• NYSE down 65.8 (0.9%) to 6,643.24.
• DJIA down 47.9 (0.5%) to 9,496.
• S&P 500 down 8.3 (0.8%) to 1,021.
• Nasdaq down 19.7 (0.9%) to 2,009.

GLOBAL SENTIMENT

“Virgin Atlantic boss warns no airlines will make money this year.”

Q2 2009 Earnings Call

May 11, 2009 1:00 pm ET

Q4 2008 Earnings Call

January 13, 2009 12:00 pm ET

F3Q08 Earnings Call

August 19, 2008 1:00 pm ET

• Housing slump hurts Home Depot. Profits at Home Depot (HD) fell for the eighth straight quarter as a severe housing slump takes its toll on America's biggest home-improvement chain. EPS still beat expectations (see below). HD said it's comfortable with the low-end of its previous outlook - that 2008 EPS will fall 19-24%. Same-store sales fell 7.9%, steeper than the 5.3% drop reported by Lowe's (LOW) yesterday; the comparison has been a point of contention among investors.
• Nymex agrees to CME Group merger. After a twelve month courtship, Nymex Holdings (NMX) shareholders approved the CME Group's (CME) $8.3B takeover bid Monday. The deal cements CME's status as the world's largest derivatives market. CME will pay $36 cash and 0.1323 of its shares for each Nymex share. The combined company may be able to save as much as $100M/year in costs, and will guarantee around 98% of the exchange-listed futures that are traded in the U.S. In AH trading, CME gained 1% and NMX was up 1.7%.
After you finish reading Wall Street BreakfastSeeking Alpha's Market Currentswill keep you current all day long.
• General Dynamics to buy Jet Aviation. General Dynamics (GD) has agreed to buy Jet Aviation, a privately-held business-plane fitter, for $2.25B. The boards of directors for both companies have already approved the deal; the acquisition should be completed by the end of the year.
• Game developers agree to remain friends. EA (ERTS) dropped its $2B, $25.74/share hostile bid for Take-Two Interactive (TTWO), but said it will meet with TTWO. "EA is throwing an olive branch out there," analyst Michael Pachter says. If TTWO management is smart, he says, they'll negotiate a $26-27/share bid "and come out as heroes." TTWO says it's not averse to staying independent, and continues to feel the bid undervalued its shares. TTWO was off 4.4% Monday. ERTS fell 1%.
• Lehman markets prized division. Lehman Brothers (LEH) has approached potential bidders, possibly Blackstone (BX), in an attempt to sell the firm's prized investment-management division, including the Neuberger Berman unit. The money management division could be worth as much as $8-10B; the structure of any potential deal remains unclear. Lehman's efforts come as analysts predict Q3 losses of at least $1.8B and the company seeks to ease capital pressures.
• FHA mortgage apps triple. The government-insured share of mortgage applications tripled in the past year, to 29.1% of all mortgage applications accepted last month, up from 8.4% in July 2007 and 9.4% in January - as borrowers increasingly turn to the FHA for loans. Reasons for the jump include the FHA's increased loan limits, a huge jump in conventional-to-FHA refinancings, smaller down-payments and easier credit requirements.
• Labor gets more expensive. Growth in labor costs accelerated in most developed economies during the first three months of the year. The OECD reported a 0.5% rise in industrial labor costs, vs. a 0.1% increase in the last three months of 2007. U.S. costs were up 0.3%, euro-zone +0.2% and Japan +0.6%. The acceleration will worry central bankers, who fear inflationary pressure could lead workers to press for higher pay, leading to further price increases.
• Crude slides as Fay fears fade. Crude oil fell Monday, and continues to drop in overnight trading as tropical storm Fay circumvents Gulf of Mexico oil rigs and tanker traffic as it heads for the West Florida coast. September crude fell $0.90 (-0.8%) to $112.87 a barrel, and is off another 0.9% to $111.90 at 6:20 AM.
• Strange volatility surrounds naked-shorts rule. The temporarily halt of naked short sales in the shares of Fannie Mae (FNM), Freddie Mac (FRE) and 17 other financials drove up stock borrowing and increased stock-loan market volatility, a new study concludes. Stock loans for the 19 firms more than doubled, a "substantial and remarkable" rise. Still, two-thirds of the borrowed shares were returned before restrictions were lifted on Aug. 12, suggesting brokers may have overanticipated demand - and possibly indicating there was not much naked shorting going on.
• Bats prepares to challenge NYSE and Nasdaq. Electronic-trading network BATS received SEC approval to operate a stock exchange that will compete against the NYSE and Nasdaq. BATS plans to offer discounted trading fees and promises faster order execution.

Earnings: Tuesday Before Open

• Home Depot (HD): Q2 EPS of $0.71 beats by $0.10. Revenue of $21B vs. $20.58B. Same-store sales fell 7.9%. Sees 2008 EPS down 24%, vs. a previous 19-24%. [PR]
• Mesa Air Group (MESA): FQ3 EPS of -$0.09 misses by $0.02. Revenue of $354M vs. $327.5M. [PR]

Today's Markets

• Asia markets closed lower, save for a much-needed bounce in Shanghai. Nikkei -2.28% to 12,865. Hang Seng -2.13% to 20,484. Shanghai +1.06% to 2,344. BSE -0.7% to 14,544.
• Europe is down sharply at midday, mirroring yesterday's U.S. drop. London -1.4%. Paris -1.6%. Frankfure -1.3%.
• U.S. futures are all lower. Dow -0.37%. S&P -0.35%. Nasdaq -0.35%.
• Crude -0.5% to $112.31. Gold -0.66% to $800.40. Platinum -4.15% to 1,336.

Tuesday's economic calendar:

• 7:45 ICSC Retail Store Sales
  8:30 Housing Starts - consensus 0.95M
  8:30 Producer Price Index - consensus M/M 0.5%
  8:55 Redbook Chain Store Sales
  10:00 State Street Investor Confidence Index
  
10:00 Fed's Fisher speaks on economy
5:00 PM ABC Consumer Confidence Index
• Notable earnings before Tuesday's open: HD, MDT, MYGN, SKS, SOL, TGT
• Notable earnings after Tuesday's close: ADI, HPQ, NVTL

Seeking Alpha editor Rachael Granby contributed to this post.


Get Wall Street Breakfast by email -- it's free and takes only seconds to sign up.]]> Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:20:08 -0400 SA Editor Eli Hoffmann
• Housing slump hurts Home Depot. Profits at Home Depot (HD) fell for the eighth straight quarter as a severe housing slump takes its toll on America's biggest home-improvement chain. EPS still beat expectations (see below). HD said it's comfortable with the low-end of its previous outlook - that 2008 EPS will fall 19-24%. Same-store sales fell 7.9%, steeper than the 5.3% drop reported by Lowe's (LOW) yesterday; the comparison has been a point of contention among investors.
• Nymex agrees to CME Group merger. After a twelve month courtship, Nymex Holdings (NMX) shareholders approved the CME Group's (CME) $8.3B takeover bid Monday. The deal cements CME's status as the world's largest derivatives market. CME will pay $36 cash and 0.1323 of its shares for each Nymex share. The combined company may be able to save as much as $100M/year in costs, and will guarantee around 98% of the exchange-listed futures that are traded in the U.S. In AH trading, CME gained 1% and NMX was up 1.7%.
After you finish reading Wall Street BreakfastSeeking Alpha's Market Currentswill keep you current all day long.
• General Dynamics to buy Jet Aviation. General Dynamics (GD) has agreed to buy Jet Aviation, a privately-held business-plane fitter, for $2.25B. The boards of directors for both companies have already approved the deal; the acquisition should be completed by the end of the year.
• Game developers agree to remain friends. EA (ERTS) dropped its $2B, $25.74/share hostile bid for Take-Two Interactive (TTWO), but said it will meet with TTWO. "EA is throwing an olive branch out there," analyst Michael Pachter says. If TTWO management is smart, he says, they'll negotiate a $26-27/share bid "and come out as heroes." TTWO says it's not averse to staying independent, and continues to feel the bid undervalued its shares. TTWO was off 4.4% Monday. ERTS fell 1%.
• Lehman markets prized division. Lehman Brothers (LEH) has approached potential bidders, possibly Blackstone (BX), in an attempt to sell the firm's prized investment-management division, including the Neuberger Berman unit. The money management division could be worth as much as $8-10B; the structure of any potential deal remains unclear. Lehman's efforts come as analysts predict Q3 losses of at least $1.8B and the company seeks to ease capital pressures.
• FHA mortgage apps triple. The government-insured share of mortgage applications tripled in the past year, to 29.1% of all mortgage applications accepted last month, up from 8.4% in July 2007 and 9.4% in January - as borrowers increasingly turn to the FHA for loans. Reasons for the jump include the FHA's increased loan limits, a huge jump in conventional-to-FHA refinancings, smaller down-payments and easier credit requirements.
• Labor gets more expensive. Growth in labor costs accelerated in most developed economies during the first three months of the year. The OECD reported a 0.5% rise in industrial labor costs, vs. a 0.1% increase in the last three months of 2007. U.S. costs were up 0.3%, euro-zone +0.2% and Japan +0.6%. The acceleration will worry central bankers, who fear inflationary pressure could lead workers to press for higher pay, leading to further price increases.
• Crude slides as Fay fears fade. Crude oil fell Monday, and continues to drop in overnight trading as tropical storm Fay circumvents Gulf of Mexico oil rigs and tanker traffic as it heads for the West Florida coast. September crude fell $0.90 (-0.8%) to $112.87 a barrel, and is off another 0.9% to $111.90 at 6:20 AM.
• Strange volatility surrounds naked-shorts rule. The temporarily halt of naked short sales in the shares of Fannie Mae (FNM), Freddie Mac (FRE) and 17 other financials drove up stock borrowing and increased stock-loan market volatility, a new study concludes. Stock loans for the 19 firms more than doubled, a "substantial and remarkable" rise. Still, two-thirds of the borrowed shares were returned before restrictions were lifted on Aug. 12, suggesting brokers may have overanticipated demand - and possibly indicating there was not much naked shorting going on.
• Bats prepares to challenge NYSE and Nasdaq. Electronic-trading network BATS received SEC approval to operate a stock exchange that will compete against the NYSE and Nasdaq. BATS plans to offer discounted trading fees and promises faster order execution.

Earnings: Tuesday Before Open

• Home Depot (HD): Q2 EPS of $0.71 beats by $0.10. Revenue of $21B vs. $20.58B. Same-store sales fell 7.9%. Sees 2008 EPS down 24%, vs. a previous 19-24%. [PR]
• Mesa Air Group (MESA): FQ3 EPS of -$0.09 misses by $0.02. Revenue of $354M vs. $327.5M. [PR]

Today's Markets

• Asia markets closed lower, save for a much-needed bounce in Shanghai. Nikkei -2.28% to 12,865. Hang Seng -2.13% to 20,484. Shanghai +1.06% to 2,344. BSE -0.7% to 14,544.
• Europe is down sharply at midday, mirroring yesterday's U.S. drop. London -1.4%. Paris -1.6%. Frankfure -1.3%.
• U.S. futures are all lower. Dow -0.37%. S&P -0.35%. Nasdaq -0.35%.
• Crude -0.5% to $112.31. Gold -0.66% to $800.40. Platinum -4.15% to 1,336.

Tuesday's economic calendar:

• 7:45 ICSC Retail Store Sales
  8:30 Housing Starts - consensus 0.95M
  8:30 Producer Price Index - consensus M/M 0.5%
  8:55 Redbook Chain Store Sales
  10:00 State Street Investor Confidence Index
  
10:00 Fed's Fisher speaks on economy
5:00 PM ABC Consumer Confidence Index
• Notable earnings before Tuesday's open: HD, MDT, MYGN, SKS, SOL, TGT
• Notable earnings after Tuesday's close: ADI, HPQ, NVTL

Seeking Alpha editor Rachael Granby contributed to this post.


Get Wall Street Breakfast by email -- it's free and takes only seconds to sign up.
Complete Story »]]> BX CME DIA ERTS FNM FRE GD GLD HD LEH LOW MESA NMX QQQQ SPY TTWO USO SA Editor Eli Hoffmann http://seekingalpha.com/article/83196-wall-street-breakfast-must-know-news?source=feed 83196
• UBS downsizing? Shares of Swiss bank UBS (UBS) fell more than 4% after sources "with direct knowledge" told Reuters it is mulling a sale of its U.S. wealth management business Paine Webber, which it bought eight years ago for about $10B. "Two years ago, it was almost unthinkable that they would sell it," analyst Peter Thorne said. "It is not exactly the family silver but almost. In my mind, it has been slated for disposal ever since the crisis broke."
• France Telecom, TeliaSonera part ways. France Telecom (FTE) abandoned its $42B bid for Nordic telecom carrier TeliaSonera. The two boards were unable to see eye-to-eye. France Telecom opened up 8.8% in Paris this morning; Telia opened down 14% in Stockholm. FTE was reluctant to substantially raise its bid after shareholders sold its shares down 20% since it announced the offer on June 5.
• ArcelorMittal mulls joining the iron ore skirmish. Global steel producer ArcelorMittal (MT) is thinking about taking a stake in Rio Tinto (RTP) in order to secure more iron ore, possibly by purchasing shares on the open market. A more prudent course might be to wait things out until antitrust authorities weigh in on BHP Billiton's (BHP) $160B bid for Rio Tinto, and possible buy some of Rio's iron ore assets that regulators will likely force it to sell.
After you finish reading Wall Street BreakfastSeeking Alpha's Market Currentswill keep you current all day long.
• Rhapsody goes DRM-free. Yet another company hopes to dethrone Apple's (AAPL) iTunes store. Like Amazon.com's (AMZN) online music store, RealNetworks' (RNWK) Rhapsody is doing away with DRM (digital rights management), which limits what buyers can do with the tunes they buy - a move that will enable users to play their music on their iPods. "We're no longer competing with the iPod," VP Neil Smith says. "We're embracing it." It is also partnering with Yahoo (YHOO), MTV (VIA), Verizon (VZ) and others to distribute its music. Rhapsody's MP3 store will allow buyers to preview an entire track (vs. 30 seconds) before paying. Prices will be about $0.99/song and $9.99/album. The first 100,000 to sign up get $10 in credits.
• Forced teamwork. Sources say Citigroup (C) is changing its management bonus system to incentivize department managers to work together to win business. If senior managers see their compensation tied to the performance of other parts of the bank, they may do a better job of risk management, CreditSights' David Hendler says. "People will give more thought to the impact of their actions not just on their group, but on the whole company."
• Google recreates mass media. Google (GOOG) is partnering with Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane to launch an innovative internet syndication initiative. Google will use its AdSense network to broadcast 50 two-minute internet-only episodes of "Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy" to thousands of targeted websites. Ad clips will include prerolls, banners, or simple 'brought to you by' notices. The initiative, which it calls Google Content Network, "will surely send shock waves through the entertainment business" if successful.
• Stormy future for property insurers. U.S. bad weather has already cost property insurers more than $5B this quarter - equal to about 3/4 of 2007's total catastrophe claims. A lull in insurance pricing continues to reduce the companies premiums, which could leave them in an even worse situation by the time the storm season subsides. 40% of insurers reported losses and expenses ate up virtually all their premium in Q1. (ALL, AIG, BRK.A, TRV)
• Delek goes bargain hunting. Israel-based Delek U.S. Holdings (DK) is in negotiations with a yet-unknown partner to buy a $1B U.S. refinery which produces 75,000-100,000 barrels/day.
• Paulson: Don't blame the speculators. Supply and demand, not speculators, are behind high oil prices, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said again Monday in Russia. There are no quick solutions to burdensome oil prices, he said.
• Eurozone inflation hit a record 4% in June, outdoing May's 3.7%, which was also a record. ECB officials have signalled they may bump interest rates to 4.25% from 4% to try and cool prices.

Today's Markets

• Asia markets were mainly lower Monday. Nikkei -0.46% to 13,481. Hang Seng +0.27% to 22,102. Shanghai -0.45% to 2,736. BSE Sensex -2.68% to 13,432.
• Europe: London +0.82%. Paris +0.13%. Frankfurt -0.82%.
• Futures at 7:15 AM: Dow -0.17%. S&P +0.04%. Nasdaq -0.25%. Crude +1.73% to $142.60. Gold +0.14% to $932.60.

Earnings: Before Open

• H&R Block (HRB): FQ4 EPS of $2.11 beats by $0.08. Revenue of $2.62B vs. $2.5B. Sees full-year EPS of $1.60–1.70, better than consensus of $1.58. Announces $2B, four-year share buyback. [PR]
• Mesa Air (MESA): Q2 EPS of -%0.15 misses by $0.10. Revenue of $320M (+8.1%) vs. $325M consensus. [PR]

Get Wall Street Breakfast by email -- it's free and takes only seconds to sign up.]]> Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:20:19 -0400 SA Editor Eli Hoffmann
• UBS downsizing? Shares of Swiss bank UBS (UBS) fell more than 4% after sources "with direct knowledge" told Reuters it is mulling a sale of its U.S. wealth management business Paine Webber, which it bought eight years ago for about $10B. "Two years ago, it was almost unthinkable that they would sell it," analyst Peter Thorne said. "It is not exactly the family silver but almost. In my mind, it has been slated for disposal ever since the crisis broke."
• France Telecom, TeliaSonera part ways. France Telecom (FTE) abandoned its $42B bid for Nordic telecom carrier TeliaSonera. The two boards were unable to see eye-to-eye. France Telecom opened up 8.8% in Paris this morning; Telia opened down 14% in Stockholm. FTE was reluctant to substantially raise its bid after shareholders sold its shares down 20% since it announced the offer on June 5.
• ArcelorMittal mulls joining the iron ore skirmish. Global steel producer ArcelorMittal (MT) is thinking about taking a stake in Rio Tinto (RTP) in order to secure more iron ore, possibly by purchasing shares on the open market. A more prudent course might be to wait things out until antitrust authorities weigh in on BHP Billiton's (BHP) $160B bid for Rio Tinto, and possible buy some of Rio's iron ore assets that regulators will likely force it to sell.
After you finish reading Wall Street BreakfastSeeking Alpha's Market Currentswill keep you current all day long.
• Rhapsody goes DRM-free. Yet another company hopes to dethrone Apple's (AAPL) iTunes store. Like Amazon.com's (AMZN) online music store, RealNetworks' (RNWK) Rhapsody is doing away with DRM (digital rights management), which limits what buyers can do with the tunes they buy - a move that will enable users to play their music on their iPods. "We're no longer competing with the iPod," VP Neil Smith says. "We're embracing it." It is also partnering with Yahoo (YHOO), MTV (VIA), Verizon (VZ) and others to distribute its music. Rhapsody's MP3 store will allow buyers to preview an entire track (vs. 30 seconds) before paying. Prices will be about $0.99/song and $9.99/album. The first 100,000 to sign up get $10 in credits.
• Forced teamwork. Sources say Citigroup (C) is changing its management bonus system to incentivize department managers to work together to win business. If senior managers see their compensation tied to the performance of other parts of the bank, they may do a better job of risk management, CreditSights' David Hendler says. "People will give more thought to the impact of their actions not just on their group, but on the whole company."
• Google recreates mass media. Google (GOOG) is partnering with Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane to launch an innovative internet syndication initiative. Google will use its AdSense network to broadcast 50 two-minute internet-only episodes of "Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy" to thousands of targeted websites. Ad clips will include prerolls, banners, or simple 'brought to you by' notices. The initiative, which it calls Google Content Network, "will surely send shock waves through the entertainment business" if successful.
• Stormy future for property insurers. U.S. bad weather has already cost property insurers more than $5B this quarter - equal to about 3/4 of 2007's total catastrophe claims. A lull in insurance pricing continues to reduce the companies premiums, which could leave them in an even worse situation by the time the storm season subsides. 40% of insurers reported losses and expenses ate up virtually all their premium in Q1. (ALL, AIG, BRK.A, TRV)
• Delek goes bargain hunting. Israel-based Delek U.S. Holdings (DK) is in negotiations with a yet-unknown partner to buy a $1B U.S. refinery which produces 75,000-100,000 barrels/day.
• Paulson: Don't blame the speculators. Supply and demand, not speculators, are behind high oil prices, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said again Monday in Russia. There are no quick solutions to burdensome oil prices, he said.
• Eurozone inflation hit a record 4% in June, outdoing May's 3.7%, which was also a record. ECB officials have signalled they may bump interest rates to 4.25% from 4% to try and cool prices.

Today's Markets

• Asia markets were mainly lower Monday. Nikkei -0.46% to 13,481. Hang Seng +0.27% to 22,102. Shanghai -0.45% to 2,736. BSE Sensex -2.68% to 13,432.
• Europe: London +0.82%. Paris +0.13%. Frankfurt -0.82%.
• Futures at 7:15 AM: Dow -0.17%. S&P +0.04%. Nasdaq -0.25%. Crude +1.73% to $142.60. Gold +0.14% to $932.60.

Earnings: Before Open

• H&R Block (HRB): FQ4 EPS of $2.11 beats by $0.08. Revenue of $2.62B vs. $2.5B. Sees full-year EPS of $1.60–1.70, better than consensus of $1.58. Announces $2B, four-year share buyback. [PR]
• Mesa Air (MESA): Q2 EPS of -%0.15 misses by $0.10. Revenue of $320M (+8.1%) vs. $325M consensus. [PR]

Get Wall Street Breakfast by email -- it's free and takes only seconds to sign up.
Complete Story »]]> AAPL AMZN BHP C DIA DK FTE GLD GOOG HRB MESA MT QQQQ RNWK RTP SPY UBS USO VIA VZ YHOO SA Editor Eli Hoffmann http://seekingalpha.com/article/82575-looking-for-action-s-p-1500-most-volatile-stocks?source=feed 82575 For traders with a more short-term time horizon, we have compiled a list of the S&P 1500 stocks that have the largest intraday high-low ranges (based on the average percent spread between the intraday high and low over the last fifty days). We then grouped the stocks based on whether they have a rising or falling 50-day moving average. Stocks highlighted in gray are new to the list this month.

As the table shows, most of the stocks on the list are trading in the single digits, and while percentages are the same no matter what the price, some traders will avoid stocks trading that low in price.  With that in mind, we have also included a list of the most volatile stocks trading above $10 per share.  For this list, we have only included the ten most volatile names with rising 50-day moving averages and the ten most volatile names with falling 50-day moving averages.

]]> Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:13:33 -0400 Bespoke Investment Group Hickey and Walters (Bespoke) submit:

For traders with a more short-term time horizon, we have compiled a list of the S&P 1500 stocks that have the largest intraday high-low ranges (based on the average percent spread between the intraday high and low over the last fifty days). We then grouped the stocks based on whether they have a rising or falling 50-day moving average. Stocks highlighted in gray are new to the list this month.

As the table shows, most of the stocks on the list are trading in the single digits, and while percentages are the same no matter what the price, some traders will avoid stocks trading that low in price.  With that in mind, we have also included a list of the most volatile stocks trading above $10 per share.  For this list, we have only included the ten most volatile names with rising 50-day moving averages and the ten most volatile names with falling 50-day moving averages.


Complete Story »]]> DWNFQ.PK ABK CSAR CTX FBTXQ.PK IDMCQ.PK LEH LNN MBI MESA MHO MRCY MTH NLS PSS RDN ROIAK SPF TGIC TRX.B XRIT YRCW Bespoke Investment Group http://seekingalpha.com/article/78328-looking-for-some-action-most-volatile-stocks?source=feed 78328 For traders with a more short-term time horizon, we have compiled a list of the S&P 1500 stocks that have the largest intraday high-low ranges (based on the average percent spread between the intraday high and low over the last fifty days). We then grouped the stocks based on whether they have a rising or falling 50-day moving average. Stocks highlighted in gray are new to the list this month.

Even though the market hit its recent lows 50 trading days ago, the majority of stocks in our list of most volatile stocks still have declining 50-day moving averages (10 rising, 40 falling). Two names of note on the list of most volatile stocks with rising 50-day averages are Fannie (FNM) and Freddie (FRE). Not only is it surprising that these stocks that were once considered 'safe' are now among the most volatile stocks in the market, but both have been in steady downtrends for a number of quarters, so the fact that their short-term moving averages are rising could (we stress could) indicate that things are looking up for these names.

]]> Wed, 21 May 2008 17:05:02 -0400 Bespoke Investment Group Hickey and Walters (Bespoke) submit:

For traders with a more short-term time horizon, we have compiled a list of the S&P 1500 stocks that have the largest intraday high-low ranges (based on the average percent spread between the intraday high and low over the last fifty days). We then grouped the stocks based on whether they have a rising or falling 50-day moving average. Stocks highlighted in gray are new to the list this month.

Even though the market hit its recent lows 50 trading days ago, the majority of stocks in our list of most volatile stocks still have declining 50-day moving averages (10 rising, 40 falling). Two names of note on the list of most volatile stocks with rising 50-day averages are Fannie (FNM) and Freddie (FRE). Not only is it surprising that these stocks that were once considered 'safe' are now among the most volatile stocks in the market, but both have been in steady downtrends for a number of quarters, so the fact that their short-term moving averages are rising could (we stress could) indicate that things are looking up for these names.


Complete Story »]]> ABK BGP BSC CENTA CIT CSAR CSK FBTXQ.PK FNM FRE IDMCQ.PK LAB MESA MGI MRCY MSC MTH NCC NLS RDN ROIAK SLM SPF TGIC XRIT YRCW Bespoke Investment Group http://seekingalpha.com/article/73720-the-best-and-worst-performing-stocks-in-the-u-s?source=feed 73720 Below we highlight the best and worst performing US equities so far this year. As shown, most of the winners fall under the "Micro-Cap" category, with Walter Industries (WLT) and McMoRan Exploration (MMR) being the only gainers with over $1b in capitalization. The losers include several former billion dollar companies, Ambac (ABK) and First Marblehead (FMD) probably the most notable.

MiddleBrook Biopharmaceuticals (MBRK), headquartered in Germantown, MD, has been the best performing US stock this year, up 255%. Keryx Pharmaceuticals (KERX), headquartered in New York, NYm has been the worst performing US stock, down 94.5% year to date.

]]> Thu, 24 Apr 2008 02:26:58 -0400 TickerSense Below we highlight the best and worst performing US equities so far this year. As shown, most of the winners fall under the "Micro-Cap" category, with Walter Industries (WLT) and McMoRan Exploration (MMR) being the only gainers with over $1b in capitalization. The losers include several former billion dollar companies, Ambac (ABK) and First Marblehead (FMD) probably the most notable.

MiddleBrook Biopharmaceuticals (MBRK), headquartered in Germantown, MD, has been the best performing US stock this year, up 255%. Keryx Pharmaceuticals (KERX), headquartered in New York, NYm has been the worst performing US stock, down 94.5% year to date.


Complete Story »]]> ABK AGIX AMPX BI CAO CKNN CWEI DEEP ENCY FINL FMD GBR GTOP IDARQ.PK IDIX IDMI IOMI IPA JRCC KERX MESA MGI MMR MODT NSTR NURO PP QTWW RHDC.PK SIRF STSI TA TMY VSCI WHRT WLSN WLT WSCI TickerSense http://seekingalpha.com/article/66164-stocks-with-the-largest-intraday-spreads?source=feed 66164 For traders with a more short-term time horizon, we have compiled a list of the S&P 1,500 stocks that have the largest intraday high-low ranges (based on the average percent spread between the intraday high and low over the last fifty days). We then grouped the stocks based on whether they have a rising or falling 50-day moving average. Stocks highlighted in gray are new to the list this month.

Overall, the two most volatile stocks in the S&P 1,500 are ABK and MBI. Over the last fifty days, these two names have had average intraday ranges of 20.24% and 16.94% respectively (imagine the mint you could make if you were able to successfully trade these stocks!).

]]> Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:58:02 -0500 Bespoke Investment Group Hickey and Walters (Bespoke) submit:

For traders with a more short-term time horizon, we have compiled a list of the S&P 1,500 stocks that have the largest intraday high-low ranges (based on the average percent spread between the intraday high and low over the last fifty days). We then grouped the stocks based on whether they have a rising or falling 50-day moving average. Stocks highlighted in gray are new to the list this month.

Overall, the two most volatile stocks in the S&P 1,500 are ABK and MBI. Over the last fifty days, these two names have had average intraday ranges of 20.24% and 16.94% respectively (imagine the mint you could make if you were able to successfully trade these stocks!).


Complete Story »]]> ABK BKUNA CFC CSAR CSK FBTXQ.PK FINL FMT GGC GVHR HOV IDMCQ.PK MBI MESA MGI MHO MTG MTH PMI RDN ROIAK SPF TGIC Bespoke Investment Group http://seekingalpha.com/article/61232-under-the-radar-news-wednesday?source=feed 61232 Bernanke's private horror stories. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has said 'off record' in recent weeks that the U.S. economic situation is much worse than he has admitted to publicly, and predicts the first six months of 2008 will be "bad."

Another 0.5% next week? Federal funds futures contracts predict at least another 25 basis point rate cut at next week's FOMC meeting, while a majority of traders think the Fed will follow yesterday's 0.75% cut with another 0.5% cut next week.

]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2008 10:02:12 -0500 SA Editor Eli Hoffmann Bernanke's private horror stories. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has said 'off record' in recent weeks that the U.S. economic situation is much worse than he has admitted to publicly, and predicts the first six months of 2008 will be "bad."

Another 0.5% next week? Federal funds futures contracts predict at least another 25 basis point rate cut at next week's FOMC meeting, while a majority of traders think the Fed will follow yesterday's 0.75% cut with another 0.5% cut next week.


Complete Story »]]> AAPL AMZN AUO CBS CSCO DELL DIA FNM GS HPQ JNPR LNVGY.PK LPL MC MESA MTG PMI QQQQ RDN SHLD SNE SPY SA Editor Eli Hoffmann http://seekingalpha.com/article/60139-mesa-f4q07-qtr-end-09-30-07-earnings-call-transcript?source=feed 60139 Mesa Air Group, Inc. (MESA)

F4Q07 Earnings Call

January 14, 2008 1:00 pm ET

]]> Mon, 14 Jan 2008 20:35:25 -0500 Mesa Air Group, Inc. (MESA)

F4Q07 Earnings Call

January 14, 2008 1:00 pm ET


Complete Story »]]> MESA http://seekingalpha.com/article/39180-21-airline-stocks-to-keep-you-flying-high-this-summer?source=feed 39180

Fortunately, there are several U.S.-based airlines from which to choose. Here are some worth investigating:

]]> Mon, 25 Jun 2007 04:59:19 -0400 Stockerblog Stockerblog submits: Vacationers who wish to travel long distances still use trains and automobiles, but planes are still the preferred mode of travel. If the price of oil drops, the airlines’ profit margins can increase significantly, depending on if, and how much fuel hedging it has done.

Fortunately, there are several U.S.-based airlines from which to choose. Here are some worth investigating:


Complete Story »]]> AAI ALGT ALK AMR CAL DAL FRNT GLUX.OB HA JBLU LCC LUV MAIR MEH MESA NWA PNCL RJET SKYW UAUA XJT Stockerblog http://seekingalpha.com/article/26044-mesa-air-group-we-need-to-fit-capacity-to-demand?source=feed 26044 On February 5, The Wall Street Transcript interviewed Jonathan G. Ornstein, Chairman and CEO of Mesa Air Group, Inc (MESA). Key excerpts follow:

TWST: Would you give us a brief historical sketch of the company and a picture of the things you are doing at the present time?

]]> Mon, 05 Feb 2007 06:15:51 -0500 The Wall Street Transcript On February 5, The Wall Street Transcript interviewed Jonathan G. Ornstein, Chairman and CEO of Mesa Air Group, Inc (MESA). Key excerpts follow:

TWST: Would you give us a brief historical sketch of the company and a picture of the things you are doing at the present time?


Complete Story »]]> MESA The Wall Street Transcript