Gold ETFs Dumping the Yellow Metal
ThinkstockLast year marked the twelfth consecutive year for rising gold prices. But that could be the end of the yellow metals string. Since the beginning of the year, gold ETFs have sold 140 metric…
All Work
Paul Ausick
Solar Stocks Get a Jolt (TSL, STP, SPWR, FSLR)
ThinkstockAnalysts at Raymond James raised their ratings on several solar stocks, saying that the risk of owning these stocks is now in balance with the potential reward. The four stocks included in the upgrade…
Crude Oil Inventory Jumps, Prices Fall Below $90 a Barrel
ThinkstockThe U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its weekly petroleum status report this morning. U.S. commercial crude inventories increased by 3.8 million barrels last week, bringing the total U.S. commercial crude inventory to 381.4…
Suntech’s Boardroom Turmoil
ThinkstockOn Monday, the board of directors for Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE: STP) removed its founder and executive chairman, Shi Zhenrong, replacing him with another board member, Susan Wang, as executive chairman. Shi…
Nasdaq Enters Private-Company Trading Market
ThinkstockIn a move that was probably inevitable, the Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. (NASDAQ: NDAQ) today announced a joint venture with SharesPost Inc. to create a larger marketplace for private company shares. Nasdaq OMX will…
Results Good at Big Lots; Forecast Not So Good
ThinkstockBig Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) reported fourth-quarter and full-year 2012 results before markets opened this morning. The close-out retailer reported quarterly diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $2.08 on revenues of $1.7 billion. In…
Staples’ Dividend Hike Cannot Hide the Problems
ThinkstockStaples Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS) reported fourth-quarter and full-year 2012 results before markets opened this morning. For the quarter, the office supplies retailer posted adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.46 and $6.57 billion…
Mortgage Applications Turn Higher, Rates Fall Too
ThinkstockThe Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its weekly report on mortgage applications this morning, noting an increase of 14.8% in the group’s seasonally adjusted composite index, following a drop of 3.8% for the previous…
Market Close: Today’s Big Winners and Losers (ACUR, MTG, HIMX, DYAX, ZOLT, RNIN, IPXL, REGI, HGSH, STRN)
Here are today’s five biggest gaining stocks at closing: Acura Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ACUR) is up 48.3% at $3.04. MGIC Investment Corp. (NYSE: MTG) is up 27.8% at $5.34 (new 52-week high today of…
24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — March 5, 2013: Markets Climb as Dow Sets All-Time High (NFLX, YHOO, CLF, A, APOL, CKP, CEP, APP, GEVO, QIHU, SWHU, PAY, AEO, BIG, TFM, HOV, SPLS, STP, MTG, CREE, VOD, VZ)
U.S. equity markets opened higher this morning and it didn’t take long for the DJIA to blow past its all-time intra-day high of 14,198.10 (more coverage here). There was a little news and data…
Google Prepares Streaming Music Launch — Fortune
ThinkstockWe noted last week in our report on the first music industry profit in more than a decade that Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) was believed to be negotiating with music industry players to license…
Verizon, Vodafone Talking Business
courtesy of Verizon WirelessWhile the relationship has not been a particularly stormy one, the Verizon Wireless joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone Group plc (NASDAQ: VOD) has been the subject…
The Growth in U.S. Motor Fuel Consumption
ThinkstockGasoline and diesel fuel consumption in the United States has fallen in the past few years for a variety of reasons. High prices, improved fuel economy in new cars, fewer miles driven and ride-sharing…
Bank Lending: Part of the Problem or Part of the Solution?
ThinkstockThe conventional wisdom says that low interest rates encourage banks to lend more because more borrowers come knocking on the door. So why, when the Fed funds rate is as close to zero as…
Economic Confidence Plunges in Late February — Gallup
ThinkstockAfter posting a five-year high in January, Gallup’s economic confidence index fell to a level equal to that at the end of December, when consumers were worried about the impending fiscal cliff. Once Congress…
J.C. Penney Stock Down on Reported Share Sale
courtesy J.C. Penney Co. Inc.Shares of J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP) were down sharply in premarket trading this morning following a report that commercial and retail real-estate REIT Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE: VNO)…
Home Prices Jump in January — CoreLogic
ThinkstockHome prices rose 9.7% in January, compared with the same month a year ago. That was the largest monthly increase since April 2006, according to research firm CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX). The firm had previously…
Qualcomm Boosts Dividend, Share Buybacks
Chipmaker Qualcomm Corp. (NASDAQ: QCOM) said today that it is raising its quarterly dividend from $0.25 to $0.35 beginning with payments made after March 27. The company also initiated a new $5 billion share…
J&J, Bayer Fail to Gain FDA Approval for Blood Thinner
ThinkstockThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last night rejected an application from Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) and Germany’s Bayer A.G. to extend the use of the two companies’ blood thinning drug Xarelto…
Glencore Follows Other Big Miners to Lower Profits
ThinkstockLondon-traded Glencore International has been making news for more than a year now for its takeover of Xstrata, a mining company of which Glencore already owns about 40%. The company is awaiting approval from…