Category Archives: General

Big Blue Buyback –

Posted on 6. November 2010 by Jim Sutliff

IBM has announced an aggressive stock buyback plan and recently added $10 billion to the effort.  The company also plans to reserve more funds for stock repurchase activity in April.  Currently, IBM is trading around $140 per share which is near … Continue reading →

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Republican Stock Market?

Posted on 4. November 2010 by Jim Sutliff

The sweeping victories by the Republicans may serve to keep the bulls running in the market.  The House is now solidly controlled by the Republicans and Democratic control of the Senate has been watered down a great deal.  Democrats in … Continue reading →

Posted in Banking, Bonds, Currency, Democrat, Economic News, General, Hedge Funds, Investments, Political News, Private Equity, Regulatory, Republican, Stocks, Tax, Venture Capital | Leave a comment

Stock Market Rises –

Posted on 2. November 2010 by Jim Sutliff

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 74 points on the day with investors focused on the election and the Federal Reserve.  The expectation that Republicans will make gains in both the House and Senate are part of the reason … Continue reading →

Posted in Banking, Bonds, Democrat, Economic News, General, Investments, Political News, Regulatory, Republican, Stocks | Leave a comment

Corporate Accounting –

Posted on 31. October 2010 by Jim Sutliff

Investors should always be on the lookout for accounting tricks that skew corporate earnings.  Changing the revenue recognition policy is one way that a company can alter their earnings.  Green Mountain has received attention from investors after the announcement of … Continue reading →

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Market Waits For Election –

Posted on 30. October 2010 by Jim Sutliff

The stock market slowed down at the end of the week as many investors wait for the election results.  Tuesday could bring a split Congress or Republican control of both houses.  Currently, Republicans are expected to win more than the … Continue reading →

Posted in Banking, Democrat, General, Investments, Options & Futures, Political News, Republican | Leave a comment

Estate Tax Prepayment –

Posted on 27. October 2010 by Jim Sutliff

Senator Maria Cantwell has proposed a plan that would allow taxpayers to prepay estate taxes.  The Democratic Senator is expected to have some level of support for the plan from Republicans and fellow Democrats.  The prepayment proposal would create an … Continue reading →

Posted in Banking, Economic News, Education, General, Political News, Regulatory, Tax | Leave a comment

Solar Outlook –

Posted on 20. October 2010 by Jim Sutliff

VentureBeat has an article that discusses the outlook for the solar power sector in America.  The article provides funding statistics, public support numbers, and current production figures.  A comparison with Germany is mentioned to highlight the success that subsidies have had … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Banking, General, Infrastructure, Investments, Private Equity, Regulatory, Venture Capital | Leave a comment

Natural Gas Bounces Back –

Posted on 19. October 2010 by Jim Sutliff

Natural gas bounced back a little and settled up 8.2 cents for the trading day.  Natural gas is near a 13 month low and that helped to spark interest that it may be oversold.  Weather forecasts for cooler temps in … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, General, Investments, Natural Gas, Options & Futures | Leave a comment

VC Funding Falls –

Posted on 15. October 2010 by Jim Sutliff

Venture Capital funding fell 7.3%  in third quarter from a year earlier.  According to a report from the National Venture Capital Association and PriceWaterhouseCoopers, firms invested $4.82 billion in the quarter.  Clean technology saw the steepest decline falling 32% from … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Banking, General, Investments, Private Equity, Regulatory, Tax, Venture Capital | Leave a comment

AOL & Yahoo! –

Posted on 13. October 2010 by Jim Sutliff

AOL is considering making an offer for Yahoo! along with a number of private equity firms.  The interest in Yahoo! makes the firm appear to be up for grabs in a potential bidding war.  The recent departure of some senior executives … Continue reading →

Posted in Banking, General, Investments, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity, Stocks | Leave a comment

Currency War –

Posted on 9. October 2010 by Jim Sutliff

The International Monetary Fund has been asked by financial leaders to play a larger role in currency valuations.  Currency intervention is necessary to avoid nations from using their currency as a financial weapon.  Emerging markets are the main culprits when … Continue reading →

Posted in Banking, Currency, Economic News, General, Investments | Leave a comment

Relief Rally?

Posted on 3. October 2010 by Jim Sutliff

CNN Money has an article on the recent rally in the stock market.  One analyst described the September market surge as a relief rally.  The market had built in low expectations and any economic data that didn’t point towards a … Continue reading →

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3i Group Plc –

Posted on 30. September 2010 by Jim Sutliff

Private equity firm 3i Group Plc has seen an increase in new deal activity.  Total investments for the firm jumped 65% for the year.  The firm also made a move towards the asset management business with a deal for Mizuho Investment Management.  To … Continue reading →

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Market Data –

Posted on 27. September 2010 by Jim Sutliff

The next two weeks of economic data could lead to significant movement in the markets.  The GDP consensus will be released on Thursday and personal income statistics and manufacturing numbers will be released on Friday.  The Dow Jones started the … Continue reading →

Posted in Banking, Bonds, Currency, Economic News, Gasoline, General, Investments, Metals, Natural Gas, Oil, Options & Futures, Stocks | Leave a comment

Oil Declines On Refinery Ops –

Posted on 21. September 2010 by Jim Sutliff

Crude oil dropped $1.69 due to an expected decline in refinery activity.  Refineries are expected to run at a lower capacity rate which will have the effect of increasing the supply of crude.  Currently, petroleum supplies are almost at a … Continue reading →

Posted in Gasoline, General, Investments, Oil, Options & Futures | Leave a comment