Matthew Luke

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The Lesser Known Restaurateurs

By Matthew Luke - June 19, 2013 | Tickers: ARCO, BH, MCD, THI

In the world of publicly-traded restaurant companies, a tiny few command most of the attention of the U.S. mainstream financial media. If your company is not a big name like Starbucks or Chipotle Mexican Grill, good luck getting even a brief mention on CNBC. Despite the lack of attention, there are other lesser known restaurant companies out there that are quietly improving sales, expanding their businesses and making their more »
Canada’s Versions of Berkshire Hathaway

By Matthew Luke - June 14, 2013 | Tickers: BRK-B, BRK-A, BBRY, FRFHF.PK, PWCDF

Berkshire Hathaway and its legendary chairman-CEO Warren Buffett are two of the most discussed topics in the entire U.S. stock market. And why shouldn’t they be? Under Warren Buffett’s leadership, a failing investment in a textile manufacturer turned into one of best collections of subsidiary companies in the world. This is a great story to discuss, but a story that is not limited only to the U more »
The Ins and Outs of Farmland Investing

By Matthew Luke - June 6, 2013 | Tickers: AGRO, ALCO, CRESY, LAND, LMNR

So you want to be a farmer.
Investing in farmland can make for an intriguing alternative to stocks. Farmland is fairly safe, historically a great hedge against inflation and is an asset class that does not correlate with the stock market. As the world’s population continues to grow (9.15 billion estimate by 2050) and the global middle-class continues to emerge (with changing dietary habits toward more calories and more »
Targeting Africa as the 'New China'

By Matthew Luke - May 30, 2013 | Tickers: KO, WMT, YUM

With about 17% of the world’s population, an emerging middle-class of young consumers and an increased rate of urbanization, Africa is starting to become the ‘new China’ in the eyes of emerging market investors. Growing roughly three times faster than the rest of the world, the story of the African middle-class is finally becoming a reality, albeit still in its very early chapters.

The example to follow
Large multinational more »
Money Does Grow on Trees After All

By Matthew Luke - May 28, 2013 | Tickers: AGRO, CRESY, DOLE, LAND, LMNR

The United Nations projects that by 2050 the earth’s population will increase by 2.25 billion to over 9.15 billion people. Most of that population growth will occur in the emerging countries, where people consume (not by choice) far fewer calories than developed nations like the United States. About 2.3 billion people live in countries where the average calories consumed are less than 2,500 a day more »
The Hundred-Year Dividend

By Matthew Luke - May 25, 2013 | Tickers: BMO, CHD, DD

Editor's Note: This article has been amended to correct Dupont's dividend history. Motley Fool apologizes for the error.

Many dividend-seeking investors like to screen for sky-high yielding companies when looking for their next possible investment opportunity. While there is nothing inherently wrong about this strategy, high yields alone can often mean little if the company lacks the financial strength to maintain and continually increase their dividend payouts. Some more »
The Return of the King

By Matthew Luke - May 25, 2013 | Tickers: BKW, MCD

Burger King’s (NYSE: BKW) reign in the kingdom of fast food burgers has been a tumultuous one. During its long troubled history, Burger King has been occupied by many outside powers. First was The Pillsbury Company in the 70s and 80s, the liquor giant Diageo in the 90s and the private equity firm TPG Capital for much of the 00s. Each neglected or badly managed (often both) Burger King more »
A Look at the Mini-Berkshires

By Matthew Luke - May 21, 2013 | Tickers: LUK, MKL, PWCDF

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has been one of the best investing success stories of the past half-century. Under Buffett’s leadership, the textile manufacturer turned insurance company turned investment vehicle has made many people a small fortune (and a few people a very large fortune). With the success of Berkshire, it should come to no surprise that investors are always on the lookout for the next Berkshire Hathaway-like company more »
Speculative Oil Investments

By Matthew Luke - May 17, 2013 | Tickers: FM, NES, SZYM

Simple investments, with easy to understand investment theses, are one of the best ways to make consistently long-term profits in the stock market. And while I am a firm believer in this investment strategy, there is nothing wrong with the occasional bet on a well-researched speculative stock. Once a portfolio of lower-risk investments has been established, investing a small percentage of your money in a Powerball-like stock could be well more »
Don’t Make Investing Too Complicated

By Matthew Luke - May 10, 2013 | Tickers: ABT, ABBV, BEAM, CHD, MCD

If I could send a message back in time to my younger self, I would only need to use four words, “Keep it simple, Stupid!” This is great advice for life in general, but especially good advice when investing one’s own money. How much better would my stock portfolio would look today if I had realized this when I first began investing!

Sometimes we as investors can fall into more »
Looking Through Google Glass Reviews

By Matthew Luke - May 7, 2013 | Tickers: BIDU, GOOG, LUX

A few weeks ago, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) began the limited, invitation-only, release of its Google Glass smartglasses device. A select few app developers and general consumers, known as ‘Explorers,’, were given the ability to test the Explorer Edition, a quasi-prototype version of Google Glass. The reviews are now in. What do these Explorers have to say about Google’s entry into the emerging space of wearable technology?

2011 called…

At more »
Second Look at Arcos Dorados

By Matthew Luke - May 2, 2013 | Tickers: ARCO, BKW, CL, MCD, YUM

On Tuesday, Latin American restaurant operator Arcos Dorados (NYSE: ARCO) reported its first quarter earnings results. Earnings per share came in at a 8-cent loss, below analysts’ estimates of 6-cent gain, with revenue of $976.9 million, beating consensus estimates of $960.4 million. This continues a challenging 12-plus months for the company, which has seen tough operating conditions across Latin America after what had initially been an impressive growth more »
Taking the Ten Year Buffett Challenge

By Matthew Luke - April 30, 2013 | Tickers: CHD, DEO, EBAY, DANOY.PK

With Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting almost upon us, I am reminded of this investing gem Warren Buffett once said: “Only buy something that you’d be perfectly happy to hold if the market shut down for ten years.” That bit of advice is beautiful in its simplicity. Buffett is challenging us to think long-term with every investment decision. That is a challenge we should all accept; constructing ten more »
When Others Are Fearful: Danone and Europe

By Matthew Luke - April 28, 2013 | Tickers: ABT, GIS, DANOY.PK, MJN

Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting is quickly approaching and I am reminded of Warren Buffett’s famous quote from 8 years ago: “Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.” That second part is easier said than done, as it is extremely difficult to have the financial courage to run towards danger when everybody else is fleeing from it at full speed. But that kind more »
Keeping It Nice and Simple with Jim Beam

By Matthew Luke - April 22, 2013 | Tickers: BEAM, BF-B, DEO, PDRDY.PK

Do not make investing your own money a complicated endeavor. Sometimes we can fall into the investing trap that a complicated, difficult to understand investment is somehow the equivalent of a good investment. And sometimes it can be a good investment, but often it isn’t. Often it is the simplest things in life that make for the best long-term investments.

Try this one: No matter where we live in more »
Alzheimer’s Milkshakes and the Growth of Medical Nutrition

By Matthew Luke - April 22, 2013 | Tickers: ABT, ABBV, BMY, DANOY.PK, MJN, NSRGY, PFE

A milkshake is not foremost on most people’s list of treatments for the neurological disorder Alzheimer’s. But a milkshake is indeed one treatment for those with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, thanks to the recent United Kingdom release of Souvenaid. This milkshake and similar products are some of the many treatment options in an emerging hybridization of food and medicine.

Defining a Milkshake
By “milkshake” I of course do more »
Great Investment in this Simple Company

By Matthew Luke - April 11, 2013 | Tickers: DEO, LVMUY, PDRDY.PK

One of the mistakes we investors can sometimes make is to assume that an overly-complicated investment is the same thing as a great investment. “I understand nothing about Company-X’s business model. It is so complicated that is must be great!” Often, however, the exact opposite can be true. The simplest companies and products can be the most consistently great long-term investments. By simply I am referring to companies selling more »
McDonald's Latin American Opportunity

By Matthew Luke - April 10, 2013 | Tickers: ARCO, BKW, MCD, YUM

It was almost exactly two years ago when shares of the world’s largest franchiser of McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) restaurants debuted on the New York Stock Exchange. Since its initial public offering, shares of Arcos Dorados (NYSE: ARCO) have significantly underperformed the overall market (down 42%, while the S&P 500 has rallied 19%). Are the hopes for explosive emerging market growth dashed or are good times just around more »
Amazon Survivors and the Lessons Learned

By Matthew Luke - April 10, 2013 | Tickers: AMZN, LUX, LVMUY, SBUX

Borders, Blockbuster and Tower Records were just some of the many traditional brick and mortar retailers who fell victim to Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) and its e-commerce brethren. Today these brick and mortar retailers no longer exist, exist in name only, or have a retail presence a mere fraction of their past glory. Whether it was Amazon’s strategy of undercutting competitors with razor-thin profit margins or offering products and more »
The Suddenly Crowded Smartglasses Space

By Matthew Luke - April 7, 2013 | Tickers: BIDU, GOOG, LUX, MSFT, SNE

Lately it seems that every other day brings with it news about the emerging wearable technology space. A few days ago I wrote about The Suddenly Crowded Smartwatch Space. In that article I talked about how the much hyped, but completely unconfirmed, Apple iWatch product was being joined by the confirmed Samsung smartwatch and the unconfirmed Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android smartwatch.

Just last week Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Baidu.com (NASDAQ: BIDU more »)

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