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A look at the “hardest working” major brands for 2009 shows that a number of them belong to companies which have done poorly and, in at least one case, may file Chapter 11. This is due to the definition of a hard-working brand, which is based on the ratio of its value to the market capitalization of its parent company.
CoreBrand reviewed the top 100 hardest working brands for the final quarter of 2009. Their researchers point out that “the food industry moves to the top of the list, reflecting the economy and the general improvement of consumer staples businesses. Hershey’s (HSY), Campbell Soup (CPB), and Kellogg (K) make it into the top 5.” On the other hand “troubled industries like financial services and auto manufacturers have seen dramatic decline.”
Harley-Davidson (HOG) is in the top 10 among the hardest working brands. Before rumors of a buy-out, the motorcycle firm’s stock languished at $25, down from $42 less than two years ago. Harley’s stock trades for a low 1.2 times sales. Also near the top of the list is crippled book retailer Barnes & Noble (BKS), which trades for .3 times sales. Blockbuster (BBI) is in the top 25, with a ratio of .1x sales. The firm said in its 10-K that it is at risk for filing Chapter 11.
Short selling is seen for many reasons, but universally traders tend to track short selling to track the biggest changes in the short interest twice each month. Whether these are hedges, forward delivery trades, or just raw short sales, the trend is generally viewed as a bet against the overall market. During the month of February, we saw short selling increase at both the NASDAQ and at the NYSE. And it turns out that the short selling increased against more Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-B, BRK-A) stocks than those short positions which were lightened up.
This is the list of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A)(BRK-B) public equity holdings as of December 31, 2009…. so these are his positions going into 2010. We have broken these into 3 groups for ease and these are the holdings listed in the group of ‘R to Z.’
Reverse discrimination is alive and well among large corporations which offer access to women’s businesses that results in a high volume of commerce for female-controlled firms. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council “Top Corporations” program honors companies for “world-class programs that create level playing fields for women’s business enterprises to compete for corporate contracts.”
Large consumer companies spend a great deal of marketing money on creating, preserving, and increasing the image of their brands. If a product has problems, the process does not always work. Toyota (NYSE:TM) has found that out the hard way.
We have compiled from press releases and from company announcements a company-by-company donation and effort pledge to help in the relief efforts after the disastrous earthquake in Haiti. These are partial explanations of the efforts, and some lack how the funds are being donated and may lack the exact sources inside. There are many other companies which have probably made announcements that were not seen, but here is a partial list we have compiled in groups of related companies:
We recently discussed the changes that have taken place inside Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A) as Warren Buffett has gone higher up the food chain. In his 
24/7 Wall St. looked at a very large number of Nascar crashes to assess which were the most expensive. The crashes reviewed occurred between 2002 and the present.
This is the list of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A)(BRK-B) public US equity holdings as of September 30, 2009. As noted in the “A to F” and “G to O” lists, there have been changes since the cut off date and those have been noted where applicable. Here are Warren Buffett’s holdings and accompanying notes for the group ‘P to Z.’
