Market Currents

• Friday, November 27, 2009

• 13:30 PM The iPhone (AAPL) goes on sale in South Korea Saturday and has seen 40,000 pre-orders, a notable step for a country that spent years erecting smart-phone trade barriers. 1 Comment

• Wednesday, November 18, 2009

• 09:10 AM The Google Phone is very real, and it's coming soon, TechCrunch says. "The next 'super' Android device will almost certainly be a HTC phone that’s much thinner than even the Droid (MOT) or iPhone (AAPL) – The Dragon/Passion. This is the phone the senior Android guys at Google (GOOG) are now carrying around and testing." Comment!

• Sunday, November 15, 2009

• 15:02 PM Mac (AAPL) clone maker Psystar goes down in flames in a California court room, with Judge William Alsup ruling it "violated Apple’s exclusive reproduction right, distribution right, and right to create derivative works." Groklaw: "In short, Psystar is toast." (previously I, II, III) Comment!

• Monday, November 9, 2009

• 12:34 PM Google (GOOG +1.7%) says it will buy privately held mobile-ad technology firm AdMob for $750M in stock, a week after rumors that Apple (AAPL) was floating a $400M offer. Comment!
• 09:11 AM RadioShack (RSH) +11% premarket on news the iPhone (AAPL) will be coming to its stores later this month. Credit Suisse calls the move a game-changer, while FBR says it expects RSH will be able to execute as well if not better than peers (WMT, BBI) in wireless. 1 Comment

• Monday, November 2, 2009

• 12:53 PM Research In Motion (RIMM) now down 6.7% after a downgrade from Citi's Jim Suva to Sell, highlighting threats to the BlackBerry: "Simply put, there is an invasion of new phones, applications, and competition." Elsewhere: MOT +3.9%; AAPL flat. 1 Comment

• Wednesday, October 28, 2009

• 11:42 AM Unsurprisingly, Google's (GOOG) in today's disruptive phone news: Verizon (VZ) and Motorola's (MOT) Droid phone - positioned strongly against the iPhone's (AAPL) features and network - goes on sale Nov. 6, featuring a new version of Google's Android OS. The new Android also features a free turn-by-turn mapping service, undercutting TomTom's $100 iPhone service and putting pressure on GPS hardware marketers including TomTom and Garmin (GRMN). 1 Comment

• Tuesday, October 27, 2009

• 18:31 PM With a jump of five percentage points in smartphone market share to 30% over the past three months, Apple (AAPL) moves to within striking distance of Research In Motion (RIMM) at 40%, down one point. Not to mention iPhone's astonishing 74% satisfaction rate, vs. 43% for BlackBerry. Comment!

• Thursday, October 22, 2009

• 10:33 AM Nokia (NOK) files patent suit against Apple (AAPL), claiming iPhone infringes NOK's patents for GSM, UMTS and wireless LAN ((WLAN)) standards. 1 Comment

• Tuesday, October 20, 2009

• 15:52 PM While Microsoft (MSFT) has begun emulating Apple (AAPL) in some notable ways - such as its planned retail stores (for which Apple was once mocked) - Apple has spent the past five years doing something positively Microsoftian: building a hoard of $20B in cash and marketable securities (see comparison chart). 1 Comment
• 14:29 PM Google (GOOG) is planning to launch its own Android phone, according to Northeast Securities analyst Ashok Kumar, who says he's talked to Google's design partners about the plan. A possible challenger for Apple (AAPL) and Research In Motion (RIMM), but also for other Android-committed vendors like Motorola (MOT) and Dell (DELL). Comment!
• 14:19 PM Someone was bound to find something wrong with Apple's (AAPL +5.1%) blowout quarter: How can Apple keep it up? Meanwhile, the company rolls out refreshed computer lines for the holidays, including a 27-inch iMac and a mouse that borrows multi-touch tech from the iPhones and iPods. 1 Comment
• 10:46 AM Apple (AAPL) Store: We'll be back soon. 2 Comments
• 09:15 AM Futures hold their ground despite worse than expected housing starts and a surprising drop in producer prices, fueled by Q3 earnings reports that continue to surprise to the upside. Nasdaq poised to open substantially higher on the strength of Apple's (AAPL) blowout FQ4. Dow futures +0.3% to 10040. S&P +0.3% to 1094. Nasdaq +0.9%. Comment!
• 09:00 AM Premarket gainers: MPS +22%. BPAX +11%. LXK +9%. IRE +8%. AAPL +6%. NVAX +5%. CAT +6%. UAUA +6%. MGM +5%. HGSI +5%. UNH +4%. BK +5%. PH +5%. AIB +4%. PSO +4%. BTU +4%.
  Losers: MI -8%. FRE -7%. BSX -7%. Comment!
• 07:00 AM Asian markets were mostly higher Tuesday, while Europe stocks were mostly lower. Nasdaq futures are well higher on the strength of Apple's (AAPL) blowout Q4; other indexes are flat.
  Asia: Nikkei +0.98% to 10,337. Hang Seng +0.83% to 22,385. Shanghai +1.52% to 3,085. BSE -0.59% to 17,223.
  Europe at midday: London -0.1%. Paris -0.1%. Frankfurt flat.
  Futures: Dow flat at 10016. S&P +0.1% to 1092.50. Nasdaq +0.7%. Crude -0.4% to $79.66. Gold +0.65% to $1,065. 30-year Tsy +0.18%. 10-year +0.11%. 5-year +0.07%. Euro +0.2% vs. dollar. Yen +0.6%. Pound +0.3%. Comment!