A Split-Up Of Bond Insures Would Hurt Banks (MBI)(ABK)
If muni-bond insurers like Amback (NYSE: ABK) and MBIA (NYSE:MBI) are forced to break into two pieces, some banks could be badly hurt. The halving of the firms would leave the muni piece of…
All Work
Douglas A. McIntyre
Bill Gates Personal Stock Holdings (MSFT, CNI, FSCI, OTTR, LGBT, PNM, RSG, SIX, FMX, TV, BRK.A)
Below are most of the equity holdings listed for Bill Gates’ own Cascade Investment, L.L.C. as of December 31, 2007. These were disclosed in a filing late in the week. Keep in mind that…
The 52-Week Low Club (AMLN, ARRS, AU, ED, GCI, IACI, IUSA, PCG, SLRY)
Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: AMLN) is becoming a regular in this club. Yet another low of $28.02 intraday from a high of $53.25. It actually closed at $28.62, so it closed above the prior…
Will Other Integrated Oils Hike Dividends Too? (COP, XOM, CVX, BP)
ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) hiked its dividend Friday, and not just by a penny. Its quarterly dividend was raised from $0.41 per quarter up to $0.47 per quarter. ConocoPhillips hiked its dividend a year or…
McClatchy (MNI) Downgraded Again
Night of the living dead newspaper chain McClatchy (NYSE: MNI) got hit with another downgrade today. Fitch cut the company’s issuer default rating further into the junk word, dropping it to "BB". It is…
Toyota (TM) Gets Pounded In Europe
Toyota (NYSE: TM) is not used to seeing its sales go anywhere but up. It has certainly had a tremendous ride in the US and Europe over the last several years. Numbers from Europe…
This Week’s Key Stock Buybacks & Repurchases (SYK, NILE, TDC, WW, CPWR, CE, EFX, VARI)
While earnings season is slowly winding down and while the economy is obviously cooling, we still have many large and small companies alike with solid balance sheets or that have extra cash to deploy…
IPO FILING: IDS Group (IDSI)
IDS Group, Inc. submitted an IPO filing on Thursday. The total proposed maximum aggregate amount in securities is listed as $86,250,000. They have applied to trade on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol…
IPO WITHDRAWAL: Concentric Medical
Concentric Medical, Inc. withdrew its IPO filing this morning, citing “unfavorable market conditions.” The company originally filed it IPO paperwork on August 17, 2007 and had planned to trade on the Nasdaq Global Market…
IPO WITHDRAWAL: Critical Homecare Solutions (CHCS)
Critical Homecare Solutions Holdings, Inc. withdrew its IPO filing this morning, stating that the withdrawal is “consistent with the public interest and the protection of investors.” Critical Homecare Solutions Holdings originally filed its IPO…
Microsoft (MSFT) Xbox Failure Rate As High As 16%
According to a report in The Inquirer, the failure rate of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xboxs is running at about 16%. One retailer put the number as high as 33%. Most industry observers believe that…
Banks At Risk For Another $203 Billion In Write-Downs
UBS says that global banks may face another $208 billion in write-downs. The banks are at risk due to issues that could cause the failure of bond insurance companies. “Banks have made progress in…
Goldman Sachs Turning Off Satellite Radio (XMSR, SIRI)
Goldman Sachs has panned satellite radio stocks and maintained a cautious "Sell" on XM Satellite Radio (XMSR). What is interesting is that Goldman Sachs has also noted that its channel checks have indicated that…
Goldman Sachs Pans Coal (ACI, FCL, ICO, BTU, MEE, CNX)
Goldman Sachs has downgraded its coverage in Coal Stocks this morning. Goldman Sachs is basing this partly on the 30% gains seen, and valuations are stretched. There were several downgraded from a Neutral rating…
Top 10 Pre-Market Analyst Calls (CMG, FLR, MSO, MU, SNH, SSS, VIA.B, WTW, WFMI)
These are not the only calls out there from analysts, but these are the top analyst calls that 247WallSt.com is looking at this Friday morning: Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) raised to Outperform at…
Another Still-Born Idea From Newspaper Companies (NYT)(GCI)
Four big newspaper companies, including Gannett (NYSE: GCI), The New York Times (NYSE: NYT), the Tribune Company, and Hearst, are setting up a sales operation to market 120 of their newspapers’ online sites. In…
Beating Down Investors In Auction-Rate Securities
Auction-rate securities are short-term investments which are often pitched as an alternative to cash. Investors look to them as "safe haven" instruments where they can put money and earn a modest interest rate. But,…
UBS (UBS) May Face $18 Billion More In Write-Downs This Year
An analysis out of Citigroup says that UBS (UBS) could be forced to write-down $18 billion more of its $80 billion in exposure to subprime instruments and other debt which it holds on its…
Sony’s (SNE) PlayStation 3 Becomes A Winner
After month upon month of being bested by the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), the Sony (NYSE: SNE) PS3 is emerging from the shadows. Sales of video games rose 11% in North America…
New Advice To Banks On LBOs: Take The Money And Run
Legal experts are beginning to advise their banking clients to take the hit on LBO break-up fees and walk away from their loan commitments. It is cheaper, they reason, to pay now and not…