Fitch Throws Downgrades For Italy & Spain (EWI, EWP)
The ratings agencies are at it again. We have noted that the PIIGS will continue to see downgrades and that is what we are seeing today. Fitch downgraded both Italy and Spain. Shares of iShares…
All Work
Jon C. Ogg
Coal Miners Win a Meaningless Battle over Mountaintop Removal Mining (ACI, ANR, BTU, CLF, CNX, PCX, KOL)
Coal company stock prices hit a five-year high in the summer of 2008, just before the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy sent the entire global economy into a tailspin. Five-year lows hit most companies before the…
Rethinking of E*TRADE as Buyout Bait (ETFC, SCHW, AMTD, GS, MS)
E*TRADE Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: ETFC) has been discussed by many market pundits as a takeover target since the recovery out of the recession. The online brokerage giant has been doing almost everything that it…
Utilities Merger in Jeopardy (EXC, CEG, ETR, AEP)
When Exelon Corp. (NYSE: EXC) and Constellation Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE: CEG) agreed in April to an $8 billion dollar merger, the companies promised the state of Maryland, home to Constellation, that there would…
Samsung Propped Up by Smartphone Shipments (AAPL, NOK, RIMM, SSNLF, GOOG, MMI)
In the third quarter of 2011, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) shipped about 20 million iPhones, a quarter-over-quarter increase of about 11%. Smartphone shipments from competitors Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) and Research in Motion Ltd.…
Sprint Debunks iPhone Losses, LTE Move To Open Network Plan (S, AAPL, QCOM, CLWR, T, VZ)
Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) had been taking heat this week for what many have called an overpaying or losing money to carry the new iPhone from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL). The tab was…
New Alaska Gold & Copper Mine Clears Major Hurdle (NAK, RIO, AAUKY, ABX, NG, GDX, GDXJ, GLD)
A state superior court judge in Alaska has ruled against an environmental group in a lawsuit aimed at stopping development of the Pebble gold and copper mine project in the state. The project’s developer…
Magically, Unemployment & Payrolls Hold Up
Somehow, someway, the official employment data from the Labor Department managed to hold up in September. The Labor Department reported that September’s unemployment rate was flat from the months before at 9.1% and it reported…
Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ATVI, AMR, AMD, AWK, CAH, DISCA, GME, HRBN, IVZ, JBLU, PHG, LM, MA, OXY, RCL, V, DIS, WWW, WYNN)
Jon OggThese are some of this Friday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen having an impact from Wall Street research calls. Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) Started as Outperform at Baird. AMR Corporation…
Tim Geithner Bails Out Financials, Without A Single Dollar (MS, GS, BAC, WFC, C, JPM)
Tim Geithner is probably tired of having to come to the rescue of financial firms, which are all some part of the Occupy Wall Street protests. Yet that is what he did today. Treasury…
How Low Can They Go: 30-Year Mortgages Now Under 4.00%
Rates are at an extreme low. Too bad there are so many borrowers who cannot qualify or are too underwater in their existing mortgage to take advantage of this. Freddie Mac is now showing that…
Comex Raises Copper Margin Requirements — Gold & Silver Next? (CME, FCX, SCCO, NEM, ABX, SLW, JJC, GLD, GDX, GDXJ, SIL)
In what appears to be a counterintuitive move, CME Group (NASDAQ: CME) today raised its margin requirements for copper futures contracts. The requirement rose by 15%, from $6,750 to $7,763 for an initial contract…
Solar Stocks: Does the Punishment Fit the Crime? (FSLR, SPWRA, STP, JASO, TSL, LDK, TAN)
Stock prices for the solar PV makers have fallen by -40% to -80% in the past 12 months, with the bulk of the crash occurring since May. The collapse is due to an oversupply…
BofA CEO Defense of Debit Card Fees: Logical Argument, Awful Delivery (BAC, C, WFC, JPM)
At times it seems that highly paid CEOs live in another universe that is barely related to the world the rest of us inhabit. And the CEOs of the largest US banks are among…
Mortgage REITs Trying To Recapture Lost Ground (NLY, AGNC, HTS, CIM, IVR, MORT)
The mortgage REIT sector is trying to make a comeback after many lost 10% or more of their value from last week to the start of this week as many issues are hanging over it. …
Holiday Retail Sales Growth Forecast — Half Last Year’s Total (TGT, M, JWN, JCP, DDS, LTD, GPS, SSI, ZUMZ, BKE, COST)
Retail sales for the coming holiday season are expected to be about 3% higher than 2010 sales. Not bad, considering that US GDP growth predictions are now below 2%; not good, either, considering that…
Jobless Claims: Sealing the Fate for Friday’s Unemployment & Payrolls Data
The weekly jobless claims from the Labor Department is not showing any hope for a surprise win on the unemployment and non-farm payrolls data due Friday morning. The report from the prior week was…
Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (CVX, CMG, COST, DE, XOM, DFS, LEAP, NWS.A, NEM, ORCL, RL, PLCM, PCG, RYAAY, SNE, WAG)
Jon OggThese are some of this Thursday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen having an impact from Wall Street research calls. Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) Cut to Underweight at JPMorgan. Chipotle Mexican Grill,…
European Central Bank Sticks Its Head In The Sand
We, and many others, have noted over and over how the European Central Bank is failing to recognize and failing to remedy the notion that its ship is sinking. It was not widely expected…
When Scums List ‘Steve Jobs’ Domains For Sale
The death of Steve Jobs is a loss for the world of technology and innovation. How many guys could make a computing device or a piece of consumer electronics a major fashion statement? You…