Stock joys, new toys, and bad boys colored in the week that was.
You say you want a TiVo-lution...
A lot has happened to TiVo
That's great news for TiVo in many ways. For starters, despite being the name in this booming niche, only one out of every three digital video recorders sold these days is made by TiVo. And with TiVo taking deep financial hits by subsidizing hardware sales with meaty $100 rebates, this is really the best move for TiVo. The patent-rich pioneer can now collect passive royalties, and that will clearly provide better margins and help TiVo penetrate the market further than it could on its own -- or even with DirecTV.
And you think your kids want all of the expensive toys?
It was a heated bidding battle for the beleaguered Toys "R" Us
With its share of the toy retailing market having dwindled to just 16% -- falling further and further from leader Wal-Mart
Weak end at Bernie's
Bernie Ebbers, the CEO who oversaw the $14 billion crumbling of WorldCom -- now MCI
If there is someone nervously biting his nails right now, it's Enron's Kenneth Lay. He has been clinging to the same argument as Ebbers, claiming he didn't know that his now-defunct company was cooking its books. Every jury is different, but the precedent has been set, and Lay's legal counsel would be well-advised to have the former Enron chieftain be more forthcoming when his case comes to court.
Want to read more about the stories that rocked the week that was?
Until next week, I remain,
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz doesn't own any of the companies mentioned in this story, though he always wondered why a toy store would use a giraffe as a mascot. He wants to thank Mac Greer, producer of The Motley Fool Radio Show, for suggesting the "Weak End at Bernie's" quip. The Foo l has a disclosure policy. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early.