Buffett?s Capital Never Comes Cheaply As BofA Knows

This deals comes at an opportune time for the bank and shows CEO Moynihan's willingness to pay a Buffett premium to help calm market concerns that Bank of America is under-capitalized.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2011/08/26/buffetts-capital-never-comes-cheaply-as-bofa-knows/

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Bernanke Walks The Line, Markets Relieved But Bank Bonds Weaken

Equity investors finally warmed to the words of Fed Chairman Bernanke at the central bank symposium after initially selling off as he said the Fed couldn?t bear all of the strain of a weakened economy.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2011/08/26/bernanke-walks-the-line-markets-relieved-but-bank-bonds-weaken/

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Apple Will Continue To Make Big Bets Under Tim Cook, And They'll Pay Off (AAPL)


steve jobs tim cook

While some have responded to Steve’s resignation as Apple CEO by recalling personal stories involving Steve or Apple, others have focused on how Apple’s culture will handle a different leader.  Let’s take a step back and reassess Apple’s current situation. 

Current Products

I have extreme confidence that Apple will successfully update its flagship products in the near-term. As I previously wrote, Apple’s start-up structure assures resources are allocated to a product in the months leading up to a refresh; breaking down the “walls” between executives and workers - the same walls that often destroy other technology companies.

Having executives involved in seemingly detailed and mundane aspects of a product is the difference between having a product be “magical” or “good”. Tim Cook will continue to hash out aggressive business contracts with Apple friends and foes. Apple’s expanding supply and distribution channels will continue to be run with the dedication and intelligence that have put competitors to shame.

As a prime example of how much confidence I have in Apple’s ability to execute in the near-term, I have no intention in lowering my forecasts for Mac, iPod, iPhone, or iPad sales in my AAPL earnings model following Steve’s resignation. 

Future Products 

Apple will continue to innovate and brainstorm ideas that will change the world.  While it is difficult to pinpoint why the iPod, iPhone, and iPad have been so successful, it is important for Apple to continue to make similar industry-changing strides.  

I think this is where Apple will face its first significant challenge with Steve no longer at the helm.  What makes Apple so great is its willingness to take abnormally large risks and essentially bet the farm on those risks.  

Apple is able to translate a big idea (big bet) into reality with very little friction and inefficiency. The biggest risk enters the equation on the demand side - whether consumers want the product. Steve made bets. Big ones. Will Tim be able, or willing, to take similar big risks?

At this time, I do think Tim is capable of such responsibility.  Tim isn’t some young gun who has been thrown into the game. Observing how the world has changed (and where it will go) is an art not a science, and while Steve mastered that art so successfully, Tim was in a perfect position to watch the master perfect his art, giving him a  significant  advantage over everyone else in Silicon Valley.  Apple will lose on some bets, but will still be able to strive to new heights if more is wagered on winning bets. 

Face of Apple

Apple is Steve and Steve is Apple and that will not change. However, there is now a debate as to who will become the new face of Apple or if Apple even needs a singular public representative given Apple’s size and power.  

I do think the entire Apple executive team will gain more exposure with some SVPs acquiring new affiliations with consumers. Forstall as Mr. iPhone and iPad,  Jony as Mr. Apple Design, Schiller as Mr. Apple Brand,  while Tim remains the “Big Dad”.  

Great brands create emotional connections between users and products.  People will want to connect with Apple and its leadership in new ways. When Apple is ready to unveil its next big thing, we will most likely have a few members of the Apple team explain why the world needs this new product, whereas up to now, only Steve has had the honor. 

AAPL

Concerning financials and other AAPL stock decisions, I would expect no significant changes or speed bumps with Tim as CEO.  In addition, an internal CEO promotion often results in minimal changes to prevailing capital philosophies concerning dividends and share buybacks.  

The Architect

At the end of the day, Steve built the foundation for a magnificent castle and Tim is a great architect. As I wrote back in December: “As long as most of the risk variables are monitored and marginalized to a certain extent by upper management (and Steve  Tim) - the consumer is left as the biggest risks. Apple can then rely on its brand power to turn the odds in its favor.”

This post originally appeared on AAPL Orchard.

Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/N8O_vfq9bpk/tim-cook-the-architect-2011-8

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A Criminal Defense Attorney Will Help

A criminal defense attorney is one of many types of lawyer in Orange County, California. A criminal defense attorney handle matters in which a crime, like a DUI or sex crimes, has been committed. The laws involved with criminal defense dictate both how the charges should be handled and what the crimes are. A defense [...]

Source: http://www.legaldebthelponline.com/2011/08/28/a-criminal-defense-attorney-will-help/

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Apple Will Continue To Make Big Bets Under Tim Cook, And They'll Pay Off (AAPL)


steve jobs tim cook

While some have responded to Steve’s resignation as Apple CEO by recalling personal stories involving Steve or Apple, others have focused on how Apple’s culture will handle a different leader.  Let’s take a step back and reassess Apple’s current situation. 

Current Products

I have extreme confidence that Apple will successfully update its flagship products in the near-term. As I previously wrote, Apple’s start-up structure assures resources are allocated to a product in the months leading up to a refresh; breaking down the “walls” between executives and workers - the same walls that often destroy other technology companies.

Having executives involved in seemingly detailed and mundane aspects of a product is the difference between having a product be “magical” or “good”. Tim Cook will continue to hash out aggressive business contracts with Apple friends and foes. Apple’s expanding supply and distribution channels will continue to be run with the dedication and intelligence that have put competitors to shame.

As a prime example of how much confidence I have in Apple’s ability to execute in the near-term, I have no intention in lowering my forecasts for Mac, iPod, iPhone, or iPad sales in my AAPL earnings model following Steve’s resignation. 

Future Products 

Apple will continue to innovate and brainstorm ideas that will change the world.  While it is difficult to pinpoint why the iPod, iPhone, and iPad have been so successful, it is important for Apple to continue to make similar industry-changing strides.  

I think this is where Apple will face its first significant challenge with Steve no longer at the helm.  What makes Apple so great is its willingness to take abnormally large risks and essentially bet the farm on those risks.  

Apple is able to translate a big idea (big bet) into reality with very little friction and inefficiency. The biggest risk enters the equation on the demand side - whether consumers want the product. Steve made bets. Big ones. Will Tim be able, or willing, to take similar big risks?

At this time, I do think Tim is capable of such responsibility.  Tim isn’t some young gun who has been thrown into the game. Observing how the world has changed (and where it will go) is an art not a science, and while Steve mastered that art so successfully, Tim was in a perfect position to watch the master perfect his art, giving him a  significant  advantage over everyone else in Silicon Valley.  Apple will lose on some bets, but will still be able to strive to new heights if more is wagered on winning bets. 

Face of Apple

Apple is Steve and Steve is Apple and that will not change. However, there is now a debate as to who will become the new face of Apple or if Apple even needs a singular public representative given Apple’s size and power.  

I do think the entire Apple executive team will gain more exposure with some SVPs acquiring new affiliations with consumers. Forstall as Mr. iPhone and iPad,  Jony as Mr. Apple Design, Schiller as Mr. Apple Brand,  while Tim remains the “Big Dad”.  

Great brands create emotional connections between users and products.  People will want to connect with Apple and its leadership in new ways. When Apple is ready to unveil its next big thing, we will most likely have a few members of the Apple team explain why the world needs this new product, whereas up to now, only Steve has had the honor. 

AAPL

Concerning financials and other AAPL stock decisions, I would expect no significant changes or speed bumps with Tim as CEO.  In addition, an internal CEO promotion often results in minimal changes to prevailing capital philosophies concerning dividends and share buybacks.  

The Architect

At the end of the day, Steve built the foundation for a magnificent castle and Tim is a great architect. As I wrote back in December: “As long as most of the risk variables are monitored and marginalized to a certain extent by upper management (and Steve  Tim) - the consumer is left as the biggest risks. Apple can then rely on its brand power to turn the odds in its favor.”

This post originally appeared on AAPL Orchard.

Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/N8O_vfq9bpk/tim-cook-the-architect-2011-8

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From Whole Foods To Sex Shops In Times Square: What Hurricane Irene Did To Business In New York City


Times Square Before Hurricane Irene

This nearly-last weekend of summer is usually a big one for New York City's $31 billion tourism industry

But Hurricane Irene has changed all that. 

Now that nearly 400,000 New Yorkers have been asked to evacuate, and the rest stayed inside as the transportation system ground to a halt, the landscape looks quite different. 

We took a look at what businesses decided to stay open, which ones offered employees car services, and what New Yorkers prioritize before disaster strikes. 

Any store that sold beer, wine or liquor profited (and likely stayed open for a while) this weekend

In fact, in 2004, Walmart found that beer was its #1 pre-hurricane sales item. 

NPR reported on this trend yesterday: 

Frankly Wines, a small shop just outside the evacuation zone, was doing a pretty brisk business today. Owner Christy Frank lives around the corner. Late August is normally a slow time, she says, but Irene has been great for business.

"We've been calling it the 'hurricane stimulus package,'" Frank said. "It's definitely been good for business. I have a number of other friends who own wine stores elsewhere in the city, and after yesterday, we were all just beat. It was like the day before Thanksgiving, or New Year's Eve."

Equinox stayed open until 8 p.m. Saturday (depending upon location) and arranged for its employees to get home via car service

The Brooklyn Heights club was busier than usual at 11 a.m., which is interesting because the gym is located just a few blocks away from a mandatory evacuation zone. We assume anyone who had time to work out had already stocked up on "D" batteries and beer. 

Trader Joe's opened early (6 a.m.) and closed early (10 a.m.)

Around 8 a.m., the Brooklyn location was only moderately busy, and was also fully stocked (it even had several cases of water). 

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Please follow War Room on Twitter and Facebook.

See Also:

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/K8Usub2hv8s/hurricane-irene-retail-sales-2011-8

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Buffett?s Capital Never Comes Cheaply As BofA Knows

This deals comes at an opportune time for the bank and shows CEO Moynihan's willingness to pay a Buffett premium to help calm market concerns that Bank of America is under-capitalized.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2011/08/26/buffetts-capital-never-comes-cheaply-as-bofa-knows/

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Altria Fires Up Dividend Hike, Riding Smokeless To $30 Stock Price

With a set of new product launches in addition to its strong product mix and pricing power, the Altria Group is well positioned to grow in the smokeless tobacco segment. On Friday, it increased its dividend by 7.9% to $0.41 per common share, making it 45 times in the last 42 years that the company has hiked the dividend. With a set of new product launches in addition to its strong product mix and pricing power, the Altria Group is well positioned to grow in the smokeless tobacco segment.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2011/08/26/altria-fires-up-dividend-hike-riding-smokeless-to-30-stock-price/

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This Just In: Upgrades and Downgrades

At The Motley Fool, we poke plenty of fun at Wall Street analysts and their endless cycle of upgrades, downgrades, and "initiating coverage at neutral." While the pinstripe-and-wingtip crowd is entitled to its opinions, we've got some pretty sharp stock pickers down here on Main Street, too. (And we're not always impressed with how Wall Street does its job.)

Given that, perhaps we shouldn't be giving virtual ink to "news" of analyst upgrades and downgrades. And we wouldn't -- if that were all we were doing. Fortunately, in "This Just In," we don't simply tell you what the analysts said. We also show you whether they know what they're talking about. To help, we've enlisted Motley Fool CAPS, our tool for rating stocks and analysts alike. With CAPS, we track the long-term performance of Wall Street's best and brightest -- and its worst and sorriest, too.

Beware the downgrade at 3-D Systems
Shares of Motley Fool Pro recommendation 3-D Systems (NYSE: DDD  ) were flying Friday, up 4% -- but according to Yahoo! Finance at least, there was absolutely no news to explain why. Actually, though, if you listen real careful ... you just might hear a whisper of what happened. Turns out, 3-D Systems dodged a bullet yesterday. It didn't get downgraded by Barclays Capital.

But only by the skin of its teeth.

Friday morning, according to the ratings aggregators at Briefing.com, 3-D came this close to losing its coveted buy rating at the All-Star-ranked analyst. At the last moment, it seems, Barclays decided to halt the guillotine, and only cut its price target on the stock. But it did so significantly, and now predicts 3-D will not in fact hit $23 within a year after all, but only $19 -- a 17% cut to price target.

So what?
Think that's not such bad news? Well consider: At Friday's price, Barclays's new price target suggests there's only about 12% upside left in this stock -- as opposed to the 35% profit that the banker previously predicted. The really bad news, though, is that Barclays just might be right about 3-D's potential -- or even worse, even after the target price cut, this banker might still be too optimistic.

Consider: Within the community of machinery analysts, Barclays' star shines brightly. According to our research on CAPS, the majority of this analyst's recommendations in the industry "work out." (Which is bad news for Joy Global (Nasdaq: JOYG  ) shareholders, too, because at the same time Barclays was cutting estimates on 3-D, it also shaved a couple bucks off its target for Joy.) Over the course of the three years we've been tracking its performance, Barclays has been right about Joy, right about fellow machinist Cummins (NYSE: CMI  ) , and very right about Chart Industries (Nasdaq: GTLS  ) , for example:

Add it all up, and over just three years of stockpicking, Barclays has racked up an astounding 1,250-percentage point lead over the S&P 500's performance in this single industry alone. And now, this ace machinery-stockpicker is taking a dimmer view of 3-D.

Too far, too fast?
What dimmed Barclays's optimistic view of 3-D? It's hard to say for sure, as none of the major media outlets seem to have keyed into this story yet. Perhaps, it's a simple matter of "rearview mirroring." After all, 3-D shares have tumbled $10 in value from their July highs near $27 a stub. A stumble like that is enough to shake anyone's confidence ...

Or perhaps it's the recent troubles at Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ  ) . As investors in the 3-D printing field know, Hewlett has been an ally of 3-D rival Stratasys (Nasdaq: SSYS  ) and an advocate for the whole idea of printing physical objects with your PC as an alternative to manufacturing them. But now, it seems HP intends to exit the PC realm entirely. That's potentially devastating news for Stratasys, which had counted on HP to help drive 500% sales growth of its printers over the next few years. If HP spins off its PC division, there's no guarantee it will keep the associated printer division -- or keep any interest in 3-D printing.

Foolish final thought
HP's exit could of course also have knock-on effects on 3-D, which loses a major industry advocate for the tech. But if that's the concern here, I think it's overblown. To me, there are at least two good reasons for 3-D shareholders to ignore Barclays's target price dip today. First and foremost, if HP's exit from PCs dings 3-D's business, it would likely savage Stratasys. The result would be 3-D getting to compete with a much-weakened rival -- and that would be good news for 3-D investors.

The second reason has to do with the same stock sell-off that may have spooked Barclays. Thanks to its plummeting stock price, 3-D now sports a market cap barely 24 times the size of its trailing earnings. Analysts on average, though, still expect 3-D to grow these earnings at 25% per year for the next five years. To me, that looks like a bargain price -- and if anything, a reason to raise price targets on the stock, not lower them.

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Source: http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2011/08/27/this-just-in-upgrades-and-downgrades.aspx

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