Sunday, September 29, 2013

Mega Uranium and STEC

Unfortunately I own both of them.

STEC is being acquired by Western Digital (bought at around $13 and I will get some $6, should be grateful as the last price was around $4) and Mega is changing its' name to Uranium Capital Corporation as it was nothing mega about a penny stock worth $0.08/share down from the $3 I bought at and from a maximum of $7.4 in 2007.

The name change won't make any difference like in this case From Olympus Pacific Minerals to Besra.
The stock dropped -75% from when they changed the name. It is now $0.055 and yes I own this one too.

UPDATE:
"TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
We have been informed that the merger between sTec Inc. and Western Digital Corporation is effective. As a result, holders will receive approximately $6.85 USD for each common share of sTec Inc. held."
I cannot be bothered to check the exact purchase price, it was around $13 but it does not matter as the stock was in a registered account. And what is this sTec starting with a small letter? They just wanted to be more interesting.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

How BlackBerry (RIM) Failed to Adapt

Today I have read an interesting article in the Globe and Mail: Inside the fall of BlackBerry: How the smartphone inventor failed to adapt

Very sad for everyone who works there and for shareholders like me also. I mean like me because I bought at $120 and $55 and $13.

Not so sad for Thorsten Heins: Thorsten Heins' "Punishment" For Destroying BlackBerry: A $55 Million Golden Parachute

And some other executives will get nice packages if the company is sold and the new owner fires them.

I was curious to see the ad they mentioned in the article:

"The marketing campaign was confusing and vague: An ad that ran during the Super Bowl failed to explain what made the product distinct. A source close to the board said directors weren’t shown the ad before it ran, and some didn’t understand the content or the slogan, “Keep Moving.” 


Neither I liked it nor I understood it.

Will Z30 start the revival of BB or perhaps it is only a swan song?

http://crackberry.com/blackberry-z30-unboxing-video

and


Wednesday, September 18, 2013

My TFSA Anti-bragging Story




And the stories behind the ill-fated purchases:

BIOEXX www.theskepticalinvestor.net/2013/06/protein-for-world.html

CELM www.theskepticalinvestor.net/2012/11/no-more-chinese-companies.html

EGL www.theskepticalinvestor.net/2012/12/the-eagle-that-turned-out-to-be-turkey_20.html

HYX recommandation from beatingtheindex.com, I mean Mich the guy behind the site put the money where his mouth is and bought it himself so no hard feelings here, only the facts

REM I read somewhere about it

XHY, XSB, XRB I bought bonds as I'd thought they are safer than stocks, it doesn't seem so

LONGTOP www.theskepticalinvestor.net/2012/11/no-more-chinese-companies.html

MQL same as HYX

MKP If the people pay their mortgages I should be doing o.k. and they seem to be paying them, don't know why the stock is down

PDL Doctor Stock from www.investinthemarkets.com

PBR In 2009 the stock was $51, how much could it go lower especially as the price of oil has gone up in the past 4 years? But it did.

RWX my love affair with real estate

TMC same as MKP

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Steve Ballmer's Last Stand

"From: Steve Ballmer
To: MS FTEs
Date: Sep. 2, 8:00 PM PDT (Sep. 3, 6:00 AM EET)
Subject: Accelerating Growth

We announced some exciting news today: We have entered into an agreement to purchase Nokia’s Devices & Services business, which includes their smartphone and mobile phone businesses, their award-winning design team, manufacturing and assembly facilities around the world, and teams devoted to operations, sales, marketing and support. ....."

Reuters: "Two years after hitching its fate to Microsoft's Windows Phone software, Nokia collapsed into the arms of the  U.S. software giant on Tuesday, agreeing to sell its main handset business for $7.2 billion....
Nokia's Canadian boss Stephen Elop, who ran Microsoft's business software division before jumping to Nokia in 2010, will return to the U.S. firm as head of its mobile devices business - a Trojan horse, according to disgruntled Finnish media."


I bought Microsoft and Nokia around 2 years ago. Haven't sold any MSFT but sold 75% of NOK until last week. Today Tuesday 3 September, MSFT is -6% and NOK +30%. I cannot catch a break.

MSFT went up 7% when Ballmer announced his resignation. "So you are happy I am leaving!" said Ballmer to the investors. "He who laughs last, laughs best." added he. And the stock went down 5% after he announced MSFT would buy Nokia phone business. 

I dream all day and night about someone, anyone, buying Blackberry (formerly Research in Motion).
I have no hope I will get back the $120 I bought it at long time ago or even the $65 my wife bought it at, but I think in my loser's opinion around $25 for a share would be a fair price.

So who could buy Blackberry, just my list:
  • the Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim who owns America Movil
  • a billionaire from China
  • a billionaire from India
  • Facebook 
  • Amazon
  • someone, anyone.