DailyMarkets.com - The EU’s Weakest Link Moves Closer To ‘Breaking Point’

The EU’s Weakest Link Moves Closer To ‘Breaking Point’
Australia’s Trade Balance Rises Less-than-expected
Forex Trading: USDSGD In A Consolidating Triangle
Boeing To Shutter Wichita Plant
Watsco Hikes Dividend
Preliminary Positive Signs On Banks And Financials
Evil Walmart Offers Free Health Screening At Sam’s
SRE Expands Natural Gas Footprint
ConAgra Retains Neutral Territory
US Jobs Data Highlight Calendar
Raven To Buy Vista Research
Parcel Companies Count On Returns
CNOOC Considered Neutral
Neutral Stance On Sanofi Retained
Hain Celestial A Healthy Option
Avery Dennison Selling Office Biz
Stocks Struggle To Maintain Gains
Coventry Closes Health Plan Deal
JPMorgan Hauled Into Court Again
Interactive Reports Mixed Metrics
U.S. Stocks Battle Higher On Retail And Carmaker Numbers; DOW Up 0.17%
Ford Unveils New SUV In India
Regeneron Settles Dispute
Forex Trading: AUDUSD Moves Above Bull Flag Formation
Ameren’s First Step For 2012
Osiris’ Update On Prochymal
Canadian National Consolidates Biz
Gold Futures Higher On Geopolitical Tensions, Euro Zone Fears
Nordstrom To Keep Momentum
The Trend Trader For Stock Trading On Thursday, January 5, 2012
The Trend Trader For ETF Trading On Thursday, January 5, 2012
The Trend Trader For Forex Trading On Thursday, January 5, 2012
The Trend Trader For Futures Trading On Thursday, January 5, 2012

The EU’s Weakest Link Moves Closer To ‘Breaking Point’

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 05:16 PM PST

When I write of "the EU's weakest link", to which country do you think I refer?
Must be Greece, right? Maybe not.
Italy? Nope, not them either.
Portugal? Ireland? Spain? No, no, no!!
I first wrote of The Weakest Link in early 2009. I highlighted the fact that this "weakest link" nationalized its pension system in late 2010 in this commentary.
Enough of the suspense. Which nation do I believe is the EU's weakest link?
Hungary!!
What is happening in this eastern European … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Australia’s Trade Balance Rises Less-than-expected

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 04:45 PM PST

Forexpros – Australia's trade balance rose less-than-expected last month, official data showed on Thursday.

In a report, Australian Bureau of Statistics said that Australia's trade balance rose to a seasonally adjusted 1.38B, from 1.60B in the preceding month.

Analysts had expected Australia's trade balance to rise 1.66B last … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Forex Trading: USDSGD In A Consolidating Triangle

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 04:19 PM PST

Mixed GDP numbers out of Singapore to start the new year did little to hurt SGD as USDSGD moved to the bottom of the consolidating triangle. A test of the trendline resistance could be in order if risk begins to weaken after its mild comeback to end/begin the … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Boeing To Shutter Wichita Plant

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 03:58 PM PST

01/04/12 Boeing will close its defense plant in Wichita, Kansas by the end of … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Watsco Hikes Dividend

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 03:35 PM PST

Watsco Inc. (NYSE:WSO) has maintained its streak of dividend increases for eleven consecutive years with a 9% hike to 62 cents. The new dividend will be paid on January 31, 2012 to shareholders of record on January 13, 2012.
The dividend hike comes almost after a year. In February 2011, Watsco had hiked its dividend to the current level of 57 cents by 10% from the prior dividend of 52 cents.
The recent increase has been made possible by Watsco's sound balance sheet and cash position. As of … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Preliminary Positive Signs On Banks And Financials

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 03:26 PM PST

A market timing strategy sometimes recommended by professionals like Fidelity Investments assumes that the various phases of the stock market's life cycle correspond roughly to the stages of an economic business cycle. To aide investors following the strategy, they developed … Continue reading … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Evil Walmart Offers Free Health Screening At Sam’s

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 03:26 PM PST

Walmart Press Release — “On Saturday, January 14 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sam's Club offers the communities they serve a simple solution for health maintenance by screening for several key vital health metrics. The January health screenings, valued at up to $100, include total cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure and Body Mass Index (BMI) screening. Knowing where your health stands at the start of the New Year helps to set realistic goals for 2012.

Free health screening events at Sam's … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

SRE Expands Natural Gas Footprint

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 03:25 PM PST

Sempra Energy's (NYSE:SRE) subsidiary Sempra U.S. Gas & Power has decided to acquire Willmut Gas & Oil Company ("Willmut") for an undisclosed amount. Based in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Willmut is a privately-held natural gas utility that provides service to about 20,000 customers in greater Hattiesburg as well as in some areas of Covington, Jones, Rankin and Simpson Counties.
Effective from January 1, 2012, Sempra Energy went into a restructuring process. This led to the … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

ConAgra Retains Neutral Territory

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 03:20 PM PST

We reiterate our Neutral recommendation on ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE:CAG).
ConAgra has been significantly expanding its business portfolio over time, focusing on branded, value-added opportunities, through the acquisition of a number of private labels as well as promotional campaigns. We believe that the company's strong sales force, dedicated customer-serving teams, innovative marketing approach along with consumer insights and category leadership have been adding depth and dynamism to its … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

US Jobs Data Highlight Calendar

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 03:20 PM PST

01/04/12 The ADP employment report and jobless claims data will be released on Thursday morning. The EIA releases petroleum and natural gas inventory … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Raven To Buy Vista Research

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 03:05 PM PST

The Aerostar division of Raven Industries Inc. (NASDAQ:RAVN) inked a deal to acquire Vista Research Inc. for an initial cash consideration of $12 million, with payments of up to $38.5 million in added benchmark and earn-out over the coming seven years. The acquisition is expected to close in January pending closing conditions.
Raven expects the acquisition to be accretive to its earnings and generate solid return on investments plus cash flows.
Vista Research is a leading provider of surveillance … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Parcel Companies Count On Returns

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 02:55 PM PST

The gift-giving season paid off well for package delivery companies like FedEx Corporation (NYSE:FDX) and United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE:UPS). Not only did they gain from the surge in holiday-driven sales, they are now gaining from gift returns courtesy of online shopping.
The easy access to products through online shopping, coupled with attractive offers like free shipping by many retailers have attracted customers like never before. According to market sources, online shopping registered a growth … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

CNOOC Considered Neutral

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 02:40 PM PST

We are maintaining our Neutral rating on CNOOC Ltd. (NYSE:CEO), based on its strong revenue growth and significant asset acquisitions, partially mitigated by unstable oil and gas fundamentals.
Headquartered in Hong Kong, CNOOC is one of the three oil companies in China and among the leading independent oil and gas exploration and production companies of the world. The company is a dominant producer of offshore crude oil and natural gas and engages in the exploration, development, production as … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Neutral Stance On Sanofi Retained

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 02:35 PM PST

We are reaffirming our Neutral stance on Sanofi (NYSE:SNY) with a target price of $38.00. The French pharma giant is one of the largest biopharmaceutical companies in the world and recorded 2010 sales of approximately $41.4 billion.
Sanofi possesses a diversified product portfolio with a strong presence in several therapeutic areas including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, oncology and central nervous system (CNS) disorders. In fact, Sanofi has perhaps one of the strongest cardiovascular … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Hain Celestial A Healthy Option

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 02:12 PM PST

Being a leader in natural food and personal care products categories with an extensive portfolio of well-known brands, The Hain Celestial Group Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN) offers investors one of the strongest growth profiles in the industry. The stock is poised to rise as the economy gradually revives and appetites for organic foods get bigger.
Having said that, Hain Celestial remains a healthy option for investors. Shares of the company have portrayed a strong upward trend over the past year, giving a … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Avery Dennison Selling Office Biz

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 02:05 PM PST

Avery Dennison Corporation (NYSE:AVY) is divesting its underperforming Office and Consumer Products to its competitor 3M Co. (NYSE:MMM), the maker of Post-it notes and Scotch Tape, for $550 million in cash.
The Office and Consumer Products segment contributed approximately 13% to Avery's total revenue in fiscal 2010 and in the most recently reported third quarter of 2011. The segment manufactures and sells a wide range of office and printable media products under the Avery brand name for office, … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Stocks Struggle To Maintain Gains

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 09:00 AM PST

01/04/11 NYFP’s Closing Bell Report: Stocks were barely holding onto gains after kicking off 2012 with a rally as eurozone debt crisis concerns continued to … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Coventry Closes Health Plan Deal

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 01:55 PM PST

Coventry Health Care Inc. (NYSE:CVH) announced the closure of its acquisition of Children's Mercy's Family Health Partners, a Medicaid health plan. The health plan was previously offered by Children's Mercy Hospital.
The financial terms of the deal, which was initially announced in October 2011, were not disclosed. However, Coventry expects the purchase to have a modest positive effect on its 2012 earnings.
Moreover, the acquisition will boost Coventry's Medicaid membership by 210,000 in … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

JPMorgan Hauled Into Court Again

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 01:55 PM PST

On Tuesday, the US Bank NA, a unit of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB), filed a lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) for breaching representations and warranties. The complaint lodged claims that the company misrepresented documents related to the sale of over $95 million in mortgage-backed securities marketed in 2005 by the former Bear Stearns Cos. Bear Stearns was acquired by JPMorgan back in 2008.
US Bank NA, which acted as the trustee for Bear Stearns Asset Backed Securities Trust 2005-4, … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Interactive Reports Mixed Metrics

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 01:55 PM PST

Interactive Brokers Group Inc.'s (NASDAQ:IBKR) Electronic Brokerage segment has announced its monthly brokerage data for December 2011. The segment under review clears and settles trades globally for both individual and institutional clients.
Interactive's total customer accounts for December were 189,100, up 20% from 157,900 in December 2010 and 1% from 187,700 in November 2011. Though total customer Daily Average Revenue Trades (DARTs) rose 12% from the prior-year month, it declined 22% from … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

U.S. Stocks Battle Higher On Retail And Carmaker Numbers; DOW Up 0.17%

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 01:34 PM PST

Forexpros – U.S. stocks battled mostly higher on the strength of retail and carmaker numbers despite lower than forecast factory orders and euro zone banking concerns.

At the close of U.S. trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.17%, the S&P 500 moved higher by 0.02% and the Nasdaq Composite index lagged by falling 0.01%.

U.S. equities fell at the open as orders for factory goods advanced 1.8% missing economist’s estimate of 2%

The International Council of Shopping Centers … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Ford Unveils New SUV In India

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 01:30 PM PST

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) unveiled its new global compact sports utility vehicle (SUV) EcoSport at the 2012 India Auto Expo in Delhi, which is a part of its plan to roll out eight new models in India by 2015. The automaker plans to invest $142 million to manufacture the SUV at its Chennai plant in south India for the domestic and export markets.
Currently, Ford builds Figo and Fiesta models at the plant. Last year, the automaker announced that it will invest $72 million to expand production capacity … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Regeneron Settles Dispute

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 01:21 PM PST

Recently, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:REGN) reached a non-exclusive license and partial settlement agreement with Genentech, Inc. {a wholly owned subsidiary of Roche (RHHBY)} regarding the sales of the former's injectable eye drug Eylea (aflibercept or VEGF trap) in the US.
Following the agreement, Regeneron was granted a non-exclusive license to certain patents pertaining to VEGF receptor proteins (the Davis-Smyth patents) in addition to other technology patents.
Per the … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Forex Trading: AUDUSD Moves Above Bull Flag Formation

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 01:18 PM PST

The AUDUSD has moved above the bull flag upper trendline giving reason to expect a move higher. The momentum on the break is so far not all that exciting . Traders are likely looking for support to hold above the break point and for further momentum to develop. The failure to do so will likely lead to disappointment and a rotation back lower. So bullish now, but failure turns the tide the other … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Ameren’s First Step For 2012

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 01:05 PM PST

Ameren Illinois, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE), has filed for the implementation of its Modernization Action Plan ("MAP") with Illinois Commerce Commission. This marks the first step for the MAP that is aimed to provide customers with an improved, more reliable and modernized electric distribution system.
In December 2011, the company enacted the Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act. This Act is a statewide commitment that follows a formula ratemaking approach and is … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Osiris’ Update On Prochymal

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 12:50 PM PST

Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:OSIR) recently provided an update on its stem cell therapy candidate, Prochymal. The company reported initial results from an interim analysis of an ongoing phase II study being conducted in newly diagnosed type I diabetes patients.
The study, which is being conducted in partnership with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation ("JDRF"), is evaluating the safety of Prochymal in 63 patients. The study is also evaluating Prochymal's ability to slow disease … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Canadian National Consolidates Biz

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 12:40 PM PST

Canadian National (NYSE:CNI) started the year with the consolidation of its corporate structure, namely the merging of its subsidiaries DMIR (Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway Company) and DWP (Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway Company) into the existing Wisconsin Central Ltd. subsidiary.
Canadian National initiated the merger process last year and received the requisite authorisation from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board in April. However, the merger could not be completed until … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Gold Futures Higher On Geopolitical Tensions, Euro Zone Fears

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 12:31 PM PST

Forexpros – bsp;- Gold futures continued their advance on Wednesday on safe haven buying triggered by U.S./Iran tensions and increased euro zone debt fears.

On the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, gold futures for February delivery traded at USD1612.75 a troy ounce during late U.S. trade climbing 0.77%.

It earlier hit a high of USD1619.65 and a low of USD1594.05.

Gold futures were likely to find support at USD1547.79 and technical resistance exists at … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Nordstrom To Keep Momentum

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 12:30 PM PST

As the curtain falls on the gift-giving season, the analysts are keeping a close watch on the final same-store sales figures to be released by the retailers. As per Thomson Reuters, aggregated same-store sales are expected to grow by 4.3% in December 2011 and Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE:JWN) is expected to be one of the top gainers.
Nordstrom has performed extremely well during the busiest shopping season of the year. Adding to the company’s delight are its strong Black Friday sales.
Strong … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards