Daily Highlights: 2.23.10

• Most Asian stocks rose, reversing earlier decline, amid speculation Dubai World will be able to fix its finances.
• German business confidence unexpectedly drops on coldest winter in 14 years.
• Obama unveiled a last-ditch $950B health-care plan.
• Oil falls for first day in six on forecast of gain in US crude supplies.
• Senate moved forward on a $15B job-creation package as 5 Republicans voted for the Democratic bill.
• US Treasury says consumer watchdog benefits banks.
• ABB taps emerging markets, guards cash to escape "thunderstorm".
• Brookfield Asset Mgmt is readying a bid to take a large ownership stake in General Growth.
• Carlsberg posts more than threefold rise in Q4 profit to $70M, helped by lower costs.
• China Unicom says it is interested in making an investment in Nigerian Telecom Ltd.
• Commerzbank posts $2.6 billion 4Q loss on increase in write-downs.
• Constellation Energy swung to qtrly profit of $4.42B on asset sale. Revs fell 30% to $3.4B.
• Covanta Hldg f'casts 2010 EPS of $0.75 vs. consensus est. of $0.87.
• DTE Energy reports in-line, posts Q4 EPS of $0.72 as revs fell 2.3% to $2.12B.
• Goldman Sachs says it did 'nothing inappropriate' on Greek currency swaps.
• Google will resume discussions over the fate of its China business in coming days.
• Honeywell plans for sales to grow by 30% or more in five years, to between $41-45B.
• Lowe's Q4 net rises 27%; raises sales and EPS f'casts for 2010, plans $5B stock-buyback.
• Merck 4Q posts net profit of $78M from year-ago loss.
• National Australia Bank, Axa talks to buy Axa Asia Pacific may extend into March.
• RadioShack Corp.'s Q4 net surged 26% to $75.7M as revs improved 4.7% to $1.32B.
• Thermo Fisher said to submit $6B unsolicited bid to buy Millipore.
• TPG, KKR said to be in final talks to buy Morgan Stanley's stake in CICC.

Economic Calendar: Data on Case-Shiller 20-city Index, Consumer Confidence to be released.

Earnings Calendar: BKS, CDI, DWA, EE, FDML, HD, IDA, JOE, M, MHS, ODP, OEH, PNM, POM, PZZA, SGY, TGT, THC.

RECENT RATING ACTIONS
NOBLE ENERGY INC (NBL)
OFFICEMAX INC (OMX)
MILLIPORE CORP (MIL)
THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC (TMO)
VISHAY INTERTECHNOLOGY INC (VSH)
JC PENNEY CO INC (JCP)
BJ SERVICES CO (BJS)
SMITH INTERNATIONAL INC (SII)
CAMPBELL SOUP CO (CPB)
MGM MIRAGE (MGM)
SCHLUMBERGER LTD (SLB)
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS INC (AAP)
BORGWARNER INC (BWA)

Data provided by Egan-Jones Ratings and Analytics

Comments

[perchprism]

RadioShack Corp.'s Q4 net surged 26% to $75.7M as revs improved 4.7% to $1.32B.

Back in 1973 I spent some antique bottle money I'd earned on a Radio Shack metal detector kit.  My dad wound up soldering it together.  It had a lot of "drift" so had to be retuned frequently, like every couple of minutes or so.  Still, I found a colonial-era silver shoe-buckle, and lots of old coins.  That was in Massachusetts, which was settled early with a dense enough population to warrant "town commons" (little parks) and school houses that had kids wealthy enough to actually lose a penny or 5-cent piece now and then. 

Radio Shack sucks.  They should have gone out of business years ago.  I'll never buy from them again.   Go into a Radio Shack and ask a clerk to see a catalogue for some item they don't have in stock.  They won't let you.  Fuck Radio Shack.  I feel like I'm in a shitty Sears when I'm in there.

[crosey]

They're a pretty capable team where I live.  Too bad you have this problem with them.

[Tom123456]

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