Investment Banking & Brokerage

Following in the footsteps of rival Golman Sachs (NYSE: GS), JPMorgan Chase's (NYSE: JPM), newly minted investment fund, which the bank formed to make investments in hot tech start-ups and social networking companies, is reportedly looking to make a minority investment in Twitter that could value...

Earlier today, Vanguard, the third-largest U.S. ETF issuer, announced a series of expense reductions for six of its ETFs, a move that escalates an already flourishing price war between ETF issuers that sponsor ETFs that hard to tell apart except for when you look at the fees. Vanguard's previous...

On CNBC's Fast Money, Karen Finerman said that Omnicare's (NYSE: OCR) conference call was pretty good, and she also said that she likes the new CEO. Omnicare, Inc. (OCR) gained 6.41% in the regular trading session, but it surrendered its gains in the after hours. Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. (NASDAQ...

Here is the entire interview: http://www.gurufocus.com/news.php?id=123477 I had requested a question on the Burlington deal that Buffett made which Greenwald has questioned: That's opposite about what VIX is trying to telling us, but we are value investors. Regarding Berkshire's (BRK.A)(BRK.B)...

KBW is trimming its F1Q11 estimate on Jefferies Group, Inc. (NYSE: JEF) to $0.36 from $0.41 “on lower M&A and FICC revenues than originally forecast, partially offset by slightly higher ECM and equities revs.” “Adjusting F2011 est. to $1.61 from $1.67, establishing a 2012 est. of $1.85,” KBW...

GFI Group Inc.'s (NYSE: GFIG) inline with consensus 4Q10 EPS “missed us by $0.01 as increasing expenses more than offset better revenue and a lower tax-rate,” KBW reports. “We see potential for a normalized environment to rebase ests significantly higher as management continues to invest in the...

E*Trade (NASDAQ: ETFC) offers 23.95M shares of common stock by a Citadel affiliate. E*TRADE Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: ETFC) today announced that Citadel Equity Fund Ltd., an affiliate of Citadel LLC, is offering 23,950,000 shares of E*TRADE's common stock in an underwritten offering. The...

Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOR) today reported financial results for the full year and fourth quarter ended December 31, 2010. For the year ended December 31, 2010, net sales increased 30.4 percent to a record $115.1 million from $88.3 million in the prior year. The Company's...

According to Jefferies & Company, the GFI Group (NASDAQ: GFIG) reported a return to revenue growth in 4Q10, although 2011 started slowly. Jefferies & Company reported that trading activity remains subdued and ongoing regulatory uncertainty is an overhang. “Longer term, GFIG stands to...

Paulson Capital Corp. (NASDAQ: PLCC) and the wholly owned subsidiary, Paulson Investment Company, Inc., have named Murray G. Smith as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Smith is located in Portland, Oregon and has been the interim CFO since September of 2010.

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods commented on Cowen Group (NASDAQ: COWN) in a research report published today. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods has previously given Cowen Group a price target of $4.90 and Market Perform rating. In the report, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods states, "Cowen and LaBranche announced...

Below are the top investment brokerage-national stocks on the NYSE and the NASDAQ in terms of dividend yield. BGC Partners Inc (NASDAQ: BGCP) has a dividend yield of 6.40%. BGCP's shares closed at $8.96 yesterday. Sanders Morris Harris Group Inc (NASDAQ: SMHG) has a dividend yield of 2.90%. SMHG's...

Yesterday trading presented good opportunity to execute and hold solid trade ideas throughout the morning session.  While the markets price action was not a screaming long it did support good long trade ideas once it hit monthly highs.  The financials in particular showed good strength in the...

LaBranche & Co Inc. (NYSE: LAB) today reported financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2010. The Company reported an after-tax net loss of $38.2 million, or $0.93 per share, which included non-cash charges of $38.1 million for a valuation allowance on the Company's deferred...

Cowen Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: COWN) today announced preliminary results for the fourth quarter and full-year ended December 31, 2010. For the fourth quarter of 2010, the Company expects to report GAAP net income of approximately $3 million to $4 million, or $0.04 to $0.06 per share, compared to a...