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Market Updates – Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Citigroup (NYSE:C), General Electric (NYSE:GE), Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS)
Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 1:30pm | 921The Labor Department announced that consumer prices have remained unchanged through February, indicating that consumers aren’t anticipating inflation despite the zero interest rate that has been set by the Fed and the expanding economy. With the Fed’s most recent announcement that interest rates...
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Market Updates – Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Citigroup (NYSE:C), General Electric (NYSE:GE), Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS)
Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 1:30pm | 921The Labor Department announced that consumer prices have remained unchanged through February, indicating that consumers aren’t anticipating inflation despite the zero interest rate that has been set by the Fed and the expanding economy. With the Fed’s most recent announcement that interest rates...
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OXPS February Trading Activity Below Estimates But Consistent With Industry
Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 11:31am | 146Analysts at William Blair & Co maintain their "outperform" rating on optionsXpress Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: OXPS). According to William Blair & Co, OXPS’s “Retail DARTs equaled 28,000 in February, down 17% relative to January and 8% from a year ago, and well below our estimate.” “Option DARTs...
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Company News for March 18, 2010 - Corporate Summary
Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 9:31am | 298• Citigroup (NYSE:C) downgraded financial shares from "overweight" to "neutral," warning that early-cycle gains in financial sector shares, up 63% over the past year, may fade heading into the bull market's second year • After the close yesterday, Nike (NYSE:NKE) reported sharply-higher-than-...
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Bank on Texas with Texas Capital Bancshares (TCBI)
Thursday, March 18, 2010 - 6:30am | 557The black cloud hanging over the financial services sector for much of the past two years is beginning to evaporate. Financial stocks rallied recently, and wise investors are giving the sector a fresh look. We’ve discussed the financial sector at length, noting that successful stock-picking in...
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Strategists Warn About The Financial Sector As The Financial ETF Sets A New 52-Week High
Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - 6:49pm | 2087The rally in the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) on Wednesday means the exchange-traded fund has more than doubled in value from a year ago. The ETF set a new 52-week high of $15.97 a share on Wednesday. One year ago on March 17, 2009, the fund touched a session low of $7.87, according to...
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GMAC Attracts Bids For ResCap Unit (BLK, BX, GS, C)
Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - 12:23pm | 165GMAC’s Residential Capital unit is attracting many suitors. BlackRock Inc. (NYSE: BLK) and Blackstone Inc. (NYSE: BX) have expressed their interest in purchasing the unit. Famed investor Wilbur Ross is also said to be interested in the unit. GMAC has hired Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) and Citigroup Inc...
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GMAC Looks To Repay TARP Funds; Hires Citigroup And Goldman Sachs For Advice (C, GS)
Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - 11:43am | 106According to Bloomberg, GMAC Inc. has hired Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) and Citigroup (NYSE: C) to advise it on the repayment of the TARP funds it took from the U.S. government. The government has a 56.3 percent stake in GMAC Inc. The car lender will seek advice from the banks to examine the...
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Northland Securities Lowers TD Ameritrade (AMTD) EPS Estimate
Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - 10:43am | 224Northland Securities analyst Mike Grondahl reiterated his Under Perform rating for shares of TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation (Nasdaq: AMTD) and lowered his EPS estimate for the 2nd quarter of 2010 from 29 cents to 24 cents. Grondahl observed that February client trading volume at TD Ameritrade...
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Company News for March 17, 2010 - Corporate Summary
Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - 10:29am | 153• Discover (NYSE:DFC) reported results after the close yesterday. A fiscal first-quarter loss of 22 cents a share compared with a 25 cent profit a year ago as charge-offs rose to 8.51% from 8.43% in the year-ago period • Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) added Autodesk (NASDAQ:ADSK) to its Conviction Buy...
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Benzinga’s Top Upgrades (STL, GHL, BLK, ATHN, NED)
Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - 9:12am | 251Sterling Bancorp (NYSE: STL) was upgraded by BMO Capital Markets from “market perform” to “outperform.” STL’s shares closed at $8.31 yesterday. STL’s shares have risen 17.54% so far this year. Read more about this company here. Keefe Bruyette upgraded Greenhill (NYSE: GHL) from “market perform” to...
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General Electric Company (GE) May Start Raising Dividends Again In 2011
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 - 4:50pm | 246Bloomberg reports that General Electric Company may start raising dividends again in 2011. GE had cut its dividends last year, the first time since the Great Depression. CFO Keith Sherin said on Tuesday that the company may resume dividend increases in 2011 amid a “snapback” at the company’s...
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Stocks That Created New 52-Week Highs (BWINB, BSET, BGCP, BIIB, BFLY)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 - 3:23pm | 209Baldwin & Lyons Inc (NASDAQ: BWINB) shares added 0.47% to create a new 52-week high of $25.81. BWINB is involved in marketing and underwriting property and casualty insurance products in the US and Canada. Bassett Furniture Industries, Inc (NASDAQ: BSET) shares created a new high of $6.29,...
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Senator Dodd’s Newly Proposed Bill Will Hurt Financial ETFs
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 - 1:10pm | 2088“Although the future of reform legislation remains unclear, a recent bill proposed by Senator Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.) could potentially hinder the financial sector and its exchange traded funds,” Kevin Grewal Reports From The Street. Grewal goes on to say, “This new proposed reform, which is...
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Company News for March 16, 2010 - Corporate Summary
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 - 10:00am | 226• UBS (NYSE:UBS) upgraded Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) to "buy" from "neutral" with a $29 price target • Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) upgraded Coventry Health Care (NYSE:CVH) to "neutral" and removed the shares from its Conviction Sell List, noting in-line valuation levels • Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) upgraded...