Description: New York City will get a $550 million economic boost from next weekend’s Super Bowl and corporations will get big deductions for their lavish spending. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Jan 24, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2014/01/24/big-game-big-spending-big-tax-breaks.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: What are the benefits to corporations that send employees or clients to the Super Bowl?… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Company Analysis
Railroads look at liquefied natural gas to power locomotives
Description: The diesel-burning locomotive, the workhorse of American railroads since World War II, will soon begin burning natural gas — a potentially historic shift that could cut fuel costs, reduce pollution and strengthen the advantage railroads hold over trucks in long-haul shipping. Source: Star-telegram.com Date: Jan 25, 2014 Link: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/01/25/5511561/railroads-look-at-liqufied-natural.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy Questions for Discussions: Do you… Read more »
Starbucks Just Sold $1.4 Billion in Gift Cards. What Did It Do With That Cash?
Description: Starbucks (SBUX) is slowly adding a shot of banking to its grande coffee empire. As customers pour money into its gift cards and its mobile-payment app, the Seattle-based company is booking a tidy profit simply by holding onto customers’ cash. Source: Businessweek.com Date: Jan 24, 2014 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-01-24/starbucks-just-sold-1-dot-4-billion-in-gift-cards-dot-what-did-it-do-with-that-cash#r=hpt-ls Questions for Discussions: How does this… Read more »
Into the Bitcoin Mines
Description: On the flat lava plain of Reykjanesbaer, Iceland, near the Arctic Circle, you can find the mines of Bitcoin. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Dec 21, 2013 Link: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/12/21/into-the-bitcoin-mines/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0 Questions for Discussions: Explain the way Bitcoin is “mined” and how the rate of creation is controlled. How does this compare to the way a normal currency… Read more »
Intel outlook is not too chipper
Description: Shares of Intel tumbled on disappointing earnings and weak guidance. Investors want the semiconductor maker to do more in mobile and lessen its reliance on the slow-growth PC market. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Jan 17, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2014/01/17/investing-the-buzz-intel-chip-microprocessor-arm-holdings-mobile-pc.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: Why are chip stocks not performing particularly well at this… Read more »
Train stocks go off the rails
Description: Shares of railroad giant CSX are down sharply due to lower coal shipments, a sign that the recent tear in transportation stocks may be nearing an end. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Jan 16, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2014/01/16/investing-the-buzz-csx-railroad-transportation-norfolk-southern-union-pacific.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: What does this report say about rail stocks in general and CSX in… Read more »
Yahoo’s Asian Lifeline
Description: Yahoo’s core business has been eroding. It’s lost ground in display advertising and in online search, and the Wall Street consensus is that its revenue declined last year. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Jan 18, 2014 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/technology/yahoos-asian-lifeline.html?ref=technology Questions for Discussions: What does the report say about how investors are approaching investing in Yahoo? Do you… Read more »
The $20 book that companies are betting could save them $100,000 or more
Description: CBS, Michael Dell, and others are giving David Agus’s A Short Guide to a Long Life to their employees to encourage good health. Source: Fortune.com Date: Jan 17, 2014 Link: http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2014/01/17/the-20-book-that-companies-are-betting-could-save-100000-or-more/?iid=SF_F_River Questions for Discussions: What is the message to managers and employees? What are the cost and benefits contributions to cash flow and cost… Read more »
Netflix hit by Morgan Stanley downgrade
Description: Shares of Netflix tumbled after Morgan Stanley downgraded the stock due to fears of increased competition and that investors have unreasonably high expectations for subscriber gains. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Jan 07, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2014/01/07/investing-the-buzz-netflix-streaming-house-of-cards-dvds-amazon-prime-hulu-hbo-go.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: Summarize the reasons for the downgrade. Do you think Netflix will remain overvalued like… Read more »
Apple Users Spent $10 Billion on Apps in 2013
Description: Apple (AAPL) offered one of its periodic check-ins on activity in the App Store Tuesday, and announced that its users spent $10 billion last year in the App Store, with $1 billion coming in December alone. Source: Businessweek.com Date: Jan 07, 2014 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-01-07/apple-users-spent-10-billion-on-apps-in-2013 Questions for Discussions: What is the financial significance of the… Read more »
