James Cullen

Latest Comments
140 Comments

    • Wed Dec 3rd 13:14 PM
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      Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Reconsidering Penny Stocks
      As someone who follows and occasionally writes about a stock that is currently under $1/share (PRS), I personally appreciate the flexibility.
      The penny stock rule is definitely a solid idea, it just requires interpretation to differentiate the legitimate companies from the things being pushed by the ad you cite in the opening.
      View article »
    • Thu Nov 20th 09:51 AM
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      Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Automakers: Bailout Arguments, Pro and Con
      Ok, correction: GM cannot build cars that people want, at a price people can afford, and which is high enough not to result in them filing bankruptcy.


      On Nov 20 12:19 AM AmericanVOR wrote:

      > MYTH:
      >
      > "GM cannot build cars that people want at a price people can afford.
      > That is the bottom line."
      >
      > FACTS:
      >
      > GM outsold Toyota by about 1.2 million vehicles in the United States
      > last year and holds a U.S. lead over Toyota of about 560,000 so far
      > this year. Globally, GM in 2007 remained the world's largest automaker,
      > selling 9,369,524 vehicles worldwide -- about 3,000 more than Toyota.
      >
      >
      > Although total U.S. vehicle sales are down almost 15% so far this
      > year (through October), a number of GM cars and crossovers have enjoyed
      > significant sales increases:
      >
      > Chevy Malibu +39%
      > Pontiac Vibe +36%
      > Pontiac G6 + 4%
      > Cadillac CTS +15%
      > Saturn Aura +7%
      > GMC Acadia +2%
      > Buick Enclave +88%
      >
      >
      View article »
    • Tue Nov 18th 17:50 PM
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      Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Four Commonsense Clues to a Genuine Market Bottom
      One question, one comment re: #2...

      Are you measuring this by net book value, or net tangible assets?

      And, regardless, part of the bottoming process is that there will be companies you could make a lot of money taking private, but that won't happen because of the lack of credit. Eventually the values will build up, the system will delever, and then value vultures will step in and create a bottom.

      At least, that's how I see it...
      View article »
    • Sun Nov 16th 17:12 PM
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      Rating: 0 -1
      Commented on:
      Memo to Warren: AmEx Preferred at 15%, Warrants at $12
      Utterly vacuous.


      On Nov 16 08:02 AM apppro wrote:

      > Here's my memo to Warren:
      >
      > Hey Mr. Bigshot,
      > If you had just not been such a wise guy 1 year ago and had just
      > invested in Ambac and MBIA without some absurd limits, maybe just
      > maybe, this entire financial mess could have been prevented.
      > Think about it!
      View article »
    • Sat Nov 15th 23:39 PM
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      Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Primus Guaranty and the Viability of the CDPC Model
      SWF,
      I'd say the model sounded like a good idea in quieter times, but now with the overall skittishness (particularly regarding posting collateral) they're not really desirable counterparties.
      View article »
    • Mon Nov 10th 12:52 PM
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      Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      The Long Case for Autos
      Well, this might be the most simplistic analysis in favor of GM I've ever seen. Let's say Toyota and GM sell exactly the same number of cars. One does so while making a profit, and the other while taking a loss. Accordingly, one company is a going concern, and the other will go bankrupt without extraordinary over-reaching by the government. So, yes, I would pay more for the company that will not go bankrupt.

      >>>The market cap of Toyota (TM), that only sells a few more cars, is $106 Billion. Is Toyota really worth 39 times the value of GM?
      View article »
    • Sun Nov 2nd 14:37 PM
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      Rating: +2 -1
      Commented on:
      Warren Buffet, The Ultimate Dividend Investor
      sr9,
      Buffett has shown an ability to reinvest capital at a higher rate than people receiving the dividends could, so that isn't really self-serving, it's value maximizing (especially when you consider dividend taxation). Plus, if Berkshire authorized a huge dividend, a huge portion would go to their largest shareholder - Buffett - and you'd probably complain about that.

      Compare Berkshire's behavior with that of the many companies which continue to pay dividends, and then need to raise capital at usurous interest rates later. Who has better corporate governance and financial policies?
      View article »
    • Sun Oct 26th 16:18 PM
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      Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Is the Media Partially Responsible For the Panic?
      Well written, and someone needed to say it. Yes, there are plenty of problems - but the media panders to those who live in fear... i.e., most people. Tune them out, or turn them off.
      View article »
    • Sun Oct 26th 16:16 PM
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      Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      5 Reasons to Ignore Buffett
      I guess if you don't really have good reasons, you can try a sensational headline to grab attention.

      I'll venture that you're wrong about the problem being "Buffett isn't us" - it's the other way around. If people were like Buffett and had his patience and perspective, took smart risks, etc., their portfolios would be much better off.
      View article »
    • Fri Oct 17th 10:02 AM
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      Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Cramer's Now a Market Timer?
      I thought your article format was a combination of bash Cramer, recommend Apple?
      View article »
    • Tue Oct 7th 15:18 PM
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      Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Wells Fargo and the Wachovia Bid: Crafty or Crazy?
      Sumosama,
      Seems lately when I show any optimism and do that, it doesn't work out too well...
      View article »
    • Sat Oct 4th 23:33 PM
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      Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Five Reasons RIMM Will Continue to Fall
      I did an analysis that was awfully similar to this a year ago when RIMM was around $100. I got plenty of nasty emails, laughed at, mocked, and had mean things said about my mother. I have no opinion on RIMM at present, but hope you'll stick by your convictions... after all, without the people who still believe, how would this fall even more?
      View article »
    • Thu Oct 2nd 17:27 PM
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      Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Fortis Fails: Who's Next?
      I am not a paid "scaremonger"... and object to any comments suggesting that.

      All I'm trying to show is that leverage is high in European banks - this isn't intrinsically bad, but is worth noting... Now, the assets being leveraged absolutely matter, but the idea that a bank won't have problems because it has been around forever is not logical - see also: Barings, mid-1700s to 1995.
      View article »
    • Mon Sep 15th 00:58 AM
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      Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Thain's Elegant Exit
      I'd love to know how Thain got a premium for MER stock when it was set to get slaughtered come Monday...
      View article »
    • Wed Sep 10th 09:08 AM
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      Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Primus CEO: Fannie/Freddie Impact Minimal, CDS Will Endure
      The webcast of the presentation and a PDF of the slides is at ir.primusguaranty.com/...
      View article »