Jim Cramer's Mad Money Review

Former AIG (AIG) Head Buys N.Y. Shares (NYT)

Maurice Greenberg, the former head of insurer American International Group Inc. (AIG.N: Quote, Profile, Research), has been buying shares of New York Times Co. (NYT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) to try to break the Sulzberger family's hold on the media company, the New York Post reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources. Greenberg has been buying hundreds of thousands of Times shares, the Post reported, putting him in league with other shareholders, such as Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MS.N: Quote, Profile, Research), who have been questioning the Sulzbergers' holding of a more powerful class of stock. The New York Times, whose shares gained more than 4 percent in morning trading, was not immediately available for comment. New York Times shares gained 98 cents, or 4.3 percent, to $24.02 on Wednesday, but are still far from their 52-week high of $28.98 on February 22, on the New York Stock Exchange.
Source: Reuters.com

Labels: AIG, media, MS, NYT

posted by Stock Administrator @ 1:30 PM   0 Comments

Former AIG (AIG) Head Buys N.Y. Shares (NYT)

Maurice Greenberg, the former head of insurer American International Group Inc. (AIG.N: Quote, Profile, Research), has been buying shares of New York Times Co. (NYT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) to try to break the Sulzberger family's hold on the media company, the New York Post reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources. Greenberg has been buying hundreds of thousands of Times shares, the Post reported, putting him in league with other shareholders, such as Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MS.N: Quote, Profile, Research), who have been questioning the Sulzbergers' holding of a more powerful class of stock. The New York Times, whose shares gained more than 4 percent in morning trading, was not immediately available for comment. New York Times shares gained 98 cents, or 4.3 percent, to $24.02 on Wednesday, but are still far from their 52-week high of $28.98 on February 22, on the New York Stock Exchange.
Source: Reuters.com

Labels: AIG, media, MS, NYT

posted by Stock Administrator @ 1:30 PM   0 Comments

Exxon Mobile (XOM) Drowns Out Bernanke

U.S. stocks rose modestly on Tuesday as energy shares advanced on higher oil prices and overshadowed a warning on the risks of inflation from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke that reduced hopes of an interest-rate cut any time soon. Shares of Exxon Mobil Corp.(XOM.N: Quote, Profile, Research), the biggest publicly traded oil company, rose 2.3 percent, or $1.69, to $74.16 as the price of U.S. crude oil advanced 1.1 percent on forecasts of colder weather in the United States. Bernanke said in a speech the U.S. economy is poised to expand at a moderate rate but that risks of higher inflation still remain. In addition to Bernanke's comments, Philadelphia Federal Reserve President Charles Plosser said U.S. interest rates may not be high enough to quell inflation. Stocks moved between positive and negative territory throughout the session, driven by mixed economic data. Reports showed unexpectedly pronounced weakness in durable goods orders and consumer confidence, but surprising growth in the battered housing sector. Lingering concerns about the dollar's recent sell-off also somewhat limited gains, traders said. The dollar's recent drop has hurt demand for U.S. investments, causing the three major U.S. stock indexes to register their worst day in months on Monday. Exxon Mobil's stock gave the biggest boost to both the blue-chip Dow average and the broad S&P 500. Shares of other large energy companies, including Chevron Corp. (CVX.N: Quote, Profile, Research), also rose and bolstered the S&P 500. Chevron's stock gained 1.6 percent, or $1.13, to $69.88 on the NYSE. Interest-rate-sensitive shares such as Caterpillar Inc. (CAT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) fell. The heavy equipment maker was a drag on the Dow, with its stock losing 0.6 percent, or 37 cents, to $61.60. On the Nasdaq, shares of Apple Computer Inc.(AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) climbed 2.5 percent, or $2.27, to $91.81 after UBS raised its price target on the company's stock. Shares of Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) rose 4.8 percent, or $1.23, to $27.03, following a 3.9 percent drop on Monday. But other technology shares fell, including Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and Microsoft Corp.(MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research). Qualcomm was down 1.7 percent, or 60 cents, at $35.85, while Microsoft fell 0.3 percent, or 9 cents, to $29.39. Both trade on the Nasdaq. Volume was active on the NYSE, where about 1.60 billion shares changed hands, slightly below last year's daily average of 1.61 billion. On Nasdaq, about 2.03 billion shares traded, above last year's daily average of 1.80 billion. Advancing stocks outnumbered declining ones by a ratio of about 2 to 1 on the NYSE and about 8 to 7 on Nasdaq.
Source: Reuters.com

Labels: AAPL, Bernanke, CAT, CSCO, CVX, MSFT, QCOM, XOM

posted by Stock Administrator @ 11:26 PM   0 Comments

Jim Cramer's Mad Money Lightning Round Nov. 27

Bullish calls:
Devon Energy (NYSE: DVN - News):'If you are a speculator about energy prices; if you want to have a sure play if oil's going back to $70; perhaps even a stock that could go up 20 points, it's DVN! Because that's got the best record of finding oil and natural gas in this country. It's two thumbs up for those who like oil. 'Halliburton (NYSE: HAL - News): 'If I am going to go into that oil service sector, I am going to retreat to the one that I own for my charitable trust. I am going to go to King HAL.'Verizon (NYSE: VZ - News): 'A lot of people don't like that investment ... (NYSE: VZ - News) can pay a bountiful dividend. You get 4.74%. It was a decent quarter. You don't get a lot of growth there, but you get a decent yield, which is well taxed, and some upside down the road.'Waste Management (NYSE: WMI - News): 'It's just a good business cycle play, and it's not expensive at $26. I like WMI. I'm giving it two thumbs up.'Panera Bread (NASDAQ: PNRA - News): 'Here's the problem: PNRA is a high-growth stock, like SBUX. Those are the ones that are going to be hit worse in this kind of selloff. But I am not backing away from liking PNRA. As a matter of fact (Bull Sound)... that's my call on PNRA, but only one thumb up, because it's not delivering the numbers I'd like to see.'Trump Entertainment (NASDAQ: TRMP - News): 'Mr. Trump is, I think, going to get that December decision in favor of TRMP getting the slots. Now he is up against some pretty tough competition ... But I still think that there is so much firepower in TRMP ... I am sticking by my TRMP going to $25-26 in a heartbeat.'Lundin Mining (AMEX: LMC - News): 'If you want to be a minerals, I need you to be in LMC.'Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX - News): 'Let SBUX come in ... You know that I don't think that those numbers short term really matter, because this is a China play ... I do not care about short-term fluctuations. When this stock gets to $32-33, we are backing up the truck.'Walter Industries (NYSE: WLT - News): 'Too cheap! Too cheap! Too cheap! ... you get an unbelievable coal company. I mean, what's the deal here? Steel too! I think this one's way too cheap; so cheap that I used it in Jim Cramer's Mad Money: Watch TV and Get Rich as the ultimate value stock. And I'm not backing away.'Level 3 Communications (NASDAQ: LVLT - News): 'The stock is going down. Lots of people panicking; lots of people thinking Cramer's all washed up on the LVLT, that he should have taken the profit up 25%. No way. LVLT is the single best play on the shortage of bandwidth. I still think this stock could double ... in a couple of years ... Why not back up the truck.
Bearish calls:
Helmerich & Payne (NYSE: HP - News): ' I think HP is just too dicey, and the group is very hated right now.'Alcoa (NYSE: AA - News): 'No. We are doing a triple sell on AA. I really feel that what's the matter with AA is that, even though they do restructuring, after restructuring, after restructuring, they can't get it right. And the price of aluminum - not helping them.'

Labels: Jim Cramer, Lightning Round, LVLT, Mad Money

posted by Stock Administrator @ 5:25 PM   0 Comments

Jim Cramer's Mad Money Stock Recap Nov. 27th

Weak Dollar, Strong Stocks: Altria (NYSE: MO - News), Halliburton (NYSE: HAL - News), Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG - News), DuPont (NYSE: DD - News), IBM (NYSE: IBM - News), Chevron (NYSE: CVX - News), Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW - News), Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM - News), Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM - News), Aflac (NYSE: AFL - News), Analog Devices (NYSE: ADI - News), Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL - News), Intel (NASDAQ: INTC - News) and Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN - News)Although the dollar is weak, Cramer isn't worried, since he doesn't think that interest rates will go up, and he points out that some stocks, especially those which have "incredible" global performance, thrive on a weak dollar. Cramer listed stocks with the lowest U.S. sales including MO, HAL, PG, DD, IBM, CVX, DOW XOM, QCOM, AFL, ADI, CL, INTC, TXN, but cautioned that DOW is an "underperformer," CVX and XOM are "way too levered to oil," tech stocks are "sensitive to consumer spending," and IBM has "already had its move," but may be worth buying when it goes down. However, Cramer discussed his "four horsemen of the weak dollar apocalypse": MO, PG, DD and HAL, all of which should have solid earnings and are worth buying. Altria is "dirt cheap" and its "real value will be unlocked" when it divides into three companies, PG should have an upside surprise from changes in exchange rates and Cramer comments that DuPont "is in a great moment...where price increases are sticking and raw costs are going down." Halliburton should benefit from the weak dollar since it won't have to lower prices.Wine is Fine: Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ - News)Although recent media reports have been hailing the health benefits of red wine, Constellation, the world's leading wine company, has not yet profited from this news. While analysts have made dire predictions, Cramer is not worried about STZ since it is floating "under the radar," but Cramer thinks that it will make a lot of money "now that red wine is virtually a vitamin."Bidding Battle: Chemical & Mining Co. of Chile (NYSE: SQM - News)Although Cramer usually tells investors to stay away from "battelgrounds," he would stick with SQM which is in the midst of a bidding war in which both sides are picking up Chemical stock. He likes SQM as a non-medicinal lithium play and because 54% of the company is connected with the fertilizer business which is "the place to be" for growth. In addition, Chemical is "undervalued by 30% based on its earnings alone. "If it gets acquired, the premium should be a whole lot higher than that," Cramer said, and suggests holding SQM but taking some off the table.Mad Mail: Hasbro (NYSE: HAS - News), Mattel (NYSE: MAT - News), Packeteer (NASDAQ: PKTR - News), Riverbed Technology (NASDAQ: RVBD - News)Cramer says that HAS and MAT are "incredibly cheap" and explains that a stock is considered inexpensive due to its nature and not "whether it's overbought or oversold." On a side note, Cramer says that he prefers RVBD to PKTR.
Published By SeekingAlpha

Labels: Jim Cramer, Lightning Round, Mad Money

posted by Stock Administrator @ 5:14 PM   0 Comments

posted by Stock Administrator @ 5:14 PM   0 Comments

Jim Cramer's Real Money Radio Recap Nov 27

Retail, Credit and Oil: Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT - News), J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP - News), Target (NYSE: TGT - News), Bed Bath & Beyond (NASDAQ: BBBY - News), Capital One Financial (NYSE: COF - News), Mastercard (NYSE: MA - News) - Retailers like JCP, TGT and BBBY are reporting "outstanding" numbers, although Cramer is surprised that Wal-Mart isn't receiving more criticism from the press. He suggests a good way to benefit from consumer confidence for those who don't want to buy retail stocks is to pick up credit card companies, like COF. Although Cramer has liked MA, he is concerned because of its recent run and would buy it lower. Moving on to oil, Cramer says that the sector is in a "sweet spot," which is good for oil companies and investors looking for cheap stocks. If oil remains in the 60s "we're hooked," says Cramer, who would let go in the 80s and comments that, if oil falls to the 50s, companies will lose profits.Drug Doldrums: CVS (NYSE: CVS - News), Caremark (NYSE: CMX - News), Walgreens (NYSE: WAG - News), Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT - News) and MedcoHealth (NYSE: MHS - News) - Cramer notes that CVS and CMX have dropped steadily since their merger was announced, and WAG has also fallen. While some blame WMT's cheap drug prices for the decline in the sector, Cramer says that the pharmacies might just be worn out or may be the victims of sector rotation. However, Cramer thinks the all of the above-metioned companies are solid and includes MedcoHealth, which is buying back stock furiously, on the list of drug stocks which won't stay down forever. Cramer recommends buying and holding these companies. On a side note, Cramer tells investors not to be discouraged by the market's lackluster performance on Monday, because in the pre-holiday season, people are using money for shopping rather than investing and not many deals are made around Thanksgiving. However, he says that the situation is "ideal;" the auto and housing market is down, the consumer is confident, and the Fed is unlikely to raise interest rates.Bullish calls:Disney (NYSE: DIS - News): Cramer likes Disney and thinks it is too cheap to sell.Google (NASDAQ: GOOG - News): This stock is the greatest-growing large-cap he's seen, says Cramer, but during a sell-off, he would wait until it went down 30 points before buying more.Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX - News): Cramer thinks this stock is cheaper than PD, the company it is buying.Companhia Vale do Rio (NYSE: RIO - News) and Lundin Mining (AMEX: LMC - News): These companies are preferable to FCX and PD, says Cramer.EI DuPont de Nemours (NYSE: DD - News): Cramer thinks that DD has "great growth" and is a "better bet" than Dow.Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS - News) and Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN - News): Cramer notes that these casino plays have been cleaning up in Macau.Neutral/Bearish calls:Phelps Dodge (NYSE: PD - News): Cramer would prefer to buy Freeport-McMoRan which is buying PD.Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW - News): Cramer thinks this stock is stuck at $39 until it starts making plastic in Asia.Boyd Gaming (NYSE: BYD - News): This company missed a big opportunity to move to Macau, says Cramer.
Published By SeekingAlpha

Labels: Jim Cramer, Mad Money, Real Money, Real Money Radio

posted by Stock Administrator @ 5:09 PM   0 Comments

Nintendo Sells 600,000 Consoles in 8 Days

Nintendo Co. Ltd. (7974.OS: Quote, NEWS, Research) sold 600,000 units of its new Wii video game console in the first eight days after its release in the Americas, as the company vies with rivals Sony Corp. (6758.T: Quote, NEWS, Research) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) for gamers' hearts and wallets. Including sales of accessories and games, Nintendo's Wii-related revenue had hit $190 million since the machine's November 19 release, the company said. At $250, the Wii costs half as much as the cheapest version of Sony's (SNE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) PlayStation 3 console, which went on sale in the United States two days before the Wii hit the market. Many fans of both systems lined up at retailers hours or even days in advance of the launches to guarantee they were among the first to claim ownership of the highly anticipated machines. The consoles are also being hawked on Internet auction sites such as eBay (EBAY.O: Quote, Profile, Research) for several times their retail price tag. "We've shipped retailers several times the amount of hardware the other company was able to deliver for its launch around the same time -- and we still sold out," Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said in a statement.
Sony has not revealed how many PlayStation 3 consoles it has sold in North America so far, but has said it aims to have shipped 1 million units by the end of the year. Microsoft has shipped more than 6 million of its Xbox 360 since launching it in November 2005.
Source: Reuters.com

Labels: Microsoft, Nintendo, Playstation 3, Sony Corp., X-Box

posted by Stock Administrator @ 3:50 PM   0 Comments

Nokia (NOK) Unveils Newer, Thinner, Phone Models

The world's top cellphone maker, Nokia (NOK1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research), unveiled on Tuesday several new mid-range phones at an analysts' meeting in Amsterdam. Nokia unveiled the thin 6300 model, a new 3G phone 6290, a new UMA (unlicensed mobile access) phone model 6086 and a new 2626 model with FM radio, it said in the slides of a presentation at an investor meeting here.
Source: Reuters.com

Labels: Cell Phones, NOK, Nokia

posted by Stock Administrator @ 3:44 PM   0 Comments

Time Warner Announces Download-to-Burn Movies in 2007

Time Warner Inc., the world's largest media company, plans to offer services that let consumers download movies from the Internet that can be burned onto DVDs in 2007, its top executive said on Tuesday. The company would likely make these movies available for such services, including one service with Wal-Mart Stores Inc., on the same day its DVDs go on sale.
"I expect we will be in a download-to-burn mode in 2007 -- It will be a part of next year's offerings," Richard Parsons, chief executive and chairman of Time Warner, said at the third annual Reuters Media Summit in New York.
Source: Reuters.com

Labels: AOL, Movies, Time Warner

posted by Stock Administrator @ 3:38 PM   0 Comments

Motorola's (MOT) $10 Billion Suit Ends in Mistrial

Motorola Inc. said on Monday that a Florida court declared a mistrial in a $10-billion misappropriation case brought against it by SPS Technologies Corp. as the jury could not agree on a verdict. SPS, a now-defunct Florida company, had accused Motorola, the world's No. 2 cell phone maker, of misappropriating trade secrets related to a vehicle-tracking technology system, according to Motorola. Motorola lawyer George Selby said Motorola had discussed forming a venture with SPS and other companies in 2000 related to the vehicle-tracking system, but that the venture was never consummated because it did not make business sense. Broward County Florida Circuit Court Judge Leroy Moe declared a mistrial after the jury became deadlocked on the question of whether Motorola had misappropriated trade secrets, Selby said. He said Motorola tried to come to a settlement with SPS. Reuters was not able to reach representatives for SPS. This is good news for Motorola, it should be interesting to see what how the stock price will react this week.
Source: Reuters.com

Labels: General Motors, Lawsuit, Motorola

posted by Stock Administrator @ 3:28 PM   0 Comments

Bernanke says Inflation Risks to the Upside

The U.S. economy is poised to expand at a moderate rate and "uncomfortably high" core inflation should ease, but price risks are tilted mostly to the upside, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Tuesday. "Over the next year or so, the economy appears likely to expand at a moderate rate, close to or modestly below the economy's long-run sustainable pace," he said at a luncheon sponsored by the National Italian American Foundation. "Core inflation is expected to slow gradually from its recent level," Bernanke said. Still, he added, "the risks to the (inflation) forecast seem primarily to the upside." "Given the current level of inflation, a failure of inflation to moderate as expected would be especially troublesome," Bernanke said. U.S. Treasury debt prices fell and stocks trimmed gains as financial markets took the speech as a sign the Fed is not close to cutting interest rates as it remains focused on ensuring inflation pressures abate. "There is no daylight within his statement to indicate any hint of a rate cut," said Tony Crescenzi, chief bond market strategist at Miller, Tabak & Co in New York. "It seems the Fed is taking no chances with respect to the gains it has made in fighting inflation and is making tough talk in the face of a decline of inflation expectations and slower growth." The U.S. central bank chief warned that "substantial uncertainties" surround the outlooks for growth and inflation. "Whether any further policy action against inflation will be required depends on the incoming data and in particular on how these data affect the (Fed's policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee's) medium-term forecasts of both inflation and output growth," Bernanke said. The effects of the housing market slowdown are likely to persist into next year but there is little evidence that weakness in housing markets is spilling over into consumer spending or broad measures of employment, he said.
Source: Reuters.com

Labels: Ben Bernanke, Economy, inflation

posted by Stock Administrator @ 3:18 PM   0 Comments

Lucent (LU), Alcatel (ALA) Amend Consent Solicitation

Lucent Technologies (LU.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Alcatel (CGEP.PA: Quote, Profile, Research)(ALA.N: Quote, Profile, Research) amended the terms of a previously announced joint solicitation prospectus to noteholders, Lucent said on Monday.
Under the terms, Lucent will now pay a one-time consent fee only to holders of its 2.75 percent Series A convertible senior debentures due 2023 and 2.75 percent Series B convertible senior debentures due 2025, who consent to the terms of the joint consent solicitation.
Source: Reuters.com

Labels: ALA, Alcatel, LU, Lucent

posted by Stock Administrator @ 3:07 PM   0 Comments

Lucent (LU), Alcatel (ALA) Amend Consent Solicitation

Lucent Technologies (LU.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Alcatel (CGEP.PA: Quote, Profile, Research)(ALA.N: Quote, Profile, Research) amended the terms of a previously announced joint solicitation prospectus to noteholders, Lucent said on Monday.
Under the terms, Lucent will now pay a one-time consent fee only to holders of its 2.75 percent Series A convertible senior debentures due 2023 and 2.75 percent Series B convertible senior debentures due 2025, who consent to the terms of the joint consent solicitation.
Source: Reuters.com

Labels: ALA, Alcatel, LU, Lucent

posted by Stock Administrator @ 3:07 PM   0 Comments

BBC CEO Joins RIval

BBC chairman Michael Grade has resigned to join rival ITV, the BBC reported on its website Tuesday. Grade, 63, said he would focus on improving programming at ITV — the United Kingdom's oldest commercial television network — when he takes over as executive chairman early next year. The BBC — now looking for its third new chairman in seven years — said it was disappointed by the move but better off for its time under Grade, who took over as chairman in April 2004. "The Board is disappointed he is moving to ITV but he leaves behind a BBC that is passionate about and committed to serving the public in new and exciting ways," vice-chairman Anthony Salz, who will serve as acting chairman until the end of the year, said in a statement. Grade's departure comes at an inopportune time for the network, which is engaged in contentious negotiations with the British government to secure an increase in the BBC's licence fee — the network's cut of a tax on television-set ownership in the U.K. Grade was at the helm of talks aimed at quelling opposition to the fee hike from Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown. This is a bold move and we recommend staying away from BBC until they get their company back on track and move forward.
Source: CBC.ca

Labels: BBC, ITV

posted by Stock Administrator @ 1:12 PM   0 Comments

Cyber Monday Ends With Huge Sales

Following Black Friday and then the weekend frenzy at the nation's stores, people took to their computers in force on ``Cyber Monday,'' the heavily promoted ceremonial kickoff to the online holiday shopping season. Nearly 61 million consumers said they'd be shopping online during the Monday after Thanksgiving -- up from 51.7 million people last year -- according to Shop.org, the online wing of the National Retail Federation. As in the past, discounts and free shipping deals dominated Cyber Monday, one of the biggest online retail shopping days of the year. By 8 a.m. Monday, online visits to retail sites had already surpassed 2005's Cyber Monday peak of 3.1 million visitors per minute to retail sites, according to Akamai Technologies, which tracks the industry. By day's end, 3.5 million visitors were hitting online retail sites, up 14 percent from the 2005 peak and a record for 2006, according to the company. While Cyber Monday marked the opening salvo of the online shopping season, there's plenty of spending still to come. Internet sales are expected to peak in mid-December. About $32 billion in online sales are expected to occur in November and December, according to JupiterResearch senior analyst Patti Freeman Evans. Industry experts predict a greater percentage of holiday sales going from walk-in stores to online merchants. Perhaps a prudent investment in one of these merchants could result in "Mad Money".
Source: MercuryNews.com

Labels: Christmas, Cyber, online, shopping

posted by Stock Administrator @ 1:01 AM   0 Comments

Cyber Monday Ends With Huge Sales

Following Black Friday and then the weekend frenzy at the nation's stores, people took to their computers in force on ``Cyber Monday,'' the heavily promoted ceremonial kickoff to the online holiday shopping season. Nearly 61 million consumers said they'd be shopping online during the Monday after Thanksgiving -- up from 51.7 million people last year -- according to Shop.org, the online wing of the National Retail Federation. As in the past, discounts and free shipping deals dominated Cyber Monday, one of the biggest online retail shopping days of the year. By 8 a.m. Monday, online visits to retail sites had already surpassed 2005's Cyber Monday peak of 3.1 million visitors per minute to retail sites, according to Akamai Technologies, which tracks the industry. By day's end, 3.5 million visitors were hitting online retail sites, up 14 percent from the 2005 peak and a record for 2006, according to the company. While Cyber Monday marked the opening salvo of the online shopping season, there's plenty of spending still to come. Internet sales are expected to peak in mid-December. About $32 billion in online sales are expected to occur in November and December, according to JupiterResearch senior analyst Patti Freeman Evans. Industry experts predict a greater percentage of holiday sales going from walk-in stores to online merchants. Perhaps a prudent investment in one of these merchants could result in "Mad Money".

Labels: Christmas, Cyber, online, shopping

posted by Stock Administrator @ 1:01 AM   0 Comments

Google's (GOOG) YouTube Coming to Cell Phones

YouTube is coming to mobile phones — or, to be more precise, a small slice of YouTube is coming to some Verizon Wireless phones. While its explosively popular Web site is free, YouTube’s phone-based version will require a $15-a-month subscription to a Verizon Wireless service called VCast. And instead of choosing what to watch from a vast library of clips, VCast users will be limited to an unspecified number of videos selected and approved by the companies. Still, the deal, which the companies plan to announce on Tuesday, marks the mobile-phone debut of YouTube, the video-sharing service owned by Google that many say is already changing the media landscape. Verizon Wireless and YouTube said the service would be available early next month. One question is whether the limited selection of videos on the service will undermine the basic appeal of YouTube, which has grown popular in part because users decide what they want to watch. But Allen Weiner, a Web publishing analyst with the consulting firm Gartner Inc., said he believed that the short bursts of escapism provided by YouTube would translate well to the mobile phone. That said, Mr. Weiner said he did not believe the deal alone would be enough of a selling point to attract new customers to Verizon.
“It’s not going to be a driver” of new subscribers, Mr. Weiner said. “But it will give people who are considering the video service component something to think about.” This is a big step in a new direction. It just goes to show how truly innovative Google really is. We still recommend buying Google.
Source: The New York Times

Labels: Cell Phones, Google, Youtube

posted by Stock Administrator @ 12:47 AM   0 Comments

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) Falls

Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX.O: Quote, Profile, Research) fell 3.1 percent before the opening bell on Monday after a Barron's report saying the company's shares are overvalued. The report said the company, whose shares have quadrupled on hopes its experimental hepatitis C drug will be the first to market, will ultimately face competition.
Its shares were trading down at $43.50 in electronic trade after closing at $44.90.
Source: Reuters.com

Labels: drugs, pharmaceuticals, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, VRTX

posted by Stock Administrator @ 12:40 AM   0 Comments

Key Media Consolidation Insight

The media sector will be dominated by a handful of companies that produce or distribute entertainment, despite a proliferation of new technologies and companies vying to deliver programming to homes and handheld devices, a leading media analyst said on Monday. Merrill Lynch analyst Jessica Reif Cohen sees consolidation in distribution, even as new players like phone companies begin to compete with cable operators in offering Internet, television and voice services. "There will be three to five large distributors ... there's roughly four or five large content companies, and lots of other players," Cohen told the Reuters Media Summit in New York. Within the cable segment, Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ:CMCSA - News) and Time Warner Cable are likely to dominate, and the remaining players will be much smaller and possibly controlled by private investors, Cohen told the Reuters Media Summit in New York. Time Warner Cable is part of Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX - News). Phone companies Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - News) and AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T - News) are taking the lead in building up video services and might ultimately buy satellite providers like DirecTV Group Inc. (NYSE:DTV - News) or EchoStar Communications Corp. (NASDAQ:DISH - News).
"We would expect there'll be consolidation on that side," Cohen said. "Whether its DirecTV and EchoStar, or EchoStar being sold to one of the telephone companies." Cohen, who joined Merrill Lynch in 1994 as managing director and senior media and entertainment analyst, is among the top ranked in the industry. WHO'S BUYING, and WHO'S SELLING? Wall Street is also eyeing media sector mergers and acquisitions among smaller film and television producers including DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. (NYSE:DWA - News). "Would DreamWorks be an obvious acquisition candidate? It makes sense to me," Cohen said. The two companies created by the January split of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA-B - News) from broadcaster CBS Corp. (NYSE:CBS-A - News) could also be in the market for purchases, with some market speculation that either might also seek to go private. "I think you'll see with the separation of Viacom and CBS there are things that they used to have and they don't have that they may want to build up again," Cohen said. Viacom and CBS separated in January in a bid to appeal to different classes of shareholders. Since the split, the stock of CBS, once considered saddled with the slower-growing TV and radio units, has performed better than MTV Networks-owner Viacom. "There's a lot of speculation (over) one side or the other (being) taken private," Cohen said, adding that she thought it was unlikely. "I don't know that there's a willing seller there." Media mogul Sumner Redstone controls both Viacom and CBS.
Source: Reuters.com

Labels: Cable, CBS, CMSA, DISH, DTV, DWA, Entertainment, media, MTV, Radio, T, TWX, VIA, VZ

posted by Stock Administrator @ 11:33 PM   0 Comments

Canadian Banks Do It Better

In addition to Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY - News), which was one of the original Stalwarts, we added four additional wide-moat Canadian banks to the list last month: Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO - News), Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:BNS - News), Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:CM - News), and Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE:TD - News). These are all very solid banks that would make fine investments if they fell to our 5-star prices. In addition to their strong business models, which we'll highlight below, the Canadian banks are quite shareholder friendly and pay healthy dividends. At our consider buying prices, and based on this year's current dividend, each of the 5 banks would sport a dividend yield near to or above 4%. Canadas top six banks dominate the Canadian market with roughly 90% market share in deposits and assets. Banking is also big business. Even though more than half of Canada's exports are commodity-related, its largest industry, as measured by gross domestic product, is financial services. Surprisingly, the financial metrics of Canadian banks are relatively underwhelming, with margins noticeably lower than their U.S. counterparts. This may seem counterintuitive, given their dominant market positions. However, high margins in banking attract not only competition, but also regulatory and political scrutiny. So theres an incentive to post good, but not great, margins if you hold a dominant market position. The key point is that despite so-so margins, they earn returns on capital well above their cost of capital. This is the linchpin of a wide moat, and these banks do it consistently. While all five Stalwarts are excellent banks, I'm particularly fond of Bank of Nova Scotia. In Canada, this bank has posted an impressive 31% return on equity over the past five years, a testament to its wide moat. Unlike most of its peers, which expanded to the United States in search of growth, BNS attacked Latin America. It has worked well so far. The firm's foreign operations have generated a very healthy 17% return on equity over the last five years. The bank's expense efficiency and business diversification isn't as good as some of its peers, but the firm manages its balance sheet very well. Its net interest margins--a key measure of banking that measures the spread between what it earns on its assets and what it pays for its liabilities expressed as a percentage of assets--are higher than its peers, thanks to careful management of interest-rate risk. Unfortunately this bank's not trading for a very cheap price right now--that's true of the other Canadian banks as well--but it's certainly worth keeping them on a watch list and patiently waiting for a fat pitch opportunity to present itself.
Source: Morningstar.com

Labels: Banks, BMO, BNS, Canada, CM, RY, TD

posted by Stock Administrator @ 11:21 PM   0 Comments

7 Stocks You Need to Know for Tuesday

American Woodmark (NASDAQ:AMWD - News) reports quarterly earnings on Tuesday before the bell; look for $0.58 EPS. AMWD's PowerRating is 5.
Jackson Hewitt (NYSE:JTX - News) reports earnings Tuesday before the bell; analysts are expecting -$0.38 EPS. JTX's PowerRating is 4.
Aeropostale (NYSE:ARO - News) announces earnings on Tuesday after trading hours, with analysts looking for $0.61 EPS. ARO's PowerRating is 5.
When Chico's (NYSE:CHS - News) reports earnings on Tuesday after the bell, look for $0.24 EPS. CHS's PowerRating is 5.
Late Tuesday after the close, look for $0.37 EPS when Dress Barn (NASDAQ:DBRN - News) reports earnings. DBRN's PowerRating is 4.
Sigma Designs (NASDAQ:SIGM - News) is set to report $0.06 EPS on Tuesday after trading. SIGM's PowerRating is 1.
Florida Rock (NYSE:FRK - News) is expected to report $0.75 EPS on Tuesday after the close. FRK's PowerRating is 3.
Source: Tradingmarkets.com

Labels: AMWD, ARO, CHS, DBRN, FRK, Hot Stocks, JTX,