Archive for October, 2011
Win a Trip to Wall Street and Tour the NYSE Trading Floor!
When I got out of college, I worked for a brokerage firm located at 120 Wall Street. One of my first assignments, as part of the training program, was to work as a runner on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. So, on my very first day, I showed up in my best [...]
Amazon Sacrifices Today, Bets on Tomorrow
After market close on Tuesday, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) reported disappointing earnings. Amazon reported earnings of $0.14 per share, when analysts had been anticipating $0.24. The stock then tumbled in after-hours trading, falling nearly 20%. Amazon’s earnings may have disappointed due to the company’s recent initiative to increase its focus on research and development. The company [...]
Can Europe Solve Its Crisis?
Over the weekend, Europe’s leaders met at a summit in yet another effort to create a solution to the ongoing crisis in the eurozone. At this point, the eurozone has been raging for months. Over the summer, the situation intensified, and then became even worse when Belgian bank Dexia was nationalized. Some new revelations have [...]
Find the ETFs You’re Looking For With the New Zecco ETF Navigator
I love Europe. Every time I travel there for work or pleasure I have a great time. But, as I write this at the start of the fourth quarter, Europe has not been kind to my investment portfolio. In fact, it hasn’t been for most of this year. I’m sure that I’m not alone. Like [...]
Slovakia Underscores the Euro’s Problems
Slovakia is a small, landlocked country in central Europe. It has a population of just over five million people. It also has the ability to bring the global financial system crashing down. On Tuesday, Slovakia’s parliament declined to pass a vote that would have ensured the expansion of the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF). Slovakia’s [...]
Examining the Volcker Rule
On Tuesday the proposed “Volcker Rule” was published. The rule, named after the former Federal Reserve Chairman, would prevent banks from trading their own accounts. There will be exceptions made for short-term hedging or market making. The intention of the rule is to prevent banks from engaging in excessive risk taking. Still, at the same [...]
US Senate to Force Trade War with China?
On Monday, the U.S. senate voted to begin the debate on a bill that would place trade restrictions on countries deemed to be undervaluing their currencies. The Chinese would be the key target of the bill, as China has been widely characterized as a currency manipulator by many economic commentators. On Tuesday, the Chinese government [...]
Is Dexia Europe’s Lehman Bros?
In recent weeks, European banks have increasingly come under fire. As the crisis in the eurozone’s periphery has intensified, the possible exposure to troubled debt has sent shares of many European financials tumbling. Shares of major European banks like Societe Generale (OTC: SCGLY) and Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB) came under heavy selling pressure over the [...]
Is Sprint Making a Mistake With the iPhone Bet?
On Tuesday, as widely anticipated, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) announced the next iteration of its iPhone device—the iPhone 4S. Consumers as well as investors may have been slightly disappointed, as Apple’s stock sold off in the following minutes, before bouncing back later in the trading session. As Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) noted, the failure of Apple [...]
Hero.
Is there a better role model for the CEO of a corporation than Steve Jobs? When you lead a company you aim to create a product or service of value to your customers, provide your employees a great place to work, and make money for your shareholders. You also don’t want to be evil. Nobody [...]
