Reading Time: 2 minutes VHS:blockbuster vs. DVD:Netflix This is the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) analogy I would use for movie rental companies Blockbuster (NYSE:BBI) and Netflix (Nasdaq:NFLX). The popularity of VHS tape made the success of Blockbuster, as I read from Wiki, the first Blockbuster movie rental store was established in Dallas in 1985 (24 years ago). By similar
Reading Time: 2 minutes I started Financial Times subscription this week. Last week, I took advantage an offer (or a bait) of $49 for 6 months subscription. I have subscribed and read FT in the past (a few years ago when I did not know much about finance). The main reason is my WSJ and Barrons subscription are expiring,
Reading Time: < 1 minute I read two news this week, which makes me think this is coming. Keep in mind many local governments are upside down in terms of budget and debts, any tax revenue helps. Collecting tax revenue from online merchants in remote places like Seattle (HQ of Amazon) is a convenient choice. Expedia (Nasdaq: EXPE) tax lawsuit
Reading Time: < 1 minute Yesterday President Obama announced he is going to support the Tobacco bill (details by AP). Ironically the President was (is?) a smoker himself.
Reading Time: < 1 minute For some of the auto dealers in this country. I know this title is a bit misleading, but it’s no worse than those “attention getting” balloons flying outside of car dealerships π
Reading Time: 2 minutes I remember a few years ago Warren expressed his dismal view on Newspapers future (in his annual shareholder letter). A few days ago Redstone (the controlling shareholder of CBS and Viacom) said something similar in an interview. “The reason we have not gone to newspapers is because its a slow growth industry and I think
Reading Time: 2 minutes (Update 23Apr09) It seems Obama administration is going to make credit card more consumer friendly (marketWatch). So are they going to socialize the credit card: I mean, you and me (i.e., honest guys) pay the credit cards on time each month, will bail out the deadbeats, after we bailed out the Wall Street ??? We
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chinese solar stocks are on the fire these days, mostly due to the Chinese goverment subsidy news (like this one). For me, this solar thing is ONS, not for long term investments at this time. The most worrisome thing for solar, is not the over-supply (competition), is not the volatility of raw material cost (as
Reading Time: 2 minutes We all know GM is in trouble financially. Its stock (NYSE:GM) is around $6, a 50 years low. A lot pundits made fun of GM and its stock on TV or the web space. But I have a different feeling for GM. Among many reasons, I think of two: 1) In graduate school I worked
Reading Time: < 1 minute Company web page; Google Finance; Yahoo Finance; quick facts on Trane unit. 2Q 2008 results (Bloomberg), released on Aug 1. ====== Ingersoll-Rand Co., the maker of Thermo King and Hussmann refrigeration equipment, said second- quarter profit rose 26 percent after acquiring air conditioner- maker Trane Inc. Profit from continuing operations climbed to $262.5 million, or
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