Archive for January, 2012
Will the January Rally End with U.S. GDP Miss?
On Friday, U.S. GDP for the fourth quarter of 2011 printed at 2.8%. It disappointed markets at the open, as analysts had anticipated a figure of 3.0%. Futures quickly reversed, and traded into the red. Also, GDP for the third quarter was revised to 1.8%, meaning that altogether the annual GDP growth rate for 2011 was [...]
Is Online Advertising in Permanent Decline?
On Tuesday, before the bell, online giant Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO) reported earnings and revenues. The company just barely beat estimates for its earnings, but revenues fell below expectations, coming in at $1.17 billion versus an estimated $1.19 billion. Yahoo’s CFO Tim Morse sighted a decline in revenue generated from display ads. While the numbers indicate [...]
Apple Crushes Earnings
After the close on Tuesday, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) reported earnings that were far above expectations. The company reported first quarter earnings of $13.87 per share and revenues of $46.30 billion. Wall Street had been anticipating earnings of only $10.08 per share and revenues of $38.85 billion. The company sold 15.4 million iPads, 15.4 million iPods [...]
Is Thorsten Heins the Next Steve Jobs? RIM Investors Should Hope So
On Sunday night, Research in Motion’s (NASDAQ: RIMM) co-CEOs stepped down from their positions and Thorsten Heins was appointed to replace departing Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis. To investors in RIM, this may initially have been seen as a tremendous relief. Yet, the resulting sell-off on Monday and Tuesday may have indicated that investors were far [...]
So, What Do YOU Think of the New Zecco Trading Center?
This week we reached a major milestone at Zecco. After a Herculean development effort, we completed the upgrade of all Zecco Trading customers to the new Trading Center. I’m so proud of our team and the great work they are doing. Our goal is to make Zecco the best value in online investing by improving [...]
Is a Greek Default Imminent?
Talk has emerged in recent weeks that Greece could be on the verge of an outright default. It has long been speculated that the country would eventually default, although aggressive actions on the part of the European Troika have managed to avert that event thus far. While European officials may be hoping to keep that [...]
What Can Investors Learn from the Tesla Trade?
On Friday last week, shares of electric car maker Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) spiked sharply lower going into the close. The company announced the resignation of two senior engineers working on Tesla’s Model S project—a fact that may have spooked investors into dumping shares. Tesla lost nearly one-fifth of its value in the final few minutes [...]
Time to Prepare for the End of the Euro?
Last week, reports surfaced that banks and brokerages in the U.K. were preparing for the day when the euro no longer exists. While the move may be merely a precautionary measure, it could highlight a grim fact of reality—that the euro may truly be in danger of breaking up. A disorderly breakup could wreak havoc [...]
Chinese Officials Promise Support
On Monday and Tuesday, Chinese related stocks saw strength. Over the weekend, Chinese officials declared that they would funnel money to support entrepreneurs battered by China’s recent headwinds. Although the Chinese economy continues to grow, the Shanghai Composite has shown tremendous weakness over the past year, and China has opted to begin easing again after [...]
Did Google Make a Mistake With Motorola Mobility Purchase?
On Monday, shares of Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) sold off heavily. The stock traded down almost 4%—a relatively significant amount given the company’s status as a tech giant. Traders may have hit Google after Motorola Mobility (NYSE: MMI) reported some disappointing figures on Friday. The smartphone manufacturer stated that its upcoming earnings would be put under [...]
