Starbucks to sell instant coffee, will it result in instant profit?

I am going to be honest, I think this is a good move -- and I am one of the most vocal Starbucks critics around. In fact, couple this decision with the company's recently announced $3.95 value meal, and one could wonder who is controlling the company.

Nevertheless, I would love it if Starbucks would just call this what it is, a capitulation. A year or so ago, Schultz insisted that McDonald's and the likes were not serious competitors to Starbucks. I think these recent concessions work in direct contrast to the CEO's revelation -- Starbucks is making its product cheaper to compete.

No matter what you think of the company, its management, and these recent announcements, the stock absolutely has to get things turned around or it will cease to be financially relevent. The good news is that the stock is above its 10- and 20-week moving averages and has the former in position to stage a bullish cross of the latter. Should this happen, we could see the shares pushed higher on a wave of bullish momentum. Let's see how investors react to this announcement and what seems to be a new focus in Starbucks' business philosophy: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.