John Casteele

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• It Looks Like a Winnebago With Wings!

  By John Casteele - May 22, 2013 | Tickers: NAV, THO, WGO

  My first encounter with an RV made by Winnebago Industries (NYSE: WGO) was in Mel Brooks' sci-fi spoof Spaceballs. I was only around 8 years old at the time, but the beat-up old Winnebago that Lonestar and Barf travelled the galaxy in stuck in my mind as a symbol of the open road. Imagine my surprise to grow up and find that Winnebagos currently only make up around 20% of more »

• The McBites Just Aren't Biting

  By John Casteele - March 19, 2013 | Tickers: MCD, WMT

  I've talked before about the McDonald's Corporation (NYSE: MCD) and the company's plan to keep customers coming back for more with limited-time offerings like the McRib and Spicy Chicken McBites. Unfortunately for McDonald's, the best laid plans of clowns and Hamburglers often go awry when the economy hits a major slump. (Assuming, of course, that anyone remembers who Hamburgler is these days.)

  The latest limited-time offering more »

• Add Some Sole to Your Portfolio

  By John Casteele - March 12, 2013 | Tickers: CROX, NKE, SKX

  I've always been hard on the shoes that I wear. I can buy cheap shoes and wear the soles out within months, or buy expensive shoes and get almost the same result. When I find a pair of shoes that hold up against everything I put them through I tend to stay pretty loyal to that brand. For the last several years, my shoes of choice have been KangaROOS more »

• Building More than Just a House of Cards

  By John Casteele - March 4, 2013 | Tickers: AMZN, CSTR, DWA, NFLX, VZ |

  "House of Cards," the original series that Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) released a few weeks ago, is a hit. The Kevin Spacey-led political drama quickly became the most-watched show on Netflix, with a lot of subscribers binge-viewing and taking in the entire series in a weekend or even a day. Given that the news comes from Netflix itself and lacks specific numbers one might want to take it with a pinch more »

• The THQ Auction - Who Got What?

  By John Casteele - January 29, 2013 | Tickers: EA, TTWO, TWX

  THQ's auction has come and gone, leaving some studios and IPs with new homes, while others remain in the wind. Leading up to the auction there was speculation about what companies such as Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) and Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment were hoping to get from the asset auction; now that the auction has ended and all that remains is to complete the more »

• Why I Own Microsoft, Even After Windows 8

  By John Casteele - January 17, 2013 | Tickers: AAPL, GOOG, MSFT, NOK

  The latest operating system from Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has had its share of detractors, including both those who have tried it and didn't like it and those who haven't tried it at all. I like Windows 8, I'm writing this post on a computer running Windows 8, but fear not--I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. Whether history records the latest from Redmond as an more »

• Cutting the Cable

  By John Casteele - January 17, 2013 | Tickers: AMZN, CMCSA, NFLX, TWC

  The beginning of 2013 marks an opportunity to make changes in hopes of creating a new year that's better than the last. While I tend to not be a person who makes a large number of resolutions, I have made one decision that will hopefully improve my finances for the year. I'm ditching cable, and from what I understand I'm not the only one.

  The truth is more »

• Is Nokia's Windows Phone Focus Finally Paying Off?

  By John Casteele - January 16, 2013 | Tickers: T, MSFT, NOK

  Editor's Note: The initial version stated that Nokia unveiled a tablet. Nokia did not unveil a tablet. This was relayed by a third party source. This version has been corrected and Motley Fool regrets the error.
  

  Nokia (NYSE: NOK) had some good news recently; the company released an update showing that it had managed to beat its Q4 forecasts, achieving underlying profitability thanks in part to its Windows Phone-powered more »

• The THQ Bankruptcy - What's Next

  By John Casteele - January 14, 2013 | Tickers: EA, TWX

  As I mentioned recently, THQ filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month and was set to be purchased by the Clearlake Capital Group, a move that would have in theory kept the company and its IP together until it could be turned around and sold to another buyer down the line. That plan of action was denied by US Bankruptcy Court Judge Mary Walrath, however, due in large part more »

• Looking Back at a Few of 2012's Hits and Misses

  By John Casteele - December 31, 2012 | Tickers: CPB, K, LF, MFRM

  Well, folks, we've just about done it. Very soon 2012 will officially be part of history and then we'll have all of 2013 to celebrate or worry about. But before we get into the scary (or glorious) future, I wanted to take just a moment to look back on the hits and misses of the year that was. I've picked a few of the companies I've more »

• So Who's Picking Up the Twinkies?

  By John Casteele - November 19, 2012 | Tickers: FLO, K, MDLZ

  By now you've probably heard about the decision by Hostess Brands to liquidate its assets in the face of nationwide strikes. If you're like me then your day has been filled with Facebook memes, Twinkie jokes, and the occasional quote from Zombieland. What you might have missed, however, is the speculation about the future of Hostess' products; while a lot of people are talking about the "death" of more »

• Storm Clouds Over Green Mountain

  By John Casteele - October 15, 2012 | Tickers: GMCR, KRFT |

  So it seems that Kraft Foods (NASDAQ: KRFT) is planning to start selling single-serve K-cup coffee pods for both its Maxwell House and Gevalia lines. They aren't the first third-party coffee producer to make K-cups for Green Mountain Coffee's (NASDAQ: GMCR) Keurig brewing system, but there is one significant difference between the K-cups that Kraft will make and those produced by other companies such as Dunkin Donuts, J more »

• The Sweet Taste of Smuckers

  By John Casteele - October 14, 2012 | Tickers: SJM, SLE

  You may have heard that J.M. Smuckers (NYSE: SJM) is currently facing problems regarding its Folgers coffee products; there was a problem with the supplier that provides the company with coffee canisters. This has led to a bit of inventory juggling to make sure that stores have enough coffee to meet consumer demand, though Smuckers is confident that this is merely a short-term setback that will be overcome fairly more »

• On the Offensive in the Soda Wars

  By John Casteele - October 12, 2012 | Tickers: KO, PEP

  Soda has gotten a lot of bad press recently. Between talk of soda taxes and proposed bans on larger bottle sizes, soda bottlers are looking for ways to paint their products in a positive light. That's not necessarily an easy task, either; sodas are filled with sugar and empty calories, often contain various food colorings, are often linked with childhood obesity and may contain ingredients that have been found more »

• Wal-Mart's Bluebird of Happiness

  By John Casteele - October 11, 2012 | Tickers: AXP, EBAY, GDOT, WMT

  This past weekend, big-box superpower Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) and credit card giant the American Express Company (NYSE: AXP) released a statement that they would be making a big announcement on Monday. This led to a lot of speculation about a Wal-Mart-branded credit card from American Express, and even theories about credit cards designed with the poor and those with credit problems in mind. In the end, however, the more »

• A Smart Buy for Pet Owners

  By John Casteele - October 9, 2012 | Tickers: AMZN, PETM, WMT

  Just so everyone knows, it was really hard for me to not lead off with a headline that referred to the S&P 500 going to the dogs. I wanted to, I needed to, but it's been overdone so I refrained. Anyway, with that out of the way, let's talk about PetSmart (NASDAQ: PETM) With Sunoco having been bought out recently, its absence leaves room in the S more »

• The Lumia Is Back for Windows Phone 8

  By John Casteele - October 9, 2012 | Tickers: T, MSFT, NOK, VZ

  Editor's Note: The post initially stated the Lumia 820 and 920 have different processors. They do not; this post has been corrected.

  Back in the spring, Nokia's (NYSE: NOK) Lumia 900 smartphone was believed to be the product that would bring the Finnish phone maker back into the limelight that it had enjoyed years ago. It was the largest product launch for Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows Phone more »

• The Windows 8 Tablets are Coming

  By John Casteele - October 9, 2012 | Tickers: T, DELL, HPQ, MSFT, NOK

  It's October, which means that Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows 8 operating system is due to be released in just a few weeks. A lot has been said, both good and bad, about the OS in the months leading up to this release, and though many seem content to call the new operating system a failure before it hits store shelves there will likely still be a lot of more »

• Oh, for the Love of Bacon!

  By John Casteele - October 9, 2012 | Tickers: HRL, SFD, TSN

  By now you've surely heard the news from the UK about the impending bacon shortage that sent the Internet into a tizzy last week. It was as though a million voices cried out "Noooooooooo!" in unison and then were silenced. Ok, maybe they weren't exactly silenced, but the anguish over the loss of bacon in the near future turned to occasional giggles as a thousand Internet memes were more »

• Amazon Heads Back Into the Vineyards

  By John Casteele - October 5, 2012 | Tickers: AMZN, EBAY, WMT

  Some of you may remember a few years ago when Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) was looking to add a wine selection to its massive online inventory. Unfortunately, those plans fell through as the company's partner for the venture ran into some financial troubles and Amazon Wines ended before it really began. The company didn't give up on the idea, however, and it seems that a new and improved more »

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