This morning was looking rough for equities, but it wasn’t that way for Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL). It was when investors heard that Goldman Sachs had added the stock to the prized Conviction Buy…
It looks look your fears that high frequency trading (HFT) screwing up the markets are correct. We have often wondered how this benefits anyone other than the HFTs and the exchanges. Most individuals and…
Worries over the global economy have been keeping a lid on oil prices, which have dropped back to levels last seen at the beginning of the year. WTI crude is now up slightly at…
Mid-Cap value investment strategies often work in various market cycles. Mid-cap stocks are in the sweet spot of future large companies and companies which also get acquired by private equity buyers or by larger…
Global Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ: GLBL) is surging on news of a more than 50% buyout premium this morning. The offshore construction, engineering, project management and support services outfit has entered into a definitive merger…
This morning’s report that Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) has downgraded its fellow banks’ earnings was based on fears that the European banking system is facing severe pressure from economic weakness on the continent and…
In tough times, value investors look for stocks that they feel are valued in a manner which already discount much of the trouble and pitfalls ahead. Defensive stocks are often the winners during hard…
The solar PV industry has taken a beating since the beginning of the year, when investors finally got the message that manufacturing capacity was outstripping demand. Reductions to government incentives in Germany and Italy…
Major banks and brokerage firms do not cover their own banks, for obvious reasons of conflicts of interest. They do, however, cover their peers and rivals. Many investors believe that the banks are in…
The talk of succession for Warren Buffett is likely to take on some new discussion today, even if there is no timeline set. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A)(NYSE: BRK-B) has announced the hire of…
Jon OggThese are some of this Monday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen having an impact from Wall Street research calls. Agrium Inc. (NYSE: AGU) Raised to Neutral at Goldman Sachs. Clean Harbors,…
Jon OggEach morning we review our top upgrades, downgrades, and initiations from Wall Street research notes. We then look back over these at the end of the week to more closely review calls which…
It was just under ten years ago that I was in Spain and Portugal for a vacation and a day of running with the bulls in Pampalona. Unlike most trips to Europe, there was…
As the cost for crystalline solar PV panels falls toward the magic number of $1/watt, the cost of building a utility scale solar plant approaches the cost of building an equally sized wind farm.…
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has so far refused to succumb to the economic slowdown in the same manner as other technology companies. Even the threat of a long-term brain drain is not changing the…
Same-store sales figures out this morning from McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) have come in weaker than the consensus estimate and that is dragging shares down by more than -4% in the first hour of…
Dollar General Corporation (NYSE: DG) is seeing its stock trade a bit soft this morning on news that private equity backers are selling 25 million shares of common shares at a price to the…
lululemonAthletic apparel maker Lululemon-Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) reported earnings this morning for its second quarter ending on July 31st. The company posted diluted EPS of $0.26, compared with EPS of $0.15 in the same…
Credit Suisse is downgrading the benchmark targets for the stock market and for economic growth. Before you panic too much, the Global Equity Strategy group is still maintaining an Overweight rating for stocks. The…
The latest carnage in the market has left some companies at valuations that are getting hard to ignore, even knowing about the harder economic times. Value investors invest before recessions, through recessions, and after…