The US may be the world’s biggest economy, but it is lagging way behind in broadband penetration. President-elect Obama wants to change that, bringing broadband to all communities. David Fessler provides seven ways to profit from this “gargantuan” infrastructure upgrade.
China unveiled yesterday (Sunday) what it described as a “massive” economic stimulus package – a planned capital infusion of $586 billion that it plans to use to reverse its slowing growth, to loosen credit and to offset slowing global growth by stoking domestic demand.
Retailers 3Q Earnings Dismal; Cisco Sees Small Biz Sales Growth; Blackstone Posts $502 million 3Q Loss; IEA Sees $100 Oil Average; Mattel Toying with Job Cuts; Direct TV Earnings Up; Fidelity Cuts 1,300 jobs; Jobless Claims Fall
Both the ISM Index and ISM Services reports come out this week, and it looks like the slide continues. The Index report coming out this morning is likely to show a drop to 42.0 from last month’s 43.5 reading.
Investors are human. They make mistakes. That is why hedging is so important, says Alexander Green. He says there are plenty of stock bargains out there right now, but most people are too scared to enter the market. Alex recommends using trailing stops to limit downside risk on these 13 cash-rich companies.
Although consumers and businesses have gotten a bit of a reprieve at the gas pump as of late, says William Patalon in Money Morning, the escalation in oil prices we’ve seen over the past year has led to some major changes in overall consumer behavior. Many car-owners have dumped their gas-guzzling pickup trucks and SUVs at the nearest used-car lot and used the proceeds to buy some gas-sipping rides.
Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE: VLO), the largest independent refiner in the U.S. market, is a well-known and avidly traded name. Despite being a member of the super hot energy sector, Valero has seen its stock price collapse from its 52-week high of $75.75 to Friday’s close at $34.72 (a 54% decline).
With oil trading near a three-month low (and corn now at a four-month low), U.S. Federal Reserve policymakers may have just the ammunition they need to hold the line on interest rates for the foreseeable future - or at least until their Sept. 16 policymaking meeting.
Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO), the world’s biggest maker of networking gear and the focus of a recent “Buy, Sell or Hold” feature in Money Morning, is not in any deal talks with any big companies, and apparently won’t be a bidder for data storage giant EMC Corp. (EMC), Cisco Chief Executive John T. Chambers told CNBC in an interview late yesterday (Wednesday).
Much has been written about the new drive by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to eliminate naked short selling of stocks. (Read the Mogambo Guru scathing criticism here.)
Rick Pendergraft in Investor’s Daily Edge has no problem in principle with the clamp down on naked shorting. But it may create more problems than it solves.
If hedge funds and brokerages suddenly have to settle all unsettled short sells, they will have to sell assets to cover their naked shorts. Blue chips with high institutional ownership are most vulnerable…