Strathclyde University and Associates: Boiler Room Movie Review

The Digital Information Office, Strathclyde University and Associates service for electronic resource management review by Bradley Null: America is the land of opportunity, and now more than ever, the opportunity that most Americans are preoccupied with is that of easy money. Our news media is saturated with stories of the instant millionaire, 25-year-old startup CEOs worth nine figures or the crafty investor that bought that startup on IPO and doesn't have to worry too much about his day job anymore either. There are a number of powerful cautionary tales waiting to be drawn from this unwholesome frenzy. Boiler Room tries to tell one of these stories, but sadly it fails to add much to the greed genre established by its two heavily referenced predecessors: Wall Street (1987) and Glengarry Glen Ross (1992).
Boiler Room is the story of Seth (Ribisi), a 19-year-old college dropout obsessed with the American dream of easy money. After concluding rather quickly that college isn't necessarily the fast track to a quick buck, he opens up an underground casino out of his house in Queens, providing a popular service for the local city college kids. After his disapproving father (Rifkin) finds out about the casino, Seth, feeling a repressed need to gain his father's approval, looks into an opportunity to become a stockbroker at the small firm of J.T. Marlin.

As it turns out, the firm, located in the heart of Long Island, conspicuously far from Wall Street, is a 'chop shop,' shorthand for a brokerage house more interested in pawning off securities for its own interests rather than serving its customers. When Seth's father discovers this, not only does Seth not find the approval he was hoping for, but he is excommunicated from the family.

Though he has only a minor part in the film, Ben Affleck is highlighted in trailers for the film, and the discerning observer will notice a strong similarity between his scene in the trailer, and Alec Baldwin's immortalized portrayal of a real estate shark in Glengarry Glen Ross. In fact, Affleck's big scene draws heavily on Baldwin's, though his performance (and the material he has to work with) does not live up to what is almost universally agreed upon as the best performance of Baldwin's career. This is not the only referencing of David Mamet's portrayal of the dark world of real estate cold-calling in this movie, however. Later in the film, when receiving some instructions on how to cold-call potential customers, Seth is told to remember one of Baldwin's catch phrases from that scene, 'A-B-C. Always Be Closing.' Boiler Room also liberally references, both directly and indirectly, its direct predecessor in the 'greed is good' category of filmmaking. Not only drawing its basic theme and plot structure from Wall Street, Boiler Room also draws its best dialogue during a scene in which a number of young stock brokers sitting in one of their sparely decorated mansions, compete with each other to quote lines from Wall Street, whose antagonist, Gordon Gecko, is obviously regarded as an idol within the group.

As a movie, Boiler Room is moderately entertaining. Vin Diesel in particular, off a strong turn in Saving Private Ryan, turns in another powerful performance as Chris, one of Seth's mentors at J.T. Marlin. Sadly though, Ben Younger, in his writing and directorial debut, adds very little to the filmic pantheon in his own voice. Even the film's most prolific statement on the American obsession with getting rich, 'either you're slinging crack rock or you've got a wicked jump shot,' is a quote of the rap star Notorious B.I.G. The most admirable outcome of this film might be that it leads viewers to check out its two predecessors. I would urge the same as well.

Strathclyde Associates: Our Corporate Profile

Providing services globally to a vast group of clients that include private individuals, financial institutions, governments and corporations.

At Strathclyde Associates we pride ourselves with comprehending each individual client’s unique financial needs and preferences.

A constant commitment to our clients is the strong foundation of the business culture at Strathclyde Associates.

We constantly develop  innovative solutions in order to accommodate the ever-changing tastes, desires and needs of our clients.

Strathclyde Associates is a full service brokerage firm with many years experience in providing a wide array of services globally to a vast group of clients that include private individuals, financial institutions, governments and corporations.

Through the Strathclyde Associates Institutional and Private Clients Divisions we provide our clients with services that include Securities, Investment Banking and Investment Management Services.

Above and beyond we are the first choice for individuals and institutions alike when considering a Premier Wealth Management Company. Excellence in market execution and the provision of the right information at the right price, at the right time has given Strathclyde Associates an enviable worldwide prestige of being able to ensure that our clients achieve their financial objectives and aspirations.

From natural resources to technology our fundamental strengths lie in innovative investment solutions combined with robust execution capabilities. At Strathclyde Associates we pride ourselves with comprehending each individual client’s unique financial needs and preferences.

Owing to the depth and quality of our understanding we construct long term relationships with our clients with a core focus on value creation and an ultimate commitment to helping our clients build and manage their wealth.

This specialized focus, an enviable reputation for quality and integrity and of course strong relationships nurtured with investors have made Strathclyde Associates a worldwide leader in wealth management.

Strathclyde Associates  Services: Equity. At Strathclyde Associates Equities we pride ourselves on the knowledge that our Equity Departments are a worldwide leader in the careful planning of investment strategies and capital raising functions in both the private and public equity markets.

Fixed Income. Strathclyde Associates Fixed Income is a global player in ensuring that interest rate currency swaps, debt securities and other derivative products are carefully integrated into our portfolio programs in a manner that accommodates investor preferences and objectives in the ever changing, constantly evolving debt markets.

Foreign Exchange. The Foreign Exchange Market is a 24-hour market and as such Strathclyde Associates provides its clients with a truly round the clock service of spot, forward futures and options trading in all the Forex markets of the world.??Commodities??Risk Management strategies are one of the growing sectors in the market today and as such Strathclyde Associates Commodities now competes in the commodities and derivatives markets providing services in markets which include metals, energy, oil and gas trading to name but a few.

Mergers and Acquisitions. At Strathclyde Associates Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) department our primary focus is in: Mergers , Joint ventures , Corporate Restructurings , Divestitures , Recapitalizations, Spin-offs , Exchange Offers , Leveraged Buyouts , Shareholder Relations and takeover defenses

Global Capital Markets. Through our Global Capital Markets Departments we can accommodate clients' needs for capital. For instance in the situation of an IPO, a leveraged buyout or a debt offering our global capital markets professionals combine Investment Banking and sales and trading functions to guarantee clients innovative solutions based on sophisticated advice. If necessary our professionals can develop, structure and execute public & private placement of equities, debt and related products. As a major force in the market we offer every assistance to clients to attain the greatest value from each and every stage of a transaction. Thus it is our responsibility to constantly develop capital market solutions to enable clients to rise above whatever the market may throw at them.

Strathclyde Associates is a full service brokerage firm with many years experience in providing a wide array of services globally to a vast group of clients that include private individuals, financial institutions, governments and corporations.

Strathclyde Associates Investment Guide: Investment Strategy

A well-planned investment strategy is essential before having any investment decisions. A business strategy is generally based upon long run period. Formation of business strategy largely dependent upon the factors such as long-term goals and risk on the investment.

As the return on investment is not always clear, so the investors prepare the strategy so as to face the ongoing challenges in investment. A balanced investment strategy is generally required in the process of investment, which possesses long time period and some risk tolerance.

In the case, when a strategy is aggressive the chance of attaining a higher goal is higher. An efficient strategy can be obtained from portfolio theory, which shows good estimates on risk and return.

Strathclyde Associates Investment Guide: Investment Strategy is usually considered to be more of a branch of finance than economics. It is defined as set of rules, a definite behavior or procedure guiding an investor to choose his investment portfolio. For example, investing in mutual funds has recently emerged as a very favorable investment strategy.

An investment strategy is centered on a risk-return tradeoff for a potential investor. High return investment instruments such as real estate and mutual funds usually have more risks associated with it than low return-low risk investment opportunities. Return on investment can be calculated on past or current investment or on the estimated return on future investment.

Symbolically, it can be expressed as: Vf/Vi -1 where Vf denotes final investment value and Vi is the initial investment value. (“f” and “i” should be noted as subscripts)

Strathclyde Associates Investment Guide: Return on investment (ROI) is profitable when Vf/Vi-1>0 and the investment is deemed to be unprofitable when the value of final investment is less than that of the initial investment. ROI is calculated to be 1 or 100% when the value of the final investment is twice the value of the initial investment.

Types of investment strategies can be defined as follows:  A passive investment strategy attempted to minimize transaction costs.

An active investment strategy guide used to maximize returns based on moves such as proper market timing. This usually mean, “buying in the lows and selling in the highs” or buying investment instruments when they are cheap and selling them off when their price appreciates. This strategy, however, is not very beneficial for small time investors.

Small time investors can adopt the buy and hold investment strategy to invest in equities, which although volatile in nature, give favorable long run returns. Investing in equity markets for small time investors is associated with the investors holding on for very long periods. In the case of real estate, the holding period extends the lifespan of the mortgage. Notably, in case of this strategy, indexing or buying a small proportion of all the shares in market index or a mutual fund is a purely passive variant of the above strategy.

The strategy of value investing, a classic investment strategy propagated by Benjamin Graham simply concentrates on the strategy that an investor buys shares of a company as if he was buying off the whole company without paying any attention to the stock market scenario or any exterior conditions such as the political climate. At the end of the day, if he can buy the stock at less than that its actual future worth to the buyer, the person is said to have discovered a “value investment.”

Investment strategies can also denote the investment strategies a national or federal government should follow to bring about economic growth in a country. This can only be achieved by domestic investment as well as significant FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) flows to particular sectors of countries, especially the less developed ones of Asia and Africa.

In case of India, infrastructural problems, excessive government intervention, rigid labor laws and corruption are stifling the flow of FDI in the critical sectors. Less developed countries such as those in the Asia- Pacific region and Africa can bring about much needed development in these economies.

An investment strategy in mutual funds is probably the best bet for a profitable investment. Mutual funds is defined as a pool of money supplied by different investors and in turn used by the mutual fund company to invest in various assets such as stocks and bonds. However, a detailed research has to be conducted for choosing the mutual fund companies and only those should be considered which have a professional investment manger. This will ensure that the funds get channeled towards the right investments. This also applies for investing in stock markets where a decision to invest should follow a through research about the past and current trends of the stock prices and their Net Asset Values (NAV). Analyses from market researchers about the predicted future trends should also be considered otherwise gains from capital appreciation; capital gain distribution (in case of mutual funds) and dividends might not be realized.

Lastly, investment strategies leading to green investments or investments in renewable sources of energy will be the next big thing in the investment spectrum. From Economy Watch. Economy, Investment & Finance Reports.

Strathclyde Associates is a full service brokerage firm with many years experience in providing a wide array of services globally to a vast group of clients that include private individuals, financial institutions, governments and corporations.

Strathclyde Associates Market Outlook December 2009

Whilst the death knell for the US Dollar has been sounded often in recent years, it weakness has still not alarmed investors...yet!

The dollar has declined 15% against a raft of six major currencies from the highs set in March and is down more than 37% from a peak in 2001. Analysts are of the opinion that another sharp drop in the dollar – or a spike in volatility due to bad news – could heighten foreigners concerns about US stocks, and that could create a confidence crisis that spurs calls for re-examining the currency regime.

The Tipping Point is strongly believed to be a move to $1.60 by the euro, the dollar’s record against the single currency. “If we breach $1.60, I think that’s too far, too fast and could cause concern about a dollar demise”, said BNY Mellon’s senior currency strategist in New York.

The $1.60 is considered to be the maximum exchange rate in which central banks will tolerate weakness in the dollar. Beyond that, we can expect some form of intervention, verbal or otherwise, to support the US currency. For now, a weak dollar is viewed as desirable for boosting exports for the ailing US economy, even though the Administration stresses its preference for a strong dollar.

But the weak dollar, along with the China’s management of its own currency, has other nations, particularly in Europe, concerned. Volatility indicators suggest that the swiftness of the US currency’s fall, coupled with the dollars current level, is raising fears of further dollar weakness, leading to a more tumultuous trading environment.

Which leads one to ask, “Is this the best time to buy stocks??” The answer is resounding “Yes!”

A raft of Market experts and Financial advisors are buoyant about investing now because a range of familiar quoted companies’ stock prices are still trading at attractive levels. Many believe that a combination sell-off’s and consolidations have created some of the best buying opportunities for many months.

Analysts suggest that the window is wide open to buy growth stocks, ahead of the inevitable economic turnaround, at enticingly bargain prices.

Even during the market’s more tumultuous times and difficult days, buy-out news and other short term forces can send individual stocks up by 10%, 25% and even above 50%.

In fact, one or our exciting success stories involved the stock, Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (sticker symbol HGSI). Our recommendation to our clients was to buy when the stock was bobbling around the $3/$3.30 mark and HOLD.

As the result of an announcement, the stock went from $3.32 (July 17^th) to $13.84 (July 21^st)! It slowly climbed to $18.69 by mid-Oct. and then surged to $28 in early November. Some of our risk adverse clients took an early profit in late July, many others rode the wave $17 or $18, a few stalwarts stays on board until the $25 mark.

Naturally, the trick is not only to find these stocks and but also to seize the opportunity when it is offered. We are always willing to make stock recommendations and offer advice on timing, however, we do feel that it is important for our clients to do their own research too.

As 2009 winds to a close, we can bid good riddance to a decade in Wall Street that will be remembered for two burst financial bubbles and a rogue’s gallery scoundrels who rewarded themselves well and delivered by little.

 Wall Street experts and company chiefs behaved in an appallingly arrogant manner for much of the era – their bad attitude towards investors and the sanctity of the markets leading, inevitably, to their fall.

There is no doubt that more than a few of them knew exactly what they were doing to us. With this profitless dotcom, their fraudulent shell companies (Enron and WorldCom!), the over-inflated salaries... not to mention the ‘geniuses’ who engineered the credit crunch by repackaging dubious home-loans as mortgage-backed securities... and the men who ran the banks that were ‘too big to’ to fail and met the crisis with a “What, me worry?!” attitude.

None of us need to ponder deeply before coming up with our own Wall Street ‘horror’ story.

The decade kicked off at the most boisterous phase of the tech bubble, with the NASDAQ reaching a dizzy peak of 5,132. A decade later, it still languishes some 3,000 points below its peak. The Dow Jones and S&P’s 500 Index are ‘only’ down 10% to 20% for the decade.

If there’s a silver lining to this Wall Street debacle, it’s the decade that the decade offered a lesson in how brutal the American markets can be!

In this post-Madoff, post-Lehman brothers environment, more and more investors are looking to Europe – and the European markets – which have traditionally provided solid investor protection.

As this demand for transparency, a higher regulatory standard and strict rules on liquidity and risk management soars, the European market, buoyed by the strength of the Euro, promises to be THE market for a long time to come.

The demands on company’s directors are greater than in other jurisdictions. The regulator wants to see full background checks, and by law, directors must be able to demonstrate good supervision and governance through a wide range of reporting.

“Investors from as far a field as Singapore and Hong Kong are being attracted to Europe in their quest for liquidity and transparent oversight” said a Guernsey-based asset manager, “in fact, it is probable that that many offshore investors will move onshore to Europe over the next five years.”

Strathclyde Associates is a full service brokerage firm with many years experience in providing a wide array of services globally to a vast group of clients that include private individuals, financial institutions, governments and corporations.