Description:Â Louis Castle has been preparing for this moment for months. Even before the Justice Department effectively gave the green light for states to legalize online gambling, the Shuffle Master Inc chief strategy officer had assembled a design team for a multiplayer gaming platform, kicked off a hiring plan, and made preparations to launch the… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Company Analysis
U.S. & Brazil: 2012’s breakout stars
Description: Fund managers at Fortune’s investors roundtable single out the U.S. and Brazil as the likely star performers of 2012. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 12/28/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/markets/2011/12/28/mkts_2012_breakout_stars.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Do you agree with the assessments presented by these fund managesr? What would you advise investors do today?
Zynga in same boat as other 2011 tech IPOs
Description: (MarketWatch) — As we expected, Zynga has so far not been a stock you wanted to buy on its first trading day, not if you were hoping to make a quick buck. Source: Marketwatch.com Date: 12/30/2011 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/zynga-in-same-boat-as-other-2011-tech-ipos-2011-12-30?dist=beforebell Questions for discussion: Summarize the highlights that explain the stock price movements in this report. Do… Read more »
10 worst business predictions of 2011
Description: From a muni meltdown to a recovery in bank stocks to a Yahoo turnaround, we were told a bunch of things would happen this year that didn’t even come close. Source: Fortune.com  Date: 12/30/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2011/news/economy/1112/gallery.worst-predictions-2011.fortune/index.html Questions for discussion: Which prediction seems particularly weak, given 20-20 hindsight today? What does this report suggest… Read more »
BofA’s ‘Three-Ring Circus’ Posts Worst Showing in Dow Average
Description: Bank of America Corp. is on track to be this year’s worst performer in the Dow Jones Industrial Average as concern about mounting mortgage losses and a global economic slowdown weighed on the second-biggest U.S. lender. Source: Businessweek.com Date: 12/30/2011 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-12-30/bofa-s-three-ring-circus-posts-worst-showing-in-dow-average.html Questions for discussion: Summarize the key points presented in the report. Is… Read more »
Google Backing Israel Entrepreneurs Amid Funding Gap
Description: The Google Inc. (GOOG) executive with his bright yellow vest was impossible to miss in the middle of the Israeli startup owners seeking cash in a rusty boathouse at Tel Aviv’s Jaffa port. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: 12/29/2011 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-29/google-backs-israeli-startups-as-local-financing-hits-12-year-low-tech.html Questions for discussion: Describe the way in which venture capital investors find Israeli start-ups. What… Read more »
Apple at the retail crossroads
Description:Â People love to speculate on the future of Apple Inc. I am no exception. Source: Marketwatch.com Date: 12/23/2011 Link:Â http://www.marketwatch.com/story/apple-at-the-retail-crossroads-2011-12-23 Questions for discussion: Do you agree with this assessment? What would you advise investors do today?
Oracle Sales, Profit Miss Estimates
Description: Oracle Corp. (ORCL) dropped the most in more than nine years, dragging down other software makers, after it reported quarterly sales and profit that missed analysts’estimates in a sign companies are spending less on programs that help them manage operations. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: 12/21/2011 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-20/oracle-misses-estimates-as-clients-throttle-tech-spending-shares-decline.html Questions for discussion: Summarize the highlights in this… Read more »
What would make Caterpillar add jobs
Description: Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman explains what the company needs to hire in the near and long-term. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: 12/13/2011 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/12/13/n_cat_ceo_adding_jobs.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: What are the challenges facing the firm? How do these issues relate to your understanding of the state of the economy? What should companies, governments and… Read more »
Whole Foods shareholder’s big payday
Description:Â When things looked bleak for Whole Foods in 2008, private-equity retail specialist Leonard Green & Partners gave the natural foods retailer a $425 million cash injection, gobbling up preferred stock that was later converted to nearly 30 million shares. Source: Marketwatch.com Date: 12/13/2011 Link:Â http://www.marketwatch.com/story/whole-foods-shareholders-big-payday-2011-12-13?dist=afterbell Questions for discussion: Summarize the financial analysis presented in… Read more »
