Below is the full 2012 Bespoke Roundtable Q&A with Michelle Leder of Footnoted.


 1) Looking back on 2011, what were your best and worst calls?

 

Last January, we put together a list of 10 M&A targets. By April, three of those companies (Smurfit Stone, Pride International and Lawson Software) had received takeover offers. In August, we also put out research that SuccessFactors was likely to get taken over. That news was announced in early December with the stock up 50% since we put out our research.

 

5) How should an investor with average risk tolerance be positioned for the year ahead?

 

Carefully.

 

11) Describe some of your favorite market indicators and what they are signaling for stocks in 2012?

 

We love to look at perks: things like corporate jet usage, security services, and even company-provided iPads. Despite a lackluster economy, there does not seem to be any real curtailing of perks.