Economy
2011’s Growing Military Opportunity – Brains Over Brawn
The U.S. military of the 21st century may be getting ‘smarter’, but is sure isn’t getting any smaller. President Obama will be asking Congress for a whopping $708 billion to spend on various military needs next year. For perspective, that’s 4.1% bigger than 2010’s budget, and 8.7% more than President Bush [...]
Smartphones Too Disruptive for Investors’ Own Good?
Don’t look now, but the winds of change may be blowing within the cell phone and smart phone arena. In the latest research from Gartner, Nokia (NOK) is still the undisputed market share leader, but the company gave up some ground in 2009. Market share fell from 38.6% to 36.4%.
Motorola [...]
The State of the Credit Card Industry, Post-Reform
Whether credit card issuers like it or not, the credit card reform act is here, and it’s going to hurt. The question is, will the plans to offset the impact of the CARD act be enough? So far, it’s not looking that way.
And just how much money is at risk? [...]
Will the iPad Take Market Share Away From Google?
The buzz of the iPad’s game-changing potential is still going strong … maybe even getting louder. And, Google (GOOG) has been named as the next victim in waiting, based on the idea that applications and mobility are more important than content and search. The former favors Apple’s (AAPL) latest gizmo, [...]
Is Apple’s iPad Really Going to Save Old Media?
Apple Inc. (AAPL) has finally done it. The computer/gizmo company has finally prodded its way into the media’s delivery system the way it did with wireless phones [via the iPhone] and music [via the iPod]. The latest Apple tentacle is reaching straight into the news media world with the recently-launched iPad, [...]
Weekly Market Outlook – December 19th, 2009
Despite Friday’s late gains, it still wasn’t enough to push expiration week back into the black for the market. The S&P 500 closed 4.0 points lower (-0.36%) than the prior Friday’s close. It was the fifth straight week of the bull/bear stalemate, and as we’ve mentioned before, the longer the bulls [...]
Will Holiday Sales Prove to be Better Than Expected?
We’re about to find out how healthy the average U.S. consumer truly is. If retail sales are up this season (November and December), it may well be the strongest sign yet the recession is over.
Heart of the Matter: For the first time in at least over a decade, holiday shopping sank [...]
Technology Stocks Are Turning The Corner
Though their performance could only be described as mediocre (at best) since the market’s recovery in March, consumer and corporate spending on technology may finally be strong enough to spur tech stocks higher again.
Not As Bad As Thought: Not entirely surprisingly, revenues and earnings were down last quarter compared to [...]
Consumers Still Focused on ‘Needs’ More Than ‘Wants’
Though it’s safe to say grocery stores and gas stations have survived the recession - now that we’re coming out of it - it may be a little soon to expect a crowd clamoring for the newest big-screen TVs down at the local electronics store. As such, consumer discretionary stocks aren’t [...]
Oil, Energy Stocks Back in Their Sweet Spot
After a record-breaking rally between 2003 and 2007, followed by a disastrous 2008, crude oil prices appear to have finally settled down in a comfortable middle ground around $70 per barrel. That’s good news for oil companies. Why? Though they can generate income with oil at any price, their stocks tend [...]
