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Ambac Financial Soars 67% (ABK)
Friday, April 9, 2010 - 11:38am | 68Shares of Ambac Financial Group (NYSE: ABK) are on fire this morning after the struggling bond insurer posted a surprise profit for its fourth quarter. Ambac said fourth-quarter net income was $558.1 million, or $1.93 per share. The improvement was mainly driven by a $472 million tax benefit and...
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Top 5 Stocks In The Financial Sector With The Lowest PEG (IRS, ABR, PNX, NNI, TWGP)
Thursday, April 8, 2010 - 6:29am | 165Below are the top 5 finance stocks in terms of PEG. IRSA Investments and Representations Inc (NYSE: IRS) has a PEG ratio of 0.01. IRS’ quarterly revenue growth is 44.30% y/y. Arbor Realty Trust Inc (NYSE: ABR) has a PEG ratio of 0.22. The trailing-twelve-month operating margins of ABR are 114.35...
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PowerShares Small Cap Sector ETFs Hit the Tape
Thursday, April 8, 2010 - 3:02am | 1157PowerShares launched a suite of small-cap sector ETFs based on the S&P SmallCap 600 Index yesterday (4/7/10). These nine new ETFs are the first to provide sector-specific exposure within the U.S. small-cap stock market. I have long been a fan of sector and industry-focused funds, and I warmly...
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The Financial Sector Shined On April 6, Driven By Strength In Regional Banks (XLF, AIG, PRU, XL, STI, BBT, MI, ZION, RF, ICE)
Wednesday, April 7, 2010 - 7:51am | 351Despite investor apathy in the market yesterday as they awaited the release of the minutes of the Fed’s April 14 meeting, the S&P 500 Index moved up, driven by the US financial sector. The sector received a boost after regional banks got a lift from a positive comment made by Credit Suisse. The...
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MBIA Off to the Races
Tuesday, April 6, 2010 - 11:47am | 167Once troubled bond insurer that has been resurrected from the dead, MBIA (NYSE: MBI), is running higher today by over 5.25% to $7.15. There does not appear to be any news out about the company this morning, none that would be bullish anyway. There is a report out saying that T2 Partners (Whitney...
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Randall Eley Recommended Pfizer (PFE), Travelers (TRV) and Chevron (CVX), on NBR
Monday, April 5, 2010 - 10:24pm | 342Randall Eley, president of the Edgar Lomax Company, an investment advisory firm based in Springfield, Virginia, was the Market Monitor on Thursday’s Nightly Business Report. Those familiar with Eley know that he usually recommends large cap, primarily blue chip companies. Commenting on the govn’t...
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2010 Fund Performance Period 3
Thursday, April 1, 2010 - 4:37pm | 3074The mutual fund is now on schedule for a summer 2010 launch. If, after reading the blog content you might have an interest in participation, please consider reading why this blog exists. [Jan 2008: Reader Pledges Toward Mutual Fund Launch] [May 2008: Frequently Asked Questions] Our story in Barron...
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OptionsHouse Roundup: A Broad Market Rally and Heavy Options Activity in Ford (F) and Research in Motion (RIMM)
Thursday, April 1, 2010 - 2:20pm | 1819No April fool’s day pranks here as the broad market marches on higher. This rally is broad even when you look inside the indices; four stocks are up for every one that is down. All the major market indices rallied higher today after jobless claims fell 6,000 in the week ended March 27 to 439,000 (...
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Highest Yielding Highest Rated Stocks
Thursday, April 1, 2010 - 1:28pm | 362Many of the credit rating agencies were criticized for their ratings during the financial collapse of 2007 and 2008, especially with regards to collateralized debt obligation. However, investors still look at ratings for stocks to get some sort of guideline. If you look at some of the major firms...
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Top Stocks Of The Surety & Title Insurance Industry With Highest Operating Margins (MBI, SUR, FAF, FNF)
Thursday, April 1, 2010 - 6:22am | 159Below are the top 5 surety & title insurance stocks on the NYSE and the NASDAQ in terms of operating margins. The trailing-twelve-month operating margins at MBIA Inc (NASDAQ: MBI) are 53%. MBI’s ROE (ttm) stands at 34.77%. The trailing-twelve-month operating margins at CNA Surety Corp (NASDAQ...
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Top 5 Stocks Of The Surety & Title Insurance Industry With The Highest Cash (RDN, MBI, ABK, MTG, FAF)
Thursday, April 1, 2010 - 6:16am | 158Below are the top 5 surety & title insurance stocks on the NYSE and the NASDAQ in terms of cash. Total cash at Radian Group Inc (NYSE: RDN) is $4.16 billion. RDN has a total debt of $994.30 million. Total cash at MBIA Inc (NYSE: MBI) is $3.97 billion. MBI has a total debt of $8.9 billion....
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OptionsHouse Wednesday Market Observations: Bad News for Jobs, a Proposal to Open U.S. Oil Drilling, and Some Heavy Options Activity in Suncor (SU), Canada’s Energy Powerhouse
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 - 5:42pm | 2019Still holding on, the markets are moving slightly lower following a disappointing ADP jobs report. The loss of 23,000 jobs reported by the payroll giant was a complete surprise to many. Economists predicted a gain of 40,000 in March ADP numbers. While the ADP indications can sometimes be way off in...
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Traders Seek Bearish Options In The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM)
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 - 4:15pm | 2474“As Wall Street awaits the release of several economic reports, options traders sought bearish positions in exchange-traded funds that track specific segments of the market. Among the most active names of the session was the iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund (IWM), an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that...
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High-Yielding Stocks Under $5 (DHY, CIK, ESEA, TCHC, ELSE, WTU, HNNA)
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 - 12:54pm | 208Some of the high yield stocks that are trading below $5 are: Credit Suisse High Yield Bond Fund (AMEX: DHY): This fund is generating a 10.50% yield and has 0 debt to capital ratio. Credit Suisse Asset Management Income Fund (AMEX: CIK): This fund has a yield of 8.90% and a debt to capital ratio of...
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OptionsHouse Tuesday Morning Roundup: Surprising News for the Housing Market Leads to a Bump in Consumer Confidence, and Heavy Options Activity in Delta Airlines (DAL) and Vale (VALE)
Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - 1:29pm | 1962The markets began to turn negative after a bullish boost on the open, mostly driven by the rumblings that Apple is developing a CDMA version of the iPhone, which will be available on the Verizon network. As a result, both stocks, (AAPL and VZ) were higher this morning. This news was only partially...