John Tamny, RealClearMarkets As this column has regularly argued, government investment is never passive. Once federal bureaucrats slip under the private tent with aid masked as “investment”, all manner of controls are part and…
Citi upgrades Torchmark Corp (NYSE: TMK) from Hold to Buy, citing valuation and strong conviction management can grow earnings and book value. The firm lowered their price target from $45 to $37. Citi analyst…
Transocean Ltd. (NYSE:RIG) followed in the footsteps of competitors Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. (NYSE: DO) and Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB), reporting fourth quarter and full-year results that missed expectations. Transocean announced net income for…
Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) reported that it had added 1.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent to its proved reserves in 2008. That amount is equal to 103% of the company’s production for the year,…
Sirius XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) nearly doubled this morning after John Malone’s Liberty Media Corp. (NASDAQ: LINTA) (NASDAQ: LCAPA) said it was coming to the rescue. If you look through the terms, this…
Utility companies have long faced a dilemma. On one hand, in order to grow profits, they must sell more electricity. On the other hand, they must support conservation as a means of keeping their…
Canadian gold miner Apollo Gold Corp. (NYSE: AGT) is negotiating with its lenders for an additional $70 million to complete the company’s Black Fox project in Ontario. The company may make the deal, but…
We compiled a list of the equity holdings of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and for Bill Gates’ personal investment vehicle Cascade Investment. These are as of December 31, 2008 and we have…
These are some of the early bird Wall Street analyst calls we are seeing this Tuesday morning with over two hours to the market open: Calgon Carbon (CCC) Started as Outperform at Oppenheimer. Entergy…
The last time Wal-Mart (WMT) made official forecasts for Wall St. there was a sense that the recession might be taking down the world’s largest retail despite its appeal to cost-conscious consumers. Then Wal-Mart…
Internet display advertising is being challenged by the recession. Traditional media is not the only business being hurt as marketers curtail spending to save money. Barry Diller recently said that the display advertising at…
Microsoft (MSFT) is pushing hard to show that it can be a viable competitor in the business of providing operating systems for smartphones. It has done a deal with handset giant LG which will…
Something like a billion handsets are sold worldwide every year. That is good news for the large phone companies with big cellular businesses. Wireless handsets, calling plans, and data charges have built new revenue…
By most accounts, The International Energy Agency is the leading expert on the future of the price of oil. It collects production data, future yield from existing fields and those that may be drilled years…
One by-product of people being evicted from their homes during foreclosure proceedings is that they often end up renting a place to live. After losing a house to the bank, they are not likely…
When the House Committee on Un-American Activities began its investigations after WWII looking for communists in the US government, it might have had a semi-legitimate goal. That objective did not last long. The committee’s…
According to Reuters, a poll of economists says the Japanese economy is likely to get worse. Reuters reports that Trump Entertainment may file for Chapter 11. Reuters writes that California may have to lay…
Markets in Asia were sharply lower. The Nikkei fell 1.4% to 7,646. The Hang Seng was down 3.8% to 12,951. The Shanghai Composite was off 2.9% to 2,319. At the open in Europe, the…
Wall St. is estimating that Microsoft (MSFT) will make $.40 a share in the current quarter and $1.77 for its fiscal year which ends in June. The company’s CEO is sending a signal that…
By Majorie Backman Marjorie Backman DailyFinance Now that Congress has delivered to the president the economic-stimulus bill for his expected signature, how much aid will your state get in the final compromise package? The…