Is Crocs Becoming The New Bull Market Proxy? (CROX)
It is true that the most speculative or most battered stocks often rise the most during the initial turnaround and recovery, and to call the latest rally since the March lows a mere recovery…
All Work
Douglas A. McIntyre
Bernanke: Things Will Get Better, Or They Won’t
Ben Bernanke told Congress that the recession may be over by the end of the year, at least as it is measured by GDP. Unemployment will be troubling for a longer period, perhaps well into…
Rebel Yelp
The replacement for newspapers isn’t Craigslist; it’s local social media. By Paul Smalera of The Big Money Much has been made of Craigslist rising up to destroy newspapers’ classified-listings business, but less has been…
Less Power from the Generators (DUK, CEG)
Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE:DUK) reported first quarter 2009 diluted EPS of $0.27, down from $0.37 in the year-ago period. Adjusted diluted EPS came in at $0.28, compared with $0.35 a year ago. Analysts had…
ADM Misses on Big Charges (ADM)
Agricultural giant Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE:ADM) reporated earnings of a paltry $8 million (EPS of $0.01) on sales of $14.8 billion for its 2009 third quarter which ended on March 31st. Analysts had…
New ETN to Track MLPs (JPM, ALJ, KMP, EPD, PAA)
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) has created a new exchange traded note based on “the portfolio of midstream energy underlying the Alerian MLP Index.” The new structured investment is called the JPMorgan Alerian MLP…
The Myths About a Return to the Gold Standard
By John Tamny of RealClearMarkets “…it is not necessary that paper money should be payable in specie to secure its value; it is only necessary that its quantity should be regulated according to the…
Is Apple (AAPL) Trying To Buy Twitter?
Rumor of the day. Gawker is reporting that Apple (AAPL) is in advanced negotiations to buy social texting company Twitter for $700 million and would like to close by early June. Since Apple rarely…
Top 10 Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (APC, ATML, CBY, CEO, EXR, N, OXY, OZM, PSA, WFC)
These are ten of the top pre-market analyst calls we have seen early this Tuesday morning with more than two hours until the market opens: Anadarko Petroleum (APC) Cut to Equal Weight at Barclays.…
GM (GM) Sales In China Up 50%, A Way For The Company To Raise Money
GM’s (GM) most valuable asset may be its operation in China. Sales at the division rose 50% in April to 151,084. The No. 1 US car company sold 173,007 light vehicles in the US…
Is UBS (UBS) Loss A Caution For American Banks?
UBS (UBS) lost $1.7 billion in the first quarter. Some of the reasons for the poor earnings report could apply to American banks and their results in future quarters. UBS management mentioned that its short-term…
Rumors The Ten Of 19 Banks Failed “Stress Tests” (WFC)(BAC)(C)
Several news organizations are reporting that ten of the 19 banks subjected to “stress tests” will be asked to raise more capital. Since the firms are still debating with the government, the number could…
Google (GOOG) And Apple (AAPL) Up Against Bogus Antitrust Probe
The FTC believes that there may be an antitrust problem because two members of the Google (GOOG) board sit on the Apple (AAPL) board. One of those is Google CEO Eric Schmidt. The situation…
Despite Signs To The Contrary, Real Estate Will Get Worse
Warren Buffett said that the real estate business his company Berkshire Hathaway owns is seeing a small improvement in housing demand. The National Association of Realtors seemed to confirm his observations when it announced…
Despair And The Vision Of The New Economy
A number of prominent American economists believe that the American economy has permanently lost its resilience and vitality. They believe that, for the first time in memory, America cannot rebuild itself after a severe…
Media Digest 5/5/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg
According to Reuters, changes at Yahoo! (YHOO) are getting mixed reviews from employees. Reuters reports that ten banks could could have to raise new money after stress tests. Reuters reports that two top Fed…
Asia Markets And Europe Open 5/5/2009
Markets in Asia were modestly higher. Japan was closed for a holiday The Hang Seng was up .2% to 16,405. The Shanghai Composite moved up .3% to 2,568. At the open in Europe, the…
Cramer’s Speculative Tech Pick 1: Tekelec (TKLC)
Tekelec (NASDAQ: TKLC) just took a “PR Boost” after Jim Cramer named this stock as a speculative technology stock winner for this week on CNBC’s MAD MONEY. He said this was his first of…
ASM Scores Intel Investment (ASMI, INTC)
ASM International NV (NASDAQ: ASMI) has just secured an investment from Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) via Intel Capital. The investment is listed as a 4% stake of the company’s total common share capital based…
Is Carbon Trading or Cap and Trade Dying On The Vine? (ICE, CME, NDAQ, BRK-A)
One of the Obama proposals to fight global warming and climate change may be up against the ropes. This is emissions trading, or what the media calls “cap and trade.” There are many who…