Why do you think firms may be inclined to stay private for longer, and, for funding needs, tap private equity capital through the Goldmans, et al.?
If you were the founder of a company, what are the factors you would consider in deciding whether to IPO or direct list? Do you think more firms, like Spotify, will choose to direct list? Why or why not?
If you were CFO of Intel, what would you do? What are all your options and how would you try to make a decision about your $10 billion in overseas cash?
Toys R US filed for Chapter 11. Could you have predicted this? What inputs to your predictive model would you have included?
Nokia has its plate full on many fronts. The CFO now must also contend with potentially negative interest rates for its $4 billion in cash, making it an even worse non-performing asset. What would you advise?
What is your opinion with respect to whether interest on debt should be deductible? Whom would eliminating the deductibility of interest hurt? Whom would it help?
J. Crew needs to modify its debt agreements. What are the two types of modifications, from an accounting perspective? Given the retail sector’s condition in general, do you think they will be successful in achieving a modification? What are the alternatives?
SAP’s free cash flow increased, giving the company additional financial flexibility. Why do you think the European investor base would rather SAP reduce debt than increase share buybacks? Is being “debt-free” an “optimal” position for any company? Does is matter if it is European or not?
Why is there a trend toward “de-equitizing” the capital markets? Do you believe (over) regulation of public companies plays a part? If you needed cash, what options are available and how would you choose?
If you were CEO or CFO of a firm, what are the various factors you would consider in whether to buy back stock, pay a dividend, and/or invest in capex? Do you agree that the current trend in the market is unsustainable? What do you foresee happening? When?
Tim Cook at Apple says Apple will not repatriate overseas profits until the U.S. rate is “fair.” How could you see whether Apple accrued or did not accrue a liability for U.S. taxes on foreign earnings?
If you were CFO, how much control do you think you have over you own cost of capital? What would you try to do to lower it?
What are the advantages of raising capital by selling shares to banks, who in turn resell the shares, rather than selling shares to “typical” investors directly? If you were a CFO, how would you create a decision rule for determining which method to raise capital is optimal?
What are some of the benefits of going public? Costs? Do you think that the Container Store should have gone public? Does “conscious capitalism” work for a public company? Why or why not?
Do you think that changing the tax code to allow banks to deduct dividends would reduce the “excessive” risk taking that banks have been accused of? Can you connect all the dots in the chain of reasoning behind the proposal?
UBS is shutting down much of its investment banking services because it isn’t covering its cost of capital. How do you think it measures its cost of capital? Why do you think UBS’s stakeholders appear to be less patient than those at other banks?
