An email popped in my box from my financial advisor about the Alibaba IPO. Many clients were interested and he advised against it because he felt people were too enthusiastic. By coincidence I had received an assignment from Dan Smith from the Wall St Journal about the phenomenon of IPO’s shooting up at the beginning only to fall sharply after the excitement was over. It was a quick assignment and fortunately a story like this is always a metaphor for risk or danger. Most of the mistakes people make are looking in the wrong places for danger only to be surprised.
Balloons seem to be a theme for me this year and it seemed perfect for a story about unbridled hope. A nice accident was the choice of red thorns. I sometimes use red to communicate danger but it is also a stock symbol for down markets.
Much thanks to both the Wall Street Journal and my advisor for seeing eye to eye.
