Accentuating the caveat emptor perspective with critical commentary on financial disclosure. I adopt a skeptical persona and look for chinks in the teflon coating of financial disclosure. My job is to identify financial warts. Perhaps a Black Swan. Disclosure: I do not hold positions in stocks mentioned for three trading days before or after blog post.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Cargill Dance of Seven Veils
Cargill a privately held company with over 160,000 employees announced their results and of course let everyone know profits are down but still insanely positive. As they are privately owned there is no obligation to dance with the SEC. But given their size they are a major player in commodities, specifically agriculture. I am a firm believer that everything has a reason. So why does Cargill do it? To gain stature in the commodities business and show that they are still a dominant player? To preposition the market for a potential public offering when conditions warrant? As inheritances continue the stock ownership becomes fragmented and the estate taxes are probably significant.