<p>"Microsoft will invest $300 million in Barnes & Noble’s e-reader business. The deal values the bookseller’s Nook division at $1.7 billion, and Microsoft will assume a 17.6% stake.</p>
<p>Barnes & Noble shares soared 101% to $27.80 in pre-market trading this morning, while Microsoft shares rose only 0.2% to $32.14."</p>
<p>I just shorted BKS. Smart trade, dumb trade or who knows? I don’t see how MSFT throwing money at college textbooks will change sales. MSFT usually screws up everything.</p>
<p>We compete with Microsoft. Microsoft does not screw everything up. They bring in an incredible amount of cash, generate research, make products and they innovate. Maybe not with the flair of Apple, but their products run a lot of the web, business applications and consumer solutions.</p>
<p>I had a look at the Nook and I thought that it was a piece of crap suitable for Toy’s R Us. That said, Microsoft has done a lot of research in touch products and maybe they could recreate the device.</p>
<p>I’m out of BKS at 23. It will probably go lower, but I will take the money and run this time given how many other times the money has run from me.</p>
<p>Interactive Brokers had shares to short. I didn’t trade that many shares. Maybe I was able to squeeze in between the big boys. It seems like there are often spikes in the premarket based on news that can be shorted premarket and then covered when the market opens.</p>
<p>The only problem with IB is that their interface is horrible. Their costs are very low but you really need to look at their tutorials before trading. Very confusing.</p>
<p>I have traded options on IB. They have a special screen called Optiontrader that is intended to make it easier to trade options including spreads. It is not easy to work with but probably is not any worse than the other interfaces. When I trade option spreads, I usually use their custom feature which lets me enter it the way I want it. The big advantage of IB is that is costs a lot less per trade. It does not offer much in the way of research or ease of use.</p>
<p>I don’t know if it was accurate. I don’t check behind their numbers. I just roll with it. I probably should check, but I am way to lazy.</p>
<p>I also have an Etade account which I use for research and longer term investing. It is so much easier to use even though it could be better. It rarely lets me sort anything but really big market cap stocks.</p>
<p>I bought some shares of DECK. They make those ugly Uggs boots that the kids wear. I don’t know if the craze is over yet, but I am betting the stock will go up by Christmas. On the other hand, they say never to catch a falling knife and I might find that out the hard way.</p>