HSBC bank raided by Swiss authorities

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Description: The public prosecutor’s office in Geneva has opened a criminal inquiry into allegations of money laundering at HSBC. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Feb 17, 2015 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2015/02/18/hsbc-bank-raid.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: What are the concerns for investors if the investigations show illegal activities have been going on at the bank? How is this… Read more »

The Hot New Statistic Oil Traders Are Eyeing Is 71 Years Old

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Description: (Bloomberg) — It was like clockwork. Every week since 1944, Baker Hughes Inc. would release its survey of how many rigs were out drilling for U.S oil and gas. And every week, oil and gas traders would, for the most part, overlook it. Source: Bloomberg.com – video report Date: Feb 18, 2015 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-18/the-hot-new-statistic-oil-traders-are-looking-at-is-71-years-old… Read more »

If history is a guide, oil could rebound in May

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

Description: Oil bulls may only need to be patient for a little while longer. Source: MarketWatch.com Date: Feb 18, 2015 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/if-history-is-a-guide-oil-could-rebound-in-may-2015-02-18 Questions for discussion: Explain the analysis upon which the prediction is based. Do you agree with this assessment and prediction?

5 Reasons Why Apple’s $750 Billion Market Cap Could Get Even Bigger

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Description: Apple AAPL -0.2% has broken its fair share of records lately, posting the most profitable quarter in history after selling a record 74.5 million iPhones and becoming the first U.S. company to cross the $700 billion valuation mark. Source: Forbes.com Date: Feb 19, 2015 Link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurengensler/2015/02/19/5-reasons-why-apples-750-billion-market-cap-could-get-even-bigger/ Questions for discussion: Summarize the reasons presented in order of importance. Do… Read more »

Traders Are Betting Sears Will Be the Next Big Retailer to Fail

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Description: (Bloomberg) — Billionaire Eddie Lampert’s quest to revive Sears Holdings Corp. is looking dubious to credit-swaps traders. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Feb 19, 2015 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-19/sears-turnaround-seen-failing-by-traders-in-credit-swaps-market Questions for Discussions: What are the signs that traders think suggest Sears’ demise? Do you agree with this assessment? Can Sears be saved?

Twitter’s user problem overshadows strong revenue increases

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Description: The company posted $479 million in quarterly revenue, up a meteoric 97 percent from this time last year. However, the social media giant’s user growth has slowed to a crawl. Source: Fortune.com – video report Date: Feb 06, 2015 Link: http://for.tn/1C1nKnj Questions for Discussions: What are investors’ concerns with Twitter? Do you think it… Read more »

Citi: Oil Could Plunge to $20, and This Might Be ‘the End of OPEC’

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

Description: The recent surge in oil prices is just a “head-fake,” and oil as cheap as $20 a barrel may soon be on the way, Citigroup said in a report on Monday as it lowered its forecast for crude. Source: Bloomberg.com – video report Date: Feb 09, 2015 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-09/citi-oil-could-plunge-to-20-and-this-might-be-the-end-of-opec- Questions for Discussions: Summarize the arguments for oil… Read more »

Tim Cook Doesn’t Believe This Made-Up Math Law Will Limit Apple’s Growth

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Description: The mathematical theory analysts use to justify concerns over Apple’s growth doesn’t really exist Source: Bloomberg.com – video report Date: Feb 11, 2015 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-11/tim-cook-doesn-t-believe-this-made-up-math-law-will-limit-apple-s-growth Questions for discussion: Does the law of large numbers have any application in understanding the limits to growth of any company? What can explain the risk of investing in… Read more »

A Deal That Could Reverse Pfizer’s History of Value-Destroying Acquisitions

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Description: Pfizer has made more than its share of value-destroying acquisitions. The pharmaceutical giant’s $15.2 billion purchase of Hospira could reverse that history. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Feb 05, 2015 Link: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/a-deal-that-could-reverse-pfizers-history-of-value-destroying-acquisitions/ Questions for discussion: Summarize Pfizer’s M&A history. What’s different this time? Would you be an investor today?

Inside RadioShack’s slow-motion collapse: Why the fall of the 94-year-old electronics chain didn’t have to be this way

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Description: Nathan Hill learned a lot about entertaining himself during his time as a RadioShack employee. Source: FinancialPost.com/Bloomberg Date: Feb 06, 2015 Link: http://business.financialpost.com/2015/02/06/inside-radioshacks-slow-motion-collapse-why-the-fall-of-the-94-year-old-electronics-chain-didnt-have-to-be-this-way/ Questions for Discussions: Summarize the history of RadioShack from the beginning. Do you think there is a new business model still possible for the RadioShack brand?