Archive for March, 2006

  • Sorry, Folks
    , March 31st, 2006 at 12:57 pm

    It’s just too nice outside to blog about stocks. I promise I’ll have more later. This is the last day of the first quarter. The [...]

  • Harley in China
    , March 30th, 2006 at 12:13 pm

    Harley-Davidson (HDI) is set to open its first dealership in Beijing. They really could have used a couple of Harley’s on the Long March. The [...]

  • Today’s GDP Report
    , March 30th, 2006 at 11:01 am

    The government revised GDP growth for the fourth quarter today to 1.7% from the original 1.6%. I think this was a minor slowdown for the [...]

  • James Surowiecki on the Newspaper Biz
    , March 30th, 2006 at 10:52 am

    From the current New Yorker: But McClatchy’s gamble depends on a simple, if often overlooked, fact: newspapers remain a surprisingly robust business and generate tremendous [...]

  • Heigh-Ho Silver
    , March 29th, 2006 at 12:32 pm

    The poor man’s gold is over $11 for the first time in 23 years. The metal cracked $50 when the Hunt brothers tried to corner [...]

  • UnitedHealth Not Interested in Humana
    , March 29th, 2006 at 11:49 am

    Long-time readers will note that I take a somewhat skeptical view of acquisition strategies (GAG!!). That’s why I was glad to see UnitedHealth (UNH) firmly [...]

  • The Fed Raises Rates
    , March 28th, 2006 at 2:15 pm

    For the 15th straight meeting, the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates by 0.25%. The Fed funds rate is now 4.75%. Here’s the statement: The [...]

  • Hansen Natural
    , March 28th, 2006 at 11:41 am

    Hansen Natural (HANS), the Monster Energy drink stock, is now just getting silly. The stock was up 333% last year, and it’s already up 55% [...]

  • Apple Turns 30
    , March 27th, 2006 at 1:14 pm

    This has been a busy week for Apple Computer (AAPL), which turns 30 years old on Saturday. Not only have they gotten in a fight [...]

  • Walgreens’ Earnings
    , March 27th, 2006 at 12:44 pm

    Walgreen’s (WAG) is one of those rare companies that makes money in good times and in bad. Year after year, the company has delivered an [...]

  • The Boom in India
    , March 27th, 2006 at 10:23 am

    The Bombay market is heading to the stratosphere: “The way the market has gone up, it shows that there are absolutely no short sellers,” said [...]

  • Dane Miller Is Retiring from Biomet
    , March 27th, 2006 at 9:37 am

    After 29 years, Dane Miller is stepping down as CEO of Biomet (BMET). Last week, I wrote about this remarkable company. Here’s a brief profile [...]

  • George Mason Wins
    , March 26th, 2006 at 5:12 pm

    Here’s the Tradesports contract for the game. When UConn pushed the game into overtime, the contracts immediately vaulted from 5 cents to 70 cents, only [...]

  • Euro So Beautiful
    , March 26th, 2006 at 9:01 am

    Some in Europe have a dream of expanding the euro to 12 more countries. But Desmond Lachman says that it’s not working where it’s already [...]

  • Why Poor Countries Are Poor
    , March 25th, 2006 at 3:34 pm

    Tim Harford on the corruption-based economy of Cameroon. He finds a new school library that will never house any books because the roof wasn’t built [...]

  • The Market Today
    , March 24th, 2006 at 4:59 pm

    Thanks to a nice gain from Harley-Davidson (HDI), our Buy List beat the market for the fifth straight day. FactSet Research Systems (FDS) came within [...]

  • An Avian Flu Index
    , March 24th, 2006 at 3:44 pm

    You know you’re a professional investor when you look for a profit opportunity from anything. Here’s an Avian Flu Index from TrendMacro (via Luskin). These [...]

  • Oshkosh Hits Another New High
    , March 24th, 2006 at 1:57 pm

    Does this stock ever go down? Man, I wish I had bought shares. Check this out. And it’s still going! The company makes all sorts [...]

  • Pit Bull Market
    , March 24th, 2006 at 11:05 am

    Yesterday, the Feds nabbed a bunch of mobsters in a stock scam operation. How’d you like to do business with these folks? The defendants, including [...]

  • Google Added to S&P 500
    , March 24th, 2006 at 10:13 am

    Today is the sixth anniversary of the market’s top. On March 24, 20000 (also a Friday), the S&P 500 closed at 1527.46. Six years on, [...]