那个科室的领导有没有被问责,因为全世界很快都忘了这件事情。毕竟我们只是普普通通的人,不是真正的天使,你死了,没有人会记得你。(微信号“掌上医讯”公布的信件提供了有关这名已经去世的护士的信息,掌上医讯是获得中国医师协会授权的一个面向医务工作者的微信账号。)
更加可笑的是,病态的制度,竟然为带病上班的医务人员叫好点赞。连科室的领导也不例外。记得有一回,科里有个姐姐要请病假,领导竟然说,轻伤不下火线,你看谁谁谁,手上挂着点滴坚持上班,你这样随随便便就请假了,那以后大家也都会争着要请假,还是再坚持坚持。
后来,那个姐姐因为没有休息好,留下了后遗症,经常胸闷气短。我真不明白,什么叫随随便便请假,难道死了才可以请假吗?我们不是天使,我们是人,是血肉之躯,不是钢铁侠。
从 实习开始,我就要给病人做生活护理,洗脸、洗脚、洗头发、剪指甲、床上擦浴。其实这些事情,一个小学文化的人来做都可以做得很好,我们的领导却无视我们的 忙碌,而且美其名曰优质护理。前几天,我帮我妈妈剪指甲、洗头发、洗脚的时候,我妈妈竟然哭了,因为她刚知道她的宝贝女儿在医院经常要给陌生人洗头发洗 脚。
记得实习的时候,经常会碰到一些猥琐的中年大叔,言语轻佻。有一回在内分泌科,一个又黑又胖又矮的大叔,脖子上戴个金链子,说他很寂寞,要我们陪他玩。我们都没理他,后来他又跑过来一直缠着我们老师。
还有一回值夜班,我们老师用电子血压计给一个肺癌晚期,骨瘦如柴的老头子量血压,老头子���臂太细,血压一直测不出来,然后家属就开始发飙了,你是什么护士,干什么吃的,那么笨,我看你的手就会摸男人的小鸡鸡!
而且,说这话的,竟然是个女家属,你能想象吗?
我 刚开始上班的时候,一个月的工资是八百,现在也不过才一千多。你能想象这是什么生活吗?我出来工作竟然还要跟家里人要钱吃饭。这是天使的范儿吗?一次夜班 也才五十块钱,十个小时,平均一小时五块钱,多么廉价的劳动力,我花了那么多年的时间去学习,最后我的劳动价值还比不上做家政服务的!这是天使的范儿吗? 有的病人和家属,对我们一点都不尊重,甚至有公然调戏的。这是天使的范儿吗?
夜 班多,检查多,考试多,工作累,休息少,工资低,这些也就算了。最可怕的是,我们的安全竟然得不到保障,几年时间,医疗环境越来越恶劣。现在,竟然可以有 人随随便便拿着刀,随随便便走进医院,随随便便把护士砍了。而且围观的警察竟然可以等歹徒砍了四五刀以后才冲上去制止,(燕小冰指的是昆明护士遭袭事件, 以及相关报道——虽然周围有很多人,但没人站出来保护她。)我想说,警察叔叔,你是吃屎的吗?
频发的暴力伤医案,我想,看过新闻的医务人员都很伤心。更叫人伤心的是,社会上竟然有很多人拍手叫好!老百姓把各种怨念都转嫁到医生护士身上,他们认为看病贵、看病难都是医生护士造成的,整个社会对医务人员的信任已经荡然无存,甚至有些人还没进手术室就立好遗嘱准备索赔。
前一段时间,我的学长,某省级三甲医院耳鼻喉科的医生,辞职了。在朋友圈火了两天。
后来,我和他聊了很久,他说,股市里面有句话,“侠之大者,为国接盘”,在医疗界,应该改成“医之大者,为国接盘”。
一副刀枪不入的天使样子,就要做好被万箭穿心的准备,如果承受不了,那就不要装逼,装逼被雷劈。
当时我很佩服他的勇气,今天我终于也交了辞职信,我只想过安安稳稳简简单单的生活,不用提心吊胆,睡到自然醒,下班溜溜狗,周末度度假。对伟大的提灯女神南丁格尔,我只能说,在你的时代,你是女神,而这是我的时代,我要回去做我的女神经病。
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chhll · 10 years ago
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被误诊的睡眠失调
2010年春,一名新患者来找我看病,看他是否患有注意力缺陷多动障碍(Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,简称ADHD)。他表现出所有的典型症状:拖延、健忘、习惯性地丢三落四,当然还有不能持续保持注意力的问题。但有一个不同寻常的地方。他的这些症状两年前才出现,当时他已31岁。
虽然我看过不少ADHD的成年患者,但这一病例还是有违一项重要的诊断标准:症状必须在儿童时期就出现了。其实是这样,他首次开始出现这些症状是在他换了新工作的那个月,新工作需要他早上5点起床,而他是个有夜猫子习惯的人。
我发现,他患的不是ADHD,而是长期睡眠不足。我向他推荐了一些有助于他在晚上入睡的技巧,比如在10点上床之前放松90分钟。如有必要,他可以服用小剂量的褪黑素。当他在两周后再来看病时,他的症状几乎完全消失了。我建议他如果症状复发,就给我打电话,但我再也没有接到过他的电话。
人们抛出各种理论来解释为什么被诊断为患有ADHD并因此接受治疗的儿童和成人人数上升。根据美国疾病控制与预防中心(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)的数据,如今有11%的学龄儿童被诊断为ADHD患者。我不怀疑很多人确实患有ADHD;我经常确诊并治疗成人患者。但是,假如相当一部分的病例实际上是被误诊的睡眠障碍,结果会怎样呢?
对一些人、特别是儿童来说,睡眠不足不一定会让他们无精打采;相反,他们会变得多动且无法集中注意力。研究人员和记者越来越多地注意到,睡眠失调与看似ADHD的症状之间存在联系,但这些联系是很长时间后才被父母和医生了解清楚的。
我们如今都比过去睡得少。称每晚睡眠少于7小时的成人数从1960年的大约2%上升到2011年的35%。睡眠对儿童来说尤为重要,儿童需要慢波睡眠——深沉的、恢复活力的那种慢波睡眠——才能良好成长和发育。但如今的年轻人比100年前的年轻人每天少睡一个多小时。对所有年龄的人来说,现代的日间活动,以马不停蹄的14小时日程表和难以避免的对褪黑素有抑制作用的苹果设备为标志,这类活动往往会削弱睡眠。这也许只是巧合,这种限制睡眠的生活方式从上世纪90年代开始越来越走向极端,而那个年代也是诊断ADHD病例爆发的10年。
一些研究表明,被诊断为ADHD的儿童中有很大一部分也有睡眠障碍性呼吸,如呼吸暂停或打鼾、不宁腿综合征,或非恢复性睡眠,指的是慢波睡眠不时被打断。
一项2004年发表在《睡眠》(Sleep)期刊的研究,对34名ADHD患儿做了观察,所有患儿都表现出缺乏慢波睡眠,而对照组的32个儿童中,只有少数人表现了缺乏慢波睡眠。
一项2006年发表在《小儿科》(Pediatrics)期刊的研究,从外科临床的角度,发现了类似的情况。该研究包括105名年龄在5岁到12岁之间的儿童。他们中有78人因有睡眠呼吸障碍而做了切除扁桃体手术,其余27人则作为对照组接受其他手术。研究人员观察了参与者的睡眠模式,并检测其多动和不专心的程度,他们用的方法与验证ADHD诊断的标准方法一致。
在接受扁桃体切除术的78名儿童中,28%的儿童被确诊患有ADHD,而得到这个诊断的在对照组中只有7%。
研究者们在这些儿童接受手术一年后对他们进行了回访,其发现更令人震惊。最初的ADHD患者,在做了扁桃体切除术后,有整整一半——22人中的11人——不再符合ADHD的确诊标准。换言之,最初看似ADHD的症状通过治疗睡眠问题而消失了。
但另外一种情况也是可能的,与ADHD相似的症状在解决了睡眠问题后继续存在。让我们来看看去年发表在《小儿科》期刊上的一项针对1.1万多个英国儿童的长期研究。研究人员在婴儿只有半岁大时询问他们的母亲,婴儿是否有睡眠障碍性呼吸。接下来,在这些孩子四岁和七岁时,他们的母亲完成了一份行为问卷,评测其孩子不专心、多动、焦虑、抑郁的程度,以及和同龄人相处、行为和社会技能等。
研究发现,在婴儿时期有睡眠障碍性呼吸的儿童,更可能在今后的生活中表现出行为问题,四岁时他们表现出行为问题的可能性增加20%到60%,到七岁时则增加40%到100%。有意思的是,即使障碍性呼吸得到缓解,他们还会表现出行为问题,这意味着婴儿时期的呼吸障碍可能会造成某种潜在的不可逆神经损伤。
很明显,在儿童的夜间生命中有比我们所了解的多得多的事情。但通常我们只能看到和诊断出他们后来的日间症状。
对童年期后的睡眠和ADHD所进行的研究比较少。但还是有个独一无二的这类研究,来自马萨诸塞州总医院(Massachusetts General Hospital)的一个团队发现,ADHD成年患者的睡眠失调症状与ADHD患儿的睡眠失调症状非常相似。
也有一些正在做的针对成人睡眠的很有前景的研究,研究针对注意力、记忆力和认知表现。一项发表在2月份的《自然神经科学》(Nature Neuroscience)期刊上的研究发现,老年人的慢波睡眠量与其在记忆测试中的表现有关联。三年前发表在《睡眠》期刊上的一项研究发现,虽然睡眠不足的研究对象不一定会自我报告感到更困乏,但其认知下降的程度与睡眠不足成正比,在连续五个夜晚睡眠受限制后,他们的认知表现进一步持续恶化。
其实,《精神疾病诊断与统计手册》(Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)曾将“在睡眠中过度活动”列为注意力缺陷障碍的症状。那本出版于1980年的《手册》,首次为这一障碍命名。增加了“多动”的ADHD名称出现在1987年,那以后,ADHD的诊断标准中不再包括睡眠问题。手册作者表示,没有足够证据支持继续把睡眠问题纳入诊断标准中。
但是,如果医生在对病人作出ADHD诊断前,的确需要先寻找睡眠失调的证据,又会怎样呢?通常,精神疾病研究者不具有诊断睡眠问题的设备或者这方面的专业知识。让病人自己记录睡眠日记有点困难,让他们去做昂贵的整夜睡眠诊断也不容易,这需要使用复杂的设备,比如需要将表面电极贴在患者身上,以测量大脑和肌肉活动;让他们戴上腹带以记录呼吸;还要用“脉搏血氧仪”测量血氧饱和度;甚至还需要用鼾声探测器。(也不能保证保险公司会同意支付睡眠诊断的费用。)而目前,ADHD只需通过一次办公室里的面谈就可以做出诊断。
有时,我的病人对我提出他们做睡眠测试的建议有抵触情绪,因为他们看到的所有信息都宣称ADHD是罪魁祸首,这些信息往往是药品公司直接针对消费者做的销售宣传。人们不喜欢听到自己可能患有另一种听上去更怪,而且不能靠服药就能控制的疾病;然而,这种情况在病人看到自己的睡眠诊断结果后通常会改变。
除了专业兴趣,我对ADHD和睡眠失调还有个人兴趣。我从大学时代开始,有近10年的时间受严重的认知迟钝和集中注意力困难等问题困扰,有每天打盹的习惯,而且周末嗜睡。我之所以能通过医学院的考试,靠的是出色的记忆技巧,还靠了麻黄属植物,那时这类增补品还是合法的。
我曾被误诊患有各种疾病,包括ADHD。后来我做了两次睡眠诊断,最终被发现患有非典型性嗜眠发作。这很让我吃惊,因为我从来没有过在吃饭或讲话时睡着的经历。但事实上,我夜里睡眠时间的40%以上,是快速眼球运动(Rapid Eye Movement,简称REM)睡眠,也就是“做梦睡眠”,而正常情况下这种睡眠在夜里只应间歇性出现,我只有5%的时间是处于具有修复功能的慢波睡眠中。我每天晚上睡8到10个小时,但仍然患有严重的慢波睡眠缺乏症。
经过反复尝试之后,终于找到了正确的治疗方法,我的认知问题得到了改善。现在我吃得好,而且顺应自己独特的睡眠需要,而不是试图抑制这种需求。我还服用两种药:一种是针对嗜眠发作的兴奋剂,另一种是SNRI,睡前服用;SNRI全称血清素-去甲肾上腺素重摄取抑制剂(serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor),是一种抗抑郁剂,这是该药未被批准的一种用法,可以抑制REM睡眠并帮助延长慢波睡眠。现在我可以不使用闹钟就能起床,我白天的注意力也大为提高。我恢复得不错(虽然我妻子会说,周末的早上我依然不行,照顾我们的两个孩子全靠她了。)
注意力缺陷问题远远不是我们需要重视缺少高质量睡眠的唯一原因。实验室里的动物被剥夺慢波睡眠后会死亡。长期的慢波睡眠缺乏与人类的很多疾病有关联,包括抑郁症、心脏病、高血压、肥胖症、慢性疼痛、糖尿病,以及癌症,更不用提每年成千上万的与疲劳有关的车祸了。
睡眠失调如此常见,所有的内科医生、儿科医生、精神科医生都应该对其常规性排查。我们需要更多的睡眠失调研究。每年,好几十亿美元的钱花在研究癌症、抑郁症和心脏病上,但有多少钱用于睡眠研究呢?
今年,国立卫生研究院(The National Institutes of Health)在睡眠研究上仅投入2.4亿美元。有这样一个问题,研究项目的设置各自为政,拨给心脏病或精神病研究的钱,极少会被用到睡眠医学这类其他领域,即使这些疾病密切相关。
但是,我们对慢波睡眠与ADHD关系的关注不能再等待了。如果你还没被说服的话,想想可乐宁(clonidine)这个药物吧。可乐宁最初是治疗高血压的,后来得到食品���药物管理局(Food and Drug Administration)的许可,用于治疗ADHD。研究显示,如果只在睡前服用可乐宁,也能改善白天的症状。对于精神病学家来说,这是那种“哦,我们不知道它如何起作用的”药物之一。但是,让我告诉你一个鲜为人知事实:可乐宁对改善慢波睡眠可能很有效。
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chhll · 11 years ago
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1.6 & 1.4
详细分析昕动1.6和1.4T自动挡的经济性(包含资金占用成本和维保)
先看基本现状:基本同级别的1.6和1.4T昕动自动挡版本,按低中高配分别差1.8万、2万、1.5万左右,其中1.4T除了发动机、变速箱差异外还比1.6多了碟刹,中低配还多了ESP,中配多了皮座椅。我们直接拿价差最大的中配(2万)为例讨论。
1、1.4T的油耗比1.6要低20%,按一年15000公里花12000元油费,可以节省2400元,开5年就节省了12000。
2、1.6配的6AT在6万公里要换变速箱油,更换成本在4S要数千,在外面山寨店也要2000左右,1.4T搭配的7DSG是干式免维护的,没有这个成本。
3、1.6保养需要4.5L机油,1.4T只要3L多一点,每次节省1L机油,按使用全合成机油算,电商上面买买75元1L最少,保养周期按8个月8000公里算,5年更换8次,大概节省600元,按半合成算每升50元,6个月6000公里更换,5年更换10次,大概节省500。
4、1.4T比1.6成本高的就是一个火花塞更换频率比1.6高一倍,单次价格倒是差不多,估计在400到500元一次,30000公里换一次,按5年6万公里算就是多换一次,500元。
总结:
1、上述总算下来5年可以节省大概14000-16000元,1.6自动中配比1.4T自动中配便宜2万,但是动力差很多,而且少了ESP和碟刹这两项重要的安全配置,可以预估两者在5年后二手车折旧卖掉时大概相差1万元,5年里这2万元差价的理财收益(年化收益5%)大概是5000元。
2、综合算下来,买1.6可以直接便宜2万,还可以减少5000元的机会收益损失,即总优惠2.5万元。买1.4T在折旧时可以挣回1万元收益,在使用过程中可以比1.6少支出1.4到1.6万元,也就是可以少损失2.4-2.6万元。
3、以上计算显示,两种车型采购使用的经济效益几乎完全一致,而且是计算了资金的机会成本的前提下。
最终总结:可以说,用户实际上为了1.4T和1.6中配自动挡付出了完全相同代价(包括先付出2万所额外计算了利息成本),但选择1.4T则可以享受更好的动力,免费用上了ESP和碟刹,而1.6则必须忍受更差的动力水平和更糟糕的安全性。因此这两款车的选择上,理性人应该选择1.4T而不是1.6。
上述分析针对的还是价差最大的中配,如果是高配(只差1.5万)或者低配(相差1.8万),那么更毋庸置疑应该选择1.4T而不是1.6,如果钱不够,这多出来部分就算用刷信用卡,按最长期限分期付款付点利息都值得。
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chhll · 11 years ago
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Bee Propolis
The sting´s in the tail for orthodox medicine
Bee propolis has always had a pretty healthy image. After all, honey was one of the staple foods in the Middle Ages and is known to have significant anti-viral and anti-fungal benefits. Only recently, we covered a story in icon that Christie Hospital, Manchester was to use Manuka honey for patients who had had chemotherapy or radiotherapy and were suffering from infections of the throat and mouth.
What is Bee Propolis?
Propolis is a natural compound produced by bees from the buds of plants and mixed with wax and resin. It is used to repair the hive, and to protect it from predators like viruses, bacteria, fungi and various microbes and diseases. It maintains the temperature and health of the hive (Park et al 2002). Not surprisingly it can be extremely useful in fighting various infectious diseases. A range of safe and positive effects has been identified - for example, it is highly effective with:
wound healing
skin infections
tissue repair
gastro-intestinal problems
The actual content of bee propolis depends on the geographic location of the bees and the time of year (Banskota et al 2000). Propolis often comprises more than 180 natural compounds, many of which are concentrates of powerful antioxidant plant flavenoids and phenols. This finding, through chromatographic analysis for example, has led to many new and research-proven benefits over the last 8 years. (Castaldo and Capasso, 2002) Bee propolis is now also known to have:
anaesthetic benefits
immuno-modulating benefits
anti-inflammatory benefits
antioxidant benefits
cardiovascular benefits
cancer prevention and treatment benefits
Brazilian bee propolis (Green propolis from Baccharis Dracunculifolia) has been the subject of a number of many serious clinical studies, and according to PubMed, accounts for over 26 per cent of all new research. The next group of major researchers is in Japan. Because the ´ingredients´ of bee propolis can vary greatly, I will confine the rest of this article to Brazilian green propolis. Much of the research detail comes from an article published in the International Journal of Cancer Research 3 (1); 43-53 2007.
Anti-Cancer Benefits?
It seems Brazilian bee propolis may have significant and varied anti-cancer benefits, some of which will surprise many orthodox experts. Overall, research has indicated benefits in each of the following areas of the cancer process:
Anti-inflammatory
Anti-viral; anti-yeast (candida albicans)
Wound Healing
Immune stimulant
Free radical scavenging
DNA protection
Anti-tumour effect
Cancer cell death
Anti-metastatic activity.
Furthermore, it has been shown in research to enhance the benefits of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, having a protective effect on healthy cells and an enhancing effect on chemotherapy action.
Do we think it is a cancer ´cure´? No. At CANCERactive we think no single compound (Drug or natural) is likely to be a cure for cancer. However it may be useful as art of your overall programme, because of the wide variety of natural compounds it contains..
(i) Anti-inflammatory action?
Inflammation is a usual precursor to cancer and may be caused by a number of factors such as eicosanoids (e.g. Prostaglandins), cytokines (e.g. leukotrines), quinines, free radicals histamines and serotonin. Propolis has been shown to inhibit prostaglandin, leucotrine and histamine release. (Khayyal et al 1993; Mirzoeva and Calder 1996; Hepsen et al 1999. Indeed all these inflammatory conditions have been suppressed in clinical studies - and in each case the response was as good as the recommended prescription drug (Menezes et al 1999). Propolis was even found to overcome formaldehyde induced arthritis. Typical active ingredients were the flavenoid hesperidins (Hata and Beyer 2004).
(ii) Anti-viral; anti-yeast?
Various research studies have confirmed bee propolis effectiveness against all the principle strains of Staphylococcus, Escherichia coli, salmonella, E coli, candida albicans and even HIV. A number of flavenoids seem particularly important, especially kaempferol, pinocembrin and galangine. Again controls were taken using prescription drugs such as AZT the anti-AIDS drug. Moronic acid in propolis had significant anti-HIV effect, out-scoring the AZT drug.
(iii) Wound Healing?
Astragalus Propolis has been found to have antiseptic, anaesthetic and healing powers. It has been shown to have a healing effect in the tissue repair of oral mucosa (Bretz et al 1998) - hence the use of Menuka by Christie Hospital. It is also effective as a 5 per cent mouthwash after dental surgery (Carvahlo 1994). Post operative wounds - for example after cancer surgery - in subcutaneous tissues were more quickly healed with a compress of propolis, honey and comfrey ointment (Magro-Filho 1987).
(iv) Immune Stimulant?
The ester of caffeic acid (CAPE) is one of the main active compounds of propolis, along with the flavenoid ingredients Quercitin and Hesperidine. They seem to have two actions. Firstly, they seem to inhibit cellular growth and secondly, they can increase the presence of certain white immune cells like T-lymphocytes, increasing hydrogen peroxide production without any simultaneous and damaging nitrite production, which usually occurs with macrophage activity. (Than et al 2003; Ansorge et al 2003)
(v) Free Radical Scavenging?
Flavenoids are known to have powerful antioxidant benefits. Matsushige et al 1996 isolated a compound from propolis to show that it had a stronger antioxidant benefit that vitamins C and E. The Brazilian propolis seems to have stronger antioxidant powers than those of China, Peru and Holland. The antioxidant capacity can prevent the free radicals acting on the cell lipids, proteins and even the DNA.
(vi) DNA Protection?
CAPE - even when used in low doses - can prevent cellular mistakes in healthy cells and induce apoptosis (cell death) in cancer cells. Thus it seems to have a double benefit of protecting healthy cells whilst killing cancer cells. (Chen et al 2003) Fitzpatrick et al (2001) also showed that propolis could protect healthy DNA and restrict macrophage activity. This selective effect was also shown by Su et al 1995.
(vii) Anti-tumour effect?
The ability to protect healthy DNA was confirmed by Banskota et al 2001, and by Suzuki et al, in 2002. They both also noted that propolis had anti-tumour activity. The ability to kill cancer cells has been shown both in vitro and in animal in vivo studies. The particular ingredient responsible is Artepillin C, which leads to cancer cells´ DNA fragmentation (Kimoto et al 1998). Kimoto has also shown that intra-tumoural injections of 500 mgs of Artepillin C produced apoptosis and an increase in immune defenses. CAPE and another 20 ingredients of propolis were tested by Nagaoka et al 2002. 4 were found to cause cancer cell death. Where CAPE was taken orally by mice with lung tumours, a reduction of tumour size of 50 per cent was noted. Researchers similarly tested another group of mice using the drug cisplatine. No difference in effectiveness was noted, but the mice taking the drug had significant weight loss, a side-effect not noted with propolis (Nagaoka et al 2003). It was concluded that CAPE had a cytoxic effect, and could also block the invasive, metastasis noted with these tumours. Further research in Cancer Watch 2012 seems to concur with this.
(viii) Enhancement of orthodox chemotherapy approaches?
Propolis has biological effects that act in synergy with chemotherapy drugs such as 5-fluorouracil (Suzuki et al 2002).Importantly Santos and Cruz 2001 showed that the antioxidant properties of propolis could reduce the side effects caused by chemotherapy drugs without any detriment to the therapeutic effects.
Suzuki researched two drugs in experiments with mice and cancer (mitomicine C and 5- fluoresce) and showed that the combination of drug plus propolis had by far the greatest regression effects especially in advanced stages, over the drugs used on their own. The propolis usage resulted in higher levels of white and red cells and less side effects. The conclusion of the research was that propolis increased the bio-availability of the drugs. The desired effect could therefore logically be achieved on smaller doses and with even less side effects.
Orsolic and Basic (2005) used mice with breast tumours to show antioxidants can enhance the performance of both radiotherapy and chemotherapy, by using water soluble bee propolis. This supports the work of Chan noted above, that CAPE has a cytoxic effect and can cause cell death, whilst protecting the DNA of healthy cells. ´Chemotherapy agents used in anti-metastatic activity have their benefits enhanced´. was again the conclusion. The authors recommended clinical trials should take place as all the indications were for greater effect in radio and chemotherapy, whilst minimising blood cell declines and other side effects.
Padmavathi et al (2005) studied the drug paclitaxel with propolis, in DMBA-induced mice breast cancer and concluded that the two combined suppressed breast cancer, decreased lipid peroxidation, and increased the activities of antioxidant enhanced super oxide dismutase and vitamin C. They concluded that the combination of paclitaxel and propolis offers maximum effect in DMBA-induced breast cancer.
A Concentrated Rainbow Diet?
It´s a wonder oncologists aren´t all rushing to use propolis - or at least conduct clinical trials. What have they got to lose? Unfortunately if these results are borne out in real life, it would explode the myth that they have been uttering for too long - that antioxidants get in the way (are counter-indicated) for their wonder drugs and radiotherapy. We have quoted research in the past in icon from UCLA and MD Anderson (several studies) before saying antioxidants are beneficial to orthodox therapies. Now the research on the use of propolis, with 180 concentrated ingredients, many of which are antioxidants is the final sting in the tail. But will they take notice? Sadly, given the consistency of these findings, it´s the patients who are losing out if propolis is not used by patients with cancer. The drugs and radiotherapy are less effective, and the side effects are worse. Hippocrates must be turning in his grave.
Of course, as we have repeatedly told you, one of the best ways to help increase your personal odds of survival is to build a thorough and disciplined diet across all the bases Chris Woollams´ new book, The Rainbow Diet and how it can help you beat cancer, tells you exactly that, with all the research evidence for natural compounds. It´s as if the Bees know! They concentrate 180 natural compounds into their own Rainbow Diet; To read the book review click here. To buy the book click here.
At last, the definitive, research-based book on how to build a diet to help beat cancer. Click here to read about it.
Bee Propolis Natural Selection
If you are already thinking about buying Bee Propolis you might like to see what is available at the Natural Selection store (although it will not be Brazilian as, at the last count, this was over 180 pounds per pot!).
Please be clear: At CANCERactive we do not consider the above compound to be a cure for cancer, despite what the research says or experts doing the research may claim. The above, is an article on the compound from published research and expert opinion in the public domain. At CANCERactive we do not believe that any single compound (drug, vitamin, whatever) is a cure for cancer. We believe that people can significantly increase their personal odds of survival by building an Integrated Programme of treatments. Equally, cancer prevention is best practiced through a width of measures.
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chhll · 11 years ago
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Searching for Sex
ARE you confused by sex? I certainly am.
One of the many reasons sex is puzzling is that we lack reliable data. People lie to friends, lovers, doctors, surveys and themselves.
Three years ago, when I was a graduate student in economics, I began to write about how new data, particularly Google searches, could give us fresh insights into socially sensitive topics. Since then, many people have asked me to write about sex.
I was wary because I wanted to do more research. Now I’m finally ready to report. Call it everything you always wanted to know about sex, but didn’t have the data to ask.
Let’s start with the basics. How much sex are we having? Traditional surveys are no good at answering this question.
The Fall” by Parra, on view in his solo exhibition Yer So Bad at Jonathan LeVine Gallery in New York.
I analyzed data from the General Social Survey, a classic source. Heterosexual men 18 and over say that they average 63 sex acts per year, using a condom in 23 percent of them. This adds up to more than 1.6 billion heterosexual condom uses per year.
Heterosexual women say they average 55 sex acts per year, using a condom in 16 percent of them. This adds up to about 1.1 billion heterosexual condom uses per year.
Who is telling the truth, men or women?
Neither. According to Nielsen, fewer than 600 million condoms are sold every year.
Americans may also be exaggerating how often they have unprotected sex. About 11 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 44 say they are sexually active, not currently pregnant and not using contraception. Even with relatively conservative assumptions about how many times they are having sex, we would expect 10 percent to become pregnant every month. But this would already be more than the total number of pregnancies in the United States (which is one in 113 women of childbearing age).
Men who have never been married claim to average 29 condom uses per year. This is more than the total number of condoms sold in the United States to married and single people combined.
Married people probably exaggerate how much sex they have, too. On average, married men under 65 tell surveys they have sex once a week. Only 1 percent say they have gone the past year without sex. Married women say there is a little less sex but not much less.
Google searches give a far less lively picture of sex during marriage.
On Google, the top complaint about a marriage is not having sex. Searches for “sexless marriage” are three and a half times more common than “unhappy marriage” and eight times more common than “loveless marriage.” There are 16 times more complaints about a spouse not wanting sex than about a married partner not being willing to talk.
Even couples not yet married complain somewhat frequently about lack of sex. Google searches for “sexless relationship” are second only to searches for “abusive relationship.” (Abusive relationships are obviously a very important topic that I will return to in the future.)
On Google, there are five and a half times more complaints about an unmarried partner not wanting sex than an unmarried partner refusing to text back. There are more complaints that a boyfriend “won’t have sex” than that a “girlfriend” won’t. Complaints about “husbands” and “wives” are roughly equal. (One quick point about sexuality. I am assuming that a large majority of searches with “my girlfriend” or “my wife” are by men. Ina previous article, I argued that more men are gay than surveys suggest and that the closet remains a cause of huge amounts of secret suffering. But I also found that about 95 percent of men are heterosexual.) Taken altogether, the data suggest that Americans manage to have sex about 30 times per year — or once every 12 days.
Sex can be quite fun. Why do we have so little of it?
Google searches suggest one predominant reason: enormous anxiety, with much of it misplaced.
Start with men’s neuroses. It isn’t news that men worry about their genitals, but the degree of this worry is rather profound. From a Google search alone, we cannot know the gender of a user. However, we can often make a pretty good guess for searches about sex and body parts, like “my penis ____.”
Men Google more questions about their sexual organ than any other body part: more than about their lungs, liver, feet, ears, nose, throat and brain combined.
Men make more searches asking how to make their penises bigger than how to tune a guitar, make an omelet or change a tire. Men’s top Googled concern about steroids is whether taking them might make their penis smaller. Men’s top Googled question related to how their body or mind changed as they aged was whether their penis got smaller.
Side note: One of the more common questions for Google about a penis is “How big is my penis?” That men turn to Google, rather than a ruler, with this question is, in my opinion, a quintessential expression of our digital era.
Do women care about penis size? Rarely, according to Google searches. For every search women make about a partner’s phallus, men make roughly 170 searches about their own.
TRUE, on the rare occasions women do express concerns about a partner’s penis, it is frequently about its size, but not necessarily that it is small. More than 40 percent of complaints about a partner’s penis size is that it is too big. “Pain” is the most Googled word used in searches with the phrase “___ during sex.” (“Bleeding,” “peeing,” “crying” and “farting” round out the top five.)
One percent of searches looking to change one’s penis size are seeking information on how to make it smaller.
Another major sexual concern is climaxing prematurely. Men’s second-most-common sex question is how to make their sexual encounters longer.
Once again, the insecurities of men do not appear to match the concerns of women. There are roughly the same number of searches asking how to make a boyfriend climax more quickly as climax more slowly. In fact, the most common concern women have related to a boyfriend’s orgasm isn’t about when it happened but why it isn’t happening at all.
We do not often talk about male body insecurity. And while it is true that overall interest in personal appearance skews female, it is not as lopsided as stereotypes would suggest. According to my analysis of Google AdWords (also based on anonymous, aggregate web activity), interest in beauty and fitness is 42 percent male; weight loss is 33 percent male; and cosmetic surgery is 39 percent male. Among all searches with “how to” related to breasts, about 20 percent ask how to get rid of man breasts.
What can this new data teach us about women’s insecurities? Every year, in the United States, there are more than seven million searches looking into breast implants. Official statistics tell us that about 300,000 women go through with it annually.
Women also show a great deal of insecurity about their behinds, although many women have recently flip-flopped on what it is they don’t like about them.
In 2004, in some parts of the United States, the most common search regarding changing one’s butt was how to make it smaller. The desire to make one’s bottom bigger was overwhelmingly concentrated in areas with large black populations. Beginning in 2010, however, the desire for bigger butts grew in the rest of the United States. This interest has tripled in four years. In 2014, there were more searches asking how to make your butt bigger than smaller in every state. These days, for every five searches looking into breast implants in the United States, there is one looking into butt implants.
Does women’s growing preference for a larger behind match men’s preferences? Interestingly, yes. “Big butt porn” searches, which also used to be concentrated in black communities, have recently shot up in popularity throughout the United States.
What else do men want in a woman’s body? In the no surprise department, men show a preference for large breasts. About 12 percent of nongeneric pornographic searches are looking for big breasts. This is nearly 20 times higher than the search volume for small-breast porn.
That said, it is not clear that this means men want women to get breast implants. About 3 percent of big-breast porn searches explicitly say they want to see natural breasts.
Google searches about one’s wife and breast implants are evenly split between asking how to persuade her to get implants and perplexity as to why she wants them.
Or consider the most common search about a girlfriend’s breasts: “I love my girlfriend’s boobs.” It is not clear what men are hoping to find from Google when making this search.
Women, like men, have questions about their genitals. In fact, they have nearly as many questions about their vaginas as men have about their penises. Women’s worries about their vaginas are often health-related. But at least 30 percent of their questions take up other concerns. Women want to know how to shave it, tighten it and make it taste better. A strikingly common concern is how to improve its odor.
Women are most frequently concerned that their vaginas smell like fish, followed by vinegar, onions, ammonia, garlic, cheese, body odor, urine, bread, bleach, feces, sweat, metal, feet, garbage and rotten meat.
In general, men do not make many Google searches involving a partner’s genitalia. Men make roughly the same number of searches about a girlfriend’s vagina as women do about a boyfriend’s penis.
When men do search about a partner’s vagina, it is usually to complain about what women worry about most: the odor. Mostly, men are trying to figure out how to tell a woman about a bad odor without hurting her feelings. Sometimes, however, men’s questions about the odor reveal their own insecurities. Men occasionally ask for ways to use the smell to detect cheating — if it smells like condoms, for example, or another man’s semen.
I know I am obsessed with Google searches and other new data sets. I ask myself all the time whether I am taking it too far. Every researcher, no matter how grounded in data, can let his biases get in the way of the truth. This data is all public. Other researchers will undoubtedly add their own interpretations and ask new questions.
Dan Ariely, a psychologist at Duke, offers a reason for caution in interpreting this data. While most data sources underestimate sexual thoughts, he suspects that Google may overestimate them.
As Professor Ariely put it, “Google is a reflection of what people don’t know and need extra information about.” If you want to know how to make omelets, you may just ask a relative. You are less likely to ask your relatives about penis enlargement.
Another surprising thing about “big data” is how small it often is. Many people expect that any given Google search will be made millions of times. You may look at the accompanying graphic that includes the total monthly search volumes for various phrases and think, “That’s it?”
People do not type everything they think into Google. Google data is a small sample of everybody’s thoughts and concerns. It is suggestive, not definitive.
I AM hardly an expert on sex. Professionally, I am neither a psychologist nor a sex therapist.
But here’s what I think.
Just about every study I have done relying on Google searches made me feel worse about the world. Huge numbers of people are racist and sexist; far too many children suffer from unreported abuse. But after studying the new data on sex, I actually feel better.
This data makes me feel less lonely. In my previous studies of Google data, I had found the viciousness that humans often hide. But this time around, I have seen our hidden insecurities. Men and women are united in this insecurity and confusion.
Google also gives us legitimate reasons to worry less than we do. Many of our deepest fears about how our sexual partners perceive us are unjustified. Alone, at their computers, with no incentive to lie, partners reveal themselves to be fairly nonsuperficial and forgiving. In fact, we are all so busy judging our own bodies that there is little energy left over to judge other people’s.
Maybe if we worried less about sex, we’d have more of it.
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