Finance

Just a year ago I wrote that Q2 2018 was a wonderful quarter with GDP jumping 4.3 percent. However, I suggested that the hyperbole coming out of the Trump administration that we're roaring back to a 4+ percent growth economy was just that. Hyperbole. Most economists believed that this positive blip was a result of the new tax breaks and a minimal increase in wages, a proverbial one-off, which, indeed, it was. They believed that the blip would settle back into a 2 to 2.5 percent economy, which, indeed, it did. And since 70 percent of our GDP is …

The Economy: Drums of Uncertainty Beat Louder and CloserRead More

Why have investors gone nuts for Beyond Meat, the maker of a vegetable-based meat alternative? And "nuts" is an apt term. Beyond had its IPO in May at $25 per share that raised $240 million for Beyond and gave it a market valuation of $1.5 billion. That's good enough for a new company, but it's not the end of the story. Shortly thereafter, the stock price blew the roof off by increasing rapidly to as much as $234 by the end of July. That's really good for a company that has never turned a profit and has limited availability of its …

Wall Street Quandary: Investing in New FoodRead More

Is the retail industry, and for that matter, all consumer-facing industries in denial? Actually I think they have not yet detected the real cancer, soon to metastasize. A lot of the coverup has been perpetuated by politicians and some economists who continue to declare that we've had the longest economic recovery in the history of recessions. Some would say it's the slowest recovery ever, with GDP growth wobbling around 2 to 2.5 percent annually over the ten years since the Great Recession, compared to 3 to 6 percent growth following WWII, …

The Rise and Fall of the Middle Class: A Retail CancerRead More

What does Eddie "fast buck" Lampert have to do with this? Before I get to the significance of the title of this article and HBC's "go private plan," I stated in an article way back in 2014 that Richard Baker is a brilliant real estate mogul and that Eddie "brilliant financier" Lampert should hire him. A bit of tongue-in-cheek, I said "Now that Eddie "sell the assets" Lampert is turning his dying retail business into a real estate play, he should retain Richard Baker as a consultant. If Lampert can afford him. Of course, Richard doesn't need …

Richard Baker is my Name – Real Estate is my GameRead More

Eddie "abracadabra" Lampert is like a dog with a rag in its mouth playing tug-a-war with its master. He just won't let go. When he acquired Sears and Kmart in the early 2000s, he was publicly trumpeting that he was going to return them back to their rightful positions as great iconic American brands. He did just the opposite. With not a glimmer of vision, zero knowledge about retailing, and terrible leadership, Kmart is "now you see it, now you don't" kaput. And with sleight of hand, Eddie is turning Sears' agonizingly slow and painful death …

One More Rabbit Out of One More HatRead More