Description: Even if the Senate had passed Mary Landreu’s Keystone bill yesterday, the results would’ve been the same: President Obama, by all accounts, was going to veto it, and since it’s his decision (because the line crosses an international border), we’re probably stuck with speculation about its approval/rejection for at least two more months as… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Governments & Regulators
What We Learned From High-Cost Lender OnDeck’s IPO Filing
Description: OnDeck, a small business lender that has loaned Main Street companies more than $1.7 billion since 2007, sometimes at annual percentage rates exceeding 100 percent, has filed for an initial public offering. Source: Businessweek.com Date: Nov 11, 2014 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-11-11/ondeck-ipo-alternative-loans-arent-getting-any-cheaper#r=nav-fst Questions for Discussions: Is OnDeck gouging borrowers, in your opinion? Evaluate the level of… Read more »
What’s behind the Saudi Oil Price Cut
Description: Nasdaq Advisory Services Lead Energy Analyst Tamar Essner and Oilprice.com Senior Contributor Dan Dicker discuss the price of oil on “Street Smart.” (Source: Bloomberg) Source: Bloomberg.com – video report Date: Nov 04, 2014 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/video/what-s-behind-the-saudi-oil-price-cut-UvsjUNlkRR6BSO7_DJlUkw.html Questions for Discussions: According to the panel, what is driving lower prices of oil? Do you think prices can… Read more »
David Rosenberg: Bear markets don’t just appear out of nowhere — they’re cause by these two conditions
Description: Gluskin Sheff’s David Rosenberg isn’t rattled by the recent volatility in the financial markets. “For stocks, it always comes down to the Fed and the economy,” Rosenberg said to Business Insider. Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Oct 29, 2014 Link: http://business.financialpost.com/2014/10/29/david-rosenberg-bear-markets-dont-just-appear-out-of-nowhere-theyre-cause-by-these-two-conditions/ Questions for Discussions: What is David Rosenberg’s fundamental belief about stock market behavior? Does his… Read more »
The new Cold War on Business
Description: For two decades, globalization has been the world economy’s central story line—or so it was until Russia and China sharply changed the narrative for big companies in the West, the question now is: can there be a happy ending? Source: Fortune.com Date: Oct 08, 2014 Link: http://fortune.com/2014/10/08/the-new-cold-war-on-business/ Questions for Discussions: Summarize and evaluate the… Read more »
Saudi Arabia’s Risky Oil-Price Play
Description: With the U.S. on track to become the world’s largest oil producer by next year, it’s become popular in Washington and on Wall Street to call America the new Saudi Arabia. Yet the real Saudi Arabia hasn’t relinquished its role as the producer with the most influence over oil prices. Source: Businessweek.com Date: Oct… Read more »
One Great Idea From Jean Tirole, the Nobel Economist
Description: The government worries mainly about “horizontal” mergers in which one company buys another that does the same thing. But there’s also risk in vertical combinations. Source: Businessweek.com Date: Oct 13, 2014 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-10-13/this-nobel-economist-analyzes-competition#r=nav-f-story Questions for Discussions: What does Jean Tirole say about mergers? How should investors use this information to guide their investment thinking?
Humans Lose to Machines in $500 Billion-a-Day Bond Market
Description: Human traders are increasingly losing out to machines in the world’s biggest bond market. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Oct 02, 2014 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-02/humans-lose-to-machines-in-500-billion-a-day-bond-market.html Questions for Discussions: How has technology affected bond trading, according to the article? Is this trend a problem for the markets, in your opinion?
Bill Gross quits Pimco: Why did he leave
Description: Bill Gross, co-founder and chief investment officer of Pimco, will join Janus Capital Group. Gross, who has presided over the world’s biggest bond fund for almost three decades, will start Sept. 29 at a new Janus office in Newport Beach, CA, and will begin managing the Janus Global Unconstrained Bond Fund on Oct. 6,… Read more »
Stocks break away from Euro on Draghi stimulus
Description: In today’s “Global Outlook,” Bloomberg’s David Ingles takes a look at the prospects for European markets on “On The Move Asia.” (Source: Bloomberg) Source: Bloomberg.com – video report Date: Sep 26, 2014 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/video/draghi-put-stocks-break-away-from-euro-lN~c7DAvSPSTRmeEEnTPZg.html Questions for Discussions: Why do you think there has been a divergence between stocks and the Euro recently? Summarize the… Read more »
