Sparks Fly With Greg Smith Over Goldman Sachs Book

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Description: Bloomberg Television recaps the discussion between former Goldman Sachs employee Greg Smith and Bloomberg’s Stephanie Ruhle on his career at Goldman Sachs and the reasons why he wrote his book, “Why I Left Goldman Sachs.” He speaks on Bloomberg Television’s “Market Makers.” Source: Bloomberg.com – video report Date: Oct 25, 2012 Link: http://bloom.bg/SiOE6B#ooid=JhYTZjNjpkF3-sNmTXx_b4-fCePOVqwF Questions… Read more »

Citi Chairman Is Said to Have Planned Chief’s Exit Over Months

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Description:  Vikram Pandit’s last day at Citigroup swung from celebratory to devastating in a matter of minutes. Having fielded congratulatory e-mails about the earnings report in the morning that suggested the bank was finally on more solid ground, Mr. Pandit strode into the office of the chairman at day’s end on Oct. 15 for what… Read more »

A Bank CEO Thrives Far From Wall Street

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Description: Can Wall Street can still be home to a successful, long-serving, largely noncontroversial chief executive officer? An UnBlankfein? Or AntiPandit? Source: Businessweek.com Date: Oct 26, 2012 Link:  http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-10-26/a-bank-ceo-thrives-far-from-wall-street#r=hp-lst Questions for Discussions: What does this report say about the banking industry, leadership, and financial performance?  

Billions in Hidden Riches for Family of Chinese Leader

Posted by & filed under Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation, Management Issues.

Description:  The mother of China’s prime minister was a schoolteacher in northern China. His father was ordered to tend pigs in one of Mao’s political campaigns. And during childhood, “my family was extremely poor,” the prime minister, Wen Jiabao, said in a speech last year. Source:  NYTimes.com Date: Oct 25, 2012 Link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/26/business/global/family-of-wen-jiabao-holds-a-hidden-fortune-in-china.html?ref=business Questions for… Read more »

Southwest CEO: Higher oil prices ahead

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Economic Analysis, Financial Planning, Management Issues.

Description: Southwest Airlines’ Gary Kelly says the outlook for fuel prices in the fourth quarter is getting worse. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Oct 18, 2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/10/18/n-southwest-gary-kelly.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: Summarize the state of business affairs at Southwest. How is Gary Kelly planning to deal with rising fuel costs over the next few… Read more »

Lagarde: Fiscal cliff a big risk

Posted by & filed under Economic Analysis, Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation, Management Issues.

Description:  IMF Director Christine Lagarde says global markets don’t want just a short-term fix to America’s fiscal cliff. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Oct 11, 2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/10/11/n-imf-christine-lagarde-america-fiscal-clif.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: What are Christine Lagarde’s concerns over the US “fiscal cliff”? Do you believe markets have factored in a real possibility of another crisis?… Read more »

El-Erian: Five global risks to grasp

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

Description:  Pimco CEO Mohamed El-Erian talks fiscal cliff, European crisis, China slowdown and more. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Oct 04, 2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/magazines/fortune/2012/10/04/f-el-erian-pimco-ceo-global-risks.fortune/ Questions for Discussions: Summarize the risks presented by El-Erian in this report. How great is each risk in terms of affecting economic activity in general and some specific industries, in… Read more »

Where’s the Shareholder Outrage at Hewlett-Packard?

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Description:  Here’s a vastly boiled-down refresher on corporate governance: A public company’s management is accountable to its board of directors, which in turn answers to shareholders, who are, after all, the “owners” of said public company. These holders keep executives and directors honest by casting votes based on tens of millions of shares dispersed across… Read more »

Bair: Why Citi should have been broken up

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Description:  Reflecting on the 2008 financial crisis, former FDIC chairperson Sheila Bair discusses her regrets over the bailout of the big banks. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Sep 27, 2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/09/27/n-sheila-bair-citi-bailout.fortune/ Questions for Discussions: Summarize the regrets expressed in hindsight by Sheila Blair. Why do you suppose Citi bondholders were “protected” by the… Read more »

Bank of America to Pay $2.43 Billion to Settle Suit Over Merrill Deal

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

Description:  Bank of America announced on Friday that it would pay $2.43 billion to settle a class action lawsuit related to its acquisition of Merrill Lynch, as the legal woes continue for the financial institution. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Sep 28, 2012 Link:  http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/09/28/bank-of-america-to-pay-2-43-billion-to-settle-class-action-over-merrill-deal/?ref=business Questions for Discussions: What lessons are there to be learned here for investors and… Read more »