MaoXian.com -- Archive > January 27, 2005

Stocks to Watch -- Thursday, January 27

Use the Unusual Suspects and Notable New Highs & Lows lists to make up your rolling Watch List; that's what I do.

Posted on January 27, 2005 at 14:15, GMT

Chat Room Open between 8:30 and 9:30 AM, Eastern Time

In yesterday's chat we had a fun time discussing just how little anyone knows about how to price options. Come share your ignorance with us today!

Posted on January 26, 2005 at 7:55, GMT

Chart of the Day -- Panera Bread Company, Monthly Chart

Panera Bread Company operates a retail bakery-cafe business and franchising business under the concept names Panera Bread Company and Saint Louis Bread Company. Today, there are over 700 Panera Bread bakery-cafes in 35 states. The Company's bakery-cafes offer a range of products, including fresh baked goods, made-to-order sandwiches on freshly baked breads, soups, salads, custom roasted coffees and other cafe beverages.

PNRA hit a new all-time high yesterday. Like Starbucks, this is another member company of my Shallow Boomers Index. It's a great place to flip open your laptop and eat an over-priced sandwich ("artisan" bread!) -- that's what those pretty people on TV do, isn't it?

PNRA, Monthly Chart

Posted on January 27, 2005 at 7:45, GMT

Free the Fishwrap

Why do newspapers charge for yesterday's news? by Cory Doctorow:

"If the NYT can't make it on advertising alone, it might just be dead in the long run, since these substitutable goods that require no subscription will crowd it out of the market eventually. But if it wants to try a subscription-based system, then for heaven's sake, why not charge money for the news (which lots of people want to pay for!) and give away the history (which relatively few people want to buy)?"

There are only four ways to go with your past and present content: Past and Present Free, or Past and Present Paid, or Past Free and Present Paid, or Past Paid and Present Free. I'm a fan of making both Past and Present free (ads in the margin) while providing some features (like the Crossword puzzle, e-mail alerts, etc.) only to paying customers.

If the NYTimes became subscribers-only (like the WSJ), I'd stop reading it (and linking to it). If the NYTimes archive were free, however, I'd spend countless hours rummaging around in there, as would millions of others.

Posted on January 26, 2005 at 7:35, GMT

Temasek Begins Looking for Positive Returns

An investor meets her match, by William Mellor:

"Temasek, which is wholly owned by the Ministry of Finance, has 90 billion Singapore dollars, or $55 billion, of assets and controls companies that account for 44 percent of the Straits Times index. These include 57 percent of Singapore Airlines; 28 percent of DBS Group Holdings, Southeast Asia's biggest bank; and stakes in dozens of other local icons ... Temasek... says its own returns on its entire portfolio... were 3 percent over 10 years."

There's a cute comment at the end of the article: "The role of the state in business has become at best unnecessary and at worst dysfunctional." I'd re-write it to read: "The role of the state in business has always been at best disastrous and at worst catastrophic."

Posted on January 26, 2005 at 7:25, GMT

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