Corning Gets Very Shareholder-Friendly During Hard Times (GLW)
Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW) is a true technology value stock if there ever was one. It has an extremely low earnings multiple and trades cheap to its asset value. The problem is that the…
All Work
Jon C. Ogg
Can AMR Possibly Be In Trouble With Better Traffic Metrics? (AMR)
AMR Corporation (NYSE: AMR) is a company we noted earlier this week which might have been the victim of overly aggressive reporting that turned into bankruptcy rumors. It is rare that news reports become rumors,…
Yahoo! Could Still Slip Into The Arms of Microsoft? (YHOO, MSFT, AOL, GOOG)
Yahoo.comReading news stories about the next possible buyer for Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) resembles nothing so much as a game of Whack-a-Mole. First there was Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) back a few years ago,…
Facebook/LinkedIn IPOs: Is the Value of Social Networking on the Decline? (LNKD, WBSN)
courtesy Facebook Inc.There are a couple of issues affecting social networking values today, although they certainly are not in the breaking news categories. Nonetheless, these are critical ongoing issues and the valuation of social…
Top Debt and Ratings Agency Actions (PKX, HOV, PENN, DRI)
Today’s top debt rating story has to be the downgrade by Moody’s of Italian bonds by three notches, from ‘Aa2’ to ‘A2’, while keeping a negative outlook on the country’s debt. And the agency…
Wall Street Compensation Review Gets High Reviews, With Caveats (C, JPM, WFC, BAC, GS, MS)
Are the Wall Street bankers, traders, and brokers really starting to do the right thing when it comes to controlled greed and compensation? If you ask the poor Wall Street protesters, probably not. If…
When The Rich Stop Buying Luxury: Diamond Prices Tanking (TIF)
The rich are apparently not proving to be immune to the economic slowing we have seen in the past few months. That insatiable appetite for more luxury goods appears to be slowing. The price…
Is RIM Really Takeover Bait? (RIMM, VOD, MSFT, NOK)
Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) is surging today after a news report has turned into the rumor mill, and you can guess the rumor: a buyout. The Independent out of the United Kingdom…
Drop in Copper and Corn Prices May Be Overrated (FCX, SCCO, BHP, RIO, MON, ADM, BG, POT, MOS, VLO, PEIX, JJC, CU, CORN, MOO, DBA)
Since the beginning of September, copper and corn prices have fallen dramatically, with copper off nearly -35% from its 12 month high and corn off about -25%. Because both are often seen as leading…
Digesting Top Holdings of New Russell Small Cap ETF Strategies (SGGG, SCOG, SCLP, SCTR, LQDT, ULTA, AMN, SUG)
Russell Investments is already very well-known among mutual fund and index investors, but it is getting deeper into the world of exchange-traded funds. Word came today that four new exchange-trades funds have been launched around…
Large Discrepancy in Jobs and Unemployment Data
The game of predicting the Labor Department’s data on Non-Farm Payrolls and Unemployment before the first Friday of each month is truly nothing more than a game. Estimates fluctuate wildly and there are more…
Do Costco’s Earnings Spell Trouble? (COST, WMT, TGT, BBY, DG)
Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) reported its fiscal fourth-quarter and full fiscal year earnings before markets opened this morning. The headline numbers look pretty good, but the fine print might be telling a different…
Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AAPL, APOL, FII, GOOG, HPQ, HES, HD, MD, NFLX, ORCL, PAA, PPL, DIS, YNDX, YGE)
Jon OggThese are some of this Wednesday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen having an impact from Wall Street research calls. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) Reiterated Overweight at JPMorgan; Reiterated Outperform at Credit…
When Reports Use Price Drops For M&A Hope… Churning the Rumor Mill (NFLX, AKAM, VZ, IBM, LVLT)
A drop in price often brings up the “takeover chatter” from blogs, analysts, and news reports. We have seen this discussed recently in Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) where analysts and pundits talk about the severe drop…
Bad Bank or Not, Is Dexia the Next Long-Term Capital, Lehman, or Bear Stearns?
It is more tiring each day to consider how much Europe has the world by the throat. Everyone in the U.S. is looking for a flash point, or a flushing sound, or something that signals…
Top Debt & Ratings Agency Actions (AMR, GM, LVLT, CAG, TRI)
Today’s ratings agency actions include a new rating on off-balance sheet arrangement by AMR Corp. (NYSE: AMR), parent of troubled American Airlines, and other actions involving General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM), ConAgra Foods Inc.…
If S&P Didn’t Downgrade Portugal… Is That An Implied Upgrade?
We have noted over and over, “Expect more downgrades in the lands of the PIIGS from the ratings agencies!” That means S&P, Moody’s, and Fitch. But what about a day that Standard & Poor’s “affirms”…
Ford, UAW Agree on Labor Contract (F, GM, TM, HMC)
Automaker Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) and the United Auto Workers (UAW) union have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract. The UAW reached a deal with General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) last…
Utilities Replacing CDs and Bonds as the Best Retirement Investments (XLU, IDU, UTG, AEP, FE, PPL, AWK)
The government bond market pays investors nothing now. The 5-Year Treasury Note, a staple for retail investors historically, pays a dismal 0.86%. The appeal of this duration would also appeal to bank certificates of deposit…
Molycorp’s Boost From Heavy Rare Earths ‘Discovery’ (MCP, VALE, LYSCF, AVL, REE, SHZ, REMX)
When rare earth minerals miner Molycorp Inc. (NYSE: MCP) re-opened California’s Mountain Pass mine last year, the focus was on a variety of minerals known as the “light” rare earths. These minerals are used…