The Very Basic of Fundamental Analysis
³ Fundamentals: Quantitative and Qualitative
³ Quantitative Meets Qualitative
³ The Concept of Intrinsic Value
³ Criticisms of Fundamental Analysis
³ Conference Calls & Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A)
³ Ownership and Insider Sales & Past Performance
³ Financial and Information Transparency & Stakeholder Rights & Structure of the Board of Directors
³ Industry Growth & Competition
³
Regulation
Certain industries are heavily regulated due to the importance or severity of the industry's products and/or services. As important as some of these regulations are to the public, they can drastically affect the attractiveness of a company for investment purposes.
In industries where one or two companies represent the entire industry for a region (such as utility companies), governments usually specify how much profit each company can make. In these instances, while there is the potential for sizable profits, they are limited due to regulation.
In other industries, regulation can play a less direct role in affecting industry pricing. For example, the drug industry is one of most regulated industries. And for good reason - no one wants an ineffective drug that causes deaths to reach the market. As a result, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that new drugs must pass a series of clinical trials before they can be sold and distributed to the general public. However, the consequence of all this testing is that it usually takes several years and millions of dollars before a drug is approved. Keep in mind that all these costs are above and beyond the millions that the drug company has spent on research and development.
All in all, investors should always be on the lookout for regulations that could potentially have a material impact upon a business' bottom line. Investors should keep these regulatory costs in mind as they assess the potential risks and rewards of investing.
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