Today we are watching…
1. Anheuser-Busch (#abinbev-adr)
This Belgian brewer just stunned Craft Brew Alliance (CBA) investors with a lottery check of life-changing proportions, buying out the smaller firm at $16.50 per share when the going market rate was only $7.33! There was definitely alcohol involved in this one! Stock in Craft Brew Alliance saw stratospheric gains as traders across all markets dropped what they were doing and rushed in to capture a 120% upside. Shares in Anheuser Busch, however, didn’t move an inch. Having splashed out on SAB Miller for £70 billion four years ago, long-term shareholders are numb to the idea of overpaying. Soon, CBA will be added to AB-InBev’s ‘Brewers Collective,’ officially throwing a new corporate umbrella over its US craft beer brands. Bottoms up!
2. Restoration Hardware (#rh)
With Warren Buffett’s cash pile bubbling to obscene levels, his next acquisition is going to pack a punch. Investors have been speculating on his next target company, and loading up on shares in the hope of a windfall. It seems Buffett’s spinning bottle has landed on Restoration Hardware (RH), a furniture retailer up 41% this year. He’s tempering his outlays, easing only a couple hundred million into a new position. However, the Oracle of Omaha’s stamp of approval was enough to see Restoration Hardware shares pop 7%. He’s a market maker! Many investors are eager to get stock tips in his quarterly ‘13F’ reports about his dealings, and those of his portfolio managers. RH was already rallying, but now Buffett’s on the hype train too!