Shelter-in-place is causing numerous emotions. Some are thinking they feel fine and are willing to take the risk to go back to work. Many don’t feel safe to return now. This week we will look at what safety and immunity means. My wife, our youngest daughter and I have compromised immune systems. We feel fine but we will stay home. It is a difficult decision. Company The established rules of business are being tested by The Virus. Businesses were either realistically engaged or have skinny cash budgets that are being exposed. Unfortunately the solutions are not government or The Fed bailouts, they are cutting costs and embracing technology. We don’t need to spend money on fancy offices, we can meet on Zoom like we have been during the lockdown. The money saved can be used for our Furlougheed professionals. New roles and responsibilities will be required, we don’t need to wait until we receive an “All Clear”. We can make the changes now with the input from ou...
How much is Smith Barney worth, and why should advisors and their clients care? If Smith Barney-parent Citigroup and acquirer Morgan Stanley can’t reconcile a roughly $15 billion disagreement about price, advisors and their clients are likely to experience the fallout in the form of smaller recruiting checks and/or a less satisfying client experience. A Strategic Business, Convoluted Valuation Process It’s ironic that the retail brokerage made famous by commercials from the curmudgeonly John Houseman, “Smith Barney – they make money the old-fashioned way,” is caught up in an old-fashioned valuation dispute that may have significant adverse consequences. The price that Morgan Stanley will pay for 14% of Smith Barney will be established by what can only be described as a byzantine process. The first step was for Citigroup to declare a selling price for Smith Barney. The Citi number came in at $24 billion for 14% of the brokerage. Morgan Stanley then...
The ongoing saga about J.P. Morgan’s multi-billion trading loss involving the “London whale” reminds me of a timeless story – the parable of Jonah and another whale in about 750 B.C. As the legend goes, Jonah found it difficult to convince people to live the virtuous life, despite being held up as an example. To pay for his failure, he was tossed out of his boat one day and was swallowed by a whale. After spending three days in the belly of the beast, he repented and promised to try again. The whale then spit him out. J.P. Morgan’s trading blunder involved a different kind of whale – the so-called London whale. Since then, the London whale’s mammoth trading loss has engulfed an institution previously thought to be exemplary in risk management. The fallout has reignited the debate about proprietary trading, the Volcker Rule and too-big-to-fail. The modern and ancient storylines are similar, but it’s an open question how J.P. Morgan will re-emerge fr...
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