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• Fear rises again on Wall Street

  Posted Sep 03 2009, 10:38 AM by Anthony Mirhaydari
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  Filed under: VIX, Gold, Anthony Mirhaydari
  Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money

  

  Since Tuesday's big decline, investors are making a dramatic shift out of more defensive holdings at the expense of riskier assets. Clearly, after an easy summer of steady gains for stocks, investors are once again feeling the cold chill of fear.

  For context, the Investors Intelligence sentiment survey recently saw bullishness climb to levels not seen since October 2008. But this is changing now.

  Options traders are frantically bidding up the price of protection on the S&P 500 index, causing the CBOE Volatility Index ($VIX.X) to blast 12.1% higher on Tuesday and punch through the downward trend that has been weighing on the measure of investors apprehension since the beginning of the year. We're seen similar breakout moves in gold and bonds over the past few days as well.   Read More...

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• Wall Street worries as September approaches

  Posted Aug 11 2009, 12:53 PM by Anthony Mirhaydari
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  Filed under: stock market, VIX, Anthony Mirhaydari
  Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money

  

  With stocks falling on Tuesday, options traders are betting that the declines continue. The CBOE Volatility Index ($VIN.X), which is based on the implied volatility of S&P 500 options traded in Chicago, was up as much as 8% in mid-day trading -- the largest one-day gain since June.

  According to Bloomberg, over the last five years the VIX and the S&P 500 have moved in opposite directions 81% of the time. Increased uncertainty is normally accompanied by the selling of stocks, not buying -- so this is a bad omen.

  The VIX's rise comes a day after we learned that the relationship between short-term and medium-term volatility expectations had reached levels not seen since last August -- just before the stock market collapsed and the credit crisis went nuclear. Based on this reasoning, one could expect a sizeable drop in equities over the next few weeks as September, a historically difficult month for stocks, approaches.

  Bing: More on the "VIX"

  Since 1929, September has been the worst month for investors:   Read More...

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• Unhappy with Sprint? You're not alone

  Posted May 21 2008, 10:33 AM by Kim Peterson
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  Filed under: Google, Sprint, wireless, Intel, Verizon, AT&T, Clearwire, VIX
  Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money

  

  Sprint Nextel has a problem keeping customers happy, according to the latest numbers from the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Sprint's numbers are so bad, in fact, that the index's founder wonders how the company can even stay afloat.

  "Business is unsustainable in a competitive marketplace when customer satisfaction scores are as low as Sprint Nextel's," said the founder, Claes Fornell. Sprint's satisfaction level dropped 8% from last year to 56 on the 100-point index. Verizon scored the best in the industry, at 72. Commenters on this blog regularly slam AT&T for its service, but the company's cell phone division gained 4% to score a 71. You can see the full customer satisfaction index here.   Read More...

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• Cable companies eyeing nationwide wireless network

  Posted Mar 26 2008, 12:10 PM by Kim Peterson
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  Filed under: Google, Comcast, Time Warner, Sprint, wireless, Intel, Verizon, AT&T, Kim Peterson, Clearwire, VIX
  Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money

  Lots of big numbers are being tossed around today in support of WiMax, a wireless technology that can deliver high-speed Internet access over several miles. Clearwire is a leader in developing WiMax, and has been trying to hammer out a partnership with Sprint for months. But working out a deal hasn't been easy, partly because building out WiMax is so expensive and partly because both companies have their own struggles to deal with.

  Now, the two biggest U.S. cable companies are stepping in with loads of cash. According to the Wall Street Journal, Comcast and Time Warner are talking about funding a new WiMax company, one that would be run by Sprint and Clearwire. The company would operate a nationwide WiMax network. Comcast is reportedly offering $1 billion and Time Warner is adding $500 million. Bright House Networks, a small cable company, might pony up between $100 million and $200 million.   Read More...

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