March 19th, 2009 by InvestorPoint

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March 19th, 2009 by InvestorPoint

U.S. stock indexes rose Wednesday after the Federal Reserve said the bank would purchase U.S. Treasuries and increase its investment in housing.

The Fed left lending rates unchanged at zero to 0.25 percent, but said it would buy $300 billion worth of U.S. Treasuries in the next six months and increase its purchases of mortgage-backed security assets by $750 billion.

The announcement turned markets around from a loss of more than 50 points. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 90.88 points, or 1.23 percent, to 7,486.58. The Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 2.09 percent, 16.23 points, to 794.35. The Nasdaq composite index rose 29.11 points, 1.99 percent, to 1,491.22.

The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury bond jumped on the news, rising 4 20/32 to yield 2.478 percent.

Advancers outnumbered decliners 4 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange as 2,494 stocks advanced and 590 declined on a volume of 6.6 billion shares traded.

The euro rose to $1.3472, compared to Tuesday’s $1.3014. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar fell to 96.31 yen, compared to Tuesday’s 98.54 yen.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei average gained 23.04 points to 7,972.17, up 0.29 percent.

In London, the FTSE 100 index dropped 1.35 percent, 52.11 points, to 3,804.99.

March 17th, 2009 by InvestorPoint

A weak manufacturing report swayed U.S. stocks, which veered away from extending a four-day rally just before the close Monday.

U.S. industrial production dropped 1.4 percent in February, falling for the fourth consecutive month and the 10th month out of the last 12, the U.S. Federal Reserve said.

On the break-even side of the coin, the National Association of Home Builders said its headline index remained low in March, but did not drop or gain over February.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 0.1 percent, losing 7.01 points to 7,216.97. The Standard & Poor’s 500 dropped 0.35 percent, 2.66 points, to 753.89. The Nasdaq composite index lost 27.48 points, 1.92 percent, to 1,404.02.

Advancers and decliners were mixed on the New York Stock Exchange as 1,769 stocks advanced and 1,303 declined on a volume of 7 billion shares traded.

The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury bond fell 17/32 to yield 2.958 percent.

The dollar was mixed Monday. The euro rose to $1.297, compared to Friday’s $1.2915. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar rose to 98.20 yen, compared to Friday’s 98.03 yen.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei average rose 1.78 percent, 134.87 points to 7,704.15.

In London, the FTSE 100 index rose 110.31 points, up 2.94 percent, to 3,963.99.

Notables

President Obama attacked insurance giant American International Group for intending to payout millions in substantial bonuses to executives even though the company has received billions of bailout money from the US Government.  He said that he intends to stop it from paying these bonuses as the company is in this mess due to “recklessness and greed”.

March 16th, 2009 by InvestorPoint

A market rally Friday settled back into low gear, but managed to close the week on a positive note with four consecutive days of gains.

At the close, the Dow Jones industrial average closed up 53.92 points, or 0.75 percent, to 7,223.98. The Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 0.77 percent, 5.81 points, to 756.55. The Nasdaq composite index rose 0.38 percent, 5.40 points, to 1,431.50.

Advancers outnumbered decliners on the New York Stock Exchange as 1,960 stocks advanced and 1,100 declined on a volume of 8 billion shares traded.

The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury bond fell 9/32 to yield 2.898 percent.

The euro fell to $1.2918, compared to Thursday’s $1.2927. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar rose to 98.03 yen, compared to Thursday’s 97.62 yen.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei average gained 371.03 points to 7,569.28, up 5.15 percent.

In London, the FTSE 100 index gained 1.12 percent, 41.62 points, to 3,753.68.

March 12th, 2009 by InvestorPoint

U.S. markets bounced back Wednesday after an early rally that could have sustained Tuesday’s broad upturn faded under the strain of a global recession.

After a 379-point gain in the Dow Jones industrial average Tuesday, the first significant lift in four months, “almost everyone believes that what we’ve seen is a dead-cat bounce,” Kent Engelke, managing director at Capitol Securities Management told The Wall Street Journal.

By early afternoon the cat had stopped bouncing, and U.S. markets managed to post marginal gains.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 3.91 points, or 0.06 percent to close at 6,930.40.  The Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 0.24 percent or 1.76 point to 721.36.  The Nasdaq composite index rose 13.136 or .98 percent to 1,371.64.

Advancers outnumbered decliners on the New York Stock Exchange as 1,822 stocks advanced and 1,263 declined on a volume of 9.3 billion shares traded.

The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury bond rose 1 1/32 to yield 2.888 percent.

The euro rose to $1.2847, compared to Tuesday’s $1.2675. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar fell to 97.21 yen, compared to Tuesday’s 98.72 yen.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei average gained 321.14 points to 7,376.12, up 4.55 percent.

In London, the FTSE 100 index lost 21.42 points, 0.58 percent, to 3,693.81.

March 11th, 2009 by InvestorPoint

U.S. stock markets took a break from a string of declines Tuesday, surging forward with broad support from banking, insurance, and industrial sectors.

General Electric (GE) was up 19 percent, Wells Fargo & Co. gained 16.75 percent and Bank of America (BAC) rose 25.87 percent. Citigroup (C) gained 37.14 percent, the highest among the most active stocks.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 379.44, or 5.8 percent, to close at 6,926.49. The Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 43.07, or 6.37 percent, to 719.60. The Nasdaq composite index gained over 7% or 89.64 to close at 1,358.28.  The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies also gained over 7% to close at 367.75.

Advancers outnumbered decliners over 10 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange as 2,918 stocks advanced and 221 declined on a volume of 7 billion shared traded.

The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury bond fell 1 6/32 to yield 3.004 percent.

The euro rose to $1.268, compared to Monday’s $1.2607. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar fell to 98.58 yen, compared to Monday’s 98.85 yen.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei average shed 31.05 points to 7,054.98, off 0.44 percent.

In London, the FTSE 100 index gained 172.83 points, 4.88 percent, to 3,715.23.

March 10th, 2009 by InvestorPoint

A wide range of investment worries dragged down U.S. stocks Monday, following a shaky start to the week in Asian markets.

The Nikkei 225 index was down in Japan, off 87.07 points, or 1.21 percent, to 7,086.03. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong dropped 4.84 percent. In China, the Shanghai Composite fell 3.6 percent.

European markets were mixed Monday. In London, the FTSE 100 index rose 0.33 percent — 11.67 points — to 3,542.40 and in Frankfurt the Dax was up 0.7 percent to 3,692.03. The CAC 40 in Paris was off 0.6 percent. The broader DJStoxx 600 closed down 0.97 percent.

In New York, Dow Jones industrial average lost 1.21 percent closing 79.89 points lower to 6,547.05. The Standard & Poor’s 500 lost 1% or 6.85 to 676.53. The Nasdaq composite lost almost 2% or 25.21 to close at 1,268.64.

Decliners outweighed by advancers on the New York Stock Exchange by almost 2.5 to 1 as  888 stocks advanced and 2,207 declined on a volume of 8.1 billion shares traded.

The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury bond fell 1/32 to yield 2.879 percent.

The euro fell to $1.2603, compared to Friday’s $1.2607. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar fell to 98.79 yen, compared to Friday’s 98.85 yen.

March 6th, 2009 by InvestorPoint

U.S. stock markets stumbled Thursday on word auditors warned General Motors Corp. might not be able to avoid bankruptcy.   Investors struggled with the continuing uncertainty about our financial system and a report from the Commerce Department which said orders for manufactured goods fell by 1.9 percent during the first month of the year. While this was better than the 3.5 percent drop economists had expected, it marked a record sixth straight month of declines.

Also on investor’s minds is Citigroup (C) trading below $1 per share and new concerns about news coming out of General Motors (GM). The warning signs for GM have been available for months, but a Securities and Exchange Commission filing putting a formal stamp on the possibility of bankruptcy rattled investors.  On the day, GM stock fell 15 percent to $1.86 a share.

At the close, Dow Jones industrial average lost 281.40 points or 4.09 percent to 6,594.33 its lowest level since 1996.   The Standard & Poor’s 500 dropped 30.32 or 4.25 percent to 682.55. The Nasdaq composite index dropped 54.15 or 4 percent to 1,299.59.

Decliners outnumbered advancers over 10 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange as 237 stocks advanced and 2,883 declined on a volume of 8.3 billion shares traded.  The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies lost 21.85 or 5.88 percent.

The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury bond rose 1 12/32 to yield 2.813 percent.

The dollar was mixed. The euro fell to $1.2544, compared to Wednesday’s $1.264. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar fell to 98.06 yen, compared to Wednesday’s 99.07 yen.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei average gained 142.53 points to 7,433.49, up 1.95 percent.

In London, the FTSE 100 index dropped 116.01 points, 3.18 percent, to 3,529.86

Some of the today’s downward Markets Movers

General Dynamics (GD) shares closed down over 7% as the company reduced its full year outlook to $6 – $6.10 share from $6.70 to $6.75 a share.  As corporations and private buyers have tightened up their spending to conserve cash, privately owned business jets have suffered and have even become the fodder of front page news and Presidential lashings as examples of corporate excess.  The company said it expects to deliver 73 of its large cabin aircraft down from the 94 previously expected.  Midsized aircraft production was reduced to 24 from 30.  In contradiction to the current trend, the company’s Board of Directors raised its quarterly dividend to 38 cents per share from 35 cents per share payable May 8^th.

General Dynamics offers products and services in business aviation; combat vehicles, weapons systems and munitions; shipbuilding design and construction; and information systems, technologies and services.

Gamestop (GME) shares were down over 14% after Amazon Inc (AMZN) announced the launching of a service that allows customers to trade in used games for credit towards the purchase of new titles.  The service is a direct threat to a key facet of Gamestop’s business although Amazon will have to rely on mail order service which has proven to have limited success.

Gamestop is a retailer that specializes in new and used video game systems and software and personal computer entertainment software and related accessories.

PetSmart (PETM) shares closed down 7.5% despite the company reporting fourth quarter profits rising to $78.4 million or 62 cents per share from$75.4 million or 59 cents per share a year earlier.  Revenues rose to $1.36 billion from $1.33 billion.

PetSmart is a provider of specialty retail products, services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets.

March 5th, 2009 by InvestorPoint

U.S. stock indexes rebounded Wednesday, ending a five day losing streak and a downward trend that included a Dow Jones industrial average skid of 299 points Monday.

Markets were up following China’s lead, The Wall Street Journal reported. The Shanghai composite index jumped 6 percent on news that China will increase spending on infrastructure and manufacturing

Unlike recent days in which markets started the day with rises, on Wednesday the gains held up to the close.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 149.82 points, up 2.23 percent, at 6,875.84. The Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 2.38 percent, 16.54 points, to 712.87. The Nasdaq composite index gained 32.73 points, 2.48 percent, to 1,353.74.  The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies closed up 10.29 points or 2.85%.

Advancers outweighed by decliners on the New York Stock Exchange as 2,485 stocks advanced and 625 declined on a volume of 7.2 billion shares traded.

The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury bond fell 27/32 to yield 2.986 percent.

The euro rose to $1.2637, compared to Tuesday’s $1.2585. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar rose to 99.11 yen, compared to Tuesday’s 98.31 yen.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei average gained 61.24 points to 7,290.96, up 0.85 percent.

In London, the FTSE 100 index gained 133.78 points, up 3.81 percent, to 3,645.87.

 Advancers
 
Caterpillar (CAT) a large exporter to China closed up over 13% on the news of increase spending.

Caterpillar provides construction and mining equipment; diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas turbines. It also provides financing alternatives to its customers.

Freeport McMoRan (FCX) shares rose over 13%.

Freeport is engaged in the copper, gold and molybdenum mining through its majority-owned subsidiary, PT Freeport Indonesia.

 Decliners
 
General Electric (GE) shares closed down over 4.5%, its fourth consecutive day of decline as investors showed concern about GE’s exposure to bad debt and its potential need to raise outside capital as well as weather GE will loses its prized AAA credit rating.

GE is a technology, media & financial services company, with products & services ranging from aircraft engines, power generation, water processing & security technology to medical imaging, business & consumer financing, media content & industrial products.

JP Morgan (JPM) stock was down over 8.1% and was the biggest loser of the Dow components.  In fact, financials as group were down over ongoing worries about the fate of struggling banks.

JP Morgan is a financial holding company whose activities are organized, for management reporting purposes, into six business segments: Investment Bank, Retail Financial Services, Card Services, Commercial Banking, Treasury & Securities Services and Asset Management.

 Notables
 
Costco (COST) reported that its quarterly profits were down 27% as the company was forced to cut prices to win market share during the year end holiday season.  The company reported a profit of $239.7 million or 55 cents per share as opposed to $327.9 million or 74 cents per share a year ago.  Analysts had expected 60 cents per share.  Same store sales were down 3% and revenues were down 1% to $16.49 billion

March 4th, 2009 by InvestorPoint

U.S. markets comeback fizzles

U.S. markets headed lower Tuesday afternoon as a brief early rally faded amidst general economic distress.

Falling 299 points Monday, the Dow Jones industrial average closed the previous session at its lowest point in 12 years.   Pessimism continued to drive stocks to losses in an erratic session as investors struggle with the reality that the US economy is far from recovery.

Federal Reserve Chairman Bernake tells Congress that the recovery depends on the government’s ability to stabilize our financial markets.

By close, the DJIA lost 37.27 points or 0.55 percent to 6,726.02. The Standard & Poor’s 500 fell 4.49 or 0.71 percent to 696.33 closing below 700 for the first time since late 1996. The Nasdaq 100 composite index dropped 1.84 or 0.14 percent to 1,321.01.  The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 6.79, or 1.9 percent, to 361.01.

Advancers were outweighed by decliners on the New York Stock Exchange, 1,003 stocks advanced and 2,109 declined on a volume of 7.2 billion shares traded.

The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury bond fell 8/32 to yield 2.894 percent.

The euro fell to $1.2562, compared to Monday’s $1.2576. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar rose to 98.24 yen, compared to Monday’s 97.43 yen.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei average lost 50.43 points to 7,229.72, down 0.69 percent.

In London, the FTSE 100 index dropped 3.14 percent, 113.74 points, to 3,512.09.

The following stocks were the Market Movers who led the Advances and Declines today.

 Advancers
 

AutoZone Inc (AZO) shares hit a 52 week high and closed up 7.8% after the company posted a 9% growth in profits on higher sales as more people repair their cars instead of purchasing new ones.    For the quarter the company reported a profit of $115.9 million or $2.03 a share up from $106.7 million or $1.67 per share a year earlier.  Same store sales were up over 6%.

Autozone is a retailer and distributor of automotive parts and accessories.

Chico’s FAS (CHS) shares rose 3.2% despite the fact the company reported losses of $40.5 million or 23 cents per share up from a loss of $20.5 million or 12 cents per share.  Revenues dropped to $373.4 million from $409.3 million.

Chico’s is a retailer of casual-to-dressy clothing, intimates, complementary accessories, and other non-clothing gift items under the Chico’s, White House | Black Market and Soma by Chico’s brand names.

 Decliners
 
Par Pharmaceutical (PRX) shares plunged over 19% after the company reported a quarterly loss of $30.5 million or 91 cents per share versus a profit of $5.5 million of 16 cents per share.  Revenues rose 4 percent to $161.3 from $155.1 million.

Par Pharmaceutical through its subsidiary is in the business of developing, manufacturing and distributing generic and branded drugs in the United States.

MBIA (MBI) shares closed down almost even after dropping almost 9% in intraday trading after the company reported a loss of $1.2 billion or $5.30 per share an improvement over the $2.3 billion or $18.5 a share for the same quarter a year earlier.  The company reported a $1.7 billion loss on insured derivatives.

MBIA is engaged in providing financial guarantee insurance, as well as related reinsurance, advisory and portfolio services; and investment management services, including advisory services, asset/liability products and conduits on a global basis