Posted by Niall McGee on April 30, 2008

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Edward (Ted) Rogers, CEO of Rogers Communications. Rogers held a Q&A session with journalists. Ted Rogers had never been interviewed by BNN previously so this was a rare treat. He's one of Canada’s most successful, richest and dynamic businessmen.

Before going to the event, I talked to a few of my colleagues who had crossed paths with him in the past. Rogers was described as avuncular but with a bit of a scrappy edge. I found him to be scrappy with a bit of an avuncular edge.

The first thing he told journalists yesterday was, “Sorry, can’t talk about the iPhone.” Oh, come on! Needless to say, every second question was a veiled one about the iPhone anyway. 

But naturally Rogers and COO Nadir Mohamed didn’t give anything away. The only “new” nugget Ted revealed was when asked why it took so long to bring the gorgeous iPhone to Canada, he replied…”We’re slow negotiators.”
 
I had a great back-and-forth with him over whether he wanted to buy Shaw Communications (see the video on my segment on the Business News from last night). It took a little prodding but he admitted that, yes, he would like to own the asset.

Rogers is obviously a huge fan of Jim Shaw. Rogers called Shaw a “brilliant, brilliant” businessman. But whether a Rogers takeout of Shaw is imminent? Not likely. Jim Shaw doesn’t want to sell. And Jim Shaw rarely does anything he doesn’t want to.

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Posted by Jon Erlichman on April 30, 2008

June 29, 2007: the iPhone hits the U.S. market. 

April 29, 2008: Rogers announces the iPhone is coming to Canada, but won't say when! 

Can you imagine if Hollywood blockbusters were shown in Canadian theatres a year after their U.S. release?

Ted Rogers simply says his company was slow to negotiate.  Indeed, Rogers had the luxury of time (it's the only Canadian player with iPhone-friendly technology). 

But will the device still be a "must have" when it’s finally available in Canada?  Diehards already went down to the states to buy unlocked versions (which they use on the Rogers network).  Plus those folks in Waterloo, Ont., are working on their own groovy toy. 

All I can say is don't hold your breath waiting for those so-called Google Phones to be available in Canada.

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Posted by Jon Erlichman on April 29, 2008

Aw shucks, Visa.  You’re growing up so fast.  It seems like just yesterday you completed the largest IPO in U.S. history.  Well, I guess it was just six weeks ago.  But in dog years, you’ve already celebrated your first birthday.
 
Hey, speaking of celebrating, investors had been all smiles until now.  I’m not even talking about the privileged few who got in at your IPO price.  Those who bought stock on day two of trading were sitting on gains north of 30 per cent.  Not even Google managed that after its offering in 2004! I know, I know… it’s a lot of pressure. 

Then last night, you reported earnings you thought would impress the street.  Instead, they sold your stock in disgust.  Hey, that’s life as a public company.  Get used to it. 

By the way, if you need to keep track of your age in dog years, this will come in handy: http://www.onlineconversion.com/dogyears.htm.

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Posted by Kim Parlee on April 29, 2008

Linamar has announced a new “green lawnmower” they are bringing into the market. It has a battery-run electric motor, with a solar panel recharge option (that’s extra $). Not that I am a connoisseur of lawnmowers, but it looked pretty snazzy.

Why is this interesting?  Two reasons. 
1.) Could this lead to a further “greening” of the auto-parts maker (perhaps … but this may be a bit of a stretch)
2.) Will this foray into the consumer business be successful?  How much does Linamar want to diversify out of traditional car parts?  Apparently the auto business isn’t doing the best (yes … that was sarcasm).

I chatted with CEO Linda Hasenfratz by phone – she says they are hoping to sell $50 million in lawnmowers and lawnmower parts (selling power system to other lawnmower manufacturers) over the next five years.  A drop in the bucket for a company with almost $2.5 billion in sales every year.  And then she tried to sell me one.

“Only $500 …,” she said.  

 I explained my lack of lawn would make a lawnmower purchase impractical.  But kudos to the CEO for trying to close the sale.

What else could Linamar venture into?  Hasenfratz says “green” wood-chippers and even “green” chainsaws.  Green chainsaws?  An environmental way of cutting down trees?  I do think that is the definition of irony.

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Posted by Michael Hainsworth on April 28, 2008

The Market Call mailbox is flooded with questions on a daily basis, and not all of them are related to the subject of the day. From time to time I'll use this space to answer a few questions related to the show itself.

Q: What website are you using to get analyst target prices?

I'm not using a website, actually. The various screens you see embedded into the anchor desk are tied to Thomson's ILX network for real-time quotes, and Bloomberg Business News terminals for research. BNN's Bloomberg service provides us with an extensive list of analyst opinions, and we pay a handsome price for that information. Viewers have recommended http://www.newratings.com/ as a source, and recent checks reveal the figures generally appear to jibe with what my screens show, although the data isn't as exhaustive. But it's free.

Q: How come I can't get on-air, but we seem to hear from the same callers all the time?

It's pure chance. Here are the only criteria used to get a viewer on-air: (1) They make it through, (2) the guest is confident they can speak to the question, and (3) we have time. If you're finding the line busy when you call, try giving us a shout about five minutes before the show starts. We screen the calls with the guests in the commercial breaks, and they accept the calls whether they like the stock or not. And I brought in the "Market Call Minute" segment to address the calls and emails we couldn't get to during the course of the show.

Q: Is that suit bespoke?

Yes it is, thank you for noticing.

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Posted by Jon Erlichman on April 25, 2008

Got a broker?  How about a shrink?  No joke. 

Hedge fund traders have a go-to guy: psychiatrist Ari Kiev, author of Hedge Fund Leadership: How to Inspire Peak Performance from Traders and Money Managers.

“In the late '80s, a trader came to one of my workshops,” says Kiev.  That trader was Steve Cohen, who runs industry giant SAC Capital. 

In the hedgie world, it’s all about concentration.

“Many people don’t set goals, don’t set a target, don’t have a plan,” Kiev told me in our chat. 

He’s got plenty of tricks to get traders in the right mental state, including meditation.  Of course, avoiding distractions gets tougher in a bear market.  Lately, the focus of Kiev’s pep talks has switched from maximizing profits to managing stress. 

“The best people recognize what the market is telling them.”

That means they suck it up and sell a trade when it sours.  (I bet Kenny Rogers would be a great trader, with his hold 'em fold 'em motto.)  Kiev sees some clients as often as once a week, but he hasn’t yet worked with any Canadian traders. 

Let’s hope Bay Street’s not overcrowded with Crazy Canucks!

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