September 2009
September 30, 2009 –
I’m sure when Nike coined the “Michael Vick experience” marketing slogan years ago they weren’t thinking it involved pseudonyms, dog-fighting, and prison time. Undeterred, Nike is restarting its business relationship with Vick for an undisclosed dollar amount, which I can only assume will be less than before the Feds raided his Surry County, VA home. [more]
September 30, 2009 –
As a former public accountant myself, I tend to have some empathy for the plight of auditors. [more]
September 28, 2009 –
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RELATED TICKERS: WFC
, C
, JPM
The honeymoon period is over; the champagne glasses are empty. It's been almost a year since Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) scooped up Wachovia and took the rug out from beneath Citigroup’s (NYSE:C) feet. That being said, it seems appropriate to ask: Was their method worth the madness? [more]
September 28, 2009 –
In the "first in an occasional series of articles about the record of the Federal Reserve," the Washington Post investigated the Fed's regulation (or lack thereof) of the big banks' subprime banking affiliates. Chalk this first article as a loss for the Fed: [more]
September 28, 2009 –
From 2007 to 2009, think about how many bad investment decisions were made. Ever wonder who the worst, literally, the worst investor, was? Let's find out. [more]
September 25, 2009 –
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RELATED TICKERS: BAC
As if Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) didn't have it bad enough... [more]
September 25, 2009 –
A few months ago, former IMF chief economist Simon Johnson wrote a great article in the Atlantic comparing the banking-beholden U.S. with the banana republics you find in emerging markets. Last week, he gave a talk at the Fool...we'll write about that next week. As prep for that, here's the article fellow EditorsDesk blogger Eric Bleeker calls "one of the best articles I've read this year.": [more]
September 24, 2009 –
The excellent blog Calculated Risk gave a summary of former Fed Chief Paul "stagflation and disco end now" Volcker previewed testimony to the House Financial Services Committee(should have begun earlier this morning). My favorite excerpt of the excerpt: [more]
September 23, 2009 –
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RELATED TICKERS: KO
, IBM
, MSFT
Pop Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Brands? [more]
September 22, 2009 –
Due to all the troubled banks it's helped (94 bank seizures so far in 2009), the FDIC is running low on funds. It has three choices: [more]
September 20, 2009 –
The amount of bankruptcies occuring as a result of this great recession should not be taking anyone by surprise. So far in 2009 there have been over 699,000 filed bankruptcies; similar to the level of activity in 2005 before laws were passed that made filing more difficult. In addition, 5 out of the 10 largest U.S. bankruptcies have occurred in 2008/2009. But that’s not what has me worried. [more]
September 19, 2009 –
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RELATED TICKERS: USA
, GE
, BAC
Hey Fools, [more]
September 18, 2009 –
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RELATED TICKERS: COST
, WFM
, WMT
Like his doppelganger Wilford Brimley, Costco co-founder and CEO Jim Sinegal (compare this and this) wants to sell you oatmeal...as well as coffins, bulk toilet paper, and anything else he can save you money on. [more]
September 18, 2009 –
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RELATED TICKERS: BRK-A
, BRK-B
Are we in a Chinese suit bubble? Is Warren Buffett America's Next Top Model? [more]
September 17, 2009 –
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RELATED TICKERS: AIG
, CIT
[more]
September 17, 2009 –
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RELATED TICKERS: MSFT
If you extrapolate a potential round of funding, that's the figure you get...this is similar to when Microsoft bought into Facebook back in 2007...that round of funding valued Facebook at $15 billion. Of course, there was a strategic element to Microsoft's buy-in...it's unclear if that's the case with Twitter's rumored deal. [more]
September 15, 2009 –
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RELATED TICKERS: COST
, MSFT
, WMT
Costco (Nasdaq: COST) CEO, president, and co-founder Jim Sinegal is stopping by Fool HQ tomorrow (Wednesday, 9/16). Here are five fun facts about Sinegal, who, as chief executive, has led Costco to market-annihilating returns since going public: [more]
September 15, 2009 –
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RELATED TICKERS: C
Story 1: Obama takes down Wall Street and Kanye [more]
September 14, 2009 –
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RELATED TICKERS: IT
, ACN
We all know that we’re not supposed to watch videos of Tim Tebow petting cats (TMFRoyal) or scour websites for computer controlled missile-launchers (TMFRhino) while at work, but still, most of us have been caught with our hands in the cookie jar. And so the environment of corporate America has become a web of intricate security and oversight strategies -- everything from blocking specific websites to tracking employee emails. Bur let’s call that old news. [more]
September 14, 2009 –
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RELATED TICKERS: DSX
, EGLE
, SNE
With only 101 shopping days left until December 25th, I just got a very unpleasant visit from the ghosts of Christmas future. Why ghosts plural? Because in this case there is a whole fleet of them. [more]
September 10, 2009 –
Over the last couple of years, the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders have made a number of trades with each other, the two most famous being these: [more]
September 10, 2009 –
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RELATED TICKERS: GOOG
, YHOO
, MSFT
In one of my previous blogs I had suggested, to the dismay of TMF readers and co-workers alike, that Google (Nasdaq:GOOG) would probably be the target of some sort of anti-trust round up in the next year or so. I didn't necessarily think it would be warranted, but from all the signals the administration has been sending out with regard to anti-competitive practices and predatory behavior, I just thought Google would be a primary target. [more]
September 10, 2009 –
Inspired by cereal day serendipity here at the Fool (I mixed Corn Pops and Frosted Flakes to great effect), here's my off-the-top-of-my-head list of the market's great dynamic duos: [more]
September 09, 2009 –
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RELATED TICKERS: AAPL
, SNE
, PALM.DL
[more]
September 09, 2009 –
I love CNN's bailout tracker...it succintly summarizes all of the government's efforts in one table. [more]
September 08, 2009 –
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RELATED TICKERS: MCD
Remember the McDonald's rip-off, "McDowell's" in Coming to America? Real life has imitated art. [more]
September 04, 2009 –
In what has become a new Bloodsport of sorts, unemployment figures have a way of captivating people and becoming the closest thing to a “water cooler” event that economic numbers offer. [more]
September 03, 2009 –
Here’s a Foolish mini case study (eat your heart out Harvard Business Review) at the intersection of value investing and fantasy football:
The setting is a fantasy football draft. The year was 1999. Being new to the fantasy football scene, our hero (me) drafted a kicker in the second round of the draft. Pretty shocking. [more]
September 02, 2009 –
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RELATED TICKERS: GOOG
, YHOO
, AAPL
Google (Nasdaq:GOOG) is quickly becoming the Fidel Castro of the internet age -- as it has narrowly escaped the sly eye of the Department of Justice just as the former Cuban ruler has consistently evaded the CIA for years. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, the new anti-trust official Christine Varney has made it blatantly clear that she’s going to be tough on predatory practices and any behavior that is going to limit industry competition. Many insiders say she already has her eye on Google, and for good reason. [more]
September 02, 2009 –
You've probably seen those Cash4Gold commercials, telling you to trade in your unwanted gold for a check. Earlier this year, rumors were beginning to fly about Cash4Gold ripping off consumers with poor business practices. Now they want to sue. You can read the fascinating details of the legal fight that started after an ex-employee began sharing details about Cash4Gold's business here. [more]
September 02, 2009 –
If you already thought The Donald would be hellish to work for, the Daily Beast has a great story to tell, if true: [more]
September 01, 2009 –
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RELATED TICKERS: SNE
, AMZN
, GOOG
Recently, Sony (NYSE:SNE) unveiled their answer to Amazon’s (Nasdaq:AMZN) increasingly popular Kindle e-reader -- called the “Daily Edition”. In addition to wireless internet connectivity, Sony’s $399 product offers a 7 inch touch screen, access to millions of books scanned by Google (Nasdaq:GOOG), and the ability to borrow books from public libraries. The sale of electronic readers is set to grow by over 300% by 2013. [more]
September 01, 2009 –
Remember those old IBM "You Make the Call" NFL commercials? You were presented a referee in the process of making a tricky call, you made your own call, and then the footage would show what the referee actually did. [more]
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