FTB - Top This Week

BofA May Nix Countrywide Deal

finblogger — Tue, 06 May 2008 23:56:53 -0400

Bank of America is now being urged to reconsider their Countrywide bid. Ari Levy and Christopher Stern, Bloomberg News, report that Sen Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wants BofA to consider cutting the $4 billion price tag for the deal. Investors have speculated that Bank of America may seek better terms or cancel its takeover of Countrywide...

The Equity Collar - A Risk Reduction Strategy

FrugalTrader — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:12:17 -0400

A downside risk reduction strategy involving the simultaneous purchase of a put option with the sale of a covered call option. This is known as the Equity Collar.

HSA Savings Account

rkalajian — Mon, 05 May 2008 09:49:00 -0400

Costs of health care are rising, lets face it if you watch the markets you see health care companies like HUM and AET posting good profits for many years means someone is paying them more and more each year and that cost is now making it to us in a new way.

Forbes Magazine's List of the 25 Highest Paid CEOs in 2007

ceoblogger — Sat, 03 May 2008 17:31:00 -0400

Forbes' 5/19/08 issue includes a list of the top 25 highest paid CEOs in 2007. The list is attached and a link to the performance of the companies on the list in 2008 vs. the S&P 500.

Prosecutors Have Names of UBS Bank's U.S. Clients In Tax Probe

finblogger — Thu, 08 May 2008 00:47:38 -0400

There's big trouble in little Liechtenstein, and UBS AG's private bank just got caught in the crossfire between U.S. prosecutors and U.S. nationals with funds tucked away in the Principality of Liechtenstein.

Stocks that went up and stocks that went down

MadMoneyPicks — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:52:15 -0400

Up:

Office Depot (ODP) traded up 9% after the office-supply company reported better-than-expected EPS. . . . . . . . . more on our site!

Down:

Masco (MAS) fell 5% after the company said profits fell 99%. Adami Energizer Holdings (ENR) . . . . . . . . . . more on our website!

Crocs' First Quarter Results Lack Bite

birdie31 — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:52:58 -0400

Crocs (CROX) released its first quarter numbers Wednesday after the closing bell. Revenue came in at $198.5 million. The company posted a loss of $4.5 million or 5 cents per share, well below the $24.9 million or 31 cents per share it earned in the comparable period a year ago. Backing out special expenses (related to the closure of a Canadian production facility) it posted a profit of 9 cents per share.

These results were in line with their guidance in mid-April: A first quarter loss between five cents a share and break even on revenue of $195 to $200 million, and full year revenue growth between 15% and 20% over and above 2007 with earnings between $1.54 and $1.64 a share.

Management did back its full year forecast of between $1.54 and $1.64 a share on 15% to 20% revenue growth. The fact that the company was willing to come out and offer annual guidance so early in the year, in spite of obvious economic uncertainty, is also a positive.

What I don't understand is why the stock shot up almost 20% in early morning trading? Because they didn't do worse?

Earnings Whispers - Invest In Stocks Like The Professionals

thenetfool — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:51:59 -0400

Before March 2000, in the bull market, whisper numbers were all the rage. In fact, these estimates became so popular for the outlandish pre-”tech bubble” gainers that Wall Street often notched real estimates lower than actual expectations just to be able to “beat the consensus.” Today, earnings whispers are still used, but not as confidently as before. Let’s talk about how you can find and use these numbers to your advantage to rake in some insane profits!

Why Monday through Friday is Pointless

theWild1 — Sun, 11 May 2008 21:13:44 -0400

Last week was very interesting to say the least. it was pretty much decided that we are still very deep in the woods. How far will oil take us? Only time will tell.

How Much Longer Will The Good Time (The Rally Has Not Been Long Enough, To Be “Times”) Last?

BigWaveTrading — Fri, 09 May 2008 07:01:03 -0400

I am not for sure about that answer but I have to admit the charts overall still look like they are trying to make a bottom. But like I have continuously warned about: if volume does not come back into this market on the upside, we are in danger of reversing some decent base building and that will probably discourage a lot of market participants which could open the door to more selling.

However, there is nothing wrong with being prepared, but until the market actually cracks, I will have to go with the short-term to intermediate term uptrend and ride the wave for however long it wants to last. The sad thing is that the way some of my stocks that looked great just a couple of weeks ago now look only average to somewhat above average. This is OK but in a brand new bull market, we would normally have 5-6 near-perfect to perfect charts right now. Instead I have one. One chart STILL looks “hot” out of about 4 or 5 that were starting to. Basically this has been the theme ever since April 2006 but thank God some gems here and there have still been able to shine through the rough.

Why Technical Analysis is Junk and Why it is Still Important

realist123 — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:49:20 -0400

commentary on the technical analysis and why it is important

REPORT: Microsoft Talks To Facebook About Possible Deal

realist123 — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:06:50 -0400

An article and commentary on the rumored Microsoft/Facebook merger talks.

Stocks end day sharply up as cost of oil eases

purplemoon — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:58:21 -0400

Wall Street rallied Monday as oil prices, supported by a stronger dollar, fell back and alleviated some of investors’ concerns about accelerating inflation. The Dow Jones industrials gained 130 points.

Garmin: Growth at a Reasonable Price?

MagicDiligence — Tue, 13 May 2008 07:08:06 -0400

Garmin is the dominant player in the fast growing GPS market. The company has delivered nearly 50% annual earnings growth since 2003, and is expected to grow at 17% per year going forward. With it's current 11 P/E, is Garmin a textbook example of growth at a reasonable price?

Global stock markets – return and valuation scorecard

prieur — Fri, 09 May 2008 05:41:47 -0400

Global stock markets have experienced a relatively strong recovery since the middle of March. Although markets in general are still well below previous highs, it makes for interesting reading to reflect on the extent of the correction and subsequent rally, and to review how valuation levels have been impacted.

The URL is: http://www.investmentpostcards.com/2008/05/09/global-stock-markets-%e2%8...

Enjoy the read.