Stocks: Break out the champagne!

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Description: It’s been a terrific year for stocks and investors are hoping 2013 goes out on a high note. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Dec 27, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2013/12/20/investing-the-buzz-year-end.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: What is the prognosis for stocks for 2014, according to the report? What is the basis for the predictions?

Investor Exuberance at Record Highs

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Description:  Helima Croft, Senior Geopolitical Strategist at Barclays, and Porter Bibb, Managing Partner of Corporate Finance at Mediatech Capital Partners, discuss bullish sentiment that is driving markets and the impact that may have on 2014. They speak on Bloomberg Television’s “Bloomberg Surveillance.” (Source: Bloomberg) Source:  Bloomberg.com – video report Date: Dec 27, 2013 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/videos/2013-12-27/investor-exuberance-at-record-highs#r=nav-f-video… Read more »

Exclusive: Does It Make Any Sense for Overstock.com to Accept Bitcoin?

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

Description: Right now, merchants seem to accept Bitcoin for three main reasons: They want press coverage, they’re libertarian fellow travelers, or they’re selling drugs. Assuming that last one doesn’t apply to Overstock.com (OSTK), its announcement that it will begin accepting Bitcoin by mid-2014 seems to be some mix of the first two reasons. The online… Read more »

World shares enjoy vintage year, seen gaining more in 2014

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

Description:  (Reuters) – World stocks were ending 2013 close to six-year peaks on Tuesday and benchmark bond yields were poised for their first annual rise since 2009 as investors anticipated a further pick-up in global growth. Source:  Reuters.com Date: Dec 31, 2013 Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/31/us-markets-global-idUSBRE96S00E20131231 Questions for Discussions: Summarize the global view of markets and commodities…. Read more »

Swipe this! MasterCard announces stock split

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Description: MasterCard surged after announcing a stock split that will make shares more affordable to average investors. Should Apple and Priceline follow MasterCard’s lead? Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Dec 11, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2013/12/11/investing-the-buzz-mastercard-stock-split-google-priceline-apple.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: How much impact do you think a ten for one stock split will have on the stock… Read more »

Twitter soars but still has much to prove

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Description:   Twitter is off to a much better start as a public company than Facebook was in 2012. But Twitter still has to find a way to be profitable if it really wants to compete with Facebook. Source:  CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Dec 11, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2013/12/10/investing-the-buzz-twitter-facebook-ipo.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: Compare Facebook and Twitter… Read more »

Volcker Rule Got Tougher on Hedges, Softer on Trader Pay

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Description: U.S. regulators made a few identifiable changes to the Volcker rule they approved yesterday after two years of lobbying and negotiation. One is the addition of the word “identifiable.” Source: Bloomberg.com – video report Date: Dec 10, 2013 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-11/volcker-rule-got-tougher-on-hedges-softer-on-trader-pay.html Questions for Discussions: Explain the Volker Rule. What impact do you think it will… Read more »

Exclusive: The Inside Story of GM’s Comeback and Mary Barra’s Rise

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

Description: Dan Akerson, the chairman and chief executive officer of General Motors (GM), arrives at the company’s Technical Center on Nov. 13 to address about 1,000 engineers and designers. Source:  Businessweek.com Date: Dec 11, 2013 Link:  http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-12-12/exclusive-the-inside-story-of-gms-comeback-and-mary-barras-rise Questions for Discussions: How was GM saved? Is the current financial structure sound? Does the firm have the… Read more »

Vice Media Buys a Tech Company to Experiment With Content Distribution

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Description:  ADVERTISING, journalism and technology continue to converge. The latest example: Vice Media’s acquisition of Carrot Creative, a digital agency that creates apps, websites and games for media companies and brands. Source:  NYTimes.com Date: Dec 10, 2013 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/11/business/media/vice-media-buys-a-tech-company-to-experiment-with-content-distribution.html?hpw&rref=technology&_r=0 Questions for Discussions: Does this merger makes sense in your opinion? What is the direction Vice… Read more »