More on the Berkshire (BRK.A -0.6%) downgrade: The cut may be more about S&P after the agency revised the criteria used to evaluate the creditworthiness of insurers, writes Erik Holm. Ratings cuts aren't a new thing at Berkshire, which lost its AAA at the epic March 2009 bottom. Also not new are succession worries, mentioned by S&P in 2009, and again today. [View news story]
Yahoo (YHOO) is in "serious talks" to buy social blogging service Tumblr for as much as $1B, multiple sources tell AdWeek. Kara Swisher also reports talks are happening, but is more circumspect, stating they could result in a partnership, investment, acquisition, or nothing at all. Tumblr, which claims 100M+ blogs and (as of Nov.) ~170M monthly visitors (up over 3x from Jan.), would give Yahoo a big source of user-generated content to integrate and monetize, and would strengthen its mobile presence. It would also (as Swisher notes) mesh with Yahoo's efforts to win back younger Web users. [View news story]
Tumblr's millennial/social influencer users are precisely the group that Facebook is shedding. +1 Yahoo...if the deal goes through.
Berkshire Hathaway's (BRK.A) credit rating is cut to AA with negative outlook from AA+ by S&P. "The lower credit rating ... better reflects our view of BRK's dependence on its core insurance operations for most of its dividend income ... only Burlington Northern has provided a significant portion of the total dividends paid from the operating companies to the holding company." [View news story]
I'll take Buffett's judgement over the Mad Max scenario.
Berkshire Hathaway's (BRK.A) credit rating is cut to AA with negative outlook from AA+ by S&P. "The lower credit rating ... better reflects our view of BRK's dependence on its core insurance operations for most of its dividend income ... only Burlington Northern has provided a significant portion of the total dividends paid from the operating companies to the holding company." [View news story]
More from Tepper: "We're going to get this hyper-drive market," unless the Fed starts tapering its purchases, he says (referencing 1999), adding the June meeting wouldn't be a bad time to get started. He pulls out this chart from a recent FRBNY report, showing stocks remain cheap - the equity premium to bonds is as high as it's been in the last 50 years. [View news story]
"Tool" would be the scientifically accurate definition.
Financial representatives of the G7 countries came away from an informal two-day gathering hosted by Britain's George Osborne satisfied that Japan's extraordinary monetary policy maneuvers are targeted at vanquishing deflation not exchange rate targeting. Although German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble did mention "the relatively high levels of liquidity" present in the market (the obligatory German nod to conservative monetary policy), U.S. Treasury officials said the "conversation [with Japan] was good." Osborne also noted that when it comes to fiscal policy, "there are more areas of agreement between [the G7] than is commonly assumed." [View news story]
Is Apple Worth More Dead Than Alive? [View article]
Dear Sam,
Only the obvious one: Every quarter, some poor, 20-something analyst fresh out of Wharton is called on the carpet to explain how he could possibly be so stupid as to back Apple.
If I were to adopt Eugene Fama's position that markets are informationally and, we must assume, self-referentially efficient, then it couldn't be so: The market would be aware of its own fallibility in this regard and adjust its posture accordingly. Respectfully, I disagree.
Is Apple Worth More Dead Than Alive? [View article]
The U.S. Patent Office's latest foray into the tech sector, scissors in hand, ready and willing to clip everyone's wings hasn't escaped me, it's a direct consequence of the rise of patent trolls. But the USPTO is a government bureaucracy, and as such, I expect their behavior will ultimately turn out to be similar to the Fed's: Pressure ON, Pressure OFF, Pressure ON...
Of course, even if we valued Apple's patents at zero, the result is much the same.
More on the Berkshire (BRK.A -0.6%) downgrade: The cut may be more about S&P after the agency revised the criteria used to evaluate the creditworthiness of insurers, writes Erik Holm. Ratings cuts aren't a new thing at Berkshire, which lost its AAA at the epic March 2009 bottom. Also not new are succession worries, mentioned by S&P in 2009, and again today. [View news story]
Yahoo (YHOO) is in "serious talks" to buy social blogging service Tumblr for as much as $1B, multiple sources tell AdWeek. Kara Swisher also reports talks are happening, but is more circumspect, stating they could result in a partnership, investment, acquisition, or nothing at all. Tumblr, which claims 100M+ blogs and (as of Nov.) ~170M monthly visitors (up over 3x from Jan.), would give Yahoo a big source of user-generated content to integrate and monetize, and would strengthen its mobile presence. It would also (as Swisher notes) mesh with Yahoo's efforts to win back younger Web users. [View news story]
Berkshire Hathaway's (BRK.A) credit rating is cut to AA with negative outlook from AA+ by S&P. "The lower credit rating ... better reflects our view of BRK's dependence on its core insurance operations for most of its dividend income ... only Burlington Northern has provided a significant portion of the total dividends paid from the operating companies to the holding company." [View news story]
Berkshire Hathaway's (BRK.A) credit rating is cut to AA with negative outlook from AA+ by S&P. "The lower credit rating ... better reflects our view of BRK's dependence on its core insurance operations for most of its dividend income ... only Burlington Northern has provided a significant portion of the total dividends paid from the operating companies to the holding company." [View news story]
VXX: Wall Street's One Click Bandit [View article]
VXX: Wall Street's One Click Bandit [View article]
More from Tepper: "We're going to get this hyper-drive market," unless the Fed starts tapering its purchases, he says (referencing 1999), adding the June meeting wouldn't be a bad time to get started. He pulls out this chart from a recent FRBNY report, showing stocks remain cheap - the equity premium to bonds is as high as it's been in the last 50 years. [View news story]
Financial representatives of the G7 countries came away from an informal two-day gathering hosted by Britain's George Osborne satisfied that Japan's extraordinary monetary policy maneuvers are targeted at vanquishing deflation not exchange rate targeting. Although German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble did mention "the relatively high levels of liquidity" present in the market (the obligatory German nod to conservative monetary policy), U.S. Treasury officials said the "conversation [with Japan] was good." Osborne also noted that when it comes to fiscal policy, "there are more areas of agreement between [the G7] than is commonly assumed." [View news story]
Are Affluent Democrats Boosting The Economy? [View article]
Don't Fight The Fed [View article]
Is Apple Worth More Dead Than Alive? [View article]
Only the obvious one: Every quarter, some poor, 20-something analyst fresh out of Wharton is called on the carpet to explain how he could possibly be so stupid as to back Apple.
If I were to adopt Eugene Fama's position that markets are informationally and, we must assume, self-referentially efficient, then it couldn't be so: The market would be aware of its own fallibility in this regard and adjust its posture accordingly. Respectfully, I disagree.
Is Apple Worth More Dead Than Alive? [View article]
I close my eyes
Only for a moment and the moment's gone
All my dreams
Pass before my eyes with curiosity
Dust in the wind
All they are is dust in the wind
Is Apple Worth More Dead Than Alive? [View article]
Of course, even if we valued Apple's patents at zero, the result is much the same.
Is Apple Worth More Dead Than Alive? [View article]
Is Apple Worth More Dead Than Alive? [View article]