Lou Gutheil

We all know the axiom that “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” But have you ever noticed how, when one person lights up, someone else inevitably does too? That’s what happened today when Imperial Tobacco ( LSE:IMT) lit up the news that it was hoping to acquire some brands currently the property of Lorillard (NYSE:LO) and […]

The National Audit Office pulled no punches when it released its report by its comptroller and Auditor General entitled “The Privatisation of Royal Mail.” (LSE:RMG) Maintaining a modicum of politeness, Amyas Morse, head of the office, said, “The Department was very keen to achieve its objective of selling Royal Mail, and was successful in getting […]

Borrowing from the film, Poltergeist, “They’re baaaaack.” Just moments ago, Abbvie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV) put another offer on the table to acquire UK-based specialty pharmaceutical company, Shire Plc (LSE:SHP). AbbVie’s previous offer, made in June, was unequivocally rejected by Shire’s board of directors. Today’s offer is the fourth attempt by AbbVie to draw...

At this point in time it is no surprise to anyone that the crisis in Iraq is capable of spilling over into other regions. The situation is complex, to say the least, and it has economic implications far beyond the massive loss of lives. For each death, the fortunes of families, regardless of how meager […]

The Tullow Oil share price (LSE:TLW) has taken a beating over the last 12 months, having dropped from a high of 1,125 in July 2013 to below 750 as of mid-April 2014. The share price volatility is typical of mining and energy exploration stocks. In just the past 30 days Tullow shares have been in […]

Janet Yellen has held the office of Chairwoman of the U.S. Federal Reserve for barely six months. Although any change following Ben Bernanke’s tenure would have been certain to engender more change than just the chairmanship itself, Yellen stunned economists and investors today in “the clearest statement yet that the new U.S. central bank chief […]

It’s not even the Fourth of July yet, but the fireworks have already begun. The S&P has done it again, posting its longest streak of quarterly gains since 1998. And, just before noon EDT in New York, it appears that the rally is not yet over . Just 15 minutes ago. at 11:44 am, the S&P Index […]

If you think you have ever been confused, you should be glad you’re not an investor in GlaxoSmithKlein (LSE:GSK) (NYSE:GSK). They are REALLY confused. The admixture of good news, bad news and worse news is an analyst’s nightmare and it’s hitting investors like a punch-drunk boxer after taking a right cross to the cheek followed […]

There was so much going on today, I couldn’t settle on just one item. Instead, I thought I would highlight what has been happening to the share prices and the shareholders of Rolls Royce (LSE:RR.), Tesco (LSE:TSCO), Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE:RBS) and Tencent Holdings (HKX:700). Rolls Royce Shares in Rolls Royce gained 2.2% to […]

Barclays share price got a well-deserved, swift kick in the seat of its pants today as it dropped 6.52% on the London Exchange (LSE:BARC) and is down 6.75% on the New York Exchange (NYSE:BCS) as of 2:44 EDT.  The Barclays share price hit a 19-month low on the LSE, closing at 215.00, and reducing its […]