The Corporate Power Rankings are released at midnight on each Sunday based on performance during the previous week.

Apple moved back into the No.1 spot on pre-orders of the iPad. McDonald’s dropped sharply down the list due to fears of more competition from Burger King (BKS) and Starbucks (SBUX). AT&T (T) dropped into the basement as concerns about the FCCs broadband initiative and its cost to the telecom industry spread.

	Company	Rank (last week)	Symbol	Comment
	Apple	1 (5)	APPL	Apple has large number of pre-orders for the iPad. Market does not like the look for iPad clones from PC companies. Death of Palm a small benefit.
	Disney	2 (2)	DIS	“Alice In Wonderland” tops box office for third week. ESPN should benefit big from return of Tiger Woods at “Masters.”
	Berkshire Hathaway	3 (3)	BRK	Berkshire Hathaway will benefit from Warren Buffett as CEO for years to come. His Axl Rose imitation for Geico commercial proves he has years to go.
	IBM	4 (6)	IBM	IBM benefits from new reviews of analytics software. Masters sponsorship gains value. Big Blue begins to take early lead in cloud computing.
	Coca-Cola	5 (4)	KO	Coca-Cola moves to finish buy-out of Russian juice company Nidan and should gain on Pepsi in the region. Expansion into Malaysia should also help sales.
	Ford	6 (7)	F	Ford closer than ever to dumping Volvo. Edmunds says March car sales will rise 34%. New JD Power data also makes Mustang & Co. look hot.
	McDonald’s	7 (1)	MCD	McDonald’s may not have such an easy time against Burger King this year as it has in the past, according to Deutsche Bank. Analysts also see Starbucks improving momentum.
	Abbott Labs	8 (8)	ABT	Abbott’s Simcor does not get restrictions some feared from FDA. New program to speed breast cancer drugs to market should help fortunes of firm’s veliparib trials.
	Wal-Mart	9 (9)	WMT	Wal-Mart should be helped by major merchandising deal with DreamWorks for “How to Train Your Dragon”. Sam & Co. also cuts grocery prices to crush local competition.
	Cisco	10 (11)	CSCO	Cisco’s new router gets good reviews after weak initial reception. FCC plans to expand broadband would bring Cisco Kid major business.
	Philip Morris	11 (10)	PM	Philip Morris sales will be helped by international effort to cut tobacco smuggling. Stock still benefits from smokes company’s plan to buy back shares
	Johnson & Johnson	12 (12)	JNJ	Johnson & Johnson could face some FDA pressure over use of its anemia drugs. Trouble at rival Boston Scientific should help JNJ stent and medical devices sales.
	Verizon	13 (14)	VZ	Verizon files promising suit to limit use of rival Cablevision’s (CVC) set-top box. Availability of Google’s Nexus on VZ wireless network should help sub sales.
	Oracle	14 (13)	ORCL	Oracle gets Russian approval of Sun buy-out, as if it mattered. Rival SAP lays out strategic plan and market thinks it looks weak.
	Proctor & Gamble	15 (15)	PG	Procter & Gamble deal to buy Sara Lee (SLE) unit may be blocked in Europe. Company’s distance from Woods during scandal could look like a dump as golfer returns.
	GE	16 (16)	GE	GE CEO Immelt gets no bonus, but did not deserve one. Sterne Agee analyst upgrades stock to “neutral” which is hardly an endorsement. Conglomerate plans to double its R&D to $10 billion for its Ecoimagination program over the next five years. What’s Ecomagination?
	Intel	17 (17)	INTC	Intel helped by Barron’s comments on PC trends and improved chip sales. New six-core processor chip should increase sales to server companies.
	Pfizer	18 (21)	PFE	Pfizer looks like it may win bid for German generic firm Stada. Healthcare bill should force big pharma companies  to hold current prices on drugs.
	FedEx	19 (18)	FDX	FedEx warns of slow economic growth hinting results will be poor. Competitor Deutsche Post misses outlook which means FedEx could be taking market share. Or, whole industry may be weak.
	Microsoft	20 (19)	MSFT	Microsoft prospects in China get big boost as Google’s exit from search business there becomes more likely. New Windows 7 mobile version gets good reviews
	Dow Chemical	21 (20)	DOW	Dow Chemical CEO gets 23% pay raise for a good year and deserves it. Surge in China GDP expectations and exports numbers good for global chemical providers.
	Exxon-Mobil	22 (22)	XOM	Exxon Mobil benefits from surge of global oil prices to above $81 and growth in China crude needs. But, concerns about margins in huge refinery operations grow.
	Hewlett-Packard	23 (23)	HPQ	Hewlett-Packard tablet PC competitor to iPad looks DOA. No unique features. Wins patent suit against ink cartridge manufacturers.
	JP Morgan	24 (24)	JPM	JP Morgan should benefit from disclosure of Fed actions during credit crisis. But, market is concerned about whether JPM used same balance sheet tricks as Lehman. And, Congress is still likely to restrict profitable trading operations.
	Goldman Sachs	25 (25)	GS	Goldman Sachs loses more than any bank if Volcker rule moves through Congress. Bank loses bid to keep vote on executive pay of off proxy.
	American Express	26 (28)	AXP	American Express loses 61% of comp compared to 2008, but still gets $17 million. Delinquency rate stable in Feb which is a plus. Firm probably wishes it was still friends with Tiger.
	Caterpillar	27 (26)	CAT	Caterpillar may benefit from increase in commodities prices and derivative improvement in mining and drilling. China building sector may overheat but should buy more CATs in the meantime.
	Google	28 (27)	GOOG	Google may be adding sales of its Nexus One to all three major US carriers, but concerns about China overwhelm any other news.
	Boeing	29 (29)	BA	Boeing says it will see increased sales this year and will up capacity, but aerospace firm’s lock on Air Force tanker project fade as rival EADS prepares bid.
	Bank of America	30 (31)	BAC	Bank of America hurt by Goldman Sachs downgrade of earnings prospects. Release of Fed data on bailout funding to banks could prove embarrassing.
	Home Depot	31 (32)	HD	Home Depot shares hit 52-week high and are up 11% in the last month. HD investors must believe the positive half of the housing data and not worry about the bad stuff.
	AT&T	32 (30)	T	AT&T is pressured by concerns that FCC plan to build out national broadband would hurt earnings and raise expenses over time. Not being a Tiger sponsor any more must hurt.

Douglas A. McIntyre  douglasamcintyre@247wallst.com

Five years ago, Boston Scientific was a $30 stock. It dropped to a 52-week low today or $6.33 on news that it had to withdraw its table cardioverter defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators. The company had not submitted the proper paperwork to the FDA to make sure that the manufacturing process comformed to government regulations. In other words, the problem was one over which the company had control.

Just last month, Boston Scientific settled a patent dispute with Johnson & Johnson which cost BSX $1.7 billion. Boston Scientific had about $1.4 billion at the end of last year, but that is on top of  the $6 billion in debt which is choking the company to death. Late last year, BSX settle another set of claims over stent patents, this with J&J again. The cost to resolve that was $700 million. So, Boston Scientific is very low on cash.

Boston Scientific’s problems are not over. New medical studies indicate that drugs are as effective at preventing heart attacks or death as stents are. There is also emerging evidence that drug-coated stents can produce clots when they are in patients for several years. Abbott (ABT) and Medtronic (MDT) have picked up market share in the stent business  over the last two years.

Boston Scientific is in such bad shape now in terms of its products, finances, and legal problems that it may never recover.

Douglas A. McIntrye

The Corporate Power Rankings are released at midnight on each Sunday based on performance during the previous week.

McDonald’s (MCD) sharp improvement in same-store sales moved it to the top of the list. Google (GOOG) was beaten down by its probably decision to exit China.  Ford, which has been near the top of the list, what hurt by news that Toyota (TM) has posted strong sales in the early days of March

	Company	Rank (last week)	Symbol	Comment
	McDonald’s	1 (9)	MCD	McDonald’s posted obscenely good February same-store sales up 4.8% from last year. People will eat fattening food even in a snow storm. Rival Burger Kings claims lousy results.
	Disney	2 (3)	DIS	Disney’s crazy “Alice In Wonderland” films holds first place for another weekend. Mouse Company wised up and shutters underperforming Robert Zemeckis’ ImageMovers Digital. Sacks 450 people and wins Employee Morale Day award.
	Berkshire Hathaway	3 (5)	BRK	Berkshire Hathaway boasts CEO Buffet as Forbes 3rd richest man in the known universe. But, best news is that Berkshire had no involvement with Lehman implosion.
	Coca-Cola	4 (4)	KO	Coca-Cola bottling affiliate posts huge profit increase. More good press mention about soda company dividend increase.
	Apple	5 (1)	APPL	Apple shares expected to rise from $226, near a 52-week high, to as much as $280 according to a new TheStreet.com poll. COO Tim Cook gets $22 million bonus, so things must be going pretty well.
	IBM	6 (7)	IBM	IBM thrashed Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and EDS in fourth quarter digital storage market share race. Company announces it plans to make money on cell phone tech for old people and students. Shows the firm’s ability to make money no matter what.
	Ford	7 (2)	F	Ford sales may not do as well near-term as expected as aggressive incentives bring customers back to Toyota. But, No.2 US car company (No.1 some months) forecasts profit in small cars.
	Abbott Labs	8 (14)	ABT	Abbott heart device operation gets big lift from new heart value replacement. Market laughs off Citigroup downgrade.
	Wal-Mart	9 (8)	WMT	Walmart comes up with bright decision to put back on its shelves items that customers miss. Maybe it should not have removed them. But, news of hot China economy is good for big box boy.
	Philip Morris	10 (10)	PM	Philip Morris declares $.58 dividend which now drives yield of 4.7%. Refinancing of debt pushes expensive obligations into the future.
	Cisco	11 (6)	CSCO	Al Gore invented the internet. Router company makes big deal about making worldwide web as much as 12 times faster. Announcement falls flat.
	Johnson & Johnson	12 (12)	JNJ	Johnson & Johnson is one of the drug companies that Barron’s say will lose $100 billion in sales to over the next five years. But, with medical device and consumer lines, JNJ is safest haven.
	Oracle	13 (11)	ORCL	Oracle stock runs up sharply for the week, perhaps because Forbes named Larry Ellison one of the world’s richest men. Probably not, actually. Rebound in tech spending is best guess on Wall St.
	Verizon	14 (16)	VZ	Verizon makes bizarre decision to list on NYSE and NASDAQ. On a better note, company will put NFL on wireless phones which should help sell handsets and wireless subs.
	Proctor & Gamble	15 (20)	PG	P&G recalls Pringles. The good news is no one eats them anymore. On the other hand firm gets good PR for its “green cleaning” products.
	GE	16 (13)	GE	GE faces uphill battle with regulators on NBCU deal with Comcast. Conglomerate tries to make big deal out of financing deal with Navistar. Wall St. won’t buy it.
	Intel	17 (19)	INTC	Intel may benefit from PC companies push to get tablet PC to market ahead of Apple iPad. Gartner research operation says global chip gear spending to soar.
	FedEx	18 (15)	FDX	FedEx warns of slow economic growth hinting results will be poor. Competitor Deutsche Post misses outlook which means FedEx could be taking market share. Or, whole industry may be weak.
	Microsoft	19 (24)	MSFT	Microsoft wins big if Google leaves China and leaves Bing to graze. Mr. Softy also posts good numbers for Xbox 360 sales in February. Wack-a-moles Wii.
	Dow Chemical	20 (17)	DOW	Dow Chemical gets hit by earnings estimate downgrade by Morgan Stanley. If Lyondell restructuring works, Dow has a new competitor.
	Pfizer	21 (18)	PFE	Pfizer faces failure of early stage experiments on breast and lung cancer drugs. But, research shows doctors should prescribe more cholesterol lowering drugs like PFE Lipitor.
	Exxon-Mobil	22 (27)	XOM	Exxon Mobil gets natural gas deal cleared in New Guinea. Makes gutsy call by increasing capital spending to $28 billion for this year. Leaves competition in the dust.
	Hewlett-Packard	23 (29)	HPQ	Hewlett-Packard is best positioned to launch PC to flank iPad. Forecasts of substantial PC sales worldwide this year should help HP which holds No.1 market share position.
	JP Morgan	24 (30)	JPM	JPMorgan settles pay-out for WaMu leaving major legal headache behind. Examination of Lehman collapse may mean some liability for JPM, but it gets Brownie points for saving Bear Sterns.
	Goldman Sachs	25 (32)	GS	Goldman Sachs gets “buy” rating from Societe Generale. GS does not seem to have much exposure to Lehman fallout, yet. China chairman leaves firm, but no one liked him anyway
	Caterpillar	26 (21)	CAT	Caterpillar should benefit from overheating Chinese economy and building spree. But, company economist only forecast 3.4% US GDP growth the year, a signal of bad earnings.
	Google	27 (22)	GOOG	Google hints it is highly likely to close China search site which could cost it hundreds of millions of dollars over time. Company faces fed scrutiny over AdMob buy. But, all’s well as research shows Google maintaining huge market share lead in US.
	American Express	28 (23)	AXP	American Express tells some customers that records were stolen by one of its employees. Signs consumer spending is still weak do not favor credit card firms.
	Boeing	29 (25)	BA	Boeing told that FAA will inspect some 737s and Air Force grounds 104 FA-18. BA does pass important trial with 747-8 and looks a lock to get Air Force tanker deal, if the plane in not grounded.
	AT&T	30 (26)	T	AT&T could face heavy costs if FCC gets it way on broadband expansion. CEO gets extraordinary pay package for weak results. Ma Bell one of the DJIA components that sharply underperforms index since historic March 2009 lows.
	Bank of America	31 (28)	BAC	Bank of America loses tens of millions of dollars as it cuts debit card overdraft fees. Gets credit for accelerating home loan modification program. But, new data shows foreclosures still rising.
	Home Depot	32 (31)	HD	Home Depot still on its back because of home building and home sales troubles. Analysts seem to like competitor Lowe’s better. It shows LOW stock outperforms HD recently.

-Douglas A. McIntyre   douglasamcintyre@247wallst.com

Reuters:   Google (GOOG) says it is still talking to China, but signs point to pull-out.

Reuters:   Arrow will reject a bid from Shell (RDS) and PetroChina (PTR)

Reuters:   A new JPMorgan (JPM) fund will invest in China and India.

Reuters:   T Rowe Price is in talks to buy a part of a major Chinese fund.

Reuters:   A distress debt fund will list on a Chinese exchange.

Reuters:   House Democrats are still short of votes for healthcare.

Reuters:   The US will introduce a major broadband policy.

Reuters:   Bank of America (BAC) is working on expanding it China business.

Reuters:   The head of Germany said there is no immediate need for a decision on a Greek bailout.

WSJ:   The fight over US sugar quotas is growing as the price in America is different from the rest of the world.

WSJ:   The head of China claimed that the US is trying to help its exports by weakening the dollar.

WSJ:   Wachovia, a part of Wells Fargo (WFC), is in talks to settle money laundering charges with the Justice Dept.

WSJ:   Dodd’s new financial legislation is tougher on banks than expected.

WSJ:   Google (GOOG) is likely to close its China search engine.

WSJ:   Cnooc acquired oil assets in Argentina.

WSJ:   OPEC will have a hard time creating post-recession production targets.

WSJ:   The driver’s description of a Prius incident in California may be wrong.

WSJ:   Lenovo is looking for M&A deals.

WSJ:   Microsoft (MSFT) employees hide their iPhones

WSJ:   China is investigating Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) over consumer complaints of some flaws in PCs.

WSJ:   Airlines are fighting the cost of safety measures.

WSJ:   Some economists believe that Fed will indicate it will raise rates late in the year.

WSJ:   The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority claims its returns over the last 20 years are better than 6%.

WSJ:   AIG (AIG) kept $21 million in employee bonuses.

WSJ:   The US, UK, France, and Germany face a balancing act on debt to keep their Aaa ratings according to Moody’s.

WSJ:   Phillips-Van Heusen is close to a deal to buy Tommy Hilfiger

WSJ:   Lawyers are fighting over lead roles in Toyota suits.

WSJ:   An Abbott (ABT) heart device did well in tests.

WSJ:   Online marketers are working on ways to get better pictures of consumers.

WSJ:   David Perpich, a member of the Sulzberger family which owns the New York Times (NYT), was hired to help run the flagship paper’s online edition.

NYT:   China uses inconsistencies in international trade rules to help its exports.

NYT:   Asian stocks dropped on concerns about the US economy.

NYT:   Publishers in Germany worry that restrictions on sexual material are a form of censorship.

NYT:   The UK is increasing its online anti-piracy rules.

NYT:   Sixteen euro zone nations are expected to make progress on aid to Greece.

NYT:   Ernst & Young may face charges over the failure of Lehman.

NYT:   A new PBS program will be shown on Facebook before TV.

NYT:   China warned Google’s local partners including Sina (SINA) about using the US search company’s tech.

NYT:   Most online news consumers use five sites of less.

FT:   Moody’s warned that its  rating of US debt could come under pressure.

Douglas A. McIntyre

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) Cut to Sell at Citigroup.
Aeropostale (NYSE: ARO) Raised to Neutral at Piper Jaffray.
Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) Started as Neutral at Piper Jaffray.
Celgene (NASDAQ: CELG) Started as Overweight at Piper Jaffray.
China Advanced Construction Materials (NASDAQ: CADC) Started as Buy at Roth Capital.
Facet Biotech (NASDAQ: FACT) Cut to Market Perform at BMO Capital.
HSBC (NYSE: HBC) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Luminex (NASDAQ: LMNX) Started as Buy at Jefferies.
New Oriental Education (NYSE: EDU) Started as Buy at Deutsche Bank.
Pacific Sunwear of California (NASDAQ: PSUN) Cut to Market Perform at FBR.
Silicon Graphics International (NYSE: SGI) Started as Market Perform at Morgan Keegan.

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JON C. OGG

The smartest move that J. Raymond Elliot made in his career was to leave the Boston Scientific (BSX) board in 2009 after less than two years of service. The dumbest move was to rejoin the board and become the Boston Scientific CEO last July. The firm’s shares are down 20% since then while the DJIA is up 30%.

Boston Scientific has not been able to right itself after a string of legal defeats at the hands of its rivals in patent battles and its ill-advised purchase of Guidant. Elliott can’t be blamed for those things, but he has been slow at cutting costs to improve the firm’s efficiency.

Boston Scientific still faces substantial competition in its stent business especially from Abbott (ABT) and from drugs which work to accomplish the same therapeutic goals that stents do. The company is also up against increased competition from Medtronic (MDT) in the cardiac rhythm management sector.

Elliott has not been able to do anything to improve the financial fortunes of the company.  In the last quarter, Boston Scientific posted a net loss of $1.08 billion, or $.71  a share, compared with a loss of $2.39 billion or $1.59 a share for the same period in 2008. Revenue rose 3.8% to $2.08 billion. The company said it would cut 8% to 10% of its work force, which Wall St. did not think was adequate.

After the earnings , Deutsche Bank analyst Tao Levy downgraded the company’s stock to hold from buy. “We had thought that Ray Elliott was taking leadership of a company that was already on its way to better days, but the past two quarters of lackluster financial results have made it increasingly clear that heavy lifting still remains and the turnaround will likely take several more quarters,” Levy wrote. Very few people in the investment community disagree with him.

Douglas A. McIntyre

The Corporate Power Rankings are released at midnight on each Sunday based on performance during the previous week.

Apple took the top spot as its market cap moved toward $200 billion and it set April 3 to launch the iPad.  Ford moved into second place as its February sales topped GMs for the first time in 12 years.

Home Depot dropped to 31st as home sales dropped.

	Company	Rank (last week)	Symbol	Comment
	Apple	1 (5)	APPL	Jobs & Co.’s stock hits all-time has as market value reaches $200 billion. Market anticipates new iPad launch on April 3. Planned Microsoft competing PC tablet is a non-issue.
	Ford	2 (6)	F	February sales move up 43% as firm passes GM in monthly market share for the first time in 12 years. Toyota implosion should help the house that Henry built keep momentum.
	Disney	3 (4)	DIS	“Alice in Wonderland” film hits $116 million on first weekend. ABC pulls signal from Cablevision and cable firm’s customers will riot to force CVC to pay ABC the $40 million it wants.
	Coca-Cola	4 (3)	KO	Coca-Cola gets flack for its deal to buy it bottlers. But, Wall St. seems unconcerned. UBS upgraded Coke to a “buy”. Board member Herb Allen shows support by buying $6 million in shares.
	Berkshire Hathaway	5 (1)	BRK	New data claims Buffett’s performance has beat any and all mutual funds over last 45 years. But, shares downgraded by KBW after BRK releases earnings.
	Cisco	6 (8)	CSCO	Should release faster routers next week and widen core revenue stream. Shares hit 52-week high and competitor Ciena stumbles. Did Cisco take its market share?
	IBM	7 (2)	IBM	Claim to make gains in chip speed, but the market does not think that will get business from Intel. Is pushing patent reform in Congress, but there is no guarantee IBM’s plan will prevail.
	Wal-Mart	8 (12)	WMT	Retail sales post largest gain since 2007, according to government stats. To the delight of shareholders, sons of Walton increase dividend 11%.
	McDonald’s	9 (7)	MCD	Rival Wendy’s/Arby’s moves to local pricing and $1 menu. Competition seems more likely to cut costs to get Kroc & Co. market share points.
	Philip Morris	10 (9)	PM	Morgan Stanly applauds cigarette company’s $12 billion share buyback program. Credit Suisse says it favors PM over rival British American Tobacco.
	Oracle	11 (13)	ORCL	Barron’s gives Sun buyout an endorsement as earnings engine hums along. Private equity firm offers big premium to buy rival Novell, a sign ORCL may be underpriced.
	Johnson & Johnson	12 (10)	JNJ	FDA expresses concerns about firm’s insulin pumps. Rival Pfizer offers anti-clotting pill that may take JNJ share.
	GE	13 (11)	GE	ABC job cuts an indication 2010 will be hard for networks and NBC already lost money on Olympics. Chief Immelt takes no bonus, but other top managers become rich with 2090 comp.
	Abbott Labs	14 (15)	ABT	FDA favors transplant drug over new treatment from Bristol-Myers. Head of Abbott Medical Optics takes over powerful position at top of medical device lobby.
	FedEx	15 (17)	FDX	Problems at US Postal Service likely to cause cutback in service sacrificing business to FDX. Morgan Keegan upgrades stock based on anticipation of big earning increase.
	Verizon	16 (16)	VZ	FCC plan to aggressively expand broadband will help providers like VZ. Microsoft to launch new cellular handset with carrier, but no one may buy it.
	Dow Chemical	17 (14)	DOW	Firm will sell ill-fitting division Styron plastics for $1.6 billion. Rival Reliance Industries fails in key strategic bid to buy LyondellBasell and improve hand against DOW.
	Pfizer	18 (20)	PFE	Good showing in trial with new anti-clotting drug. May buy generic firm Ratiopharm which would allow diversification away from patents. Tough hit on Alzheimer’s candidate failure.
	Intel	19 (21)	INTC	iSuppli experts say global chip revenue will rise 21%. UBS says overall industry expansion is faster than expected. It’s good to own 70% of the market.
	Proctor & Gamble	20 (24)	PG	Cramer says he likes company, so how bad could it be? PG finishes 6th in Fortune “Most Admired” ratings, but who cares?
	Caterpillar	21 (18)	CAT	China says GDP will be up at least 8% and infrastructure expansion should be strong. Options trading suggest upward pressure on stock.
	Google	22 (19)	GOOG	Buys DocVerse to broaden competition with MSFT PC software. Finishes 2nd in Fortune “Most Admired” completion, which will not offset antitrust problems in EU and Justice Department concern about settlement with book publishers.
	American Express	23 (22)	AXP	Federal Reserve seeks limits on what credit card company can charge for consumer penalties. Raised rates on some of its cards, tempting Congressional fury.
	Microsoft	24 (27)	MSFT	Forecast of sharp rise in PC sales this year will help Windows 7 sales. Antitrust case against Google could help Mr. Softy in Europe. Plans to launch handset preposterous.
	Boeing	25 (23)	BA	Rival Airbus gets much-needed bailout for A400M model keeping BA competitor alive in military transport business. Boeing will bid on Air Force tanker but may not get the critical win.
	AT&T	26 (29)	T	Dispute between Cablevision and ABC should help T fiber optic business stronger ties with network TV. Apple iPad launch should lift AT&T 3G subscriptions.
	Exxon-Mobil	27 (32)	XOM	Crude at $80 always a plus. Rival BP makes optimistic noises about the industry. Market concern about XOM Baytown refinery turns out to be empty.
	Bank of America	28 (26)	BAC	Volcker rule and new credit card penalty restrictions each undermine BAC prospects. Congress tells rival Citi that days of government support of big banks are over.
	Hewlett-Packard	29 (25)	HPQ	Company has to revise last quarter’s earnings because of bad lawsuit against EDS division. Acute embarrassment worse than impact on EPS.
	JP Morgan	30 (28)	JPM	Pressure from Congress to cut vitally important proprietary trading. Faces limits on credit card charges. Washington dark mood about financial firms shows no sign of improving.
	Home Depot	31 (30)	HD	Relentless bad news on housing with new forecasts that rising defaults could push home prices down this year and in 2011. Investors want big payout of HD cash through dividend. Tough luck.
	Goldman Sachs	32 (31)	GS	Between question about Greek financing transaction and Washington witch hunts about compensation and proprietary trading, GS problems get worse by the day.

Douglas A. McIntyre

The Corporate Power Rankings are released at midnight on each Sunday based on performance during the previous week.

Ford was thrashed in the rankings due to the likelihood that February car sales in the US will be extremely weak. Buffett’s company climbed after it released his annual letter and strong financial results. Abbott moved up on news that stents, one of its major products, are effective in fighting strokes. And, Goldman Sachs (GS) stayed near the bottom of the list as investigations into the bank’s role in the Greek debt debacle grew.

	Company	Rank (last week)	Symbol	Comment
	Berkshire Hathaway	1 (2)	BRK	Buffett has a big week as he releases his much-anticipated letter to shareholders and Berkshire posts more sold financial results. With the flame-out of the NetJets business Buffett would post extraordinary numbers. At least his family gets to travel in class.
	IBM	2 (9)	IBM	Computer geek & co. comes up with a new way to extend the life of oil fields with partner Shell. IDC research shows IBM as No.1 is global servers sales in the fourth quarter.
	Coca-Cola	3 (6)	KO	Move to buy North American bottling operation is clever, low-cost integration even if the idea came from Pepsi. Market jitters make “flight to quality” a magnet for Coke shares.
	Disney	4 (8)	DIS	Improves terms of $2.25 billion credit agreement which helps balance sheet. Harsh cuts at ABC may hurt program quality, but save money short-term.
	Apple	5 (3)	APPL	Jobs company finds child labor violations at suppliers. Bad PR. And worse for the youngsters. Nintendo launches an iPad killer, which would be OK if the world’s No.1 video game firm was involved. Apple says “no dice” on dividend.
	Ford	6 (1)	F	Ford’s market share improvement in February, much of it due to Toyota’s stumble, will not offset the weak sales month which may continue the rest of the first half and damage Ford’s recovery.
	McDonald’s	7 (5)	MCD	big news is test of McItaly menu. Worrying news for Pizza Hut. Crumbling economy may be good for the low-priced fast food chain, as long as people don’t go back to eating at home.
	Cisco	8 (7)	CSCO	Plans to get into the internet speed race with Google. But, consumers don’t want a new improved online world. Just lower rates. Rising demand for servers should help Cisco’s new business.
	Philip Morris	9 (14)	PM	Deal in Philippines good for business. Rival British Tobacco says price increases holding. Good for everyone in smokes biz.
	Johnson & Johnson	10 (12)	JNJ	Obamacare has a foot in the grave which is good for JNJ pharma and medical device business. New research shows stents as good as surgery for strokes. Hurry for JNJ.
	GE	11 (13)	GE	Conglomerate may sell Garanti banks shares and get out of business it should never have been in. Late days of Olympics not delivering strong numbers for NBC.
	Wal-Mart	12 (10)	WMT	Makes nutty decision to get into movie streaming business. Also goes further “green” by forcing enviro standards on suppliers. It won’t work in China.
	Oracle	13 (9)	ORCL	Sun buyout off to bad start as its server business drops 20% in last quarter of 2009. Bill of goods. If first quarter enterprise software sales are weak, Ellison turns in bad numbers.
	Dow Chemical	14 (19)	DOW	Picks up tax credits in Michigan for energy deal. But Thailand project may be taken off hold by the end of the year.
	Abbott Labs	15 (22)	ABT	News that stents are effective in preventing strokes should cause a rush of sales. New study shows some concern about firm’s Norvir HIV drug. But, it doesn’t matter. Healthcare reform is dead.
	Verizon	16 (18)	VZ	Positive grade for customer loyalty in a business where the term is thrown around without regard to fact. Gets blame for failure or Palm to sell new handsets.
	FedEx	17 (16)	FDX	Two Asia rivals Air China and Cathay team to squeeze Team FDX. Teamsters try to create union for firm’s Canadian employees which would drive up costs.
	Caterpillar	18 (15)	CAT	Jobless claims point to slowing in overall economy likely to hit construction. Will back out of most sales in Iran. Good PR but bad for business.
	Google	19 (11)	GOOG	Every shareholder’s nightmares just came true. EU will begin to look into search monopoly. If concerns move to Justice Department, it’s years and years in the halls of justice.
	Pfizer	20 (17)	PFE	Under investigation for improper promotional tactics for the drug Rapamune. Morgan Stanley makes positive comments on the shares. Dying healthcare reform net positive.
	Intel	21 (24)	INTC	Global server surge is good for sales. RBC analyst starts shares at “outperform”. Research firm Gartner forecasts global chip revenue up 20% this year.
	American Express	22 (20)	AXP	Increase in credit card default in January. New US borrowing standards for consumers can only hurt over time.
	Boeing	23 (17)	BA	United Air finalized plan to buy 25 787s for $4.2 billion. New Pentagon rules for air tanker business should favor the company.
	Proctor & Gamble	24 (21)	PG	Betting the consumer will come back to premium brands is basis for 2010 improvement in numbers. Latest consumer confidence figures undercut that.
	Hewlett-Packard	25 (26)	HPQ	Pick-up in global server business should help earnings as early as this Q. War with Cisco over reselling network products is overblown. HP will just make its own.
	Bank of America	26 (28)	BAC	Sen. Dodd’s consumer banking super robo cop plans won’t make it. B of A can keep squeezing those retail customers. Head of investment bank more than CEO last year, which is as it should be. He had the better year.
	Microsoft	27 (30)	MSFT	Server sales increase good for Microsoft enterprise and Windows sales. Google’s antitrust problems could be more important for Redmond than anything Redmond can do on its own.
	JP Morgan	28 (25)	JPM	CEO warns of concern about double-dip recession and is cautious about the bank’s dividend plans. Legal settlement over claims on Lehman assets is tiny win.
	AT&T	29 (32)	T	Apple iPad may help sales but those sales may not be profitable. AT&T can boast it added more customer in the fourth quarter than archrival Verizon
	Home Depot	30 (27)	HD	Earnings look OK, but home sales and consumer spending are awful. HD is about to find out it did not cut enough costs last year.
	Goldman Sachs	31 (31)	GS	Firm’s trouble with trades to hide Greek debt may extend to damaging investigation. But, if Goldman is blocked from Greek deals, there is always Spain.
	Exxon-Mobil	32 (29)	XOM	Bump from heavy winter weather on oil and gas prices over. Now comes the harsh reality of slowing consumer demand and unemployment. Who can afford home heating and gasoline?

-Douglas A. McIntyre

These twelve companies are  also involved in most of the large product liability actions and class action suits regarding prescription drugs. The largest pharmaceutical firms spend tens of million of dollars in legal fees and lobbying expenses every year to protect the intellectual property they have created and  to defend themselves when side effects from their products injure customers.

The twelve CEOs on this list are the global drugs lords. They operate in a heavily regulated industry and have close and often fractious relationships with the governments whose agencies work with them. 24/7 Wall St. has looked at each company, its blockbuster drugs, and  its most valuable board members. These members are often not the most well-known people on the boards. They are, however, individuals from the medical community, former regulators, academicians involved in the medical research world, and fixers who serve on large numbers of boards and whose contacts in the world of government and industry are invaluable.

The drug industry is under seige by generics and rising costs of R&D. Many of the largest firms in the sector, the companies on this list,  have been though substantial restructurings and have fired tens of thousand of people, cutting R&D budgets in the process. This generation of CEOs and board members will shape the rapidly changing industry more than any other group in decades.

	Drug Lord	Drug Lord Kingdom	Board VIPs
	William C. Welding – Johnson & Johnson	Market cap of $176 billion. Board made up of CEOs, retired CEOs, and academicians. Big Drugs: Topamax, Risperdal, Procrit, Levaquin, large market share in joints, stents, diabetic diagnostics and medication, and drug screening products.	David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D. – Assistant Secretary of Health and then Surgeon General under both a Democrat (Clinton) and a conservative (George W.) Has massive political clout.
	Jeffrey B. Kindler – Pfizer	Market cap of $145 billion. Bought Wyeth, which should take sales to $70 billion. Significant board links to medical community, public policy, and medical insurance. Big Drugs: Lipitor, Norvasc, Zyrtec, Viagra, Premarin and Detrol.	Chuck Hagel - A two-term moderate and respected Senator from Nebraska who retired last year. Pfizer saw a great opportunity and picked Hagel up before he made it out the Capitol building door.Constance Horner – Worked two terms under Reagan as economic and personal advisor, then as assistant to  George H. W. Bush. Capped off her political career as Deputy Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services.
	Severin Schwan – Roche	Took over biotech giant Genentech. Board heavy with academicians and bankers.  Big Drugs: Avastin, Bactrim, Boniva, CellCept, Herceptin, Nuepogen, Accutane, Tamiflu, Rocephin.	DeAnne Julius CBE, Ph.D. (Econ) – Unable to match J&J and Pfizer by netting some weighty political figure, Roche is one of the few companies that had to settle for someone who uses expertise in global politics, rather than sheer political muscle, to get what it wants. Julius spent decades analyzing the U.S. government, and also worked in DC as senior economic advisor of the World Bank.
	Joseph Jimenez, M.D. – Novartis	Market cap of $125 billion. Board heavy with Ph.Ds, M.D.s, and biopharma experts. Big Drugs: Diovan, Starlix, Femara, Zometa, Ritalin, Lucentis Lamicil.	William Brody, M.D., Ph.D. – The former president of Johns Hopkins, Brody wears many hats and has a hand in many pots. Serves on too many corporate boards to list, and has been on the advisory board of many U.S. Govt. organizations. Is also a friend of Michael Bloomberg.
	Christopher Viebacher - Sanofi-Aventis	Market cap of $94 billion. Board built with members of other large companies board members and academicians. Big Drugs: Actonel, Allegra, Lantus, Lovenox, Nasacort, Plavix.	Lord Arthur Douro – If you can’t get a former American politician, an active European one will do in a pinch. Douro is a member of the House of Lords.
	Andrew Witty – GlaxoSmithKline	Market cap of $94 billion. Board made up of med school professors and corporate managers. Big Drugs: Boniva, Avandia, Lamictal,Mepron, Tagamet.	Andrew Witty – Normally a CEO is too above-the-radar to be pulling political strings for a drug company, but before and during his tenure as CEO, Witty served as advisor to governments around the world (e.g. South Africa, Singapore, China and the UK).  He is also President of the EFPIA, the European equivalent of PhRMA.Sir Roy Anderson – A highly respected doctor with a great deal of influence in the European medical community. Is highly regarded in the U.S. as well. Chief Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Defense in the United Kingdom, A foreign associate member of the Institute of Medicine at the US National Academy of Sciences. Was also knighted by the queen, for what it’s worth.
	David Brennan – AstraZeneca	Market cap of $63 Billion. Board of non-executive chairmen, financiers, and medical academicians. Big Drugs: Crestor, Diprivan, Inderal, Nexium.	Jane Henney – Served under Clinton as the first female Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Henney just might know something about how to get drugs approved with great speed and minimal questions. It’s hard to believe this is legal.
	Miles White – Abbott Labs	Market cap of $84 billion. Board built almost exclusively with execs from other big companies, with a couple of medical professionals thrown in. Big Drugs: Fosamax, Gardasil, Mevacor, Pepcid.	David Owen – A British Minister of Health from 1974-76 and a member of  House of Commons from 1966 to May 1992. Does anyone honestly think this guy is on the board because he knows how to run a business?William M. Daley – A prominent lawyer with all kinds of political influence, was U.S. Secretary of Commerce under Clinton, coordinated the successful campaign to pass NAFTA.
	Richard Clark – Merck	Market cap of $77 Billion. Board consists of lots of medical professionals and former walls street execs. Big Drugs: Depakote ER, Lexapor, Vicodin.	William N. Kelley M.D – One of the medical community’s top dogs: Kelley is Chair of the American Board of Internal Medicine and Chair of the Residency Review Committee for Internal Medicine. Kelley’s presence on Merck’s board gives the company unprecedented access to the physicians’ community.Thomas Glocer – Glocer’s position on Merck’s board may be the epitome of conflict of interest. Since he also happens to be CEO of Thomson Reuters, one of the largest and most respected news organizations in the world. With that kind of influence with the press, does Merck even need to hire a PR exec?
	James Cornelius – Bristol-Myers Squibb	Market Cap of $48 billion. Board composed of academicians, former CEOs, active CEOs, economists and lawyers. Big Drugs: Coumadin, Plavix, Abilify, Erbitux.	Louis J. Freeh - A prominent lawyer with a lengthy career beginning as District Court judge and ending as Director of the FBI. With Freeh on its side, Bristol-Meyers has a strong advisor if and when it faces any liability or class-action suits.Togo D. West, Jr. – Secretary of the Army and then Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs under Clinton. Between Freeh and West, the company seems to be preparing for armed conflict.
	John Lechleiter, Ph.D. – Eli Lilly & Co.	Market Cap of $39 billion. Board is equal parts academicians (all fields) and a conglomerate of other boards. Big Drugs: Aranesp, Epogen, Neupogen, Prozac, Zyprexa,Darvocet, Forteo, Evista,and ,Humulin.	Franklyn G. Prendergast M.D., Ph.D. – One of the ranking members of the company’s policy committee, Prendergast is another one of those doctors that seems to be a member of every single board and society a prestigious physician can join.
	Kevin Sharer – Amgen	Technically a biotech company. Market cap of $55 billion. Board of former CEOs and medical academicians. Big Drugs: Aranesp, Epogen, Neupogen, Kineret, Neulasta.	David Baltimore – Dr. Baltimore has been a major figure in Washington as the Head of the National Institutes of Health AIDS Vaccine Research Committee. Received the Nobel Prize in medicine.J. Paul Reason – Not to be outdone by Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Amgen has a high-ranking military figure of their own in Reason. A four-star admiral and commander-in-chief of the US Atlantic Fleet.

-Douglas A. McIntyre and Michael B. Sauter

The Corporate Power Rankings are released at midnight on each Sunday based on performance during the previous week.

For Ford (F), Toyota (TM) is the gift that keeps on giving. IBM (IBM) picks up five spots on strength of tech sector. AT&T (T) drops on 3G trouble and Goldman Sach (GS) slips on investigation into Greek derivatives deals.

	Company	Rank (last week)	Symbol	Comment
	Ford	1 (6)	F	Toyota recalls worsen substantially. Ford announces sales of its F-150 are better than expected. February sales should be extraordinary.
	Berkshire Hathaway	2 (3)	BRK	Buffett announces changes in holdings. intelligently dumps Exxon and newspaper company Gannett. Also exits JNJ and P&G which have probably peaked.
	Apple	3 (2)	APPL	Shares continue to slide on concern about iPad content. Networks reject ninety-nine cent TV show pricing. PC companies ready iPad clones.
	IBM	4 (9)	IBM	Dell and HP earnings show expensive server markets strengthening. Enterprise software sales are also improved. Buyout of Intelliden will help telecom business.
	McDonald’s	5 (5)	MCD	More evidence that same-store sales are better than industry averages. Burger King results prove McDonalds’ dominance. Bonus of being top 10 admired stock at Barron’s.
	Coca-Cola	6 (7)	KO	New research from thestreet.com shows that Coke is preferred over Pepsi, particularly in fast-growing emerging markets. Sugar drink company also pops dividend by 7%.
	Cisco	7 (1)	CSCO	Battle with HP gets more violent as CSCO axes resale agreement between firms. Federal initiative for faster broadband is a benefit.
	Disney	8 (12)	DIS	Mouse company benefits from good CBS earnings. Jefferies starts company as a Buy with $36 price target. Mouse films doing well in Oscar race.
	Oracle	9 (10)	ORCL	Ellison predicts quick Sun profits. Figures from HP are strong indication of broad tech recovery among corporate customers.
	Wal-Mart	10 (4)	WMT	Sales miss industry estimates and forecasts are light. Market perception is that target and JC Penney have taken the momentum.
	Google	11 (8)	GOOG	Buzz about Google “Buzz” has gotten worse, hurting company’s email business. More competition for Nexus One gets worse in Barcelona.
	Johnson & Johnson	12 (11)	JNJ	Settles patent fight with Hologic, but federal judge turns down claims against Boston Scientific. FDA asks for more disclosure on anemia drug risks.
	GE	13 (18)	GE	NBC ratings for winter olympics better than expected. Company also wins EU approval to sell security business. US infrastructure and alt energy plans should help earnings.
	Philip Morris	14 (20)	PM	Commodity demand in Asia should help shares. Rival huntsman posts strong numbers, an indication of sector recovery.
	Caterpillar	15 (14)	CAT	Rival Deere posts strong numbers, which lift sector. CAT will join Conoco and BP to lobby in D.C. for environmental interests.
	FedEx	16 (15)	FDX	Rival UPS may face price-fixing investigation in Europe. New data from U.S. Postal Service shows air freight companies still taking away mail customers.
	Pfizer	17 (13)	PFE	Rival Merck picks up market share. Concerns increase about danger of cholesterol-lowering statins. General FDA attitude is toward increased regulation.
	Verizon	18 (24)	VZ	New JD Power wireless quality survey gives wireless unit top grades. Fiber-to-the-home will get HBO product. Will load Skype on handsets, which should help market share.
	Dow Chemical	19 (19)	DOW	Trade deficit numbers show company’s strengthening position. Firm expects sales to increase rapidly in emerging markets
	American Express	20 (16)	AXP	Credit card reforms will hurt consumer perceptions of AXP and other card companies. New data on credit card defaults indicates market is still poor.
	Proctor & Gamble	21 (23)	PG	Consumer products giant says newest versions of Pampers, Gillette razors, and Pantene shampoo have picked up. Firm believes consumers did not see their shadows on groundhog day, and are out of the hole for good.
	Abbott Labs	22 (22)	ABT	Dividend increased by 10%. Market shows some concern about new FDA power over medical device approval. Closes 6.2 Billion Solva buyout.
	Boeing	23 (17)	BA	Trouble with airline financials could bruise earnings. European union pressures WTO to review monopoly claims against Dreamliner maker.
	Intel	24 (21)	INTC	Encouraging results from HP show chip demand picking up again. Spring 4G deployment should help wireless initiatives. JV with Nokia could help handset share.
	JP Morgan	25 (25)	JPM	Morgan Stanley issues positive note on large U.S. banks. “Volcker Rule” seems unlikely to be approved by congress. Soros holds stake in bank level.
	Hewlett-Packard	26 (26)	HPQ	Dell numbers show HP is picking up PC and server market share. HP’s own earnings indicate 2010 will be banner year. Largest open question is competition from smartphones.
	Home Depot	27 (27)	HD	Competitor Lowe’s posts better-than-expected earnings. Signal that housing has bottomed. Expect much improved numbers from the Depot. Oppenheimer continues to suggest accumulation of shares.
	Bank of America	28 (28)	BAC	Federal judge OK’s SEC settlement. Bank picks up two sterling IB’s. Fallout from prosecution of former CEO is limited.
	Exxon-Mobil	29 (29)	XOM	80-dollar oil should help margins. company saves money by shutting Texas refinery. M&A heats up in sector and XOM has largest cash pile.
	Microsoft	30 (32)	MSFT	Windows Mobile 7 shows Ballmer still has pulse in wireless market. However, HP and Dell results raise questions about consumer PC demand.
	Goldman Sachs	31 (30)	GS	Investment bank may hire PR firm to buff up image. Greek derivative scandal should blow over. Global M&A improvement will be earnings bonus.
	AT&T	32 (31)	T	Competitor Sprint readies 4G launch. Potential weakness of iPad sales would hurt cellular business.Recent surveys still fault 3G network.

-Douglas A. McIntyre