ThinkstockA true monopoly is when only one major player remains in an industry, even if tiny competitors exist here and there. So ask yourself what it would mean if the two satellite…
ThinkstockThe number of companies paying dividends in the S&P 500 is at a 15-year high. According to FactSet, just over 80 companies in the index do not pay dividends. Paying dividends has…
ThinkstockLess than 10 years ago, just about everybody had a cell phone. However, at that point nobody had a smartphone. The smartphone revolution grew out of the ill-fated Palm idea for a…
ThinkstockShort sellers have increased their bets against the stable high-dividend stocks that are in most Americans’ retirement accounts and mutual funds. In fact, the mid-September short interest saw year highs in many…
Wikimedia CommonsIn what has become an industry-leading conference, Goldman Sachs once again is holding its annual Communacopia conference. For the 22nd year, the conference will attract the top names in telecommunications, media…
thinkstockBob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS), told an audience at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference on Tuesday morning that cable providers and telecom carriers may have to get…
ThinkstockThis week we have seen dividend hikes from Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) components Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) and McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD). 24/7 Wall St. expects that there will be five, maybe…
courtesy of SamsungWireless carrier Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S) said on Wednesday that it will add another 100 Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) stores to the 106 that already sell Sprint products in…
Investors and traders are worried about an end to quantitative easing, yet stocks are rallying hard on fundamentals. This puts these same investors in a spot where they have to wonder which…
ThinkstockThe dividend hike brigade keeps on marching. Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) jumped in with a dividend hike a tad sooner than we were expecting, given that it is searching for a new…
Wikimedia CommonsChances are high that you already have heard that the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is making a serious change among its 30 constituents. What you might not have heard outside of…
courtesy of Apple Inc.Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has stores in most states. In California it has nearly 60, including three each in San Francisco and Los Angeles. All these stores need the…
courtesy of Apple Inc.With the next generation of the iconic iPhone from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) imminent and a huge introduction expected to be announced from Cupertino next week, a myriad of…
ThinkstockWhat generally happens when industries have only regional providers or merely a whole slew of competitors? Usually it boils down to mergers for size and scale, then outright acquisitions to eliminate competition.…
ThinkstockThe number of subscribers to cable, satellite and telecom video programming fell by 366,000 in the second quarter of 2013, according to research firm SNL Kagan. The summertime drop was not unexpected,…
