Search results for Todd Harrison
-
Posted
Aug 26 2008, 10:57 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
The slumping housing market continues to take a bite out of home improvement - and there’s no immediate relief in sight.
Consumers are pressed by high gasoline and food prices, leaving less cash to upgrade the kitchen or bathroom.
Home Depot and Lowe’s have already taken a hit.
Read More...
-
Posted
Sep 08 2008, 08:34 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) says the online partnership between Yahoo and Google will erode competition and probably result in higher prices.
On its Web site, ANA, which represents about 400 companies, says it sent a letter to the US Justice Department’s antitrust division after reviewing the agreement and meeting with executives from Yahoo and Google.
The letter "notes that a Google-Yahoo partnership will control 90% of search advertising inventory and expresses concern that the partnership will likely diminish competition, increase concentration of market power, limit choices
Read More...
-
Posted
Sep 23 2008, 12:10 PM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Armed with stronger backing from federal banking regulators, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are going shopping for cash.
Yesterday, the last bastions of Wall Street independence announced plans to transform into more traditional banks, subjecting themselves to deeper regulatory scrutiny and tighter limits on leverage. The move also allowed them to pursue customer deposits, a more stable funding source than the recently chaotic money markets.
This morning, Bloomberg reported the 2 firms are already on the prowl, combing the banking landscape for deposits they can snatch up on the cheap. This may seem odd, since Goldman and Morgan were fighting for their lives just a few short days ago - and Morgan was desperately searching for an infusion of capital.
Read More...
-
Posted
Oct 24 2008, 01:38 PM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
This just in: Alan Greenspan isn't infallible, and the banking industry's hard-headed self-interest doesn't count for much when unleavened by a smidgeon of insight.
Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve Chairman, told a Congressional hearing that the credit crunch exceeded anything he had imagined; he goofed in thinking that banks would act intelligently to protect themselves from risky mortgages.
Democratic Representative Henry Waxman of California and chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said that the Federal Reserve, the US Treasury and the Securities and Exchange Commission pushed "the prevailing attitude in Washington…that the market always knows best."
Please, people: We're facing a serious mess, and turning things around requires more than artful butt-covering in the final days before November 4th's presidential election.
Read More...
-
Posted
Nov 07 2008, 12:17 PM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
The auto industry wants to back a truck up to the US Treasury and drive away with $50 billion.
General Motors, Ford and Chrysler say they need the money to get them through the worst auto market in about 25 years.
But the money wouldn't necessarily be used to develop the next generation of fuel-efficient or electric cars. Legacy costs are killing the US auto industry and the automakers say they need about $25 billion for healthcare costs. The balance would be used for general liquidity and could be delivered in different ways, including short-term borrowing from the Federal Reserve.
Read More...
-
Posted
Mar 19 2009, 10:41 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
It’s starting to make economic sense to go green.
Last summer, with gas prices topping $4 per gallon and commodities of all kinds becoming more expensive, renewable energy advocates thought their day in sun -- so to speak -- had finally arrived.
Investors flocked to industry leaders like First Solar (FSLR) and SunPower (SPWRA), whose stocks leapt to new highs. On July 8, 2008, renowned investor T. Boone Pickens announced an ambitious plan to wean America off its dependence on foreign oil. Later that week, crude touched an all-time high of $147.02 per barrel.
Since then, oil -- along the rest of the commodity complex -- has plunged, dashing hopes that renewable energy would soon be as cheap, if not cheaper, than traditional, dirty fossil fuels. But now, with the economy in free fall and Washington scrambling to boost productivity, renewable energy has been taken off life support.
Read More...
-
Posted
Mar 20 2009, 12:34 PM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
General Electric's (GE) "deep dive" yesterday did involve a lot of numbers and slides. But judging by the tone of analysts' reactions, the Street is still taking the company's word for it. The assertion that GE Capital will be profitable this year even under a worst-case scenario (leaning heavily, one presumes, on the fact that it doesn't mark to market) is being taken as gospel. The prevailing analyst reaction appears to be: Cut earnings a bit, cut price target a dollar or 2, remain neutral on the stock.
I find it hard to see how you can be neutral on this company. If you believe what management is telling you, and if you believe in the business model, the stock seems to be an unstoppable earnings powerhouse, even in the worst of times, and should be bought aggressively.
Now, I don't think too many people really believe this. But few are willing to say "the company has repeatedly changed its tune, and we have no reason to believe it won't again."
Read More...
-
Posted
Mar 23 2009, 08:42 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Has anyone else noticed that there's still a lot of hand-wringing going on -- mostly about General Electric's (GE) GE Capital unit?
Over the weekend, a BernsteinResearch analyst trimmed his earnings estimate for 2009 from $1.18 to $0.81. In addition, Deutsche Bank lowered its estimate for the year from $1.20 to $0.97. Obviously, I don’t think that's good news - especially since we're not talking about a couple of bucks here. But am I the only guy who sees value here and thinks the bad-mouthing the company's been receiving is overdone? To wit:
1. These guys trade under $10, or at least closed there on Friday.
2. Insiders have been buying the shares, and -- even if it pays a quarterly dividend of $0.10 -- its forward yield (based on Friday’s closing price) would still be north of 4%, by my math.
Read More...
-
Posted
Mar 24 2009, 07:29 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
The phrase “taxpayers will share in any upside” always makes me shudder.
And with good reason: Last September, as Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE) crumbled under the weight of their massive loan portfolios, the U.S. taxpayer ponied up $2 billion to rescue them, along with $200 billion in guarantees for future losses.
We were told that our investment would be well-protected, since the companies barely played in the subprime space: Their $5 trillion portfolios consisted of only the finest prime mortgages. One Wall Street Journal columnist even called Fannie and Freddie “a gold mine.”
Six months later, Fannie and Freddie have chewed through almost half their taxpayer-funded safety net. With delinquencies on prime loans rising, and home prices tumbling in high-end markets, losses are likely to keep growing -- as will the taxpayer's obligation.
Read More...
-
Posted
Mar 25 2009, 11:31 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
What could better commemorate a historic 2008 presidential election than a comic book?
Well - not a comic book, precisely (though Marvel Comics (MVL) released one earlier this year). Now there is a graphic novel detailing the amazing race. Entitled "08: A Graphic Diary of the Campaign Trail," and written by New Republic editor Michael Crowley and artist Dan Goldman -- is set for a was released in January from Three Rivers Press.
This seems to be the year that these long-form illustrated books finally and decisively enter the mainstream: It started with the release of "Watchmen," the on-screen adaptation of the popular graphic novel that was the subject of a spirited property lawsuit between Twentieth Century Fox (NWS) and Warner Brothers (TWX).
In 2 and a half weeks, the film (Warner Brothers’ operating budget: $150 million) grossed almost $160 million in box office. It’s just the latest conquest for a medium that's seen expansive growth for years.
Read More...
More Posts Next page »
|
