Continue reading Is Whirlpool Undervalued?

Is Whirlpool Undervalued? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Whirlpool Having Problems After Q2 Release

Whirlpool Having Problems After Q2 Release originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

All I can say is, wow! Whirlpool Corporation (WHR) is having a spectacular trading session. I'm not sure where the stock will settle out at by the end of the day, but let me tell you, what I'm seeing on my screen at the time of this writing is incredibly impressive. The stock is up almost $12, or over 11%. Volume is robust.

The maker of various appliances under trademarks such as Maytag and KitchenAid has been a great stock to hold over the last twelve months. I mean, just look at the one-year chart. If that doesn't scream bullish, nothing does.

Continue reading Whirlpool Wows the Market with Q1 Release

Whirlpool Wows the Market with Q1 Release originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Consider U.S. Steel, Because Steel Is Back in Style

Consider U.S. Steel, Because Steel Is Back in Style originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Whirlpool is rising with the global economy

Whirlpool is rising with the global economy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wall Street watchers can be excused for feeling a little whipsawed this week. After watching stocks lose ground early in the week, they roared back Thursday, riding high on a bevy of upbeat earnings reports. That enthusiasm remains partially on display this morning with two of the three major U.S. stock indexes showing a positive opening ahead of the morning bell.

At about 7 a.m. ET, the Nasdaq Composite Index and S&P 500 were slightly higher, while the Dow Jones industrial average was down by about 4 points. The Dow gained 1.3% Thursday to close the session at 10,081.31, led by the strong earnings reports from five of the benchmark index's 30 component stocks.

Continue reading Before the bell: Earnings enthusiasm shows signs of slipping

Before the bell: Earnings enthusiasm shows signs of slipping originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The much-maligned federal government's "cash-for-clunkers" program, is, nevertheless, stimulating the U.S. economy.

True, it may take new cars sales that would normally occur in 2010 and bring them forward to 2009, but that fact, combined with the extra customer traffic the program has created in the nation's auto showrooms, has bumped up auto sales -- providing a slight tailwind for the U.S. economy.

Continue reading How about a federal 'cash for clunkers-appliances' program?

How about a federal 'cash for clunkers-appliances' program? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sears Holdings (NASDAQ: SHLD), a retailer whose competitive colleagues include Target (NYSE: TGT), Best Buy (NYSE: BBY), and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), wants to improve its brand equity and find a new path to growth. As such, it's willing to employ all kinds of initiatives, especially ones that will form a nice image with the consumer during this dreadful economic contraction.

According to The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), Sears is trying out a program that offers protection against the risk of investing in an expensive appliance during a time when job security is not as secure as it used to be.

The program will run for a specified time period beginning next week, and the basic gist is this: buy an appliance priced $399 or higher on a Sears credit card and, and if you lose your job, Sears will credit one twelfth of the cost every month. Still no job after one year? Keep the appliance, your debt will be forgiven.

Continue reading Sears offering hedge for consumers who lose their job -- good idea?

Sears offering hedge for consumers who lose their job -- good idea? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The recent store changes have not worked, and neither will the financial engineering. This company is on its way down, and a visit to a local store showed me why.

Sears used to be the General Motors (NYSE: GM) of retailers -- an apt analogy when both were all-American giants, and just as apt today as both struggle. Sears had completely lost its way when vulture investor, Eddie Lampert, bought the company in late 2004 and combined it with Kmart. Wall Street analysts went nuts, pushing the stock price to $192 a share.

Today, Wall Street has lowered that price to near $40.

Continue reading Sears: The GM of retailers

Sears: The GM of retailers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of AOL Money & Finance's Best & Worst in Money 2008 feature.

There have always been brand decisions that seem to come out of left field. Some make you wonder what they were thinking, while others make you wonder what took so long. The year 2008 was no exception.

It came as something of a surprise when in June Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) announced that it would sell off many of its retail gasoline stations to local owners. While Exxon continued to post record quarterly earnings, and fuel prices spiked to all-time highs earlier this year, gasoline retailers in fact have faced razor-thin margins and fierce competition. It would take a significant boost in prices to make gas stations profitable, a notion that didn't seem to worthwhile back in June. Wonder what they think of that decision now that gasoline prices have fallen to a multiyear low?

I recall when Kinko's, the photocopying and faxing service provider with the catchy name, seemed to explode out of nowhere. And it seemed a little sad when FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) gobbled up the successful upstart. But it was probably inevitable that the Kinko's name would be phazed out. It took quite a while, but FedEx finally announced eariler this year that it would just that. The newly christened FedEx Office (not so catchy, is it?) wants to shed itself of the image of a photocopying and faxing place to that of a back-office services provider for small to mid sized businesses. But will that turn out to be worth the $891 million they estimate the name change would cost? Time will tell.

Continue reading Best & Worst in Money 2008: Most unexpected brand castoff

Best & Worst in Money 2008: Most unexpected brand castoff originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In a move that many investors have wanted, General Electric (NYSE: GE) just came out and said that it is mulling over the potential spin-off of its consumer and industrial division.

According to MarketWatch, "The conglomerate said shareholders will receive stakes in the new entity covering ts appliances, lighting and industrial units."

This is great news for investors and may be a precursor for other large conglomerates that have seen their stock prices stagnate for more than six years, to start spinning off divisions in order to unlock value for shareholders.

Aaron Katsman is the lead Portfolio Manager and Managing Director of America Israel Investment Associates, LLC. and Senior Editor of IsraelNewsletter.com. DISCLOSURE: Writer's fund has no position in any stock mentioned, as of 7/10/08.

GE may unlock value by spinoffs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of our Battle of the Brands feature. Let us know which brand you prefer, and check out other Battle of the Brands posts.

A few months ago, I moved into a larger apartment and found that I would need to make numerous trips to the hardware store each week -- and sometimes twice on Saturdays. The list of projects I had in mind for my new pad was as long as a city block and I knew some choices needed to be made. The most important one: Should I go to Home Depot (NYSE: HD) or Lowe's (NYSE: LOW)?

I always go to Home Depot to get lumber or some screws for the toolbox, or to glance at the power tools that I always dream of finding a use for. I go to Lowe's to pick up a closet organizer or to look at the latest washer and dryers on sale. They're both big box home improvement stores, but each one has its own special place in the world.

When I first drive into the lot of the big orange beast, I always see construction crews hauling lumber and Sheetrock into their vans. I know these people didn't search online for what they needed here, mainly because the HD site only has 20% of their actual inventory online. If you want to know what's in Home Depot, you actually have to go to Home Depot. As I walk inside, I find this magical place where men can walk happily around sawdust filled floors, sans spouse, testing out power tools and talking shop with other men. Workers in bright orange aprons walk side-by-side with beeping forklifts that weave in and out of crowded isles, creating an atmosphere that would intimidate any novice do-it-yourselfer. This is the department store for DIY weekend warriors. This is home.

I certainly don't get the same feeling driving to Lowe's. Lowe's is more focused on the aesthetics of home improvement and the final product, compared to Home Depot, which I feel is more about tools and parts. I can search through the Lowe's website much easier than Home Depot's, and even place an order to pick-up whatever I need, which is always good for the novice fixer-upper. Walking into Lowe's, I see couples walking on perfectly swept floors down extra-bright, super-wide aisles. I walk past tons of appliances and machinery that call out to me: top-of-the-line refrigerators, washing machines, and lawn tractors; I walk past them in amazement. This is a place for the general public and the occasional fix-it-yourself team; and this place takes pride in targeting women in their stores -- officials directly aim for the female customer by placing shelves at the perfect height for the 5-foot-4-inch customer.

Continue reading Home Depot vs. Lowe's: Battle of the Brands

Home Depot vs. Lowe's: Battle of the Brands originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 14 Apr 2007 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wal-Mart tries again to boost same-store sales with more price cuts originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 10 Nov 2006 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.