Investing 2014:Problems and Prospects

My charitable trust has been buying IBM stock,said CNBC host Jim Cramer.I believe in their cloud business,even though the very big problem I have with IBM is that cloud has very low margins-that's why people go to the cloud.IBM is going from a high margin to a low margin business.*
Pfizer is trying to buy Astra Zeneca,although I have spent some time with cancer specialists who say Astra Zeneca's pipeline is a "me too" pipeline for cancer.We've been in a big M&A drought and these deals take out capacity.These deals will get done.*
The market won't be affected by Ukraine as long as Russia stays low key,but it's not like the turmoil has gone away.If Russia does something big,you're gonna see this market blip down.I'd like to see a pullback in this market.I don't like a parabolic move;I like a stairstep move.*
The soda business is a losing story.I think diet soda is gonna be the great unraveling before your eyes,predicted the expert investor Jim Cramer.*
Groupon says over 50% of all global transactions now occur on mobile.People spend and engage more on mobile.The company reported a better than expected loss in earnings and a beat on revenues.Tom Forte of Telsey Advisory Group has a buy rating on the stock and a price target of 17.00.You have to look at Facebook and Groupon as unique opportunities within a space,Mr.Forte said.*
Competitor moves do not affect our success,according to Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff.Our audience and revenue are growing.We're a media company.We sell ads.We have 40-50% of audience share now.
The housing market is slowing somewhat.We predict it appreciating about 3% this year.It was quite hot at about 6%,but now it's warm.*
Groupon(GRPN),Zillow(Z),Pfizer(PFE),Facebook(FB),Astra Zeneca(AZN),International Business Machines(IBM)

Voices and Trends in International Business-December 2013

Snack food vendor Mondalez International is being crushed by PepsiCo and its Frito Lay division all over the world,CNBC analyst Jim Cramer pointed out.
A German government agency has cleared Tesla's Model S of being a fire trap.There is no fire issue.They are not bound by the four walls of the earnings per share convention.
Exxon Mobil had a great quarter.It's got Warren Buffet's imprimatur.
BP's been a very strong stock,and I think it can go much higher,Cramer said.*
Ford Motor Company November sales rose 7.2%,versus an Edmunds estimate 0f 3.0%.*
3M was downgraded from hold to sell by JP Morgan.*
IBM provided near real time raw data on the beginning of the Christmas shopping saeson.The growth rate was down by 21%.The size of the shopping cart got smaller.People just weren't buying as much,although more of them were shopping.Mobile sales accounted for 17% of the total,and the iOS platform handled 60-70% of the business versus Android.*
It's expensive to open brick and mortar stores in China,said Shaun Rein,managing director at strategic market consultant CMR China.Ecommerce is more popular there than in the US.Ecommerce will grow 50% a year in China for the next five years.Online merchant Alibaba is a very innovative company.
US companies need to get Chinese managers and get them to react quickly to the Chinese marketplace.A third of purchases are returned in China,and 20% of all sales are from gifting-including gifts for corrupt officials,although there is a crackdown on that.
Mr.Rein is author of the book "The End of Cheap China:Economic and Cultural Trends that Will Disrupt the World."*
PepsiCo(PEP),Tesla Motors(TSLA),Ford Motor Company(F),Exxon Mobil(XOM),International Business Machines(IBM),3M(MMM),Mondalez International(MDLZ),Alibaba.com Ltd(ALBCF)