While Microsoft seems to be making some solid progress, the regime of Steve Ballmer has been further tarnished by today’s announcement that the company is writing off $6.2 billion in their online services division.  This loss is the result of Ballmer’s $6.3 billion acquisition of AQuantive which was an internet-advertising software provider.  Ballmer was given...Read More

Yesterday Microsoft (MSFT) unveiled its own table to compete with the IPad.  This marks a huge change in strategy as Microsoft will be increasing the size of its bets on making hardware, which is a much lower margin business than their core software business.  I think technology has changed in a way where software companies...Read More

There is no doubt that RIMM has really dug a hole for itself with the huge lag between new products.  Blackberry 10 must hit it big or the company will likely be sold.  I still believe the company makes a lot of sense for a buyer such as a Microsoft who could expand their mobile...Read More

Barnes & Noble Inc. (BKS) and its Nook product became a lot more viable this morning, after Microsoft invested $300 MM into a subsidiary holding the Nook college books business.  The implied valuation of the entity is $2 billion.  I don’t think that the Nook would have lasted without a company with more clout and...Read More

Research in Motion (RIMM) is in talks to hire a financial advisor to evaluate the best way to monetize their assets.  I think that this is a very positive development and that the company should be very proactive in reevaluating their options.  Patent sales and operating system licensing seem to be quite attractive options, and...Read More

RIMM came out with lackluster earnings today as expected.  This is going to be a rough year for the company as we await their new phone which won’t be out until later this year.  I think the WSJ did a great job outlining a few of the likely suitors for RIMM.  I think Microsoft and...Read More

This article http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2012/03/21/6-reasons-why-i-dont-invest-in-the-u-s-stock-market/3/ in Fortune shows some key differences in how non-value investors look at the market versus how we do.  I’m going to address the authors 6 reason below: 1) Retirement Savings- The author cites the fact that the market has been flat over the last 15 years because so much retirement money has come into...Read More

On December 19th I sent out an email discussing the unbelievably cheap valuations that we were seeing, which you can see from the forwarded email below.  This is just a quick update on how they are faring.  The point is not to get overly excited, just as we don’t want to get overly pessimistic when...Read More

Today there is a very interesting article on http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-30/longest-s-p-500-valuation-slump-since-nixon-discounting-record-u-s-profit.html showing the immense pessimism priced into US equities, exhibited by the extremely low price/earnings ratios.  Markets go from periods of pessimism to periods of exuberance, but what is striking about the last several years is that at no point has the market rallied to a point...Read More

With 2011 coming to a close I think it is very important to lay out our views going into 2012, and how that will affect our investment strategies.  2011 was a very difficult year that saw some of the most successful investors Warren Buffett, Bill Gross, Bruce Berkowitz, John Paulson, Martin Whitman, among many others...Read More