Snapdragon: Is This Qualcomm-Apple Rumor True? [View article]
Look at how little the NAND Flash upgrade costs Apple vs. improvement in retail pricing. I appreciate manufacturers that put the microSD card slot on their products to let me get 32 GB microSD cards from SanDisk for under $20 retail. Go Android devices!!
Chesapeake (CHK) will no longer be run by Aubrey McClendon, but the company he founded is far from rid of him. He is entitled to ~$47M in total compensation, but the most enduring entanglement is his interests in up to 2.5% of ~45K producing wells, which could make it harder to structure a takeover deal. "It's hard for me to imagine anyone wanting to take it all on," Argus' Phil Weiss says. [View news story]
Southwestern Energy: Marcellus Assets Shine, Gas Fundamentals Challenge [View article]
I'm glad these gas companies are deciding to rush ahead and drill their best assets while prices are so terrible. That way they can not earn GAAP earnings and barely keep their heads above CF positive. But they please their masters on the street who have taught investors that all one should care about is production volume growth. Well done.
More on Apple: Topeka's Brian White, he of the $1,111 PT, claims "an insatiable appetite" exists for the iPad Mini in mainland China and Hong Kong, with checks indicating nearly all models are sold out in Hong Kong stores. He also claims Chinese iPhone 5 availability has improved, and that local resellers are calling it the most popular high-end smartphone. (previous) [View news story]
Will Apple Stay Premium In The Long Run? [View article]
It seems hard for people to believe that the coolness of Apple comes from exclusivity, that only the rich and cool have one. I agree that if you have more and more people who are able to afford the devices, regardless of who takes the hit, Apple or retailer, that at least some of the trendsetters are likely to move to something new. You don't want to have the same phone as the help does!
H-P (HPQ -0.6%) opens lower after Topeka's Brian White, best known for praising all things Apple, downgrades shares to Sell in response to their rally. H-P's product line issues, a weak IT spending environment, and Cisco and EMC's ambitions to become broader IT solutions providers are named as concerns. White also notes H-P's European exposure (EMEA was 36% of FQ4 sales), and says his firm believes "IT spending in the region has deteriorated further over the past few weeks." (yesterday) [View news story]
what's his price target on HPQ? My guess is $11.11
Newfield Exploration A Strong Buy For These Reasons [View article]
Short term voting machine that the market is doesn't like the growth decline. Longer term the management team gets my kudos for investing in higher cash flow oil, despite having to fight against a production volume decline from not investing in gas at a price that affords little to no returns on capital. Seems so foolish for COG and RRC to be willing to part with their non renewable assets because they are lucky enough to have hedged at slightly better prices. Ask yourself this, in the rest to show production growth from very quickly declining shale, what are you going to end up with COG and RRC if they barely have the return of capital??
A German site has leaked pricing for the Windows 8 Pro versions of Microsoft Surface (MSFT). The 64GB Surface Pro will reportedly have a local cost of €809 ($1,027) after including VAT, and the 128GB a cost of €909 ($1,160). At those prices (well above Surface RT's), Surface Pro, which uses an Intel Core i5 CPU, is likely to be a niche product. Especially since many OEMs are releasing cheaper and thinner (albeit less powerful) Windows 8 Pro devices based on Intel's Clover Trail Atom CPU. [View news story]
As weak U.S. gas prices drag down its earnings, Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A +2.2%) plans to boost profits by converting natural gas into road fuels like diesel, which it can sell at much higher prices. Selina Williams says only Shell can leverage its position as the world’s top producer of gas-to-liquid fuels, which can fill the tank of any car, to tap profits in the U.S. fuel market. [View news story]
Cramer's Lightning Round - I'm Starting To Believe In Walgreen (10/23/12) [View article]
I like Cramer's interview with Aubrey McClenden. Cramer admitted he withdrew his support because CHK wasn't going up. What a joke. Same with most of the rest of the names above going forward.
Things Might Not Be That Bad For Hewlett-Packard [View article]
Contrarians don't always have the right answer, but my view is that at current prices there is a 100% probability of a FCF decline to 5 billion being priced in.
Chesapeake Energy: It's Not Aubrey McClendon's Fault [View article]
I find it interesting that COG is pulling rigs out of NE PA and putting them to work in liquids despite their claims of 80% IRRs. Same for RRC. Natural gas is priced too low compared to its value in society.
Snapdragon: Is This Qualcomm-Apple Rumor True? [View article]
Chesapeake (CHK) will no longer be run by Aubrey McClendon, but the company he founded is far from rid of him. He is entitled to ~$47M in total compensation, but the most enduring entanglement is his interests in up to 2.5% of ~45K producing wells, which could make it harder to structure a takeover deal. "It's hard for me to imagine anyone wanting to take it all on," Argus' Phil Weiss says. [View news story]
Southwestern Energy: Marcellus Assets Shine, Gas Fundamentals Challenge [View article]
More on Apple: Topeka's Brian White, he of the $1,111 PT, claims "an insatiable appetite" exists for the iPad Mini in mainland China and Hong Kong, with checks indicating nearly all models are sold out in Hong Kong stores. He also claims Chinese iPhone 5 availability has improved, and that local resellers are calling it the most popular high-end smartphone. (previous) [View news story]
Will Apple Stay Premium In The Long Run? [View article]
H-P (HPQ -0.6%) opens lower after Topeka's Brian White, best known for praising all things Apple, downgrades shares to Sell in response to their rally. H-P's product line issues, a weak IT spending environment, and Cisco and EMC's ambitions to become broader IT solutions providers are named as concerns. White also notes H-P's European exposure (EMEA was 36% of FQ4 sales), and says his firm believes "IT spending in the region has deteriorated further over the past few weeks." (yesterday) [View news story]
Newfield Exploration A Strong Buy For These Reasons [View article]
A German site has leaked pricing for the Windows 8 Pro versions of Microsoft Surface (MSFT). The 64GB Surface Pro will reportedly have a local cost of €809 ($1,027) after including VAT, and the 128GB a cost of €909 ($1,160). At those prices (well above Surface RT's), Surface Pro, which uses an Intel Core i5 CPU, is likely to be a niche product. Especially since many OEMs are releasing cheaper and thinner (albeit less powerful) Windows 8 Pro devices based on Intel's Clover Trail Atom CPU. [View news story]
As weak U.S. gas prices drag down its earnings, Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A +2.2%) plans to boost profits by converting natural gas into road fuels like diesel, which it can sell at much higher prices. Selina Williams says only Shell can leverage its position as the world’s top producer of gas-to-liquid fuels, which can fill the tank of any car, to tap profits in the U.S. fuel market. [View news story]
Cramer's Lightning Round - I'm Starting To Believe In Walgreen (10/23/12) [View article]
The Real Natural Gas Production Decline [View article]
Southwestern Energy: U.S. Gas Production To Stay High For The Next 12-18 Months [View article]
Things Might Not Be That Bad For Hewlett-Packard [View article]
Chesapeake Energy: It's Not Aubrey McClendon's Fault [View article]
Buffett's Favorite Valuation Metric Goes Bullish [View article]