Washington Mutual (WM) Being Auctioned?
The latest rumor on Wall St. is that Washington Mutual (WM) will be auctioned off and has retained Goldman Sachs (GS) to handle the deal. According to The New York Times, Wells Fargo (WFC),…
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Douglas A. McIntyre
Urban Outfitters Chairman Unloads Stock (URBN)
Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN) been immune for the most part from the stock market carnage. Shares closed down almost 5% at $34 today, but the stock still trades well nto the upper echelon…
The 52-Week Low Club 9/17/2008 (MS)(GS)(VSE)
Morgan Stanley (MS) tumbles on fears it will be the next victim of credit crisis. Shares falls to $16.08 from a 52-week high of $69.87. Goldman Sachs (GS) Even the premier US investment bank…
GE Responding To Market Insanity (GE)
We won’t bother discussing the current market situation as being a very difficult one. But the problem isn’t just the baby being thrown out with the bathwater. Now, investors are throwing out mommy, daddy,…
Midwest Banc: Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? (MBHI)
Midwest Banc Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: MBHI) looks like it is taking an about-face move from its comments from last week. Shares of the holding company for Midwest Bank and Trust Company are hitting new…
S&P Slams GM Hard (GM)
As if the US auto industry wasn’t already under fire enough, today we have yet another ratings action. The good news is that this is on the stock rather than the debt ratings. The…
Gold Stocks to the Rescue? (ABX, GG, GLD)
Back in July we noted that two big gold miners were pulling back on 2008 guidance. Barrick (NYSE:ABX) and Goldcorp (NYSE:GG) were both predicting production at the lower end of guidance and rising costs…
Microsoft (MSFT): Buying Search Engine Share Overseas
Everyone who looks at the news knows that Microsoft (MSFT) has a search engine market share problem in the US. By most measures, it has about 10% of the pie. If it had been…
SEC Finally Curbs Naked Short Selling
The Securities and Exchange Commission has announced new measures this morning to curb naked short sales. The rules impose a firm close-out requirement on short sellers and their brokers. Parties must now deliver securities…
Day Trader Alert: VeraSun Energy (VSE)
VeraSun Energy (NYSE: VSE) is about to get pounced this morning. Last night, the ethanol producer announced that it now expected a quarterly loss. Analysts are looking for -$0.02 per share loss before the…
Longs Merger Plot Thickens (LDG, WAG, CVS)
Longs Drug Stores Corporation (NYSE: LDG) is doing something which may seem odd to many, which is essentially a "going with the bird in the hand" strategy. The company has just announced that its…
Day Trader Alert: Gilead Sciences (GILD)
Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) is trading down this morning. Goldman Sachs maintained its buy rating on the stock, but took down its price target to $58 from $59. This report is after a…
Housing Starts Versus AIG: Aiming At The Wrong Target
Leaving aside the fact that the federal government has a nearly endless supply of money, especially if the Chinese continue to buy its bonds, the capital being pushed into the market is going to…
Analysts Start Rackspace Coverage As Quiet Period Ends (RAX)
Rackspace Hosting, Inc. (NYSE: RAX) is seeing its quiet period end after its IPO, which now allows analysts in the underwriting group to initiate research coverage of the stock. So far this IPO has…
Top Pre-Market Analyst Upgrades (ACE, NLY, ESLR, GFIG, HOKU, ITG, GS, KR, MON, NDAQ, TRV)
These are some of the positive calls and upgrades we have seen from analysts this morning: ACE Ltd. (ACE) raised to buy at Goldman Sachs. Annaly Capital (NLY) raised to overweight at JPMorgan. Evergreen…
Top Pre-Market Analyst Downgrades (BGFV, CME, QSII, TUP, SKS)
These are some of the negative calls and downgrades we have seen this Wednesday morning: Big 5 Sporting Goods (BGFV) cut to sell at UBS. CME Group (CME) cut to market perform at KBW.…
Nortel (NT): A Hit To Global Broadband And Wireless
The capital spending boom born of growing broadband and wireless adoption rates may be coming to an end. At least, that is what an earnings warning from Nortel (NT) indicates. Nortel is North America’s…
Bank Regulators Try To Auction Washington Mutual (WM)?
Bank regulators may be trying to find a home for Washington Mutual (WM). According to The New York Post, "The fate of Washington Mutual remained in question yesterday as federal regulators recently called a…
Abbott (ABT): A Resurrection Of The Stent Business
The stent business in the US has been dying and it is in trouble overseas. Stents are small mesh tubs which keep clogged arteries open. Last year, several studies showed that stents could cause…
The Next Wave Of The Credit Crisis: Banks Stop Loans To One Another
A bank that will not loan money to any other banks will probably not loan money to anyone, no matter how favorable their credit profiles may be. According to The Wall Street Journal, "Banks…