Description:Â With firms like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley reporting weak results for last year, Wall Street is having to confront doubts about itself. Source: NYTimes.com Date: 01/19/2012 Link:Â http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/01/19/the-new-normal-on-wall-st-smaller-and-restrained/?ref=business Questions for discussion: Summarize the key points presented in the report. Do you agree with these assessments? Is this a good or bad scenario, in… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Industry Analysis
Kodak Bankruptcy May Bet on Printing
Description:Â As Eastman Kodak Co. (EK) investors bet the 131-year-old photographic pioneer was headed for bankruptcy, the company decided Chapter 11 was the simplest way to become the leaner digital printing specialist it aspires to be. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: 01/20/2012 Link:Â http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-19/kodak-bankruptcy-may-shed-photography-bet-on-digital-printing.html Questions for discussion: Do you think the bankruptcy and sale of assets will… Read more »
U.S. Stocks Funds Have Second-Worst Year as Clients Pull Out
Description:Â U.S. stock mutual funds that invest in domestic equities had their second-worst redemptions last year as record market swings sent investors to the perceived safety of bond funds. Source: Businessweek.com Date: 01/06/2012 Link:Â http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-06/u-s-stocks-funds-have-second-worst-year-as-clients-pull-out.html Questions for discussion: Summarize the key points presented in the report. What does the report suggest about possible future economic… Read more »
Analysis: U.S. casinos, vendors eye big online-poker stakes
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
All the world’s a game
Description: Video games will be the fastest-growing and most exciting form of mass media over the coming decade, says Tim Cross Source: TheEconomist.com Date: 12/10/2011 Link: http://www.economist.com/node/21541164 Questions for discussion: Summarize the highlights in this report. What does this report suggest about investing strategies related to the growth of the industry?
One small company reinvents a $30 billion market
Description:Â Â Sometimes one bright idea — and a whole lot of work to implement it — can reshape an entire industry. Source: Fortune.com Date: 12/09/2011 Link:Â http://money.cnn.com/2011/12/09/smallbusiness/eagleview/index.htm?iid=SF_BN_River Questions for discussion: How has this technological innovation changed costing and budgeting in the industry?
What Buffett’s IBM buy says about his next move
Description: Screening for undervalued stocks the Oracle of Omaha would like Source: Marketwatch.com Date: 11/18/2011 Link:  http://www.marketwatch.com/story/what-buffetts-ibm-buy-says-about-his-next-move-2011-11-18 Questions for discussion: How is Warren Buffetts’ investment in IBM being interpreted? How do you think it will influence investors’ perceptions of IBM?
