Is Elizabeth Warren Up To The Job?
Elizabeth Warren, the new interim head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), is by all accounts a brilliant and likable woman. She may regret getting the job she campaigned so hard to get.…
All Work
Douglas A. McIntyre
Consumer Confidence Crushed In September
According to Reuters Consumer sentiment unexpectedly worsened in early September to its weakest level in more than a year, as distress over jobs and finances intensified among upper-income families, a survey released on Friday…
Today’s Best Market Rumors 9/17/2010
Updated throughout the day. Citigroup (NYSE: C) may sell its stake in Student Loan Corp (NYSE: STU) (NYPost) Carlyle Group may take a position in several hedge funds (Bloomberg) Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) is…
Top Analyst Upgrades And Downgrades (POT)(Q)(BHP)
ASML Holding (NASDAQ: ASML) cut from “buy” to “neutral” by Goldman Sachs. BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP), in the midst of a takeover bid for Potash (NYSE: POT) was downgraded by HSBC to “neutral” Goldman…
Today’s Biggest Market Moves 9/17/2010 (RIMM)(ORCL)(ARNA)
Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) is higher by 5% after strong earnings. Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) is up 4% after posting good quarterly numbers. Crucell (NASDAQ: CRXL) is up over 55% on news of a…
The Worst CEO Mistakes–And Who Made Them
The CEO’s of America’s largest companies often approach the mic coached by a team of PR people and carefully scripted speechs. Every now and then an executive goes rogue. Emboldened by hubris or just…
Odds Of Chrylser IPO Dim
“Under promise, over deliver.” Someone forgot to tell Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne. He announced that he intends to have an IPO for the No.3 US car company in the second half of next year.…
The Cash Against The Potash Board Of Directors
Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc (NYSE: POT) does not want to be taken over by big miner BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP). It believes the price which BHP offered is too low, and may also…
Geithner Will Not Make A Yuan Decision On His Own
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner made a weak defense for why the Administration had not named China as a “currency manipulator” when he testified before the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee last April.…
The Rich Badly Hurt By Economic Cycles
The poverty level in the US has reached its highest level since 1994, and the number of uninsured Americans is at an all-time high. But it is the rich who are most affected by…
Media Digest 9/17/2010 Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg
Reuters: Geithner will take the yuan issue to the G-20. Reuters: Oracle’s (NASDAQ: ORCL) earnings beat Wall St. forecasts. Reuters: Research In Motion’s (NASDAQ: RIMM) numbers beat forecasts. Reuters: The dollar was steady compared…
CNBC Sounds the Death Knell of the TV Business
In breathless prose that it does so well, CNBC sounded the alarm bell about the future of television. Check out the first paragraph: “An alarming survey by Credit Suisse should serve as a wake…
Down-And-Out In America — 2010 Style
The news today from the Census Bureau was awful. As the U.S. grapples with the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, more people must struggle to sustain themselves. About 54 million people in…
RIM Reports Above Expectations, Stock Up 6%
Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) today reported a 68% rise in quarterly profit, proving the BlackBerry maker is far from dead. The shares rose in after-hours trading. Profit was $797 million, or $1.46…
Oracle Bests Numbers, Shares Rise
Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) shares rose more than 2% after hours reported better-than-expected results, as it benefited from the buyout of Sun Microsystems. Fiscal 2011 Q1 GAAP revenue was up 48% to $7.5 billion, while…
Natural Gas — The ‘American Idol’ Of Energy
U.S. utilities, which are under pressure to use more environmentally friendly fuel sources, are increasingly betting their future of natural gas at the expense of coal. As Bloomberg News notes, the U.S. Department of…
No Good New From The Philly Fed
The economy is in reverse, if the most recent data from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve is any indication. Results from the federal agency’s Business Outlook Survey suggest that regional manufacturing activity was nearly flat…
National Employee Morale Day At Fedex
Fedex (NYSE: FDX) said it would cut 1,700 people. The announcement was made as part of the air freight company’s earnings release. The firm reported earnings of $1.20 per diluted share for the first…
The Twitter-24/7 Wall St. Market Report (9/16/2010) Fedex, Jobless Claims
Twitter has, by most estimates, 100 million members, which makes it one of the largest social networks in the world. All major media companies are on Twitter and some have more than one million…
Pre-Market Active Trader Alerts: Cellular Tissue (CLU) Up 57%
These are issues active before the bell. Fedex (NYSE: FDX) is off 3% to $83.14 on new that earnings were weaker than expected. The freight firm will cut 1,700 jobs. The Williams Companies (NYSE:…