Is Facebook worth anywhere near $10 billion? Nope! Not even half. They could go public tonight and possibly raise that much, but that valuation would only be temporary. Never mind that, a Russian company was the latest to get rooked by the social media hype machine… From Bloomberg: Facebook Inc., the world’s largest social-networking service, said it…
Joshua M Brown
How Good is McDonalds? They're Selling Burgers in India.
McDonalds (MCD) is probably the best-run public restaurant chain in history. They’ve always done well in terms of employee training, keeping costs low, marketing etc., but recently their big victories have been in overseas expansion. McDonalds recently announced a big India expansion, which is mind-blowing when you consider the fact that India is a vegetarian country. …
Update: Ackman/ Target
William Ackman, the man behind Pershing Square‘s activist battle with Target (TGT), appeared on CNBC this morning and did a reasonably good job at explaining his reasons for his challenge to the company. He did make some compelling arguments regarding the lackluster backgrounds of some of the existing board members and management’s own non-history of…
The Shareholder Bill of Rights: Better Late than Never
I’ll start off here with a caveat…I know that Chuck Schumer is pushing this bill because of the populist impression it gives, keeping in mind that some of his biggest fundraisers over the years have been pro-corporate entrenchment and traditional Wall Street interests. I also know that this is the type of after-the-fall legislation that…
Why Ackman Can't Back Down from Target Fight
Barron’s writer Andrew Bary gave voice to a question that is probably on many analysts’ and investors’ minds…what exactly is Bill Ackman‘s beef with Target (TGT)? The company has done just about everything right. Pershing Square‘s Ackman is basically barking up the wrong tree and I think I know why. He’s painted himself into a…
Hot Links: Ratings Agencies, Europeans and the Power of "No"
Hot Links for Weekend Reading… OMG you guys, I love it when you hear that famous people are friends, I like to come up with my own combinations and pretend they hang out…like Kevin James and Phillip Seymour Hoffman…ok, sorry…so Bill Gates and Warren Buffett and Oprah and Ted Turner and Mike Bloomberg and all…
Market Recap: Sunshine Day for Sears
[youtube= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6wTY37EvQI] The Reformed Broker, AKA Sam the Butcher, here with today’s Market Recap… Holders of Sears Holdings (SHLD) can celebrate like the Brady’s today in the above video: “Put on your Sunday best kids, we’re going to Sears!” – Mike Brady The retailer without a purpose came out this morning with an unexpected profit, albeit one…
Rise of the Silver Surfer
I have a new sector, a new weapon in my arsenal, an area of the market that I’ve ignored for over 10 years due to the lack of quality pure-plays. I’ve been trading and investing in various gold ideas forever, but a lot has changed with the white metal, and now I’m happy to report…
Market Recap: Today was a Brick
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KakinPNRiDc] The Reformed Broker, AKA Brian Fantana, here with today’s Market Recap… The Dow lost around 130 points, but surprisingly, Bank of America (BAC), Citi (C) and the other big banks were flattish all day. Here’s where the carnage was: Laggards in Price Performance (Intraday) Office Supplies -6.40% Internet Service Providers -6.30% Resorts & Casinos…
Hooray for the Credit Card and Loaded Weapon Bill!
Pop quiz: What’s the quickest way to ensure that credit availability to consumers will dry up immediately? That’s an easy one…make it less profitable for credit card issuers to lend! Combined with the additional risk of lending in a recession, that’ll do the trick. And that’s exactly what Obama‘s anti-business gang did next: From the…
