Profits may stay strong, but….
Comments »BlackRock Releases a Detailed Report on Their 2012 Predictions
BI points out a miracle of sorts…indices higher while earnings come in. Perplexing indeud!
Comments »Black Markets and Their Role in the World Economy
Citadel Posts 20.4% Gains for 2011 Leaving Competition in the Dust
Keep your eye on Citadel; while following smart money is not going to predicate future returns…it is good to keep tabs on the leaders of a tumultuous year.
Comments »Upgrades and Downgrades This Morning
AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE: AZN) Cut to Underweight at JPMorgan.
BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK) Cut to Neutral at Stern Agee.
Broadcom Corp. (NASDAQ: BRCM) Reiterated Buy with $46 price target at Argus.
Constellation Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE: CEG) Cut to Neutral at Citigroup.
Consolidated Edison Inc. (NYSE: ED) Cut to Neutral at Citigroup.
eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) Reiterated Buy with $40 price target at Argus.
LM Ericsson Telephone Co. (NASDAQ: ERIC) Cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC) Cut to Neutral at Citigroup.
Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) downgraded to Hold at Benchmark; Raised targets at boutique firm Global Equities Research.
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) Maintained Underperform and cut estimates at Needham.
Nokia Corporation (NYSE: NOK) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse (full summary).
Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. (NASDAQ: PSUN) Raised to Buy at Janney Capital Markets.
ReneSola Ltd. (NYSE: SOL) named as the Bear of the Day at Zacks Investment Research.
SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) Raised to Neutral at BNP Paribas.
Sanofi (NYSE: SNY) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Trinity Industries, Inc. (NYSE: TRN) named as value stock of the day at Zacks.
United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE: UPS) Cut to Neutral at HSBC.
VIVUS Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS) Started as Perform at Rodman & Renshaw.
VMware Inc. (NYSE: VWM) Started as Buy at Stern Agee.
Gapping Up and Down This Morning
Gapping Up
NOK +3.3%,WDC +2.9%, IRWD +2.5%, FNSR +2.3%, ALXN +1%, OCLR +12.2%, ZUMZ +10.1%, STX +7%, NOK +4.3%,
MRVL +2.2%, ULTA +5%, JDSU +1.6%, FNSR +1.3%, MON +1.1%, MOS +0.7%, SODA +12.6%, GALE +13%
Gapping Down
SNY -2.9%, DB -6.8%, CSE -1.4%, PLL -1.4%, BBVA -4.7%, STD -4.5%, BHP -2.7%, BBL -2.5%, TOT -2.4%, AZN -2.2%,
MT -2.3%, VOD -2.2%, RIO -1.7%, C -1.5%, YHOO -1.5%, CCL -1.3%, SAM -1.4%, RPRX -1.2%, BAC -1.2%, VALE -1.7%
UBS -3.3%, ING -1.9%, C -1%
Comments »In Play and On the Wires
Does MF Global Spell Global Bank Run Down the Road ?
“Reflationary and Deflationary Interludes”
Smart Money: Fed Transparency May Increase Volatility
2012 Risk Report (video)
Upgrades and Downgrades This Morning
Acme Packet, Inc. (NASDAQ: APKT) Cut to Neutral at Wedbush; estimates and targets lowered after revenue warnings from Morgan Keegan and Wells Fargo.
Affymetrix Inc. (NASDAQ: AFFX) Raised to Neutral from Underweight at JPMorgan.
AK Steel Holding Corporation (NYSE: AKS) Raised to Neutral at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) Reiterated Outperform with $500 target and raised estimates at Credit Suisse.
Crown Castle International Corp. (NYSE: CCI) Started as Buy at Stifel Nicolaus.
EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) added to the U.S. Focus List at Credit Suisse.
General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE: GD) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) Reiterated Buy with $94 target at Canaccord Genuity.
Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT) Cut to Underperform by RBC Capital Markets.
Mosaic Co. (NYSE: MOS) Cut to Neutral at Citigroup.
NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP) Cut to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan, Inc. (NYSE: POT) Started as Underperform at National Bank.
Steel Dynamics Inc. (NASDAQ: STLD) Raised to Buy at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO) Raised to Overweight at Evercore Partners.
Gapping Up and Down This Morning
Gapping Up
QGEN +3.3%, AKS +1.1%, TIVO +14%, ARNA +13%, RYAAY +3.2%, MBI +2.1%, BP +1.9%, AEO +1%, LULU +3.4%,
UQM +5.6%, TISI +2.7%, COG +3.2%, LCAV +8.1%
Gapping Down
NATI -6.1%, FRO -5.5%, VTR -3.2%, RVBD -3%, FFIV -2.8%, JNPR -1.7%, YHOO -1.2%, LPHI -19.9%, APKT -17%,
BMTI -10.7%, PRGS -8.6%, ENR -1.4% , AMRN -7.7%, LMT -1.2%, MOS -1.1%, POT -1.2%, VMED -1.1%,
SD -2.4%, NTAP -4.4%, ALU -4.7%, TRID -49.2%, AMRN -7.7%, CHD -2.1%,
Comments »In Play and On the Wires
Bill Gross Skips the New Year and Goes Right to Halloween
In a new address to clients Bill Gross get’s scary describing a new normal for the world…
Comments »Greenspan: U.S. Faces a “True Revolution”
“The United States faces a “true revolution” in the choices it will have to make to secure its fiscal future now that the welfare state has run up against a “brick wall of economic reality”, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Wednesday.
In an opinion piece for the Financial Times, Greenspan argued that the political landscape in the United States was more divided than ever, resulting in political paralysis as the Tea Party’s influence had created “an effective veto of new legislation before the current heavily Republican House of Representatives”.
The failure last year of the Super Committee — a congressional committee tasked with finding spending cuts to cut the United States’ ballooning budget deficit — to reach a deal underscores this shift in U.S. politics, Greenspan said.
“A political tsunami has emerged out of our past in the form of the Tea Party, with its ethos reminiscent of rugged individualism and self-reliance,” Greenspan wrote.”
Comments »Analysts Make a Colossal Error on Bank Profits
Last years forecast were for a 32% gain, but we came in with minus 18%. This year forecasts are for a 57% gain in profits…
Comments »Government Subsidies Need to Change
[youtube://http://www.youtube,com/watch?v=cXH331pz6OM 450 300]
Don’t forget about the food stamps that can buy soda and junk food in most states, but not protein powders and other healthy stuff from the local health food stores.
Comments »$5 Gas Could Be a Reality Quick According to One Analyst
Could sanctions against Iran actually raise gas prices ? Unlikely, but an analyst thinks IF Iran close the straits of Hormuz it could have a material impact very quickly on gas prices.
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