Description: Jeffrey Katzenberg is trying to raise $2 billion for his new television start-up that will provide short-form content of premium quality for mobile devices. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Oct 02, 2017 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/02/business/dealbook/katzenberg-television-mobile.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FVenture%20Capital&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection Questions for discussion: What are the risks to investors, compared to traditional media platforms that exist today? Do you think this thinking… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Growth & Valuation
Here’s Why NFL is Worth So Much Money
Description: In 2016, the NFL made around $13 billion in revenue. Source: Fortune.com – video report Date: Sep 27, 2017 Link: http://for.tn/2xG9nwQ Questions for discussion: What are the revenue streams for the NFL? How vulnerable are they to changes in the marketplace? How would you advise managment of individual teams and the NFL as a… Read more »
Is BlackBerry making a comeback?
Description: BlackBerry lives! The company reported a profit (yes, a profit) that topped Wall Street’s forecasts. The news sent the stock soaring. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Sep 27, 2017 Link: http://money.cnn.com/2017/09/28/investing/blackberry-earnings/index.html Questions for discussion: Why did BlackBerry stock soar? Do you think the firm represents a good investment opportunity at this time? How… Read more »
Kellogg CEO John Bryant Out as the Big Food Mass CEO Exodus Continues
Description: He will be replaced by the CEO of Nature’s Bounty. Source: Fortune.com – video report Date: Sep 27, 2017 Link: http://for.tn/2fUaJeh Questions for discussion: Why are there so many turnovers of CEOs in this industry? Do you think the solution to industry-level problems can be solved by changing CEOs? How should investors respond to… Read more »
Yale fellow, former Morgan Stanley chief economist: A correction looms
Description: ‘We are long overdue for a correction’ Source: MarketWatch.com – video report Date: Sep 28, 2017 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/yale-fellow-former-morgan-stanley-chief-economist-a-correction-looms-2017-09-28 Questions for discussion: What is the basis for this assessment? Do you agree with the analysis?
Rovio, Angry Birds Maker, Valued at $1 Billion in I.P.O.
Description: LONDON — It turns out Angry Birds is a billion-dollar idea. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Sep 28, 2017 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/28/business/dealbook/rovio-angry-birds-ipo.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fbusiness&action=click&contentCollection=business®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront Questions for discussion: What is the basis for the valuation? Do you think it is fairly priced for investors?
How a 32-Year-Old CEO Got a Team of Pharma Vets to Join His Radical Approach to Making Drugs
Description: Vivek Ramaswamy got a pretty special present for his 32nd birthday in August: $1.1 billion in funding from SoftBank and other investors for the audacious biopharmaceutical firm he founded and leads, Roivant Sciences. Source: Fortune.com Date: Sep 21, 2017 Link: http://fortune.com/2017/09/21/roivant-sciences-ceos-profile/?iid=leftrail Questions for discussion: What is so unique about this financial structuring? Why does it appeal to… Read more »
A Start-Up Slump Is a Drag on the Economy. Big Business May Be to Blame.
Description: Unemployment has fallen, and the stock market has soared. So why has the economic expansion since the recession been so tame, with sluggish productivity and, at least until recently, anemic wage growth? Source: NYTimes.com Date: Sep 20, 2017 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/20/business/economy/startup-business.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fbusiness&action=click&contentCollection=business®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront Questions for discussion: Explain the arguments made in this article. Do you agree? What… Read more »
How the ‘great central bank unwind’ could ignite the next financial crisis
Description: As the Federal Reserve prepares to begin paring the size of its $4.5 trillion balance sheet next month, analysts at Deutsche Bank on Wednesday warned that what they have dubbed the “great central bank unwind” is one of several candidates for creating the next financial crisis. Source: MarketWatch.com Date: Sep 20, 2017 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-the-great-central-bank-unwind-could-ignite-the-next-financial-crisis-2017-09-20… Read more »
Google Is Buying HTC’s Smartphone Expertise for $1.1 Billion
Description: SAN FRANCISCO — Google announced late Wednesday night that it is spending $1.1 billion to hire a team of engineers from the smartphone business of the struggling Taiwanese manufacturer HTC in a bid to bring more hardware expertise to its own mobile technology operations. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Sep 20, 2017 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/20/technology/google-htc-smartphones.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fbusiness&action=click&contentCollection=business®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront Questions for discussion:… Read more »