I’ve heard more than five market commentators, talking heads, politicians and reporters misuse the phrase “Now is the winter of our discontent,” over the last few weeks and I thought I’d take a quick moment to lend a hand to my less literate contemporaries. The only thing I hate more than someone randomly or pretensiously quoting Shakespeare…
Who's Ready to Start Picking Stocks Again?
Over the long holiday weekend, I was asked the same question in different settings by friends, neighbors and family members again and again. “Is the market going to go up or back down from here?” Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice change of pace from the big question from January and February, “Why would…
Market Recap: Paper Planes
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asNbeOBZaTs] The Reformed Broker, AKA Ted Stryker, here with today’s Market Recap… You know it was a snoozer of a day when the most interesting thing can point out was the beating the airline sector took. The latest data on air traffic showed a decline of 3.1 % in April, after an 11.1% decline in…
Dr. Doom on Hyperinflation
Many economists are scoffing at the potential for hyperinflation here in the United States as housing price declines, unemployment and auto sector weakness dominate the headlines. I don’t know if scoffing is the best idea right about now. I have frequently been discussing the possibility of hyperinflation both with clients and here on TRB. Earlier this month, I…
Mark Reiboldt on the Next Wave of Innovation
I’m new to the fold in terms of reading Mark Reiboldt‘s work on his site Mark to Market, but if this post is any indication of his regular insight and writing style, I’ll be back. Reiboldt put up a piece on why life sciences and health tech will be the next big wave of innovation and value…
Market Recap: In The Ayer
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fEI2ZHUs6o] The Reformed Broker, AKA Armand Hammer, here with today’s Market Recap… So North Korea tests a nuclear bomb and long range missile and the Case Shiller housing numbers, while backward-looking, are still apocalyptic. How does the market react? EXPLOSION! The Dow was up around 150 to 200 points all day, without any real…
Facebook Suckers in More "Investment" Cash
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…
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…
