Archive for September 27th, 2011

SEC goes after S&P … Moody’s gets a pass … hmmm.

September 27, 2011

Well, well, well.

According to the WSJ: “The SEC has given S&P a so-called Wells notice alleging that S&P violated federal securities laws with respect to its ratings for a collateralized debt obligation known as Delphinus CDO 2007-1”.

Hmmm. About 4 years after the fact … but only a month or so after S&P lower the U.S. credit rating.

Coincidence.

Probably so.

And, here’s another twist: Moody’s was also up to its eyeballs slapping AAA ratings on CDOs.

But, Moody’s isn’t under investigation.

Did I mention that Warren “Please Tax Me More” Buffet owns a big chunk of Moody’s.

Double hmmm.

Probably just a coincidence.

But, it doesn’t smell right, does it?

Gotta love that good, old fashioned Chicago politics.

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Posted in Buffett, Warren, Financial Crisis, Obama | 1 Comment »

Ketchup? That’ll be extra, monsieur.

September 27, 2011

In marketing jargon, it’s called “unbundled pricing” … charging a price for a base product and then charging separately for add-ons.

In concept, price unbundling allows suppliers to flash lower base prices to potential buyers … and enables buyers to only pay for the specific product features that they want.

The downside: unbundling highlights the price of the add-on … which folks may have previously perceived to be free.  Think airlines charging for bags

Another case in point: a family member just got back from Europe …. where he was dismayed that McDonald’s was charging extra for ketchup.

For McDonald’s, it’s a way to to list a lower burger price.

For non-ketchup eater, it’s a way to save money … not paying the ‘hidden price’ for something that they don’t use.

For ketchup users?

Well, it certainly feels like Mickey D is screwing them.

Thanks to SMH for feeding the lead.

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Posted in Mktg - Pricing | 1 Comment »