While Rank is seen as a takeover target, with William Hill and private equity houses tipped as possible bidders, analysts at Morgan Stanley judged: "Given that about 60% of operating profits are generated by the bingo division, we do not see a takeover as highly plausible".
This really tips the equity scales, and the mission of public education is equity and access.
"To be sure, the wrongs about which the Shinnecocks complain are grave, but they are also not of recent vintage, and the disruptive nature of the claims that seek to redress these wrongs tips the equity scale in favor of dismissal".
Authorities say a trader known as "the octopussy" is at the center of the ring, which included other traders, a Moody's Investors Service analyst, and hedge fund managers, and two lawyers, one of whom was a young associate who allegedly passed along tips about private-equity deals being done by his big law firm's clients.
But in 2006 Goldman Sachs came up with a plan to leverage its equity research, funneling short-term stock tips to its biggest trading clients.
Again, details are slim but you'll be able to buy and sell the notes like equities and even use portions of them as tips.
Goodwill writedowns of $50 billion, a la AOL Time Warner or JDS Uniphase, may be immaterial to earnings, as many equity analysts quickly point out, but balance sheet maneuvers can tip off a lot about a company's management style and accounting.
The Saga cruises-to-insurance group, owned by a trio of private equity firms, is also tipped for a float next year, with a possible valuation of about £3bn.
For example, many advisers are tipping UK equity income funds at present, but these are already held by a lot of investors.
Remarkably, they seem to have respected the Chinese walls meant to exist between banking and equity research by not tipping off the firm's energy analysts about these partnerships.
