Search results for Todd Harrison
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Posted
Oct 13 2009, 01:42 PM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
This article is written by Minyanville's Glenn Curtis Microsoft’s (MSFT) share price has mounted a pretty hefty comeback from its annual lows, and I’m here to tell you that I think the wind it’s had at its back is going to continue. Here are some of the reasons why Ballmer and crew warrant some love:
1. From a big-picture perspective, even though Mister Softee has arguably lost some of its so-called panache, the fact is, it's going to have a tremendous impact on the way we compute and communicate as far out as I can see. It’s got a big name, a smart management crew, a big float, and it trades some big volumes, which is likely to keep it atop the favorites list at many an institution.
2. Digging a bit deeper, I’d like to see the company come out with one or two blowout quarters. But to its credit, it’s either met or beat expectations in the past three of four quarters -- nothing to sneeze at.
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Posted
Oct 12 2009, 10:20 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
This article is written by Minyanville's Carol Kopp
There’s a truism among investors that you should invest in what you know, understand, and like. It’s a commonsense strategy: You spot something new. It’s special. It’s useful or innovative. It’s cool and affordable. Let me buy some of that!
The response to that can be summed up in just two words: Krispy Kreme (KKD).
Krispy Kreme had been a popular doughnut chain in the South since 1937, but remained unknown to the rest of us until about 1996. That’s when the first Krispy Kreme popped up in New York City, on West 23rd Street.
Believe it or not, the town went nuts.
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Posted
Oct 08 2009, 10:46 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
This article is written by Minyanville's Glenn Curtis
Shares of General Electric (GE) are trading at a fraction of what they were just a few short years ago. However, they're well off their lows, and there are those that say the good times will soon roll again.
So what’s the skinny? And does it make sense to belly up before the earnings?
Here are some of my thoughts: For more on today's earnings, see Upgrades & Downgrades. 1. Here's the aerial view: If someone is bullish on the future opportunities this great country has, General Electric is a clear and logical pick. Sure -- that's simplistic, but at the same, it's true. More people with coin in their pocket equals more want for appliances, engines, light bulbs, demand for entertainment, and all those good things GE offers up.
2. Now, is the road going to be full of potholes? I think so. I think we're going to see fits and starts and I’m skeptical about the near-term outlook for the macro economy, which I’ve said numerous times in recent months. But this economy will be righted, and things will turn around, make no mistake. And when they do, my gut tells me that GE’s shares will soar like Sputnik and there will be legions of people out there kicking themselves and wondering why they didn’t belly up to it when they had the opportunity.
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Posted
Oct 07 2009, 01:41 PM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
This article is written by Minyanville's Kevin Depew When Sony Pictures Animation announced it was producing an animated film version of the entertainingly bizarre 1978 children's book "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" featuring Mr. T as a voice for one of the main characters, the most striking thing about it was the $100 million budget. Seemed like a lot for an animated film, even for Sony.
The obvious question was this: How will this affect the Mr. T Gold Indicator? "Houston, do we have a flop?" Not so fast. See also, Why Gold Keeps Climbing, and Why it Could Stop Here we are, barely into the fourth weekend of release, and the film's domestic gross has already passed the $80 million mark.
"Bullion, we have a problem."
What those box office figures mean is that this film will easily surpass the total box office gross for Mr. T's last big hit, "Rocky III," which pulled in $125 million domestically over its run. And it will probably even surpass it this weekend.
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Posted
Oct 07 2009, 11:48 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
This article is written by Minyanville's Mike Schuster
Gourmands, harried fiancées, and dentist office waiting rooms were struck a blow on Monday when publishing giant Condé Nast announced the closure of four of its popular magazines after severe drops in ad revenue.
Elegant Bride and Modern Bride will be ceasing publication as well as the soccer mom handbook Cookie. Gourmet will be shuttered at the release of its November 2009 issue, but will live on with TV programming and online recipes.
See also, Who Needs Newspapers Anyway?
The closures see roughly 180 employees laid off and a collective circulation of more than four million issues stripped from shelves and mailboxes.
Despite the dedicated readership each magazine held, the publications were at the mercy of a three-month study by the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company. After its analysis, McKinsey advised several Condé magazines to cut 25% from their budgets, but no amount of cost-cutting initiatives was able to save the aforementioned few.
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Posted
Oct 06 2009, 01:48 PM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
This article is written by Minyanville's Megan Barnett This week has seen yet another round in the battle between Goldman Sachs (GS) and the Rest of the World. See also, Goldman Sachs Lightning Bolt Sparks Rally. On Monday, Goldman Sachs analysts Richard Ramsden and Brian Foran upgraded their outlook for big banks from neutral to attractive. The news sent shares of JPMorgan (JPM), Bank of America (BAC), and Wells Fargo (WFC) sharply higher. And yes, even Goldman Sachs shareholders benefited from the news, as its shares jumped nearly 4%.
The upgrade baffled many banking analysts and it came against a backdrop of negative opinions. And these aren't just slightly bearish views -- they're downright scary outlooks that suggest some of the worst still lies ahead for banks and the rest of the economy. Here's a sampling:
Meredith Whitney, the analyst who made her name as a banking bear at the start of the credit crisis, penned an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal last week in which she predicted that small businesses will become the next victims of the crisis since their access to credit is being denied by banks and other lenders. She believes “we are only in the early stages of the second half of this credit cycle."
George Soros reiterated his gloom for a roomful of global financial policy wonks in Istanbul yesterday, saying that the US economic recovery will be extremely slow thanks to the “basically bankrupt” banking system at its core.
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Posted
Oct 06 2009, 11:51 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
This article is written by Minyanville's Jeff Macke We should have known this would end horribly. The first "red" flag was the administration inventing a job called Pay Czar.
There's a reason the communists whacked the last legitimate Czar and got away with it. The Red Army's horrifying power and sadism helped, but the real reason was the public figuring that Romanov's idiocy made it likely anyone else would be better.
Nicholas Romanov sent Russian troops to the front in World War I unarmed with instructions to use the guns of the dead Russian troops ahead of them. Pay Czar
Kenneth Feinberg is apparently set on fixing the markets by forcing banks to take half their pay in stock options.
You may remember stock options from the bubble days when everyone at Yahoo (YHOO) from the chief to the company chefs became zillionaires and retired in their 20s. That was about $300 in Yahoo share price ago.
So, in an allegedly coordinated effort, the administration has openly rigged the stock market, bought General Motors (MTLQQ), used taxpayer dollars to fund Cash for Clunkers (a program which curiously labeled cars like my Hummer and other toxic fog machine SUVs as "efficient"), and is now mandating stock options instead of cash for highly paid executives at firms that willingly or unwillingly took the low interest loans -- which were largely responsible for killing anything resembling a free market in the US.
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Posted
Oct 06 2009, 07:49 AM
by
Minyanville
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
 This article is written by Minyanville's Josh Lipton
This week marks the start of the third-quarter-earnings season, as Alcoa (AA) reports earnings on October 7.
The Street is expecting corporate earnings to decline 24.8%, which would mark the first time the S&P 500 has recorded nine straight quarters of negative growth since Thomson Reuters began tracking the data in 1998.
However, that 24.8% drop is still slightly better than the 27.3% fall in the second quarter. In fact, analysts say earnings should show signs of improvement over for the short term, due to cost control, inventory restocking, and easy comparisons against a terrible 2008 -- particularly among the financials.
“Things get less bad this quarter, with smaller year-over-year losses than in the first quarter and second quarter,” S&P equity analyst Alec Young tells us. See also What to Expect for Stocks in October. Looking further ahead, for 2010, the crystal ball of professional forecasters becomes much cloudier and, frankly, your guess is as good as that of any bow-tied CFA working on Wall Street: Nobody really knows how this struggling economy will perform once it’s weaned off Uncle Sam’s massive federal subsidies.
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Posted
Oct 01 2009, 09:17 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
 This article is written by Minyanville's Glenn Curtis
It’s pretty likely that some upper-crust retailers may see small pockets of strength in the months to come. But for the most part, frugal shoppers (like me -- I’m cheap) will be searching out low prices and clearance specials -- particularly during the holiday season -- and as such, will be more likely to schlep their way to the popular discount stores. Click here for my last take on Costco.
Washington-based wholesale club Costco (COST) has some things going for it as well as some things that aren’t too swift. Here they are (in no particular order):
1. I do agree that some consumers are looking to save money and costly trips to the store (read: gas) by buying items in bulk. However, I also believe that the vast majority of consumers are looking for storefronts that carry wide-ranging merchandise selections that are known for their super low prices.
You may be wondering: Isn’t that kind of what Costco does? The answer is sort of. It has many types of food, some clothing, some books, and other merchandise. But if you’re interested in a certain variety of ketchup or need to replace one light bulb (that is, you don’t need items sold by the truckload but still want them at rock-bottom prices), I’d wager you’ll hit a store like Wal-Mart (WMT), or perhaps a Target (TGT) first. While not as plentiful as the proverbial Starbucks (SBUX) on every corner, both Wal-Mart and Target are convenient for most cost-conscious Americans. See also my recent take on Starbucks, Starbucks Chatter Is Appetizing
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Posted
Sep 30 2009, 03:14 PM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
This article is written by Minyanville's Josh Lipton For all the tough talk heading into the month, September didn’t prove so scary after all.
Stock pickers can’t be blamed for thinking these past few weeks were going to scratch up their portfolios. After all, historically, the market does pretty poorly as fall kicks off. The average price change for September, going back to 1929, is a decline of 1.2%. The market has typically fallen 56% of the time in September.
However, through Tuesday’s close, the S&P 500 was up 3.9% for the month. For the quarter, we’re up 15.4%.
Let’s put that in historical perspective, friends: That's the 17th best gain of all quarters since 1929, and 5th best of all third quarters. For more near future predictions, see Four Scenarios for the Fourth Quarter.
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