Cisco makes $5 billion bet on video

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial Planning, Industry Analysis.

Description:  Despite calls from some investors to backtrack from the consumer business, Cisco has bought NDS Ltd., a software maker for set top boxes. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 03/15/2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/markets/2012/03/15/mkts-bz-cisco-nds.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Do you think this is a good move by Cisco? Do you think investors will be happy with the… Read more »

Traders react to Goldman quitter

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Description:  Greg Smith’s Op-Ed in the New York Times slamming Goldman Sachs has caused a media fallout but traders say they aren’t surprised. Source: Fortune.com – video report Date: 03/14/2012 Link:  http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/03/14/n-traders-goldman-oped.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Summarize the opinions reported. Do you agree with these views?

Goodbye to Goldman: Will Blankfein Be Next?

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

Description:  Some day, when they write the definitive history ofGoldman Sachs (GS), Wall Street’s 143-year-old warehouser of brass rings, the date March 14, 2012, will stand in infamy. If you haven’t already heard, that’s when Greg Smith, an executive with the bank in London, resigned with guns a-blazing, in a corporate revenge fantasy worthy of… Read more »

Stocks’ correction coming? Not that again

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

Description:   Investors are beginning to wonder if this Energizer Bunny of a rally can just keep going without taking a break or a fall. Source:  Reuters.com Date: 03/16/2012 Link:  http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/16/us-usa-stocks-weekahead-idUSBRE82F1AF20120316 Questions for discussion: What is the basis for concern in the market and Apple in particular? What is your opinion?

Brazil Faces New Oil-Boom Curse as the World’s Resource Engine

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Description:   In 2007, Brazilian geologists made the biggest oil find in the Americas in three decades. Buried more than five miles below sea-level, the discovery was estimated to raise the country’s crude reserves by 62 percent. Source:  Bloomberg.com Date: 03/13/2012 Link:  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-13/brazil-faces-new-oil-boom-curse-as-the-world-s-resource-engine.html Questions for discussion: Summarize the issues raised in the article about resource based… Read more »

Coffee Stocks Look Shaky

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Industry Analysis.

Description:  Starbucks late Thursday launched a broadside at Green Mountain Coffee, announcing the development of its own single-cup brewing system, the heart of Green Mountain’s success. Green Mountain’s stock tumble is a cautionary sign, Jack Hough reports on Mean Street. Source: Marketwatch.com – video report Date: 03/09/2012 Link:  http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/coffee-stocks-look-shaky/19D47C83-88D2-4332-AADA-23B838DAC9FD Questions for discussion: Explain the coffee… Read more »

Fantasy Earnings Trader: Play For Free

Posted by & filed under Market Analysis.

Description:  MarketWatch’s David Callaway introduces Fantasy Earnings Trader, a free game from our Virtual Stock Exchange platform. Test your stock-picking talents against our experts during earnings season and win a $750 Apple gift card. The game begins April 9. Source: Marketwatch.com – video report Date: 03/09/2012 Link:  http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/fantasy-earnings-trader-play-for-free/20498B8E-8147-4F59-927B-EC767DF71004 Questions for discussion: What is your overall… Read more »

Laszlo Birinyi moves against the current

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

Description: Birinyi is an unusual (and successful) brand of contrarian – and he’s feeling relatively bullish these days. Source:  Fortune.com Date: 03/09/2012 Link: http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2012/03/09/laszlo-birinyi-market-bull/?iid=SF_F_River Questions for discussion: Summarize the opinions presented by Laszlo  Birinyi. Do you agree with his views?

End of Days for Independent Pharmacies?

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

Description:   When patients arrive at Woods Pharmacy & Prescription in Mountain View, Ark., pharmacist Dana Woods greets them by name. In a town of 3,000, where Woods has owned the $2 million pharmacy and soda fountain for 26 years, he usually also knows their parents, their children, and their medications. Source:  Businessweek.com Date: 03/08/2012 Link: … Read more »

Kingfisher Air Shunned as Cash Crunch Disrupts India Flights

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

Description:  Anurag Chadha had one thing to say after flight disruptions at billionaire Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. (KAIR) curtailed his holiday plans. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: 03/09/2012 Link:  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-09/kingfisher-air-passenger-says-never-again-as-cash-crunch-disrupts-flights.html Questions for discussion:  What are the reasons for this firm’s cash flow problems? What are the consequences? How typical is this scenario for other firms dependent… Read more »