LNG Exports to Bolster the Economy
ThinkstockOne of the most plentiful resources we have in the United States is our huge above and below ground supplies of natural gas. Data from more than 24,000 recently drilled wells show the U.S.…
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Jon C. Ogg
Sirius XM Jumps into Special Dividend and $2B Share Buyback
courtesy of Sirius XM RadioSirius XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) is doing something that sounds nothing short of silly on the surface. The satellite radio monopoly announced that it would initiate a one-time special…
Weekly Jobless Claims on the Mend
Ed Brown, via Wikimedia CommonsThe U.S. Labor Department is out with its report on weekly jobless claims. There was a big drop of 25,000 claims, down to 370,000. Bloomberg had a consensus estimate of…
Stocks to Buy: The Next Wireless Revolution Winners
ThinkstockWhen any industry grows at a breathtaking speed, there are always big winners and big losers. Motorola and Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) once dominated handset sales, now that world belongs to Samsung and Apple…
Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (FCX, FIO, HNZ, JDSU, LGF, MFRM, MET, ZQK, SPG, SCCO, SBUX, JOE, TIF)
Jon OggThese are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen in Wall St. research calls this Thursday. Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE: FCX) cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs,…
ECB Keeps Rates Unchanged
ThinkstockThe European Central Bank has kept its interest rates unchanged. Its statement is as follows: At today’s meeting the Governing Council of the ECB decided that the interest rate on the main refinancing operations…
Stocks to Buy: Fortune’s 10 Picks for 2013 (ALGN, PNR, GILD, MCO, PAY, USB, F, CMCSA, UL, FMS)
Fortune is out with its top 10 stock picks for 2013. The list was divulged on CNBC late on Wednesday afternoon and was based on a survey of fund managers based upon solid companies…
Homebuilder Taylor Morrison Files For IPO
This is something you have not heard in about a decade: A HOMEBUILDER IPO! It sounds hard to believe, but with two of the best 10 S&P 500 performers of 2012 being homebuilders maybe…
The 10 Best S&P 500 Stocks of 2012 (PHM, S, WHR, EXPE, LEN, MPC, GILD, BAC, TSO, STZ)
The list of the best stocks of 2012 on the S&P 500 Index is one which makes sense in some cases and doesn’t in other cases. Some of these are simply recovery situations from…
Forget One-Time Dividends… Watch Massive Insider Selling Into Year-End
We are seeing larger insider selling transactions ahead of year-end by many corporate insiders. With higher taxes on capital gains an almost certainty now, insiders are faced with a choice of selling now while…
Apple Holders Selling Ahead of Death-Cross, Blaming Margin Requirements & Spending
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is seeing a sudden move downward, one which we feel may be more technical than fundamental. It is also becoming less and less probable that Apple is going to reward…
Factory Orders and ISM Nonmanufacturing Hotter Than Expected
While many economic reports are mixed or running under any real growth measurements, we are seeing some positive data today from factory orders in October and from the ISM reading on nonmanufacturing activity in…
Citi’s Big Restructuring and Job Cuts: International Employee Morale Day
Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) may be announcing a restructuring effort today, but the move may not seem too extreme compared to past restructurings. What feels different here is that the bank is pointing where…
Productivity at a Two-Year High
Today’s report on nonfarm productivity and unit labor costs was a revision report but it was lifted higher. Third-quarter productivity was revised to 2.9% and unit labor costs to -1.9%. Dow Jones had estimates of…
Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (ADTN, ATI, AIG, BYD, CLF, G, HON, INTC, IBM, KMP, ONXX, P, RAX, RSG, SN, TIBX, TUP, UTX, PAY, WM, WWAV)
These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen in Wall St. research calls this Wednesday. ADTRAN Inc. (NASDAQ: ADTN) cut to Sell at Citigroup. Allegheny Technologies Inc. (NYSE: ATI) named…
November ADP Payrolls Data Fails to Sway Employment Hope
The national employment report from ADP each month is ostensibly a front-running number to the nonfarm payrolls data that is issued along with the unemployment report by the Labor Department each month. ADP has…
Can China Mobile Really Save Nokia’s Lumia?
Shares of Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) are trading higher this morning on news that it has signed a deal with China Mobile Ltd. (NYSE: CHL). Should the stock really be up? Will this really…
A How-To Guide on the Next Big Short: Treasury Bond Market
What is the next big short? The money that was made from 2007 to 2009 on the subprime mortgage short provided some of the most staggering profits that hedge funds ever realized. Heavy hitters…
Paying for College Tax-Free
Planning for College used to be pretty easy. In Texas, there was the “Texas Tomorrow” fund, a dedicated fund that allowed parents to lock in prices at colleges around the state. One problem ……
More Bed Bugs in Mattress Firm’s Earnings
Mattress Firm Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: MFRM) is tanking after its lower annual guidance for 2012. The bed bugs are back in this mattress retailer’s stock. This is pretty sad when you consider that net…