Investment Banking & Brokerage

By Todd Harrison Go figure; the financial media dutifully explained all week why this month's payroll data was poised to disappoint on a few fronts. With the S&P having closed yesterday below the all-important 1340 level, the stage was set for collective fret. So what shot does the BLS up and...

A tweet from Lauren LaCapra, who is a reporter at Reuters shows that activist shareholder Evelyn Davis has some ideas on who should replace Lloyd Blankfein as CEO of Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS). Davis wants Duncan Neiderauer to replace Blankfein, and her second choice is Bob Steel. According to...

BGC Partners (NASDAQ: BGCP) 1Q11 EPS was in-line with ests and at the high end of guidance of $0.20-0.22 due to solid expense control as non-comp expenses declined QoQ even as revenue increased 14%. Mgmt raised the quarterly dividend to $0.17 from $0.14. Keefe Bruyette & Woods lowers ests on...

With Paul Volcker having given up and riding off into the sunset, Goldman Sachs (GS) and its army of lobbyists is busy doing "God's work" in weakening any impact he might have, according to this Reuters report.   Again, in America the BEST return on investment for large corporations is lobbying -...

KBW has lowered its PT on shares of Investment Technology Group Inc. (NYSE: ITG) to $15. Investment Technology Group closed Thursday at $15.97.

Investment Technology Group (NYSE: ITG) reported what we consider to be a very in-line quarter. Acquisition of Majestic helped in a variety of ways in 1Q, including YoY growth in revenue, and increase in capture rate, as promised. In that sense, expectations should have been met as they did....

Investment Technology Group (NYSE: ITG) reported what we consider to be a very in-line quarter. Acquisition of Majestic helped in a variety of ways in 1Q, including YoY growth in revenue, and increase in capture rate, as promised. In that sense, expectations should have been met as they did....

Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq: IBKR) is the latest online broker to throw its hat into the commission-free ETF ring, announcing that it will offer Global X ETFs to its clients sans trading costs. Connecticut-based Interactive Brokers will offer the Global X ETFs free of charge on its Trader...

Weight Watchers International Inc (NYSE: WTW) is expected to report its Q1 earnings at $0.89 per share on revenue of $478.31 million. Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO) is projected to report its Q1 EPS at $4.35 on revenue of $1.06 billion. Liberty Media Corp (NASDAQ: LINTA) is projected to...

Here's what Benzinga's reading on our friend, TheStreet.com. What's Hot On TheStreet Best Buy Is a 'Buy,' Say Einhorn, Credit Suisse Value investor David Einhorn, who runs hedge fund Greenlight Capital, disclosed a position in out-of-favor electronics retailer Best Buy(BBY_) in his latest...

Shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS) are trading lower on the session by 0.40%, at $150.91. With shares bouncing off of the $150.00 level this morning, you have to wonder where shares are heading next… Bulls: Bulls will note that the $150.00-152.00 level has been a major support/...

Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway is set to announce 2011 Q1 earnings May 6th after the market closes. Berkshire has been rocked in recent months with the scandal involving former top lieutenant and long speculated heir-to-the-Berkshire-throne David Sokol. Sokol resigned in March following the...

It was 86 years ago today that Tennessee made a monkey of itself, arresting biology teacher John Scopes for violating the Butler Act by teaching the theory of evolution in a classroom. The trial, which drew attention to the line between scientific and superstitious thinking in many parts of the...

People thought the bubble in social media was near bursting when Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) invested in Facebook at a $50 billion valuation. Now we know Goldman is smarter than the rest of us, as Facebook has been recently valued around $70 billion, and Goldman has already made 40% on the trade....

KBW is maintaining its Market Perform rating and $6.25 price target on shares of SWS Group Inc. (NYSE: SWS). “Results missed on weaker revenues as three of the four business segments lost money in the quarter,” KBW writes. “SWS also rejected a revised acquisition proposal from Sterne Agee for $7....