ThinkstockShares of a host of shipping companies are getting a big boost today on a report from Bloomberg that the 2013 outlook for shipping rates, especially for iron ore, are set to rise substantially…
Interest rates are nearly zero and the Federal Reserve has pledged to keep them that way until unemployment reaches 6.5% and as long as inflation does not get to a level that would be…
ThinkstockThe US Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its weekly petroleum status report this morning. US commercial crude inventories decreased by 11.1 million barrels last week, bringing the total US commercial crude inventory to 359.9…
ThinkstockThere is a new exchange-traded product in the world of Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs). We would caution investors that this is an exchange traded note rather than an exchange traded fund. Today’s launch of…
thinkstockThe U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) today reported the U.S. natural gas stocks declined by 135 billion cubic feet last week, above an average expected drop of around 127 billion cubic feet. Natural gas…
thinkstockLooking back on 2012, it is hard to discern the biggest story in the oil and gas sector. The reshuffling of assets was certainly a contender, as was the huge growth in U.S. oil…
ThinkstockThe services sector is improving. Today’s report from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) for December rose to 56.1%. Bloomberg was calling for 54.5% and Dow Jones was looking for only 54.0%. The November…
ThinkstockU.S. consumers spent more money in December than in any month since December 2008. In a self-reporting poll from Gallup, consumers’ average daily spending in December averaged $83, up from $73 in November and…
ThinkstockFor years tech investors eagerly awaited each new quarter to determine yet again how much Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) was dominating the semiconductor industry. The explosive growth of personal computers (PCs) followed by that…
24/7 Wall St. has identified its 2013 peak target for the Dow Jones Industrial Average of 14,590, which would translate to gains of more than 11.3% for investors. What is interesting is the breakdown…
courtesy of WalgreenDrug store giant Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG) announced this morning that December same-store sales fell 6.1% year-over-year, primarily due to the impact of generic drug sales replacing sales of higher-priced brand-name drugs.…
ThinkstockFinish Line Inc. (NASDAQ: FINL) reported third-quarter fiscal 2013 results before markets opened this morning. The athletic shoe and apparel retailer reported diluted earnings per share (EPS) at breakeven on revenues of $296.6 million.…
Ed Brown, via Wikimedia CommonsThe U.S. Labor Department is out with the December 2012 unemployment rate and with the payrolls report. Unemployment rose to 7.8% in December, and November was revised to 7.8% from…
Jon OggThese are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen from Wall St. research firms this Friday. Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (NYSE: BK) cut to Neutral at Citigroup. Cepheid…
Every Wall St. firm has a lengthy list of Buy-rated stocks. Analysts in the various sectors the firm covers are asked from time to time to present to the director of research their absolute…