Casino Enterprise Management

Stocks of major gaming equipment manufacturers were somewhat mixed in the final month of trading for the year. With economic concerns over the Eurozone still looming and a legislative fight over payroll tax extensions going into Congress’ winter break, traders remained apprehensive about a recovery picking up steam. While the NASDAQ slipped, the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Indexes both climbed.

Most members of the AGEM Index witnessed their stock prices decline throughout the month of November 2011 on speculation of another economic downturn as signs of a credit crunch surrounding the Eurozone debt crisis were being reported. Much of this fear was alleviated in the last few days of trading in November due to action taken by major central banks. Early forecasts on holiday retail sales also reflected promising signs that consumer spending is expected to grow...

Volatility continues to drive the broader equities markets. Although the United States markets ended the month of October with significant gains, the journey was a roller coaster. The overall improvement in equities likely pushed many of the AGEM Index members upward as well, erasing the substantial loss from the prior month. The AGEM Index increased by 18 points during the month of October.

Another G2E has come and gone, but the blur of activity will keep us all engaged for many months to come. Meeting after meeting, old friends, new faces, late nights, early mornings and the kind of hand shaking that only takes place on the presidential campaign trail—it all adds up to a three-day business blitz unlike anything else we experience in the gaming industry.

Officially spanning more than two years, the latest economic recovery cycle seems to follow the path of a carousel at times. During this same period, the proliferation of gaming has continued to explode, yet the stock prices of global gaming suppliers are treated like minor beneficiaries. Coupled with stagnant job growth and protests on Wall Street, investors took notice of waning confidence levels ...

While broader economic indicators continue to show signs of weakness amid fears of a looming “double-dip” recession, the AGEM Index continues to outperform the broader equities markets.

Separating themselves from the broader market, investors pushed the AGEM Index upward to a level not seen in 15 months, as 10 of the 17 publicly traded global gaming suppliers reported a month-over-month increase in their stock valuations during the month of July 2011. Overall, the AGEM Index grew 3.46 points, or 3.1 percent, closing at 114.07 points.

As the major U.S. stock indices slipped in May, largely due to weakness in the energy sector, and signs that consumer demand and confidence may be fading, the AGEM Index took a more aggressive turn

While the broader equities market in the United States turned downward during the month of June 2011, the AGEM Index moved nearly equidistant in a positive direction.

Interrupted as he spoke by a loud, jarring sound, presumably caused by a sound engineer hitting the wrong button, Sheldon Adelson started with a joke—“Was it something I said?”—but then, with a sly chuckle, got more to the point: “Listen, I have some influence around here. Don’t do that again.” Making a rare appearance in a gaming trade show environment, Adelson was in a Venetian ballroom on this particular day to accept the G2E Asia Visionary Award.