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. …

What Caught Our Attention in the Investment World? – Week of December 23-27, 2019

By Kuldip K. Ambastha and Anil K. Ambastha HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYBODY! During this week of Christmas, Peloton Interactive, Inc. (PTON) and WW International, Inc. (formerly Weight Watchers International, Inc.) (WW) caught our eye. On Thursday, December 26, 2019 (the day after Christmas 2019), Peloton dropped by 6.1%, while WW International fell by 8.5%. Peloton is …

What Caught Our Attention in the Investment World? – Week of November 25-29, 2019

By Kuldip K. Ambastha and Anil K. Ambastha Best Buy Co., Inc. (BBY), a big-box electronics retailer business headquartered in Richfield, MN, delivered strong results for 3Q2019. During the quarter, the company exceeded expectations on many fronts, such as earnings, revenues, and same-store sales. The key product and service lines which performed well were tablets, …

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 23-27, 2019

By Kuldip K. Ambastha and Anil K. Ambastha BlackBerry Limited (BB) is a prominent Canadian company, previously known as “Research In Motion.” The general public knows BlackBerry Limited best as the developer of the BlackBerry brand of phones and tablets, but in more recent years the company now provides enterprise software and services. From 2001 …