No showtime at Apollo’s U. of Phoenix

Posted by & filed under Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation.

Description: Shares of for profit education owners sank after University of Phoenix owner Apollo reported a decline in enrollment. Source: CNNMoney.com.com – video report Date: Jan 09, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2013/01/09/investing-education-phoenix-apollo.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: Why has Apollo’s stock fallen recently? Explain their business model and whether you think it is sustainable? Would you be an investor… Read more »

The battle over Herbalife

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis, Governments & Regulators.

Description: An inside look at Herbalife’s business model and the $1 billion bet hedge fund manager Bill Ackman has against it. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Jan 11, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2013/01/11/n-herbalife-bill-ackman-queens.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: Compare the organizational structure of Herbalife to a pyramid selling organization. Do you believe Herbalife is a conventional distributor of… Read more »

What’s at the Center of the Debate Over Herbalife

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation.

Description: In the wake of the bombshell announcement that Daniel S. Loeb’s Third Point has taken an 8.9 percent stake in Herbalife after the company’s shares were shorted by William A. Ackman of Pershing Square, the question is: Which very rich hedge fund manager is right? Source: NYTimes.com Date: Jan 10, 2013 Link:  http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/whats-at-the-center-of-the-debate-over-herbalife/?ref=business Questions… Read more »

Second terms’ impact on stock market

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

Description:  Does the stock market perform any differently during second presidential terms? Source:  Marketwatch.com Date: Jan 11, 2013 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/second-terms-impact-on-stock-market-2013-01-11?siteid=nwtwk Questions for Discussions: How does the article answer the question posed? What is your opinion of the assessment? How should investors weigh the information in this report?  

A Goldman Sachs Trading Team Sidesteps the Volcker Rule

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

Description:  Sitting onstage in Washington’s Ronald Reagan Building? in July, Lloyd Blankfein said Goldman Sachs Group (GS) had stopped using its own money to make bets on the bank’s behalf. “We shut off that activity,” the chief executive officer told more than 400 people at a lunch organized by the Economic Club of Washington, slicing… Read more »

How Does Amazon Survive on Such Tight Margins?

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

Description:  Cory Johnson looks at how Amazon.com makes money. He speaks on Bloomberg Television’s “Market Makers.” (Source: Bloomberg) Source: Bloomberg.com – video report Date: Jan 03, 2013 Link:  http://bloom.bg/UqidDB Questions for Discussions: Explain the financial strategy Amazon is using to build its business? Do you think it is a sustainable strategy? Would you be an… Read more »

El-Erian: Look for Bottom-Up Housing Opportunities

Posted by & filed under Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation.

Description: Pimco CEO Mohamed El-Erian discusses politicians can do to bring the labor market to “escape velocity’ and how to invest off of the December jobs report. He speaks on Bloomberg Television’s “In The Loop.” Source: Bloomberg.com – video report Date: Jan 04, 2013 Link: http://bloom.bg/WqRpl8#ooid=x1N2wyODrh7cAvcnvu0a95OK800KKZDU Questions for Discussions: Summarize the analysis presented by El-Erian… Read more »

Apple’s Stock: Analysts’ Price Targets Vary Wildly

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Industry Analysis.

Description:  For years, analysts could forecast Apple’s (AAPL) stock movements with a single word: up. The company’s hit parade of new products like the iPhone and iPad led to record-breaking quarterly profits and expectations that Apple could become the first U.S. corporation with a $1 trillion market value. Bullish analysts saw their own careers climb… Read more »

Hedge funds win big with subprime mortgages

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

Description:  Subprime mortgages may have been the most lucrative bet of 2012 for hedge funds, with some gaining more than 20% by buying up troubled financial crisis era mortgages. Source:  CNNMoney.com Date: Jan 04, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/04/investing/hedge-funds-subprime-mortgages/index.html?iid=SF_BN_River Questions for Discussions: Why have hedge fund managers been so successful in subprime mortgage investments? Do you think… Read more »

Exxon Mobil to spend $14 billion on Hebron offshore oild project

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation.

Description: Exxon Mobil Corp., one of the world’s largest energy companies, has pledged to spend $14-billion (U.S.) to develop the Hebron oilfield off Canada’s east coast. Source: theglobeandmail.com Date: Jan 04, 2013 Link:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/exxon-mobil-to-spend-14-billion-on-hebron-offshore-oil-project/article6942298/ Questions for Discussions: Summarize the highlights in this report that relate to the involvement of government in decision-making. Why would the… Read more »