Apple Poised for a Rebound; Sony to Super-size Holiday Season for PS4; There’s Gold in ‘Them Thar Brews’

Apple Poised for a Rebound (YahooFinance)

In the next week, investors will be watching Apple, Inc., closely to see if a couple of well-orchestrated events can push shares back above the $500 mark. First, on Tuesday, the company will host an event at its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., to introduce its latest iPhone. On that same day, which actually will be Wednesday in China, the company is also expected to announce a deal with China Mobile Ltd., to introduce the iPhone to the world’s largest population base. China Mobile alone boasts 700 million subscribers. So, tomorrow could be a sweet day indeed for followers of Apple.

Sony to Super-size Holiday Season for PS4 (Reuters)

Sony Corp. targeted February 22, 2014, as the date it will release its PlayStation 4 (PS4) game unit to Japanese consumers. Many analysts feel this is the Tokyo-based gamer’s last chance to claw back into profitability in the hotly contested gaming arena. The February release date is a full three months after the company will introduce the console to the United States. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the global video gaming market is an $86.9-billion bonanza. By delaying the release of its PS4 to Japan, Sony is hoping to extend its own buying season through the holidays and into the next year. Investors will be the ultimate judge as to whether that strategy works.

There’s Gold in ‘Them Thar Brews’ (Bloomberg)

Jim Koch’s Boston Beer Co. has become America’s second-largest brewery almost overnight — relatively speaking. And along the way, it’s made a billionaire out of the Massachusetts-based brew-master. In fact, shares of Boston Beer have doubled in the past year and reached a record high last Friday. And that’s saying something, since over the last year, total U.S. beer sales have dropped 2 percent, while sales of Koch’s Sam Adams products have increased 17 percent. Investors should raise a glass to Koch, a marketer’s marketer, and perhaps raise their shareholdings as well.