http://pfblogs.org/inv/ Delivering all the personal finance blogs you can handle -- and then some. contact@pfblogs.org en-us Copyright 2008 2008-05-13T09:13:50-05:00 http://pfblogs.org/ It may be worth paying special attention to the retail sector today since the better than expected April retail sales report has given the futures a boost this morning. On Today’s Calendar: 10:00 — Business Inventories More Calendars: U.S. Earnings | Conf. Calls | Surprises | IPO | Economic Potential swing trades: See one of the recent ‘Chart Reading‘ posts [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099789 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099789 Trader Mike 2008-05-13T09:13:50-05:00 Some curious US economic numbers were released this morning. April’s retail sales fell 0.2%, however, when excluding auto sales the number becomes an increase of 0.5%, beating forecasts calling for a 0.2% rise. The first curious observation is that retail sales were up, even with the recent drop in consumer confidence numbers. This can partly be explained [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099799 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099799 Investizmo 2008-05-13T09:12:21-05:00 These are some stocks that have been tagged by users over at StockTickr: GNK: GENCO SHIPPING Outlook: Long New high on 2.47 times average volume: 1,871,027 vs. 756,000 (tags: long, New High on Huge Volume) IPAS: IPASS INC Outlook: Short Industry: Internet Software and Svcs New low on 5.33 times average volume: 1,065,560 vs. 200,000 (tags: short, New Low on Huge Volume) THK: THINK PARTNERSHIP [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099801 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099801 Deep Market 2008-05-13T09:00:06-05:00 MRE maintained an outperform recommendation on both ZFX and OXR, with a 12 month price target of A$12.77 and A$4.00 respectively from Australian Stockmarket analyst Macquarie Research Equities. Oxiana (OxR)/ Zinifex (ZFX): The Arbs Are Nervous Advertisement: read more ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099813 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099813 My Share Trading 2008-05-13T09:00:01-05:00 Bill Cara submits: With the continuing need by bankers to recapitalize their balance sheets, and the need for governments around the old world to replace or at least maintain needed infrastructure, the capital markets will be squeezed out unless the major central banks continue to print money. The current capital flows are supporting high commodity prices, which is a drag on economic growth, everywhere, but particularly in the old world economies like the US.Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099791 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099791 Seeking Alpha 2008-05-13T08:59:33-05:00 Compass Diversified Holdings (CODI) reported earnings on May 12 for the first quarter of fiscal 2008 (ending 3/31/2008). Compass Diversified Holdings (CODI) is a publicly traded entity that... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099785 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099785 Under the Buttonwood Tree 2008-05-13T08:55:20-05:00 Ken Doctor submits: Consider the new Big City American journalism and the emerging cast of characters owning it. It's a page right out of the history books when a few well-heeled titans controlled the press, and its new incarnation could have all kinds of implications for the Yahoo (YHOO) Newspaper Consortium, for AP and for journalism start-ups near and far. If Rupert Murdoch indeed knows more about who the next owner of Newsday will be than the rest of us, and I'd have a sense he does, that would make him Prince, if not King, of New York. Pending what may be obligatory regulatory review, given the anti-trust and FCC thinking of the moment, he'd own Newsday, the Post, WWOR-TV, WNYW-TV and the solidly NYC-centric Wall Street Journal. Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099792 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099792 Seeking Alpha 2008-05-13T08:53:32-05:00 Seasonal Patterns found for the following stocks: Knot Inc. (KNOT) over the next 6 trading days. Look at the seasonal patterns for Knot Inc. in context. Companhia Paranaense de Energia COPEL (ELP) over the next 8 trading days. Look at the seasonal patterns for Companhia Paranaense de Energia COPEL in context. PetMed Express Inc. (PETS) over [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099802 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099802 Deep Market 2008-05-13T08:51:45-05:00 EFUT Investor submits: Alibaba is known for its international business to business (B2B) website and perhaps, among US investors, as the only thing Yahoo! (YHOO) currently has going for it. The heart of Alibaba is the ability to connect suppliers scattered throughout Asia, and specifically China, with retailers throughout the world and within China. Alibaba is not even 10 years old, as it was founded at the end of 1999, and has grown into a leading website in China and the world with over 27 million registered users. As you can imagine, in an industry (B2B) that is growing rapidly as China expands domestically and internationally, there is room for more than one Alibaba; think of Yahoo! and MSN (MSFT) in 2000 and then today, with Google (GOOG) now the leader in internet search. Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099793 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099793 Seeking Alpha 2008-05-13T08:45:53-05:00 Westpac (WBC)stated that they are in a strong capital position and have no requirement for additional capital from stockmarket analyst Macquarie Research Equities. Westpac Banking Corporation (WBC): Westpac Dividend Yield Play It’s bank dividend season again, and WBC follows ANZ this year with a $0.70 fully franked dividend, going ex-div on Monday 19th May. Advertisement: read more ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099814 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099814 My Share Trading 2008-05-13T08:43:12-05:00 Ketan Desai submits: Myriad Genetics (MYGN) has a diversified portfolio, which includes genetic testing as well as therapeutics. While the genetic testing part of the business continues to grow well, the run up in the stock over the past two years reflects hopes that the company's r-flurbiprofen (Flurizan) for Alzheimers Disease [AD] could be a huge blockbuster. Here is the science, for what it's worth. R-flurbiprofen (like other anti-inflammatory compounds) lowers toxic Aβ42 production by selectively modulating γ-secretase activity to shift cleavage of amyloid precursor protein [APP] away from Aβ42 production toward shorter, less toxic peptide fragments. This would inhibit the cascade of amyloid accumulation, plaque formation, and neurodegeneration that are the hallmarks of dementia. Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099768 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099768 Seeking Alpha 2008-05-13T08:39:11-05:00 Gapping up: FSYS +18.6%, KNXA +17.0%, FLR +7.2%, PAL +5.8%, BE +5.4%, BYI +4.3%, CFX +4.2%, WRNC +3.8%, PGIC +3.5%, PBR +3.0%, OC +2.7%, CKXE +2.0%, EMR +1.9%, LMC +1.8%... Gapping down: ABP -11.4%, DFR -11.3%, DT -7.7%, VVTV -7.2%, HOKU -6.7%, NUAN -5.0%, LDK -4.8%, WNR -4.2%, NAT -4.2%, AU -2.9%, HT -2.8%, WMT -2.7%, ASML -2.7%, NLY -2.5%, TS -2.0%, PPC -1.8%, DB -1.5%.Courtesy of Briefing.com ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099776 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099776 Wall St. Warrior 2008-05-13T08:32:00-05:00 FX Energy Inc.(FXEN) Q1 2008 Earnings CallComplete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099769 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099769 Seeking Alpha 2008-05-13T08:30:13-05:00 Seasonal Patterns found for the following stocks: Carreker Corp. (CANI) over the next 10 trading days. Look at the seasonal patterns for Carreker Corp. in context. Cellegy Pharmaceuticals Inc (CLGY) over the next 8 trading days. Look at the seasonal patterns for Cellegy Pharmaceuticals Inc in context. Constar International Inc. (CNST) over the next 9 trading [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099803 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099803 Deep Market 2008-05-13T08:29:20-05:00 UPCanadian Solar In(CSIQ)Netsol Technologies Inc(NTWK)Iomai Corp(IOMI)Gigamedia Ltd(GIGM)Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc(VNDA)DOWNTrue Religion Apparel Inc(TRLG)Openwave Sys Inc(OPWV)Guaranty Finl Group Inc(GFG)TBS International, Ltd.(TBSI)Capstone Turbine Corp(CPST)Swing Trading, Technical Analysis, Daily Stock Market Commentary. ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099760 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099760 2dtrading 2008-05-13T08:25:18-05:00 Research In Motion tgt upped to $165 from $140 at Citigroup following investor day ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099775 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099775 The Knight Trader 2008-05-13T08:20:00-05:00 Biz360, a market and media intelligence firm specializing in the Web, has raised $10 million Foundation Capital, along with past backers Granite Ventures and Scale Venture Partners. According to peHUB, the Burlingame, CA-based firm has raised nearly $50 million. The company offers a familiar service that allows companies to monitor what’s being said about them [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099745 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099745 DealBook 2008-05-13T08:18:21-05:00 Private equity firms that are buying leveraged buyout loans risk repeating the mistakes of investors in subprime mortgages, British financier Guy Hands told Bloomberg News. Terra Firma Capital Partners, the private equity firm run by Mr. Hands and which owns EMI, rejected offers from banks for the loans because they didn’t offer an attractive enough risk-adjusted [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099746 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099746 DealBook 2008-05-13T08:17:21-05:00 Stockerblog submits: There are a several publicly traded technology companies in Canada, including a couple of well known-names. Canada isn't just the home of oil and mining stocks, it has plenty of tech, life sciences, and many other industries. Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099758 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099758 Seeking Alpha 2008-05-13T08:16:04-05:00 New to me anyway; publicly traded airports.I have spent the last few days trying to learn a little about some of the publicly traded airports (many airports from foreign countries are publicly traded companies).There are close to 20 of them, that I know of anyway. To be clear I have just started looking at them so I still have plenty to learn but I think I might be noticing something with a few of them; they seem to have a low correlation to benchmark index of the respective country of origin.This is true of the Paris airport versus iShares France (EWQ), sort of true with Singapore airport (pictured above) and iShares Singapore (EWS), Japan airport and iShares Japan EWJ, Vienna airport and iShares Austria (EWO) to name a few.So what does this mean? Well that remains to be seen I suppose but where I think this is heading is tapping in to what is happening on the ground in a country without correlating to the stock market of that country which at times could be the right position. This might tie into the idea I have had about indexing GDP growth from some countries into an ETF or ETN and ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099757 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099757 Random Roger's Big Picture 2008-05-13T08:16:00-05:00 "Investment banking pins hopes on Asia", reports the FT on Tuesday, summing up an increasingly common refrain among bankers. The latest figures from Thomson Reuters would appear to confirm the optimism of bankers such as John Thain, who, when he arrived in India last week for his first visit as chief executive of Merrill Lynch,... ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099744 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099744 Alphaville 2008-05-13T08:15:42-05:00 I received a few questions about the stocks I posted on Saturday. All of the stocks were found the old fashioned way, I manually search through hundreds of stocks each weekend to come up with a list of stocks to watch for the following week. I only used Finviz as an effective way to display those stocks. The process of how I find those stocks is explained thoroughly in Chapter 18 of my book. As for what do I look for as a trigger to enter a trade on those stocks, it is when the trends are aligned across multiple timeframes. For swing trades, I use the DAILY chart to identify a trade candidate, the 30 MINUTE timeframe to identify if there is a favorable risk/reward ratio and the 10/5/2 MINUTE timeframe to fine tune my analysis for entry points and to manage risk. ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099743 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099743 Alpha Trends 2008-05-13T08:15:20-05:00 Notable Calls submits: Citigroup says its mid-quarter check on SanDisk's (SNDK) fundamentals suggests positive EPS revision pressure is forming, in line with seasonal norms which in years past have been a positive for the stock. Demand risks exist (handset), though Citi thinks rising contract pricing from June to October is a reasonable outlook. SNDK is Citi's mid-cap top pick on contract pricing and EPS revision catalysts. Since 2003, Street EPS estimates have jumped 22% and 43% in 2Q and 3Q, respectively (shares by 18% and 34%). Firm recalls that contract pricing risks shift to the upside from May to September (back to school and pre-holiday demand), though broader chip industry orders are most benign from June to August. NAND's comparative seasonal strength should augur well for SNDK shares if fundamental and estimate trends emerge in 2Q08/3Q08, as they think possible. Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099759 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099759 Seeking Alpha 2008-05-13T08:12:13-05:00 Coca-Cola, the world’s biggest drinks maker, is seeking more acquisition opportunities in the fast-growing soft drinks market to expand its revenue sources, the company’s presumptive next chief executive said on Tuesday. Sales of established soft drinks are declining in the United States as people opt for the likes of bottled water and tea, which they see [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099747 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099747 DealBook 2008-05-13T08:11:05-05:00 Fluor Corp. posted better then expected earnings and the stock is trading up on the news so keep it on the radar. ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099749 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099749 The Knight Trader 2008-05-13T08:10:00-05:00 Canadian Solar, Inc. beat expectations on earnings and the stock is trading up on the news this morning so keep it on the radar. ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099750 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099750 The Knight Trader 2008-05-13T08:08:00-05:00 Dynamic Materials, Inc. was upgraded by KeyBlanc Capital Markets this morning so keep it on the radar. ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099751 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099751 The Knight Trader 2008-05-13T08:06:00-05:00 Remember: just cuz I suck at buying breakouts???patience and actually being around to buy-wise???doesn???t mean you???re gonna suck at it too. It???s much much much easier to buy these suckers on the way up than is it to short sell cuz it???s more fun to party than it is to inform everyone that the bar [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099722 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099722 Timothy Sykes 2008-05-13T08:05:09-05:00 Members of the New York Mercantile Exchange will try to thwart the $9 billion takeover by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange unless the rival futures trading giant significantly boosts its offer, The New York Post reported Tuesday. The newspaper said that the Nymex members are angry with the exchange’s chairman, Richard Schaeffer, who they say negotiated a [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099724 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099724 DealBook 2008-05-13T08:03:37-05:00 “Market Update: For Stocks, The Worst is Over”. That was the headline from Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. Don’t you hate that? I mean, what’s the chance of the magazine being right? Kiplinger has signed up Glassman and Jeremy Siegel who are mostly bullish. But I just don’t think the worst is over. [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099737 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099737 My 1st Million at 33 2008-05-13T08:01:30-05:00 Michael Filloon submits: The new high price of oil and gas has pushed the price of many of the oil and gas producers higher. Many of these are owned by their governments, but in some cases we see some that have United States ADRs. These ADRs have been quite profitable recently, and I believe they still are. Even if the current prices to go down, which I don't think they will in the next three months, they will still be well positioned going forward as they have huge production increases on line to pick up the slack is oil goes lower. Companies like PBR are riding high even though their large find won't come on line for years. StatoilHydro ASA (STO) seems to be well positioned and a value with a PE of 14. This earnings period has posted one win after another with respect to this sector. STO is well diversified and has a very large presence with respect to ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099734 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099734 Seeking Alpha 2008-05-13T08:00:45-05:00 Free Cash Flow is a firm’s net income plus depreciation/amortization and all other non-cash charges - minus changes in working capital and capital expenditures.  It may sound complicated at first glance, but all that really means is that free cash flow is the amount of cash left over after paying the bills and making new investments [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099727 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099727 Amateur Asset Allocator 2008-05-13T08:00:35-05:00 Gapping up: FSYS +18.6%, KNXA +17.0%, FLR +7.2%, PAL +5.8%, BE +5.4%, BYI +4.3%, CFX +4.2%, WRNC +3.8%, PGIC +3.5%, PBR +3.0%, OC +2.7%, CKXE +2.0%, EMR +1.9%, LMC +1.8%...Gapping down: ABP -11.4%, DFR -11.3%, DT -7.7%, VVTV -7.2%, HOKU -6.7%, NUAN -5.0%, LDK -4.8%, WNR -4.2%, NAT -4.2%, AU -2.9%, HT -2.8%, WMT -2.7%, ASML -2.7%, NLY -2.5%, TS -2.0%, PPC -1.8%, DB -1.5%. ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099719 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099719 The Knight Trader 2008-05-13T08:00:00-05:00 John M. Mason submits: Defenders of the current economic policy of the Bush administration are now surfacing. Apparently, enough concern has been raised to cause a need to defend the status quo. There are two arguments for not changing policy at the present time. First, there is the argument that the value of the dollar has bottomed out along with signs that there could be an upturn. The second argument is that the United States is still too important in the world for the dollar to have to play by the same rules as all other nations. We will present these two defenses in turn. The argument for the strengthening of the dollar is the growing attention that has been given to the weakness in the dollar over the past six years or so. Some analysts have discerned such concern being expressed in recent speeches of Ben Bernanke. The feeling is that the ‘balance is shifting’ from the emphasis on financial market crisis to greater emphasis being placed on what has been happening in the foreign exchange markets. Just the added attention on the foreign exchange market has given people hope. Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099735 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099735 Seeking Alpha 2008-05-13T07:57:56-05:00 Upgrades:BOOM, BRL, RSH, TSFG, IBKC, SOVDowngrades:NXTM, GNA, MIVA, LHCG, BE, EDSHBHC, SNN ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099720 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099720 The Knight Trader 2008-05-13T07:57:00-05:00 Multigig, a maker of a new generation of clocks for silicon chips, has received $12.5 million in second-round financing. Multigig’s clocks replace the quartz clocks in most chips today. Investors include CMEA Ventures, Sierra Ventures and Hi-Tech Venture Capital. Faysal Sohail of CMEA Ventures, Ben Yu of Sierra Ventures and Aurangzeb Khan join Multigig’s Board of [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099708 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099708 DealBook 2008-05-13T07:55:28-05:00 Gaming device maker Bigfoot Networks has secured $8.75 million in Series B funding to expand its engineering team and sales efforts. The Austin company, founded in 2005, produces network interface cards that trim the lag time for people who play multiplayer online games. The company previously raised $4 million in 2006. The round was led [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099709 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099709 DealBook 2008-05-13T07:55:13-05:00 Good Morning!Nothing like a little solar research in the morning.Energy Conversion Devices - http://www.ovonic.com/ From the company: Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENER) manufactures and sells thin-film solar laminates that convert sunlight to energy using proprietary technology. Distributed globally under the UNI-SOLAR® brand, the company's products are ideally suited for cost-effective solutions for roofing applications because they are lightweight, durable, flexible, can be integrated directly with building materials, and generate more energy in real-world conditions. ECD also pioneers other alternative technologies, including a new type of nonvolatile digital memory technology that is significantly faster and less expensive, ideal for use in a variety of applications, including cell phones, digital cameras and personal computers. ENER got a big pop last week as they surprised the street and actually made money for the first time when they had predicted more losses. This was a very impressive quarter and the stock reacted as such by catapulting over 40% higher. This in part has helped by the large short interest that was in the stock at the time of the report. Going forward the company has a problem – they cannot keep up with demand. While there are certainly much ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099726 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099726 Trading Goddess Stock Blog 2008-05-13T07:55:00-05:00 Seth Gilbert submits:The as yet still unscheduled premiere of iPhone 2.0 is getting closer and the frenzy is building. With it, the rumors and speculation are picking up pace. Two new iPhone whispers and one iTunes story have been passing down the AppleVine to start this week. 1. iPhone 3G Debut Date Throughout April, iPhone product shortages fueled speculation Apple (AAPL) was thinning inventory in anticipation of the next iPhone product. For the most part, the consensus was this channel inventory adjustment would build through June. At that point, likely at Apple’s developer conference, the iPhone 3G would be introduced. Occasionally, a whisper here or a rumor there has suggested an earlier (or later) delivery date could be the D (delivery) -Day too.Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099712 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099712 Seeking Alpha 2008-05-13T07:52:26-05:00 Futures are pointing to a lower openAsian Stocks are trading higherEuropean Stocks are trading lowerCrude Oil is $123.80 per barrelGold is trading down and is $880 per ounce ICSC-UBS Store Sales (wk5/10 , 2008)May 13 Import and Export Prices (Apr , 2008)May 13 Retail Sales (Apr , 2008)May 13 Redbook (wk5/10 , 2008)May 13 Business Inventories (Mar , 2008) ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099721 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099721 The Knight Trader 2008-05-13T07:51:00-05:00 Menzie Chinn submits: The March trade release was taken as good news. Here's some reasons to wonder a bit more about how good the news was. Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099713 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099713 Seeking Alpha 2008-05-13T07:48:05-05:00 When Linens ‘n Things landed in bankruptcy court this month, it was a black eye for Leon Black, whose Apollo Management had taken the retailer private during the buyout boom. But the buyout veteran is reportedly moving to keep the swelling down. According to the trade paper Debtwire, Apollo has been buying the retailer’s bonds to [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099704 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099704 DealBook 2008-05-13T07:44:53-05:00 Michael Yu submits:Am I nuts? I don’t think so. Did LDK Solar (LDK) pay me to write this? For sure not. Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099699 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099699 Seeking Alpha 2008-05-13T07:40:05-05:00 Is the worst of the credit crisis behind us? Narrower yield premiums and an uptick in issuances have offered Wall Street some comfort, but Investment Dealers’ Digest says there are worrisome signs as well. For example, some economists and market watchers are still concerned that the consumer credit market hasn’t hit bottom yet. And Standard & [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099690 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099690 DealBook 2008-05-13T07:35:47-05:00 Jason Kelly submits: Some of the most popular features of my stock book and The Kelly Letter are the permanent portfolios. The one I emphasize is Maximum Midcap, a strategy that seeks to double the performance of the S&P Midcap 400 index, a market segment that's one of the best-performing over time. The strategy is dismissed by investment advisers as forcefully as part-timers praise it. Why? Because it returns more than almost every expert and proves that they are unnecessary. They don't want that message getting much play. Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099700 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099700 Seeking Alpha 2008-05-13T07:35:20-05:00 From Julia Werdigier, a DealBook colleague in London: Barclays Capital, the securities unit of one of Britain’s largest banks, on Tuesday hired five senior investment bankers from ABN Amro, the Dutch bank it failed to buy last year. The hires are the largest single push yet into the merger advisory business by Barclays Capital and its head, [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099691 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099691 DealBook 2008-05-13T07:34:09-05:00 Joe Panettieri (The VAR Guy) submits: After several false starts, Cisco Systems' (CSCO) TelePresence technology — that next-generation video conferencing solution — is finally gaining traction in selected high-end vertical niches. And now Cisco is introducing lower-end "personal" TelePresence systems for individual offices. Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099701 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099701 Seeking Alpha 2008-05-13T07:30:35-05:00 Last summer, in June 2007, to be precise, I wrote that the caution was warranted for the energy sector. Let’s take a look to see how I did and what lies ahead for this area of the market. The energy sector managed to push a little bit higher in July 2007 but it then succumbed to the general market weakness. So since I wrote about my apprehension, it didn’t go anywhere really for the next two months:Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099702 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099702 Seeking Alpha 2008-05-13T07:29:56-05:00 Informa, the international information, publishing and events business behind titles such as Lloyd’s List, is reportedly being circled by private equity groups. The Carlyle Group and Apax Partners are among those considering a bid for the group, which has a market capitalisation of 1.64 billion pounds, The Times of London reported, adding that no offers [...] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099683 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099683 DealBook 2008-05-13T07:29:25-05:00 HP to Acquire EDS for $13.9 Billion Wal-Mart Profit Increases on Discounts for Groceries Investment Banking Backlog Down About 15% In 2Q: Lehman CFO Nymex Seat Holders Ready to Block Sale to CME, Glass Says ResCap Bondholders May Oppose Debt... ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099772 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1099772 Wall Street Folly 2008-05-13T07:29:00-05:00