Carl Icahn Goes After Biogen Idec (BIIB)
Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) is coming under fire from activist investor Carl Icahn this morning. A release came out as a "shareholder proposal" from Icahn Partners LP. He is asking for four positions for…
All Work
Douglas A. McIntyre
Top Pre-Market Analyst Upgrades (CAVM, COST, EVVV, MET, SE, TOT)
These are some of the top pre-market analyst upgrades and downgrades we are seeing from Wall Street this Friday morning with more than two hours until the open: Cavium Networks (CAVM) Started as Buy…
Top Pre-Market Analyst Downgrades (LNT, CNP, ESLR, FORR, IFF, LTM, LQDT, NTRS, OPXT, REG)
These are the top analyst downgrades and negative research calls we have seen on Wall Street this Friday with more than two hours until the market opens: Alliant Energy (LNT) Cut to Neutral at…
Is Chrysler Near The End? Management Press Dealers To Order More Cars
Car dealers don’t want more cars. They have them stacked up on their lots, many several months old and rusting. Most dealers are paying interest on that inventory. They borrowed to have them trucked…
TARP Funds Were Badly Invested, Unless They Kept Banks In Business
It is wonderful to watch boobs look back at history. It takes great skill to examine details and miss the obvious. The Congressional Oversight Panel which is reviewing how well TARP money was spent…
No Car Company Will Ever Outperform Toyota (TM)
Barry Bonds’ home run record will never be broken. No car company will ever do better than Toyota (TM). The Japanese company said it would lose $4 billion in the current fiscal and was…
Who Hired All The People Who Are Getting Laid Off?
Some of the companies that need to let people go have lost such a large portion of their sales that they have virtually no choice but to cut staff. That certainly holds true for…
Suddenly, The Talk Turns To Depression
A number of seemingly unrelated pieces of news in the last day showed that several high profile people and organizations are at least considering the idea that the global economy could slip into a…
Media Digest 2/6/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg
According to Reuters, Democrats say that the Senate will pass the stimulus bill today. Reuters reports that Moody’s cut Toyota’s (TM) rating for the first time in 10 years. Reuters writes that estimates are…
Asia Markets And Europe Open 2/6/2009
Markets in Asia were narrowly mixed. The Nikkei fell 1.1% to 7,950. The Hang Seng rose .9% to 13,178. The Shanghai Composite fell .5% to 2,098. At the open in Europe, the FTSE was…
Can Biogen Idec Earnings Generate A Buyout? (BIIB, AMGN, GILD, GENZ, CELG, MRK, SNY, GSK)
Biogen Idec Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB) is set to report earnings on Friday morning. What many investors probably want to know is if these results — or more importantly its guidance — show that this…
S&P Pans Retailer Ratings (DDS, M, JWN, JCP, SHLD, BONT, KSS, SKS)
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has put six department store companies on CreditWatch with negative implications and has changed the outlook on three department store companies to negative from stable. Moody’s & Fitch either…
Oil Services & Drillers Brace For S&P Ratings Cut (ALY, HERO, PKD)
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services downgraded several oilfield services and drilling companies. Among the companies the ratings agencies took action were Allis-Chalmers Energy Inc. (NYSE: ALY), Hercules Offshore Inc. (NASDAQ: HERO) and Parker Drilling…
Murdoch & News Corp. Tread Through Earnings (NWS)
News Corporation Limited (NYSE: NWS) has just reported earnings. You know there is no chance that the company was going to be immune to the major slowdown in advertising and earnings. What is interesting…
B of A CEO & Insiders Buying Stock (BAC)
Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC) was already trading as though the options traders were placing a bet today “against nationalization” and now we are getting more news from the company. SEC filings are…
Options Bet: No Bank of America Nationalization (BAC)
Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC) has been the worst performer this year in the financial sector, or at least of all the large money center banks. The reasons are more on fears but…
Has Gold Peaked? (ABX, GG, NEM, AU, GLD, GTU, DGL, IAU)
When the going gets tough, the tough go for gold. That’s historically the way it’s worked out. And the going is definitely tough now. So what about gold? Is it going up or down?…
Uranium Enrichment Plant Development Slows (USU)
USEC Inc. (NYSE:USU) today announced that it plans to initiate "reduce the planned escalation of project construction and machine manufacturing activities" at its uranium enrichment plant in Piketon, Ohio. The company cited delays in…
IMF Confirms What Bank Stocks Already Show
Bank of America (BAC) hit another 52-week low today at $3.77. Wells Fargo (WFC) got close. The IMF said that that the banking crisis is far from over.
GE’s (GE) Immelt Says Economy As Bad As Early 70s, Maybe Worse
It is worth noting when the head of the world’s largest conglomerate comments on how bad the economy. Jeff Immelt made some grim comments this morning. They speak for themselves. According to Reuters, "The…