Lou Gutheil

Amerisur’s (LSE:AMER) share price has reversed a slight 2-month downward trend, with a 20% increase over the end of trading last Friday, 28 September.  Trading at 40.00 around the noon hour today, is only 2.00 pence short of its 5-year high of 42.00.  One year ago, on 04 October 2011, the stock was trading at […]

When playing the natural resource development game, BHP Billiton (LSE:BLT) is like a Grand Master who has earned a special bonus.  In a world when the company is virtually unbeatable on even ground, the horizontally-integrated giant plays chess with a different set of rules.  If controlling the board is the object of the game (last […]

African Barrick Gold (LSE:ABG) share price was up over 10 pence to 460.7  in early trading on the LSE this morning. Although the price eased back to 457.8 during the noon hour, it is still above yesterday’s close of 455.00.  The share price has been on the rise since 23 July when it reached a […]

Just one day after Michael Wheatley warned the UK banking sector that they have yet to see below the waterline of the iceberg that is looming before them in the form of the FCA, Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE:RBS) CEO Stephen Hester has taken the high ground, indicating that he intends to steer the titanic […]

The decades-old Carpenter’s hit “We’ve Only Just Begun” has become Martin Wheatley’s favorite song.  He likes to hum it in a minor key so that any bankers who hear him will sense that something major and ominous is coming.  They would be right.  For some, it’s going to be game over, once Wheatley gets the […]

Security services giant G4S (LSE:GFS) suffered through the summer, not winning any medals for its less-than-stellar Olympic performance.  Over the last 30 days, however, the company appears to be getting back into shape.  It issued what was at least a bronze medal half-yearly report on 28 August and should win a gold for their announcement […]

Lloyds (LSE:LLOY), RBS (LSE:RBS) and Barclays (LSE:BARC), always leaders in the banking industry are leading it in an unenviable and potentially disastrous category:  PPI miss-selling complaints. The complaints The FSA reported this morning that overall complaints had risen a whopping 129% in the first six months of 2012.  With more than 2,230,000 complaints in the […]

Institution broker and investment bank, Panmure Gordon (LSE:PMR) published its first half results for 2012 earlier today.  It’s share price rose nearly 10% to 11.50 in early trading before retreating steadily throughout the morning hours to 10.75 by early afternoon.  It’s likely that new CEO, Phillip Wale, was expecting a much more significant response following […]

RBS (LSE:RBS) Group CEO Stephen Hester presented a progress report on the restructuring process of the bank at a conference in London.  He concluded that RBS “is nearing the point of becoming a recovered bank, and well on the way to becoming a good bank.” His PowerPoint presentation demonstrated milestones reached, and objectives yet to reach […]

“See the guy at the end of the bar?  Did ya notice that he has taken nary a sip?  See how his head is leaning over his glass?  Look closer.  He’s not drinking.  He’s just crying. You see, he bought shares in Bumi (LSE:BUMI) about a-year-and-a-half ago.  Put his life savings in, as I understand, […]