Filed under: Pfizer (PFE), Coca-Cola (KO), Sprint Nextel Corp (S)Today was one of those days that felt as though it was another mini-disaster. Another 600,000 weekly jobless claims were coming to roost. A late day note that the Obama administration was ready to subsidize troubled houses with partial buy-downs of loans to avoid repossession helped to bring on a recovery. While this is far from set in stone and far from being "a done deal" it created a monster to save to otherwise nasty trading day. If you were here all but the last hour it would have been just another miserable day. Here are today's unofficial closing bell levels:DJIA: 7932.76, -6.77, -0.09%S&P500: 835.19, +11.45, +0.17%NASDAQ: 1541.71, +11.21, +0.73%Top Analyst UpgradesTop Analyst DowngradesJA Solar Holdi

Filed under: Management, Financial CrisisThe CEOs of the big TARP-backed banks appeared before the House Financial Services Committee yesterday to talk about the bailout and basically endure a few hours of awkwardness.The Associated Press reports that "Anticipating confrontations over their own compensation, several asserted that none of the government's money went to bonuses or dividends" in their prepared remarks.Continue reading Bankers defend bailout: 'We used different money for bonuses'Bankers defend bailout: 'We used different money for bonuses' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: SEC filings, Exxon Mobil (XOM), Commodities, OilThis article was written by Minyanville contributor Vitaliy Katsenelson. I read a very interesting cover story article in BusinessWeek about Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM). I am usually skeptical of cover story articles, but they are onto something with this story (ok, that is maybe because I agree with them). As I've said in the past, Exxon is a classic religion stock, meaning investors own it because it has done so well in the past and because it is the best-managed oil company. Exxon is not analyzed; it is just owned -- bought or inherited and never sold. Well, neither reason is enough to just blindly own a stock which is what happens when one becomes a religion stock. Continue reading Is Exxon actually shrinking?Is Exxon actually sh

Filed under: Options, Technical Analysis, Agriculture, Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (POT)When Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (NYSE: POT) fell from its June 2008 peak of $241.62, it fell hard. The stock bottomed out at $47.54 in early December, marking an 80.3% decline from peak to nadir. The shares have recently shown signs of life, though, having gained 78.7% during the past two months. Even more compelling, POT closed last Friday atop resistance from its 20-week moving average for the first time since August, and appears poised to do so again this week. So, with the stock rallying back from its lows, why are investors gravitating toward bearish bets? Continue reading Why is put volume exploding on Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan?Why is put volume exploding on Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan?

Filed under: International markets, Newsletters, Commodities, Oil, Stocks to Buy, Green Stocks, Obama Picks"Clean Harbors (NYSE: CLH), the nation's largest hazardous waste firm, represents a great way to add some recession-resistance to your portfolio," says growth stock expert David Fessler. The contributing editor to The Oxford Club adds, "This stock is also a way to get paid from cleaning up our nation's biggest environmental messes in the process." Here's the advisor's review. "Clean Harbors is a one-stop clean-up shop for waste. We're talking hazardous waste, toxic chemicals, radioactive materials and biologic or infectious waste. "With a superior portfolio of over 100 waste management facilities, Clean Harbors is North America's largest vertically inte

Filed under: Forecasts, Politics, Recession, Financial CrisisThe U.S.'s first fiscal stimulus package 'of size' since the recession's start has passed - - albeit in a modified form that decreased spending by about $140 billion over the original outline.Further, the young President Barack Obama, like the young President John F. Kennedy, has learned that presidential honeymoons can be short inside the beltway, particularly if you have to trade policy to obtain votes both inside your party and among the loyal opposition.Meanwhile, investors and the financial community more broader await the specifics pertaining to Obama administration's revised plan to stabilize the banking system, with the declining Dow discounting that even a successful plan will require months of systemic adjustment, and,

Filed under: Scandals, Financial CrisisIn a letter posted on his website, Michael Moore announced that he is looking for "a few brave people who work on Wall Street or in the financial industry to come forward and share with me what they know."He adds that he is looking for Wall Streeters to provide a "moment of courage, to be a hero and help me expose the biggest swindle in American history."While Moore has a history of putting together extraordinarily compelling films, I wonder whether he's the guy to tackle the massive fraud that is the collapse of the financial system and subsequent bailout. Why? Because I think that when it comes to matters the economy, Michael Moore has literally no idea what he's talking about. Continue reading Michael Moore to tackle TARP with n

Filed under: Diageo plc (DEO)I am a big fan of Diageo (NYSE: DEO), for no other reason that the company produces this blogger's two favorite adult beverages: Guinness and Captain Morgan. I am not an investor in the company, but with the copious amount of product I have consumed in the past 14 (or so) years - I may as well be. This is why I keep taps on the company's announcements, hey, I track what I know.Continue reading A look at Diageo's announcementA look at Diageo's announcement originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Small businessWhen talking to the founders of early-stage founders, I hear a common message: it's nearly impossible to raise venture capital. Basically, the VC world is in "hunker-down" mode because of the slowing economy as well as the dearth of IPOs and M&A deals (there were only six VC-backed IPOs last year). True, VCs are supposed to take a long-term view - but human emotions usually dominate during times of uncertainty. Hey, just look at what happened during the dot-com bust.Continue reading In venture capital, only the paranoid surviveIn venture capital, only the paranoid survive originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments