Archive for March, 2010

  • JOSB Update
    , March 31st, 2010 at 12:02 pm

    Shares of JOSB have been as high as $54.89 today. On the Buy List, there’s now a close running for top-performer YTD between JOSB, SEIC [...]

  • 12 Million Percent Profit
    , March 31st, 2010 at 11:27 am

    That’s what micro-caps have done since the Great Depression. Here’s a breakdown of market performance by size decile. The smallest have done the best and [...]

  • Joey Banks – Kicking It
    , March 31st, 2010 at 7:33 am

    More good earnings news for JoS. A. Bank Clothiers (JOSB). FY 2009 earnings-per-share came in at $3.84 up from $3.17 the year before and $2.72 [...]

  • Happy MBS Day!
    , March 31st, 2010 at 7:10 am

    Today is the last day of the first quarter, but more importantly, it’s the last day that the Federal Reserve is buying mortgage-backed securities from [...]

  • What If the Stock Market Was an Inflation-Protected Bond?
    , March 30th, 2010 at 11:40 am

    Who’s up for a very off-the-wall post? Good, you’re at the right place. As I mentioned yesterday, I just got the new Ibbotson Yearbook which [...]

  • More Historical Stats
    , March 29th, 2010 at 2:44 pm

    In the olden days, investors tended to look at stocks similar to the way we look at bonds today — it was all about yield. [...]

  • What History Says
    , March 29th, 2010 at 11:17 am

    I just got the new Ibbotson Yearbook. It’s a great resource for historical asset performance. Here are a few items that caught my eye. **Over [...]

  • So…How'd Ford Do With Volvo?
    , March 29th, 2010 at 9:12 am

    Not so well. The NYT: January 29, 1999: The Ford Motor Company, by agreeing yesterday to buy the car operations of Volvo A.B. of Sweden [...]

  • So…How’d Ford Do With Volvo?
    , March 29th, 2010 at 9:12 am

    Not so well. The NYT: January 29, 1999: The Ford Motor Company, by agreeing yesterday to buy the car operations of Volvo A.B. of Sweden [...]

  • Bed, Bath & Beyond estimates, price target raised
    , March 29th, 2010 at 8:39 am

    From MarketWatch: Home-furnishings retailer Bed, Bath & Beyond Inc.’s profit estimates and price target are raised by Bank of America Merrill Lynch on Monday ahead [...]

  • Bed, Bath & Beyond estimates, price target raised
    , March 29th, 2010 at 8:39 am

    From MarketWatch: Home-furnishings retailer Bed, Bath & Beyond Inc.’s profit estimates and price target are raised by Bank of America Merrill Lynch on Monday ahead [...]

  • Now for Some Top-Line Growth
    , March 25th, 2010 at 2:35 pm

    The Pragmatic Capitalist has a good post on what to expect this earnings season. I agree with the overall thesis–the rally to date has been [...]

  • Cornell Drains Fun Out Of Cinderella Run By Explaining How On A Long Enough Timeline The Improbable Becomes Probable
    , March 25th, 2010 at 12:06 pm

    The Onion: SYRACUSE, NY—Despite overcoming long odds as the lowest seed remaining in the NCAA Tournament, Cornell’s basketball team had on Wednesday squandered most of [...]

  • Are We Still in a Recession?
    , March 25th, 2010 at 9:52 am

    One of the easiest and best indicators of how well the economy is doing is the ISM Purchasing Managers Index. Here’s a look at the [...]

  • Yglesias Contra Wagner
    , March 24th, 2010 at 6:02 pm

    Matthew Yglesias has a provocative post in which he claims that the progressive effort to expand the welfare state is now mostly done. There are [...]

  • Has Healthcare Become a Utility?
    , March 24th, 2010 at 2:03 pm

    Here’s a look at the P/E Ratios of the different sectors within the S&P 500: What really strikes me is how low the healthcare sector [...]

  • U.S. Homes Dropped to Lowest on Record
    , March 24th, 2010 at 9:16 am

    Ouch! Sales of new homes in the U.S. unexpectedly fell in February to a record low as blizzards, unemployment and foreclosures depressed the market. Purchases [...]

  • The SEC's Porn Problem
    , March 24th, 2010 at 9:07 am

    From the NYT: It seems that the Securities and Exchange Commission may have a pornography problem even bigger than expected. Gawker reported that S.E.C. is [...]

  • The SEC’s Porn Problem
    , March 24th, 2010 at 9:07 am

    From the NYT: It seems that the Securities and Exchange Commission may have a pornography problem even bigger than expected. Gawker reported that S.E.C. is [...]

  • Starbucks to Pay First Ever Dividend
    , March 24th, 2010 at 8:43 am

    At the beginning of year, I said that this is the year that investors will rediscover dividends. I’m happy to see that Starbucks (SBUX) has [...]