24/7 Wall St. » BA

What’s Important in the Financial World (2/8/2012) Nokia Fires 4,000, Yahoo! Cuts Chairman

247wallst — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:44:20 +0000

The restructuring of the world’s troubled multinationals continues. The trend has been particularly evident in industries like big pharma, where sales have fallen too fast to maintain expense levels. The most recent victim of poor sales, Nokia (NYSE: NOK), will cut 4,000 jobs and move manufacturing to Asia. Nokia has learned something from rivals Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and HTC. The cost of goods for smartphones is so low in places like China that profit margin pressures can be partially relieved.

Yahoo! Shakeup

Four Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) directors will leave the battered internet portal company. Those departing include chairman Roy Bostock, who has been blamed for Yahoo!’s inability to get a good CEO and to set a strategy for the firm to recover from a weak internet advertising market. Yahoo! added two independent directors, Alfred Amoroso and Maynard Webb. Amoroso served as president and CEO of Rovi Corp. (NASDAQ: ROVI) until December 2011. Webb, the chairman of LiveOps, served as that company’s CEO until July 2011. Neither has particularly impressive credentials. But, even if either did, Yahoo! set no policy to solve its most immediate problems. It still has not disposed of its ownership positions in Yahoo! Japan or China e-commerce firm Alibaba. Neither stake does anything to help Yahoo!’s business operations. The disposal of the shares would add substantially to the firm’s balance sheet.

No Greek Fix

All of the participants in the resolution of the Greek sovereign debt crisis continue to refuse to act in a way that would bring the problem to a head. The European Central Bank apparently is willing to exchange some of its debt for new paper, the result of which would be to cut that southern European country’s debt load. Private investors have mostly agreed to terms to cut the value of their debts. Most Greek leaders have buckled to pressure to cut more government costs. Some of Greece’s unions continue to march in the streets to protest wage cuts. And, day after day, nothing is resolved.

Airbus and Boeing Woes

Two of the world’s newest commercial aircraft continue to have mechanical problems. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that a Qantas Airbus 380 super-jumbo has wing cracks. It is not the first of the planes to have the problem. Airbus has suggested an inspection of the model. In the meantime, some remain grounded. Some of Boeing’s (NYSE: BA) new Dreamliner 787 will not make it to airlines on schedule. Support structures in the aft fuselage of the plane have developed gaps. That could cause a series of inspections and a probable slowdown in factory production.

Douglas A. McIntyre

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Market Open Tagged: AAPL, BA, NOK, ROVI, YHOO

Media Digest (2/7/2012) Reuters, WSJ, FT, Bloomberg

247wallst — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:49:30 +0000

Glencore and Xtrata agree to a $90 billion merger. (Reuters)

Greek leaders face a deal for settling sovereign debt matters as workers strike. (Reuters)

Toyota (NYSE: TM) posts good third-quarter profits and says the U.S. will be a difficult market. (Reuters)

Boeing (NYSE: BA) may have trouble with its 787 deliveries after flaws were found in the body of the aircraft. (Reuters)

Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and Redbox set a deal to compete with Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX). (Reuters)

Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) may open a physical store in Seattle. (Reuters)

House Republicans move to reopen debate on the Keystone XL pipeline. (Reuters)

Problems with regulators have made the Medco (NYSE: MHS) merger with Express Scripts (NASDAQ: ESRX) less likely. (Reuters)

The U.S. will create programs to help the troubled money market industry. (WSJ)

Barclays (NYSE: BCS), Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS), Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) and Royal Bank of Scotland (NYSE: RBS) will bid as the New York Fed auctions risky bonds it got as part of its AIG (NYSE: AIG) bailout. (WSJ)

Greece will cut 15,000 public sector jobs. (WSJ)

Motorola Mobility (NYSE: MMI) wants a 2.25% royalty on Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone sales based on IP claims. (WSJ)

Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) and Univision are in talks to create a 24-hour news channel. (WSJ)

India cuts its growth forecast to 6.9%. (WSJ)

Eugene Isenberg of Nabor Industries (NYSE: NBR) gives up a $100 million retirement payout. (WSJ)

The Obama budget will have $3 trillion in cuts over 10 years and $1.5 trillion in new taxes — mostly on the rich. (WSJ)

Japan wants to enter a large Asia-Pacific trade agreement, but the U.S. may object. (WSJ)

Satellite makers say that U.S. regulations make it difficult for them to compete overseas. (WSJ)

Republic Airways (NASDAQ: RJET) is about to sell Frontier. (WSJ)

New LeadershipIQ research breaks companies into four groups based on management style and systems to create results. (WSJ)

Walmart (NYSE: WMT) promotes a manager to be the new CEO of its China operations. (WSJ)

Some large European banks will not take European Central Bank loans because they fear it will make them appear weak. (WSJ)

BP (NYSE: BP) raises its dividend. (FT)

An escrow fund may be set to help Greece instead of all aid money going to the nation directly. (FT)

Farmers to plant the largest corn crop since 1984. (Bloomberg)

Walmart will lower fat, sodium and sugar in some foods. (Bloomberg)

Douglas A. McIntyre

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Press Digest Tagged: AAPL, AIG, AMZN, BA, BCS, BP, CS, DIS, ESRX, GS, MMI, MS, NBR, NFLX, RBS, RJET, TM, VZ, WMT

The Worst Cities for Retirees to Find Work

Mike Sauter — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:39:44 +0000

Just because you’re retired doesn’t mean you don’t have to work. As of the end of last year, 7.3% of Americans 75 and older were employed — the highest level since 1966, according to The Wall Street Journal. But as the number of job seekers among retirement-age people has increased, so has the unemployment rate among that age group. It is now twice what it was five years ago.

The issue of unemployment among older Americans is even more important now because retirement plans lost so much money since the recession began. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to identify the cities with the highest unemployment rates for Americans 65 and older.

The cities with the highest unemployment rates among those 65 and older do not necessarily have the highest unemployment rates among the general population. In fact, many of the metropolitan regions on the list have unemployment rates below the national average. In five of the six cities on our list, unemployment rates are substantially worse for those 65 and older than for the population as a whole.

The reason for this disparity among the age groups can be attributed to the fact that these cities, for the most part, rely heavily on industries like finance, banking, telecommunications and technology — areas that have a high percentage of professional or specialized jobs. More than many other fields, these kinds of jobs require a high degree of training. For those seeking to reenter the workforce, or change their line of work, this can present a challenge.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed labor force statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Employment Statistics survey. This study provides age-based information for 46 of the largest metropolitan statistical areas in the country for the years 2005 to 2010. In seven of these metropolitan regions, unemployment rates in 2010 — the most recent available data — were higher for older Americans than for the entire population. We examined unemployment rates, labor participation and total unemployment for these regions, also from the Current Employment Statistics, to get a better look at the employment picture as a whole. We examined median income and population change over a 10-year period in these metro areas from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

Filed under: Special Report Tagged: AMZN, BA, BAC, MSFT, SBUX, WFC

Airbus A380 Wing Cracks and the Limits of Engineering

247wallst — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:36:50 +0000

Cracks in the wings of the new Airbus A380 super jumbo have been found several times. The aviation firm’s own engineers found some. Others have apparently been discovered by airlines. Sixty-eight of the planes are in service now and another 253 have been ordered. The news raises concerns about the safety of the airplanes, and the limits of the engineering used to build them.

Boeing (NYSE: BA) says there are six million parts in its largest plane, the 747-400. Half of these are fasteners. The aircraft has 171 miles of wiring. It is a wonder the plane flies safely at all.

Problems with large airplane engineering can be divided into two categories. There are those that probably pose very little threat to the ability of the plane to fly, and those that could cause a catastrophe that pilots or mechanics cannot overcome. The wing cracks in the A380 almost certainly fall into the first group, but no one knows that for certain.

Products like the A380 take years to develop. Something as obvious as wing cracks should not happen in new planes. Much older models have been known to develop mechanical problems after a plane has been in service for 20 or 30 years. That may be unacceptable to fliers, airlines and regulators, but at least it is understandable.

The A380 is one of the most complex aircraft ever built. That is not an excuse for why one of the world’s most advanced manufacturing companies cannot get the design of the wings right.

Douglas A. McIntyre

Filed under: Aerospace Tagged: BA

11 DJIA Reporting Earnings This Week (DD, JNJ, MCD, TRV, VZ, BA, UTX, T, CVX, PG)

Administrator — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:56:32 +0000

This coming week is going to be yet another action packed week of big corporate earnings which will move markets or will move their sectors. 24/7 Wall St. has identified each of the DJIA components reporting this week and we have 11 of the 30 DJIA stocks on deck. Earnings are coming from the following DJIA stocks by day:

Tuesday: E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. (NYSE: DD); Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ); McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD); Travelers Cos. Inc. (NYSE: TRV); and Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ)

Wednesday: Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) and United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX)

Thursday: AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT)

Friday: Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) and Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG).

We have compiled Thomson Reuters estimates, when the earnings are due, and what the share pricing has been on each, and added in additional color if applicable.

TUESDAY

E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. (NYSE: DD), or just DuPont, just declared its normal dividend but it reports on Tuesday morning. The chemicals giant is expected to have earnings of $0.33 EPS and $8.53 billion in revenues. Shares are just under $50.00 and the 52-week range is $37.10 to $57.00.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) has news of a patent loss ahead of its earnings report due Tuesday morning. The drug, medical products, and consumer products giant is expected to report earnings of $1.10 EPS and $16.28 billion in sales. With shares close to $65.00, the 52-week range is $57.50 to $68.05.

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD) reports on Tuesday morning and the Golden Arches’ estimates for the fast food giant are $1.29 EPS and $6.80 billion in sales. Shares are within yet another hair of another all-time high and it has recently talked up sales and has already raised its dividend.

Travelers Cos. Inc. (NYSE: TRV) is still probably the most forgotten financial stock of the DJIA components. The insurer is expected to report earnings of $1.52 EPS and $5.47 billion in sales. With shares above $61.00, the 52-week trading range is $45.97 to $64.17.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) is due to lead of the telecom sector on Tuesday morning and earnings are expected to be $0.53 EPS on $28.4 billion in revenues. With shares around $39.00, the 52-week range is $32.28 to $40.48.

WEDNESDAY

Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) may have a boost from the rival A380 having cracks in its wings, if the rationale is not one that “all super-jumbos ar scary.” Boeing reports Wednesday morning and the aerospace and defense giant is expected to report $1.00 EPS and $19.4 billion in revenues. With shares around $75.50, the 52-week range is $56.01 to $80.65.

United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX) still appears to be the conglomerate with the most upside in 2012 according to analysts and GE’s recent earnings reaction has not done much to really amp-up expectations. The earnings are due Wednesday morning and the consensus targets are $1.46 EPS and $15.07 billion in revenues. With shares under $77.00, the 52-week range is $66.87 to $91.83 and the consensus price target is $89.44.

THURSDAY

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is due on Thursday morning and estimates are $0.45 EPS and $31.94 billion in sales. Shares are back above $30 around $30.40 and the 52-week range is $27.20 to $31.94.

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) is expected to report Thursday morning and estimates are $1.73 EPS and $16.04 billion in sales. With shares back above $105.00, the 52-week range is $67.54 to $116.55 and the consensus price target is now $115.28.

FRIDAY

Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) is due with earnings Friday morning and the oil giant’s consensus estimates are $2.93 EPS and $71.08 billion in sales. With shares around $106.40, the 52-week range is $86.68 to $110.99 and the consensus price target is $124.95. Keep in mind that Chevron is the second highest weighting in the DJIA due to its high share price.

Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) is due to post the consumer product giant earnings report Friday morning. The consensus estimates are $1.08 EPS and $22.2 billion in sales. Shares are trading around $66.10 and the 52-week range is $57.56 to $67.72 and the consensus target is $72.37.

We will be releasing more detailed previews on each of these the day ahead of each earnings report this week. Additional data will be around forward earnings estimates for guidance, what the implied valuations are, color on what to look for in addition to earnings, as well as opinions from analysts, what the charts are showing, and what the options traders are expecting for a price move.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Calendar, Earnings Tagged: BA, CVX, DD, JNJ, MCD, PG, T, TRV, UTX, VZ

11 DJIA Earnings Previews For The Week Ahead (DD, JNJ, MCD, TRV, VZ, BA, UTX, T, CVX, PG)

Administrator — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:34:28 +0000

The coming week is going to be yet another action packed week of big corporate earnings which will move markets or will move their sectors. 24/7 Wall St. has identified the DJIA components reporting next week and we have 10 of the 30 DJIA stocks reporting earnings. Earnings are coming from the following DJIA stocks: E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. (NYSE: DD); Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ); McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD); Travelers Cos. Inc. (NYSE: TRV); Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ); Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA); United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX); AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T); Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT); Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX); and Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG).

We have compiled Thomson Reuters estimates, when the earnings are due, and what the share pricing has been on each, and added in additional color if applicable. There are a few additional themes we would watch: dividend coverage, how a strong dollar is impacting earnings and competitiveness, making earnings on cost monitoring while revenues may be soft, and exposure to Europe.

TUESDAY

E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. (NYSE: DD), or just DuPont, reports on Tuesday morning. The chemicals giant is expected to have earnings of $0.33 EPS and $8.53 billion in revenues. Shares are just under $50.00 and the 52-week range is $37.10 to $57.00.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) is due Tuesday morning. The drug, medical products, and consumer products giant is expected to report earnings of $1.10 EPS and $16.28 billion in sales. With shares close to $65.00, the 52-week range is $57.50 to $68.05.

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is due to report on Tuesday morning and estimates for the fast food giant are $1.29 EPS and $6.80 billion in sales. Shares are within yet another hair of another all-time high and it has recently talked up sales and has already raised its dividend.

Travelers Cos. Inc. (NYSE: TRV), the most forgotten financial stock of the DJIA, is expected to report earnings of $1.52 EPS and $5.47 billion in sales. With shares above $61.00, the 52-week trading range is $45.97 to $64.17.

WEDNESDAY

Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) is due Wednesday morning and the aerospace and defense giant is expected to report $1.00 EPS and $19.4 billion in revenues. With shares around $75.50, the 52-week range is $56.01 to $80.65.

United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX) may be the conglomerate with the most upside in 2012 according to analysts. The earnings are due Wednesday morning and the consensus targets are $1.46 EPS and $15.07 billion in revenues. With shares under $77.00, the 52-week range is $66.87 to $91.83 and the consensus price target is $89.44.

THURSDAY

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is due on Thursday morning and estimates are $0.45 EPS and $31.94 billion in sales. Shares are back above $30 around $30.40 and the 52-week range is $27.20 to $31.94.

FRIDAY

We will be releasing more detailed previews the day ahead of each DJIA earnings report this coming week. Additional data will be around forward earnings estimates for guidance, what the implied valuations are, color on what to look for in addition to earnings, as well as opinions from analysts, what the charts are showing, and what the options traders are expecting for a price move.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Calendar, Conglomerates, Earnings, Editor's Picks, Telecom Tagged: BA, CAT, CVX, DD, JNJ, MCD, PG, T, TRV, UTX, VZ

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ADTN, AAP, APD, MT, ADP, BKU, BA, CATM, CSH, CVX, C, HGSI, LAMR, MA, RSH, SMG, UBS, VE, V, WFT, BRCM)

Administrator — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:14:47 +0000

These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street brokerage and research firms this Thursday morning.

ADTRAN, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADTN) Cut to Hold at Needham Research.
Advance Auto Parts (NYSE: AAP) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Air Products and Chemical, Inc. (NYSE: APD) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Arcelor Mittal (NYSE: MT) Cut to Neutral at HSBC.
Automatic Data Processing. Inc. (NYSE: ADP) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE: BKU) Cut to Neutral at BofA/ML.
Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) Cut to Sell at Societe Generale.
Cardtronics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CATM) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Cash America International (NYSE: CSH) Raised to Buy at Sterne Agee.
Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) maintained Buy with $130 target but cut estimates at Argus.
Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE: C) Maintained Sell at Argus.
Human Genome Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: HGSI) Started as Buy with $14 price target at Maxim.
Lamar Advertising Co. (NASDAQ: LAMR) maintained as Outperform and named as the Bull of the Day at Zacks.
MasterCard Inc. (NYSE: MA) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
RadioShack Corporation (NYSE: RSH) Cut to Underperform at Credit Suisse.
Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE: SMG) Cut to Underperform at BMO Capital.
UBS AG (NYSE: UBS) Raised to Overweight at Morgan Stanley.
Veolia Environnement (NYSE: VE) Cut to Neutral at HSBC.
Visa, Inc. (NYSE: V) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Weatherford International Inc. (NYSE: WFT) named as value stock of the day at Zacks.

Read Also: Jim Cramer touts Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM) as a cheap catch-up semiconductor stock. This creates a chart versus fundamental event in price.

If you enjoyed the top analyst calls, you can sign up in the box below to join our morning email list to receive news directly in your inbox each morning. We include major analyst upgrades and downgrades, IPO and M&A news, special situation developments, observations on Warren Buffett and key market gurus, as well as special exclusive feature stories.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AAP, ADP,, ADTN, APD, BA, BKU, BRCM, C, CATM, CSH, CVX, HGSI, LAMR, MA, MT, RSH, SMG, UBS, V, VE, WFT

Media Digest (1/17/2011) Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg

247wallst — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:43:36 +0000

China’s economy expands at a better-than-expected 8.9% in Q4 and area markets soared. (Reuters)

Walmart (NYSE: WMT) appoints a former CBS (NYSE: CBS) digital executive as head of its digital operations. (Reuters)

Disapproval of Congress hits an all-time high, according to a new Washington Post-ABC poll. (Reuters)

S&P downgrades the large eurozone bailout fund. (Reuters)

Auditors of Olympus are cleared of blame in the company’s financial scandal. (Reuters)

Samsung will make a $41 billion capital investment in the company this year. (Reuters)

Hackers compromise 24 million accounts at the Zappos division of Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN). (Reuters)

Federal officials become more active in examining the role S&P played in the mortgage credit crisis. (WSJ)

EU banks create new ways to help bolster their balance sheets, but these may not improve their cash positions. (WSJ)

Bonuses fall at Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS). (WSJ)

BMW and Volkswagen recall more than 500,000 vehicles. (WSJ)

More companies split the roles of chairman from CEO. (WSJ)

California hopes large IPOs will help its finances. (WSJ)

Nigerian unions halt strikes as the government agrees to again underwrite fuel prices. (WSJ)

Moody’s (NYSE: MDO) says it will review the status of its ratings of eurozone finances. (WSJ)

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi says the region’s problems are “very grave.” (WSJ)

Airbus will book double Boeing’s (NYSE: BA) orders this year, but the difference in revenue will be smaller. (WSJ)

U.S. companies continue to invest much more in machinery than labor. (WSJ)

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) likely will produce new textbook systems optimized for the iPad. (WSJ)

CBS Sports website will open its operations so that app developers can offer fantasy sports software. (WSJ)

Executive perks tend to rise as CEOs get closer to retirement. (WSJ)

Private equity firms could get more scrutiny of leverage and tax approaches. (WSJ)

Iron ore prices fall along with demand. (WSJ)

Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) card payment programs increase sales. (WSJ)

Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) continues to have trouble adding features to its PlayBook tablet PC. (NYT)

Italy’s prime minister asks Germany to do more to lower loan costs because he worries about a voter revolt. (FT)

Saudi Arabia says its price target for oil rose to $100 to offset spending in the country. (FT)

The European Automobile Manufacturers Association says the region’s car sales fell 5.8% in December, with much of the brunt of the drop taken by Fiat, Peugeot Citroen and Renault. (Bloomberg)

Douglas A. McIntyre

Filed under: Press Digest Tagged: AAPL, AMZN, BA, CBS, MDO, MS, RIMM, SBUX, WMT

2012 Top Picks From… Everyone! (AAPL, T, BA, GE, KFT, ETFC, MCP, DNDN, BSX, ISRG, STJ)

Administrator — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:25:34 +0000

24/7 has compiled many of the predictions from various firms and various market pundits for what lies ahead in 2012. Wall St. modified analyst consensus price target methodology generates 12% expected upside to a 13,678 peak in the DJIA in 2012. Here were the 5 most undervalued DJIA stocks for 2012 and the 5 least attractive DJIA stocks according to consensus price targets.

The 17 Most Important IPOs to Watch in 2012.
The 24/7 Wall St. 2012 Model Dividend portfolio
Bankruptcy, liquidation, delisting and all… Here is a list of ten stocks that are not expected to survive 2012.
Major semiconductors and expected price performance of leaders in 2012.
Top Oil & Gas stocks with expected price performance in 2012.

One firm gave what looks and feels like an outrageous possibility: a 50% drop from the peak in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) shares.

Jim Cramer’s top four of the thirty DJIA picks are AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA), General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) and Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT). FULL SUMMARY

A Doug Kass call was made for E*TRADE Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: ETFC) to be acquired, even though it all but killed any M&A prospects.

Barron’s gave ten stocks it sees as its favorite picks in 2012, and the trend here is based upon value stocks and dividend stocks rather than aggressive growth stocks.

Molycorp. Inc. (NYSE: MCP) received a wishy-washy outlook concerns from top analyst for this year.

3 Groups of small and mid-cap stock picks expecting huge upside in 2012:

Small & Mid-Cap Stocks With 50% Upside In 2012 (OIS, OI, ROSE, WBC, CIE)
Small Caps With 50% Upside in 2012 (TEN, WNR, APO, SNV, MTZ)
Small Caps With Over 50% Stock Upside in 2012 (PNK, CDXS, VVUS, SCMR)

A consensus breakdown of top analyst stock picks for biotech in 2012. Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN) was noted with having more than 40% upside at the time, but that was literally seen in one day this last week. Three top medical technology picks in 2012 from Zacks Investment Research were Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX), Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISRG). and St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE: STJ).

Eight nations with active ETFs, closed-end funds, and ADRs which may benefit from credit rating upgrades in 2012.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls, Corporate Governance, Cramer, Economy, Index, International Markets, Research Tagged: AAPL, BA, BSX, DNDN, ETFC, GE, ISRG, KFT, MCP, STJ, T

The 10 Most Expensive Weapons in the World

Douglas A. McIntyre — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:49:11 +0000

The 10 most expensive weapons systems in the world total $868 billion in research and development and manufacturing costs. The Department of Defense has commissioned each of the weapons. The White House recently released its strategic guidance, “Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense,” to address the upcoming $1 trillion defense budget cuts over the next decade. The costs of these expensive weapons systems illustrates the difficulty in cutting so much from the federal defense budget.

Read: The 10 Most Expensive Weapons in the World

To understand the magnitude of these weapons’ budgets, one only needs to look at the recent government initiatives aimed to save the economy. The $868 billion cost of the most expensive weapons in the world is much more than the $700 billion set aside by Congress as part of the TARP to salvage the nation’s massive financial system. It is also more than President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package approved by Congress in February 2009.

The Pentagon breaks the costs of weapons into two categories. The first is research and development. The second is the actual costs to buy the weapons. Together, the two figures can be staggering. The total cost of the Virginia Class Submarine, for example, surpasses $83 billion. That entire amount has been and will be invested to launch only 30 of the weapons. All told, it is an extraordinary expense base to maintain America’s defense.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed the figures from the Department of Defense budget and provided by the General Accounting Office to find the 10 Most Expensive Weapons in the World.”

Filed under: Defense, Special Report Tagged: BA, GD, LMT, NOC