Burritos for Breakfast (YUM, MCD)
Fast food giant Yum! Brands Inc. (NYSE: YUM) has rolled out a new breakfast menu at its Taco Bell stores to help it compete with rival McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) in the battle for…
All Work
Paul Ausick
Dimon Says Greek Default Impact “Almost Zero” (JPM)
In an interview with CNBC from the Davos World Economic Forum, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon said that the impact of a Greek default on US banks would be “almost…
China Says Iran Sanctions Not “Constructive”
China has stood fast with the other permanent members of the UN Security Council in opposing Iran’s nuclear program. Where the Chinese draw the line, however, is at the sanctions proposed by the US…
Geithner Expects to be Shown the Door
US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told Bloomberg News that he is “pretty certain” that President Obama will not ask him to remain if the President is re-elected. Geithner went on to say: I’m confident…
Iran Threatens Pre-emptive Action Ahead of Sanctions
The Iranian government has threatened to cut crude oil shipments to Europe ahead of the July 1st deadline adopted by the European Union. The government’s threat is based on cutting exports, not closing the…
Conference Board’s Economic Indicator Index Rises
Cautious optimism about the US economy continues to be the pattern according to the latest release of the Conference Board’s index of leading economic indicators. The index rose 0.4% in December, after rising 0.2%…
Morning Movers (VIST, RNWK, NFLX, EFSC, MWW)
There are several stocks trading more heavily than usual this morning, and also experiencing large gains or drops in share prices. These include VIST Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: VIST), RealNetworks Inc. (NASDAQ: RNWK), Netflix Inc.…
US Economic System Fairness Poll — Gallup
According to those polled by Gallup following President Obama’s State of the Union address, 49% think the US economic system is unfair and 45% think it is fair. As far as how the system…
Record Wheat Crop Expected
In the face of an expected global wheat harvest of a record 25.4 billion bushels, US farmers planted more winter wheat this past fall than they did in the fall of 2010. Farmers planted…
Voter Approval Rises for Obama
For the first time in seven months, more voters say that they approve of President Obama’s job performance than say they disapprove. The margin is small — 48% approve and 46% disapprove — but…
Morning Wire — US Stock-Index Futures Higher
US index futures are higher this morning as European and Asian markets are following US markets Fed rally yesterday with one of their own. The news that US interest rates would remain near zero…
Eurozone Banks Raise €40 Billion, Only €75 Billion to Go
Eurozone banks must raise a total of €115 billion by June in order to meet new Tier 1 capital requirements imposed by the European Banking Authority. So far, through a combination of shedding assets…
Nokia Profit Vanishes, Share Price Rises (NOK, AAPL, SSNLF, MSFT)
Telephone handset maker Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) posted a loss of -$1.4 billion early this morning as the company’s sales of smartphones has all but disappeared and operating margins have fallen to 3.4%. Compared…
New Map for US Farmers and Gardeners Shows Rising Temperatures
The US Department of Agriculture has released its latest “Plant Hardiness Zone Map” showing which plants and crops will grow in what areas of the country. The map is built around the “average annual…
Greek Bondholders Reduce Coupon Rate Demand
The chief negotiator for Greek bondholders said this morning that the group will accept an average coupon rate of 3.75% on the new bonds. Greece and the nation’s bondholders have been negotiating for weeks…
Defense Spending Cuts Don’t Include Drones (BA, LMT, NOC)
When US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta discusses projected cuts to the US defense budget later today, he is expected to talk about a leaner military with fewer people and fewer expensive gadgets. One…
SAP Working on an Oracle Killer (SAP, ORCL)
A new software program from SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) is taking direct aim at industry-leader Oracle Corp.’s (NASDAQ: ORCL) relational database software. The program, called HANA, departs from SAP’s historical business services software by…
24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (AAPL, GS, SBUX, ORCL, RF, ZNGA, AMD, ALTR, YHOO, COP, PX, WLP, LCC, XRX, ILMN, RBCN, INCB, GNOM, NUVA)
Markets opened mixed this morning, with the DJIA and S&P 500 opening lower and the Nasdaq Composite opening higher. The Nasdaq was getting a big push from the very strong earnings report out of…
Walmart Cuts Out Night Shift Greeters (WMT)
A thirty-year tradition at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is about to be scrapped as the company eliminates its door greeters from the overnight shift. The company is trying to shore up its profits…
Solar Panel Makers Seek Retroactive Duty Payments (STP, TSL)
The complaint filed by the US division of Germany’s Solarworld AG and six other US solar panel makers with the US International Trade Commission in October has been amended to include a demand for…