Oddly Relevant Jan-9-2013

Corporate intelligence and the bloodhounds of capitalism: More work is abound for the corporate detectives to sniff out, analyze, and share facts. Growing complexity of regulations, increase in whistleblowing, and due diligence on clients and partners created more work to be done. The best in business today is FTI consulting, the only publicly traded firm with 3,800 employees, revenues of $177m and profit margin of 17% in 2012. Competition and in-sourcing remain intense. [Note: have they considered rating agency’s business? Would probably rock it]…Source: http://www.economist.com/news/business/21569028-it-good-time-be-corporate-investigator-bloodhounds-capitalism

Sweetened drinks linked to depression in U.S. soda study? sample size is 200,000 older adults, and result is that >4 cans of soda a day runs 30% greater risk of depression than those who consume none; 38% for fruit punch, and even higher for diet drinks. [Note: 3 caveats, 1: researchers didn’t examine specific chemicals in the drinks like artificial sweeteners, 2: adults are between age 50 and 71, recording of drinking is done in 1995-1996, and researcher asks participants’ depression state 10 years later, isn’t that a bit late? 3: Drinking lots of soda can be tied with poor economic/education state, which can lead to depression, one cannot conclude direct causality]…Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-08/sweetened-drinks-linked-to-depression-in-u-s-soda-study.html

Jobs with the highest and lowest unemployment rates in the U.S.: irrespective of (probably) small sample sizes, the lowest include judges (0.4%), petroleum engineers, physicians/surgeons, septic tank servicers, animal breeders, and patrol officers. Highest include mobile home installers (35.5%), plasterers, actors, gaming cage workers, and structural iron workers. [Note: Should inform my friend who wants to be a movie star?]…Source: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/01/the-jobs-with-the-highest-and-lowest-unemployment-rates-in-the-us/266974/

Marc Faber is “deeply uncomfortable” about the equity market: slightly bullish on Vietnamese, Japanese, and Chinese equities, he is concerned that the economic environment is extremely unstable and thinks that (1) USD could rally, (2) bullish on gold, (3) Euro is undesirable to own, and (4) currency race to the bottom will continue. [Note: I will still own equities of good companies, thank you]…Source: http://pragcap.com/marc-faber-deeply-uncomfortable-about-the-equity-market

Reddit is raising $1mm at $400 mm valuation: Only from certain influential angel investors, and the company doesn’t need more—it had $20 mm in the bank and generates tremendous traffic with very lean staff. This round is more for input and advices. [Note: don’t go check out this highly addicting front page of the internet in case you haven’t]…Source: http://allthingsd.com/20130109/reddits-funding-round-is-for-real-and-its-only-for-angels/