Some news for investors

1. Stocks headed up today on earnings reports but were kept in check later in the day after cautious comments by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke.

Dow ----- 8915.49 +67.34
Oil ----- 64.81 +0.83
Gold ----- 947.50 -1.20

2. Exelon said today it has decided to end its $7.4 Billion all-stock bid for power generator NRG Energy. NRG said the offer was undervalued. It would have created the nation's largest power generator, a company big enough to provide power to about 45 million homes.

3. Caterpillar's 2nd quarter profit fell 66% on slumping sales of heavy equipment and the cost of staff cuts, but it saw signs that the global economy is starting to stabilize after a prolonged slide. In the 'go figure' department, the stock was up over 2 points because of that optimistic footnote.

4. Coca Cola, on the other hand, posted a 43% increase in its 2nd quarter profit, beating expectations as rapid overseas growth helped offset a sales decline caused by the stronger dollar.

5. Stocks in the news today:
Exxon Mobil ----- 70.47 +1.53
NRG Energy ----- 24.82 +1.27
Excelon ----- 53.33 +1.28
Coca Cola ----- 50.35 -0.68
Caterpillar ----- 39.46 +2.81

6. The California budget crisis has come to an end. Or has it? Listen to how they closed their $26 Billion budget gap last night.:

a) $15 Billion in budget cuts in healthcare, welfare, education and municipal governments.
b) $4 Billion from higher taxes.
c) $2.1 Billion will be borrowed
d) The remainder will come from "cooking the books." Here's an example. The government will shift the last payday of Fiscal Year 2010 into the following year.

well the thai market is hanging in there, not sure how much of a free market it is, if compared to usa stock market, over the board or pennies, probably as non free market as the usa. my own personal feeling is, it is one big scam, which i've learned thru trial and error, and since realizing it's a scam, it's much easier to play and win with usa stocks, that's sad

ok, back to the point, since thailnd didn't buy into all the crap the usa brokers pushed off on the highly trained and extremely ignorant investors, they seem to be fairing rather well. though amazing how the baht is frozen at 34, with lots of negative news, this / that. (exports/auto/rice/tourism/mega projects on hold/heavy borrowing by gov't), all down 10-50 %, well, borrowing by gov't and banks up...............but somehow the stock market is good, dropping less than 2 %. lot of foreign investors seem to have faith in the thai market.

Foreigners Net Buyers Of THB1.08 Billion Of Thai Shares Tuesday


BANGKOK -(Dow Jones)- Foreign investors were net buyers of THB1.08 billion of Thai stocks Tuesday out of a total THB20.71 billion traded, the Stock Exchange of Thailand said.

Figures are in millions of baht (THB):

Institutional %...........Foreign......% .......Retail %
Bought 3,991.97 19.27....3,866.70 18.67........12,853.40 62.06
Sold 4,138.74 19.98......2,790.86 13.47.......13,782.49 66.55
Net -146.77..............1,075.85 ..............-929.08

In the month to date, foreigners have been net sellers of THB956.2 million of Thai shares.

In the year to date, foreigners have been net buyers of THB19.24 billion of Thai shares.

Note: Foreign activity represents transactions by both institutions and individuals, local retail activity is by Thai nationals only, and institutional activity is by domestic institutions, SET member-brokers and sub-brokers.

-By Bangkok Bureau; Dow Jones Newswires; 66 2 266 0745; djnews.bangkok@ dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
07-21-090703ET
Copyright (c) 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=200907210703dowjonesdjonline000259&title=foreigners-net-buyers-of-thb108-billion-of-thai-shares-tuesday

1. Today's earnings reports were mixed and as a result, investors held off making any more bets on the economy.

Dow ----- 8879.90 -36.04
Oil ----- 65.25 -0.36
Gold ----- 950.35 +1.85

2. Drug giant Pfizer said today that its 2nd quarter profit plunged 19% as the strong dollar pulled down revenue, and higher taxes and costs for its pending purchase of rival Wyeth hurt the bottom line. Still, Pfizer raised its forecast slightly, and just like with Caterpillar yesterday, that's all that was needed to keep the stock in positive territory.

3. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke was back in the hot seat today, answering tough questions about the central bank's actions to rescue the economy and its ability to take on even more responsibility. This after going through a similar situation yesterday with House members.

4. Wells Fargo said its quarterly profit increased 47% as strong mortgage banking results and the acquisition of Wachovia Corp offset rising credit losses.

5. GE said that its finance arm (GE Capital) has been cleared to exit the government's Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program. This was an obvious show of strength today as rival business lender CIT Group faces possible bankruptcy.

6. Stocks in the news today:
Pfizer ----- 15.86 +0.16
Wells Fargo ----- 24.42 -0.93
CIT ----- 0.88 -0.10
GE ----- 11.64 -0.17
Apple ----- 156.77 +5.31 (IPhone)
Coca Cola ----- 49.11 -1.24
Home Depot ----- 24.77 +0.310

7. The two biggest pension funds in the country have lost $100 Billion and it looks like they're about to lose more. They're both in California and here's the breakdown:

CalPERS - $56.2 Billion
Cal State Teachers - $43.4 Billion

These two have it especially bad as unemployment in Cal is higher than most and that will limit money going into the funds. Additionally, Gov. Schwarzenegger announced all kinds of plans to bridge the budget gap and that will be detrimental to both.

1. All it took was a bigger than expected increase in sales of existing homes to get investors in a buying mood this morning.

Dow ----- 9068.83 +187.57
Oil ----- 67.18 +1.78
Gold ----- 950.52 -0.88

2. McDonald's said today that a 2nd quarter profit dip of 8% was expected because of exchange rates earlier in the year. They also said that the new expresso-based McCafe drinks had added to sales and helped boost market share in the U.S. The drinks are being rolled out to all 14,000 of the company's U.S. locations . . . a move the company began heavily promoting in ads nationwide during the quarter.

3. Stocks in the news today:
McDonalds ----- 56.09 -2.73
ExxonMobil ----- 71.61 +1.62
IBM ----- 117.06 +1.49
3M ----- 69.38 +4.71
Caterpillar ----- 41.26 +2.60
Raser Tech ----- 2.23 +0.23
Acacia Research ----- 8.95 +0.24

4. State legislators from around the country are meeting in Philadelphia to discuss their common plight. According to one observer, gallows humor was abundant. An Arizona official joked that his state's financial situation was comparable to the Grand Canyon, while an Illinois legislator said his state's budget situation is so scary, it's best told around a campfire at night. At least 12 states and the District of Columbia are confronting gaps totaling $23 Billion in budgets that have already been adopted.

1. Stocks were pretty lackluster most of the day but rallied prior to the close to finish in positive territory.

Dow ----- 9093.39 +24.10
Oil ----- 67.91 +0.75
Gold ----- 951.51 +2.36

2. Microsoft's billion dollar plus revenue shortfall in its fiscal 4th quarter quickly dampened any hopes that demand for PCs was on the mend and sent a spate of tech stocks tumbling after-hours last night. One respected advisor said that the Microsoft report should be a "reality check" for investors who have jumped back in with both feet.

3. Schlumberger exemplified the ongoing troubles for the oil and gas industry, reporting today that its 2nd quarter earnings fell 57% and additionally offered a very uncertain outlook for the rest of 2009 and beyond.

4. Today, the federal minimum wage rises to $7.25. This is the 3rd year in a row it has risen and as always, it initiates the perennial argument among economists . . . does it help workers at the bottom of the ladder, or does it kill their jobs? A federal mandate set to take place at a time down the road, now goes into effect during the worst economic time "since the Great Depression." Isn't this a good reason why it isn't good for the government to tamper with supply and demand?

5. Helped by a lightened debt load, Ford Motor posted a surprise 2nd Quarter profit of $ 2.3 Billion yesterday, following the worst loss in company history a year earlier.

6. Stocks in the news today:
Microsoft ----- 23.31 -2.25
Schlumberger ----- 57.32 -0.46
Ford ----- 6.77 -0.21
ExxonMobil ----- 72.25 +0.64
Cerner ----- 65.89 +1.67 (New High)
Dynamics Rsrch ----- 11.62 +0.44 (New High)
Solarwinds ----- 19.17 +1.42 (New High)

WBU, - A suggestion, bearing in mind the title of this topic that you started, it would be nice if you quoted information relevant to investors world wide, or perhaps more appropriately Thailand, as that is where most of us live, rather than American stocks on the American stock exchange all the time.

I also note American political comment is creeping into this "Some News for Investors" thread. Maybe I could remind you off a comment you made on the
"Debate on Obama's weekly net address" topic yesterday - "I want to stay on topic". ............... Please do.

Not everything that I'm sent is worldwide, nor do I see much.

I didn't realize that it was my sole responsibility to post content in this thread for worldwide investors. I thought the thread was open to anyone. Maybe someone else can contribute some worldwide investment news.

PS - There's nothing political in the post. It's called economics and government's involvement in it. Had it been politics, there would have been specific people/parties mentioned, etc.

I'm beginning to believe that there is another conspiracy movement forming. I'm also beginning to wonder about these warnings that are supposedly issued by PM, yet I am always taken to task over trivial matters in the open threads. But then, it might just be my imagination.

WBU I enjoy your posts just the way they are.

I cant think of any more multinational global companies than Ford, Slumberger,Microsoft,Cerner,ExxonMobil,the price of gold and oil. The worlds companies are traded on the American exchanges to say that its not inclusive of the global economy or the Thai economy is just silly. The DOW is a fine benchmark and its quoted daily around the world for all people from all places. If people want more specific or different benchmarks look them up on their own, what's the big deal.

1. Mixed reports on the economy and earnings sent the stock market drifting today, taking a break from a two-week rally that lifted the major indexes 11%. A rally in last half hour however, moved the Dow into positive territory.

Dow ----- 9108.51 +15.27
Oil ----- 68.32 +0.27
Gold ----- 954.88 +3.53

2. A governmment report said sales of new homes in the U.S. rose by the largest amount in nearly nine years last month, but it also said home prices fell sharply from a year earlier.

3. Verizon Communications Inc announced today it will cut more than 8,000 employee and contractor jobs before the end of the year.

4. Federal regulators are making permanent an emergency rule aimed at reducing abusive short-selling, which was put in at the height of last fall's market turmoil.

5. Seven banks went belly-up over the weekend. Six were in Georgia and were all subsidiaries of Security Bank Corp in Macon. The seventh was Waterford Village Bank in N.Y. The six in Georgia had losses of $ 200 million in bad real estate and construction loans in the Atlanta area.

6. Stocks in the news today:
Bank America ----- 13.09 +0.58
GE ----- 12.32 +0.29
Verizon ----- 31.00 -0.50
Home Depot ----- 25.16 -0.16

7. "Cash for Clunkers" program officially starts today. (Up to $ 4,500)

1. Stocks hit the skids today after a private research group said consumer confidence slid more than expected in July.

Dow ----- 9096.87 -11.64
Oil ----- 67.23 -1.15
Gold ----- 937.10 -16.75

2. Bank America plans on closing 10% of its U.S. branches (that total is presently 6,100). The driving force behind this move is changing customer preferences. That's a nice way of saying that these days most people do their banking online.

3. In the "don't say you weren't warned" department, commercial real estate related losses are beginning to weigh hard on banks. Losses from loans tied to strip malls, office buildings, housing complexes and the like are heading toward record levels not seen since the savings-and-loan crisis. According to Bloomberg, about $ 165 Billion in commercial real estate comes due this year with $ 96 Billion of that located in the South.

4. Sprint Nextel is intensifying its focus on the fast growing market for prepaid cell phone service with a $ 483 million deal to buy Virgin Mobile USA Inc. Sprint will pay $ 5.50 for each Virgin Mobile share.

5. Stocks in the news today:
Bank America ----- 13.34 +0.25
GE ----- 12.53 +0.21
Sprint Nextel ----- 4.59 +0.04
Virgin Mobil ----- 5.28 +1.07

Was reading about that "looming" commercial real estate disaster last week. I just don't know
how many more hits the economy can take before it folds over on itself? I personally predict
that "GOLD" as the one seeming constant in all this blizzard of bogus paper will rise dramatically
in the coming months. oh yeah, the dow will hit 15,000 the experts say. who can you believe?
just who is moving the levers behind that curtain? same guys who fuc_ed us before i'll guess.

cali4995 wrote:Was reading about that "looming" commercial real estate disaster last week. I just don't know
how many more hits the economy can take before it folds over on itself? I personally predict
that "GOLD" as the one seeming constant in all this blizzard of bogus paper will rise dramatically
in the coming months. oh yeah, the dow will hit 15,000 the experts say. who can you believe?
just who is moving the levers behind that curtain? same guys who fuc_ed us before i'll guess.

Yes, cali, nothing seems to be following "common" economic sense.

Possible government takeovers in any sector will affect that sector. Printing and borrowing more money affects cash. Waiting for new taxes affects spending/investing habits. Nothing really looks very good or promising based on any "indicators".

1. Stocks fell today on jitters about the pace of recovery and a drop in durable goods orders. The market appears to be losing its momentum as new worries about the economy pop up.

Dow ----- 9070.80 -25.92
Oil ----- 62.91 -4.32
Gold ----- 929.85 -7.65

2. The big news today centered on Microsoft and Yahoo finally entering into an Internet search partnership, capping a convoluted pursuit that dragged on for years and setting the stage for them to make a joint assault against the dominance of Google.

3. ConocoPhillips became the second oil giant in as many days to report plunging profits for the second quarter, saying today its earnings fell a whopping 76% because of the year-over-year fall in oil and gas prices and terrible refining results.

4. Shares of WellPoint tumbled today after the health insurer reported a 2nd Quarter drop in profits and enrollment that slid further than analysts had expected.

5. Stocks in the news today:
ConocoPhillips ----- 42.86 -1.57
WellPoint ----- 51.28 -3.10
Sprint Nextel ----- 4.05 -0.54
Time Warner ----- 26.52 -0.49

wow wbualum, you've really got a grasp on this? during my 6-7 years in college i think i took some
finance courses but it's all kind of a blur? what i find most fascinating is how you change the color
of the type with the daily statistics, now that's neat i was trying to read about the "gold standard"
the other day and just where we went wrong with the whole runaway printing of $$$. i've been reading
some old westerns and they always talk about 20$ gold coins? what's that worth today versus 1870?

cali4995 wrote:wow wbualum, you've really got a grasp on this?

Nope, just trying to keep up reading and passing along what I find.