What Caught Our Attention in the Investment World? – Week of April 5-9, 2021

By Kuldip K. Ambastha Blink Charging Co. (BLNK) is a company in the electric vehicle (EV) space, focused on operating and providing EVs, charging equipment, and networked EV charging services. On Thursday, April 8, 2021, the company’s stock returned +12.9% for the trading day. Blink’s large stock gain on this trading day was driven by …

What Caught Our Attention in the Investment World? – Week of March 1-5, 2021

By Kuldip K. Ambastha Rocket Companies, Inc. (RKT) was in the news during this past trading week. Rocket Companies is a Detroit, MI-based holding company which owns many underlying personal finance and consumer service brands. Rocket Companies prides itself on providing exceptional customer experiences through online solutions aiding the ultimate goals of home ownership and …

What Caught Our Attention in the Investment World? – Week of December 7-11, 2020

By Kuldip K. Ambastha The past trading week was a big one for the initial public offering (IPO) market sector. Airbnb, Inc. (ABNB), C3.ai, Inc. (AI), and DoorDash Inc. (DASH) all had massive IPOs. Airbnb is an online marketplace for rental properties, C3.ai is an enterprise artificial intelligence software-as-a-service applications provider, and DoorDash is a …

What Caught Our Attention in the Investment World? – Week of November 30-December 4, 2020

By Kuldip K. Ambastha On Thursday, December 3, 2020, CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (CRWD) had a +13.6% return for the day. The company delivered a $0.08 adjusted earnings per share figure for 3Q2020, well above the expected consensus estimate of $0.00. The cybersecurity company CrowdStrike Holdings has been successful during the current global coronavirus pandemic era. …

What Caught Our Attention in the Investment World? – Week of October 5-9, 2020

By Kuldip K. Ambastha Morgan Stanley (MS) and Eaton Vance Corporation (EV) were in the news prominently in this past trading week. In a deal of cash plus stock, Morgan Stanley will be buying Eaton Vance Corporation for $7 billion. James Gorman, head of Morgan Stanley, announced this deal on Thursday, October 8, 2020. (On …

What Caught Our Attention in the Investment World? – Week of August 24 – 28, 2020

By Kuldip K. Ambastha On Wednesday, August 26, 2020, the stock of Salesforce.com, Inc. (CRM) had a pop of 26.0%. The stock posted smaller positive and negative returns during other days of the trading week. Strong 2Q2020 results drove the 26.0% gain in one day. For the first time, in 2Q2020 Salesforce.com, Inc. had more …

What Caught Our Attention in the Investment World? – Week of July 20 – 24, 2020

By Kuldip K. Ambastha In this past week, BJ Services LLC and Ascena Retail Group (ASNA) both announced their bankruptcies. BJ Services LLC provides its services to oil & gas companies focused on North American exploration & production, and is voluntarily filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This company intends to sell its assets, and its …

GDP Contraction, the Fed, and the Dow Jones – Week of April 27 – May 1, 2020

By Kuldip K. Ambastha The Dow Jones had three down and two up days this week. The coronavirus pandemic has continued to wreak havoc all around the world, and the American capital markets were affected. During 1Q2020, the USA’s GDP (gross domestic product) annualized contraction rate was 4.8%. This figure was announced on Wednesday, April …

Retail Sales and Factory Output – Week of April 13-17, 2020

By Kuldip K. Ambastha The coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc all around the world. In the USA, retail sales declined by 8.7%, making for a record decline. The previous record was 3.9% in November 2008, during the Great Recession / global financial crisis (GFC) era. Clothing and accessories sales declined 50.5%. Food services and …

What Caught Our Attention in the Investment World? – Week of January 27-31, 2020

By Kuldip K. Ambastha and Anil K. Ambastha Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) caught our attention this week due to a massive reported profit figure. Its quarterly profit figure of $3.3 billion for the most recent quarter exceeded its $3.0 billion figure from one year ago. The $87.4 billion sales figure was also impressive and exceeded expectations. …