2018 is shaping up to become another year during which our selected small caps get cashed out by takeover bids. We had only one such takeover in 2017, of Stada Artzneimittel, a German generic drug producer, by a hedge fund pair which still owe us money because the final price paid to German shareholders significantly…
After 22 straight quarters or nearly six years of revenue decline, IBM (NYSE: IBM) has finally managed to break this streak. IBM’s Financials Revenues for the fourth quarter grew 4% to $22.5 billion, beating analyst estimates of $22.06 billion. Non GAAP EPS of $5.18 was also better than the Street’s estimate of $5.17. However, a…
Currencies do not always behave as they should, and today’s U.S. dollar is a good case in point. By all accounts the U.S. dollar should be on the ascendency, yet it has experienced a steady erosion over the past 12 months and continues to exhibit weakness compared to the other major currencies (Figure 1). The…
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. announced that Arthur C. Martinez will step down as Executive Chairman of its Board of Directors at the conclusion of its fiscal year ending February 3, 2018 in connection with his plans to retire as a Director and not stand for re-election at the company’s 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders in…
The economy’s rate of growth was little changed based on the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) 3 month moving (3MA) average – but economic growth remains significantly above the historical trend rate of growth. Analyst Opinion of the CFNAI This Month The single month index which is not used for economic forecasting which unfortunately…
Rarely can two economists of such eminence have been made to look foolish so quickly. In 2015, Robert J. Gordon wrote a book proclaiming that the lousy productivity growth that we had seen in recent years was the best we could expect, and in January 2016 Paul Krugman reviewed it enthusiastically in the New York…
Thus far fourth-quarter earnings season is confirming what most investors had wanted to hear, lower tax rates are likely to boost profits and may even percolate into the broader economy. But it’s the guidance from companies, especially regarding the tax cut, that investors will continue to closely monitor. “We are finally hearing from companies themselves…
Even though mining stocks closed last week below the Jan. 2 close and silver even declined below the Dec 31, 2017 close, gold moved higher. It’s not far from this year’s top either. So, is all well and are bullish gold price forecasts justified? Not necessarily. In today’s article, we show you two reasons why it’s a…
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) is a storied retailer that has grown dividends for 42 years. Bob Ciura recently highlighted Walgreens in the Dividend Aristocrats in Focus series. And in 2016, our own Ben Reynolds wrote about Walgreens on gurufocus. But, 2017 was tough year for Walgreens. It was tough, because of strategic uncertainties including questions over Rite…
UBS Group AG (UBS – Free Report) reported fourth-quarter 2017 net profit attributable to shareholders of CHF 955 million ($967.7 million) on an adjusted basis, up around 25.2% from the prior-year quarter. Results exclude deferred tax expense. Including deferred tax expense, net loss attributable to shareholders came in at CHF 2.2 billion ($2.23 billion) compared with net income…
