As I write this shortly after Thursday’s market close, it wasn’t clear how much — if any — of today’s plunge could be attributed to human or computer error, or illiquid electronic trading systems for that matter. The one thing we do know for sure: the Dow… Read More

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. Magna International’s (NYSE: MGA) efforts to buy Chrysler, as well as the Opel arm of GM failed. Had the company succeeded in buying one of those brands, Magna could well be producing massive operating losses right now. Instead, Magna has remained focused… Read More

In a bid to keep growing, some companies resort to a steady stream of acquisitions. But appearances can be quite deceptive, as these deals often come with newly-issued shares and/or rising debt, both of which can impede per-share profits from growing. This “inorganic growth”… Read More

The saying goes something like this: “I have two words for you, ‘real estate‘.” These days, a lot of people may feel that those are actually dirty words. However, there are many different kinds of real estate, and one kind that never goes out of fashion. It’s… Read More

For many years, Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) and Mattel (NYSE: MAT) turned in lackluster annual results, as sales and profits grew at a snail’s pace. Both of these toymakers only recently learned how to boost sales, cut costs and reduce the share count, but only one also took a page from… Read More

The economic slowdown was especially pronounced in the media and advertising industries as companies grew weary of promoting products to cash-strapped customers who weren’t going to buy their products anyway. But consumer spending has started to perk up, leading ad budgets to re-open. Large media companies are now speaking of… Read More

Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone has become a handy tool for driving directions. And Google’s (Nasdaq: GOOG) new Android phones actually gives away GPS directions for free. But anything that’s free is a real problem for anyone trying to charge for a product. So we shouldn’t be surprised to see Garmin… Read More

I’m not much of a country music fan. But I’ve always liked David Allan Coe’s rendition of You Never Even Called Me By My Name. As the lyrics tell us, the song was written by the late, great Steve Goodman, who considered it the perfect Country & Western song. Read More

Market volatility has recently moved to multi-year lows, leading to investor complacency. But it’s time to sit up and pay attention again: the Dow Jones is registering its third straight session of 150-point swings. That’s great for day traders and options players, but nerve-wracking for the buy-and-hold crowd. Read More

If you simply looked at the -20% drop in shares of Leapfrog (NYSE: LF) this morning, you’d think that the educational toy maker had lost its way. Yes, the company’s quarterly sales and profit results trailed forecasts, but they still represented a sharp improvement from year-ago results. Considering many investors had written this company off as a goner just 18 months ago when sales were in freefall and operating losses were seemingly open-ended, +42% year-over-year sales growth in the first quarter has to be considered a victory. Read More

If you simply looked at the -20% drop in shares of Leapfrog (NYSE: LF) this morning, you’d think that the educational toy maker had lost its way. Yes, the company’s quarterly sales and profit results trailed forecasts, but they still represented a sharp improvement from year-ago results. Considering many investors had written this company off as a goner just 18 months ago when sales were in freefall and operating losses were seemingly open-ended, +42% year-over-year sales growth in the first quarter has to be considered a victory. Of course, some of the shareholder base exiting the stock this morning jumped in when Leapfrog posted scorching results last quarter, which is the company’s seasonally most important period. But make no mistake, management has helped fuel a remarkable turnaround by maintaining investments in R&D that are now paying off. Rivals such as Mattel (NYSE: MAT) and Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) have had a number of years now to try and dethrone Leapfrog and its various “edutaining” platforms (the nexus of entertainment and education). Now that Leapfrog looks healthier – and not… Read More