Whitney: Housing set to fall again

Posted by & filed under Governments & Regulators, Industry Analysis.

Description:  Bank analyst Meredith Whitney predicts more foreclosures are on the way and the housing market will not rebound smoothly. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report   Date: 04/08/2010 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/fortune/2010/04/08/f_sl_meredith_whitney_housing.fortune/ Questions for discussion: Do you agree with the predictions made by bank analyst Meredith Whitney? What investing strategy would make sense if she is right?… Read more »

Housing bubble: Who’s to blame?

Posted by & filed under Economic Analysis, Governments & Regulators.

Description:  Alan Greenspan defends keeping interest rates low. Readers of ‘The Buzz’ weigh in on who they think is responsible. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report   Date: 04/07/2010 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/04/07/n_bz_housing_bubble_blame.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Summarize the arguments for who is to blame for the crisis. How would you apportion blame? Present arguments in defence of each… Read more »

China now widely expected to move on yuan

Posted by & filed under Governments & Regulators.

Description: Signals from the two capitals of Beijing and Washington have convinced experts that China will ease its currency’s peg to the U.S. dollar, although the timing of the move and the details of new regime remain unknown. Source: Marketwatch.com   Date: 04/08/2010 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/pboc-advisor-urges-managed-float-for-yuan-2010-04-08?siteid=nwtwk Questions for discussion: Summarize the explanations offered for changes to… Read more »

Merrill Units Win Dismissal of Some MBIA Claims in Lawsuit

Posted by & filed under Governments & Regulators, Management Issues.

Description: Merrill Lynch & Co. units now owned by Bank of America Corp. won dismissal of claims in a lawsuit filed by MBIA Inc. last year over protection sold against mortgage-debt defaults. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: 04/10/2010 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601208&sid=ac_igSnXiHDw Questions for discussion: What is the significance of the judge’s decision in this case? What are the… Read more »

Innovation, by Order of the Kremlin

Posted by & filed under Governments & Regulators, Management Issues.

Description: AROUND the time that Apple Computer was making it big in California, Andrey Shtorkh was getting a first-hand look at the Soviet approach to high tech: he guarded the fence keeping scientists inside Sverdlovsk-45, one of the country’s secret scientific cities, deep in the Ural Mountains. Source: NYTimes.com Date: 04/10/2010 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/business/global/11russia.html?ref=business Questions for… Read more »

A futures exchange for Hollywood

Posted by & filed under Governments & Regulators, Industry Analysis.

Description:  Armchair investors may soon be able to bet real money on how films perform at the box office. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report   Date: 04/02/2010 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/04/02/n_hollywood_futures.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: How is this market similar to a conventional futures market such as one for gold? What risk is at play for investors? How… Read more »

Where To Invest When Rates Rise

Posted by & filed under Economic Analysis, Financial analysis.

Description:  As the economy improves, rate hikes loom, says Michael Cuggino, manager of the Permanent Portfolio fund family. He tells Jonathan Burton how stock and bond investors can blunt the impact of rising rates and take advantage of global growth. Source: Marketwatch.com – video report   Date: 03/31/2010 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/where-to-invest-when-rates-rise/2F40294E-9670-4996-93C6-F8553FE0AFE3 Questions for discussion: Summarize the… Read more »

More anger expected to color annual meeting season

Posted by & filed under Management Issues.

Description: Emerging standard calls for directors to win backing of a majority of investors Source: Marketwatch.com Date: 04/02/2010 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/more-anger-expected-to-color-annual-meeting-season-2010-04-02?siteid=nwtwk Questions for discussion: Do you think retail shareholders are more likely to exercise their voting power in the future? How can corporate financial managers be expected to react?

Increase in March Employment Shows U.S. Recovery Is Broadening

Posted by & filed under Economic Analysis.

Description: Employment in March grew by the most in three years, representing a turning point for the labor market that will help broaden the U.S. economy as it recovers from the deepest recession in seven decades. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: 04/03/2010 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aDCWdea8_JO0 Questions for discussion: Summarize the reasons given for economic and stock market optimism?… Read more »