Topics covered: Variable annuity business, Stock picks and avoidances, Spread-based life insurance groups, Shorting insurance broker stocks, Reinsurance, Recent legal activity and risks, Pricing environment, Placement Service Agreements, Organic growth models, Impact of interest rates, Financial mutual funds, Declines in premiums, Contingent commisions, Consolidation among public brokers, Cash flow underwriting, Capacity creation
Topics covered: Yields vs. capital returns, Value characteristics as an asset class, Turnover averaging, Tax efficiency, Investor concerns, Global macro, Exit strategies, Due diligence, Dollar valuation, Diversification, Consumer staples, Concentrated portfolio strategy, Bonds, Arbitrage strategies, "Core" investing
Topics covered: Utility computing, Stocks to avoid., Stock picks, Potential IPO companies, Packaged solutions and specialization, outsourcing and hosting, Open source operating systems, Offshoring, Management team picks, Linux becoming a force on the server, Investor concerns, Investment in startup companies, Industry consolidation, Grid computing, Future software growth trends, Functionality, Application integration vendors
Topics covered: Oil company exploration projects, Impact of Iraq and war, Impact of economic recovery, Hydrocarbon sector, Homeland security spending, Highway construction expectations, Federal government markets, DoD and DoE budgeting, Chemical sector, Acquisitions
Topics covered: The IT Channel, Specialization of distribution, Secular growth, Product diversity, Manufacturing and supply glitches, Management disruption, IT distribution, Institutional investor attitude, Increasing cyclicality, Growth rates, Fragmentation, Flexible cost structure, Emerging technologies, Direct models, Consolidation in Europe, Average selling price trends, Attraction of the "one-stop-shop"
