GLG News by Automated Teller Machines (ATM) Industry Experts

Michael SchiffFounder and Principal AnalystMAS Strategies

Microsoft Reels in a Jellyfish

October 4, 2007

Analysis of:Microsoft Acquires Jellyfish.com | blogs.msdn.com

•Microsoft's acquisition of Jelllyfish.com provides immediately credibility to the social shopping market. •Microsoft acquired Jellyfish.com for both offensive and defensive reasons. •Microsoft recognizes that today's product set might not always meet the needs of tomorrow's users and the acquisition provides additional technology to broaden its technology portfolio and diversify its offerings.

Howard BruckChief Information OfficerHUDSON VALLEY BANK

Big Long Term Impact of Virtualiztion

October 2, 2007

Analysis of:Survey: Most IT Departments Use Virtualization | www.cio.com

The most recent round of virtualization technology has been highlighted by the dynamic emergence of VMware as one of the hottest products around. Of course virtualization has been around a long time both on the mainframe (IBM) and the desktop (Citrix). But why has this latest round of products grabbed so much attention and what are the short and long term implications?

Robert KempProfessorUniversity of Virginia - CC

Beware the Cost of Pension Possibilities

September 26, 2007

Analysis of:Democrats to Push Bill to Protect Workers | online.wsj.com

Unfunded pension and OPEB benefits (e.g., Other Post Retirement Benefits - health care) have little or no priority of claims in bankruptcy, in relationship to other forms of debt.  As political currents change, the possibility of radically changing this situation also changes.  (See source article.)  If pension and OPEB liabilities gain higher priority in bankruptcy, the imbedded risk in other forms of debt will increase.  This increase in risk will ultimately force higher required rates of return and thus lower values. Financial analysts need to be aware of this when pricing such debt and related equity.  

Michael SchiffFounder and Principal AnalystMAS Strategies

Business Objects - Who Might Be Interested in Acquiring It?

September 18, 2007

Analysis of:Business Objects is looking for a buyer | biz.yahoo.com

• A newspaper report that Business Objects is looking for a buyer is only a rumor. However, if I had to pick a likely acquirer, my guess would be HP. • Should Business Objects be acquired it will change the competitive landscape of the BI industry with ramifications that will affect  its competitors, its customers, and its partners. • Business Objects has been an aggressive acquirer of other business intelligence companies and is now the revenue leader among BI specialists.

Ronald IngramDirector of Product ManagementADVANCE AMERICA, CASH ADVANCE CENTERS, INC.

Depositor Panic Triggers Run on UK Bank, Over Leveraged Banks at Risk

September 17, 2007

Analysis of:Police called to break-up Northern Rock panic queues as customers withdraw millions | www.thisislondon.co.uk

Police were called to manage crowds in the UK this morning as depositors lost confidence in Northern Rock and attempted to withdaw funds en masse. Depositor concerns are believed to relate to weak loan to deposit ratios and fears about exposure to subprime mortgages. Banks mentioned among the most highly levered include Northern Rock, Alliance and Leicester, HBoS and Bradford and Bingley. Lloyds TSB, Royal Bank of Scotlad, Barclays and HSBC are shown to be in a much better position. If concerns escalate to panic this will seriously impair money supply and weaken the economy of the UK with potential spill over into other markets if the panic spreads.

Robert KempProfessorUniversity of Virginia - CC

Pensions and OPEB - Make Sure You Know "All" The Risks

September 13, 2007

Analysis of:Pension Investment Risk Disclosure - What You Don't Know | news.glgroup.com

Dr. Mangieor's analysis is insightful and correct. Investors need better pension/OPEB disclosures regarding risks. However all the risk within a pension scheme must be recognized, understood, and managed. Too many times the risk within a pension/OPEB scheme is viewed as having a single dimension: default and market risk. This is problematic.

Robert KempProfessorUniversity of Virginia - CC

The Auto Industry - It's Simple Risk and Return Regarding Health Care Issues

September 13, 2007

Analysis of:UAW Talks Get Push | online.wsj.com

US auto manufacturers face a huge dilemma.  To be competitive with Toyota and other non-US auto manufacturers, they must lower health care costs and unfunded liabilities.  (This is well documented in the referenced article.)  What is interesting is the impact on value from both the the firms' perspective and the UAW's perspective.

Ronald KiimaPresident Kiima Incorporated

SEC Schedule II - Visibility into the Integrity of Reported Results

September 11, 2007

Analysis of:SEC Schedule II - Visibility into the Integrity of Reported Results | tinyurl.com

Few other disclosures give as much visibility into the integrity of a company’s reported results like the SEC’s Schedule II – Valuation and Qualifying Accounts. Unfortunately, despite such schedule being required of most public companies, few companies seemingly fully comply. The absence of otherwise required data, or worse, the outright omission of the schedule in its entirety, should raise investor concerns that a company may be engaging in some degree of inappropriate earnings management.

Michael SchiffFounder and Principal AnalystMAS Strategies

Open Source - Price is Just One Factor

September 4, 2007

Analysis of:Open source joins the mainstream | www.infoworld.com

• While open source pricing is generally quite attractive, issues such as maintenance and support must also be considered • The open source market will continue to grow, especially in the BI sector, due to both growing BI demand and additional organizations deciding to give it a try. • Deploying a new BI tool doesn't necessarily mean abandoning an old one; BI tools, both proprietary and open source, can exist side by side.  

Howard BruckChief Information OfficerHUDSON VALLEY BANK

Bank Technology Providers Consolidation: Of Course This Will Continue

September 4, 2007

Analysis of:Mergers: Conflicts Becoming A Core Reality | www.banktechnews.com

The big will continue to get bigger; there is very little doubt about that trend continuing. The question will be who does it better? Financial institutions prefer to buy technology from large established providers. The SOX requirements to demonstrate a significant effort on vendor management drives these financial services firms to reduce the number of providers they do business with. Two questions arise from this trend. Firstly, who will be the winners that make smart acquisitions, integrate the products, realize cost savings, and gain overall market dominance? Secondly, who will be acquired, and at what premium over current market value?

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