Archive for August, 2005

  • Petrokaz Bid May Face Kazakh Opposition
    , August 26th, 2005 at 10:36 am

    CNPC’s buyout of PetroKaz might not go so smoothly. The Kazakh government is not too pleased.

  • Walking on Sunshine
    , August 26th, 2005 at 8:03 am

    New York Sun Tropical Storm Katrina Brings Her Waves Closer to Florida Investors Business Daily Katrina and the Waves Set Oil on Course for $70 [...]

  • Dell on the Defensive
    , August 25th, 2005 at 12:50 pm

    Everyone seems to be attacking Dell lately. Business Week, in particular, has taken a strong anti-Dell stance. They have a story now on how HP [...]

  • Boom and Bust at Sea
    , August 25th, 2005 at 10:54 am

    The Economist looks at the shipping industry, at the outlooks is not good: The uninspiring track record of some shipowners is but a squall compared [...]

  • Financial Times: Google’s Wake-Up Call
    , August 25th, 2005 at 10:26 am

    An editorial in today’s Financial Times: What should you do when Google parks its tanks on your lawn? The temptation is to panic. Having rapidly [...]

  • Happy Birthday, Julio Franco
    , August 24th, 2005 at 8:51 pm

    Atlanta’s first baseman, Julio Franco, turns 47 today. Dear lord. I can’t even imagine what that’s like. Franco was drafted by Philadelphia in June 1978. [...]

  • Today’s Market
    , August 24th, 2005 at 1:57 pm

    This is a frustrating market. Every time stocks start to rally, they quickly run out of steam. Earlier, I mentioned how the market was stuck [...]

  • Betting on Oil
    , August 24th, 2005 at 10:19 am

    This is good. John Tierney is betting Matthew Simmons on the price of oil. Simmons thinks oil is headed to $200 a barrel by 2010. [...]

  • How Much Would You Pay?
    , August 24th, 2005 at 9:48 am

    How much would you pay for a company that made $100 last quarter? I’ll give you some more details. The company had sales of $527, [...]

  • Fall of the Homebuilders
    , August 24th, 2005 at 9:27 am

    After a tremendous rally, the homebuilders have been selling off recently. The industry group peaked on July 28. Then on August 5, Carl Reichardt of [...]

  • Dividend Aristocrats
    , August 23rd, 2005 at 5:44 pm

    Standard & Poor’s keeps and index of “Dividend Aristocrats.” These are stocks that have raised their dividend for 25 straight years. Here’s the current list: [...]

  • Google to Start IM Service
    , August 23rd, 2005 at 5:36 pm

    Expect Google Talk to be out tomorrow. A new toolbar is coming as well.

  • China National Petroleum to Acquire PetroKazakhstan
    , August 22nd, 2005 at 2:30 pm

    The Chinese aren’t slowing down. Now, China National Petroleum is buying PetroKazakhstan. This is a Canadian company that does business in Kazakhstan a country that [...]

  • More on the VIX
    , August 22nd, 2005 at 2:07 pm

    Mark Hulbert had a good article on the VIX in the New York Times. I’m glad to see we agree that the VIX is not [...]

  • The Soap Opera at MassMutual
    , August 22nd, 2005 at 1:58 pm

    The Wall Street Journal has the details on the great plot at MassMutual. Misuse of the company airplane, charges of padding a retirement account, and [...]

  • Brokers in Sheep’s Clothing
    , August 21st, 2005 at 3:13 pm

    I’ve always noticed that a stockbroker is never just a stockbroker. They’re “financial advisors,” or “account executives” or “investment consultants,” anything but a measly old [...]

  • The Fall of the Big Drug Stocks
    , August 20th, 2005 at 9:10 pm

    One of the most surprising developments in recent years has been the market-lagging behavior of the major drug stocks. The pharmaceutical industry is dominated by [...]

  • Investors Want Dividends
    , August 20th, 2005 at 5:00 pm

    With all this cash building up, investors are demanding higher dividends. Personally, I’d like to see higher dividend payments. The reason is very simple: Give [...]

  • Not All Index Funds are Equal
    , August 18th, 2005 at 3:05 pm

    Here’s a good point to remember: Not all index funds are alike.

  • Fair Isaac
    , August 18th, 2005 at 2:57 pm

    One of my favorite stocks is Fair Isaac (FIC). Although most people have never heard of this company, they live in dreaded fear of them. [...]