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 »

A Lost Decade for Savers

Posted by & filed under Economic Analysis, Financial Planning.

Description:  The 1990s were a lost decade for Japan. The 2000s delivered a lost decade to U.S. investors. Now, five years into the onset of the financial crisis, with stock and bond markets booming, housing resurgent, and even Detroit redeemed, it’s savers who find themselves in a lost decade. Source: Businessweek.com Date: Sep 26, 2012… Read more »

RIM Defies Critics by Finding BlackBerry Sales Overseas

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Description:  Research In Motion Ltd. (RIMM)’s sales of the BlackBerry smartphone trounced estimates last quarter as it gained ground in emerging markets, signaling that the company may still have a future in the age of the iPhone. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Sep 28, 2012 Link:  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-28/rim-defies-critics-by-finding-blackberry-sales-overseas.html Questions for Discussions: Summarize the financial situation at RIM. Why… Read more »

Sprint gets iPhone 5 bump

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Description:  Shares of Sprint are up on iPhone 5 mania. But is the struggling wireless carrier a better bet than Apple, AT&T and Verizon? Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Sep 20, 2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2012/09/20/investing-sprint-iphone-5.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: What explains Sprint’s rise in price? What are the negative aspects related to investing in this firm?… Read more »

Analyst: We See Apple Hitting $800 a Share

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Description: Alliance Bernstein senior analyst Toni Sacconaghi joins digits to explain the firm’s aggressive outlook for Apple and any tech sector forces that could curb the form’s outlook as well. Photo: Getty Images. Source: Moneywatch.com – video report Date: Sep 21, 2012 Link: http://on.wsj.com/RFKDLo Questions for Discussions: What is driving the share price of Apple?… Read more »

Stung by Losses, Main Street Investors Fail to Notice Market’s Rebound

Posted by & filed under Financial Planning, Market Analysis.

Description:  Although the memory of Lehman Brothers’ 2008 collapse may be fading on Wall Street, the shock still lingers on Main Street—and may again be hurting ordinary investors. A new survey of individual investors is a reminder of just how much we are primal creatures that remember the pain of loss more than the joy… Read more »

Do shaken transport stocks signal a sell?

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

Description:  Commentary: Rough week for FedEx, railroads rattles Dow Theorists Source: Marketwatch.com Date: Sep 21, 2012 Link:  http://www.marketwatch.com/story/do-shaken-transport-stocks-signal-a-sell-2012-09-21 Questions for Discussions: Summarize the theory that concerns some investors at this time. Do you think there is reason to be concerned? What else might explain a decline in the transportation sector that is disconnected to the… Read more »

The economy 4 years after Lehman

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

Description: CNNMoney takes a look at Wall Street jobs and where the country’s money is concentrated four years after Lehman Brothers went bankrupt. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Sep 14, 2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2012/09/14/n-economy-four-years-after-lehman-collapse.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: Summarize the changes that have taken place during the past four years. What change can be considered “for… Read more »

Why It May Be Too Late for QE3

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

Description: Paul Vigna and Spencer Jakab discuss why another round of bond buying may be wishful thinking, and Miriam Gottfried looks at what a hologram of Tupac means for investors. Photo: Reuters. Source: Moneywatch.com – video report Date: Sep 13, 2012 Link: http://on.wsj.com/ROw9CJ Questions for Discussions: Summarize the analysis presented in this report. Do you… Read more »

Ex-UBS Trader Is Accused of Gambling in a Big Loss

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Description:  Fictitious trading and brazen gambling by a single individual could have brought down the Swiss financial giant UBS, a British prosecutor said on Friday at the trial of a former bank employee accused of causing a multibillion-dollar trading loss. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Sep 14, 2012 Link:  http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/09/14/as-his-fraud-trial-opens-ex-ubs-trader-is-accused-of-brazen-gambling/?ref=business Questions for Discussions: Summarize the highlights of… Read more »