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

Back in June, I mused that Diageo (NYSE:$DEO), the maker of Johnny Walker Scotch whisky and other brands, was “The Ultimate 12- to 18-Year Investment.” It was, of course, a reference to the length of time that Scotch needs to be aged in order to be marketable (or drinkable).  Scotch can be officially be called...Read More

I look forward to Barron’s Roundtable every January.  It’s a collection of ten contrarian investors who seldom agree on anything—which is precisely why I find it valuable. Money managers and financial journalists are often prone to groupthink, and when they succumb to it they become useful only as contrary indicators.  Market insights only have value...Read More

With a little more than a week to go before BB10 hits the stores, Research in Motion (Nasdaq:$RIMM) has become a hot stock again.  The company that invented the smartphone may be reestablishing itself as a major player in mobile.  Or, we could be watching the biggest dead-cat bounce in history. As recently as this...Read More

What I’m about to say may sound absurd or even offensive.  But I think it is highly likely that Google (Nasdaq:$GOOG) will have disappeared by 2020—or at the very least changed to such an extent as to make it unrecognizable to readers today. I know, I know.  Google is so integral to modern life that...Read More