Your credit card costs small biz thousands

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Financial analysis, Governments & Regulators, Industry Analysis.

Description: Retail merchants get charged a fee when you use plastic and recent reforms don’t seem to be reducing the burden on small businesses. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: July 20, 2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/smallbusiness/2012/07/19/sbiz-credit-card-costs.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: Describe how cash, credit and debit card processing affect the financial operations of retailers. Do you think… Read more »

China flexes muscles with Cnooc, Nexen deal

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

Description: $15.1 billion deal one of many to greatly impact global oil, natgas. When Cnooc Ltd. scored a deal to acquire Canada’s Nexen Inc., it was one big leap for China’s largest offshore oil and natural gas producer, and one small step toward building a global empire to feed the Asian nation’s voracious appetite for… Read more »

Facebook Falls After Report Fails to Quell Concerns Over Growth

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

Description:  Facebook Inc. (FB) plunged to a record low after its first earnings report as a public company showed a slower sales gain and narrower profit margins, failing to allay concerns over growth that have dragged down the shares. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: July 27, 2012 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-27/facebook-falls-after-report-fails-to-quell-concerns-over-growth.html Questions for Discussions: Why has the stock fallen… Read more »

Walgreen finally gets good news

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

Description: Walgreen reached an agreement with pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts, giving its shares a much needed boost. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: July 19, 2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/markets/2012/07/19/investing-bz-Walgreen.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: Summarize and explain the recent financial performance of Walgreen. How much of the problem facing the company can be attributed to management, in… Read more »

Slowing sales put out Chipotle’s fuego

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

Description:   Chipotle is still growing rapidly, but investors were disappointed that revenues missed lofty forecasts. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report com Date: July 20, 2012 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/markets/2012/07/20/investing-bz-Chipotle.cnnmoney/ Questions for Discussions: Summarize the financials for the company. Why has the stock fallen so much? Would you be a buyer or seller at this time?

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… Read more »

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… Read more »

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… Read more »

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?

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”… Read more »