Is the Housing Sector Finally On a Recovery Path?

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

Description: WSJ’s Nick Timiraos stops by Mean Street to discuss Fannie Mae’s second-quarter profit, another indication of an improving U.S. housing recovery. (Photo: AP) Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Aug 08, 2012 Link: http://live.wsj.com/video/is-the-housing-sector-finally-on-a-recovery-path/01AC489A-3945-4D1D-A66C-9A9E6443E48E.html Questions for Discussions: Summarize commentary in this report about the housing and mortgage markets. Do the current trends suggest the… Read more »

Happy Fifth Birthday, Financial Crisis

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Economic Analysis, Financial analysis, Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation, Market Analysis.

Description: WSJ’s Matt Phillips stops by Mean Street to mark five years since the global credit crunch which sent the global economy into a tailspin. (Photo: Reuters) Source: Marketwatch.com – video report Date: Aug 09, 2012 Link: http://live.wsj.com/video/happy-fifth-birthday-financial-crisis/2F60CB68-CE72-4D21-B7AF-099008A6D84C.html Questions for Discussions: Summarize the history of the financial crisis as reported. What do you think was… Read more »

The Market’s Facebook Freakout

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Growth & Valuation, Market Analysis.

Description: It’s the dog days of summer, and Facebook’s (FB) stock price is locked in the kennel. Investors are obsessing over everything that’s wrong with the social network. Mark Zuckerberg hasn’t figured out how to make money on smartphones. Several million of its nearly 1 billion active accounts are duplicates, according to the company, and… Read more »

Yahoo’s Mayer sends a strange signal

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Growth & Valuation, Management Issues.

Description: By saying in a regulatory filing that investors may not get cash back from the Alibaba transaction, Yahoo Inc.’s new chief executive sends the company’s shares lower after hours and stirs up chatter about a major M&A deal. Source: Marketwatch.com Date: Aug 09, 2012 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/yahoos-mayer-sends-a-strange-signal-2012-08-09 Questions for Discussions: Summarize the activity surrounding Yahoo!… Read more »

Biggest dividend-paying stocks are still the best

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Economic Analysis, Financial analysis, Growth & Valuation.

Description:  Large-cap growth shares guide investors through rocky market Source: Marketwatch.com Date: Aug 10, 2012 Link:  http://www.marketwatch.com/story/biggest-dividend-paying-stocks-are-still-the-best-2012-08-10?dist=afterbell Questions for Discussions: What does the report say about dividend paying stocks and their size? What are the advantages to investors?

How U.S. discourages foreign investors

Posted by & filed under Economic Analysis, Governments & Regulators, Industry Analysis, Management Issues.

Description: Panasonic North America CEO says that foreign companies need political consistency and tax incentives to invest in the U.S. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Aug 02, 2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/08/02/n-panasonic-manufacturing-jobs.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: Summarize commentary in this report about direct foreign investment. Do you agree with the assessment? How is globalization a factor? What… Read more »

Canadian Companies Shop for European Assets

Posted by & filed under Growth & Valuation, Market Analysis.

Description: Canadian companies and pension funds are on a European acquisition binge, even as U.S. and Chinese buyers slash spending on takeovers there. Europe’s low valuations and the robust Canadian dollar are spurring deals by Canadian companies such as Brookfield Asset Management (BAM) and Alimentation Couche-Tard. “Canadian companies are basically punching above their weight in… Read more »

The Real Crash is dead ahead as 2008 is forgotten

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Economic Analysis, Growth & Valuation, Industry Analysis, Management Issues.

Description: Commentary: Ironically, you’ll win by buying banks now. “Facebook will become the poster child for the current social-media bubble,” warns economist Gary Shilling in his latest Forbes column, “just as Pets.com was for the dot-com bubble.” Yes, Wall Street is repeating the 2000 dot-com crash as today’s social-media bubble crashes and burns. Source: Marketwatch.com… Read more »

Police Chief’s $204,000 Pension Shows How Cities Crashed

Posted by & filed under Financial analysis, Financial Planning, Governments & Regulators.

Description:  Stockton, California, Police Chief Tom Morris was supposed to bring stability to law enforcement when he was appointed to the job four years ago. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: July 31, 2012 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-01/police-chief-s-204-000-pension-shows-how-cities-crashed.html Questions for Discussions: Explain the crisis facing these cities in terms of financial mismanagement of budgets and cash flow estimations? Is there… Read more »