May 7, 2008

Bite Size Bad News 4--Candy

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Mars just bought out Wrigley in a merger that creates the world's largest candy company with 14% of the global market. This has attracted a lot of attention because financing from the world richest man, Warren Buffett, made it possible.

So this news fits the "bite size" part of the feature like a glove, but where's the "bad news" come in? Well, Buffett is one of the canniest investors ever, and famously stayed away from a lot of the fancy "investment vehicles" which have been imploding so spectacularly over the last year.

Obviously he likes putting together a firm that is the big dog in a monopsonized global market, but a Financial Times columnist, John Gapper, points out that Buffett is also walking the walk on his predictions about the severity of the unfolding recession:
Famously, confectionery companies are often good investments in recessions as people cut back on big luxuries and seek comfort with such small indulgences as chocolate bars.
Uh-oh.

1 comment:

xoff said...

Get to the bottom line:

What will this do the price of Black Jack?