In Crumbs Bake Shop’s most recent Form 10-Q filed with the SEC, the company disclosed that its auditors, Rothstein Kass, “expressed substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.” Questions: 1. Since the IPO of Crumbs, how much has the stock dropped? 2. Explain the statement that Crumbs published in its 10-Q… Read more »
Posts Tagged: SEC
Fraud is quicker than the law?
Without regulation of Bitcoin, consumers have no protection in a Bitcoin economy. The virtual currency continues to result in swindles, with little prospect of a crackdown. Questions: 1. What is a pump-and-dump scheme? 2. What event(s) sent Bitcoin’s price tumbling? 3. In the U.S., the SEC has not ruled that Bitcoin is a security. However,… Read more »
Numbers tell the story
Unless you have been vacationing on another planet, you have probably heard about the government shutdown this week. This video by the New York Times provides some quantification of the situation. Questions: 1. Which number in the video surprised you the most? 2. Explain why not reaching an agreement by Oct 17 on the debt… Read more »
A Dragnet for Astroturfing
As a result of a year-long investigation, New York regulators will announced on September 23, 2013 that they would crackdown on deceptive and fake Internet reviews on products and services. Agreements have been reached with 19 companies to cease their misleading practices and pay a total of $350,000 in penalties. Questions: 1. Where were some… Read more »
Ring-around-the-Rosy
Did you know that you are paying a fraction of a cent every time you open a can of soda (or other canned beverages)? Why? It is because Goldman Sachs and other financial players have maneuvered the price of aluminum. Each day, a fleet of trucks shuffles 1,500-pound bars of aluminum among 27 warehouses in… Read more »
Access to Material Confidential Government Information?
According to The Washington Post, the Securities and Exchange Commission has issued subpoenas to Height Securities, a Washington-based stock brokerage firm, and individuals in connection with the leak last month about a federal funding decision that appeared to cause a surge in stock trading of several major health companies. Questions: 1. What healthcare stock surged… Read more »
Shareholders – 1; Corporations – 0; SEC – Tie Breaker
This year’s proxy season is showing signs of greater activism by shareholders. The proxy advisory service Institutional Shareholder Services is projecting that there could be as many as 17 contests for the election of directors, which is slightly up from last year. The difference is that the contests are much bigger and include six at… Read more »
Who spilled the ketchup? Unknown Traders, Of Course!
UPDATE 2/22/13: After the traders failed to appear at a hearing today in Manhattan, U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff agreed to freeze the Goldman Sachs Group Inc. account until the case is resolved. The SEC on Feb. 15 sued the “unknown” traders over suspicious purchases of Heinz options through the account. Judge Rakoff was quoted… Read more »
Hyundai & Kia overstated mileage
Hyundai Motors America and Kia Motors America are being forced to lower the fuel economy estimates on the majority of their 2012-13 models after an investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency found that the companies overstated the fuel efficiency numbers for their vehicles in previous years. Based on the audit, they will also have to… Read more »
Money Market Funds: A Safe Bet?
Should we risk another 2008 financial meltdown? The answer is no. However, late last month the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) abandoned efforts to impose new regulations on money market funds intended to prevent another panic like the one that occurred then. Because money market funds are typically invested in short-term, low-risk assets (like United… Read more »