Apple’s iPhone trade-in boost has just begun

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis, Growth & Valuation, Personal Finance.

Description: Apple Inc. may have just seen its worst sequential drop in iPhone revenue for any March quarter in the company’s history, but investors seem optimistic about where the smartphone giant is headed. Shares of Apple AAPL, +7.05%  were up 6.2% in Wednesday morning trading, putting the company on track to reclaim a $1 trillion valuation. The stock would… Read more »

Jeremy Siegel blames the Fed for the 20% stock market drop late last year

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

Description: Jeremy Siegel, the longtime stock market bull and influential Wharton School professor, called for more diversity of thought among the members of the Federal Reserve’s policymaking committee, saying the central bank’s groupthink causes it to make mistakes. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: May 01, 2019 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/01/jeremy-siegel-blames-fed-groupthink-for-20percent-market-drop-late-last-year.html Questions for discussion: What is the basis… Read more »

U.S. Factory Gauge Falls to Two-Year Low

Posted by & filed under Economic Analysis, Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation, Personal Finance.

Description: A gauge of U.S. factories fell in April to the weakest level since late 2016, signaling that manufacturing headwinds extended into the second quarter as companies continue to confront uncertainty about trade. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: May 01, 2019 Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-01/u-s-factory-gauge-falls-to-two-year-low-as-orders-output-cool?srnd=markets-vp Questions for discussion: What does the report suggest about the economy and future interest… Read more »

Yum Brands shares fall after Taco Bell and Pizza Hut same-store sales growth disappoints

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Description: Yum Brands reported first-quarter earnings Wednesday that beat Wall Street’s expectations, but weaker-than-expected same store-sales growth at Taco Bell and Pizza Hut disappointed investors. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: May 01, 2019 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/01/yum-brands-q1-2019-earnings.html Questions for discussion: Summarize and evaluate the financial results presented in this report. Do you think the stock looks attractive… Read more »

What’s ESG and Why Is It Suddenly So Popular?

Posted by & filed under Growth & Valuation, Management Issues, Personal Finance.

Description: Why the Once-Obscure Way to Invest Is Now Hot “Focus on stocks that have the greatest return” has long been the motto of most investors and, similarly, high returns have been the barometer for considering what made a corporation “successful.” Source: FinanceYahoo.com and Say.com Date: May 01, 2019 Link: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/whats-esg-why-suddenly-popular-191510286.html Questions for discussion: What… Read more »

S&P 500 and Nasdaq close at record highs after strong GDP report

Posted by & filed under Economic Analysis, Growth & Valuation, Market Analysis, Personal Finance.

Description: Stocks traded slightly higher on Friday as investors weighed better-than-expected economic data against a mixed batch of quarterly earnings. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Apr 26, 2019 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/26/stock-market-gdp-data-and-corporate-earnings-in-focus-on-wall-street.html Questions for discussion: What explains stock performances, according to the article? What would you expect investors to do going forward at this time?

US crude plunges 2.9%, settling at $63.30, after Trump says he told OPEC to tame fuel costs

Posted by & filed under Economic Analysis, Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation, Industry Analysis, Personal Finance.

Description: Oil prices tumbled as much as 4% on Friday, extending early losses after President Donald Trump said he told OPEC to take action to temper fuel costs. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Apr 26, 2019 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/26/oil-market-opec-output-rises-us-sanctions-on-iranian-oil-in-focus.html Questions for discussion: Why did oil prices pull back, according to the report? Explain oil prices and their effect… Read more »

Uber IPO: 5 things you need to know about potentially the biggest IPO in years

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis, Growth & Valuation, Industry Analysis, Personal Finance.

Description: Ride-hailing startup will report some nontraditional metrics as it seeks to provide information on much more than ride hailing Source: MarketWatch.com – video report Date: Apr 26, 2019 Link: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/uber-ipo-5-things-you-need-to-know-about-potentially-the-biggest-ipo-in-years-2019-04-12?mod=mw_theo_homepage Questions for discussion: Summarize the assessments made about Uber’s IPO. Do you agree?

`FOMO Undertow’ and a Century of Death-Defying S&P 500 Rebounds

Posted by & filed under Growth & Valuation, Market Analysis, Personal Finance.

Description: (Bloomberg) — Memo to traders back from the most bruising bout of the bull market. If the past is any precedent, the rewards of sticking around can be high. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Apr 16, 2019 Link: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bullish-history-near-death-experiences-110500656.html Questions for discussion: What does the analysis suggest may happen? Do you agree with this assessment?

Women Did Everything Right. Then Work Got ‘Greedy.’

Posted by & filed under Growth & Valuation, Management Issues, Personal Finance.

Description: How America’s obsession with long hours has widened the gender gap. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Apr 26, 2019 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/26/upshot/women-long-hours-greedy-professions.html Questions for discussion: What are the managerial issues raised in this article? How should companies respond to these challenges, in your opinion?