MARKET CURRENTS
real-time news and commentary for investors
MARKET CURRENTS
-
Friday, May 17, 2013
-
8:42 PM If they "want to succeed in Vietnam, they have to change the way they serve," one customer says of Starbucks' (SBUX) brewing methods at its Ho Chi Minh City flagship store. Of all the markets into which the Seattle coffee giant has ventured, Vietnam may prove the most challenging given the country's rich coffee culture which dates back at least a century. Predictably however, business is good, and Howard Schultz says sales are already exceeding expectations despite locals' penchant for what WSJ describes as a "thick, oily" domestic brew. (Also: SBUX goes to Myanmar) 4 Comments
-
7:18 PM Shares of General Motors (GM +3.1%) eclipsed their $33 IPO price as investors speculate that the U.S. government may soon exit its ownership stake in the auto maker. The auto maker rose to $33.42 to close above its November 2010 IPO price for the first time since February 2011. U.S. taxpayers currently hold a 16.4% stake, or 241.7M shares worth about $8.08B. 4 Comments
-
5:13 PM After taking a hit earlier this month on a weak earnings report, Con-Way Trucking (CNW +3.4%) has steadily rebounded and posted another strong showing today. Optimistic investors turned towards the options pit on a buying spree in the name today. Total option volume was 100 times greater than average in the name yesterday, with calls accounting for 96% of the total. Comment!
-
5:04 PM GameStop (GME +4.5%) closed with a big gain after NPD reported U.S. physical retail video game sales fell 17% Y/Y in April, better than some feared; they fell 1% in March, and 27% in Feb. Hardware sales fell 42%, as gamers wait for this fall's launches. Total industry physical retail sales fell 25%; as Electronic Arts (EA +0.9%) and Activision's (ATVI +0.5%) latest results show, such sales make up a declining portion of industry revenue. Take-Two's (TTWO +1.9%) Bioshock: Infinite and NBA 2K13 were the month's 3rd and 7th-most popular titles, and Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Skylanders Giants were #4 and #8. Comment!
-
4:11 PM DirecTV (DTV) has joined the ranks of companies weighing a bid for Hulu (DIS, NWS, CMCSA), with an eye towards expanding its arsenal of TV Everywhere content, the WSJ reports. The scoop shortly follows a report Time Warner Cable and other MSOs are talking about a possible bid. Comment!
-
3:03 PM Keep an eye on Dean Foods (DF +1%). Though the food company could see some choppy trading next week after it was dumped from the S&P 500, dealReporter notes there's plenty of M&A speculation around the name to keep shares perky. A market cap below $4B raises the possibility that a larger company could see DF as a bolt-on acquisition. Comment!
-
2:34 PM McDonald's (MCD) will boost its workforce by 83% this year to take it to 165K as it picks up its pace of store growth in the nation. The restaurant operator has less than half of the fast-food market share that Yum Brands claims, but the gap is narrowing with KFC China suffering some turmoil. 10 Comments
-
2:19 PM Execs with Nordstrom (JWN -1.2%) highlighted the company's successful partnership with Topshop during the firm's earnings call. The British firm's clothing lines sold well online and in the 14 stores where Nordstrom carrier them. As a result, the retailer plans to add another 28 stores to the Topshop strategy later this year. (transcript) Comment!
-
1:36 PM For-profit education stocks rally as some bubbling enthusiasm over financial aid legislation is just enough to pressure short sellers in the sector. Gainers: ITT Educational Services (ESI) +10.2%, Career Education (CECO) +11.5%, Corinithian Colleges (COCO) +15.3%, Lincoln Education (LINC) +5.2%, Education Management (EDMC) +5.5%, Bridgepoint Education (BPI)+4.4%, Devry (DV) +3.1%, Capella Education (CPLA) +5.5%, 1 Comment
-
1:16 PM Disney's (DIS -0.7%) Iron Man 3 officially crossed the $1B mark in global box office sales including a smashing +$100M grab from China. A strong performance from Oz: The Great and Powerful helped the company beat estimates in FQ2 and it looks like Iron Man 3 will do some of the heavy lifting in FQ3. 3 Comments
-
12:57 PM Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD -1%) says it will buy C&G Distributing Co. for an undisclosed amount with an eye on closing the deal within the next 90 days before a state law goes into effect in Ohio that prohibits brewers from owning distributors. Expect more cat and mouse from A-B as other states are reportedly considering the same type of legislation. Comment!
-
12:50 PM The USDA says the orange crop in Florida will be 10% smaller than an earlier forecast. Farmers in the state blame a bacterial disease for the reduced outlook for this year's harvest. The read-through: PepsiCo (PEP -0.6%) and Coca-Cola (KO -1%) have seen orange juice commodity prices rise 23% YTD in a market where hedges have gone awry in the past. Comment!
-
12:26 PM Cosi (COSI -13.7%) takes a double-digit dive after its Q1 report misses by what might fairly be called a "wide margin". Revenues fall 13% Y/Y due to store closures and lower comps. Comps breakdown: -6.6% and -1.3% for company-owned restaurants and franchise-operated locations respectively. From the CC: "Dinner [is] where we took the greatest [comp percent] hit." Summing it up is CEO Carin Stutz: "Q1 results were unacceptable … [if] profitable sales [are] the measure of our success … we have not succeeded." Northland Capital rubs a little salt in the wound, downgrading the shares to Market Perform from Outperform (see analyst Chris Krueger's Q&A on the CC). 2 Comments
-
11:43 AM A broad rally in auto supplier stocks isn't a shocker after positive news piled in from across the globe. In Europe, a long slide in sales has finally reversed while China is opening up the western part of its territory for manufacturers. Just to top it off quite nicely, consumer sentiment rose briskly in the U.S. Advancers: American Axle (AXL) +4.5%, Dana Holding (DAN) +4.1%, TRW Automotive (TRW) +2.2%, Navistar (NAV) +4.4%, Federal-Mogul (FDML) +4.2%, Magna International +1.9%, Meritor (MTOR) +2%, Johnson Controls (JCI) +1.9%, Exide Technologies (XIDE) +5.5%. Comment!
-
11:23 AM United Airlines (UAL +0.1%) debuts a loyalty program aimed at business travelers, marking something of a first for the industry. More expansive than strictly a miles program, the MileagePlus Small Business Network will reward customers who buy goods and services from approved vendors and will include an auction program. Comment!
-
11:05 AM A nice little jump in consumer sentiment bodes well for automobile companies, according to CNBC's Phil LeBeau. The outlook for the industry looks extremely good with fresh models from automakers (F, GM, TM, FIATY.PK, HMC, NSANY.OB, VLKAY.PK) coinciding with structural pent-up demand and the uptick in sentiment. 4 Comments
-
10:57 AM Kansas City Southern (KSU +1.2%) still has a "long runway" of growth opportunities and is a juicy takeover candidate, says Stephens analyst Justin Long. One thing that separates KSU from the pack of railroad tocks is that it's more of a pure play on growth in Mexico where the upside is higher than the U.S. or Canada. 3 Comments
-
10:29 AM Demand is rising for "frackwear" that oil and gas workers can wear to protect themselves from wires and explosions, and retailers and clothes makers are trying to take advantage. VF Corp. (VFC) says it is pulling research teams from malls and placing them alongside workers in oil fields. Retailers including Cabela's (CAB) say they are seeing rising demand for sturdy shoes and fire-resistant clothing. Comment!
Latest Consumer Articles
