Toll Brothers 4Q Revenue Caves; Vodaphone Focuses on Cash; Tyco Doubles 4Q Net Income; StatOilHydro Buys Shale Gas from Chesapeake; Oil Hits 20-month Low; Sirius Posts Profit Loss Despite Increase in Revenue

Greetings once again. I hope you’re having a good week. There are just a few things I’d like to deal with today. One is the persistent pessimism I’m seeing in both the media and the polls. I just looked at Gallup’s daily numbers, and the phenomenon is clear. More than three-quarters of Americans believe we are in some sort of recession. 40% believe their standard of living will decline in the future. Almost a third believe the next generation will be worse off than this one.

A hectic week on the economic calendar is highlighted by the initial look at second quarter gross domestic product (GDP). Remember, a recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth, so doomsayers have targeted this week’s release as confirmation of their pessimism.

The Federal Communications Commission late Friday granted Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. (SIRI) approval to complete its $3.3 billion purchase of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. (XMSR), ending a 16-month-long political drama and making it possible for the nascent business to start operating at a profit.

You see it all the time; a stock jumps 20-30% in just a few days. Suddenly, the average investor sees what is happening and decides to join the bandwagon, hoping to catch some of the move. After jumping in, the stock comes down 15% and the investor is at a loss.