Airbus Raises Prices (EADSY, BA)
It’s going to cost more to buy a new airplane from the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. (OTC: EADSY) — an average of 3.9% more. For customers of the company’s latest mid-size jets,…
All Work
Paul Ausick
US Wholesale Prices in Surprise Fall
The US producer price index (PPI) for the month of December fell by -0.1%. Economists had been expecting a rise of 0.1%. Core inflation, excluding food and gasoline, rose by 0.3% in a somewhat…
Target Halts Sale of Credit Card Receivables (TGT, JPM)
Citing an inability to get “appropriate terms,” Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) today announced that it would suspend its efforts to sell its credit card receivables until later this year. The company also said that…
Morning Wire — US Stock-Index Futures Higher
US index futures higher this morning following an announcement from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that it wants to add $500 billion to its existing $385 billion lending capability. The IMF expects a lending…
Apple Could Sell 48 Million iPads This Year (AAPL, AMZN, MSFT, NOK, GOOG)
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is expected to announce a new version of its iPad tablet by the end of March. There is plenty of speculation about what will be included in the new release,…
UK Unemployment Rate Rises to 8.4%
The unemployment rate in the UK rose to a 16-year high of 8.4% in the 3 months through November 2011. Unemployment benefits claims also rose for the tenth consecutive month to 1.6 million. The…
More Ratings Cuts in Store for European Sovereign Debt
Six Eurozone nations are likely to see their debt ratings before the end of the month. Fitch Ratings put Spain, Italy, Ireland, Cyprus, Belgium and Slovenia on review for possible downgrades in December, and,…
Economic Growth to Slow in Germany
The German economy grew by 3% in 2011, the best growth in the entire Eurozone. In October, the government predicted the economy would grow by 1% in 2011, a disappointing number, but reflective of…
Acquisition Multiples are High, But Fair
As part of a year end review of merger & acquisition activity in 2011, consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC surveyed corporate executives regarding the outlook for 2012. Nearly 41% of respondents, for example, said that…
24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (FDX, BHP, INTC, TSLA, PNRA, MMR, AMTD, WFC, C, CHKP, KUTV, CNVO, VQ, RRD, CCL)
The markets opened higher this morning and all three major indexes have managed to hold onto most of their gains of the early morning. The S&P 500 index topped 1,300 for the first time…
Sears Shares Jumping on Speculation (SHLD, WMT, TGT)
After diving by -8.5% in one day in late December, Sears Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHLD) has reversed that loss on speculation that the venerable retailer will be taken private. Sears has steadily lost customers…
Fund Managers Taking on Risk at Beginning of New Year (BAC)
Investors’ appetite for risk has followed on rising sentiment on positive economic growth in the coming year. The Merrill Lynch division of Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) survey of fund managers for January…
President’s Job Council Wants to Return Jobs to the US
President Obama met today with his Council on Jobs and Competitiveness to discuss new policies and initiatives to strengthen the US economy, provide more jobs, and increase US global competitiveness. The council, chaired by…
AT&T Looking Again at Dish? (T, DISH, DTEGY, VZ, VOD, CMCSA, TWC, PCS, LEAP, S)
Will AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) finally make an offer for Dish Network Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH) now that the merger with the T-Mobile USA unit of Deutsche Telekom AG (OTC: DTEGY) has fallen off the…
Samsung Interested in Buying RIM? (RIMM, SSNLF, GOOG)
Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) has lost about 75% of its value in the past year, and the company continues to search for ways to get operations back on track. Licensing the company’s…
Ista Pharma Gets Sweetened Offer from Valeant (ISTA, VRX)
A month ago drug maker Ista Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ISTA) rejected a takeover bid of $6.50/share in cash from Canadian drug maker, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. (NYSE: VRX) as being “grossly inadequate.” Valeant immediately…
McMoran Jumps on Unexpected Profit (MMR, XOM, CVX, HES)
Independent oil & gas firm McMoran Exploration Co. (NYSE: MMR) posted an unexpected profit today, leading other energy firms like Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM), Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX), and Hess Corp. (NYSE: HES)…
Newmont Lowers Copper Production Estimate (NEM, FCX, SCCO, ABX)
Newmont Mining Corp. (NYSE: NEM) is out with its preliminary estimates on 2011 production and an outlook for 2012. In 2011, the company expects gold production of about 5.2 million ounces at an average…
Rules for Bank Stress Tests Proposed by FDIC
In a move that parallels the stress testing required on US bank holding companies, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is scheduled to vote today on stress test requirements for all banks with assets of…
Morning Movers (KUTV, CNVO, PVX, KGC, CCL)
There are several stocks trading more heavily than usual this morning, and also experiencing large gains or drops in share prices. These include Ku6 Media Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: KUTV), Convio Inc. (NASDAQ: CNVO), Provident…