By whopper investments. This is the fourth in a semi-regular series entitled “Powerball” ideas. “Powerball” ideas are basically lottery tickets with a value basis. Most likely scenario, these ideas will crash and suffer huge permanent capital losses. However, if the ideas work out, you’ll likely make 4-5x your money, maybe more. It’s basically speculation with a value twist. Enjoy, and beware!

Last night, I was reading this compilation of value investing articles by Bruce Greenwald while watching the Sugar Bowl. Two paragraphs from the article really stuck out to me.[quote]HMOs are a good example of this sort of value stock. They once had a very positive financial story,and were seen as socially progressive too, a force for good. The idea of integrated healthcare that isan HMO, with doctors and hospitals and patients all members of one health organization, was firstdeveloped by the industrialist Henry Kaiser. Read more » »

By gurufocus. CNBC’s David Faber discusses a 13D filing from Eddie Lampert. Read more » »

By David G. Dietze. How to come up with investment ideas? One approach is to look for the top 2012 picks from recognized investment experts. We selected ten, and used their picks as initial screens. We researched the picks, selecting one from each expert. Below are the results, a diversified portfolio of names we like for 2012. Read more » »

By guruhl. SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO), the premier digital media company, today announced the appointment of Scott Thompson as Chief Executive Officer, effective January 9, 2012 , at which time Tim Morse will resume his role as Chief Financial Officer. Thompson has also been appointed to the Company’s Board of Directors, effective January 9, 2012.

Thompson served most recently as President of PayPal, a division of eBay, where he continued his established track record of growing businesses by driving customer engagement built on strong technology platforms. Under his leadership, PayPal solidified its lead as the global online payment service, expanding its user base from 50 million to more than 104 million active users in 190 countries worldwide, increasing the number of merchant partners to more than 8 million globally, and growing revenues from $1.8 billion to $4+ billion in 2011. Read more » »

By Mary Posey. Croatia is going through the motions to become the 28th member of the European Union. Many see this as a step in the right direction for Croatia’s political and economic future. However, with the euro zone crisis looming, it might be some time before the nation sees a payoff. The EU cannot solve a country’s problems. Just the process of applying for EU membership has brought about important changes for Croatia, but there is more work to be done. EU membership would not only provide economic benefits, but also stability for Croatia. Croatia will officially join the European Union in July 2013. EU membership could equal greater foreign investment and export growth. That might not be soon enough. The Balkan state was hit hard by the global financial crisis and analysts expect it to slip back into recession in 2012. Read more » »

By CanadianValue. Thanks to [www.santangelsreview.com]. Read more » »

By Mara Kohn. Frels is chairman and CEO of Mairs and Power Inc. He also holds the positions of lead manager and president of Mairs and Power Growth and Mairs and Power Balanced Fund?, and president of Mairs and Power Small Cap Fund. Read more » »

By gurufocus. Nine weeks after its bankruptcy, the general public still hasn’t quite realized the implications of the MF Global scandal. Read more » »

By Mara Kohn. Richard Pzena is founder and co-chief investment officer of Pzena Investment Management LLC. Pzena started his firm in 1995. Read more » »

By Mara Kohn. “Fundamentalists who say they are not going to pay any attention to the charts are like a doctor who says he’s not going to take a patient’s temperature.” - Bruce Stanley Kovner Read more » »