From now on I will send a smoke signal if a stock has a market cap of under $150 mn. It will be a buy-and-hold however defined.

Today I answer some readers questions, have a note about the Holy Ghost at The Mouth of Hell, a stock downrating, and news from China, Israel, Mongolia, Canada, Britain, and fund updates.

Today's Wall Street Journal reports that Glaxo's CEO Sir Andrew Witty also faces pressure to clean up its business lines and boost results. Triggering the dissent is the latest bribery scandal eruption, over Syria.

Now that all the hedge-fund short-sellers covered their exposure last week, gold has fallen back nearly 2.4%, the biggest fall so far this year. This provides an entry point for buyers.

BNP Paribas' Swiss-based COO with an aristo name, George Chodron de Courcel, 64, appears to be ready to sacrifice himself to settle with US prosecutions over money laundering on behalf of rogue regimes Iran, Cuba, and Sudan.

Chris Loew, our Japan correspondent, writes on the contradictions of current Japanese economic policy; plus more financial news from Canada, India, Russia, Britain, Hong Kong, Denmark, Japan, Israel, Brazil, Jordan, Australia, and South Africa, including three quarterly reports.