Airlines See Loss Reaching $157 Billion Before Virus Clears

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis, Financial Planning, Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation, Industry Analysis, Management Issues, Personal Finance.

Description: Record airline losses from the coronavirus outbreak will continue to mount next year as anticipated vaccination programs take time to revive travel demand, according to the industry’s main trade group. Source: Bloomberg.com – video report Date: Nov 24, 2020 Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-24/airlines-see-losses-swelling-to-157-billion-before-virus-clears Questions for discussion: How bad has the airline industry been hit by the… Read more »

Palantir Adds $17 Billion in Value in Best Week Since Debut

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

Description: Palantir Technologies Inc. posted its best week since it went public in September, adding about $17 billion in market value as a broad rally in tech stocks helped fuel gains in the software maker. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Nov 27, 2020 Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-27/palantir-posts-best-week-since-debut-adding-21-billion-in-value Questions for discussion: Explain the sudden jump in the stock’s price? Do you… Read more »

Penguin Random House to Buy Simon & Schuster

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis, Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation, Industry Analysis, Management Issues, Personal Finance.

Description: ViacomCBS agreed to sell the 96-year-old company in a deal that potentially creates a megapublisher. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Nov 26, 2020 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/25/books/simon-schuster-penguin-random-house.html?login=email&auth=login-email Questions for discussion: What has influenced the merger? Is this good for the industry? Is it good for the consumer? How might it impact competition?

Bitcoin plunges by nearly $3,000 after closing in on its all-time record

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis, Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation, Personal Finance.

Description: LONDON — Bitcoin has plunged by close to $3,000 in less than 24 hours after hitting highs not seen since the end of 2017. Source: CNBC.com – podcast Date: Nov 26, 2020 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/26/bitcoin-plunges-by-nearly-3000-after-closing-in-on-its-all-time-record.html Questions for discussion: What is Bitcoin? Explain the sudden drop in price. Who should own bitcoin, in your opoinion? Is now a… Read more »

Biotech startup investments explode, but big investors fret about assault on drug prices

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis, Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation, Industry Analysis, Personal Finance.

Description: Canada’s biotech health-care industry is booming amid the pandemic but industry faces challenges Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Nov 24, 2020 Link: https://financialpost.com/technology/biotech-startup-investments-explode-but-big-investors-fret-about-assault-on-drug-prices Questions for discussion: How would you characterize the biotech startup arena in Canada? From a retail investor’s point of view, what makes the area risky? Would you advise investors to participate in this… Read more »

Restaurant tech start-up Toast soars to $8 billion valuation seven months after cutting half its staff

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

Description: Toast, a start-up that sells software to help restaurants with online ordering, has had a rollercoaster of a year managing through the pandemic. Of late, business has been booming, Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Nov 24, 2020 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/23/restaurant-tech-start-up-toast-worth-8-billion-in-employee-share-sale.html?__source=iosappshare%7Ccom.apple.UIKit.activity.Mail Questions for discussion: Explain the changing environment facing the firm. Do you think it can sustain… Read more »

Dividends Are Down, but They Are Vastly Better Than Expected

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

Description: After predictions of cuts of 20 percent or more, stock dividends have been surprisingly resilient. Low interest rates have helped to keep companies flush with cash. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Nov 21, 2020 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/20/business/dividends-coronavirus-economy-stocks.html Questions for discussion: Why have dividend payments fared so well during the past slowdown? Given a return to more normal… Read more »

When Tesla joins the S&P 500, you know it’s game over

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Industry Analysis, Market Analysis, Personal Finance.

Description: (Bloomberg Opinion) — In an anecdote often attributed to President John F. Kennedy’s father, the moment he knew to get out of the 1920s stock market boom was when he started receiving share tips from his shoeshine boy. Source: Bloombergquint.com Date: Nov 18, 2020 Link:  https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/will-the-stock-bubble-burst-as-soon-as-tesla-joins-the-s-p-500 Questions for discussion: Summarize the financial analysis presented… Read more »

Nvidia earnings: Chip stock is at a critical juncture, chart suggests

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

Description: Nvidia is having a noteworthy year. The top-performing information technology stock in the S&P 500 year to date, Nvidia has climbed more than 128% in 2020, its best annual gain since 2016 and its fourth biggest on record. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Nov 18, 2020 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/18/nvidia-earnings-chip-stock-is-at-a-critical-juncture-chart-suggests.html Questions for discussion: Explain the technical analysis on… Read more »

Kevin Carmichael: If BlackBerry sells its patents, Ottawa should be first in line

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis, Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation, Industry Analysis, Personal Finance.

Description: If pipelines, automakers and ketchup plants are worthy of public backing, IP — the 21st-century equivalent of oil — certainly is Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Nov 18, 2020 Link: https://financialpost.com/technology/if-pipelines-automakers-and-ketchup-plants-are-worthy-of-public-backing-blackberrys-patents-should-be-as-well?r Questions for discussion: Summarize the arguments surrounding the sale of patents? Do you think the Canadian government should step up and get involved? What do… Read more »