malach hamovess

Thomson Reuters Launching Business TV Channel To Compete with CNBC, Fox

it's another channel for advertising flomax

Earnings Preview: Host Hotels

this stock has gotten the crap kicked out of it for the past 4 months; there may be a perfect storm brewing to kill off travel because of high gas/air prices; however, if you try to get a room, it's still hit or miss on busy weekends

AIG: The Success of Failure

Just another Hot-shot Failure

Starbucks Tells Walmart:: "Here, You Take Them."

in the long run, paying a whole bunch of people to pour coffee for 2 hours a day while sitting around and comparing boyfriends & girlfriends the rest of the time does very little for the economy

Merrill's Call Should Boost GE

ge is trading to yield 4.7%; even if it takes 2 or 3 quarters to rebound, it's a steal.

Why Media Stocks Are Looking So Ugly

worst of all - there is absolutely no moat around any of these stocks; cable has virtually obliterated any real barriers to entry; the internet has allowed anyone and everyone to compete; and the viewing public has become so diffuse, that the chance of sustained concentration in viewers or readers, or other devourers of content is slipping off the ledge.

Valuing GE (It's Cheap)

my analysis says that the undervaluation of GE will continue for an extended period until the company demonstrates that it has a plan to free itself from the stigma of the finance arm.

Sears: Going Private? Not So Fast

if eddie wants the company, he can have it. the only way for him to create a short squeeze is to keep buying up shares of a company that's loosing money faster than it can be printed

General Garbage

the 90s were a bit too heady for GE; however, it hasn't fared well at all under George Bush. The 15% rate on dividend hasn't helped; maybe, a commitment toward renewable energy (wind turbine) and clean energy (nuclear reactors) will.

Valuation of Traditional Media: Time Warner

"big moat" around 1/3 of properties in group should add $1.50 - $2 to overall value; would bring it to $17

Eddie Lampert's ESL Holdings

Fast Eddie had one big hit - he scammed the bankruptcy court and raped the Kmart creditors.
Since then he's managed to plod along, accelerated the destruction of Sears, and otherwise accomplish nothing of merit.
All the while he's lionized for the one scam he pulled which had as much to do with running a hedge fund as with cheating at poker.

S&P 500: Who Needs a Hedge Fund?

fees based solely on realized gains will work towards creating incentives to take gains - killing more opportunities to benefit from ltcg treatment.

Electric Cars for 2010: Shift from Foreign Oil to Riding on Local Renewable Energy

myth of the electric car:
GM's noisemaking about electric cars is the latest in a series of efforts to divert attention from its failure to make any real headway in improving mileage for its underengineered fleet of mastadons. Electric cars will no more be able to solve the dual crises of environment and oil supply than magic carpets:

1. they are no replacement for the conventional refuelable-at-a-millio... auto for flexibility, useablility and conformity with an existing infrastructure
2. the electricity to charge their batteries had to be generated and transported by a system that is taxed to the limit without the strain of the nation's transportation.

While electricity may be useful for some limited purposes -- location-specific quiet or cleanliness where the vehicle will be used solely under controlled conditions - it makes no sense for a general purpose vehicle. Bear in mind that millions of urban drivers park on the street - far from a "friendly" source of controlled electricity; where do they recharge their batteries? An even larger group occasionally use their cars for other than strict point-to-point commuting or local errands: load up the car, the kids, and the presents, and drive all night to see the folks in florida or nebraska, or wherever. They want to refuel every 300 miles (a normal range) in the time it takes for a pit stop and a McDonalds hit - and then be on their way. Would the GM dreamers have them line their cars up at a "recharging station" on the Jersey Turnpike or I-80 outside of Salt Lake City while their batteries are charged?

What GM needs to do is to develop technology which is real - lower eission engines - and useable - modern chasis designs which are powered with lighter weight, more efficient engines - and to stop using the smokescreen of gee-wiz phony tech to mask its failures in useable, practical engineering.

Savings in oil and reduction in emissions will be incremental - 2mpg from lighter autos, 3 mpg from better designs, 1 mpg from tires, etc. - rather than with a "big bang" that ignores driving habits and needs and is completely inconsistent with the transportation infrastructure.

Valuing Dell

you guys seem right on target; i've held dell until this last pop and feel that they'll have to be a lot more positives to keep it where it is, let alone move it higher.

while everyone is congratulating Dell for a "smoothless" move into selling laptops in mass merchandise outlets, the harder reality is that the fight over wireless internet - 60 per month for unlim access" which is so profitable, may move the wireless cos like sprint & att to find a promo lightweight notebook - along the lines of EEE - currently selling for $300 as a teaser for a wireless internet contract.

with the inherent economics of scale in such business, it might be worthwhile to bring down the price to $50 per month on a guaranteed 2 yr contract. at such rates it will be easy to sell the notebook, particularly if the wireless internet is hardwired rather than by add-on card, as a complete computing package.

for many individuals (single folks, college students, hermits, etc) the combination of a computer with standard attachment to a large screen, mouse & keyboard, and printer while at home with constant access to the net will be all they could need.

it should scare the hell out of dell, hp, toshiba, and others which have constantly worked on making their computers faster, hold more, do more, etc. to justify maintaining that 550 - 700 price for basic laptops. A new breed of 7 - 10 inch portables with always-on internet connection could upset the entire distribution & sales scheme for all but the power users and those who do most of their work in a fully controlled environment.

this could kill dell, cripple hp, and otherwise turn the pc business into a marginalized operation for specialty users -- just what dell can't afford.

so enjoy a few good q's before the next wave washes onshore.

Retailer Earnings Will Continue to Worsen

it is rarely possible to gauge retail activity by personal inspection of a mall or chain of stores. to say that the retailers aren't attracting the parents is to avoid the decent sales at Macy's, certainly not a youth cult store.

what one can see in a mall tour is that some retailers are running lousy stores while others are up to date.

walk into a Sears in any mall and it will be the least attractive main store of any