Analysis Topic: Companies Analysis
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.Sunday, December 09, 2007
Emerging Market Companies- Strong Balance Sheets to Weather Economic Downturn / Companies / Emerging Markets
A seasoned investor in the international arena sent me an e-mail the other day using the signature “A Silk Roader.” I found the term appropriate for The Silk Road Investor subscribers, providing a code word of sorts to a circle that's still selective. ( Silk is my emerging markets newsletter.) Most investors haven't yet grasped the economic transformation taking place in front of our eyes.
Asia is leading this great global economic transformation and will be the engine of growth for years to come. And the region ex-Japan is still enjoying a long-term bull market that commenced at the bottom of the 1998 Asian Crisis.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Credit Crunch Withdrawal of Capital as General Motors and Freddie Mac Stare Into the Abyss / Companies / Credit Crunch
This week we turn to Michael Lewitt of HCM Capital for a very insightful letter on the current credit crisis. As I wrote on Friday, it is important for anyone with any involvement in the financial world to pay attention to what is going on in the credit markets. I think it is going to have far more impact than most observers apparently believe.
Michael E. Lewitt is the Managing Member and President of HCM (Hegemony Capital Management). You can read his letter at www.hegcap.com .
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, December 03, 2007
Essential Service Companies to Weather Economic Downturn / Companies / Corporate Earnings
Aren't you glad you own essential service stocks? Despite one of the most volatile, fear-driven markets in memory, shares of top-quality power, gas, water and communications companies are decidedly holding their own. In fact, even as the big cap averages have slid in recent weeks, the utility averages are again near all-time highs.Essential service companies' advantage is simply that what they provide is critical to a functioning America. Anxiety-ridden consumers will cut back on gift-giving, postpone the purchase of an appliance or car or cancel a vacation. But they'll still pay their power, water and heating bills, and just try to take away their cell phones and laptops!
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, December 01, 2007
DELL Falls on Positive Earnings But High Price to Book Ratio / Companies / Tech Stocks
DELL reported positive results after the bell yesterday, with quarterly earnings and revenues rising by 27.5% and 8.5% respectively compared to last year. However, with per share earnings missing analyst estimates and operating margins sliding to 5.29% (from 6.1% in 2Q08), shares traded sharply lower after hours.While DELL may or may not be able to keep its turnaround/restructuring story alive, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the supergrowth days of the late 1990s are gone. Moreover, given that DELL's share price continues to be obscenely priced compared to book, it is also clear that shareholders still see something in DELL that I am missing. Is it really worth paying $63 billion for something that is worth $6.8 billion on paper?
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Apple Probing Break of Key Resistance / Companies / Tech Stocks
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is probing key resistance at 180-181, which if hurdled should trigger upside follow-through to 182.50 immediately, and then to 185.00. My near-term work argues in favor of a pop to 182.50, after which I will have to reevaluate the strength of the underlying pattern.Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Freddie Mac Facing Insolvency and Gold's Immediate Outlook / Companies / Subprime Mortgage Risks
This is a follow up to my last article: ‘ Subprime Mortgages Lead to Subprime Currency' (available here ) in which I wrote:
“The curious mind asks, who holds those $trillions worth of mortgages? Thanks to the genius of the American banking and marketing machine, just about every sizable institution underneath the sun with a fixed income portfolio. From Europeans to Asians, from Banks to Brokerages, from Hedge Funds to Pension Funds, Institution to Retail, Trusts to Endowments.
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, November 26, 2007
Countrywide Financial - The Next Big Bankruptcy To Hit the Financial Markets / Companies / Financial Crash
Martin Weiss writes: As we warned you here in August ... and as I explained on CNBC a few days later ... America's kingpin of mortgages is on a collision course with bankruptcy.
Its name: Countrywide Financial
If it goes under, the impact on U.S. financial markets will be immediate; the damage to the U.S. economy, long-lasting.
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, November 25, 2007
City Professionals Content To Wait For Credit Crunch Redundancy Pay-offs / Companies / Credit Crunch
As the fall-out from the sub-prime crisis continues to hit, the latest poll from eFinancialCareers.com, the global financial services careers website, reveals that many City professionals would be quite happy to lose their jobs and collect a lucrative payoff.Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, November 22, 2007
The South Sea Bubble and the Northern Rock Bank Bust / Companies / Financial Crash
"...Out went the silver sixpences, counted slowly as the angry savers queued up...only to come in again through the back door, fooling the crowd and stalling the crisis..."
DEALING WITH A BANKING CRISIS used to be such a simple affair for the Bank of England – not least when the crisis rolled up at its own front door!
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Paragon Buy to Let Mortgage Lender Crashes 40% On Credit Crunch / Companies / Banking Stocks
Paragon , Britian's third largest buy to let mortgage financing company crashed 40% yesterday and appears to be following a similar path to Northern Rock Bank. Both financial institutions relied heavily on the credit markets to finance loans to mortgage borrowers and both have been hit by the credit crunch. However not being a bank with no customer base, Paragon appears did not go the whole hock down the short-term funding route as Northern Rock and hence has managed to stumble along until yesterday.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, November 19, 2007
Banking Stocks - Is It Time To Buy? / Companies / Banking Stocks
Having warned of the problems facing UK banks back in August and specifically that by Northern Rock Bank, followed by subsequent commentary warning of the continuing crash in the finance sector. Now the sell off of all and sundry may present long-term opportunities in the hard hit sector.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, November 16, 2007
Federal Express (FDX) Tip of a Iceberg? / Companies / Technical Analysis
News that Federal Express (FDX) lowers guidance and is coming clean about its rising imput costs (apparently, tis the season to come clean in lots of businesses) could be the tip of the iceberg that is providing clues to us about expectations ahead of the forthcoming holiday season... In any case, have a look at the BIG picture view of FDX, which is in a powerful correction that has a way to travel on the downside prior to completion... and which likely is reflection of a softer than expected US economy now and going forward...Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Commodity And Vital Resource Producer Stocks are a Good Way to Protect Against Subprime Credit Crunch / Companies / Corporate Earnings
Earnings season is winding down. As always, not every company made its numbers. In fact, even in the essential service end of the market, there were some bad misses.
The news on SPRINT NEXTEL CORP, for example, continues to get worse and worse. Not only did the third quarter numbers show dramatic customer losses to AT&T and VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS, but the company has now abandoned its venture with CLEARWIRE CORP that was supposed to revive its floundering WiMax development efforts. That throws the future of the projected $5 billion investment in doubt. In response, the shares have tumbled again.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Goldman Sachs in Bearish Digestion / Companies / Financial Crash
By popular demand, another look at the Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) chart-- to provide insights into the plight of the financial sector and its Financial Select Sector SPDR (AMEX: XLF). Let's notice that GS remains under its Aug-Oct support line, which was violated yesterday at 225.00 and which still presents serious resistance to any rally effort.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, November 05, 2007
Attempt at Manipulation of Ratings Agencies - Rubins Cube / Companies / Market Manipulation
On November 8, 2001 Robert Rubin called senior Treasury Department official Peter Fisher and asked him if he could tell the bond rating agencies to hold off on downgrading Enron. Mr. Rubin, who served as Treasury Secretary from 1995 to 1999, was clearly using his high-up contact(s) in an attempt to influence the supposedly non-biased rating agencies, and he was doing so because he worked for Citigroup, a large Enron creditor.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Corporate Earnings Focus on the Real Numbers / Companies / Corporate Earnings
Does it really matter whether or not a company makes Wall Street estimates? What about employment or GDP growth numbers coming in above or below consensus? Is there a magic number for crude oil inventories that will trigger a higher or lower price?At no time in the markets are numbers more widely watched than earnings season. First come the pre-announcements and handicapping, as analysts put every company with a half-decent following under the microscope.
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Seriously Bearish Stock Market News - Downward Pressure On Exxon's Margins / Companies / US Stock Markets
The following table shows Exxon's Gross Profit Margins over various periods:
PERIOD ENDING | 30-Jun-07 |
31-Mar-07 |
31-Dec-06 |
30-Sep-06 |
Total Revenue | $ 98,350,000 |
$ 87,223,000 |
$ 90,028,000 |
$ 99,593,000 |
Cost of Revenue | $ 55,658,000 |
$ 47,597,000 |
$ 26,554,000 |
$ 64,537,000 |
Gross Profit | $ 42,692,000 |
$ 39,626,000 |
$ 63,474,000 |
$ 35,056,000 |
GP % | 43.4% |
45.4% |
70.5% |
35.2% |
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
The Money Programme – Britain's Brilliant Ideas Boom - Friday 2 November 7.00-7.30pm BBC TWO / Companies / Learning to Invest
Libby Potter reveals how to
turn a eureka moment into a
fortune
Britain has become a nation of inventors and the number of people submitting ideas for patents has never been higher. The boom is being fuelled by programmes like Dragons' Den, but how easy is it to cash in on your "eureka" moment?
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Utilities Analysis - Telecoms, Steel and Energy / Companies / US Utilities
Is cable's goose cooked? Is the jig up on what's been torrid growth for the past few years? Are the big phone companies finally going to bury them?
That's certainly the line being trumpeted by the financial media this week. Once investor darlings, cable television stocks have plummeted in recent weeks, with the selling accelerating as third quarter earnings season has gotten underway.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
United Auto Workers (UAW) Sellout at GM and Chrysler / Companies / US Auto's
The September and October United Auto Workers (UAW) GM and Chrysler agreements are just the latest examples of union leadership surrender and betrayal. It's an ominous sign of labor's plight and clear indication of what's ahead - more for business, less for workers, and no relief in sight with union bosses out for themselves and more allied with business and imperial interests than their own rank and file.Read full article... Read full article...