Respond to post:

Before social media, people had to listen to their radio, watch television or watch the news for information. Now everything you need to know is just a click away. There are many benefits to having this kind of access to news. In a crisis situation, it provides easy access to your audience. Social media is a two-headed sword. It can be both helpful and detrimental during crisis situations. During the pandemic, social media was a useful method of sharing information with the public. It was also a way to connect people that were unable to engage in in-person social interactions due to the lockdown.  On the downside, social media was also used to spread misinformation. Respond to post:

Apple had an abundance of cash reserves according to Brigham and Ehrhardt (2020) and so it could comfortably afford to start paying dividends and still invest in new opportunities and attract external capital, should it need it. With gains still likely to come from the tech giant, this stock then had become the best of both worlds, and there was no need for an investor to choose between gains or dividends. This also signaled to the investors that the company was doing well, thereby swelling demand and increasing the overall stock price.

Additionally, Apple potentially assessed its primary stockholders and saw that there was a shift in their tolerance away from seeking the longer-term capital gain and were now more interested in a payout ratio more in favor of small dividends. Having gone public in 1980, chances are those who purchased shares early on may now be in retirement age and prefer steady income over significant gains. Rather than risk that portion of its stockholders selling off and creating a scare, it might have seemed more worthwhile to adjust the company’s dividend policy.

Discussion Board # 1

Select a currency other than the U.S. dollar (such as the Euro, Swiss Franc, Yen, or another currency of your choosing), and research the current exchange rate between it and the U.S. dollar. If the chosen currency against the U.S. dollar depreciates, can the U.S. dollar buy more or less of the chosen currency? Please explain.