Intel Can't Topple Apple's Portable Stronghold

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I'm not sure Intel (Nasdaq: INTC  ) really thought this ultrabook thing through.

The chip giant is launching a whole new style of thin and light notebooks amid great pomp and circumstance. Intel aims to push this form factor into about 40% of all new notebooks sold the near future. If the Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL  ) Macbook Air can grab the hearts and wallets of consumers even in the middle of a crisis-tinged economy, why wouldn't a cheaper version running Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT  ) Windows do even better?

Pricing is a crucial part of that puzzle, and Intel wants ultrabooks shipping below the magical $1,000 benchmark. But you know, ultralight LCD screens are expensive. So are space-saving solid state drives. And then Intel expects to make a large profit on the central processors? Sure, Apple can squeeze the Air down to $999, but Cupertino is notoriously efficient and doesn't pay Microsoft for an operating system.

"Forget it," say at least two Asian system builders. Acer Taiwan and Compal Electronics are asking Intel to lower prices on its ultrabook-bound Core chips, according to Taiwanese tech watcher DigiTimes. Compal who? The Chinese systems builder actually makes many of the systems you buy under the Dell (Nasdaq: DELL  ) , Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ  ) , and HP's Compaq brands, among many others. These guys are visible from space.

If not, they might settle for lower-priced Cores, maybe even low-power Atoms. Or -- perish the thought -- just take the general architecture of the ultrabook over to Intel's arch-rival Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD  ) , maybe even mobility expert ARM Holdings (Nasdaq: ARMH  ) and its army of chip-building partners.

Then what do we have? In the worst-case scenario, Intel will have angered Apple (don't forget that the Macbook Air runs on Intel chips, too!) and sent other partners straight to the competition. Less drastically, Intel would drop its selling prices and margins. Or, the whole ultrabook idea could just flop in the face of Apple's terrific execution.

I don't see any fantastic outcomes for Intel here, as the options range from bad to worse to disastrous. Back to the lab again, folks -- this is not how you win Mr. Softy's love back, or how you juice product margins. Maybe CEO Paul Otellini should watch this free video report to see how the competitive landscape is changing under his feet. Go ahead and watch it right along with Paul.

Fool contributor Anders Bylundholds no position in any of the companies discussed here. He's kidding about Otellini needing a primer on cloud computing, all right? The Motley Fool owns shares of Microsoft, Intel, and Apple and has bought calls on Intel. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Dell, Apple, Microsoft, and Intel, creating bull call spreads position in Microsoft and Apple, and creating a diagonal call position in Intel. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. You can check out Anders' holdings and a concise bio, follow him on Twitter or Google+, or peruse our Foolish disclosure policy.

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Source: http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2011/09/20/intel-cant-topple-apples-portable-stronghold.aspx

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First Solar Goes For More Efficiency To Fight Off Chinese Threats

First Solar announced that it would implement around a dozen improvements to improve the efficiency of its modules and drive down costs over the coming years to ward off competition from low cost Chinese firms.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2011/09/20/first-solar-goes-for-more-efficiency-to-fight-off-chinese-threats/

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Debt consumers consolidation ProfitMany not now come to accept the evolution of the economy. Those who used to earn at least enough jobs are suddenly faced with layoffs, reduced wages, and the cost of living. In the last years of plastic money and easy credit, consumers were willing to spend money on goods and services [...]

Source: http://www.legaldebthelponline.com/2011/09/20/profit-debt-consolidation-non/

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Are Shorts Watching This Number at Brocade?

There's no foolproof way to know the future for Brocade (Nasdaq: BRCD  ) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result.

A cloudy crystal ball
In this series, we use accounts receivable (AR) and days sales outstanding (DSO) to judge a company's current health and future prospects. It's an important step in separating the pretenders from the market's best stocks. Alone, AR -- the amount of money owed the company -- and DSO -- the number of days' worth of sales owed to the company -- don't tell you much. However, by considering the trends in AR and DSO, you can sometimes get a window onto the future.

Sometimes, problems with AR or DSO simply indicate a change in the business (like an acquisition), or lax collections. However, AR that grows more quickly than revenue, or ballooning DSO, can also suggest a desperate company that's trying to boost sales by giving its customers overly generous payment terms. Alternately, it can indicate that the company sprinted to book a load of sales at the end of the quarter, like used-car dealers on the 29th of the month. (Sometimes, companies do both.)

Why might an upstanding firm like Brocade do this? For the same reason any other company might: to make the numbers. Investors don't like revenue shortfalls, and employees don't like reporting them to their superiors.

Is Brocade sending any potential warning signs? Take a look at the chart below, which plots revenue growth against AR growth, and DSO:

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Source: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. FQ = fiscal quarter.

Source: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. FQ = fiscal quarter.

The standard way to calculate DSO uses average accounts receivable. I prefer to look at end-of-quarter (EOQ) receivables, but I've plotted both above.

Watching the trends
When that red line (AR growth) crosses above the green line (revenue growth), I know I need to consult the filings. Similarly, a spike in the blue bars (DSO) indicates a trend worth worrying about. As another reality check, it's reasonable to consider what a normal DSO figure might look like in this space.

Source: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's. DSO calculated from average AR. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. LFQ = last fiscal quarter. Dollar figures in millions.

Differences in business models can generate variations in DSO, so don't consider this the final word -- just a way to add some context to the numbers. But let's get back to our original question: Will Brocade miss its numbers in the next quarter or two?

The numbers don't paint a clear picture. For the last fully reported fiscal quarter, Brocade?s year-over-year revenue shrank 0.3%, and its AR dropped 0.2%. That looks OK. End-of-quarter DSO decreased 1.0% from the prior-year quarter. It was up 6.6% versus the prior quarter. Still, I'm no fortuneteller, and these are just numbers. Investors putting their money on the line always need to dig into the filings for the root causes and draw their own conclusions.

What now?
I use this kind of analysis to figure out which investments I need to watch more closely as I hunt the market's best returns. However, some investors actively seek out companies on the wrong side of AR trends in order to sell them short, profiting when they eventually fall. Which way would you play this one? Let us know in the comments below, or keep up with the stocks mentioned in this article by tracking them in our free watchlist service, My Watchlist.

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Source: http://feeds.fool.com/~r/usmf/foolwatch/~3/sWsawJ5qJJ8/are-shorts-watching-this-number-at-brocade.aspx

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Free Debt Counseling

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A lot of economic experts are saying that we're still in for the long haul as far as the recession goes, and with the unemployment rate still teetering around 9.2% it could get a little scary for a lot of consumers out there. In this current economic climate consumers with unmanageable credit card debt may be in a world of hurt, here are some basics on the type of free help you can get that will get you on the right track.

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Source: http://ezinearticles.com/6556250

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Some Eerily Prescient Words From Bernanke...


ben bernanke

In his nightly note, BTIG's Dan Greenhaus writes in regards to tomorrow's big Fed announcement:

What is also important about this strategy is that it shouldn’t increase the size of the Fed’s already bloated balance sheet. Ironically, it appears the main reason the Fed isn’t pursuing even more potent stimulus at this time is political limitations, the very constraint Ben Bernanke suggested to which Japan succumbed.

Greenhaus is obviously referring to Bernanke's famous 2002 speech on the failure of policy in Japan titled:  Deflation: Making Sure "It" Doesn't Happen Here.

Specifically on the matter of political limitations, Bernanke said:

I believe that, when all is said and done, the failure to end deflation in Japan does not necessarily reflect any technical infeasibility of achieving that goal. Rather, it is a byproduct of a longstanding political debate about how best to address Japan's overall economic problems. As the Japanese certainly realize, both restoring banks and corporations to solvency and implementing significant structural change are necessary for Japan's long-run economic health. But in the short run, comprehensive economic reform will likely impose large costs on many, for example, in the form of unemployment or bankruptcy. As a natural result, politicians, economists, businesspeople, and the general public in Japan have sharply disagreed about competing proposals for reform. In the resulting political deadlock, strong policy actions are discouraged, and cooperation among policymakers is difficult to achieve.

In short, Japan's deflation problem is real and serious; but, in my view, political constraints, rather than a lack of policy instruments, explain why its deflation has persisted for as long as it has. Thus, I do not view the Japanese experience as evidence against the general conclusion that U.S. policymakers have the tools they need to prevent, and, if necessary, to cure a deflationary recession in the United States.

There are more than enough reasons to draw parallels between the US and Japan, but given that just tonight we saw letters from top GOP congressional leadership slamming the Fed for (possibly) doing more easing, this is yet another point of similarity.

Meanwhile, for a preview of tomorrow's big show, see here.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/FkHLadg1qV4/bernankes-famous-speech-on-political-impediments-to-defeating-deflation-2011-9

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HOUSE OF THE DAY: Dixie Chick Lists Her Texas Ranch For $6.5 Million


dixie chick house

Dixie Chick Martie Maguire put her Austin, Texas ranch for $6.495 million (via Realtor.com).

The home sits on seven acres and has three private guest homes. The home was built in 1975 but has modern furnishings and renovations.

There are nine bedrooms total, with four in the main home. Some of the special features in the main home include a media room and an art room as well as a exercise/dance studio.

The view of the road in the private estate

The garage

The house sits on seven acres of land

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/1BFSaHnb2hY/dixie-chick-martie-maguire-texas-house-photos-2011-9

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The Incredible Story Of Ray's Pizza And The Thousand Knockoffs


pizza collage

It's a question almost as old as New York City pizza itself. "Which is the real Ray's Pizza?"

There have been many claims to the Ray throne over the years, and the path to finding out the truth -- whether you're a New Yorker, a visitor to the city, or even one of the owners of a "Ray's Pizza" -- is rife with half-truths, rumors, legal battles and even some jail time.

We worked out the tangled history, up to the sad irony, reported this week by the NYT, that the original Ray's Pizza is closing.

The very first store to put the name Ray's Pizza on their sign was opened in 1959 on Prince Street in Manhattan

27 Prince Street, to be exact. From a historical standpoint, this is the "original" Ray's Pizza -- it's in the 1960 phone book and everything.

Ralph Cuomo, then a 22-year old Sicilian immigrant with a little money and his mother's pizza recipe, opened the shop and put his nickname on it. This venerated location is still known as simply "Ray's Pizza."

Ralph Cuomo opened a second location, but sold it in 1964 to Rosolino Mangano, also known as "Ray"

"Everybody knows me as Ray. I can't go no place -- Ray, Ray, Ray... I was the one who made Ray famous," said Mangano in a 1991 interview, in the days of great legal contention.

This first Mangano-owned Ray's, at 1073 First Avenue (which no longer exists), took the name "Famous Original Ray's Pizza" and would eventually expand it to upwards of 25 locations (about a dozen of which last to this day).

Mangano can be credited with expanding the Ray brand, from the locations to the logo

Mangano created the Famous Original Ray's logo, the name inside the little crown. He also added a few innovations to the pizzeria industry, such as the glass display case for pies and slices, that would help business boom and allow Mangano to open mulitple locations.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/CHD-5wJBHKA/original-rays-pizza-story-2011-9

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Business Growth: Moving Beyond Your Home Office

It?s a nerve-racking question for business owners to wrestle with?is it time to move my business operations from my home to a commercial business space? Taking this step at the right time means your business has officially evolved from hobby to commercial success. Wait too long and you could be holding your business back. Do it too soon and you could temporarily stunt your business? growth.

No pressure, right?

You?ll Know When the Time Is Right

Tim Strange, commercial real estate broker, says the answer is surprisingly simple: ?When you grow your business to the point that it is no longer feasible to operate from your home, you need to find a location where you can continue to run the business.?

Tim pointed out that some virtual businesses are capable of growing and thriving without outgrowing the home office, but the vast majority of businesses will eventually need room to grow.

Moving On and Moving Up

Before you start shopping for locations, you need to determine how much rent your business can afford. Using your business? income forecast, determine how much you can devote to rent and still cover your expenses, build your savings, and provide some profit. Most lease contracts have a five-year term, so keep that in mind as you make your projections.

The next questions to answer?What type of location do I need? and What kind of lease will work best for my business??are best answered with the help of a commercial real estate broker. You need a broker who is experienced in helping businesses find the right location and negotiating leases that fit the business owner?s needs. A broker?s expertise will benefit you in several ways:

  • Your broker will weed out undesirable properties based on cost, size, features and physical location.
  • Brokers are experts in lease negotiation, saving you money on everything from rent to maintenance costs.
  • You can trust your broker to handle your transaction, which would take up a lot of your valuable time. You?ll be able to focus on moving your business into its next phase instead.

Find Your Broker Today!

If you think your business is ready to take the next step into a new or larger space, contact one of Dave?s commercial real estate Endorsed Local Providers (ELPs). Dave?s ELPs are experienced real estate professionals who are experts in your local market. Contact your ELP today!

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Source: http://www.daveramsey.com/article/business-growth-moving-beyond-your-home-office/lifeandmoney_realestate

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