How to save RIM. Really

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

Description: Despite the many grim signs suggesting otherwise, it can be done. Here’s how.

Source: Fortune.com

Date: July 20, 2012

Link: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/07/20/how-to-save-rim-really/?iid=SF_F_River

Questions for Discussions:

  • Summarize the recommended strategy.
  • Do you agree with this thinking?
  • How will it impact financials at the company during the transition?
  • How would you expect investors to respond to a deal worked out with Microsoft or some other firm?

Spain financial woes worsen as bank bailout approved

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

Description: Spain’s financial woes deepened ominously Friday after a heavily indebted region asked Madrid for help and the government predicted more recession next year, prompting investors to dump stocks and government bonds.

Source: GlobeandMail.com

Date: July 20, 2012

Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/european-business/spain-financial-woes-worsen-as-bank-bailout-approved/article4429366/

Questions for Discussions:

  • Explain the cause of the Spanish stock market drop?
  • How are interest rates related to this story?
  • Where do you think Spain and its banks are headed?

Ireland Bulldozes Ghost Estate In Life After Real Estate Bubble

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

Description:  Ireland is opting for bulldozers rather than bankers as it starts to clear the legacy of the housing boom whose collapse brought the economy to its knees.

Source: Bloomberg.com

Date: July 19, 2012

Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-19/ireland-bulldozes-ghost-estate-in-life-after-real-estate-bubble.html

Questions for Discussions:

  • How did over-supply undermine the real estate market?
  • Who is to blame for this fiasco?
  • How can this be prevented in the future?
  • How did the collapse affect banks, governments, economic growth, and currency?

JPMorgan cleans up ‘London whale’ mess

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

Description: Despite a $5.8 billion year-to-date trading loss, JPMorgan still earned $5 billion in the second quarter.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: July 13, 2012

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/07/13/n-felicia-jp-morgan.cnnmoney/

Questions for Discussions:

  • Summarize the highlights of management’s effort to fix the damage done.
  • Do you believe it is convincing and will be successful?
  • How can this sort of scandal undermine the equity of the company and the industry as a whole?
  • Is there a role for greater government regulation here?

Can the Bullet Train Save California?

Posted by & filed under Economic Analysis, Financial Planning, Governments & Regulators.

Description:   MarketWatch’s David Weidner checks in on Mean Street to discuss California’s economic conditions and whether it’s right that a state struggling to stay solvent is aiming to float a $10 billion bond for a high-speed rail line. Photo: European Pressphoto Agency.

Source: Marketwatch.com – video report

Date: July 13, 2012

Link: http://live.wsj.com/video/can-the-bullet-train-save-california/8C2522BB-3A9D-4C75-87BE-7C100EE04B01.html

Questions for Discussions:

  • What are the positive and negative financial and economic implications for this project?
  • Explain the reaction by the bond market?
  • How wourld you advise government planners and investors to proceed?
  • Do you think this project is good for California?

How Jamie Dimon hid the $6 billion loss

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

Description: A mixture of accounting moves and rosy assumptions appear to have masked JPMorgan’s London Whale.

Source: Fortune.com

Date: July 13, 2012

Link: http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2012/07/13/jpmorgan-hid-london-whale/?iid=SF_F_River

Questions for Discussions:

  • How was the $6 billion loss kept hidden?
  • Do you believe management and the firm have been adequately dealt with by the marketplace, investors, and  regulators?

Mobile TV app could upend the cable-broadcast business

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

Description: Barry Diller, the consummate Hollywood deal maker who revamped the TV business in the 1980s, is back in the media spotlight after a federal judge threw out an injunction against Aereo, the online TV service he backs.

Source: GlobeandMail.com

Date: July 13, 2012

Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/business-technology/mobile-tv-app-could-upend-the-cable-broadcast-business/article4414783/

Questions for Discussions:

  • What are the issues facing the industry and consumers as technology continues to disrupt existing business models?
  • How should the industry respond to this threat?
  • How does this affect financial planning?

Is J.P. Morgan too big to manage?

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

Description:  In a two-hour session with analysts Friday morning, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.’s top executives fielded numerous questions about the massive trading loss suffered by its chief investment office, but one of them was particularly challenging.

Source: Marketwatch.com

Date: July 13, 2012

Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/is-jp-morgan-too-big-to-manage-2012-07-13?dist=tcountdown

Questions for Discussions:

  • Has J.P. Morgan reached ““a tipping point” in terms of its size and complexity that makes it too difficult to manage, in your opinion?
  • How should management and investors regard this concern?

 

Apple: Still the best bet in tech

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

Description: As Apple tops $600 a share for the first time since April, it serves as a reminder: In tech, they are king. Don’t bet against the king.

Source: CNNMoney.com – video report

Date: July 06, 2012

Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/markets/2012/07/06/investing-bz-apple.cnnmoney/

Questions for Discussions:

  • What are the arguments supporting a continued run up of Apple share values?
  • Do you agree with this analysis?
  • How would you treat Apple from an investing point of view at this time?

Should Commodities Investors Take Cover?

Posted by & filed under Economic Analysis, Financial Planning, Growth & Valuation, Industry Analysis, Market Analysis.

Description:   If the U.S economy begins moving into a downward spiral, as many believe it might, should commodities investors take cover? WSJ’s Simon Constable visits Mean Street to break down the numbers.

Source: Marketwatch.com – video report

Date: July 06, 2012

Link: http://live.wsj.com/video/should-commodities-investors-take-cover/0643512D-78CC-4962-8D54-C977BD6BFD12.html

Questions for Discussions:

  • Summarize the arguments presented about the movement in commodities.
  • What do you think is likely to happen over the next 12 months?