Specialized Finance

The Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) moved up about 0.26% after the Labor Department reported better-than-expected data on US jobless claims. Shares of Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB) moved up after analysts at Oppenheimer initiated coverage of FITB with an “outperform” rating. Shares of...

Citigroup is out with a research report this morning, where it reiterates its Buy rating on CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ: CME); it has a $350.00 price target on the stock. The Citi analysts cited a recent meeting with company management, where they found that management's tone was positive on the long-...

CME Group (NYSE: CME) reported slow trading volumes over the summer but have recently picked up. Jefferies released a report that discussed trading volumes across the majority of product segments continue to exhibit positive year-over-year growth and open interest remains elevated. Longer term, a...

CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT) today announced that it will redeem all of its outstanding 10.25% Series B Second Lien Notes maturing in 2015 and 2016. The Company has provided a redemption notice to the trustee and intends to complete the redemption on November 4, 2010. The aggregate principal amount...

While Intercontinental Exchange's (NYSE: ICE) trading volumes within ICE's core futures markets continue to grow y/y, the growth rates are moderating. Jefferies views the company as well positioned to benefit from the changing regulatory environment. However, at ~17x our 2011 EPS, the shares are...

JP Morgan has published a research report for CME Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CME) reporting on September volumes and August results. In the report, JP Morgan writes "CME generated overall q-o-q volume decline of 15% in 3Q10, with particular weakness in equities (19%), interest rates (17%), and FX (16%)...

On Friday, Bank of America Corporation (BAC) announced that it is holding up foreclosures in 23 states to examine whether some of its former executives rushed through documents of homeowners without properly evaluating the authenticity of the information. The verification includes the accuracy of...

Given the increase in mortgage refinance activity as a result of lower rates, Keefe Bruyette & Woods is raising its 3Q10 operating estimate to $0.78 from $0.71 for PHH Corporation (NYSE: PHH). The revised estimate assumes stronger mortgage production volumes and gain-on-sale income margins as...

Despite all the hoopla about the negative portrait painted of Facebook and its founder in “The Social Network,” it seems unlikely the flick will do anything to derail one of the most highly-anticipated initial public offerings since ... the bursting of the tech bubble. Facebook's debut on the...

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- Here are 10 stocks that investors have left for dead. Yet, analysts give them positive reviews, in part, because they're so cheap. Some are predicted to double or triple in the next 12 months. They're ordered by forward earnings multiple, from cheap to cheapest. 10. Ashford...

Below are the top asset management stocks on the NYSE, the NASDAQ and the AMEX in terms of operating margin. The trailing-twelve-month operating margin at Sprott Resource Lending Corp O (AMEX: SILU) is 155.37%. SILU's quarterly earnings soared 76.60% y/y. The trailing-twelve-month operating margin...

Encore Capital (NASDAQ: ECPG) issued senior notes and expanded the size of its credit facility. Keefe, Bruyette, & Woods is raising its estimates to incorporate lower interest expense than had previously been forecast. KBW has a Market Perform rating on ECPG with a $23 price target. ECPG...

Recently, a couple of subsidiaries of MetLife Inc. (MET) sold off senior notes worth approximately $2 billion. According to the Reuters, on Wednesday, MetLife Global Funding I vended off its 5-year senior notes worth $850 million in the 144A private placement market. The quantum of the notes...

Considering the environment NASDAQ OMX (NDAQ) has been a "good" short in that despite an ever rising market it was stuck below resistance the past few weeks.  Finally today's gap up and surge in the broader market ended the show, and my stop loss was hit, so we're taking a 4%ish loss.   If the...

A premier Information Technology (IT) services provider, International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) has agreed to acquire data warehouse company Netezza Corp. (NZ) in an all cash transaction of $1.70 billion or $27.00 per share.   The price of $27.00 per share reflects a 9.8% premium on September...