The earnings previews are for the following: Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM); Atmel Corporation (NASDAQ: ATML); Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO); Computer Sciences Corporation (NYSE: CSC); Enbridge Inc. (NYSE: ENB); Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN); Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE: IM); IntercontinentalExchange Inc. (NYSE: ICE); Level 3 Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT); Moody’s Corporation (NYSE: MCO); News Corp. (NASDAQ: NWSA); PAA Natural Gas Storage L.P. (NYSE: PNG); Plains All American Pipeline L.P. (NYSE: PAA); Prudential Financial Inc. (NYSE: PRU); Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE: RL); Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE: RAI); Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE: S); Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX); Vical Inc. (NASDAQ: VICL); Visa Inc. (NYSE: V); and Whole Foods Market Inc. (NASDAQ: WFM).

We have compiled earnings preview on each company using Thomson Reuters consensus estimates and added color on each if applicable.  Some are market moving, some are sector moving, and some are just interesting for traders to watch around the earnings reports.

Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM) has estimates of $0.40 EPS and $311.26 million in revenues.

Atmel Corporation (NASDAQ: ATML) has estimates of $0.09 EPS and $401.5 million in revenues.    Growth is gone, but it still screens as value.

Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) has estimates of $0.43 EPS and $11.23 billion in revenues.  Preliminary preview notes are available.

Computer Sciences Corporation (NYSE: CSC) has estimates of $0.58 EPS and $3.98 billion in revenues.  As a reminder, CSC has warned on earnings.  This one shows up as a value stock in all sorts of investor screens but it is a value trap.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up about 46 points to 12,625.19 (0.37%), the NASDAQ rose more than 18 points (0.67%) to 2,788.33, and the S&P 500 rose 0.5% or more than 6 points to 1,314.52.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) started as ‘outperform’ at Credit Suisse; Mastercard Inc. (NYSE: MA) started as ‘outperform’ at Credit Suisse; Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) maintained ‘sell’ at Argus; Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) maintained as ‘buy’ with target price of $130 but lowered estimates at Argus; and Air Products and Chemicals Inc. (NYSE: APD) cut to ‘neutral’ at JPMorgan.

Earnings reports since markets closed yesterday have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Ebay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) is up nearly 4% at $31.55; Sealy Corp. Inc. (NYSE: ZZ) is down nearly -18% at $1.51; Blackrock Inc. (NYSE: BLK) is down -0.75% at $186.39; Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) is up 2.65% at $6.98; Fairchild Semiconductor International Inc. (NYSE: FCS) is down -3.51% at $14.02; Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE: FCX) is down -0.22% at $44.37; Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is up 5.42% at $18.29; and Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) is up 3.33% at $9.32.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

8×8 Inc. (NASDAQ: EGHT) is up more than 26% at $4.30. The telecom services company reported much better-than-expected earnings for its third fiscal quarter.

Trina Solar Ltd. (NYSE: TSL) is down more than -15% at $8.32. The solar panel maker is falling following Germany’s announcement that it will begin lowering its solar subsidies.

JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO) is down nearly -15% at $$1.80. This Chinese solar panel maker is suffering from the German subsidy cut as well.

Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE: STP) is down -14% at $3.18. Another Chinese solar maker hit by the cuts to German subsidies. The list could go on, but you get the idea.

Stay tuned for Friday. We have noted the following event on the schedule (all times Eastern):

• 10:00 a.m. – Existing home sales

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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.

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JON C. OGG

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 66 points to 11,954.94 (-0.55%), the NASDAQ fell nearly 33 points (-1.26%) to 2,579.27, and the S&P 500 fell -0.87% or nearly 11 points to 1,225.73.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) maintained ‘outperform’ but estimates cut at Credit Suisse and maintained ‘hold’ with a $24 price target at Canaccord Genuity. Other ratings actions today include Kaiser Aluminum Corp. (NASDAQ: KALU) started as ‘buy’ at BofA/Merrill Lynch; Noranda Aluminum Holding Corp. (NYSE: NOR) started as ‘buy’ at BofA/ML; Mastercard Inc. (NYSE: MA) and Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) both started as ‘buy’ at Nomura.

Here are today’s post-earnings news reactions with prices during the last half-hour of trading: Best Buy Co. Inc. (NYSE: BBY) is down more than -15.5% at $23.68 (more details here); FactSet Research Systems, Inc. (NYSE: FDS) is down more than -8% at $87.01; FuelCell Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: FCEL) is down more than -15% at $0.93; The Pantry Inc. (NASDAQ: PTRY) is down more than -12% at $10.41, after posting a new 52-week low earlier today of $9.52; and Miller Energy Resources, Inc. (NYSE: MILL) is down nearly -11% at $2.90.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

LiveDeal Inc. (NASDAQ: LIVE) is up more than 236%, at $4.88. The customer acquisition company issued 1.6 million shares of new stock, raising its capital by by $2 million and enabling it to meet Nasdaq listing requirements.

Synovis Life Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: SYNO) is up more than 50%, at $27.78. The medical device maker agreed to be acquired by Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX) for $28/share, a 52% premium to the stock’s Monday closing price. The deal is worth $325 million.

RADVision Ltd. (NASDAQ: RVSN) is up more than 14%, at $9.62. The communications equipment maker is said to be an acquisition target for Avaya at a price of around $200 million.

Endocyte Inc. (NASDAQ: ECYT) is down more than -65%, at $3.56, a new 52-week low. The pharmaceutical maker announced that trials of a new cancer drug have not shown that the drug helps patients live longer.

Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. (NYSE: IVN) is down nearly -22%, at $16.16. The junior miner lost a court decision to Rio Tinto plc (NYSE: RIO) which essentially kills Ivanhoe’s poison pill plan. Rio owns 49% of Ivanhoe and can maintain that stake regardless of new share issuances until April 2013.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) is down more than -11%, at $50.03. The coffee merchant has lost some market share for its single-cup coffee products, and prices are also falling.

Forest Oil Corp. (NYSE: FST) is down nearly -13%, at $14.01. The oil & gas E&P company announced its outlook for 2012, and analysts were disappointed with the level of capital expenditures and cash flows.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. Dennis Lockhart, president of the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank, is giving a speech in the morning. Here are some other noteworthy events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

• 7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications
• 10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
• 1:00 p.m. – 30-year Treasury bond auction

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Arcelor Mittal (NYSE: MT) Started as Equal Weight at Barclays.
Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVNR) Reiterate as “Buy” with a $6 price target by Canaccord Genuity.
Citi Trends, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTRN) Maintained Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. (NYSE: ETH) Started as Hold at Argus.
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) Maintained Outperform but cut estimates at Credit Suisse; maintained Hold with $24 price target objective at Canaccord Genuity.
International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT) resumed with “Outperform” rating at Wells Fargo.
Kaiser Aluminum Corporation (NASDAQ: KALU) Started as Buy at BofA/Merrill Lynch.
Las Vegas Sands Corporation (NYSE: LVS) resumed with “Outperform” rating at Wells Fargo.
Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) Started as Buy at Nomura.
MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) resumed with “Outperform” rating at Wells Fargo.
Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTA) reiterate as Buy with a $23 price target objective by Canaccord Genuity.
Noranda Aluminum Holding Corp. (NYSE: NOR) Started as Buy at BofA/Merrill Lynch.
Smithfield Foods Inc. (NYSE: SFD) named as Value stock of the day at Zacks Investment Research.
Southern Co. (NYSE: SO) Cut to Hold from Buy for short-term coverage but maintained a Buy for long-term at Argus.
Spectra Energy Corporation (NYSE: SE) Maintained Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks Investment Research.
Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN) Maintained Neutral and lowered estimates at Credit Suisse; Maintained Underperform with $17 price target objective by Jefferies.
Visa, Inc. (NYSE: V) Started as Buy at Nomura.
Wynn Resorts Ltd. (NASDAQ: WYNN) resumed with “Market Perform” at Wells Fargo.

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According to the CardHub report, combined debt and charge-offs rose $16.82 billion in the quarter. The US Federal Reserve’s consumer credit report, which was issued yesterday, noted a drop in revolving credit outstanding of -2%. The Fed’s numbers, however, do not include charge-offs of $10.94 billion that are included in the CardHub numbers.

The Federal Reserve’s report shows that non-revolving debt, such as student loans and auto loans, increased by $7.3 billion. Total outstanding consumer debt according to the Fed is $2.457 trillion in October.

CardHub reports that the charge-off rate for credit card debt rose slightly, from 5.58% in the second quarter of 2011 to 5.63% in the third quarter.

There are two troubling aspects to the third quarter report according to CardHub:

While it is common for consumers to end the first quarter of each year with a significant net decrease in credit card debt and subsequently wipe out this reduction throughout the rest of the year, the speed at which consumers are garnering new debt in 2011 is unprecedented.  More specifically, this is the first time in the last two years that a Q1 pay down has been completely eradicated by the end of Q3.

Additionally, in both 2009 and 2010, consumers added more new debt in Q4 than in Q2 and Q3 combined.  If this is any indication for what Q4 2011 has in store, consumers are certainly headed down a dangerous path.  As a result, Card Hub revised upward the year-end credit card debt projection it made earlier this year from $54 billion to $64 billion.

Shopper surveys indicate that consumers plan to spend more this holiday season than they did last year. While that is good news for retailers and for the economy in general, it could be setting up a new round of consumers over-extending themselves, but this time without housing price increases to soak up the new debt.

If consumers’ confidence is rising, that’s a good thing, but if the rise is based on increases in home values and the belief that their jobs are secure, that could be a pretty shaky foundation upon which to increase debt given the overall weakness in both the US and global economies.

LinkedIn executives to sell shares. LinkedIn (NYSE: LNKD) executives want to sell a relatively large portion of their shares. This adds to the pressure on the stock . The company has already said it will offer more shares to the public. It also is clear that venture capitalists who invested in the LinkedIn over the years would like to make money on their positions too. Bain says it plans to sell a portion of its position along with LinkedIn executives. It is only natural that management would act similarly in its self-interest. That will not keep other investors from concern about dilution. And, why would executives sell shares now, if LinkedIn’s prospects are so bright? Expect LinkedIn’s stock to suffer because of the announcement.

The headline news about Warren Buffett was that he bought $10.6 billion in IBM (NYSE: IBM) shares. Just as important were other additions and dilutions he made to his portfolio. These became public as Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A, BRK.B), the company Buffett runs, released at list of its third-quarter holdings. Buffett increased his holdings in Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC), a sign he is not as concerned about a new banking crisis as many bank analysts are. He moved even further into the financial sector with a new investment in Visa (NYSE: V). He also took new positions in military hardware provider General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), DirecTV (NYSE: DTV) and Intel (NYSE: INTC). All of these seem very conservative. Yet, Buffett has usually invested that way.

Occupy Wall Street forced out. For some reason, the financial headlines were dominated by the decision of New York City to use police to remove Occupy Wall Street protestors from the city’s Zuccotti Park. The story was the top headline in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. There is a great deal of evidence that the mass of people in their tents had disrupted that sales of businesses in the area. The large number of people in the park presented a public health hazard. Perhaps most important, the protestors were not successful enough for their removal by police to cause a ground swell of support. “Occupy” protestors are being moved out of their quarters by police in other cities. The movement ended almost before it began.

Douglas A. McIntyre

M&T Bank Corporation (NYSE: MTB) is 5.38+ million shares, UP ONLY A TAD from the 5.363 million last quarter but this one had been cut in prior quarters.
Mastercard Inc. (NYSE: MA) was 405,000 shares valued at $128.45 million.  The position is the SAME AS last quarter but still almost double from the quarter before.
Moody’s Corp. (NYSE: MCO) was 28.4 million; SAME AS last quarter but way down from prior quarters and years.
Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) was 76.7 million shares and listed as THE SAME as last quarter but lower than the 96.3 million shares in prior quarters.
Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE: SNY) was 4.06 million shares; SAME AS before.
Torchmark Corp. (NYSE: TMK) was more than 4.2 million, a LARGER POSITION than the 2.82 million shares last quarter.
US Bancorp (NYSE: USB) was roughly 69 million shares; SAME AS before.
USG Corp. (NYSE: USG) was 17.072 million shares; SAME AS before.
United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) was 1.429 million shares; SAME AS before.
Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSK) was ALMOST DOUBLE in shares at 4.202 million worth $146.1 million versus the 2,101,125 shares a quarter before when it had been started as a new position.
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is a NEW POSITION of 2.291 million shares worth $96.44 million.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) was just over 39 million shares; SAME AS before after having been raised in 2010.
Washington Post (NYSE: WPO) was over 1.72 million shares; SAME AS before and Buffett kept his word so far about holding the Washington Post shares despite stepping down from its board.
Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) over 361 million shares a HIGHER POSITION than the 352+ million last quarter.

PAGE ONE…BUFFETT HOLDINGS ‘A to K’

As noted earlier… today’s holding disclosure has missing data as Berkshire Hathaway was given permission and likely still does not include the full holdings: Confidential information has been omitted from the Form 13F and filed separately with the Commission.

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Other card issuers pretty much set the stage for Mastercard. Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) reported EPS of $1.27 on revenue of $2.38 billion, beating expected EPS and narrowly missing revenue estimates. A week earlier, American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) posted EPS of $1.03, topping estimates of $0.96. Both Visa and American Express noted transaction growth and higher consumer spending. Capital One Financial Corp. (NYSE: COF) also beat EPS and revenue estimates in the third quarter. Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) winds up its 2011 fiscal year this month, and is expected to report EPS of $0.91 on revenue of $1.81 billion.

Credit card lenders including American Express, Capital One, Discover, and banks like Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC), JP Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), and Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) reported a slight rise in delinquencies for September although write-offs fell. American Express’s delinquency rate rose from 1.4% in August to 1.5%, but write-offs fell from 2.7% to 2.4%. Capital One’s delinquency rate rose from 3.43% to 3.65%, while write-offs fell from 4.1% to 3.9%.  Discover’s delinquency rate rose fractionally, and its write-off rate fell from 3.6% to 3.17%. The banks followed the pattern, but write-off rates are higher, with BofA at 5.99%, Chase at 4.13%, and Citi at 5.87%.

The concern is that the uptick in credit card use will lead to a similar uptick in delinquencies and defaults. Credit card use far outstripped debit card use last quarter, indicating either that consumers didn’t have the cash or that they were voting against the threatened imposition of fees for debit card use.

High unemployment and stagnant wages are the likeliest causes of the increase in credit card use. Now that the holiday season is truly with us, consumers will be spending more and it’s not much of a stretch to believe that credit cards will play a significant role in that spending. Paying the bills will come later.

For Mastercard and Visa, neither of which is exposed to non-payment of credit card bills, delinquencies and defaults may take a longer time to affect earnings, but if banks are forced to tighten requirements, fewer credit and debit cards will be issued and the transaction companies will feel the pinch.

Mastercard shares are up about 8% in the first hour of trading this morning, at $361.36, in a 52-week range of $215.00-$364.80. Visa shares are up more than 2.5%, at $92.34, in a 52-week range of $66.50-$95.87. American Express stock is up more than 2.5% as well, at $50.23, in a 52-week range of $41.25-$53.80. Discover shares are up nearly 2%, at $23.30, in a 52-week range of $17.84-$$27.92.

Paul Ausick

The DJIA jumped above 12,000 in the opening minutes of trading this morning and had topped 12,200 by mid-afternoon. European Union leaders have agreed on a deal that would make up to $1.4 trillion as a bailout fund for troubled European banks, offer a 50% haircut to Greek debt holders, and recapitalize the continent’s banks. Apparent euphoria over the deal in Europe caused investors to miss the weak number on pending home sales. The euro rose to more than $1.42, its highest level in nearly two months, and oil prices were about $3/barrel higher this morning and had gained nearly another dollar by mid-afternoon. The day closed with a few uncertainties still remaining on the agreement announced earlier in Europe.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up nearly more than 340 points to 12,209.23 (2.87%), the NASDAQ rose nearly 88 points (3.32%) to 2,738.63, and the S&P 500 rose 3.43% or more than 42 points to 1,284.54.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) maintained at ‘neutral’ with price target cut from $16 to $14 at Credit Suisse; Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) cut to ‘neutral’ at Citigroup (ahem!); Itron Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI) started at ‘outperform’ with a $60 price target at Credit Suisse and maintained at ‘buy’ with a $50 target at Canaccord Genuity; Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) cut to ‘market perform’ at FBR; and Range Resources Corp. (NYSE: RRC) reiterated at ‘sell’ by Canaccord Genuity.

Here are today’s big post-earnings news reactions with prices during the last half-hour of trading: Proctor & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) up about 0.5%, at $65.25; Colgate Palmolive Co. (NYSE: CL) up about 1%, at $91.49; Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) up 0.84%, at $81.75; Occidental Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: OXY) up nearly 11%, at $96.59; Barrick Gold Corp. (NYSE: ABX) up nearly 2.5%, at $48.98; Johnson Controls Inc. (NYSE: JCI) up 2.2%, at $33.32; Bristol Meyers Squibb Co. (NYSE: BMY) up 1.8%, at $33.10; and Altria Group Inc. (NYSE: MO) up 1.5%, at $27.69.

Several other standouts from today are as follows…

QuickLogic Corp. (NASDAQ: QUIK) is up nearly 25%, at $2.87. The company announced an agreement under which mobile phone maker Kyocera will use QuickLogic chips in new products for the Japanese market.

Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYB) is up nearly 28%, at $16.75. The company is set to announce earnings on November 9th, and is glimmering in the glow of a solid earnings report today from Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: MWW).

LDK Solar Co. Inc. (NYSE: LDK) is up more than 21%, at $4.00. Germany has announced another cut to its solar power feed-in tariff at the first of the year, and that could unleash a horde of new projects to take advantage of the current higher tariff rate.

Century Aluminum Co. (NASDAQ: CENX) is up more than 19%, at $11.74. The company reported an EPS loss yesterday, even though sales were up 24%. Investors must like the revenue report more than they hate the EPS loss.

McDermott International Inc. (NYSE: MDR) is down nearly -26%, at $10.85. The engineering and construction company lowered its third-quarter profit and revenue guidance. Analysts were expecting EPS of $0.29 and McDermott is now saying EPS will be just $0.03-$0.05.

Avon Products, Inc. (NYSE: AVP) is down about -18%, at $18.87. The company missed its earnings expectations, but the worse news is that the SEC have begun a formal investigation into bribery charges against the company for actions it took in foreign markets.

Stay tuned for Friday.  We have noted the following events (all times Eastern):

• 8:30 a.m. – Consumer spending
• 8:30 a.m. – Employment cost index
• 9:55 a.m. – Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index

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Paul Ausick