Has Big Tobacco stumbled into a new growth market in electronic cigarettes? Well, sort of.  Use of e-cigarettes—which produced a smokeless water vapor infused with nicotine—is expected to more than double in 2013, which might ordinarily be good news for the major tobacco giants. Altria (NYSE:$MO), Reynolds American (NYSE:$RAI) and Lorillard (NYSE:$LO) are all active...Read More

Earlier this year, I commented that semiconductor titan Intel (Nasdaq:$INTC) was my favorite tobacco stock. I said this tongue-in-cheek, of course.  I am aware that Intel designs and manufactures microprocessors, not cigarettes.  But my point was simply that slow-growth (or even no-growth) investments, such as tobacco stocks, can be wildly profitable under the right conditions:...Read More

Life hasn’t gotten any easier for Big Tobacco.  Last week, Russia became the latest country to impose major new restrictions on smoking in public places.  Starting in June, Russians will no longer be able to smoke in restaurants, and cigarette advertising will be banned. I have my doubts as to how strictly the ban will...Read More

Almost exactly two years ago, I wrote a short piece on Hugh Hefner’s leveraged buyout of Playboy Enterprises and commented that the company was transitioning away from its adult media businesses and into licensing and brand management.  Essentially, founder Hugh Hefner wanted to turn his company into something like a Dolce and Gabbana, but with an...Read More

Constellation Brands (NYSE:$STZ), the world’s largest publically-trading winery, took an absolute beating yesterday when the U.S. Department of Justice torpedoed the Grupo Modelo (OTC:$GPMCF) – Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE:$BUD) merger on anti-competitive grounds. Given the wide variety of alcoholic beverage choices, the government’s move seems a little absurd.  Yes, roughly 80% of all beer drunk in...Read More