Online Surge Means Many Not-So-Happy Returns for Retailers

Posted by & filed under Financial Planning, Growth & Valuation, Management Issues.

Description: A surge in online sales this holiday season is boosting expenses for some retailers as more shoppers return merchandise purchased with the click of a mouse. Source:  Bloomberg.com Date:  Dec 28, 2015 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-29/online-surge-leads-to-many-not-so-happy-returns-for-retailers Questions for discussion: Summarize the financial issues related to online sales. How can merchants mitigate the financial costs?

What’s Zuckerberg Worth Without 99% of His Fortune?

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Description: Mark Zuckerberg’s plan to donate 99 percent of his Facebook stock is setting new philanthropy standards. He’s starting young, and he’s structuring his Chan Zuckerberg Initiative as a limited liability corporation — meaning it can do more than just give to charity. Bloomberg’s Caleb Melby breaks down the estimated $45 billion gift. (Source: Bloomberg)… Read more »

Black Friday: Deep Dive Into Consumer Retail Trends

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Description: Matthew Shay, president and chief executive officer at National Retail Federation, and Bloomberg Gadfly columnist Shelly Banjo discuss consumer trends of this holiday shopping season and the negative impact of weather on recent retail sales. They speak on “Bloomberg ‹GO›.” (Banjo is a Bloomberg Gadfly columnist. The opinions expressed are her own.) (Source: Bloomberg)… Read more »

How snacking is helping this company thrive in today’s global economy

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

Description: Irene Rosenfeld, CEO of Mondelez International, sits down with Fortune’s Susie Gharib and discusses how the global trend to snack is helping the food conglomerate. Source: Fortune.com – video report Date: Oct 29, 2015 Link: http://for.tn/1NaLPBU Questions for discussion: How has management at Mondelez responded to global challenges, in terms of “controls”? Why would… Read more »

Prince: corporate debt is way too high

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

Description: Corporate America has been tapping into the cheap stream and with normalized interest rates on the horizon, David Prince, Founder & President, Harbinger Capital Markets Research says debt levels have gotten altogether too high. Source: BNN.com – video report Date: Sep 11, 2015 Link: http://www.bnn.ca/Video/player.aspx?vid=702589 Questions for Discussions: Summarize the analysis presented by David… Read more »

U.S. frackers feel the pinch of low oil prices

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Description: U.S. frackers are fighting for survival in a volatile energy landscape. They’ve been one of the driving forces of the U.S. economy but as oil falls, so do their profits. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Sep 02, 2015 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/economy/2015/09/02/us-frackers-oil-prices.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: What are the reasons for oil price volatility? How should… Read more »

Wilbur Ross: Chinese government panicked over markets

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Description: U.S. investor Wilbur Ross discusses what’s behind China’s economic crisis and estimates its growth in the 4-5% range. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: August 26, 2015 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2015/08/26/wilbur-ross-china-economy-markets.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: What does Wilbur Ross say about why the markets dropped? What are the risks in the current investment environment? What should investors… Read more »

Global Rout Wreaks Havoc on U.S. Stocks

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Description: Bloomberg’s Mike Regan, Lisa Abramowicz, Julie Hyman and Alix Steel discuss today’s selloff in U.S. stocks on “Bloomberg Markets.” (Source: Bloomberg) Source: Bloomberg.com – video report Date: August 21, 2015 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-08-21/global-rout-wreaks-havoc-on-u-s-stocks Questions for Discussions: What does the report say about why the markets are dropping? How should investors be advised to respond to… Read more »

These U.S. CEOs Make a Lot More Money Than Their Workers

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Description: Below are 11 companies, including McDonald’s, that will probably report wide gaps between CEO and worker pay under new regulatory requirements Source: Bloomberg.com – video report Date: August 13, 2015 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-13/these-ceos-make-the-most-money-compared-with-their-workers Questions for Discussions: What does this report say about the range of pay at these organizations? Is there a problem and if so… Read more »