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Monthly Archives: November 2011

Jobless Claims Actually At 7-Month Low

Posted: November 17, 2011 at 8:39 am

The Labor Department is showing that weekly jobless claims fell by 5,000 to 388,000 versus a Dow Jones forecast of about 397,000.  This may still be too close to the ...
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Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ADSK, CCL, CHK, ENB, LEG, LULU, MU, NTAP, PRGO, QCOM, RCL, TD, TA)

Posted: November 17, 2011 at 8:22 am

These are some of Thursday's top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street research calls. Autodesk Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) Raised to Buy with $47 target at Argus. Carnival Inc. ...
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Upside Potential for Big Technology Stocks (AAPL, GOOG, INTC, MSFT, ORCL, IBM, HPQ, DELL)

Posted: November 17, 2011 at 8:01 am

Among the hundreds of technology stocks, there are a relative handful of companies that stand out as bellwethers for the entire industry. Some are on the list for historical reasons; ...
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What’s Important in the Financial World (11/17/2011) Nokia Phone With AT&T, Oil Above $100

Posted: November 17, 2011 at 6:31 am

Concerns about the price of oil have returned after a summer in which both crude and gasoline prices fell. Slow production from OPEC nations is not to blame. Libyan production ...
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U.S. Asks for Higher MPG as Oil Prices Rise

Posted: November 17, 2011 at 6:25 am

The Obama administration has begun to push the car industry to double the average MPG each company’s fleet gets by 2025. That would push the number to 54.5 MPG, a ...
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Oil Pushes Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Peers Higher

Posted: November 17, 2011 at 6:20 am

One beneficiary, and there are few, of a spike in the price of crude is the large oil companies, including their shareholders. The share price of Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) ...
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Gold Demand Spikes as Markets Run Scared

Posted: November 17, 2011 at 6:10 am

The World Gold Council reports that gold demand jumped in the third quarter. The buying did not push prices to record levels regularly during that period. That price moderation probably caused demand to rise in ...
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Media Digest (11/17/2011) Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

Posted: November 17, 2011 at 6:08 am

The super committee makes no significant decisions on the budget deficit. (Reuters) The largest shareholder in Olympus cuts its position. (Reuters) Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) launches its new music service. (Reuters) ...
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The Eleven Holiday Gifts Americans Can’t Afford

Posted: November 17, 2011 at 4:25 am

America’s rich like to spend money. In fact, the top 10% are responsible for half of all consumer spending in the U.S., according to the Wall Street Journal. And this ...
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Fitch Turns European Woes Against U.S. Banks… Warning of a Warning (GS, MS, C, BAC, JPM)

Posted: November 16, 2011 at 4:20 pm

Fitch is warning that U.S. banks could be adversely affected unless the Eurozone debt crisis "is resolved in a timely and orderly manner."  The mention is a warning that the ...
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24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (DELL, DKS, RIMM, ATVI, TIBX, ZOOM, ANF, TGT, SPB, VLO, WNR, MPC, NG, PEIX, ASYS, UNIS)

Posted: November 16, 2011 at 4:08 pm

The markets opened lower this morning and not until mid-afternoon were equities able to put a mark above yesterday’s close. European stocks traded mixed all day, and that coupled with ...
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Black Friday Retail Sales Outlook Dims

Posted: November 16, 2011 at 12:06 pm

US retailers expect holiday sales to experience weaker growth than last year’s 5.2% increase. For Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, retail sales growth is pegged at an increase of ...
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Huge Upside Valuation Calls in Water Utilities (AWK, WTR, CWT, AWR)

Posted: November 16, 2011 at 11:42 am

There remains substantial value, growth, and income opportunity in the water sector.  This has been our take for some time, and a report out of Gabelli & Company this morning ...
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Retail Earnings Confusion (TGT, WMT, SPB, ANF)

Posted: November 16, 2011 at 11:28 am

Two earnings reports this morning offer a contrast in the fortunes of companies that are in different parts of the retail sales chain. Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) reported adjusted EPS ...
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November Share Buybacks Already Nearing $30 Billion (ALL, AIG, CBS, FIS, PFE, RAI, SBUX, SYY, TMO, VIA, VRX, PKW)

Posted: November 16, 2011 at 10:57 am

Some companies just want to keep bringing on new share buybacks whether they work or not.  Some are to stop dilution from acquisitions or employee stock options, while others are ...
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