Ruthanne Williams Roussel

Making good on chief Jamie Dimon's plans to staff up, JPMorgan Chase (JPM) announces it will hire 1,200 mortgage loan officers by the end of next year, a 60% increase.

Meanwhile my friends have been telling me that jobs growth for bankers/finance types is all going to be in compliance, although I haven't seen much sign of this uptick yet

Obamacare: Affordable Private Insurance Is Already Available

Boy, it's great that this Mark Perry guy has fixed this seemingly intractable problem so quickly and easily. Why have so many been griping and moaning about it for so long? They should have all just asked him.

Why Wells Fargo Is a Great Buy

Amit, I'd be really interested in a second, more developed article, "Why Meredith Whitney Is Just An Overrated One-Hit Wonder" -- not to mention, if it is as good as this one, it should get a lot of notice.

This doesn't need to be in the article, but I've tried to find out whether her firm has any employees other than herself and her husband, and I haven't been able to. Husband is ex-pro wrestler but that doesn't necessarily mean he can't work for a securities firm.

Don't Expect Amylin to Eat the Obesity Market's Lunch

Thanks all for your interest. Evidently the anti-obesity market, both prescription and non-prescription, is alive and well!

Using Analysts as Contrarian Signals

So if these secrets of analyst-speak are open secrets, why does anyone have to "divulge" them?

Don't Expect Amylin to Eat the Obesity Market's Lunch

Good idea MarketGuy, why aren't you out there marketing such a test?

Don't Expect Amylin to Eat the Obesity Market's Lunch

Cyclingscholar, I am sure that if we were to sit down together IRL, you'd have no hesitation about saying all that to my face :-) Although, for the record, I drive a PT Cruiser not an SUV.

Of course just about everyone knows that if you eat less and exercise more, you will lose weight. However, lots of non-moronic people who know all this still are overweight. That is why there is a market for potential obesity drugs, on top of the existing $50+ billion market for non-prescription weight loss (that's Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers WTW, Nutrisystem NTRI, supplements, and so on). Some people may get excited about this as a big moral issue and go around calling names, but the point of this site is to look at markets and investment opportunities.

Don't Expect Amylin to Eat the Obesity Market's Lunch

Hi PhillyDan, thanks for your comments, which are always welcome. There are two Phase II studies on the pramlintide/metreleptin combination. The first is the one with 177 subjects, and was a Phase IIa proof of concept study published here www.pnas.org/ in 2008 (search the archives on "pramlintide"). The second study is the Phase IIb study with results announced July 2009, which enrolled 600+ patients. I don't think this changes your point though.

I guess one reason I am less concerned about side effects of Qnexa and Contrave than you are (I know we have talked about this before) is that these are tolerability concerns rather than safety concerns. How uncomfortable are these effects, how long do they last, and are people willing to put up with them for a potential weight loss benefit? We already know that they weren't barriers to approval for the monotherapy component drugs for other indications.

Why John Dorfman's Call on Apple Is Dead Wrong

Jason, whatever metric you want to use, and whether or not we want to adjust earnings for deferred revenues, your argument still tends to support Mr. Dorfman's main point, which is that the expectations for future success already priced into AAPL are pretty darn high because a lot of investors are just crazy in love with it.

Also -- what, then, is the multiple, once you've adjusted it, and how does it compare then? We could look at either P/CF or some sort of adjusted P/E, either one would make sense. I think once you start down this road you'll see what the issue is.

Why Orexigen's Empatic News Is Good

@Vitautas: As a heavy chick myself, I can say, that wasn't maybe the most diplomatic way to put it, but yeah, that too. If you are 200+ lbs and in a stable relationship, your doc will likely tell you to slim down before trying to conceive, and if you are not in a stable relationship, you don't need a doc to tell you it will be easier to find one if you take off a few pounds. In most cases (male and female) weight loss is not a knowledge problem. BTW it is a good thing for guys that in general, given the right circumstances, many women will sleep with bald chubby guys. An observation, not a gripe.

Two Positive Notes for Arena Pharmaceuticals

Certainly, I have an agenda, and I'll state it right here. My agenda is that I have a big beef with that Michael Murphy guy -- I understand he recommended ARNA but I didn't see it myself, so I may be wrong there. But my beef is that like many people who grew up listening to AM radio in the 70's, I can't stand that sappy song about the pony who got lost in the blizzard and the girl who went running "Wildfire."

Seriously, I don't own any of these obesity stocks and I try to call 'em as I see 'em. I have also been known to modify my views over the months.

Two Positive Notes for Arena Pharmaceuticals

@ Grumann -- The short answer is that only one of all these various Phase III trials, the first of the four Contrave results released by Orexigen, had so much significantly more stringent diet and exercise regime than everyone else's that it made the results hard to compare. But stacking all the placebo results up next to each other, now that we have them, and confirming that assumption would be a great exercise for the weekend. The main reason there is any "behavioral modification" at all is so that the placebo patients do not all get so discouraged at their lack of weight loss that they drop out.

Why Is Vivus Diluting Existing Shareholders?

@APP: No, I didn't hear that from anyone. I thought up the idea all by myself, while racking my brain for possible ideas as to why VVUS might want to do this raise. So please consider it on its own merits only. Thanks for reading!

Vivus: A One Trick Pony

@Harvard_MBA

Well, since you have a Harvard MBA, can't you tell me? Mine is only from Philadelphia.

Vivus: A One Trick Pony

@user44306: Yes, avanafil has a lot of promise. As a middle-aged lady, I don't underestimate the power of ED drugs. However, most revenues from avanafil have already been harvested. They are backing up financing to Deerfield Partners, who are in line ahead of VVUS shareholders. If you are a shareholder, or thinking of becoming one, don't take my word for this. Look up the SEC filings form 8-K at sec.gov or your favorite spot.

@pharmaman: Oh, who knows when Arena will release their results. Yes, I also am expecting this month.