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New York Times (September 16)

2022/ 09/ 16 by jd in Global News

“Pessimism is deepening as bellwether companies like FedEx and General Electric warn of worsening economic and business conditions.” On Friday, stocks declined, “ending one of the worst weeks of the year for Wall Street.” This may just be the start of bad news. “A parade of prominent investors and corporate executives made it clear that they believed the worst was yet to come for the economy and financial markets.”

 

Wall Street Journal (October 7)

2013/ 10/ 08 by jd in Global News

“Billionaire Warren Buffett tossed lifelines to a handful of blue-chip companies during the financial crisis. Five years later the payoff on those deals is becoming clear: $10 billion and counting.” In terms of income before taxes, the investments to companies like Bank of America, Dow Chemical, General Electric, Goldman Sachs and Mars, have yielded Berkshire approximately 40%. Berkshire received an attractive premium, but provided the companies with critical capital and something even more valuable: “Mr. Buffett’s implicit endorsement of their long-term prospects. Shares of these companies generally went up after they revealed Berkshire’s involvement.”

 

The Economist (September 21)

2013/ 09/ 23 by jd in Global News

“Nine of the world’s ten most valuable firms are American.” A rising stock market and the euro crisis are partly responsible, but the reasons go deeper. “First, America’s mix of resilience and renewal. Three of its nine biggest firms have their roots in a 16-year period in the late 19th century—Exxon, General Electric and Johnson & Johnson. Their durability reflects their powerful corporate cultures. But the country still does creative destruction, too. IBM and Intel have slid down the rankings to be replaced by Apple and Google. Chevron, an energy firm, has gone from a laggard to a world-beater. Success has been anything but parochial. Six of the nine biggest firms sell more abroad than at home.”

 

Barrons (January 30)

2013/ 02/ 01 by jd in Global News

“Fracking is creating a new source of cheap energy. By 2020, the U.S. is expected to become the world’s largest energy producer. And the falling cost of natural gas (now about a third of Europe’s and less than a quarter of Japan’s) is attracting corporate attention. “After decades of outsourcing… companies like Apple, Caterpillar, Ford Motor, General Electric, and Whirlpool are making more of their goods on American soil again. It isn’t just U.S. companies that are drawn to our cheap energy, weak dollar, and stagnant wages. Samsung Electronics plans a $4 billion semiconductor plant in Texas, Airbus SAS is building a factory in Alabama, and Toyota wants to export minivans made in Indiana to Asia.”

 

The Economist (October 1)

2011/ 10/ 02 by jd in Global News

“Now the world’s biggest technology firm, measured by sales,” Samsung Electronics “makes more televisions than any other company.” Samsung is emerging as Asia’s version of General Electric, having “outstripped the Japanese firms it once mimicked.” But the secret of Samsung’s success is nothing new. Samsung is “a well-run family firm, with a strong culture and a focus on the long term, which has made good use of an indulgent state.”

“Now the world’s biggest technology firm, measured by sales,” Samsung Electronics “makes more televisions than any other company.” Samsung is emerging as Asia’s version of General Electric, having “outstripped the Japanese firms it once mimicked.” But the secret of Samsung’s success is nothing new. Samsung is “a well-run family firm, with a strong culture and a focus on the long term, which has made good use of an indulgent state.”

 

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