Perhaps it is because this is an election year, but everyone is going around asking "Are we better off than we used to be?" It is not just the baby-kissing politicians. People are being…
Lower and lower oil prices are good for the broader economy, but they are bringing pain to the oil patch. Oil services giant Baker Hughes Inc. (NYSE: BHI) is demonstrating this more than any…
Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) has just joined the list of stocks which hit new 52-week lows, but it gets worse. These were actually the lowest levels seen since late in 2006. This was intra-day,…
Dynavax Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: DVAX) is the latest biotech implosion as shares are down some 75% today. The company gave an update on an FDA clinical hold on its investigational vaccine HEPLISAV with partner…
SanDisk Corp. (NASDAQ: SNDK) is now under fire from all sides as the stock is sliding to new 52-week and multi-year lows. The company’s recent losses looked like one of the worst quarterly reports…
ICO Global Communications (NASDAQ: ICOG) is indicated to open up more than 100% this morning after announcing a major court win. The small cap mobile satellite services company was awarded "at least $371 million"…
Knight Capital Group Inc. (NASDAQ: NITE) is doing what other trading shops aren’t: it is winning in uncertain times. The trading and brokerage firm posted earnings of $0.40 on revenues of $269.9 million, while…
Oppenheimer bank analyst Meredith Whitney has taken a dim view of bank earnings for some time. Her research has caused sell-offs in big financial company shares on more than one occasion. But, with the…
How the little children love Ronald McDonald. Now investors love him, too. In the third quarter, global comparable store sales increased 7.1%, which is pretty hard to do when a company is as large…
These are some of the top pre-market upgrades from Wall Street analysts this Wednesday morning: AmerisourceBergen (ABC) Started as Buy at Jefferies. Broadcom (BRCM) Raised to Outperform at Baird. Coach (COH) Raised to Buy…
These are some of the top pre-market analyst downgrades from Wall Street this Wednesday morning: Ameriprise Financial (AMP) Cut to Market Perform at KBW. Apple (AAPL) Cut to Neutral at UBS. Dynavax (DVAX) Cut…
AT&T (T) posted strong results. The company thanked Apple (AAPL) because the iPhone helped drive the telecom company’s wireless results. Perhaps the most astonishing part of AT&T’s numbers was that people were not just…
It is a good thing Wachovia (WB) will not have to go it alone. It would not make it. Wachovia reported a net loss in the third quarter of 2008 of $23.89 billion, representing…
VMWare’s (VMW) went from an IPO price of under $50 a year and a half ago to $125. That happened in three months. The market then discovered that the virtualization software company’s revenues were…
The time has come to stop criticizing the SEC. It was very late on regulating the leverage which large financial companies took on. It was equally tardy in asking that credit default swaps be…
Energy prices are on the back burner. The focus on economic growth, or lack thereof, has moved to whether credit markets will open up and how soon housing prices will recover. Focusing on mortgages…
After Apple (AAPL) announced earnings and gave guidance, the stock looked a bit weak. The guidance was awful, but, in light of the economy, probably fair. Most analysts think that Apple gives out guidance…
The Wall Street Journal reports that Wal-Mart (WMT) is "hitting its Chinese suppliers with a slate of stringent environmental and safety mandates, just as the manufacturers face rising costs and dwindling demand for their…
According to Reuters, disappointing earnings pushed Wall St. down. Reuters reports that Yahoo! (YHOO) profits dropped and the company will cut jobs. Reuters writes that Kirk Kerkorian sold part of his Ford (F) shares…
Markets in Asia were sharply lower. The Nikkei fell 6.9% to 8,675. Sony Corp (SNE) and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial dropped. The Hang Seng fell 6.3% to 14,093. The Shanghai Composite fell 3.2% to 1,897.…