The Government Helps Small Business, But A Very Little
The federal government decided to give small businesses a leg up. It is simply a token gesture and its likely to protect only a very small number of companies from the economic downturn. A…
All Work
Douglas A. McIntyre
OPEC’s Record Earnings Undercut Recovery
OPEC has taken full advantage of the free market system. Members are on a path to earning nearly $1.3 trillion this year as oil prices stay relatively high into the second half of the…
Top Pre-Market Analyst Upgrades (BECN, BRNC, CIEN, LLY, ENER, FPL, Q, VRSN)
These are not all of the analyst upgrades or positive calls, but these are some of the calls we are seeing with a possible impact on shares early Monday morning: Beacon Roofing (BECN) Raised…
Top Pre-Market Analyst Downgrades (AEP, CLNE, HTZ, IHG, QLGC, SPWR, SYMM, VAR)
These are not all of the analyst downgrades or negative calls, but these are some of the calls we are seeing with a possible impact on shares early Monday morning: American Electric Power (AEP)…
As Fed Pushes Banks For Liquidity Shareholders Face Dilution (LEH)(MER)(MS)
The Fed has been testing investment banks to see what will become of their balance sheets and liquidity if the credit markets signal another hurricane watch. According to the FT, "Bankers with knowledge of…
Verizon (VZ) Bests Its Unions
Verizon (VZ) managed to dodge a strike by about 65,000 of its workers. It would have crippled the company’s landline and broadband businesses and might have caused investors to dump the stock in favor…
Apple (AAPL): The Myth Of Being A Software Company
Apple (AAPL) says customers have already downloaded 60 million software applications for its iPhone. That number seems phenomenal, but from a revenue standpoint it is not. According to The Wall Street Journal," If sales…
China: Exporting Inflation
China’s producer price index moved up over 10% last month. According to MarketWatch, this is the largest increase since 1996. This level of inflation makes it almost certain that China can no longer be…
The Winds Of War And Oil Prices
Russia has its own mysterious reasons for invading Georgia, one of its neighbors to the South, and there is some speculation that it would like to take on other small nation states to secure…
Private Equity Kings Seek Returns Acquiring The Debt They Issued (BX)
With the domestic deal market looking pretty dry at the moment, the private equity kings who made billions taking company after company private over the last few years are seeking new ways to make…
“Emergency” Short-Selling Rules Set To Expire On Wednesday
The special rules designed to curb "abusive naked short selling" in 19 prominent financial stocks are set to expire on Wednesday, and no one’s quite sure what will happen if the SEC doesn’t extend…
Media Digest 8/11/2008 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg
Reuters reports that UPS (UPS) is trying to buy Dutch rival TNT Reuters writes that credit unions are being hit by mortgage market problems. Reuters reports that GATX (GMT) is offering over $3 billion…
Asia Markets 8/11/2008: Shanghia Falls 5%
Markets in Asia were mostly higher, but Shanghai fell 5.1%. The Nikkei rose 2% to 13,431. Fuji Heavy Industries was up 6.9% to 278. Nissan rose 4.3% to 879. The Shanghai Composite moved up…
Intel (INTC) Deploys Astonishingly Confusing Branding For New Chips
Intel (INTC), which for years has spent hundreds of million of dollars on branding, is launching a new series of chips. The branding plan for these is more complex than the processors themselves. The…
Famous Brands For Sale, Gone But Not Forgotten (GE)(GM)(XOM)(FDX)
Corporations often start a business that becomes a famous brand, or buy companies that already have highly recognized brand names. Over time these brands often lose their earnings power. Corporations who find themselves in…
Banks Buying Back Auction-Rate Securities: More Write-Downs? (C)(WB)(UBS)(MER)(MS)
Now that Citigroup (C), UBS (UBS), and Merrill Lynch (MER) have agreed to buy back a total of about $40 billion in auction-rate securities, Wall St. will have to hazard a guess as to…
MBIA (MBI) And Ackman: Killing The Messenger
MBIA’s (MBI) corporate slogan "Wisdom In Action" presents a monumental irony. Management’s gamble that derivatives were a good way to pop earnings nearly ruined the company. The firm was, after all, supposed to be…
Bank of America (BAC) Acquires SEC Investigation As Part Of Countrywide Deal
The SEC informal investigation of Bank of America’s (BAC) recently acquired Countrywide Financial has been in progress for months and now there’s a new development. And it’s not good for Bank of America: the…
Buffett Still Prints Money (BRK-A, BRK-B)
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A) has published its earnings after the close. Unfortunately, traders maybe looking more forward to the new list of public company holdings than anything. Net earnings were listed as $2.880…
The 52-Week Low Club 8/8/2008 (CCOI)(ANAD)(WAVE)(PRX)(CDE)
Coeur d’Alene Mines (CDE) Company posts loss in most recent quarter. Drops to $2 from 52-week high of $5.18. Par Pharmaceutical (PRX) Cuts full-year guidance. Drops to $12.82 from 52-week high of $24.50. Nextwave…