Last week, I suggested that Microsoft ($MSFT) would be the ultimate winner in the long war for dominance of the smartphone and tablet markets. Though Apple ($AAPL) dominates today, it has no real defensible “moats” that would prevent an aggressive competitor from muscling in on its turf. Consumers are notoriously fickle, and there is little to...Read More
Charles Sizemore gave his thoughts to the Wall Steet Journal’s Quentin Fottrell on George Lucas’ decision to sell his Star Wars film empire to Disney ($DIS) for $4.05 billion in cash and stock and what its implications are for financial and estate planning: By cashing out now, experts say the filmmaker spared his family the need...Read More
The New York Stock Exchange and other major U.S. markets are scheduled to reopen Wednesday after a two day hiatus—the first multi-day weather-related closure since the blizzard of 1888 and the first unscheduled closure since the September 11, 2011 terror attacks. With much of the East Coast a wreck, what should we expect when trading resumes...Read More
China’s slowdown looks to have bottomed out, at least for now. Third-quarter GDP grew by 7.4% , the lowest rate in three years, but in line with what economists were expecting. But most encouraging was the news that Chinese retail sales saw growth that was nearly double that figure at 14.4%. I’m not the biggest fan of China’s “managed capitalism,”...Read More
Apple ($AAPL) is getting most of the attention this morning due to its earnings release late yesterday. Two weeks ago, I asked “Is it time to dump Apple,” and I think the answer is increasingly “yes.” Though the company remains wildly profitable, earnings missed estimates this quarter, and there is a sneaking realization that Apple’s competitors...Read More
