What Caught Our Attention in the Investment World? – Week of May 4-8, 2020

By Kuldip K. Ambastha During this week, both J.Crew and Neiman Marcus announced their respective bankruptcy filings. The retail industry has been on fragile ground for many years now, and the coronavirus pandemic has pushed both of these companies into bankruptcy. Due to the public health issues around the coronavirus, brick-and-mortar retailers have had to …

What Caught Our Attention in the Investment World? – Week of April 6-10, 2020

By Kuldip K. Ambastha Carnival Corporation (CCL) is well-known as a cruise operator and as a prominent travel / leisure company. This British-American company has struggled recently due to the coronavirus pandemic seen worldwide. However, during this week, the company had strong days on Monday, April 6, 2020 and Tuesday, April 7, 2020, returning 20.3% …

What Caught Our Attention in the Investment World? – Week of February 17-21, 2020

By Kuldip K. Ambastha and Anil K. Ambastha On Tuesday, February 18, 2020, Franklin Resources, Inc. (BEN) and Legg Mason, Inc. (LM) made big headlines. Legg Mason returned 24.4% for the day, while Franklin Resources (AKA: Franklin Templeton) returned 6.9%. Why? Franklin Resources is buying Legg Mason, in an all-cash deal valued at $4.5 billion. …

What Caught Our Attention in the Investment World? – Week of February 10-14, 2020

By Kuldip K. Ambastha and Anil K. Ambastha On Monday, February 10, 2020, Taubman Centers, Inc. (TCO) was a star performer for the day with its return of 53.2%. A combination of strong quarterly and annual results plus an acquisition offer from Simon Property Group, Inc. (SPG) led to this impressive return. 4Q2019 adjusted funds …

What Caught Our Attention in the Investment World? – Week of January 6-10, 2020

By Kuldip K. Ambastha and Anil K. Ambastha On Monday, January 6, 2020, the stock of SmileDirectClub Inc. (SDC) rose by 21.6%. SmileDirectClub specializes in the teledentistry sector, and has its headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee. SmileDirectClub has announced a deal with Walmart Inc. (WMT) to sell its products inside Walmart stores plus on the Walmart …

What Caught Our Attention in the Investment World? – Week of December 9-13, 2019

By Kuldip K. Ambastha and Anil K. Ambastha On Monday, December 9, 2019, big news emerged in the mergers & acquisitions field in terms of Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) buying ArQule, Inc. (ARQL) and Sanofi SA (SNY) buying Synthorx Inc. (THOR). Both Merck and Sanofi bought the smaller companies to enhance their capabilities in …

What Caught Our Attention in the Investment World? – Week of October 14-18, 2019

By Kuldip K. Ambastha and Anil K. Ambastha During this trading week, JP Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) was a star performer. Specifically, the company delivered on many fronts, in terms of strong underwriting data, an increase in mortgage banking activities, significant bond trading income, substantial wholesale and credit card loans, and positive home lending …

What Caught Our Attention in the Investment World? – Week of September 30-October 4, 2019

By Anil K. Ambastha and Kuldip K. Ambastha On September 26, Interactive Brokers (IBKR) announced a new IBKR Lite service effective from October that will feature unlimited, commission-free trades of U.S.-listed stocks and exchange traded funds (ETFs) along with no account minimum or inactivity fee. This news caused only a mild reaction on September 26 …

What Caught Our Attention in the Investment World? – Week of September 16-20, 2019

By Kuldip K. Ambastha and Anil K. Ambastha After reporting earnings results for the first quarter of its 2020 fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the shares of FedEx (FDX), a package-delivery company, dropped by 12.9% on September 18. This drop is its biggest one-day percentage drop since the global financial crisis of 2008 and …

What Caught Our Attention in the Investment World? – Week of July 29-August 2, 2019

By Anil K. Ambastha and Kuldip K. Ambastha The second-quarter earnings report and guidance process parade is continuing. This week, reports from engineering and construction companies such as McDermott International (MDR) and Fluor Corporation (FLR) reflected large losses, revenue misses, and uncertain futures. Following its earnings report, shares of McDermott International (MDR) dropped 35.3% on …