Friday, September 30, 2011

Money manager pays $2.5M to settle fraud case (AP)

WASHINGTON ? A former California investment executive is paying $2.5 million to settle federal charges that he hid a computer error that resulted in financial losses for clients. He will also be banned from the securities industry for life.

The Securities and Exchange Commission says Barr M. Rosenberg, the co-founder and former chairman of AXA Rosenberg, learned of the coding error in June 2009. But the SEC says he told others to keep it quiet and not fix it immediately The error was not disclosed to clients until April 2010, after they lost $217 million.

The investment firm is also paying $242 million to settle civil fraud charges.

AXA Rosenberg, based in Orinda, Calif., is owned by French insurance company AXA SA.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110922/ap_on_bi_ge/us_sec_fraud_charges

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5 Things to Watch Next Week: iPhones, Food Fights, Robots, and Warehouse Clubs

Apple to announce iPhone 5We finally have a date. Apple (AAPL) is inviting industry watchers to a media event Tuesday, obviously to introduce the new iPhone 5.

"Let's talk iPhone," reads the invitation, a not-so-cryptic tease about the rumored voice recognition enhancements in the new smartphone.

Journalists, analysts, and bloggers have begun to piece together details, but Apple is always good for a "one more thing" surprise or two. Then again, it's Apple. Even if this was just the iPhone 2G in new packaging, loyal fans would buy it and rave about its retro panache and throwback connectivity.

Now that Steve Jobs has stepped down, it will be interesting to see how Tim Cook is received by the audience as the permanent CEO. The pressure's on, especially now that the iPhone rollout has slipped from Apple's historical updates for the smartphone in June or July every year.

The iPhone 5 reveal isn't the only big happenings next week. Let's go over some of the other items that will help shape the week ahead once Monday rolls around.

Casual dining's margin diet: Shares of Darden Restaurants (DRI) -- the company behind Olive Garden, Red Lobster, LongHorn Steakhouse, and snide foodie remarks -- took a hit after quarterly results on Wednesday.

Earnings slipped 6% at Darden, despite positive sales growth and healthy comps at two of its three flagship concepts. Margins went on a cruel diet, as food and beverage costs rose faster than sales at all three chains.

This is the unwelcome backdrop setting up rival Ruby Tuesday's (RT) quarterly report.

If Darden's report was bad, analysts feel that Ruby Tuesday's margins will be even worse. Wall Street sees a quarterly profit of $0.06 a share out of the restaurant operator, a far cry from the $0.17 a share it earned a year earlier.

Let's not assume that the pros are being overly pessimistic here. Ruby Tuesday has badly missed analyst bottom-line estimates in the two previous quarters. Check, please!

Monsanto's seasonally forgettable harvest: Don't be surprised to hear Monsanto (MON) posting a quarterly deficit on Wednesday. Cranking out seeds, traits, and crop protection chemicals is a pretty seasonal business. Monsanto has actually posted a loss in five of the past six fiscal fourth quarters, and the only time that it did sprout a profit was for a mere $0.02 a share.

Monsanto earned more than enough through the seasonally potent first three quarters; it can afford to take a quarter off.
However, investors will want to know why Wall Street feels that Monsanto will post its largest fiscal fourth-quarter deficit in ages. Analysts are forecasting a loss of $0.27 a share for the period, three times larger than its prior-year shortfall.

Rock 'em, sock 'em robots: Real Steel hits theaters a week from today, and there's plenty riding on the movie.

Every year, IMAX (IMAX) singles out a handful of movies that have blockbuster potential to be remastered for its super-sized theatrical experience. Beyond the film's dual screenings on both traditional and IMAX screens, the action flick comes out at a time when box office receipts have declined through the first three quarters of the year relative to 2010's take.

The trailer looks hokey to me, but battling robots are supposed to appeal to the audiences that have flocked to all three Transformers movies -- or two more than I bothered to screen.

Warehouse clubbing: Costco (COST) is one of the few companies posting quarterly results next week. The warehouse club has been a market darling over the years, but something happened a few weeks ago.

Jim Sinegal announced that he was stepping down as CEO.

Sinegal has been at the helm since 1988, when Costco merged with Price Club. One can argue that Costco is a well-oiled machine, and that it can weather a smooth transition at the top. We'll see. Sinegal steps down at the end of the year, so this may very well be his last conference call as CEO.

Longtime Motley Fool contributor Rick Munarriz does not owns shares in any of the stocks in this article. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple and Costco. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Costco, Apple, and IMAX, as well as creating a bull call spread position in Apple and a synthetic long position in Monsanto.


Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/09/30/5-things-to-watch-next-week-iphones-food-fights-robots-and-w/

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Blue chips drop 4 percent on recession fears (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Stocks fell further on Thursday, with the Dow industrials briefly down 4 percent, as a bleak outlook from the Federal Reserve and weak data from China heightened fears of a global recession.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 413.38 points, or 3.72 percent, to 10,711.46. The S&P 500 dropped 38.84 points, or 3.33 percent, to 1,127.92. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 81.79 points, or 3.22 percent, to 2,456.40.

(Editing by James Dalgleish)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110922/bs_nm/us_markets_stocks

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Cummins Passes This Key Test

There's no foolproof way to know the future for Cummins (NYSE: CMI��) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result.

A cloudy crystal ball
In this series, we use accounts receivable (AR) and days sales outstanding (DSO) to judge a company's current health and future prospects. It's an important step in separating the pretenders from the market's best stocks. Alone, AR -- the amount of money owed the company -- and DSO -- the number of days' worth of sales owed to the company -- don't tell you much. However, by considering the trends in AR and DSO, you can sometimes get a window onto the future.

Sometimes, problems with AR or DSO simply indicate a change in the business (like an acquisition), or lax collections. However, AR that grows more quickly than revenue, or ballooning DSO, can also suggest a desperate company that's trying to boost sales by giving its customers overly generous payment terms. Alternately, it can indicate that the company sprinted to book a load of sales at the end of the quarter, like used-car dealers on the 29th of the month. (Sometimes, companies do both.)

Why might an upstanding firm like Cummins do this? For the same reason any other company might: to make the numbers. Investors don't like revenue shortfalls, and employees don't like reporting them to their superiors.

Is Cummins sending any potential warning signs? Take a look at the chart below, which plots revenue growth against AR growth, and DSO:

anImage

Source: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. FQ = fiscal quarter.

Source: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. FQ = fiscal quarter.

The standard way to calculate DSO uses average accounts receivable. I prefer to look at end-of-quarter (EOQ) receivables, but I've plotted both above.

Watching the trends
When that red line (AR growth) crosses above the green line (revenue growth), I know I need to consult the filings. Similarly, a spike in the blue bars (DSO) indicates a trend worth worrying about. As another reality check, it's reasonable to consider what a normal DSO figure might look like in this space.

Company

LFQ Revenue

DSO

�Cummins $4,641 52
Eaton (NYSE: ETN��) $4,090 57
Emerson Electric (NYSE: EMR��) $6,288 63
Capstone Turbine (Nasdaq: CPST��) $24 74

Source: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's. DSO calculated from average AR. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. LFQ = last fiscal quarter. Dollar figures in millions.

Differences in business models can generate variations in DSO, so don't consider this the final word -- just a way to add some context to the numbers. But let's get back to our original question: Will Cummins miss its numbers in the next quarter or two?

I don't think so. AR and DSO look healthy. For the last fully reported fiscal quarter, Cummins's year-over-year revenue grew 44.7%, and its AR grew 35.4%. That looks OK. End-of-quarter DSO decreased 6.4% from the prior-year quarter. It was down 4.8% versus the prior quarter. Still, I'm no fortuneteller, and these are just numbers. Investors putting their money on the line always need to dig into the filings for the root causes and draw their own conclusions.

What now?
I use this kind of analysis to figure out which investments I need to watch more closely as I hunt the market's best returns. However, some investors actively seek out companies on the wrong side of AR trends in order to sell them short, profiting when they eventually fall. Which way would you play this one? Let us know in the comments below, or keep up with the stocks mentioned in this article by tracking them in our free watchlist service, My Watchlist.

Source: http://feeds.fool.com/~r/usmf/foolwatch/~3/1KxLhcbnW1k/cummins-passes-this-key-test.aspx

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10 Return Policies to Know Before You Click for Holiday Gifts

Getting a jump on your online holiday shopping? Those free shipping offers are sure tempting. But before you click "buy," be sure to click over to the return policy page. If your giftees aren't giddy about your presents, they certainly won't be happy if they have to shell out to return or exchange them.

With holiday shopping expected to be slightly higher this year than last, it's important to weigh the pros and cons of a return.

FreeShipping.org, a service that lists e-commerce sites with free shipping offers, this week released its list of return policies at 10 popular e-commerce shopping destinations. Here's a quick peek at the list and some additional thoughts to keep in mind when returning items with a receipt:

Online shoe retailers Endless.com, Shoebacca.com, and Zappos.com all offer customers a 365-day return policy for unwanted, unworn, or defective footwear. In addition, the companies offer free shipping for returns, as well as a full refund.

Clothing retailer Overland.com has no restrictions on when an item must be returned in order to receive a full refund, although its preference is within a year. The company also provides free shipping labels to mail the merchandise back via FedEx.

Big-box retailer Costco (COST) allows customers to return most items at anytime, provided the original receipt and packing material are enclosed, notes FreeShipping.org. And return shipping is free no matter the size or weight of the item -- they'll even send a shipper out to pick up that big and bulky French door refrigerator ordered online that needs to be returned. Electronics, however, are on a shorter tether and must be returned within 90 days. Costco also provides full refunds.

While these five companies offer the easiest return policies, FreeShipping.org has another five that made their top 10 list as well.

L.L. Bean doesn't have any time restrictions on returns, but return shipping is only free for L.L. Bean Visa Card members. Other customers will see their refund reduced by $6.50 when they use a prepaid return label.

Lands' End also doesn't have a deadline for returning merchandise. And although returns are free when exchanging merchandise, the retailer will deduct $6.95 if it's a straight-up refund request.

Macy's (M) allows for a full refund or exchange within 180 days after purchase, but jewelry is on a tighter time frame of only 30 days. Customers absorb the cost of mailing merchandise back.

Kohl's (KSS) has a more lenient return policy with no deadline for mailing back merchandise. And it sometimes offers free shipping for returns.

Toys R Us and Babies R Us accept online returns within 90 days after purchase, but customers are on their own for shipping costs unless the item is damaged or defective, according to the retailer's website.

Motley Fool contributor Dawn Kawamoto does not own any shares in the companies listed in this article. However, she has been known to be an avid shopper as the holiday season approaches. The Motley Fool owns shares of Costco. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Costco.


Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/09/29/10-return-policies-to-know-before-you-click-for-holiday-gifts/

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Americans prefer "Modern Family" to "X Factor"

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Americans prefer "Modern Family" to "X Factor"

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Big, brash new singing contest "The X Factor" was thumped on its U.S. TV debut, with American audiences preferring comedy "Modern Family" in their millions, ratings figures showed on Thursday.

After months of hype and bold predictions by its creator Simon Cowell, just 12.1 million Americans tuned in for the debut of "The X Factor" on Fox -- about half the audience for the most recent season of "American Idol".

Instead, "Modern Family" -- the affectionate ABC mockumentary that won big at the Emmy Awards last weekend -- drew 14.3 million viewers to make it the most-watched TV show of Wednesday night, early numbers for Nielsen media research showed.

Critics were also mostly underwhelmed by "X Factor", which Cowell had predicted earlier this year would thrash the competition and replace "Idol" as the most-watched show on U.S. television.

"It quickly becomes clear that this series, which has billed itself as a new type of competition show, really just remixes the well-established gimmicks of the earlier entries in the genre," wrote Neil Genzlinger of the New York Times.

As for the acid-tongued Cowell -- the "X Factor" creator, executive producer and judge -- Genzlinger said, "This magician no longer has a curtain hiding the secrets of his tricks."

Hollywood trade paper Variety said the series appeared "even more emotionally manipulative and over-produced than its ('Idol') predecessor."

And an extended sequence in which a contestant dropped his pants but was allowed to continue performing was a turn-off for many.

"When a man is allowed to 'sing' a song about being a stud while shaking his presumably naked genitals at the audience (on the screen they are covered by an X) without the judges stopping himv...vthe narrative manipulation suggests the word 'desperate,'" said Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times.

As for the much ballyhooed firing of British singer and judge Cheryl Cole and her replacement by Nicole Scherzinger, many critics were left perplexed.

"Was Cheryl Cole really that hard to understand? Or did someone at Fox just owe Nicole a rather large favor? (Because frankly, Cheryl was awesome, made total sense and was adorable to boot. Please submit your plausible explanations as to why she was fired in the comments section because we're coming up empty.)," wrote TV Guide's Denise Martin.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/wire-news/americans-prefer-%22modern-family%22-to-%22x-factor%22_589552.html

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Many cities imposing broad cuts as revenue shrinks

, On Tuesday September 27, 2011, 6:57 pm EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- More than half of U.S. cities have cut staff, canceled construction projects or raised fees this year, according to a report from the National League of Cities that catalogs the vast damage from shrunken property- and income-tax revenue.

Cities are struggling from the same problems that have left the national economy sputtering: high unemployment, a depressed housing market and weak consumer spending. Those factors have reduced the taxes that cities collect for a fifth straight year. Many have had to make up the gap by laying off employees, freezing pay, cutting services, raising fees or suspending building projects.

Two-thirds of city finance officers said they had delayed or canceled public-works projects this year. Two in five reported raising fees for city services. One in five had cut spending on public safety. Nearly one in three had laid off staffers.

"We hoped the worst would be over at this point, but given where the economic considerations are, that seems to be very unclear here in the fall of 2011," said Christopher Hoene, director of the league's research arm and one of the report's authors.

Cities typically suffer the full force of a recession later than states and the nation as a whole do. That's because many cities rely heavily on property tax revenue, which can take several years to fully reflect falling home prices.

By comparison, states rely mostly on income and sales taxes. Income-tax revenue usually falls steeply within months after layoffs. State sales tax revenue also drops as people spend less.

As states' tax collections fell during the recession, they responded by cutting aid to cities, school districts and localities. Those cuts are expected to peak next year, according to research by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities cited by the league's report.

Public education is especially hurt because many school districts are funded about half by states and half by property taxes, said Michael Leachman, the center's director of state fiscal policy.

"The bursting of the housing bubble has now caught up with property tax revenues, so that's making it harder for local governments to offset the declines in state aid that they've been seeing," Leachman said.

In Cleveland, the school board was to vote Tuesday night on whether to lay off teachers for the second time this year. The school district says it would have to find more than $10 million in cuts to help balance its budget and save the jobs of more than 300 teachers.

This past summer, the city laid off 319 employees, including 81 police officers.

"Cleveland was chugging along," said Andrea Taylor, press secretary for Mayor Frank Jackson. "It wasn't as if we had a big surplus, but we were managing our share of the budget crisis well. We weren't set to have any layoffs at all."

But she said Ohio's recently enacted budget slashed state aid to the city by 25 percent in fiscal year 2011 and 50 percent in 2012. The budget was adopted in late June and enacted in July -- a timeline so quick that Cleveland couldn't react without laying off workers, Taylor said.

The combination of state cuts and falling tax revenue amounts to a "double-whammy" for city residents that's likely to persist for years, said Scott Pattison, executive director of the National Association of State Budget Officers.

"States really are not in a position to go back and restore those cuts," Pattison said. "Money is so tight, they don't have it to start giving it back."

Over time, the cuts tend to dampen growth by making companies reluctant to spend and hire, said Mark Vitner, senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities.

"If it becomes tougher for business to get done because of government cutbacks, or if businesses have a harder time finding skilled workers as the education system crumbles, it can create a nasty feedback loop that can go on for years," Vitner said.

In South Carolina, cities and counties are receiving 35 percent less from the state than in the 2008-2009 budget year. To close the gap, Clinton, S.C., had to cut 10 workers from its roughly hundred-person payroll this year. Three of the 10 worked in public safety.

Interim city manager Frank Stovall said Clinton can still provide basic services. But he said some services like recreation and community policing had been cut and utility rates increased.

"We have a plan to build bike paths and green spaces and parks," Stovall said. "It's been sitting on our shelf now since 2003 with no hope of implementing it."

In the Columbia, S.C. suburb of Cayce, garbage collection has been reduced from twice to once weekly. And Greer, S.C., near Greenville, has eliminated mosquito spraying and reduced leaf collection pick-ups.

The hardest-hit cities have been those that depend most on income from property taxes, the report said. Many are in the Northeast, Hoene said. By contrast, Midwestern cities tend to have steeper income taxes. And cities in the West, South and Southeast typically rely more on sales-tax revenue.

All three categories of tax revenue are expected to decline in 2011, Hoene said.

The report is based on a survey taken this spring and summer, before worsening economic data and fears about Europe's debt woes hurt consumer confidence and caused wild swings in the stock market.

"There may be a reconsideration of that as this year continues to unfold," said another co-author, Michael Pagano, dean of the College of Urban Planning at the University of Illinois and Chicago. "We're looking at at least another two or three years of very troubling fiscal signals for cities and municipalities."

The report is based on an annual survey of finance officers from cities and municipalities with more than 10,000 residents.

Associated Press writers Seanna Adcox in Columbia, S.C., and Kantele Franko and Andy Brownfield in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report.

Follow Daniel Wagner at www.twitter.com/wagnerreports.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/finance/news/rss/story/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/finance/news/topnews/*http%3A//biz.yahoo.com/ap/110927/us_broken_budgets_city_finances.html

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OnStar backs up on tracking ex-clients

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DETROIT, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- U.S. automobile navigation service OnStar said it would reverse direction concerning a policy of keeping track of former customers.

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Source: http://pheed.upi.com/click.phdo?i=ecbc399d3b09be49970743c9d36cb774

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Thursday, September 29, 2011

Eight Stocks to Put on Your Bargain-Price Wish List

Eight Stocks to Put on Your Bargain-Price Wish List Who says that volatility is all bad? The stock market that stumbled through summer and is having a fitful autumn can be a bearer of bargains. Market troughs present fire sale prices for gems that are likely to richly reward investors in the future.

So instead of fretting about the potential for an extended rocky stock market ride, be patient, and pounce when the prices are right. We asked some pros to weigh in on which companies you might want to put on your bargain-basement wish list.

1. Bank of America (BAC)

Currently trading at around $7, Tom Villalta, lead portfolio manger of the Jones Villalta Opportunity Fund (JVOFX) would snap it up now and until it hits $10 per share.

"One does not prosper by buying high and selling low, but by buying low and selling high. BAC is presently contending with a number of uncertainties that have driven the company's valuation to unreasonable levels. With a P/E ratio of just over 5 times forward earnings and a [price-to-book] ratio of 0.31, it is difficult not to conclude that BAC is suffering from an inordinate amount of pessimism," says Villalta.

"Given investors experience with financials over the past few years, it would be easy to view this company through the prism of the 2008-2009 financial crisis and conclude that uncertainties in Europe will force the company into equally as dire straits. We don't think this is likely," he says.

Given the company's liquidity position, and the various asset sales that have been taking place and continue to take place, he believes BAC will have no problem in maintaining regulatory capital requirements, and will be well positioned to prosper as uncertainties are resolved over the next 12 to 18 months.

BAC does not need an earnings growth "story" to be a very appealing stock, he says. With a such a low P/B ratio, BAC simply needs a return to normalcy in financial markets and an operating environment that isn't besieged by uncertainties. While the present environment is challenging, Villalta believes that those who are extrapolating it into a longer-term scenario are in error, and their mistake presents a buying opportunity.

Hey, it was good enough for Warren Buffet.

2. Hewlett-Packard (HPQ)

Villalta also is sweet on HP -- despite the game of CEO musical chairs it's playing. It's trading around $25, and Villalta feels it's a real deal even as high as $28 per share.

"HP is a market leader in many of its business segments and generates tremendous free cash flow," says Villalta. "While the company is currently contending with management turnover and a perceived lack of strategic direction, we are more inclined to view this large-cap behemoth as having a certain amount of inertia that will allow the company to continue to prosper in spite of turnover at the top."

"HP's market price implies an expectation of free cash flow contraction of in excess of an annualized rate of 2% per year over the next few years. In our view this is highly improbable, especially given that the company has grown its cash flow from operations from just over $8 billion in 2005 to almost $12 billion in 2010. Given a modicum of stability in management, we feel this issue could provide significant upside, and move to a price that exceeds $40 per share in the near-term," he says.

3. ExxonMobil (XOM)

While currently trading at about $74, if it drops to about $68, Jeff Sica, president and chief investment officer of SICA Wealth Management would call it a "must buy." It's a darling quite simply, he says, because it's a company that meets basic demand needs, not a company dependent on a strong economy.

4. 3M Company (MMM)

3M is going for about $78. Sica, however, says his dream number is $70, and he's patiently waiting to see if it gets there. "I like this stock because it has a reasonable valuation related to the current stock prices. It is a diversified business, with a focus on basic consumer needs. It also has an attractive dividend."

5. DuPont (DD)

Similarly, with DuPont at roughly $43, Sica will have to wait for his target price of $35. But he's big on DuPont, he says, "because they are focused on agriculture which increases the output of farmland for a hungry world. It has diversified business' focused on raw materials, and the 3.83 Div yield."

6. Core-Mark Holding Company (CORE)

Right now it's trading at about $32. But take a second look when it hits $30, says Matt Swaim, managing director of Advisory Research. "At $30 a share, the company trades below the liquidation value of its inventory, but in fact is poised to grow as the restructuring actions over the past five years are just beginning to take hold in an industry that is increasingly looking for profit help by consolidating distribution," says Swaim. Core-Mark, which distributes consumer packaged goods and store supplies to convenience stores, emerged from restructuring in 2005 and has since consolidated operations and expanded geographically.

7. GATX Corp. (GMT)

It's shares are trading at about $34 now, but the day it drops to $29, make a move, says Swaim. "The rail leasing company works with the highest credit quality lessees' due to the complexity of its cars, its integrated services capability, and the strength of its financial position."

GATX added over 18,000 cars by investing over $1 billion in distressed assets from 2008 to 2010, he says.

"The company is poised to better utilize these assets, and supports an attractive dividend policy due to the annuity of its business. At $29 a share, the stock supports a 4%-plus dividend and trades at material discount to the liquidation value of its owned asset rail fleet," says Swaim.

8. Walmart (WMT)

Surely the Big Daddy of Retail has had its woes, but it still looks good to Swaim. "Walmart has gone through the painful process of growing into its earnings multiple over the past decade. The stock now trades at a low earnings multiple, is gaining some traction on its ability to reconnect with a strained consumer, and is aggressively returning cash to shareholders. In fact, at the current quote, Walmart's 10-year bond is yielding less than the company's equity dividend yield. The dividend is expected to grow over the next 5 years at a rate greater than 10%," says Swaim. Right now it's trading at around $52, his buy target.

Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/09/28/eight-stocks-to-put-on-your-bargain-price-wish-list/

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A look at economic developments around the globe (AP)

A look at economic developments and activity in major stock markets around the world Thursday:

___

FRANKFURT, Germany ? A raft of downbeat indicators stoked fears that Europe is on the edge of recession as it grapples with a crippling debt crisis.

The European Commission's index of consumer optimism from the European Commission fell to a two-year low of minus 18.5 in September in the 17 countries that use the euro. Meanwhile industrial orders ? key for Europe's manufacturing driven economy ? slid 2.1 percent in July, according to Eurostat, the EU's statistics office.

___

LONDON ? Mounting evidence that the world economy is slowing down sharply sent global stock markets spiraling down as investors brushed off the U.S. Federal Reserve's efforts to spur growth and focused instead on the central bank's gloomy outlook.

France's CAC-40 was down a hefty 5.3 percent while Germany's DAX slid 5 percent. The FTSE index of Britain's leading shares ended down 4.7 percent.

___

TOKYO ? In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 dropped 2.1 percent. South Korea's Kospi slid 2.9 percent. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was 2.6 percent down.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng saw the biggest fall, diving over 900 points, or 4.9 percent.

In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite Index closed down 2.8 percent.

___

FRANKFURT, Germany ? The departing chief economist of the European Central Bank warned that heavy government debts threatened the existence of the euro currency, and urged the EU to take much tougher steps to force overspending governments back into line.

___

ATHENS, Greece ? Austerity-weary Greeks lashed out against more tax hikes and pension cuts with a new round of strikes, with public transport workers, taxi drivers, teachers and air traffic controllers walking off the job.

___

MADRID ? Spain's Parliament restored a deficit-reducing wealth tax in its final session before dissolving to make way for an election that opposition conservatives are favored to win.

___

TAIPEI, Taiwan ? Taiwan and Japan signed an arrangement to bolster mutual investment despite their lack of formal diplomatic ties.

___

BRASILIA ? Brazil's government statistics agency says the unemployment rate in Latin America's biggest economy was 6 percent in August. That's unchanged from the previous month, but the lowest figure for a month of August since 2002.

___

DUBLIN ? Ireland's economy has grown 1.6 percent in the second quarter, more than expected, and appears on course to exit a three-year recession.

___

PARIS ? The top tier of luxury consumers curbed their spending on high-end clothes, accessories and jewelry in the first half of 2011, while regular consumers picked up the slack for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis, a study by American Express' consulting unit said.

___

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110922/ap_on_bi_ge/us_economy_countries_glance

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Turks escalate East Med gas confrontation

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LIMASSOL, Cyprus, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- The confrontation between Israel, Turkey and Cyprus over gas fields in the Mediterranean has worsened as a Turkish research ship began drilling off Cyprus.

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Cash in creative destruction

Video: Cash in on creative destruction - Telegraph

Philip Pearson, manager of GLG's Technology Equity Fund, tells Robert Miller that today's giants, such as Microsoft, Intel and HP, are about to be replaced by the likes of ARM, Apple and Autonomy who deliver services through the iPad and SmartPhones.

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financevideo/yourmoneytheirhands/8781590/Cash-in-on-creative-destruction.html

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Durable good orders down in August

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- U.S. durable goods orders fell short of expectations in August, falling 0.1 percent, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

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Chelsea Clinton's Controversial New Board Seat

Chelsea Clinton IAC board controversyCorporate-governance watchdogs are always on the lookout for flimsy boards, and they're on the case regarding a new appointee at IAC/ InterActiveCorp (IACI), a company that runs sites including Match.com, Ask.com, and Dictionary.com.

IAC has added a well-known Clinton to its board of directors: No, not either of those Clintons. They've appointed Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former President Bill and current Secretary of State Hillary.

No doubt Chelsea is smart. IAC Chairman and CEO Barry Diller said as much, pointing out that Chelsea adds a much-needed youthful, diverse viewpoint to the board. "Experience ... can be of no great value, while diversity, youth, character, and exceptional brain power [have] a good chance to create a fine contributing board member," Diller said.

On the surface, it's a good sentiment. U.S. boards do have big problems to address these days, including lack of diversity and lockstep views. They tend to be populated by men from similar backgrounds who exhibit similar mindsets and have very similar goals. It's very hard for a bunch of "yes men" to stand up against management and for shareholders, after all.

Still, youth doesn't trump experience in corporate boardrooms.

Good for Publicity, Questionable for Shareholders

This new appointment is a big -- and possibly bad -- deal for IAC shareholders.

Boards of directors are charged with protecting shareholder interests, whether many investors realize it or not. These days, plenty of corporate problems -- such as out-of-control CEO pay -- can be correlated with dysfunctional or flimsy boards that have nothing near an independent spirit that's willing to challenge management teams.


Now 31, Chelsea Clinton was in her teens during the dot-com bubble and only about 20 years old when it burst, for example. That was a make-or-break time for companies like IAC, but she was probably still pretty preoccupied simply with the process of growing up.

GMI's Nell Minow commented on Clinton's appointment on PBS's Nightly Business Report, arguing that the best directors have decades of achievement to speak for them. She also pointed out that IAC's Diller has a tendency to populate his board with "cronies," which is just one reason The Corporate Library gives that company a near-failing "D" grade for its corporate governance.

In addition, Diller supported both of Clinton's parents' campaigns, which gives shareholders no reason to believe this is the kind of independent director that helps make a robust boardroom. In fact, she sounds a bit dependent on her parents' careers at this point.

Name-dropping "important" or "known" appointees instead of adding truly experienced directors indicates weak corporate governance and madly waving red flags for shareholders. Hopefully, investors will become increasingly aware of the quality of the boards at the companies they own and vote their proxies wisely when it comes time for director elections.

Motley Fool analyst Alyce Lomax owns no shares of IAC/InterActiveCorp.

Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/09/28/chelsea-clintons-controversial-new-board-seat/

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Interactive Business Bullet: MPC's QE2, EU banks risks, IMF and Tui Travel

Robert Miller with the main City and business news as markets respond negatively to the US Federal Reserve Bank's �260bn Operation Twist and the delay in the Bank of England's QE2; European Union official Michel Barnier denies watchdog warnings on threat to banks and the wider financial system; markets look to the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank for a G20 signal on measures to protect economic growth and Tui Travel says it will meet full year forecasts but early signs for winter holidays show slow sales.

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National Oilwell Varco Passes This Key Test

There's no foolproof way to know the future for National Oilwell Varco (NYSE: NOV��) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result.

A cloudy crystal ball
In this series, we use accounts receivable (AR) and days sales outstanding (DSO) to judge a company's current health and future prospects. It's an important step in separating the pretenders from the market's best stocks. Alone, AR -- the amount of money owed the company -- and DSO -- the number of days' worth of sales owed to the company -- don't tell you much. However, by considering the trends in AR and DSO, you can sometimes get a window onto the future.

Sometimes, problems with AR or DSO simply indicate a change in the business (like an acquisition), or lax collections. However, AR that grows more quickly than revenue, or ballooning DSO, can also suggest a desperate company that's trying to boost sales by giving its customers overly generous payment terms. Alternately, it can indicate that the company sprinted to book a load of sales at the end of the quarter, like used-car dealers on the 29th of the month. (Sometimes, companies do both.)

Why might an upstanding firm like National Oilwell Varco do this? For the same reason any other company might: to make the numbers. Investors don't like revenue shortfalls, and employees don't like reporting them to their superiors.

Is National Oilwell Varco sending any potential warning signs? Take a look at the chart below, which plots revenue growth against AR growth, and DSO:

anImage

Source: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. FQ = fiscal quarter.

Source: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. FQ = fiscal quarter.

The standard way to calculate DSO uses average accounts receivable. I prefer to look at end-of-quarter (EOQ) receivables, but I've plotted both above.

Watching the trends
When that red line (AR growth) crosses above the green line (revenue growth), I know I need to consult the filings. Similarly, a spike in the blue bars (DSO) indicates a trend worth worrying about. As another reality check, it's reasonable to consider what a normal DSO figure might look like in this space.

Company

LFQ Revenue

DSO

�National Oilwell Varco $3,513 73
Cameron International (NYSE: CAM��) $1,741 57
Halliburton Company (NYSE: HAL��) $5,935 66
Baker Hughes (NYSE: BHI��) $4,741 85

Source: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's. DSO calculated from average AR. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. LFQ = last fiscal quarter. Dollar figures in millions.

Differences in business models can generate variations in DSO, so don't consider this the final word -- just a way to add some context to the numbers. But let's get back to our original question: Will National Oilwell Varco miss its numbers in the next quarter or two?

I don't think so. AR and DSO look healthy. For the last fully reported fiscal quarter, National Oilwell Varco?s year-over-year revenue grew 19.4%, and its AR grew 19.4%. That looks OK. End-of-quarter DSO decreased 0.1% from the prior-year quarter. It was down 6.4% versus the prior quarter. Still, I'm no fortuneteller, and these are just numbers. Investors putting their money on the line always need to dig into the filings for the root causes and draw their own conclusions.

What now?
I use this kind of analysis to figure out which investments I need to watch more closely as I hunt the market's best returns. However, some investors actively seek out companies on the wrong side of AR trends in order to sell them short, profiting when they eventually fall. Which way would you play this one? Let us know in the comments below, or keep up with the stocks mentioned in this article by tracking them in our free watchlist service, My Watchlist.

Source: http://feeds.fool.com/~r/usmf/foolwatch/~3/OrqcTxJ7MWo/national-oilwell-varco-passes-this-key-test.aspx

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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Wealthy Shoppers Must Pay a Premium for Their Favorite Companies

Luxury good companies outperform othersWe've heard a lot lately about the "two-speed economy," where the wealthy flourish and the less affluent fall farther and farther behind.

The widening gap between rich and poor has been reported for years, and the trend at both ends has not been lost on the stock market.

The valuations of companies that sell luxury goods -- goods that only those in the top gear of our two-speed economy can afford -- are much higher than those of their low-gear peers. These high valuations are being driven by investors placing their bets on wealthy shoppers and the companies that serve them.

It's a trend worth watching, and maybe getting in on. Here are three areas where the gap between rich and no-so-rich valuations is worth noting.

The upwardly mobile doing the downward dog: lululemon athletica (LULU) is the high-end yoga gear retailer of all high-end yoga gear retailers, and investor money is driving Lululemon's valuation to Himalayan heights. The company currently has a very un-Zen-like P/E of 58. To compare, consider middle-of-the-road athletic retailer Nike (NKE). The company is bigger than big, and extraordinarily strong and stable. Yet its P/E is a more down-to-earth 19.

A rich diet of pricey produce: Organic products are typically more expensive to begin with, but Whole Foods (WFM) is also selling a "shopping experience." The stores are beautiful. You feel like you've climbed a few rungs up the social ladder just by entering one. That feeling of luxury doesn't come cheap. The company's P/E is currently a pricey 35. Compare that to strip mall favorite Safeway (SWY), with a super-saver P/E of 12.

Lush lashes: Engaging in some original research for this article, I asked my wife which cosmetics company, Estee Lauder (EL) or Revlon (REV), was the lower-end brand. "Revlon," she smirked, "is drugstore." With that made perfectly clear, I noted that the P/E for Revlon shares is a meager two, especially low because of some unusual tax treatments. Estee Lauder bats its eyes to the well-heeled and sports a tear-inducing P/E of 28. Here again, it's the luxury product that's getting investor attention.

Investors Love Luxury

As long as at least some consumers are cruising merrily along at the top of our two-speed economy, the luxury market is a good bet for your money.

Motley Fool contributor John Grgurich doesn't feel nearly cool enough to shop at Whole Foods, nor does he own shares of any of the companies mentioned in this article. The Motley Fool owns shares of lululemon athletica and Whole Foods Market. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Lululemon Athletica, Whole Foods Market, and Nike, and have recommended creating a diagonal call position in Nike.

Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/09/28/wealthy-shoppers-must-pay-a-premium-for-their-favorite-companies/

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Reebok, FTC settle fraudulent ad case

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- Reebok International Ltd. said it would refund customers $25 million to settle a case of deceptive advertising, U.S. regulators said Wednesday.

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Speaker Boehner: Uncertainty About Govt. Policy Is Crippling the Economy

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The debate over how to get this country's fiscal house in order rages on, as does the related debate over how to prop us the U.S. economy.

President Obama on Monday laid out his plan to save nearly $3 trillion over the next 10 years. His plan includes a mix of spending cuts and revenue increases.

But the increase in revenues has Congressional Republicans up in arms because the President's proposal would raise $1.5 trillion in taxes on the wealthiest Americans and corporations. Earlier this year House Republicans vowed not to support a budget deal or debt-ceiling deal that included takes hikes.

On Monday, President Obama drew his own proverbial line in the sand: "I will not support any [deficit] plan that puts all the burden on ordinary Americans," he said during his address at the White House Rose Garden. "We are not going to have a one-sided deal that hurts the folks who are most vulnerable."

Included in Obama's proposal is also a so-called Buffett rule, which is designed to make sure that those making $1 million a year or more pay the same percentage of their incomes in taxes as middle-class Americans. (See: Steve Forbes Hates Obama's "Millionaire's Tax"?And Not Just Because It Hammers Millionaires)

Speaker of the House John Boehner, along with many fellow Republicans, chided the President for this proposal, calling it a form of "class warfare."

The Daily Ticker met up with Speaker Boehner at the Republican National Committee headquarters to get his reaction to the President's proposal and veto threat.

"I'm just concerned that raising taxes at this point in our economy ? where it is so weak ? is really the wrong prescription. America has a spending problem and what we need to do is attack the spending problem we have," he says in the accompanying video. "I think we will send a signal to employers and investors throughout the country and for that matter throughout the world that America is serious about dealing with its spending problem."

Boehner also commented on, and agreed with, President Bill Clinton's notion that in order to have a strong U.S. economy, you have to have a strong partnership between the public and private sector. (See the exclusive interview with President Clinton here: President Bill Clinton: Yes, the American Dream is Under Assault)

"I just think if you really want to have a strong economy that you have got to have business leaders and government leaders on the same page working together," says Boehner. "[But] I don't see that happening today and I certainly don't hear that from employers around the country."

Boehner points to the resulting government uncertainty as one big driver of slow economy growth.

"There is no question that the private sector in America right now sees all of this uncertainty coming out of Washington: new rules, new regulations and no idea what the tax rates are going to be at the end of next year," he says. "I was with a group of employers in my own district yesterday who are very concerned about investing more in their business at a time of great uncertainty and I think government needs to help bring some certainty."

Tell us what you think!

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/speaker-boehner-uncertainty-govt-policy-crippling-economy-151047220.html

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HP close to naming Whitman CEO, firing Apotheker

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HP close to naming Whitman CEO, firing Apotheker

By Poornima Gupta and Peter Henderson

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co is on the verge of naming former eBay Chief Executive Meg Whitman its new CEO, replacing Leo Apotheker at the helm of the largest U.S. technology company, two sources told Reuters on Thursday.

The company is preparing to announce the decision, which would elevate Whitman to full CEO rather than serving in an interim capacity, after markets close, two sources said.

One of the sources added that the board was not preparing to make changes to its strategy, contrary to Wall Street speculation that Apotheker's departure might presage a backtracking on major strategic decisions during his term.

Those included a possible spinoff of its huge personal computer division -- the world's largest -- and the acquisition of British software maker Autonomy <AUTN.L>, which has irked investors worried HP is overpaying.

The company's shares dived more than 4 percent to $22.98, wiping out much of Wednesday's 6.6 percent gain.

HP's board convened again Thursday to consider a host of issues, including jettisoning Apotheker, who in less than a year on the job has slashed sales forecasts several times, backtracked on promises to integrate Palm's webOS software into devices, and struggled to halt a 50 percent plunge in the share price.

The full HP board has not formally voted on Whitman's appointment as CEO but the process to usher her in was on track, the two sources told Reuters.

Whitman's record at eBay came under scrutiny during an ill-fated campaign for California's governorship. Analysts have questioned whether her stewardship of eBay prepared her to steer a sprawling enterprise and computer giant.

Tech blog AllThingsD first reported that Whitman was poised to be named CEO, citing multiple sources.

(Reporting by Poornima Gupta and Peter Henderson, writing by Edwin Chan; editing by Gunna Dickson)

Source: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/wire-news/hp-close-to-naming-whitman-ceo-firing-apotheker_589551.html

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Your Digital Life? It's Worth Nearly $55,000 -- and It's at Risk

It is easy to forget that the cigarette box-sized device in your pocket is actually a computer more powerful than the one that sent Apollo 11 to the moon. Smartphones, along with tablet computers, e-readers and wireless laptops, now hold some of our most priceless assets: photos, home videos, work samples, financial spreadsheets, not to mention books, movies, every album by the Rolling Stones, games and more. Plus critical access to our banking, email and credit information. The total value of a wired American's digital life? Nearly $55,00 on average, according to a new survey from security firm McAfee (INTC).

That value is only poised to get higher as digital consumers move more and more of their media -- and personal -- lives into the cloud. And as the value goes up, so does consumers' vulnerability to hacking, theft and financial loss.

Our digital belongings, which have high financial and emotional value, are often spread out over several devices -- such as a phone, a tablet and a music device. A quarter of global Internet users surveyed have at least five digital devices in their households, and 60% owned at least three, the survey showed. The survey included more 3,000 Internet users in 10 countries. Respondents said they had 2,777 digital files stored on at least one device on average.

"We use smartphone and tablets the same way we use our PCs," Gary Davis, director of consumer product marketing at McAfee told DailyFinance. "But those devices are not treated with same security as a PC and they are even more vulnerable."

Mobile devices are more vulnerable than home computers because they are used in a wider variety of locations and on a greater number of networks. With hundreds of thousands of apps available, the sheer variety of offerings opens a slew of possible gateways for nefarious software. The growing trend toward mobile payments and banking -- last week, Google launched its own version of an e-wallet -- adds another potential layer of vulnerability.

The threats to our information lives are diverse. In the realm of the strictly physical, damage to a device could potentially mean losing thousands of dollars of stored files. The loss or theft of a mobile device would have the same impact, as well as opening up the possibility of identity theft. But a growing danger involves invisible threats -- aka malware. Under this heading fall viruses, spyware and other nastiness embedded into seemingly harmless free apps that can be remotely "weaponized" by a hacker to trawl for select data and access accounts through your phone. According to McAfee data, 2 million new pieces of malware are discovered each month. Last year, malicious programs and sites cost U.S. consumers more than $2.3 billion, according to Consumer Reports.

"The hacking mentality is to get their app on as many devices as possible," says Davis. "[It could be a] free app that could passes [app store] scrutiny and gets in as many devices as possible. Then [hackers] can weaponize it. The point to consumers is, make sure you protect that device."

As Android devices gain market share, the amount of malware aimed at that operating system is also growing. McAfee reports that Android malware jumped 76% in the last 100 days, putting devices with that operating system at higher risk.

Increasingly, consumer security software is designed to fend off new threats -- and keep your files and personal information safe. McAfee has released a new security system, McAfee All Access ($99.99) designed to protect a range of Internet-connected devices from viruses and malware. Consumer review site NextAdvisor.com reviews other security software systems, and other mobile security systems include Lookout and Norton Mobile Security.

How to Find and Secure an Android Smartphone

Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/09/28/your-digital-life-its-worth-nearly-55-000-and-its-at-risk/

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Student Loans Coming Due? Advice for Unemployed College Grads

For those who graduated college this past spring, the clock is ticking toward the end of the student loan grace period: All of their loans will become "due and owing" starting in November and December. That's going to be tough for some borrowers, since the class of 2011 likely faces "the highest unemployment rate for young college graduates since the Great Recession began," according to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute. So what should these recent grads do if they can't afford to start making those payments yet? DailyFinance's Laura Rowley asked John Ulzheimer, president of consumer education for SmartCredit.com, to discuss their options.

Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/09/27/student-loans-coming-due-advice-for-unemployed-college-grads/

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