As earnings season comes to a close, investors have just a few more big name reports before another three month lull. So far, this most recent slew of earnings has been so-so, with a number of bellwether firms both meeting and missing their respective analyst targets. Many had hoped that a strong earnings season would help offset some of the volatility overseas but it seems that we will have to wait until next quarter for another chance at that goal. For now, we focus on the remaining firms that report at the tail end of this important stretch of the year [see also The Ten Commandments of Commodity Investing]. [click to continue…]
Stocks drifted lower to start the week as resurfacing Euro zone debt woes brought back the bears. Domestic equity indexes retreated into red territory after European leaders put pressure on Greek lawmakers to meet and accept the conditions of the proposed $171 billion bailout. Investors were spooked as worries intensified after Greek leaders failed to [...]
As earnings season comes to an end, investors will have one more week to focus on blue chip quarterly results to help guide their trades and positions. Last week saw earnings come in as a mixed bag, but that all changed on Friday when unemployment figures shattered the mold and dropped to 8.3% with 243,000 [...]
Stocks drifted sideways on Thursday as investors were glad to see a better-than-expected jobless claims report, but held off from jumping into the market ahead of today’s pivotal unemployment data. Confidence in the recovery improved as Ben Bernanke testified before Congers, while the latest jobless claims report showed that 367,000 people filed for unemployment, versus [...]
Markets seem to be in a state of confusion, as positive news and data is offset by just as many negative factors. Some investors feel that 2012 will continue to see its nice rally, as this past month was the best January for equities since 1997. Others think that the fun is over as a [...]
Markets are off to a bland week as a mixture of overseas drama and lower than expected data on the home front have combined to put a halt to the nice rally that 2012 had brought. Amidst all of the drama, Wall Street has been circulating rumors of a Facebook IPO and it seems likely [...]
This week got off to a rocky start as Greece and Germany remained at odds regarding the fiscal future of the currency bloc. Many investors fear that without a significant aid package, Greece will endure a widespread default which has the potential to sink markets around the world. Despite the issues persisting overseas, the focus [...]
The past few weeks have seen a nice rally to start off the new year. With a number of encouraging earnings and data reports, stocks have been on a tear, with the S&P hitting 1,300 for the first time in several months. But last Friday’s GDP report, though representing strong growth, may have adverse effects [...]
Stocks oscillated between positive and negative territory on Thursday as investors reacted to mixed economic data. Despite the early morning rally, investors gave into selling pressures following a number of disappoint earnings reports; AT&T and SanDisk both missed analyst expectations, tipping the tech sector lower for the day. Bearish sentiment was rekindled after the latest [...]
As we dive further into earnings season, investors will do their best to focus on relatively strong U.S. data, as opposed to decisions by the Fed, the Greek debt crisis, and other factors hindering the recovery. On Tuesday, investors saw Apple (AAPL) crush market estimates with their quarterly earnings. The shares soared the most in [...]
In the midst of earnings season, many hoped that we could take a few weeks to focus on the U.S. economy and put international affairs on the backburner. But yesterday saw news that there is great concern that the Greek debt deal may fall through and that the S&P is likely to peg the nation [...]
