Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) has taken the wraps off AnyPlay, the MSO’s in-home live TV transcoding device, introducing it in two markets: Nashville and Denver.
AnyPlay will initially support live TV streaming to the iPad, Full Story Here
Comments »They say we’re making (a) bomb. Fortunately, the majority of Latin American countries are alert. Everyone knows that those words … are a joke. It’s something to laugh at.
– Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iranian President
Comments »Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sarcastically addressed America’s growing concern over Iran’s nuclear program referring to themselves as “devils” whose love for one another would fuel their “a-bomb.”
Ahmadinejad defended his country’s nuclear program as he began a four-nation tour of Latin America, joining his ally Chávez in accusing the U.S. and its allies of using the dispute to unjustly threaten Iran.
Both leaders dismissed U.S. concerns about Iran’s intentions in the Middle East and its growing diplomatic ties with Chávez and his allies in Latin America.
“They accuse us of being warmongers,” Chávez said. “They’re the threat.”
Comments »LONDON (Reuters) – Hedge funds are taking on the powerful International Monetary Fund over its plan to slash Greece’s towering debt burden as time runs out on the talks that could sway the future of Europe’s single currency.
The funds have built up such a powerful positions in Greek bonds that they could derail Europe’s tactic of getting banks and other bondholders to share the burden of reducing the country’s debt on a voluntary basis.
Bondholders need to give up some 100 billion euros ($130 billion) of their investment in the planned bond swap, drawn up in October, but many hedge funds plan to stay out of it.
They either prefer letting the country go under, which would trigger the credit insurance they have bought, or hope to get paid out in full if enough others sign up. That puts them in direct conflict with the IMF, which wants to force Greece’s cost of financing down to an affordable level.
“The play is purely ‘they’ll be forced to pay me’. Greece will want to avoid a wider default. so if it managed to restructure 80 percent of the deal and pay the rest that’s still better,” said Gabriel Sterne at securities firm Exotix.
Futures of frozen orange juice concentrate in New York surged on concerns that the presence of a fungicide in samples from Brazil could crimp supplies.
January-delivery orange juice hit $2.12 per pound, the highest front-month price since November 1977. The more actively-traded March contract was recently trading 10.7% higher at $2.0775 per pound on ICE Futures U.S
The Food and Drug Administration is testing orange juice for a fungicide and says it will order the product removed from the market if it poses a public health risk.
In a letter dated Jan. 9 to the Juice Products Association, an industry group, the FDA said a juice company reported “low levels” of carbendazim, a fungicide, in its and its competitors products.
The FDA said the fungicide was used on the 2011 orange crop in Brazil, the world’s largest grower of oranges and the biggest producer of orange juice.
Florida oranges produce about three-quarters of U.S. orange-juice concentrate supplies, and imports cover the rest. About 75% of those imports come from Brazil.
Comments »Sensing the excitement and loving his message, Tebow is also being courted by Republican presidential candidates. The quarterback recently told The Associated Press he’s been asked by more than one of the contenders for his support. He wouldn’t name names, but did say he’d declined the offer.
“I think you have to have so much trust in who you support, just from product endorsements to endorsing a candidate because if that person or company does something (bad), it reflects on you,” said Tebow, who’s a pitchman for Nike, Jockey and FRS energy drink.
Tebow has, however, placed himself in the political realm before – two Super Bowls ago when he starred in a Focus on the Family commercial with his mother sharing the story of how she gave birth to him in the Philippines in 1987 after spurning a doctor’s advice to have an abortion for medical reasons. After being criticized for that ad, he didn’t do an encore and instead tries to toe the line of showing his religion without shoving it down people’s throats.
That hasn’t stopped people from mocking him – and worse.
After Tebow was particularly bad in an ugly loss to Buffalo on Dec. 24, comedian and talk show host Bill Maher sent out a tweet that basked in the QB’s misfortune, blaming Jesus for the loss. “And on Xmas Eve! Somewhere in hell Satan is tebowing, saying to Hitler `Hey, Buffalo’s killing them,’” Maher tweeted.
Maher, in turn, was roundly ripped for the post.
Less toxic was the recent skit on “Saturday Night Live,” where “Jesus” materializes in the locker room with an actor portraying Tebow, admits he is pulling some strings during these Bronco games, then after being told the New England Patriots are next on the schedule, suggests Tebow substitute his playbook, “the holy Bible,” for one with some Xs and Os.
The “SNL” Jesus also concedes that he, personally, prays to the Broncos place-kicker, Matt Prater, whose excellence has defined what the Tebow sensation has been about for most of this season: a bunch of teammates, motivated by a less-than-perfect leader who never gives up, coming together and picking each other up when the going gets tough.
A great story line that has held most of the year.
The twist on Sunday, though, was that for the first time this season, it could reasonably be argued that Tebow was a one-man show. In the win over Pittsburgh, he completed five passes of 30 yards or more. And with his defense struggling, he threw a perfect strike for the game-winner to receiver Demaryius Thomas, who didn’t have to change his stride and, thus, ran untouched into the end zone.
“He was the same Tim, calm and collected,” Thomas said. “He took it one play at a time and was in the huddle and said, `It’s either we win or we go home.’”
Comments »Apollo Group Inc. (NASDAQ: APOL) Reiterated Buy and raised price target to $63 from $55 at Argus.
ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ: ASML) Raised target at Credit Suisse.
AutoNation Inc. (NYSE: AN) Started as Neutral at Stern Agee.
Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC) Cut to Underperform from Neutral at Zacks (late Monday call).
Choice Hotels (NYSE: CHH) Cut to Underperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Gulfmark Offshore, Inc. (NYSE: GLF) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
HSN, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSNI) Started as Buy at Stifel Nicolaus.
ICICI Bank Ltd. (NYSE: IBN) Cut to Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) maintained as the top tech/semi pick for 2012 from Credit Suisse.
Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) Reiterated Outperform and raised target to $36 from $32 at Credit Suisse.
Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. (NYSE: MMI) Maintained Sell at Argus.
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) Cut to Underperform from Neutral at BofA/ML.
Overseas Shipholding Group Inc. (NYSE: OSG) Cut to Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE: RSG) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R) named as value stock of the day at Zacks.
SM Energy Co. (NYSE: SM) Maintained Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) Reiterated Buy and raised estimates at Argus.
Tidewater Inc. (NYSE: TDW) Started as Neutral at Credit Suisse.
The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) Cut to Equal-weight at Barclays.
Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX) Cut to Equal-weight at Barclays.
Gapping up
BAC +2.1%, AA +2%, VRTS +1.9%, GLD +1.5%, GOLD +1.5%,ELX +9.6%, CRUS +8.2%, DB +5.5%, LXRX +5.2%,
UBS +3.2%, SLV +3.1%, CS +2.8%, RIO +2.4%, EOG +3%, TSCO +2%, VRTS +2.9%, LNKD +1.3%, FMCN +12.2%,
KEG +4.4%, ARNA +9.0%, BHP +2.6%, RIO +2.4%, VALE +1.8%, GLD +1.5%, MS +2.5%, GS +1.9%,
LULU +8.5%, AUO +4.5%,
Gapping down
LIZ -3.9%, OCZ -3.7%, SAP -2.5%, ARR -2.4%, HMA -1.1%, WDFC -8.2%, SMSC -7.9%, TRNO -5.3%, CMLP -4.4%,
Comments »“LONDON—Fitch Ratings said Tuesday that among all the countries in the euro zone, Italy poses the greatest risk to the currency bloc, as the lack of a region-wide plan to prevent the crisis from spreading has been coupled with the country’s large debt burden and high borrowing costs.
The factors are a major reason why Italy’s credit rating is likely to be downgraded by the end of January, said David Riley, head of global sovereign ratings at Fitch, speaking at a conference in London.
Italy is planning to sell €440 billion ($561.67 billion) in government bonds and Treasury bills in 2012. This is a “daunting” task given its current costs of borrowing, Mr. Riley said.”
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