Monday, March 5, 2012

DailyMarkets.com - Hollywood Economy

DailyMarkets.com - Hollywood Economy

Hollywood Economy

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 05:10 PM PST

Since the role model for today’s “recovery” seems to be a Hollywood film set, perhaps those who are having a hard time all those jobs that are allegedly “out there” should adopt a different strategy (via pleated-jeans):

Then again, who needs a job when there’s so much easy money to be made from buying stocks? (Note to … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Hot Option Plays: Small Caps Lagging

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 04:19 PM PST

Cusick’s Corner 03-02-2012
Not much has changed except that the Small Caps, RUT/IWM, are really lagging and now have started to pressure the Large Caps (mentioned three Corner’s ago but worth noting). There is a more neutral stance by the bid in this pullback this Midday, I want to keep an eye on the close to see if there is a little more potential turn over into the close by the weak longs. See you After Hours.
Stock market averages slumped on concerns about Europe Friday. With no domestic … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Hot Option Plays: Small Caps Halt Rally

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 04:19 PM PST

Cusick’s Corner 03-02-2012
The Small Caps and the NASDAQ struggled, both finishing the day on the lows. The reason that the underperformance and now weakness in the Small Caps worries me is because the companies in this index, RUT/MDY, are typically small domestic firms. We may know them as regionally powerful firms and if they are under pressure this could be a potential flag for problems economically building in that region and that sector. In other words, this could be a signal that … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Hot Option Plays: Small Caps Break

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 04:19 PM PST

Cusick’s Corner 03-05-2012
Are there chinks in the equity markets, any Armor? That’s the question that many traders are asking today. With Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) pulling back into the midday (we discussed this in one of my breakouts in Miami over the weekend), the general market came under pressure. The bid in the equities is under pressure and we will wait and see if they come in, but I would be leery if the S&Ps are not able to hold the 1350 level. I should also note that I have been watching the … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Hot Option Plays: Watch The Aussies

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 04:19 PM PST

Cusick’s Corner 03-05-2012
The market stayed in the red but the bid did start to pick up the bottom into the After Hours. The Small Caps, IWM/RUT, were able to firm up and bounce into the After Hours, which at the bare minimum gave pause for the lack of a bid. I will be watching the overnight action especially with the Aussies potentially moving rates, this will be very interesting because Australia is a heavy commodities economy and anything negative may have ripples. See you Midday.
Market … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Furry Friends Part Of Family Budget

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 03:58 PM PST

03/05/12 American consumer spending on pets soared to new record highs in 2011, according to the American Pet Products Association’s … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Monitoring March Confluence Support In Silver

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 03:53 PM PST

Despite its recent drop, Silver current rests above a key confluence support price level.
Let's identify this level and develop a game-plan for whether this support level holds… or fails.
Here's the Weekly Structure with a Fibonacci Grid:

Silver developed a downtrend after spiking into the $50.00 per ounce area.  Since then, price has been on it way to find value at lower levels.
However, the recent 2012 action broke not just the falling weekly EMAs, but also the falling "bull … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Fifth Third Offers Senior Notes

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 03:45 PM PST

Last Friday, Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB) announced the public offering of its senior notes worth $500 million. The 10-year senior notes bear a coupon rate of 3.5% and were sold at 99.306% of the principal amount.
Fifth Third expects the offering to complete on March 7, 2012, subject to customary closing conditions. The joint book-running managers for the offering are Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., a unit of Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE:DB), J.P. Morgan Securities LLC a division of JPMorgan Chase & … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Sunoco Logistics’ Positive Outlook

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 03:30 PM PST

Philadelphia-based Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P. (SXL), a master limited partnership (MLP), acquires, owns and operates a geographically diverse portfolio of refined product and crude oil pipelines and terminal facilities. Its facilities are located in 17 states in the Northeast, the Midwest, the Southeast and the Southwest of the country.
Oil refiner and marketer Sunoco Inc. (SUN) owns 34% of the partnership interest, including a 2% general partner interest. Sunoco Logistics is organized into … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Lockheed Retains Neutral Rec

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 03:20 PM PST

We currently remain on the sidelines with Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) due to the impact of the Euro-crisis on U.S. economic fundamentals. This keeps the risk high for further cutbacks in defense budgets. However, we believe market pessimism is fully accounted for in the current valuation of the defense behemoth, which is priced at a discount to both industry peers and the overall market.
Lockheed Martin is the largest U.S. defense contractor with a platform-centric focus that guarantees … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

RBA Rate Decision, EU GDP On Tap

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 03:20 PM PST

03/05/12 Tuesday is quiet on the US economic calendar. Key events include the RBA rate decision and Euro-zone Q4 2011 … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Taubman Increases Dividend Payout

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 03:15 PM PST

Taubman Centers Inc. (NYSE:TCO), a real estate investment trust (REIT), has recently increased its dividend payout by 2.8% to a quarterly payment of 46.25 cents per share or $1.85 on an annualized basis. The first quarter 2012 dividend is payable on March 30, 2012 to shareholders of record as on March 15, 2012.
The current dividend hike follows a 2.9% dividend increase in December 2011 to a then quarterly payment of 45 cents per share or $1.80 on an annualized basis. Since its initial public … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Alcoa Looks To Hike Prices

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 03:05 PM PST

According to Reuters, the world's largest producer of aluminum producer, Alcoa Inc. (NYSE:AA) is targeting to hike the prices by 5% for certain coil and flat sheet products. The increased price would be charged for new orders from March 1, 2012.
The price hike would encompass the products like 2xxx and 7xxx HT Coil for coil products as well as Flat Sheet. The company hiked the prices of the alloys in response to their soaring demand in the aerospace industry.
In the recently reported quarter … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Rambus Suffers Another Legal Blow

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 02:58 PM PST

Technology licensing company Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ:RMBS) received an untoward ruling for a lawsuit filed for patent infringement, by a judge at the International Trade Commission (ITC). In the initial verdict, the judge mentioned that the plaintiffs did not conduct any breach with Rambus' patented technologies. However, the final judgment is due in July.
In a suit filed in 2010, Rambus complained that a number of its patents have been illegally used by chip makers LSI Corp. (NYSE:LSI), MediaTek Inc. … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Omnicell Reaffirmed At Neutral

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 02:40 PM PST

We recently reiterated our Neutral recommendation on Omnicell (NASDAQ:OMCL) with a target price of $16.00.
Omnicell reported EPS of 12 cents in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011, beating both the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 8 cents and the year-ago EPS of 2 cents. In fiscal 2011, EPS came in at 30 cents versus 15 cents a year ago. Reported EPS also beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny.
Revenues in the reported quarter increased 9.9% year over year to $62.9 million and were almost in line … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Janus Capital CEO Gets A Pay Cut

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 02:40 PM PST

Janus Capital Group Inc.'s (NYSE:JNS) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Richard Weil's total compensation had been reduced to $6.1 million in 2011 from $20.3 million, including a signing bonus of $10 million, in 2010, according to a proxy filing on Thursday. Excluding the bonus paid in 2010, Weil’s pay/salary suffered a 40% fall.
The filing states that the CEO's pay cut is based on certain factors, including the company's performance in 2011. Moreover, the reduction in compensation encompasses … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Another Government Deal For CSC

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 02:32 PM PST

Government order wins continue for computing major Computer Sciences Corporation (NYSE:CSC) as the company recently won an $874.0 million contract from the department of Defense. Per the contract, CSC will offer an unmanned aircraft system intelligence surveillance system and investigation services to the Naval Air Systems Command.
The company is playing to its strengths, and government deals have always been its forte. CSC also has the potential to compete for the land-based task orders. This … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Cabela’s Expands In Washington

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 02:25 PM PST

In an attempt to expand operational roots, Cabela's Inc. (NYSE:CAB) is set to serve the residents of Tulalip, Washington by adding a new store. The new store will provide the customers additional avenue to own hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor merchandise.
The new store, which is slated to be open on Thursday, April 19, is the company's second store in the region. Currently, the company operates 34 stores in United States and Canada.
Cabela's next-generation store format, … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Five Momentum Stocks To Watch On Tuesday, March 06

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 02:21 PM PST

  ( click to enlarge )

Nice day for Camelot Information Systems Inc (CIS). I first alerted on Friday this one as a possible breakout candidate and this morning on Twitter I said the stock was on my watch radar. The stock did what it was supposed to do and was one of the big winners today, closing up 27 cents or 11% on the day trading more than 497.000 shares, well above its average volume. This was a good run for those who jumped in at that time. From a technical standpoint the stock … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Oil Rig Count Hits 25-Year High

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 02:05 PM PST

In its weekly release, Houston-based oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. (BHI) reported a rise in the U.S. rig count (number of rigs searching for oil and gas in the country), reflecting a jump in the tally of oil-directed rigs.
The Baker Hughes rig count, issued since 1944, acts as an important yardstick for drilling contractors such as Transocean Inc. (RIG), Diamond Offshore (DO), Noble Corp. (NE), Nabors Industries (NBR), Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN), Helmerich & Payne (HP), etc. … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

College Degrees By Gender Remain Remarkably Stable Over Time For Education And Engineering

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 02:01 PM PST

The chart above is from this new Census report, and shows the percentage of degrees in selected fields earned by females over a 25-year period from 1984-2009.  Women have increased their share of business degrees over time, but for the other three fields: education, natural science and engineering/computers, not much has changed over a quarter century: women still earn a large majority of education degrees, a large minority of engineering degrees, and a slight majority of natural science … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Agrium Expands Production Facility

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 02:00 PM PST

Agrium Inc. (NYSE:AGU) announced that it has begun the construction of its production expansion project at Agrium Advanced Technologies (AAT) Environmentally Smart Nitrogen (ESN) facility in New Madrid, Missouri. It is a $28 million project, which is scheduled to be completed in the third quarter of 2012.
The new facility is expected to add another 136,000 tons to its output, bringing it to a targeted capacity level of 246,000 tons per year at the operations. After the expansion, total ESN … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Stocks Slip On China’s Growth Data

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 09:00 AM PST

03/05/12 Stocks bounced back from morning losses Monday but still ended the day lower on concerns of slowing global economic … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Goldman To Buy Ariel Reinsurance

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 01:55 PM PST

The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE:GS) is working seriously on its acquisition and global expansion strategies. Last week, the company announced that it is planning to purchase Ariel Reinsurance's Bermuda-based insurance and reinsurance operations from Ariel Holdings Ltd. The terms of this deal were undisclosed; however, it is expected to close on April 1, 2012.
In January, Goldman reported 67% fall in 2011 earnings compared to the prior year, and has targeted approximately $1.4 billion in … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

EA’s ‘Simpsons’ On Apple Devices

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 01:55 PM PST

Video game developer and publisher, Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) recently launched a mobile version of the long-running animated series "The Simpsons." The mobile game called The Simpsons: Tapped Out is currently available in Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) App stores and can be played on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch for free.
The Simpsons: Tapped Out challenges gamers to build their own version of Springfield, a city accidentally blown up by one of its residents, Homer. Players are expected to complete a … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

OfficeMax Stays At Neutral

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 01:36 PM PST

We have a long-term Neutral recommendation on OfficeMax Inc. (NYSE:OMX) with a price target of $6.00. The company provides office supplies and paper, print and document services, technology products and solutions as well as office furniture to business firms, government organizations and other retail consumers.
How the Company Balances
As the recovery in the economy still remains sluggish, consumers and small businesses remain frugal about big-ticket spending like business machines and other … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

EMC Maintains Storage Leadership

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 01:30 PM PST

A leading provider of information infrastructure solutions, EMC Corp. (NYSE:EMC) maintained its leadership position in the external disk storage systems market for the fourth quarter, ended December 31, 2011.
According to recent data from research group IDC, EMC's market share stood at 29.4% in the fourth quarter (up 340 bps), compared with its closest rival International Business Machines' (NYSE:IBM) 15.2% (down 120 bps). Hewlett Packard Co. (NYSE:HPQ) and NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ:NTAP) were jointly placed … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

DuPont Car Paint Bidders Team Up

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 01:20 PM PST

According to industrial sources, private equity firms are joining hands to bid for chemical giant E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company's (NYSE:DD) car paint business. The intention is to share the cost which is estimated to be more than $4 billion.
DuPont's Performance Coatings business reported sales of $1.1 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011, representing about 13.1% of the total revenue of $8.4 billion. The segment accounted for only 7.6% of the total pretax operating margin. This margin … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Gap Posts Solid American Comps

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 01:05 PM PST

Gap Inc. (NYSE:GPS) registered an increase of 4% in same-store sales for the four-week period ended February 25, 2012, breaking its stint of negative comps for seven straight months as warmer weather triggered demand for spring clothing. The company had recorded a decline of 3% in the prior-year comparable period.
February 2012 sales
Net sales for the four-week period ended February 25, 2012 increased 6% to $874 million compared with net sales of $821 million in the prior-year period. The year … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Boeing Still Neutral

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 12:56 PM PST

We maintain our Neutral stance on the defense behemoth The Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA). Boeing's future prospects to a large extent depends on the defense budget, as a major chunk of its revenue comes from government contracts. The European crisis and rising possibility of U.S Defense cutback will impact the order book and eventually slow down the growth trajectory of the company.
Numbering among the positives for the company is its strong presence in the international commercial airline markets, which … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Steady Drop In Problem Bank List

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 12:56 PM PST

Is the banking industry gradually coming out of the woods? Would it be right to say that there has been no improvement? The steady decline in Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's (FDIC) list of problem banks is a strong positive signal for the industry and the country as a whole.
The number of banks on FDIC's list of problem institutions saw a sharp decline for the third straight quarter to 813 in the October-December period from 844 in the preceding sequential period, federal regulators … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Interesting Facts: Online Job Demand

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 12:42 PM PST

From today’s Conference Board report on Online Job Demand:

1. In North Dakota, there are more advertised online jobs available (17,000) than unemployed workers (12,540) for a Supply/Demand ratio of less than 1 (0.74).  Nationally, there are 2.91 unemployed workers for each online job available (12.758 million unemployed and 4.383 million advertised openings).  

2. For the occupation “Computer and Mathematical Science,” there are five times as many openings (595,000) as … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

SunPower Cut To Underperform

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 12:35 PM PST

Concerned by the lower margins in residential and commercial segments and expected fall in Average Selling Prices (ASP) in 2012, we downgrade our long-term (6+ months) recommendation on vertically-integrated solar manufacturer SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ:SPWR) to Underperform from Neutral.
SunPower however is not alone in facing the doldrums rife in this sector given the oversupply gut and falling demand. Its peers like Renesola Ltd. (NYSE:SOL) and Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ:CSIQ) also retain a long-term … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

FDA Clears Varian’s Transponder

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 12:20 PM PST

Varian Medical Systems (NYSE:VAR) recently announced 510(k) clearance, granted by the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA"), for its surface beacon transponder, which can be utilized with the company's Calypso know-how as a timely tracking device. This device has the ability to keep track of movement during radiotherapy care, at any anatomical location.
The transponder is positioned, for a period of time, on the human skin for timely monitoring of breathing as well as other movement during … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

12 Bank Failures In ’12

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 12:15 PM PST

Last Friday, U.S. regulators shuttered Doraville, Georgia-based Global Commerce Bank, taking the number of failed banks thus far in 2012 to 12. This follows 92 bank failures in 2011, 157 in 2010, 140 in 2009 and 25 in 2008.
While the financials of a few large banks continue to stabilize on the back of an economic recovery, the industry is still on shaky ground. The sector presents a picture similar to that of 2011, with nagging issues like depressed home prices along with still-high loan … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

AIG To Sell About 13% Stake In AIA

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 12:15 PM PST

In an attempt to repay the government bailout loan, American International Group Inc. (NYSE:AIG) disclosed its plans earlier today to raise funds from the part-sale of its left over one-third stake in its Asian wing – AIA Group Limited (AIA).
According to Reuters and Bloomberg, AIG is looking forward to selling nearly approximately 1.7 billion shares in AIA at about 7% discount to the latter's closing price of HK$29.20 on Friday, at the Hong Kong stock exchange, to raise over $6 billion. While … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

The Trend Trader For Stock Trading On Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 04:05 AM PST

By ForexMansion.com

The Trend Trader for the Dow 30 Stocks
For Trading On Tuesday, March 6, 2012

In alphabetical order by symbol

Close
%
Change

3×1

7×5
Minor
Trend
Major
Trend
Trend Reading

AA – Alcoa Inc
9.87
− 3.61
10.15
10.30

Bearish

AXP – American Express Company
52.97
− 0.04
53.12
53.34

Bearish

BA – Boeing Co
74.13
− 1.03
74.82
75.10

Bearish

BAC – Bank of America Corporation
7.97
− 1.97
8.09
8.01

Bearish

CAT – Caterpillar Inc
110.09
− … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

The Trend Trader For ETF Trading On Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 04:05 AM PST

By ForexMansion.com

The Trend Trader for ETFs
For Trading On Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The top 40 ETFs by net assets
In alphabetical order by symbol

Close
%
Change

3×1

7×5
Minor
Trend
Major
Trend
Trend Reading

AGG – iShares Lehman Aggregate Bd Fd
110.34
− 0.14
110.35
110.54

Bearish

BND – Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF
83.57
− 0.20
83.63
83.76

Bearish

DBC – DB Commodity Index Tracking Fd
29.34
− 0.47
29.48
29.46

Bearish

DIA – SPDR DJ Industrial Average … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

The Trend Trader For Forex Trading On Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 04:05 AM PST

By ForexMansion.com

The Trend Trader for Forex
For Trading On Tuesday, March 6, 2012

THE BIG SIX

Close
%
Change

3×1

7×5
Minor
Trend
Major
Trend
Trend Reading

AUDUSD – Aust Dollar / US Dollar
1.0670
− 0.56
1.0743
1.0745

Bearish

EURUSD – Euro / US Dollar
1.3217
+ 0.17
1.3253
1.3289

Bearish

GBPUSD – British Pound / US Dollar
1.5863
+ 0.21
1.5885
1.5873

Bearish

USDCAD – US Dollar / Canadian Dollar
0.9943
+ 0.56
0.9891
0.9926

Bullish

USDCHF – US Dollar / … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

The Trend Trader For Futures Trading On Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 04:05 AM PST

By ForexMansion.com

The Trend Trader for Futures
For Trading On Tuesday, March 6, 2012

INDICES

Close
%
Change

3×1

7×5
Minor
Trend
Major
Trend
Trend Reading

S&P 500 – Mar ESH2
1364.50
− 0.31
1367.92
1366.33

Bearish

Dow Jones – Mar YMH2
12961
− 0.05
12952
12957

Bullish

Nasdaq – Mar NQH2
2616.00
− 1.04
2633.19
2624.08

Bearish

Russell – Mar TFH2
805.20
+ 0.54
807.40
810.00

Bearish

INTEREST RATES

US T-Bond – Jun ZBM2
140-29
− … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Will Oil Continue Heading Higher?

Posted: 04 Mar 2012 10:00 PM PST

Does it feel like it costs an arm and a leg to fill your car these days? While consumers may continue to feel the bite from higher gasoline prices, investors can use these rising prices to their advantage.
Beginning in March, crude oil has a seasonal wind at its back. For nearly 30 years, the third month of the year has been the best month for crude oil. As you can see in the chart below, over the past 5-, 15- and 30-year cycles, West Texas Intermediate crude oil prices head higher in March, … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards
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