How did you become a leading analyst on ETFs? Dave Fry, Founder of ETF Digest: I think being early in coverage of these fast growing investment vehicles is the easy answer. Beyond that we have tried to be more honest and blunt in our coverage of new products. We haven’t been “yes men” or suck ups for issuers and sponsors for example. Where we’ve been critical some ETF sponsors won’t talk to us any more for example which isn’t a bother since we don’t use their products anyway. Further where there are problems we’ve been out front in pointing these out. That occurred with shorting problems for retail investors where the promised benefit didn’t meet reality. (Continue »)
As the shekel continues to advance against most major currencies and especially against the US dollar, Israeli exporters are suffering. As Katsman wrote recently about software integrator, BluePhoenix (BPHX), currency issues are partly to blame as certain firms feel the pinch on shekel-based research costs and the double-whammy of a macro slowdown.
I’ve heard of Israeli start-ups beginning to hire more employees in the U.S. The wage differential is almost gone and given the onus of larger benefits packages for Israeli employees, Israeli firms are turning to offshore part of their engineering staff to America.
Imagine an engineer based in the Valley being cheaper than his counterpart in Tel Aviv?!
Israelis business used to be characterized by brilliant technologies looking for a problem to solve. No longer. With MBA programs in Israel growing and more and more Israelis seeking training abroad, Israel management is seeing a tremendous upgrade in non-army qualifications, experience, and training. Kellogg School of Management has been running a successful EMBA program in Israel for years (see here). Now, we’re seeing more and more Israelis go abroad for their studies.
Today’s Globes has an article about this phenomenon. The US-Israel Educational Foundation (USIEF) (the Fulbright Program) reports that 110 Israeli students will begin MBA studies in the US in the upcoming academic year. Typically, Israel sent 60-70 to foreign MBA programs. This is the 3rd year in a row where over 100 Israeli students will study business abroad. (Continue »)
Written by: Israel Investor Newsletter | June 12, 2008
The Wall Street Journal loves to poke fun at corporate execs living large on the lam. Kobi Alexander, Comverse’s (CMVT) Namibian-dwelling ex-CEO, is not spared any ribbing in today’s Page 1 of the WSJ (sub. required).
Seems that Mr Alexander put on a lavish bar mitzvah party for his son recently which included flying in over 200 guests from Israel and the U.S. and a gala performance by a IOI’s Aaron Katsman’s favorite hip-hop group, Subliminal.
currency issues are partly to blame as certain firms feel the pinch on shekel-based research costs and the double-whammy of a macro slowdown.
longer. With MBA programs in Israel growing and more and more Israelis seeking training abroad, Israel management is seeing a tremendous upgrade in non-army qualifications, experience, and training. Kellogg School of Management has been running a successful EMBA program in Israel for years (see