There has been much debate recently regarding the need for a "systemic risk regulator" empowered with the ability to take corrective action to prevent the types of dangerous episodes that have become the norm over the past year. Read this ...
Carol Loomis has written a "must read" article on derivatives which appears in the July 6 issue of Fortune Magazine as well as online at Fortune.com. At a time when regulation of derivatives is a major focus in Washington, it ...
In a CNBC interview today, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett stated that the economy is not "moving yet" and that "green shoots" were not yet visible. Mr. Buffett joked that he was hoping the cataract operation on his ...
The Department of Energy announced that Ford would received $5.5 billion in loans meant to modify factories to make more fuel efficient vehicles. In my opinion, most government driven attempts at industrial policy are destined to fail, but in the ...
In this Fox Business News interview, Rev. Cecil Williams of The Glide Foundation discusses the history behind Warren Buffett's annual charity auction on EBay. Each year, Mr. Buffett sets up an auction where he agrees to have lunch with the ...
Today, I reviewed Value Line's latest coverage of the Property/Casualty Insurance Industry. I spent a bit more time on Progressive than on most of the other company profiles. I have not followed Progressive in great detail in the past other ...
I wrote about the introduction of Berkshire Hathaway options on the CBOE on Wednesday. Now that more details are available and trading has begun, it is interesting to take a brief look at how these option contracts may be utilized ...
CNBC interviewed US Bancorp CEO Richard Davis regarding his bank's repayment of TARP funds. In addition, Mr. Davis talks about retiring the ten year warrants that were issued as part of the TARP arrangement and projects that US Bancorp will ...
Bloomberg has reported that the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) will begin offering options contracts on Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares starting tomorrow. While options can occasionally be useful for hedging risks or engaging in arbitrage opportunities, they are also ...
In late May, I posted an interview with Ford Motor Company's Chairman Bill Ford regarding the company's plans for battery technology. CNBC interviewed Ford's CEO Alan Mulally today. Topics covered include Ford's product lineup, plans for hybrid vehicles, the impact ...
In what appears to be a downgrade based mostly on a macro call for economic recovery, Goldman Sachs downgraded Wal-Mart stores today from "buy" to "neutral" and lowered the price target on the stock to $56 from $58. While I ...
In this Fox Business News video, Iscar Chairman Eitan Wertheimer comments on the impact of the global recession on his company. Mr. Wertheimer discusses how lower automobile production will impact Iscar as well as his ability to avoid layoffs up ...
Clayton Homes, a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary, has been the subject of several articles on this site over the past few months. Clayton Homes maintained a very admirable track record related to mortgage financing throughout the housing bubble and, as a ...
James Grant, publisher of Grant's Interest Rate Observer, appeared on CNBC today and commented on Federal Reserve policy and his outlook for interest rates and inflation. I found the following quote to be particularly interesting. Interested readers should view the ...
MidAmerican's Chairman David Sokol was interviewed by Bloomberg today in Washington. Mr. Sokol has been advocating for the elimination of the concept of trading carbon credits which is a central feature of the "cap and trade" system that is currently ...
Muhtar Kent was named CEO of Coca Cola in 2008 and was recently named Chairman of the Board of Directors. I have not had an opportunity to listen to Mr. Kent speak about the company in the past and found ...
The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) held a conference on June 8 to address a number of important issues facing the municipal bond industry. SIFMA's President and CEO Timothy Ryan made opening remarks regarding the challenges facing municipal ...
I have been researching various companies in the field of medical supplies and devices in recent days given that many companies in the sector have yet to fully participate in the recent stock market rally and trade at lower valuations ...
Anyone who has been paying attention to discussions related to energy policy over the past few years has been hearing about a new "smart grid" that has the potential to play a major role in meeting the energy requirements of ...
Roger Lowenstein's work has been discussed in some detail on The Rational Walk over the past few months. Lowenstein is the author of Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist which was reviewed last month. More recently, he wrote While ...