With WFC “at or near” its target capital model (bar some preferred issuance to meet liquidity requirements) and easing of two of the three margin headwinds (from the liquidity build and negative re-pricing of assets), the bank is well positioned
We have written about some of the opportunities to move the US shale advantage to Europe. While they are limited, they revolve around cost effective ways of moving low cost molecules from the US to Europe – or other parts
This morning, PPC sought to derail HSH’s proposed acquisition of PF by announcing an unsolicited bid for HSH of $45 per share (all cash). Putting aside the numbers for a moment, this deal makes much more sense to us if
There is recent speculation that DuPont may explore a reverse Morris Trust (RMT) option as a means of divesting its performance chemicals, with Tronox as the “acquirer”/partner. It is understandable why there would be such speculation – Tronox is the
Based on its patent filings, we expect Apple to extend its Passbook app (currently reserved for gift cards) so that it is compliant with EMV contactless and tokenization standards. This means customers, via their banks, can enable iPhones for mobile
In our recent research comparing the opportunity at DOW versus LYB we talked about the number of levers that DOW has available – other than the US ethylene margin – to add to earnings and value. Yesterday we saw another
We expect 7.1% (nominal) y/y growth in US health services demand during 2Q14, the product of 5.5% growth in demand intensity and 1.5% growth in price. Our estimate of demand intensity are sharply higher in 2Q14, and reflect an expectation
TMT: “Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast!” Culture matters. It biases a company’s world-view, it shapes institutional skill sets, and dictates management decisions. When it is aligned with a company’s strategy and the opportunities created by the market, it is a
Beyond financial housekeeping (increasing the target payout ratio to 55-70% from 50-65%), an expression of confidence in the economy, and an intriguing glimpse into how the configuration of a branch network (siting, density, and layout) impacts the relative share of
Retail earnings this morning are a bit dicey, with notable weakness from a number of different companies – SPLS, HD, TJX, URBN and DKS. We see these results as consistent with our commentary last week where we laid out (again?
