http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/t_rat/How do corporations make decisions? What is strategy? How is strategy implemented? How does finance inform strategic thinking?hourly12000-01-01T12:00+00:00http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/t_rat/339696Since I last wrote, ECPG and FXI have made major gains. ECPG is around 18.50 and FXI is above 71. For the record, I recommended ECPG at 17.50 and FXI at below 62. These investments are good for two main reasons: our economy is slowing and interest rates are rising. Both these investments benefit...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/t_rat/336249I recently bought a company that is a debt collector. Debt collection has become a major industry with 3-5 big players that use software to conduct sophisticated analysis to determine exepected debt collection probabilities. ECPG is one of these players. Two factors support this investment...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/t_rat/335549If you review my older posts, I recommended two stocks last summer: ODFL and ARDI. I recommended ODFL at 32 and ARDI at below 3. Recent prices: After a 3:2 split, ODFL is trading at 27 (the equivalent of 40 if you bought when I recommended). ARDI is at 5.45. Not a bad record.http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/t_rat/335544The simplest way to invest in China without exposing yourself to undue risk is the Exchange Traded Fund (ETF). There are three main reason the ETF is best for the average investor. 1. Diversity: The ETF holds a large number of stocks, so your risk from one bad stock is limited. 2. Cost: An ETF...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/t_rat/335085I am confident that China's economy will continuously expand for another 20 years or so. As if recent history is not enough evidence for this proposition, I have personally visited China and met with Chinese businessmen. There is a common strand of attitude that runs throughout all the...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/t_rat/282577Profits up over 30%. I recommended it at $32. It's now over $33. Has P/E below 20. Check it out. A solid, growing trucking company. As the economy picks up, shipping picks up, and trucks make shipments. Do the logic.http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/t_rat/282574I bought ARDI at 2.90 last week. It hit 3.50 today. This company provides wireless resource management services. This is useful to companies with mobile workforces, think telephone, waste, construction, and trucking companies. Ardi's book value is like $2/share. So I figure buying it at just...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/t_rat/278897Old Dominion Freight Lines is a trucking company with a history of solid performance and recent profit growth. Despite the rise in gas prices, ODFL's revenues are growing so fast as to make the gas costs increases seem negligible. It recently reported earnings growth of 34% YoY. A good buy.http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/t_rat/259520http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/t_rat/225699Wow! That's all I can say. Their revenue projections for 2005 are lower than expected. This situation exemplifies the risk of investing in small growth stocks. They have volatile revenues and expectations. I still like ARDI. I must wait until the bleeding stops to invest in it at a lower price....