Category Archives: Etc.

Etc., Movies

Hollywood Stock Exchange

In Night at the Museum, Ben Stiller plays a bumbling security guard who accidentally unleashes an ancient curse that brings to life all the statues and preserved animals in the American Museum of Natural History, wreaking havoc on New York City. Going by the data from Hollywood Stock Exchange, this movie slated for Thanksgiving release, is projected to bring in $215 million for 20th Century Fox, the highest box office receipts for any film released during the critical holiday season.

The exchange was founded by two men, one who worked in financial services and the other an economist, who both loved movies. HSX gives traders just enough information to be able to play the market. But it collects a great deal more data and uses sophisticated models to project the demographic makeup of a movie audience. It can tell if a certain film will appeal to men in the 18 to 34 age group or whether it will play well with women over 35.

Related links
 Hollywood Stock Exchange 
 Businessweek article
 Wikipedia
 

Etc.

Vivendi on the rise

Is Vivendi on the ascendency?

It appears so if you look at the moves of the company and the booming interent and mobile market.

What remained after Vivendi sold off publishing, theme parks and Universal studios were music, games and pay-television producer Canal Plus. Fortune reckons them as valuable assets that translate well to the mobile and broadband world.

More at FortuneOnline.

Etc.

What Dell should do

The growth engine that Dell once was is sputtering. The degree of its troubles was made plain—yet again—on July 21, when the company said this quarter’s earnings would fall far short of analysts’ forecasts. Sales won’t meet expectations either.

It was the fourth time Dell (DELL) said it wouldn’t meet quarterly earnings or sales forecasts since the beginning of last year, and investors were incensed. Some registered dismay at the company’s annual shareholder meeting in Austin the same day (see BusinessWeek.com, 7/21/06, “Dell’s Dull Meeting”). Dell shares dropped nearly 10% to $19.91, the lowest level in almost five years, and dragged shares of other computer makers, including Hewlett-Packard. The rout left the Nasdaq at a 14-month low.

Businessweek  has more on how Dell could revive its sagging fortunes.