Case Study: Ameritrade Essay

The Equity Capital Markets Group at TD Securities Inc. is a leader in the origination, structuring, marketing and execution of all equity and equity-related products. TD Securities Inc. in The Equity Capital Markets Group has book run transactions in a wide range of sectors and products with underwriting activities ranging from initial public offerings and follow-on offerings to monetization and private placements. There are several areas of product expertise which include:

As a deep-discount brokerage, Ameritrade planned to improve its competitive position by price cutting, technology enhancements, and increased advertising in mid-1997. Before initiating the plan, Ameritrade needed know whether the investment returned more than it cost. We were hired to estimate the cost of capital correctly. The key question is to find suitable comparable firms to estimate Ameritrade’s asset beta, since it was a recently-listed firm. We thought discount brokerage companies were best due to same revenue resources. Proper risk-free rate and market risk premium should also be chosen carefully, and we used 30-year bonds YTM and the annual return difference

This document is authorized for use only by Yen Ting Chen in FInancial Markets and Institutions taught by Nawal Ahmed Boston University from September 2014 to December 2014.

In order to succeed in any business, it is extremely important to understand the stock market. In this assignment we were asked to follow the stock market continuously for four months and understand the market. The stock market is a global marketplace, where goods and services are traded in the form of equities.

NASDAQ, a telecommunication system providing an information link among brokers and dealers in the OTC markets, accounted for 43% of the

     The New York Stock Exchange traces its origin back 200 years. Centuries of growth and innovation the NYSE remains the world’s foremost securities marketplace. Over the years its commitment to investors has been unwavering and its persistent application of the latest technology has allowed it to maintain a level of market quality and service that is unparalleled. The NYSE has grown to become the global marketplace of today.

The Ameritrade IPO had only been issued in March 1997. Therefore, in order for Ameritrade to analyze its potential investments, it needed to compare the Betas of other similar companies since calculating a Beta based on its own stock price was not yet feasible. In order to do such an analysis Ameritrade needed to determine its type of business. It had two options: a traditional full service broker or a deep discount online brokerage firm.

After levering the equity beta, the asset beta of the firms are calculated. As mentioned we think that the three discount brokerages (highlighted in green) should be used as comparables for Ameritrade. The average asset beta of the three firms is 1.386. As a comparison the investment services firms have average asset beta of 0.603 and the one internet company (Mecklermedia) for which enough historical data is

1. Adams espouses a “market first” analysis of opportunity by looking for discontinuities. Is this substantive or window-dressing? Do the four types of discontinuities represent applicable guidelines? Are they comprehensive, or are there other discontinuity templates that a venture investor would find useful?

It is important for stockholders to continuously re-evaluate their investments. Although some investors do this more frequently and thoroughly than others, the majority of shareholders do so at least once each year. Therefore, Torres’ desire to update her analysis in order to determine whether Costco was still operating efficiently makes perfect sense. After thorough examination, my analysis proves that Costco remains one of the industry’s leading competitors and there seems to be no reason for Torres to sell her shares as long as she wishes to retain holdings of a retail wholesale club in her portfolio.

I didn't always make good money with the stock market and I wish looking back on it now that an experienced trader passed on their wisdom. So, I've decided to do this for you.

TD Ameritrade is an American online broker based in Omaha, Nebraska. On May 1, 1975 the SEC banned the practice of fixed brokerage commissions so four entrepreneurs in Omaha were among the first to do something that on one on Wall Street thought would happen. They broke ranks and offered discounted brokerage commissions to individual investors (“Our History”). TD Ameritrade is a service based company for those self- directed by offering support 24/7, independent investment research from credible third parties, powerful trading tools and plat forming for active traders and long term investors, clear pricing, investment products and free investor education resources for those that needed it. TD Ameritrade is a

The Stock Market is an organized market for the trading of stocks and bonds. In Europe a stock exchange is often called a bourse. Stock exchanges exist in all-important financial centers of the world. Members of an exchange buy and sell for themselves or for others, charging commissions. A stock may be traded only if it is listed on an exchange after having met certain requirements. The New York Stock Exchange (founded 1790) is the largest in the U.S., handling more than 70% (in market value) of all transactions. The American Stock Exchange (Amex), also in New York City, and regional exchanges account for the remainder. Unlisted shares, often of smaller companies, are traded in the growing over-the-counter

The historic average returns from 1950 to 1996 and from 1929 to 1996 are given In Exhibit 3. We chose the latter time period as we considered it would give us a more reliable estimate of the risk-free rate by discounting both the Second World War and the Great Depression. It is necessary to evaluate the expected length of the project and utilize a risk free rate applicable for the same time period. Ameritrade is investing $100 million dollars in technology, which is considered a long-term investment, in order to become the largest brokerage firm. We consider their

From September 3rd, 2015 to October 28th, 2015, our group was given the opportunity to manage an investment portfolio, with the goal of maximizing the value of the portfolio through acquiring, holding, and selling stock. The beginning cash balance of the portfolio was $100,000, and our group had the ability to make up to 500 trades. During this time period, our group made 20 stock purchases and sold stock twice. At the close of business on October 28, 2015, the value of our group’s portfolio increased from $100,000 to $106,785.33, yielding a return of  6.78% (((106785.33/100,000)-1) x 100)). In comparison to the S&P 500 returned at 7.16% and the Dow Jones having a return of 8.65% (Yahoo).