Posted Jun 29th 2009 3:30PM by Michael Fowlkes
Filed under: Good news, Press releases, Law, Consumer experience, Scandals, Media World

Bernie Madoff was in federal court today, where he was given a 150 year sentence for charges related to his Ponzi scheme.
Reports from the courtroom state that Madoff, the mastermind behind the largest ever Ponzi scheme, showed little to no emotion today when he learned that he would be spending the rest of his life in a jail cell. Due to federal sentencing guidelines, Madoff must serve at least 80% of his sentence, so he will not be eligible for parole until 2129.
Continue reading Madoff receives a sentence of 150 years
Posted Jun 25th 2009 5:10PM by Michael Fowlkes
Filed under: Press releases, Management, Law, Consumer experience, Scandals
Texas billionaire R. Allen Stanford pleaded 'not guilty' today in a federal court arraignment to charges that he ran a $7 billion Ponzi scheme. Not only is Stanford being charged with running the Ponzi scheme, there are also allegations that he paid $100,000 to Leroy King, the former chief executive officer of Antigua's Financial Services Regulatory Commission.
This day has been coming for a while. It seems as though the government has been looking into Stanford's investment company since 2005, but it was only this past February that they shut down the Houston office of his investment company, Stanford Financial Group.
Continue reading Stanford pleads not guilty to fraud charges
Posted Jun 14th 2009 1:40PM by Connie Madon
Filed under: Press releases, Politics, Recession
Members of the G-8 nations (Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Russia, and the United States) met in Leece, Italy, yesterday to discuss the state of world affairs. The main topic on the table was whether they should end their stimulus efforts and let world economies float their own boats.
The meeting, which Russian finance minister, Alexei Kudrin, described as "stormy," concluded with agreement that there would be no immediate end to the stimulus programs. U.S. Treasury Secretary Geithner indicated that the U.S. had no intention of moving toward a tighter policy. He said, "it's too early to shift toward a policy of restraint." It must be noted that the more fiscally conservative governments of Germany and Canada favored ending the stimulus programs as soon as they are no longer needed.
Continue reading G-8 nations not yet ready to end stimulus programs
Posted Jun 12th 2009 2:00PM by Connie Madon
Filed under: Press releases, Financial Crisis

What is
the real condition of our banks? Well depends on which glass you are looking at. Is it half full or half empty? Let's look at the good news first:
- Profits for the bans are up.
- Bank stocks are surging.
- The U.S. government gave 10 banks permission to pay back $70 billion of TARP monies.
- Since January, banks have raised $200 billion and sold $75 billion in debt.
- Stress tests showed that 19 of the biggest banks needed only $75 billion to withstand a tougher than expected recession.
- In a press conference, U.S. Treasury Geithner said, "these are early signs of repair and improvement."
Continue reading What is the good and the bad about the condition of our banks?
Posted Jun 9th 2009 12:00PM by Zac Bissonnette
Filed under: Earnings reports, Bad news, Press releases
A new study published by Matthew Magilke of the University of Utah and Jeffrey T. Doyle of Utah State University suggests that public companies don't time their earnings releases based on how favorable or unfavorable the numbers might be.
This flies in the face of what most observers -- myself included --- have noticed. Unless there's some very rigid schedule for earnings releases, most companies prefer to dump bad news on Friday afternoons -- and if there's a three-day weekend coming up, then that's even better.
Continue reading Study says companies don't time their earnings releases. Oh, really?
Posted Jun 2nd 2009 4:30PM by Steven Mallas
Filed under: Press releases, General Electric (GE), Time Warner (TWX), Walt Disney (DIS)
I'm always looking for a catalyst that is going to take Disney (NYSE: DIS) to the next level. The stock hasn't been a great performer over time. Just today, the Mouse issued a press release detailing its latest merchandising plans.
Merchandising falls under the consumer products division. Now, one would expect that this segment would always be rocking considering the brand equity inherent in all of Disney's intellectual properties. Well, let's remind ourselves of how the segment did during the last earnings report. In the second quarter, operating income for consumer products dipped 24%. For the six-month period, operating income was down by 13%. Double-digit declines: nobody likes them. Management commentary about the division specifically stated that lower royalty revenue from merchandise helped to drive the performance. As can be seen, Disney needs some good ideas and strategies to return this segment to growth.
Continue reading Can Disney license its way to a stock rebound?
Posted May 19th 2009 8:00AM by Steven Mallas
Filed under: Press releases, Products and services, Microsoft (MSFT), Sony Corp ADR (SNE), Electronic Arts (ERTS), Activision Inc (ATVI), Technology, Nintendo (NTDOY)
Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI) has a lot of great franchises. Guitar Hero, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft ... these brands are very valuable to shareholders. But there's one franchise in particular that could use a little help in the buzz department. And according to a recent press release from the publisher, that's exactly what it will be getting via a fresh reboot.
The Tony Hawk skateboarding games have been very popular. Unfortunately, you don't hear about the franchise that much anymore (well, I don't, at least). All we hear about is the Guitar Hero series of games. As a shareholder in Activision Blizzard, I'm hoping that this situation will soon change for the better. When Tony Hawk: RIDE is released this fall, it will use a special skateboard controller that will supposedly make the gaming experience completely new and unquestionably exciting.
Continue reading Will a new Tony Hawk game help Activision Blizzard's stock?
Posted May 14th 2009 2:00PM by Sheldon Liber
Filed under: Press releases, Products and services, Law, Internet, Rants and raves, Scandals, Media World

The privately held Craigslist Internet classifieds will be changing due to the very public eye being focused on it after the much publicized murder of a masseuse by a would-be client who preyed on the unsuspecting.
The change comes as Craigslist has become the whipping boy by Attorney's General in a state near you. The change they seek is a banishment of all services advertised that are of a direct or indirect sexual nature. Instead, what has been volunteered is that
Craigslist will be dropping 'Erotic Services' ads.
The company will set up a new "adult services" section that will be closely monitored. New postings in the "adult services" category will cost $10, but once a posting is approved, customers will be eligible for re-posting at $5.
Jim Buckmaster, Craigslist's CEO, said the agreement preserves a place "for legal businesses to advertise" while incorporating suggestions from law enforcement, free speech advocates and Internet law experts. He went on to say, "The record is clear that use of Craigslist classifieds is associated with far lower rates of violent crime than print classifieds, let alone rates of violent crime pertaining to American society as a whole,".
Continue reading Craigslist 'Erotic Services' ads will change
Posted May 8th 2009 9:50AM by Mark Fightmaster
Filed under: Before the bell, Press releases, Products and services, McDonald's (MCD), DJIA

Early this morning,
McDonald's (NYSE:
MCD) announced that its April
comparable sales increased 6.9%. The company's sales were pushed higher as sales strength in the United States helped to offset the impact of the stronger dollar. When the dollar is strong, it lessens the value of overseas sales -- the stronger dollar led to a 1% decline at MCD restaurants worldwide.
Breaking down the numbers, sales in the U.S. increased 6.1%, European sales increased 8.4% and sales in Asia/Middle East/Africa increased 6.5%. Excluding currency translations, MCD worldwide sales increased 8.9%. In the United States, MCD received its biggest boost from its new McCafe coffees (a personal favorite, although it is tough to top an ice cold diet coke) and its chicken Snack Wraps.
Continue reading McDonald's April sales increase
Posted Apr 24th 2009 5:40PM by Douglas S. Roberts
Filed under: Forecasts, Press releases, Market matters, Money and Finance Today, Economic data, Politics, Headline news, Housing, Federal Reserve, Recession, Financial Crisis
We are getting our first official information about the Bank Stress Test with the release of the White Paper detailing the assumptions behind how the stress tests were conducted. This is the initial step in a process culminating in the release of results for the individual banks.
In this case, the process may be more important than the result. We all know the results in advance. Secretary Geithner has already told us that most banks have already passed in previous speeches. I doubt that the government would announce with major fanfare that the American financial system is insolvent. There are two major issues regarding investor expectations that have to be addressed: credibility and panic.
Continue reading The real stress of the bank tests: Managing investor expectations!
Posted Apr 21st 2009 5:30PM by Sheldon Liber
Filed under: Other issues, Rumors, Press releases, Rants and raves, Scandals, Media World, Headline news

Let's talk about investment risk and alien sightings. How do you assess risk? What is your exposure? What are the odds? What kind of fact checking do you do? What return is appropriate for what level risk? What is your time frame? Do you ask yourself the hard questions?
An ex-astronaut
claims that the aliens have landed on earth. According to CNN:
former NASA astronaut Edgar Mitchell and other UFO enthusiasts are concerned, the real story is happening elsewhere. Mitchell, who was part of the 1971 Apollo 14 moon mission, asserted Monday that extraterrestrial life exists, and that the truth is being concealed by the United States and other governments.
All of this alien talk is baloney.
The "government" could not keep a secret if the entire universe were at risk. The odds that multiple governments could keep a common secret and that not one person would provide the slightest conclusive evidence are microscopic.
Continue reading Alien sightings, government cover-ups, and investment risk
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