Google (GOOG) Wins The Mobile Search Wars
It looks like Google (GOOG) will strike a deal to be the default search feature on all of Verizon’s (VZ) cellular handsets. Since the phone company has about 70 million subscribers, the win is…
All Work
Douglas A. McIntyre
Evidence Of A Fannie Mae (FNM) And Freddie Mac (FRE) Resurrection
The collapse in the shares of Freddie Mac (FRE) and Fannie Mae (FNM) was arrested yesterday. At one point, both stocks were up and Fannie Mae ended the day in the plus column. It…
Boeing’s (BA) Bogus Move
Boeing (BA) was able to get the government to re-open the bidding for the Air Force’s new tanker. In the original round of competition, Boeing was bested by the team of Northrup Grumman (NOC)…
Media Digest 8/22/2008 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg
According to Reuters, Warren Buffett and the head of Blackstone (BX) called for a solution to the govenment’s growing debt load and reliance of foreign investors to finance US borrowing. Reuters reports that Korean…
Gap (GPS) Still Drowning
Gap’s (GPS) earnings got a bit better, but the company is still coming apart at the seams. In the latest quarter, Gap revenue fell from $3.69 billion to $3.5 billion. Comparable store sales were…
Zumiez, Same Store Sales Down Now & Ahead (ZUMZ)
Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) was halted pending news into earnings. The snowboarding (as well as skateboarding, BMX, and action sports) apparel and outdoor wear retail and apparel company posted $0.09 EPS on $92.3 million…
The 52-Week Low Club 8/21/2008 (PLD)(CTIC)(TELK)(SPC)
Spectrum Brands (SPC) No big news. Still falling after posting loss. Down to $1.67 from 52-week high of $6.20. Prologis (PLD) Company recently increased presence in Mexico, but no other news. Drifts off to…
No Hostile Takeover Of Lehman (LEH)
Speculation has begun that the shares in Lehman (LEH) are so cheap that the brokerage might become the target of a hostile takeover. Not likely. Dick Bove of Ladenburg Thalmann has begun a "rumor"…
Motorola’s (MOT) 24/7 Wall St. Worst Case Scenario Business Plan: Close The Handset Unit, License The Brand
Motorola’s (MOT) plan to spin-off its handset unit was set back further by the news that its domestic market share fell to 21% in the second quarter compared to 32% for the same period…
Morgan Stanley Launching ‘Frontier’ Emerging Market Fund (MS, FFD)
It looks like we are about to get a new frontier markets investment vehicle for investors to invest in "emerging-emerging markets" or "pre-emerging markets" depending on which you prefer for a reference. The Morgan…
Coal Stocks Above 2007, But Valuation Risks Remain (ACI, BTU, CNX, FCL, MEE, KOL)
In the past 52-weeks, the stock price of five large coal companies has risen anywhere from 50% to nearly 250%. But that’s still between 27% and 42% below annual highs that the companies reached…
24/7 Wall St. Day-Trading Alert (FNM)(FRE)(UAUA)
VSInvestor has several volume and price alerts for early today. Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE) are off again on higher-than-normal volume. Several airline stocks, with United (UAUA) out in front, are selling…
Solutia’s Second Secondary Comes At Deep Discount (SOA)
We have seen a secondary offering now priced out of Solutia Inc. (NYSE: SOA). The company sold 10,714,284 shares of common stock at a price of $14.00 per share to raise some $150 million…
Jobless Figures For Dummies: Three Million More Unemployed
The latest jobless numbers are as complex as Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. Leaving aside the fact that the govenment appears unable to turn out economic figures which are of any use to the press…
IAC/Interactive’s Do or Die Date Has Come (IACI, IACID, HSNI, IILG, TKTM, TREE)
Today marks the break-up for IAC/Interactive, which trades asunder the IACI and IACID tickers after the August 11, 2008 record date. IAC/Interactive is going to begin trading on a post-split basis to reflect the…
24/7 Wall St. Most Overpaid CEO Of The Day: JDS Uniphase (JDSU) CEO Kevin Kennedy
JDS Uniphase (JDSU) announced it business fell to pieces in the last quarter. On a non-GAAP basis, the company said it would have earned $15.5 million, or 7 cents per share. Revenue grew to…
Top Pre-Market Analyst Upgrades (AAUK, ACI, BBT, CETV, FCL, JKHY, MEE, WCG)
These are some of the top upgrades or positive calls we are seeing from analysts this Thursday morning: Anglo American (AAUK) Raised to Strong Buy at S&P (late Weds. call). Arch Coal (ACI) Raised…
Top Pre-Market Analyst Downgrades (AER, AGP, LEH, NVO, CRM, SNPS)
These are some of the downgrades or cautious analyst calls we are seeing this Thursday morning: AerCap (AER) Cut to Hold at Citigroup. Amerigroup (AGP) Started as Neutral at B of A. Lehman (LEH)…
Airline Roulette: Industry Leader Sees More Failures (AMR)(DAL)
The head of the International Air Transport Association thinks that the plight of the airline industry will get worse before its gets better. He believes that losses among carriers could hit over $6 billion…
Net Neutrality And The Myth Of Fairness (CMCSA)
The FCC did not like it when Comcast (CMCSA) started to shut off customers running video file-sharing services. Comcast said the programs use too much bandwidth. The agency said that people who pay for…