Honeymoon over for new BlackBerry CEO?

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Description: BlackBerry shares have enjoyed a solid start to 2014. But the stock fell Thursday after being downgraded to a ‘sell.’ With lackluster quarterly results expected Friday, is time running out for John Chen to turn around the company? Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Mar 28, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2014/03/27/investing-the-buzz-blackberry-smartphone-apple-iphone-john-chen.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: How should… Read more »

Candy Crush IPO to raise billions

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Description: King Digital, the creator of the insanely popular Candy Crush Saga game, is going public. CNN’s Samuel Burke speaks with subway riders on how addictive the game is. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Mar 24, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2014/03/24/candy-crush-ipo-kin-social-media-game-smartphone.cnnmoney/index.html  Questions for Discussions: How does Candy Crush generate revenue? Do you think the company is… Read more »

As whiskey market consolidates, a skirmish in Tennessee

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

Description: The bourbon bubble continues to expand, and a handful of multinationals strengthens its collective grip on the whiskey market. Source: Fortune.com Date: Mar 27, 2014 Link: http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2014/03/27/tennessee-whiskey/?iid=SF_F_River Questions for discussion: Describe the competitive landscape in this industry. Is it likely to be opened up by government legislation to greater competition as happened with craft… Read more »

Zuckerberg to Buffett Show Rich Owners Dominating Big M&A Deals

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Description: The megarich are dominating U.S. megadeals. Seven of the 15 U.S. takeover bids worth more than $10 billion since January 2013 were initiated by firms founded and controlled by one of the 200 wealthiest men in the world, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Last month Facebook Inc. (FB)’s Mark Zuckerberg, who has a… Read more »

More Coffee, Please: Cafés Are Growing Faster Than Their Fast-Food Peers

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Description: If you’ve tracked how much money you spent at coffee shops in the past few years, there’s a good chance it has gone up. The trend is reflected in rising same-store sales at Starbucks (SBUX) (8 percent in 2013) and Dunkin’ Donuts (DNKN) (3.4 percent). Even if you prefer a boutique coffee shop, it’s hard to… Read more »

Red Lobster, Olive Garden still a mess

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Economic Analysis.

Description: Darden Restaurants wants to spin off struggling Red Lobster. But Olive Garden is not doing well either. The entire company is missing the restaurant stock rally this year. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Mar 21, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2014/03/21/investing-the-buzz-darden-restaurants-red-lobster-olive-garden-longhorn.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: Why is Darden stock underperforming in comparison to other restaurants? Is the… Read more »

Japan’s Jeff Bezos on $900M Viber buy

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Description: Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani explains why the $900 million purchase of messaging app Viber was a smart business move and how it will differ from Facebook’s Whatsapp. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Mar 21, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2014/03/21/ceo-rakuten-hiroshi-mikitani-japan-viper-app-ecommerce.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: What is the basis for the acquisition price paid for Viber? Do you… Read more »

Who Needs Banks? PayPal and Lending Club Want to Make Small Business Loans

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Description: Lots of companies have tried to use technology to improve small business lending with data, collecting information about merchants from their social media profiles, online accounting software, and reviews to help lenders decide whether to make loans. Alternative companies such as OnDeck and Kabbage have succeeded at increasing loan volumes and speeding approval times. But… Read more »

Bugatti-Driving 26-Year-Old Tied to Penny-Stock Website

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

Description: Short-sellers and stock promoters have puzzled for years over who operated one of the largest penny-stock websites. A U.S. lawsuit points to a Bugatti-driving 26-year-old from Montreal. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Mar 17, 2014 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-17/bugatti-driving-26-year-old-tied-to-penny-stock-website.html Questions for Discussions: How did the fraud to pump and dump work? What are the signs that the source… Read more »