Archive for September, 2010
Zap Trade: Dozens of New Sites Now Offer Direct Access to Zecco Trade Ticket
Since we launched our latest trading tool Zap Trade back in May, thousands of Zecco customers have bought and sold millions of shares of stock directly from sites like Yahoo! Finance, Google Finance, MarketWatch, CNN Money, Bloomberg, and many more. With the free Zap Trade browser plug-in for Firefox, you get real-time stock quotes and [...]
AIG: Making Headway in Asset Sell-off
American International Group, Inc. (NYSE:AIG) is reported to be near selling two of its units to Prudential Financial Inc. (NYSE:PRU) for $4-$5 billion. The Wall Street Journal cites “people familiar with the matter” as its sources for the report. The sale would put another dent in the $90 billion or so that AIG still owes [...]
Yen Trouble, Japan Trouble
For several days in the past week, it looked like an intervention by the Japanese government would push the value of the yen from about 86 yen to a US dollar down to 84. But, it never dropped that far and appeared to be stuck at about 84.40. Still, Japan’s premier has indicated that the [...]
Chinese Premier Attacks US Yuan Policy
The battle between China and the US over the value of the yuan has become more economically violent. The Chinese premier Wen Jiabao said the yuan’s value is not the cause of the trade gap between the People’s Republic and the US. He argued, according to Reuters, “The main reason for the U.S. trade deficit [...]
It’s Official: Blockbuster Files for Bankruptcy (BLOKA)
Back in March 2010, when Blockbuster Inc. (OTC:BLOKA) filed its Form 10-K for the 2009 fiscal year, the company warned of “substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.” Those are the words that common stock holders never want to hear. Blockbuster shares lost more than 10% that day, and things have [...]
British Oil Company Strikes Oil in Greenland
British oil exploration and production company Cairn Energy has reported that it has discovered both natural gas and oil in an exploratory well off the west coast of Greenland. If this leads to an economically recoverable reservoir of oil, it will be the first ever successful well off Greenland’s coast. Seven wells have come up [...]
When The Gold Window Slammed Shut
As the price of gold seems to climb higher and higher, I happened to be reading a book about Richard Nixon and what must have been a fascinating weekend at Camp David. The book (Nixon: Alone In The White House by Richard Reeves) tells the story of a watershed moment in economic history and the [...]
Wal-Mart to Offer Smaller Stores
It’s no secret that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT) has been suffering from weak same-store sales in the US for a while now. In 2008, when the recession was at its worst, Wal-Mart was able to lure new customers with the chain’s low prices. Since the economy has picked up again, it appears those customers have [...]
BP Compensation Payments Soar
On September 3rd, BP plc (NYSE:BP) reported that compensation claims paid to Gulf Coast residents and businesses totaled $38.5 million. The company also noted that it had paid 127,000 of 154,000 claims filed before it turned the fund over to the federal Gulf Coast Claims Facility. In the two weeks since then, BP now reports [...]
What If Gekko Had Zecco?
Back in 1987, the fictional as well as ferocious main character of the movie Wall Street, Gordon Gekko, did not have the benefit of investing with an online brokerage firm like Zecco Trading. Instead of enjoying $0 stock trades, he would have paid a full commission broker to execute the devious trading strategies he came [...]
