Box Office Battle: '80s Action Stars vs. '80s Action Turtles
(AP Photo)
Morning Money Memo…
ABC News' John Kapetaneas reports:
It will once again be a battle at the weekend box office, only this time with much lower stakes. Sylvester Stallone's third installment of "The Expendables," the half-billion dollar series comprised of mostly 1980s action movie stars, is expected to pull in a modest $20 million in what has been a weak summer season for film earnings. Last weekend's winner, Michael Bay's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," is expected to top the weekend box office with close to $30 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
Markets Start Strong
Markets across the globe were up early this morning, looking to end the week on a positive note, as trading across the globe pushed most indices into the green. European and Asian markets saw mostly positive gains for the day, with exchanges in France, Germany, Hong Kong and Shanghai seeing nearly 1 percent gains on the day. U.S. futures were up this morning going into the final trading day of the week. Gold was down $2.20 per ounce to $1,313, as worldwide demand for the precious metal declined in the previous quarter.
Buffett Boom
It's a historic day for Warren Buffett, Forbes's third-richest man in the world. His legendary investment firm, Berkshire Hathaway, opens the day above $200,000 per share, after ending the trading day Thursday at $202,850.
The Oracle of Omaha, who will turn 83 later this month, is showing no sign of slowing down, with Berkshire purchasing shares in Visa, Verizon, GM and Wal-Mart (among other companies).
Now, the question is: Should you invest like Buffett? One share of Berkshire Hathaway class A stock purchased in August 1984 would have cost you $1,290. Holding that singular share for 30 yours, would now have returned you 157 times your money (or 15,700 percent). By comparison, buying the S&P 500 in August 1984 at $167 would have returned you, over the same period of time, $1,170 (11 times your initial investment).
Invest Like Warren Buffett? His Stock Just Hit $200,000
Buffett would seem like a good investment in any investor's book; but before you go splurging on the next share of Berkshire stock, let's take a look at what else $200,000 can buy you:
- A base model 2014 Ferrari F430, which at 490-horsepower, certainly seems more enticing than a share in a company. And at $175,000, you'd still have enough money left over to fill your 25 gallon gas tank approximately 289 times at the current national average gas price.
- Climb Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain, with a guiding company leading you along the way. At $65,000, you can reach the peak three times (theoretically, of course), and still have enough left over to splurge on great hiking gear.
- At least three full years of tuition, fees, expenses, plus full room and board at Harvard, one of the world's most prestigious universities. You would even have enough left over to pick up the first few hundred bar tabs at your favorite Cambridge pub.
- Explore the entire world in 24 days with National Geographic Expeditions, visiting historic sites like Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat, all by private jet. And at $74,000, you could afford to do it twice, with more than enough left over to extend your stay any number of popular resort destinations.
Most Expensive Car
What can't $200,000 buy you? How about the most expensive car in the world. A 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO sold for $34.65 million, or the rough equivalent of 171 shares of Berkshire Hathaway class A. The record-breaking roadster topped the price of the previous world's most expensive car, a 1954 Mercedes that went for just under $30 million.