Is the U.S. stock market rigged?

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

Description: Steve Kroft reports on a new book from Michael Lewis that reveals how some high-speed traders work the stock market to their advantage Source: CBSNews.com – video report Date: Mar 30, 2014 Link: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/is-the-us-stock-market-rigged Questions for Discussions: Explain how high-speed traders were able to exploit the trading environments. How was the problem solved? How… Read more »

Teen Retailers: Who’s Worth Buying?

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Economic Analysis, Financial analysis, Growth & Valuation, Industry Analysis, Management Issues.

Description: Should you invest in what your kid’s like to wear? We put the three A’s under the spotlight: Aeropostale, American Eagle, and Ambercrombie & Fitch. Source: BNN.com – video report Date: Apr 04, 2014 Link: http://watch.bnn.ca/#clip1078271 Questions for Discussions: Summarize the financial highlights presented in this report and the reasons for the decline at… Read more »

Liberty Media’s smaller stake in Barnes & Noble may actually be a good thing: analysts

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

Description: Barnes & Noble Inc.’s shares fell as much as 16% on Thursday after John Malone’s Liberty Media said it’s slashing its holdings in Barnes & Noble to about 1.7% from the 17% stake it held in 2011. Source: Marketwatch.com Date: Apr 03, 2014 Link: http://blogs.marketwatch.com/behindthestorefront/2014/04/03/liberty-medias-smaller-stake-in-barnes-noble-may-actually-be-a-good-thing-analysts/ Questions for discussion: Why did the stock price fall… Read more »

The Pow! Bang! Bam! Plan to Save Marvel, Starring B-List Heroes

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis, Growth & Valuation, Industry Analysis, Management Issues.

Description: It’s been four years since Disney purchased Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion. At the time, it wasn’t hailed as a brilliant move. Disney’s stock price sank on news of the deal. Superheroes were hot properties in Hollywood, but Disney was spending billions for a company that had years ago signed away the film rights… Read more »

Candy Crush IPO to raise billions

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

Description: King Digital, the creator of the insanely popular Candy Crush Saga game, is going public. CNN’s Samuel Burke speaks with subway riders on how addictive the game is. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Mar 24, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2014/03/24/candy-crush-ipo-kin-social-media-game-smartphone.cnnmoney/index.html  Questions for Discussions: How does Candy Crush generate revenue? Do you think the company is… Read more »

As whiskey market consolidates, a skirmish in Tennessee

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

Description: The bourbon bubble continues to expand, and a handful of multinationals strengthens its collective grip on the whiskey market. Source: Fortune.com Date: Mar 27, 2014 Link: http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2014/03/27/tennessee-whiskey/?iid=SF_F_River Questions for discussion: Describe the competitive landscape in this industry. Is it likely to be opened up by government legislation to greater competition as happened with craft… Read more »

Zuckerberg to Buffett Show Rich Owners Dominating Big M&A Deals

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis, Industry Analysis, Management Issues.

Description: The megarich are dominating U.S. megadeals. Seven of the 15 U.S. takeover bids worth more than $10 billion since January 2013 were initiated by firms founded and controlled by one of the 200 wealthiest men in the world, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Last month Facebook Inc. (FB)’s Mark Zuckerberg, who has a… Read more »

More Coffee, Please: Cafés Are Growing Faster Than Their Fast-Food Peers

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis, Growth & Valuation, Industry Analysis, Management Issues.

Description: If you’ve tracked how much money you spent at coffee shops in the past few years, there’s a good chance it has gone up. The trend is reflected in rising same-store sales at Starbucks (SBUX) (8 percent in 2013) and Dunkin’ Donuts (DNKN) (3.4 percent). Even if you prefer a boutique coffee shop, it’s hard to… Read more »

Japan’s Jeff Bezos on $900M Viber buy

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

Description: Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani explains why the $900 million purchase of messaging app Viber was a smart business move and how it will differ from Facebook’s Whatsapp. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Mar 21, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2014/03/21/ceo-rakuten-hiroshi-mikitani-japan-viper-app-ecommerce.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: What is the basis for the acquisition price paid for Viber? Do you… Read more »

This company loves the snow

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Economic Analysis, Financial analysis, Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation, Industry Analysis, Management Issues.

Description: Let it snow. Douglas Dynamics, a maker of snow plows, loves the winter weather. It reported strong earnings and its stock (ticker symbol PLOW) is up on the news. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Mar 05, 2014 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2014/03/11/buzz-douglas-dynamics-snow-plows.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: Is it likely the firm would experience increases year over year… Read more »