• Fed stays put. The Fed Open Market Committee left target rates unchanged at 0-0.25% by unanimous vote, saying conditions are still "likely to warrant exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for an extended period." The Fed acknowledged an ongoing pickup in economic activity, but warned things are likely to remain weak for a while. It noted "substantial" resource slack will continue to dampen cost pressures, and it continues to believe "inflation will remain subdued for some time." It also pared its expectations for buying agency debt and agency MBS to $175B compared to a former maximum of $200B, to wrap up by the end of Q1. Here's a side-by-side comparison of Wednesday's statement with the previous one. Stocks surged after the statement, but a late-day selloff sent major indexes back to breakeven.
Attention Wall Street Breakfast readers: We're looking for a freelance financial journalist to produce WSB and help with our Market Currents blog in Rachael's absence. More details here.
• Dodd's drastic detour on bank regulation. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd is reportedly readying legislation that would strip the Fed and FDIC of almost all their bank-supervision powers, creating in their place a new agency in charge of supervising all banks and bank-holding companies. Dodd's proposal would also create a council of regulators, overseen by the White House, to monitor systemic risks to the financial system. The suggestion is in stark contrast to approaches taken by the House and favored by the Obama administration, which have pushed to expand the Fed's powers. Dodd's model is likely to face heavy resistance, particularly from the banking industry, which is ironic since Dodd has been criticized for being too cozy with Wall Street bankers.
• Skype deal almost done. The private-equity investors that agreed to buy 65% of Skype from eBay (EBAY) for about $2.1B are on the verge of settling their dispute with Skype's founders in a deal that will give them 10% of Skype and a presence on its board, in exchange for giving up rights to the peer-to-peer technology they control and a significant amount of cash. An official announcement could come as soon as this morning.
• Senate shuffles taxes. The Senate passed legislation Wednesday that would give tax breaks to big companies impacted by the recession; increase taxes on multinational firms; extend and expand the homebuyers tax credit; and lengthen unemployment benefits. The proposed tax increases are aimed at offsetting the cost of the breaks, which business leaders worry may be a harbinger of more tax increases to come.
• Chambers sounds all clear. Cisco's (CSCO) net profit dropped 19% on lower sales (see data below), but CEO John Chambers gave an optimistic outlook on the economy and said businesses were ready to resume spending on technology. On Cisco's Q3 earnings call, Chambers told analysts the recovery "is well underway" and that economic improvements were "gaining momentum" worldwide. He also predicted Cisco's revenue would grow in Q4 after a year of contraction.
• Junk default rate hits post-Depression high. The global speculative-grade default rate rose to 12.4% in October, surpassing the record set in 1991 for the highest proportion of defaults since the Great Depression, Moody's said in a report this morning. Moody's believes the default rate may peak in November at 12.5%, noting the total number of defaults declined to eight in October, the lowest count this year.
• Big bonuses are back. Wall Street incentive pay is set to rise by about 40% according to a closely-watched survey to be released today, as stronger markets collide with the backlash over bonuses. Johnson Associates predicts incentive-based payouts will surge by as much as 60% from 2008, led by employees in rebounding businesses like fixed income and equities. In contrast, the firm predicts declines of 15-30% at hedge funds, private-equity firms and prime-brokerage operations which have seen a marked drop in AUM.
• Consumer bankruptcy strikes new high. Consumer bankruptcy filings hit 135,913 in October, an 8.9% jump from September, and 27.9% higher than a year ago, according to a study by the American Bankruptcy Institute. "The debt overhang from literally a decade or more of really high consumer spending and low savings rates has put families in a particularly vulnerable spot," ABI's Samuel Gerdano said. The rise outpaced a 7% month-on-month increase in business filings.
• Downgrade dominance declines. S&P said it downgraded only one more nonfinancial firm in October than it upgraded (24-23), a marked improvement considering the downgrade/upgrade ratio from Sept. 2008 to Aug. 2009 was 835-115. S&P said the large drop "supports our belief that aggregate credit quality, although weak, is stabilizing," and noted that the number of companies with a negative ratings outlook or on watch for downgrade has declined steadily. Meanwhile, more than $4B in new corporate bonds were offered Wednesday, including a $2B sale by DuPont (DD).
• BOE boosts bond buying: The Bank of England kept its target bank rate at 0.5%, as expected, but raised its bond buying program to £200B from £175B, which it expects to complete in about three months. "Banks’ funding conditions have improved, though financial conditions remain fragile," the Bank said, and noted "a number of indicators of spending and confidence, however, suggest that a pickup in economic activity may soon be evident."
• Private-sector jobs still sliding. ADP's October employment report showed private U.S. payrolls declined by 203,000, while revising September's loss to 227K from 254K - the seventh straight month of declining job losses. ADP's report comes two days before the government's official nonfarm payroll data, and has been reasonably well correlated with NFP data in recent months. Consensus estimates suggest 150–175K job losses in October and an unemployment rate of 9.9%.
• Online job seeking rises slowly. Monster's index of online job advertising inched up to 120, vs. 119 in Sept and 150 a year ago. Healthcare and public administration demonstrated solid growth, but retail and hospitality hiring retracted. "The rise in the October Index, along with an improvement in the annual rate, indicate a mild expansion in the underlying employer demand for workers," Monster said. "While the decline in consumer confidence has likely contributed to reduced job demand in the retail and hospitality sectors, employers are actively recruiting in the healthcare and public sectors, resulting in stability of the overall Index."

Earnings: Thur. Before Open

• Allied Capital (ALD): Q3 EPS of $0.02 misses by $0.05. Revenue of $M in-line. Shares -1.3% premarket. (PR)
• Biovail (BVF): Q3 EPS of $0.44 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $212M in-line. (PR)
• Cardinal Health (CAH): FQ1 EPS of $0.54 beats by $0.11. Revenue of $24.8B (+5.9%) vs. $24B. (PR)
• Canadian Natural Resource (CNQ): Q3 EPS of C$1.21 misses by C$0.04. Revenue of C$2.82B (+2.7%) vs. C$2.99B. (PR)
• CenturyTel (CTL): Q3 EPS of $0.90 beats by $0.09. Revenue of $1.87B (+188.3%) in-line. (PR)
• CIGNA (CI): Q3 EPS of $1.13 beats by $0.10. Revenue of $4.52B (-6.9%) in-line. (PR)
• CVS Caremark (CVS): Q3 EPS of $0.65 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $24.6B (+17.7%) in-line. Shares +1% premarket. (PR)
• Delta Petroleum (DPTR): Q3 EPS of -$0.35 misses by $0.24. Revenue of $23.9M (-66.8%) vs. $21.9M. "We are extremely disappointed with the results of the Gray well, but exploration drilling carries with it significant risks." Shares -12.8% premarket. (PR)
• DirecTV Group (DTV): Q3 EPS of $0.37 misses by $0.02. Revenue of $5.47B in-line. (PR)
• Dr Pepper Snapple (DPN): Q3 EPS of $0.54 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $1.43B (-4%) in-line. Sees full-year EPS of $1.92-1.96 vs. $1.97. ""While the economy is showing some signs of recovery, it's still too early to see this translate into higher beverage sales. For the quarter, liquid refreshment beverage trends remained negative." Shares +0.7% premarket. (PR)
• Dynegy (DYN): Q3 EPS of -$0.10 misses by $0.13. Revenue of $673M (-61.7%) vs. $877M. (PR)
• Frontier Oil (FTO): Q3 EPS of -$0.26 misses by $0.11. Revenue of $1.1B (-45.4%) in-line. (PR)
• King Pharmaceuticals (KG): Q3 EPS of $0.29 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $463M (+19.3%) vs. $445M. (PR)
• Lamar Advertising (LAMR): Q3 EPS of -$0.05 beats by $0.11. Revenue of $167M (-13%) vs. $164M. (PR)
• Macerich (MAC): Q3 FFO of $0.97 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $201M (+49.8%) in-line. (PR)
• Manulife Financial (MFC): Q3 EPS of C-$0.12 misses by C$0.32. Revenue of C$13.75B. (PR)
• MGM Mirage (MGM): Q3 EPS of $0.02 beats by $0.10. Revenue of $1.71B (-12.7%) vs. $1.47B. Las Vegas Strip RevPAR fell 21%. Amends credit facility to refinance existing debt and provide more debt of up to $1B. Shares +5.7% premarket. (PR)
• MetroPCS Communications (PCS): Q3 EPS of $0.21 beats by $0.12. Revenue of $895M (+30.4%) vs. $869M. (PR)
• MF Global (MF): FQ2 EPS of $0.01 misses by $0.03. Revenue of $493M (-40.9%) vs. $273M. (PR)
• Nasdaq (NDAQ): Q3 EPS of $0.42 in-line. Revenue of $691M (+3.3%) vs. $355M. (PR)
• Petrohawk Energy (HK): Q3 EPS of $0.14 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $238M (-22%) vs. $305M. (PR)
• Plains Exploration & Production (PXP): Q3 EPS of $0.30 misses by $0.23. Revenue of $313M (-56.5%) vs. $376M. Shares -0.6% premarket. (PR)
• Sara Lee (SLE): FQ1 EPS of $0.24 beats by $0.08. Revenue of $2.59B (-7.4%) vs. $3.16B. Shares +0.2% premarket. (PR)
• Sirius XM Radio (SIRI): Q3 EPS of $0.00 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $630M (+2.8%) vs. $609M. Ends quarter with 18,515,730 subscribers, +102,295 from Q2. Shares +3.9% premarket. (PR)
• Spectra Energy (SE): Q3 EPS of $0.30 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $933M (-13.6%) vs. $986M. (PR)
• Teradata (TDC): Q3 EPS of $0.38 beats by $0.09. Revenue of $425M (-3.2%) in-line. (PR)
• Thomson Reuters (TRI): Q3 EPS of $0.43 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $3.21B (-3.6%) in-line. "While the weak year-to-date net sales experienced in recent quarters are now flowing through into revenues, we expect this dip to be shallow and limited to the next few quarters." (PR)
• Time Warner Cable (TWC): Q3 EPS of $0.76 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $4.5B (+3.6%) in-line. (PR)
• Watson Wyatt (WW): FQ1 EPS of $0.84 beats by $0.12. Revenue of $401M (-5.8%) vs. $394M. Sees FQ2 EPS of $0.81-0.86 vs. $0.89 (PR)
• Wendy's Arby's Group (WEN): Q3 EPS of $0.06 in-line. Revenue of $903M vs. $916M. Shares +3.8% premarket. (PR)

Earnings: Wed. After Close

• Allstate (ALL): Q3 EPS of $0.99 misses by $0.02. Revenue of $7.6B (+4%) vs. $8.5B. Shares -2.1% AH. (8-K)
• Amdocs (DOX): FQ4 EPS of $0.53 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $707M (-14%) vs. $679M. Sees Q1 EPS of $0.51-0.55 vs. $0.50, on revenue of $705M-725M vs. $676M. Shares +6.2% AH. (PR)
• Cisco Systems (CSCO): Q3 EPS of $0.36 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $9B (-13%) vs. $8.7B. Shares +2.8% AH. (PR)
• Corrections Corp. of America (CXW): Q3 EPS of $0.39 beats by $0.07. Revenue of $426M (+6%) vs. $423M. Shares -2.7% AH. (PR)
• Eagle Bulk Shipping (EGLE): Q3 EPS of $0.06 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $42M (-19%) in-line. Shares -5.7% AH. (PR)
• Evergreen Solar (ESLR): Q3 EPS of -$0.40 misses by $0.32. Revenue of $78M (+251%) vs. $74M. Shares +2.1% AH. (PR)
• Goldcorp (GG): Q3 EPS of $0.19 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $692M (+25%) vs. $614M. Shares +2.1% AH. (PR)
• Goodrich Petroleum (GDP): Q3 EPS of -$0.87 misses by $0.70. Revenue of $24M (-61%) vs. $52M. Shares -7% AH. (PR)
• Health Care REIT (HCN): Q3 FFO (normalized) of $0.77 in-line. Revenue of $145M (+4%) vs. $143M. Sees full-year EPS of $3.10-3.12 vs. $3.13. Shares +1.6% AH. (PR)
• ION Geophysical (IO): Q3 EPS of -$0.06 misses by $0.03. Revenue of $102.4M (-53%) vs. $102.6M. Shares -8.4% AH. (PR)
• Microchip Technology (MCHP): FQ2 EPS of $0.29 beats by $0.08. Revenue of $227M (-16%) vs. $218M. Sees FQ3 EPS of $0.33-0.35 vs. $0.24, on revenue of $236M-245M vs. $224M. Shares +1.6% AH. (PR)
• Murphy Oil (MUR): Q3 EPS of $0.98 misses by $0.01. Revenue of $5.2B (-37%) vs. $4.4B. Sees Q4 EPS of $0.75-0.90 vs. $1.18. Shares -2% AH. (PR)
• News Corp. (NWS): FQ1 EPS of $0.22 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $7.2B (-4%) in-line. Shares +3% AH. (PR)
• ON Semiconductor (ONNN): Q3 EPS of $0.16 beats by $0.06. Revenue of $473M (-19%) vs. $455M. Shares +4% AH. (PR)
• Prudential Financial (PRU): Q3 EPS of $1.59 beats by $0.26. Revenue of $6.6B (+4%) vs. $6.65B. Shares +0.4% AH. (PR)
• Qualcomm (QCOM): FQ4 EPS of $0.48 misses by $0.04. Revenue of $2.7B (-19%) vs. $2.8B. Sees Q1 revenue of $2.55B-2.75B vs. $2.84B. Shares +1% AH. (PR)
• Sunstone Hotel Investors (SHO): Q3 FFO of $0.14 in-line. Revenue of $176M (-20%) vs. $180M. Shares +2% AH. (PR)
• THQ (THQI): FQ2 EPS of -$0.08 beats by $0.40. Revenue of $101M (-39%) vs. $92M. Shares +11.5% AH. (PR)
• Whole Foods Market (WFMI): FQ4 EPS of $0.20 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $1.8B (-2%) in-line. Same-store sales down 0.9%. Shares -7.7% AH. (PR)

Today's Markets

Asian markets were mixed Thursday. Europe is lower at midday, and futures are flat.

Investors should take advantage of Biovail Corp.'s (BVF) falling stock price on Tuesday, says Douglas Miehm, RBC Capital Markets analyst.

Shares in the Canadian pharmaceutical company fell almost 2% or 25¢ to C$13.74 on Tuesday after the company announced a failed trial of a new Parkinson's disease drug.

By Marie Daghlian

The stock market lost some steam during summer wound down and kept trading thin. The euphoria of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s positive spin on the economy gave way to the reality of continued high unemployment and dwindling personal finances. Biotech companies, however seemed to be in a deal making mood with collaborations and agreements the order of the day. There were even rumors that Seattle biotech Omeros is thinking pulling the trigger on an initial public offering within the next month. The company wouldn’t divulge its plans, but originally announced its intention to go public in the beginning of 2008 as the window was clamping shut.

With news of a second licensing deal for a Parkinson’s disease-related product in just three months, it appears that Canadian specialty company Biovail (BVF) is rapidly and surely coming good on its longer-term strategy promise of transforming itself into a niche player in CNS diseases.

The latest transaction struck Monday with Santhera Pharmaceuticals (SPHDF.PK) sees Biovail add fipamezole, a phase IIb drug to treat dyskinesia in Parkinson’s disease, to its expanding portfolio, for an upfront payment of $8m and up to $184m in developmental and regulatory milestones. Swiss company Santhera is also inline for royalties of 8% to 15% if the drug hits certain sales targets.

There was weeping and wailing and blubbering among inept CEOs across the land in recent days as a federal court judge threw out a junk lawsuit against hedge fund manager SAC Capital Advisors and Gradient Analytics by the veteran underperforming blame-shifter, Biovail Corp (BVF).

In retrospect it was one of more well-engineered blame-shifting lawsuits of recent years, as this cruddy little pharmaceutical company carefully targeted one of the least sympathetic hedge fund managers in creation. Biovail even managed to con 60 Minutes into a brain-dead segment celebrating its cause. But at the end of the day junk is junk, and out the suit went.

A recent U.S. district court ruling that allows a rival pharmaceutical company to produce its own version of a generic painkiller will cut into the market share of Biovail Corp. (BVF), but RBC Capital Markets does not expect a significant impact on the Canadian drug giant.

Par Pharmaceuticals has won the right to produce its own version of Ultram ER, a painkiller for moderate to severe chronic pain, after winning a patent-infringement lawsuit in Delaware. The company still needs final approval from the Food and Drug Administration, but Douglas Miehm of RBC expects the 100mg, 200mg and 300mg versions of Ultram to pop up behind pharmacists' counters as early as the third quarter of 2009.

• Judge holds up BoA settlement. A judge is refusing to allow Bank of America (BAC) to pay a $33M settlement to the SEC in connection to allegations that it made false statements about bonuses in its acquisition of Merrill Lynch, even though both the SEC and Bank of America asked for the settlement to be approved. Judge Jed S. Rakoff said permitting the payment without a hearing would leave the public in the dark about a critical part of the financial sector bailout. Rakoff set a hearing date for Monday.
• AIG soars on short squeeze. AIG (AIG) shares skyrocketed yesterday, climbing nearly 63% to $22.00. Analysts said the spike was likely a result of a short squeeze on the stock, as investors with short positions before a recent 20-1 reverse stock split rushed to buy scarce shares to cover their positions. Some of the movement could also have been speculative trading ahead of AIG's Q2 earnings report tomorrow. Shares +4.8% premarket (7:00 ET).
• SEC to sue former AIG chief? The SEC may file a civil suit against former AIG (AIG) Chairman and CEO Hank Greenberg on allegations of accounting fraud, said sources familiar with the matter. Greenberg has been the subject of investigation for more than four years, though he flatly denies any claims of misconduct. The lawsuit could be filed as soon as today.
• Fannie, Freddie could face major reform. The White House is considering a plan that would strip hundreds of billions of dollars in troubled assets from Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE). The assets would be placed in a government-backed 'bad bank,' leaving Fannie and Freddie with healthy balance sheets while the 'bad bank' would try to collect as much of the outstanding loan balances as possible. A White House spokesman said "it should come as no surprise that the administration is thinking through [government-sponsored enterprises] reform," but no final decisions have been made. Premarket: FNM +4.1%, FRE +7.5% (7:00 ET).
• BNY Mellon bids TARP adieu. Bank of New York Mellon (BK) became the sixth big lender to exit TARP by paying $136M to buy back its government warrants. The repurchase price was below the $160M estimated by the Congressional Oversight Panel, but by the bank's calculations, the government received a 12% annualized return on its investment.
• Google ogles web video. Google (GOOG) agreed to acquire On2 Technologies (ONT) in an all-stock deal worth $106.5M. Google, which already owns popular web video site YouTube, hopes the deal will bring it closer to its goal of being an innovator in web video. Separately, Google sold its radio-ad placement technology to WideOrbit Inc., a small San Francisco company. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
• CF sweetens offer. CF Industries (CF) raised its all-stock offer for Terra Industries (TRA) to $3.7B, a 29% premium to Terra's Wednesday close, and said it's prepared to return at least $1B in cash to Terra's shareholders if the deal goes through. Agrium (AGU) said it remains committed to acquiring CF Industries.
• SEC plans to muscle up. The SEC is planning to issue more subpoenas and provide individuals with greater incentives to cooperate with investigations, in part by submitting more requests for immunity. As part of its efforts to increase financial oversight, the SEC also plans to create a new office to monitor incoming tips, and to create new units to investigate cases involving asset management, foreign corrupt practices, market abuses, municipal securities and public pensions, and structured products.
• News Corp. still waiting for recovery. News Corp. (NWS.A) posted a quarterly loss (see details below), hurt by a fall in advertising and charges related to its MySpace site. Though CEO Rupert Murdoch told investors 'the worst may be behind us,' he also warned that "there are no clear signs yet of a fast economic recovery" and the next few months will be difficult. Murdoch also said News Corp. plans to charge for all its news websites: "Quality journalism is not cheap, and an industry that gives away its content is simply cannibalizing its ability to produce good reporting."
• Treasury tips towards TIPS. The Treasury will increase the sale of TIPS, inflation-protected bonds, in response to growing demand from China and other investors. The decision is part of a broader effort to make sure the U.S. can finance its burgeoning budget deficit.
• Taylor Bean stops lending. Taylor Bean & Whitaker, which was suspended earlier this week from making Federal Housing Administration loans, will cease operations and won't fund mortgages in its pipeline. The failure of Taylor Bean, the country's 12th-largest mortgage lender, further consolidates an industry that is coming to be dominated by a handful of large banks.
• Bank of England boosts buyback plan. The Bank of England maintained its target rate at 0.5%, and increased its asset purchase program by £50B to £175B. Commenting on the inflation/deflation paradox, the central bank noted two conflicting sets of forces: "On the one hand, there is a considerable stimulus still working through from the easing in monetary and fiscal policy... On the other hand, the need for banks to continue repairing their balance sheets is likely to restrict the availability of credit, and past falls in asset prices and high levels of debt may weigh on spending."
• Monster employment dips down (.pdf). Monster's online employment index inched down in July, falling three points to 114 to reflect a seasonal dip in hiring patterns. Year on year, the index fell by 27%, the least in four months, indicating an improvement in underlying employer demand.
• Jobless data worse than expected. ADP employment was -371,000 in July vs. consensus of -350K. June's losses were revised to -463K. According to the Challenger, Gray & Christmas job report, firing announcements rose 31% in July to 97,373, marking the first monthly increase since January after June's 'surprisingly low' numbers. "While there are signs that the economy is stabilizing and the pace of layoffs slowing, we are still a long way from a full recovery."
• Factory orders inch up. June's Factory Orders rose +0.4% to $349B vs. -0.8% consensus. Last month orders were up 1.1%. Shipments increased 2.3% to $358B, the first gain in 11 months. Inventories decreased another 1.2% to $318B, the sixth straight month of shrinkage.

Earnings: Thursday Before Open

• Ameren (AEE): Q2 EPS of $0.75 beats by $0.08. Revenue of $1.7B (-6%) vs. $2B. (PR)
• Biovail (BVF): Q2 EPS of $0.50 vs. $0.34 consensus (may not be comparable). Revenue of $193.5M (+4%) vs. $191M. (PR)
• Brinker International (EAT): FQ4 EPS of $0.52 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $829M (-23%) vs. $853M. Issues downside EPS guidance for FQ1 of $0.12-0.14 vs. $0.29 consensus. Shares -7.3% premarket (8:00 ET). (PR)
• Canadian Natural Resource (CNQ): Q2 EPS of $1.18 beats by $0.08. Revenue of $2.5B (-43%) vs. $1.7B. (PR)
• Canadian Solar (CSIQ): Q2 EPS of $0.49 beats by $0.58. Revenue of $114M (-46%) vs. $94M. Shares +16.4% premarket (7:40 ET). (PR)
• Comcast (CMCSA): Q2 EPS of $0.33 beats by $0.07. Revenue of $8.9B (+4.5%) in-line. (PR)
• Continental Resources (CLR): Q2 EPS of $0.16 beats by $0.06. Revenue of $152M (-50%) vs. $131M. (PR)
• Delta Petroleum (DPTR): Q2 EPS of -$0.89 vs. -$0.14 consensus (may not be comparable). Revenue of $23M (-72%) vs. $25M. Shares -4% premarket (8:20 ET). (PR)
• Diana Shipping (DSX): Q2 EPS of $0.39 misses by $0.01. Revenue of $60M (-31%) vs. $57M. (PR)
• DirecTV Group (DTV): Q2 EPS of $0.40 misses by $0.03. Revenue of $5.2B (+9%) in-line. (PR)
• El Paso (EP): Q2 EPS of $0.25 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $973M (-16%) vs. $1.1B. (PR)
• Fuqi International (FUQI): Q2 EPS of $0.45 beats by $0.14. Revenue of $101M (+51%) vs. $93M. Shares +10.4% premarket (8:10 ET). (PR)
• GLG Partners (GLG): Q2 EPS of $0.26 beats by $0.22. Revenue of $86M (+263%) vs. $90M. (PR)
• Hospitality Properites Trust (HPT): Q2 EPS of $0.96 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $267M (-21%) vs. $278M. Shares -4.5% premarket (8:10 ET). (PR)
• Huntsman (HUN): Q2 EPS of -$0.27 misses by $0.14. Revenue of $1.9B (-36%) vs. $2B. Shares -4.9% premarket (8:10 ET). (PR)
• IAMGOLD Corp. (IAG): Q2 EPS of $0.15 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $225M (+0.1%) vs. $206M. (PR)
• King Pharmaceuticals (KG): Q2 EPS of $0.32 beats by $0.06. Revenue of $445M (+12%) vs. $438M. (PR)
• Lamar Advertising Company (LAMR): Q2 EPS of -$0.13 vs. consensus of -$0.12 (may not be comparable). Revenue of $275M (-15%) in-line. (PR)
• Lexington Realty Trust (LXP): Q2 EPS of $0.35 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $99M (-21%) vs. $98M. (PR)
• Linn Energy LLC (LINE): Q2 EPS of $0.45 beats by $0.06. "We believe that the Company is poised to continue to deliver positive results and to grow through additional acquisition opportunities." (PR)
• Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. (MPEL): Q2 EPS of -$0.30 misses by $0.17. Revenue of $216M (-44%) vs. $256M. Shares -3.9% premarket (8:10 ET). (PR)
• MetroPCS Communications (PCS): Q2 EPS of $0.07 misses by $0.07. Revenue of $860M (+27%) vs. $862M. (PR)
• MF Global (MF): FQ1 EPS of -$0.10 misses by $0.14. Revenue of $271.5M (-27.5%) vs. $271.3M. (PR)
• NASDAQ (NDAQ): Q2 EPS of $0.47 in-line. Revenue of $367M (-13%) vs. $369M. (PR)
• Plains Exploration & Production Company (PXP): Q2 EPS of $0.37 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $279M (-62%) vs. $326M. Shares -0.9% premarket (8:00 ET). (PR)
• Sirius XM Radio (SIRI): Q2 EPS of -$0.01 in-line. Revenue of $608M (+1.2%) in-line. Says cash operating expenses are 28% lower since the merger. Increases full-year income from operations guidance to $400M from $350M. (PR)
• Teradata (TDC): Q2 EPS of $0.36 beats by $0.11. Revenue of $421M (-7.5%) vs. $414M. (PR)
• Tetra Technologies (TTI): Q2 EPS of $0.24 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $218M (-28.4%) vs. $229M. Shares +0.75% premarket (8:10 ET). (PR)
• Wendy's/Arby's Group (WEN): Q2 EPS of $0.06 in-line. Revenue of $913M (+192%) vs. $928M. Shares +1% premarket (8:30 ET). (PR)
• Western Refining (WNR): Q2 EPS of -$0.11 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $1.6B (-53%) in-line. Shares -7.9% premarket (7:10 ET). (PR)
• Williams Companies (WMB): Q2 EPS of $0.24 beats by $0.08. Issues in-line EPS guidance for FY '09 of $0.70-0.90 vs. $0.83 consensus. (PR)
• Windstream (WIN): Q2 EPS of $0.21 misses by $0.02. Revenue of $753M (-6%) vs. $754M. (PR)

Earnings: Wednesday After Close

• Activision (ATVI): Q2 EPS of $0.08 beats by $0.01. Sees Q3 EPS of $0.03 vs. $0.10. Sees Q3 revenue of $700M vs. $909M. Sees full-year EPS of $0.63 vs. $0.66 and revenue of $4.5B vs. $4.9B. Delaying launch of Singularity and Starcraft II into 2010. Revenue of $1B (+195%) vs. $801M. (PR)
• Allstate (ALL): Q2 EPS of $0.72 misses by $0.40. Revenue of $8.5B (+15%) vs. $8.2B. (PR)
• Amerco (UHAL): FQ1 EPS of $1.01 misses by $0.14. Revenue of $521M (-4%) vs. $515M. (PR)
• AmeriCredit (ACF): FQ4 EPS of $0.23 beats by $0.18. Revenue of $454M (-24%) vs. $413M. (PR)
• Atwood Oceanics (ATW): FQ3 EPS of $1.05 beats by $0.23. Revenue of $149M (+6%) vs. $142M. (PR)
• Brigham Exploration Company (BEXP): Q2 EPS of -$0.12 misses by $0.06. Revenue of $10.5M (-58%) vs. $15.2M. (PR)
• Career Education (CECO): Q2 EPS of $0.07 misses by $0.12. Revenue of $441M (+6%) vs. $419M. Increases stock buyback by $200M to $255.5M. (PR)
• CardioNet (BEAT): Q2 EPS of $0.11 beats by $0.06. Revenue of $38.3M (+30%) vs. $38.5M. (PR)
• Cisco Systems (CSCO): FQ4 EPS of $0.31 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $8.5B (-18%) in-line. (PR)
• Cooper Tire & Rubber (CTB): Q2 EPS of -$0.22 misses by $0.26. Revenue of $773M (+22%) vs. $659M. (PR)
• Corrections of America (CXW): Q2 EPS of $0.30 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $413M (+6%) vs. $411M. (PR)
• Eagle Bulk Shipping (EGLE): Q2 EPS of $0.26 in-line. Revenue of $53M (+42%) vs. $52M. (PR)
• General Cable (BGC): Q2 EPS of $1.02 beats by $0.20. Revenue of $1.1B (-17%) vs. $1.2B. Sees Q3 EPS of $0.45-0.55 vs. $0.72. (PR)
• Great Plains Energy (GXP): Q2 EPS of $0.26 beats by $0.13. Revenue of $481M vs. $495M. (PR)
• Health Care REIT (HCN): Q2 EPS of $0.80 in-line. Revenue of $142M (+10%) vs. $140M. (PR)
• ION Geophysical (IO): Q2 EPS of -$0.05 in-line. Revenue of $101M (-44%) vs. $145M. Sees full-year EPS of -$0.09 to -$0.19 vs. -$0.05. Sees full-year revenue of $450M-500M vs. $534M. (PR)
• MBIA (MBI): Q2 EPS of $4.30 not comparable to consensus of -$0.92. (PR)
• Murphy Oil (MUR): Q2 EPS of $0.83 may not be comparable to consensus $0.65. Revenue of $4.6B (-45%) vs. $4B. (PR)
• Nationwide Health Properties (NHP): Q2 FFO of $0.61 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $97M (+5%) vs. $94M. (PR)
• News Corp. (NWS.A): FQ4 EPS of -$0.08 misses by $0.26. Revenue of $7.7B (-11%) vs. $7.6B. (PR)
• ON Semiconductor (ONNN): Q2 EPS of $0.09 beats by $0.07. Revenue of $420M (-25%) vs. $406M. Sees Q3 revenue of $445M-455M vs. $428M. (PR)
• Orient-Express Hotels (OEH): Q2 EPS of -$0.04 misses by $0.14. Revenue of $132M (-26%) vs. $138M. (PR)
• Prudential Financial (PRU): Q2 EPS of $1.88 beats by $0.68. Revenue of $6.3B (-8%) vs. $6.6B. Sees full-year EPS of $5.00-5.20 vs. $4.72. (PR)
• Redwood Trust (RWT): Q2 EPS of $0.10 misses by $0.13. Net interest income of $35M. (PR)
• Regency Centers (REG): Q2 FFO before impairments of $0.61 beats by $0.32. Net loss attributable to common stockholders of $17.2M. (PR)
• Service International (SCI): Q2 EPS of $0.12 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $514M (-6%) vs. $494M. Raises full-year EPS guidance to $0.36-0.42 from $0.26-0.36 vs. $0.32. (PR)
• Sunoco (SUN): Q2 EPS of -$0.27 misses by $0.15. Revenue of $7.5B (-51%) vs. $12B. (PR)
• Sunstone Hotel Investors (SHO): Q2 FFO of $0.22 misses by $0.11. Revenue of $187M (-23%) vs. $196M. (PR)
• Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX): Q2 EPS of -$0.99 misses by $0.16. Revenue of $19M (-73%) vs. $33M. (PR)

Today's Markets

Asian markets closed mixed but European markets are starting the day in the black. U.S. futures, once again, are sending no clear signals.

As stated on April 27 of this year in my blog post U.S. Futures Looking Dismal but Possible Swine Flu Profit Play, I gave you a look at how the media plays a role in helping stocks performance over a period of time. Since then the H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) has been declared a pandemic. Although I don't expect the media to be reporting about the Swine Flu too much over the next week or two, unless something drastic happens (due to other stories that have crept up recently), this is still an issue we have to deal with, and don't think drug companies have stopped the R&D process on finding another pill.

I was doing my nightly research and I noticed an unbelievable amount of stocks from the healthcare sector (Biotech and Drugs) which have been strong the last 30 days (Swine Flu has been a popular topic in the media over the past 30 days, but note that all of the companies in this article are not trying to develop a vaccine for the Swine Flu, but are in the healthcare sector), and are still demonstrating strength on the technical level. The ratio used in evaluating these stocks is called the Bull:Bear ratio, which is defined on my blog post Bull Bear Ratio Defined. I don't like using just one piece of software so I go to another source which is Investor's Business Daily (IBD) as they give a very nice composite rating for these stocks. For details on how IBD ranks these stocks check out my blog post One of My Methods to Finding Bullish Stocks.

For investors concerned with the potential for inflation here at home, companies that derive a significant portion of revenues from outside the U.S. may be of interest. Based on The Applied Finance Group’s valuation model, we found 10 attractive ADRs, as well as 10 unnatractive ADRs, with a market cap greater than $1 billion that derived more than 50% of sales from outside the U.S. in the most recent fiscal year.

An ADR (American Depositary Receipt) is a stock that trades in the U.S. but represents a specified number of shares in a foreign corporation. ADRs are bought and sold on American markets just like regular stocks, and are issued/sponsored in the U.S. by a bank or brokerage, making it easier for Americans to invest in foreign companies.

Drug and biotech stocks have underperformed in the recent market rally, but recent high profile investor conferences and positive FDA announcements have the group buzzing once again. Mergers and acquisitions have been in focus, and investors are always trying to find the next target.

I recommend looking to foreign soil for the next potential biotech acquisition, which is further backed up by recent comments by Pfizer (PFE) saying it is looking for acquisitions in emerging markets and the Middle East.

At the end of each trading week, Hillbent scans for the equity market for potential anomalies which exhibit extremely oversold and overbought conditions. Past observations have revealed that such candidates may experience reversal corrections to the upside or downside once the market reconfirms that their fundamentals remain solidly intact or relatively poor. From a contrarian perspective, these lists may also serve as a precursor to changes in institutional sentiment and underlying fundamentals.

(The purpose of this report is not to provide specific recommendations, but instead serve as a time-saving reference tool and starting point for investment ideas as the upcoming trading week unfolds. Of course, the results generated are not always perfect and users are strongly encouraged to perform their own due diligence on these names. Note that overbought and oversold conditions are based upon proprietary algorithms and quantitative models instead of conventional technical analysis indicators. As a supplement to this report, please refer to our Market Condition Summary to determine if market direction trends support a bullish or bearish investment bias over short-term, intermediate, and long-term timeframes.)

Biovail (BVF) is in the business of selling generic drugs. Over the past 5 years, Biovail lost its way. It depended on to a number of "blockbusters" that simply did not perform to expectations. It generated growth by acquiring.

Biovail Corp. (BVF) struck a $200-million deal Monday to acquire worldwide rights for Tetrabenzene products, which treat Huntington's disease, and analysts consider it to be a logical move for the Toronto-based drugmaker. After all, Biovail already owned the marketing rights in Canada and the United States, and this continues the company's strategy of expanding in the central nervous system (CNS) disorder market.

But Paradigm Capital analyst Claude Camiré noted that the transaction will be "minimally accretive" in fiscal 2009 and add just $23-million to $26-million in operating cash flow in fiscal 2010. But he also pointed out that it improves the economics for the U.S. market.

Biovail Corp.'s (BVF) latest rights acquisition is right on strategy, but whether it proves profitable will likely remain unknown for some time to come, says UBS analyst Marc Goodman.

On Monday, Biovail entered into an agreement with Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ACAD), to co-develop Acadia's experimental drug for Parkinson's disease psychosis (PDP) and Alzheimer's disease psychosis (ADP) in the United States and Canada. Acadia will receive an upfront $30-million cash payment from Biovail and is entitled to receive milestone payments totaling more than $300-million.

• Revenue fell to $181.5 million from $203.9 million a year earlier, hurt by declining sales of key treatments.
• Considers nominating new members to the board and change some corporate governance provisions.
• 76 cents a share, during the quarter, compared with a loss of $32 million, or 20 cents a share a year earlier
• Excluding charges, earned 34 cents a share, down from $72.5 million, or 45 cents a share
  

Overall, Biovail (BVF) was showing weak results due to competition from generic drugs. For example, sales of its Wellbutrin antidepressant drug fell 66%. Revenue for Ultram, its chronic pain treatment, fell almost 25%.

With the extreme ups and downs in the stock market these days, investors are looking for high dividends in order to provide some stability and income. However, for safety, investors also want companies that have no debt.

WallStreetNewsNetwork.com came up with a list of 35 different debt free stocks with dividends over 4%. Most of these stocks have price earnings ratios below 18 and price earnings to growth ratios below 1.8. WSNN.com also has other interesting lists such as stocks selling below cash.

If you are looking for the perfect stock, these days you might ignore the P/E ratios and the PEG ratios, and look for stocks with large amounts of cash, no debt, and pay a high dividend. These types of stocks are considered to be the best ones to weather a severe recession. According to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are 35 stocks that are debt free, with plenty of cash, and dividend yields between 1% and 18.5%.

Biovail Corp (BVF) is a pharmaceutical company which develops treatments for central nervous system disorders, pain management, and cardiovascular diseases. They currently have 354.1 million in cash, giving them $2.23 in cash per share. The stock has a forward P/E of 7.1 and pays a yield of 18.%.

Q2 2008 Earnings Call

August 13, 2008 8:30 am ET