Lou Gutheil

I don’t like Walmart.  I used to work for a major supplier for Walmart.  If you can’t learn to hate Walmart as a customer, I guarantee you will learn to hate it as a supplier.  It has done more harm to mom and pop stores of all kinds that any other company – ever.  The […]

Today is 02 May 2013.  What a day it is for the mining industry in general and for Glencore (LSE:GLEN) and Xstrata (LSE:XTA). As we reported on 16 April, the lengthy process of the merger of Glencore International and Xstrata has been consummated as anticipated.  Finally. The new company, Glencore Xstrata plc, with an estimated […]

Royal Dutch Shell (LSE:RDSA) investors were pleasantly surprised today when the company filed its First Quarter results.  Analysts had anticipated adjusted earnings to come in at, or near, the $6.5 billion mark, which would have been $800 million less than the first quarter of 2012.  Instead, Shell reported an increase year-on-year of 3% from $7.3 […]

Some folks believe that George Osborne stepped a bit over a political “red line” when he gave instruction to Sir Mervyn King and the Financial Policy Committee (FPC) of the Bank of England to focus on short-term growth as opposed to financial stability.  King responded to the seemingly unusual demand, saying that the FPC would […]

I’m usually pretty hard on Lloyds (LSE:LLOY), I believe, rightfully so, in light of how the bank has conducted itself over the last decade.  On the other hand, there is no sport in kicking a man who is trying to get back up. When Lloyds released its First Quarter results this morning, its share price […]

Shaft Sinkers (LSE:SHFT) is a support services supplier to the mining industry.  It is not currently highly capitalized at a mere £18.76 million, with its stock trading in the 40.0 pence range since October 2012.  Its share price on 27 April 2012 was 101.0 whilst on 27 April 2011 it had been at its high of […]

The mining sector has enough problems of its own without the publicity that BUMI (LSE:BUMI) and Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (LSE:ENRC) have been providing lately. BUMI, conceived by Nathaniel Rothschild, has captured more in the way of headlines than in the way of investor confidence in the last 12 months.  A very public battle with […]

Cobham (LSE:COB), Chemring (LSE:CHG) and Senior (LSE:SNR) have help boost the Aerospace & Defence market sector in the last two days.  COB share price was up by 2.06% to 247.50, CHG by 2.3% to 274.00, and Senior by 48% to 251.60.    All three led the Aerospace & Defence sector, which was up by 0.54% […]

Lloyds Banking Group (LSE:LLOY) has a small problem. Question:  When is the best time to sell something? Answer:  When someone wants to buy it. Situation:  Lloyds Banking Group needs to sell 630+  bank branches. Problem:  No one wants to buy them. In December 2011 the news was that the Co-Operative Group was the preferred bidder […]

Is it just me or is HSBC (LSE:HSBA) more adept at shooting itself in the foot than most other banks?  Or have they simply understood something that the rest of us have only guessed at? That “little people” are irrelevant. In a span of less than 24 hours, the bank has announced 3,166 workers, i.e., […]