Stock to Watch On Monday ! ( EP,MDR,DISH,MBI,BID )

Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trading in Monday's session are El Paso Corp., McDermott International Inc., and Dish Network Corp.

El Paso Corp. (EP: 10.47, 0.23, 2.25%) is forecast to post earnings of 28 cents a share in the fourth quarter, according to analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters.

McDermott International Inc. (MDR: 22.84, 0.05, 0.22%) is expected to report earnings of 40 cents a share in the fourth quarter, according to analysts surveyed by FactSet Research.

Dish Network Corp. (DISH: 19.97, 0.1, 0.5%) is expected to report fourth-quarter earnings of 32 cents a share, according to analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters.

MBIA Inc. (MBI: 4.82, -0.06, -1.23%) is estimated to report a loss of $1.11 a share in the fourth quarter, according to analysts surveyed by FactSet Research.

Sotheby's Holdings Inc. (BID: 24.27, 0.75, 3.19%) is projected to post a fourth-quarter profit of 67 cents a share, according to analysts surveyed by FactSet Research.

MarketWatch, Inc.

Double-Dip Recession Hits Wall Street & Banks ? ( Market News ) - GE,BAC,C,WFC,JPM,USB,AXP,GS,JEF,NYX -

A miserable week of economic news has rekindled a big question in the market: Is the economy headed for a double-dip recession?

What's Next?

Thursday's economic reports only fanned the flames: Weekly jobless claims jumped despite projections they would start easing, and orders for long-lasting goods excluding airplanes dropped 0.6 percent instead of the projected 1 percent increase, suggesting waning consumer demand."After the huge rallies of last year I think it's time for the markets to consolidate," Ashok Shah, CIO of London & Capital, told CNBC Tuesday. "There is a risk of a double dip recession around the corner," he added when discussing the economic outlook for Europe."
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Those numbers followed reports earlier this week of a plunge in consumer confidence and the even more closely watched home sales, as well as a report from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp showing bank lending at its lowest levels in nearly 70 years.

"These numbers are not stabilizing," says Kathy Boyle, president of Chapin Hill Advisors in New York. "We're two-thirds of the way through the first quarter and the jobs numbers are worse...I just look at all the signs of these things and I don't see us getting out of this."




It was just weeks ago that analysts were forecasting positive job growth any day now and were touting the 5.7 percent fourth-quarter GDP as evidence that the economy had shaken off recession and was reopened for business.

True to form, investors took the dour economic signs fairly well earlier in the week. But they had finally had enough of the bad news Thursday, sending the major averages down as much as 1.5 percent.

Boyle, who has held a bearish market position since the initial downturn in 2007, thinks things could get worse.

"The news this week should push the market further down than it is," she says. "The fact that we're not down 200 points means there's still buying interest out there."

The economic reports helping to bring the markets down primarily reflect the difficulties in the US, but investors clearly are growing more concerned with events happening around the world.

Ratings agencies startled the market Thursday morning by warning of a possible downgrade in Greek's debt. Moody's specifically mentioned the possibility of a double-dip recession as something that would cause a rating cut, which would be sure to have worldwide ramifications.
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* Double-Dip Near: Market Pro
* Market Wants Higher Rates
* Bank Stocks May Lag Market
* Jobless Claims Up, Durable Orders Fall
* Fed to Examine If Wall Street Is Betting On Default by Greece

In remarks to Congress this week, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has sought to assuage fears and assure investors that the central bank would keep interest rates low for an extended period of time.

But in some quarters the chairman's comments also reflected concern of slow economic movement and the need to rein in the US dollar until real growth resumes.

"His fear is that the surging greenback will attenuate the demand for US exports and stall the recovery in manufacturing ..." Michael Pento, chief economist for Global Delta Advisors, wrote in an analysis. "Renewed weakness in the real estate sector and in the labor market along with a slowdown in global output should not only keep the Fed on hold in 2010 but also cause domestic GDP to stumble in Q3 and Q4."

Pento has been predicting a double-dip for months due in part to overly accommodative moves by global central banks.

"My prediction of a double-dip recession in late 2010 and early 2011 unfortunately looks on target and is underwritten by the troubles in Europe, Japan and the efforts on the part of the (People's Bank of China) to curb bank lending," he wrote.

Indeed, the US economic prospects seem as dire as the weather with yet another blizzard overwhelming the East Coast.

In fact, it could just be the awful weather that has stymied growth and is triggering some of the double-dip fears.

"The last six weeks or so have been a little different for most consumers. Nobody's going to work because they can't get out of the snow," says Kurt Karl, chief economist at Swiss Re in New York. "We have to get to spring before we get really confident as a public about the economy."

While jobs seem to be at the heart of the concerns, growth will be difficult without bank activity as well.

Noted analyst Meredith Whitney caused a stir on CNBC recently when she forecast difficult times ahead for banks because of loan portfolios that would shrink as much as 20 percent.

The FDIC numbers backed up that assertion at least inasmuch as lending continues to be anemic.

And lack of access to credit also erodes consumer confidence.

"It is disconcerting at the very least if not a bit of an eye-opener," Karl says. "Lending from banks has got to be happening soon to sustain growth."

In the face of such a scenario investors face tough choices of putting money into a stock market that has been going sideways for three months now or risk missing out on another leg up.

"We for quite a long time have been coining an adage: 'Hedge the cyclical and fund the secular,' " says John Stoltzfus, strategist at Ticonderoga Securities in New York. "Near-term there is significant uncertainty that can cause more than speed bumps but considerable choppiness in the economic recovery. More cyclical issues are worth holding onto and even adding to in the pullbacks to gain exposure to the secular story."

Such caution will be necessary until policy makers can help steer the economy toward recovery, particularly in jobs, Stoltzfus says.

"This is the kind of environment where if nothing is done we could get a double dip out of this," he says. "If Washington can cease with the political jawboning and rhetorical barbs and both sides of the table work together we can't but think something can be worked out." CNBC.com

The stock market going to 10,000 could simply be caused by investors realizing that we aren’t really going to the doghouse as badly as we initially thought. Good to know that so far, we’ve established the 6,000 level as “the bottom”. But really, is the Dow at 10,000 (or even 9,000) justified right now? I’m definitely in the camp that doesn’t think so.
As I review the fundamentals, I feel uncertain about this upward march in stock prices.

• We’re supposed to be recovering from the worst recession since the 1930s. Somehow, I expect it to take more work for us to pull out of the depths of this hole.
• In September of 2009, unemployment went up to 9.8% nationally, the highest levels since 1983.
• Can inflation be around the corner?
• What’s fueling the market’s rise? Improved earnings reports, apparently, but these are a result of business cut backs and company layoffs, rather than real growth.

Best stocks to buy this week ! ( Level 3 ) LVLT , ( XenoPort ) XNPT .....

1. Level 3 Communications (LVLT: 1.58 +0.13 +8.97%) / target 2.25 - Shares of Level 3 Communications rose 10% to $1.58 per share. The technical chart shows the stock is in a strong bull market both 50 day and 200 day moving average rising and MACD above signal. This is a good stock to own for the long term. Keep LVLT on your radar for Monday.Level 3 Communications, Inc. (Level 3) through its operating subsidiaries, is primarily engaged in the communications business. Level 3 is a facilities-based provider of a range of integrated communications services. As of December 31, 2008, the Company had approximately 77,000 intercity route miles in North America and Europe, connecting 23 countries. As of December 31, 2008, the Company had approximately 125 markets having metropolitan fiber networks containing approximately 27,000 route miles in the United States and Europe, and approximately 7,900 traffic aggregation points and buildings the aggregate. The Company's reportable segments include communications and coal mining. On June 5, 2008, Level 3 completed the sale of its Vyvx advertising distribution business to DG FastChannel, Inc.Short covering will boost this stock followed by improvements to earnings (which will still be poor) then someone will swoop up the wonde (assetts)r that this company holds and get rid of the managment who couldn't find there way home from a block away.someone else will buy them and put them to use. Infrastructure, Obama, Bandwidth demand, FIOS. Going up.The best thing that could happen to Level 3 would be for AT&T to buy them out, then we might make some real money.

2.XenoPort, Inc.

(Public, NASDAQ:XNPT) 8.38 a share / target price 18.00

XenoPort, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company. The Company is focused on developing a portfolio of internally discovered product candidates that utilize the body’s natural nutrient transport mechanisms to improve the therapeutic benefits of existing drugs. The Company focuses on development and commercialization efforts on potential treatments of central nervous system (CNS), disorders. Its product candidate, XP13512, known in the United States by the trade name Solzira (gabapentin enacarbil) Extended Release Tablets, is being developed for the treatment of a number of CNS disorders. During the year ended December 31, 2008, XP13512 completed a Phase IIa clinical trial for the management of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), in the United States. a biopharmaceutical company focused on nutrient transport mechanisms, saw its shares cut in half earlier this week after receiving a response letter from the FDA detailing additional questions that preclude the approval of its NDA in its current form. However, shares recouped about 20% of their losses during today’s session.
In the complete response letter, the FDA indicated that a preclinical finding of pancreatic acinar cell tumors in rats was sufficient concern to preclude approval of Horizant for RLS at this time. The FDA acknowledged that similar findings were known for gabapentin at the time of its approval for refractory epilepsy, but concluded that the seriousness and severity justified the risk.oversold ,after XenoPort's remarkable 66% one day drop. Following ZZLangerhans who provides good reason for hope. Playing the bump here...he pancreatic tumor concern was never brought up by any analyst or journalist during the development of Solzira, again to the best of my knowledge. The upshot of all this is that Xenoport has a strong chance for a comeback against this FDA concern, and will receive quite a lot of support here. Whether or not they are eventually successful, the magnitude of the destruction indicates a strong likelihood of rebound to at least the 12 level within the next few months. As a back-up plan, the company has several other drugs in early development and sufficient funds to progress them into late stage trials, although there is nothing tremendously exciting at this point. And finally, the company does have a patented and unique platform of drug technology that improves bio availability of medications utilizing nutrient transporters in the GI tract. This is a substantial asset that may eventually make them a buyout candidate should they accept that route.
In summary, this is my pitch for buying Xenoport below 8 on an overreaction to Solzira Complete Response. This is not my wholehearted endorsement of Xenoport the company and I would get the hell out with a substantial profit as these guys have shown a pattern of disappointing results and poor anticipation of FDA concerns.

NJ Governor Chris Christie, a Star Is Born ? By Dennis Kneale

Click here for interview 
 At long last I have found my new hero. He is rotund and profound, graced with a hint of "Sopranos" and a hefty dose of obstinate common sense.

He is Chris Christie, the newly elected governor of New Jersey, and this morning on CNBC’s "Squawkbox" he his first national TV appearance since his Obama-smiting election—and Christie crushed it.

The rookie governor, who faintly resembles the actor Steve Schirripa, the Big & Tall “Bacala” on “The Sopranos,” has a message for all of government—a simple, anti-spending, anti-tax declaration of "Enough!" It needs to go viral.  Take this video clip and post it on YouTube, resend it to Twitter and Facebook, and zap it out to your entire e-mail list.

This guy is a blunt-spoken political star in the making.  He warned of a state budget deficit that will run past $11 billion in 2011—and then he declared what is unthinkable in the Era of Obama: He won't raise taxes to fix it. Cut spending, period.

“We know that we’ve taxed too much, we’ve spent too much and we’ve borrowed too much,” Gov. Christie said on-air. “The only way to fix that is to stop spending so much—it’s the only way to do it.”

Wait a minute, anchor Becky Quick prodded him—you won’t raise taxes? “No, we’re not raising taxes—that’s it,” Gov. Christie retorted. Not even property taxes? “We can’t,” he declared, noting that in four years $70 billion in wealth had fled New Jersey “because we are the most overtaxed people in America.”

“We’ve done enough of that already,” he said. “It’s time to get tough, and to say no.”  Fuhgeddaboudit!

Dennis Kneale CNBC Media &
Technology Editor

The way Gov. Christie said it made me feel this wasn’t just some handler-crafted talking point softened with mealy-mouthed hedges like, “We’ll have study it.” Nope, this came straight from the gut—and this governor has quite an abundant gut; it was uttered with dead-eyed certainty.

And I believed him.

So did New Jersey resident Michael Pento, a fiscal conservative at Delta Global Advisors who is a frequent guest on CNBC. “I was blown away,” he says. “Cut spending—how radical!” He notes that in ten years the U.S.’s Gross Domestic Product grew from $10 trillion to $14 trillion, up 40%; yet the federal budget rose more than 100% from $1.8 trillion to $3.8 trillion in the same period.

Chris Christie bears the Republican label, but his own party has a lot to learn from him, given eight years of George W. Bush as the most fiscally irresponsible President of all time.  (Albeit, President Obama graces that list of dubious distinction and is rising with a Billboard bullet.)

“Republicans, when they get in power, act like Democrats,” Pento says. “This guy Christie is a constitutional Ron Paul conservative. We need to cut spending, as painful as that can be in the short-term.”

The governor pointed out that New Jersey has the highest taxes in the nation already, leading to the drain of $70 billion in wealth moving out of the state. Tax increases only would make that drain worse. 

And he cited a stunning stat: A 42-year-old state government worker in New Jersey who gets a 20-year pension has paid in all of $124,000—and will take out $3.8 million in payments and health coverage for the rest of his life. 

This simply can’t continue, yet few other politicians are talking about the government pension bubble that could bankrupt some cities. A new report from the Pew Center on the States says states have promised to pay $3.35 trillion to current and retired workers—and are running $1 trillion short in funding that obligation.

The worst-off state: President Obama’s home state of Illinois, which has funded only 54% of what it will have to pay out.  Unions now represent 40% of all government workers, and they are especially powerful at the local and state levels. Given the Dems’ union ties, ya gotta question whether benefit cuts are a viable option, as I wrote about here.

But I now hold out new hope, thanks to Gov. Christie of New Jersey. He brings a fresh new face and a voluble, emphatic voice to politics. Let us pray we hear a lot more from him.

• Follow Kneale at twitter.com/denniskneale

Are you Sirius ? 17 months later, Sirius XM shares rally tops $1 ! ( SIRI )

Sirius XM Radio Inc (SIRI.O) shares topped $1 a share on Wednesday, vaulting the critical threshold for the first time in 17 months, amid improved sentiment about the pay-radio company's future.
The stock, up 8.5 percent to $1.04 in morning trading, has improved ten-fold since January 2009, when concerns about looming debt payments pushed it to the brink of bankruptcy.



It last was above $1 in September 2008.



Staying above $1 removes the threat that the company, whose market cap is about $3.7 billion, might face delisting by Nasdaq. Sirius XM Chief Executive Mel Karmazin told Reuters in November that he was confident there would be no delisting.



Crossing $1 might also make the stock more palatable to mutual funds that would shy away from a company whose shares trade under $1.



Sirius has bolstered its books following an investment last year from John Malone's Liberty Media (LINTA.O) that gave Malone a 40 percent equity stake in the company. Last month, Sirius said it will report more than $100 million in free cash flow for 2009, after reporting negative free cash flow of $552 million in 2008.


Analysts have attributed the stock's comeback to improved outlook for sales on the auto sector, where Sirius gets most of its new subscribers, and improved percentage of customers who convert to paying customers once trials expire.According to Jim, the balance sheet of Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) is improving

Top Heart breaking - Valentine's Day Stocks to Love ( SHLD, NR )

1. Sears Holdings Corporation ( SHLD ) 90.47 / target price 145.00

Sears Holdings Corporation (Holdings) is the parent company of Kmart Holding Corporation (Kmart) and Sears, Roebuck and Co. (Sears). The Company is a broadline retailer with 2,297 full-line and 1,233 specialty retail stores in the United States operating through Kmart and Sears and 388 full-line and specialty retail stores in Canada operating through Sears Canada Inc. (Sears Canada), a 73%-owned subsidiary. During the fiscal year ended January 31, 2009 (fiscal 2008), Sears Holdings Corporation operated three business segments: Kmart, Sears Domestic and Sears Canada.
1) Strong Brands like Craftsman, Kenmore, DieHard & LandsEnd.

2) Growing Home Services Division which is in over 20 million homes per year!!!

3) Strong Real Estate Holdings.

outperform, growing profits ,Sears Holdings may not be the best stock right now for the price, but it has potential. As the recession ends, and the housing market gradually gets better, Sears will benefit. Despite competition from Lowe's and Home Depot, Sears still sells 30% appliances. Kmart, while some may laugh at it, stores are being remolded, and have had steady store sales in the recession, while Sears had a 10% decline due to the recession. Thing will get a lot sweater for Sears Holdings, in a little while.As the home buying market improves so will Sears.Eddie Lampert has a great track record !Lampert, Margin-of-safety, real estate, brand liquidation, investment vehicle, mini-berkshire, early buffett , this is a long term play ....
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2. Newpark Resources, Inc. ( NR ) 4.17 a share / target price 6.25

Newpark Resources, Inc. is a oil and gas industry supplier. The Company operates in three segments: Fluids Systems and Engineering, Mats and Integrated Services, and Environmental Services. The Company provides its products and services primarily to the oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) industry in the United States Gulf Coast, West Texas, United States mid-continent, United States Rocky Mountains, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and certain areas of Europe and North Africa. Newpark Resources is expanding its presence outside the E&P sector, particularly in Mats and Integrated Services, where it is marketing to utilities, municipalities, and government sectors. Cash flow is solid and management has been responsibly paying down LT debt in TTM. A buyout seems a lot more likely than bankruptcy.High Public Opinion with Low Relative Strength.Was profitable in Brazil. Oil prices have been rising (go figure). Fidelity is a major share holder and has increased its position. As the economy levels out and people start driving and the economy picks up and shipping and airlines and all that get back to normal and growing again. Newpark Resources Inc. provides services for the natural gas and oil drilling industries. Environmental disposal of radioactively occuring deposits from holes, water cleaning and clean up of oil from drillig activities. The demand for extra fuel in USA will push the stock.This is a supplier to deep water drillers. Area 181 has been opened by the US Guvmint in the gulf of Mex and this company has the only approved and patented drilling water based lubricant. The have also been selling their product to the Brazilian market.

blizzard Stock Pick to buy during the blizzard of 2010 ! ( Electronic Arts Inc. (Public, NASDAQ:ERTS)

Electronic Arts Inc. (Public, NASDAQ:ERTS) 15.96 a share / target price 24.75 by 2/2011

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA develops, markets, publishes and distributes video game software and content that can be played by consumers on a variety of platforms, including video game consoles, such as the PLAYSTATION 3, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii; personal computers (PCs), including the Macintosh; handheld game players, such as the PlayStation Portable (PSP) and Nintendo DS, and wireless devices, such as cellular phones and smart phones, including the Apple iPhone. The Company’s products for videogame consoles, PCs and handhelds are delivered on physical media (disks and cartridges) that are sold at retail stores and through mail-order (packaged goods products). Some electronically delivered content and services are add-ons or are related to its packaged goods products (add-on content or matchmaking services); while other games, content and services that it offers, such as games for wireless devices, and Internet-only games, are available only through electronic delivery.ERTS sunk -8.8% after the video game maker offered a weak outlook. For fiscal Q3, the company lost -$82 million, or -20 cents per share, compared to a year-earlier loss of -$641 million, or -$2.00 per share. Adjusted EPS fell to 33 cents from 56 cents. That was 2 cents above analyst estimates after the company had warned it would miss prior forecasts. Revenue tumbled -25% to $1.24 billion. For fiscal Q4, the company guided for adjusted EPS of between 2-6 cents on revenue of $800-$850 million, well below Wall Street estimates for EPS 13 cents on sales of $851 million.My among their top-15 holdings at the start of Q4. Buy on the way down !! EA has been in a large-scale restructuring effort designed to reduce costs and improve the quality of game releases. The December quarter showed a large improvement on this front, with operating expenses reduced to 56% of total revenue compared to 62% for the same period the previous year.But they also recently acquired Playfish, a leading social gaming company, and they have a large footprint in the smart-phone app market, which is set to keep expanding in the foreseeable future. In addition, there is plenty of cash on the books, so I see a great opportunity in ERTs by Dec. 2010 and into 2011 ... On the long run the game industry is booming and therefore EA should be one of the outperformers for the coming years. The company also still holds dominant hard-copy video games, including Madden, FIFA, NBA Live, Need for Speed, NHL, etc.. And with a recent announcement Of NBA JAMS , coming out in DEC. 2010 , This should be a huge success for EA Sports !Longtime designer Mark Turmell has joined Electronic Arts' Tiburon studio as chief creative officer just as EA announces a reboot of the classic sports game he created, NBA Jam.

"I couldn't be more excited to have this all kind of coincide with my arrival," Turmell -- who also co-created Smash TV and NFL Blitz -- tells Gamasutra in a new interview. "[The game's] fundamentals are great, but of course, it's 15 years later. There's certainly a lot of additional effort and enhancement that has to happen."

At Tiburon, Turmell will primarily work on the Madden and NCAA franchises, but he's consulting on the new Wii-exclusive NBA Jam (pictured), which is in development at EA Vancouver: "I'm looking at that product every week," he says. "I've sat with the team extensively, and I'm close to the product."

The original NBA Jam team was just ten people. At the time, Turmell coined the title's signature over-the-top basketball gameplay just by experimenting.

Super Bowl Stock Picks ( Super Bowl Ads & Commercials ) SKX,DENN - Dneeny's & Skechers

1. Skechers USA, Inc. (Public, NYSE:SKX ) 27.61 a share / target price 36.00
Skechers U.S.A., Inc. (Skechers), incorporated in 1992, designs and markets Skechers-branded contemporary footwear for men, women and children under several lines. In addition to Skechers-branded lines, the Company also offers eight uniquely branded designer, fashion and street-focused footwear lines for men, women and children. These lines are branded and marketed separately from Skechers and appeal to specific audiences. Its brands are sold through department stores, specialty stores, athletic retailers and boutiques, as well as its e-commerce Website and its own retail stores. Skechers operates 84 concept stores, 83 factory outlet stores and 37 warehouse outlet stores in the United States, and 16 concept stores and two factory outlets internationally.The bulk of the small cap footwear stocks can be found in the second category right now, forming a proverbial ‘perfect storm’ of technical and fundamental bullishness.Skechers is making trendy shoes, including being a trend-setter in the new style of curved sole walking shoes. This fad should help this company to outperform its peer at least for the next few months.Kids & Moms never lie and SKECHERS is insanely *Hot* commodity shoes for Women who want arch support they can't really get anywhere else.Attractive footwear and price structure, ready to move up with the big boys in shoes. This is a long term play , Skechers has 2 Super Bowl commercials , ( Joe Montana and features consumer testimonials about the shape ups athletic shoe...

2. Denny's Corporation (Public, NASDAQ:DENN) 2.54 a share / target price 4.25
Denny’s Corporation (Denny’s) is a family-style restaurant chain that owns and operates the Denny’s restaurant brand through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Denny’s Holdings, Inc. and Denny’s, Inc. As of December 26, 2008, the Denny’s brand consisted of 1,541 restaurants, 1,226 (80%) of which were franchised/licensed restaurants and 315 (20%), of which were Company-owned and operated. These Denny’s restaurants operated in 49 states, the District of Columbia, two United States territories and five foreign countries with concentrations in California (26% of total restaurants), Florida (10%) and Texas (10%). Denny’s Corp. (NASDAQ: DENN) is taking a chance With a mere $293 million market cap, every dollar counts here. The company said that Americans were pleasantly surprised last year when it announced during the Super Bowl that it was offering a Free Original Grand Slam® for one day at its restaurants nationwide. After pioneering the way for giveaways and feeding 2 million grateful Americans who took advantage of the offer… 2 million? You’ll have to do the math if that is a one-time bump only…. If it adds loyal customers who need to dine the cheap, it’s a win. If a one-time event, well that is another issue. For a company with revenues in decline, this is a chance. Denny's will be offering free breakfast on customers birthdays & free grand slam breakfast on Tuesday .great food, cheap price to get in.Even in recession people want to treat to dinner, this is a cheap alternative greasy spoon, American fare! headed to $5 by 2010. Great long term play !