Despite a weak durable goods figure this morning, despite more woes in Ireland and Portugal, and despite energy rising, the markets managed yet another gain. It is now almost back to 'international markets don't matter' in investor minds despite all of the risks and turmoil.

Here were today's closing bells:

Dow Jones 12,170.56 +84.54 (0.70%)
S&P 500 1,309.66 +12.12 (0.93%)
Nasdaq 2,736.42 +38.12 (1.41%)

Continue reading Closing Bell: The Rest of the World Doesn't Matter (AMZN, BBY, GME, MU, SFD, TEVA, PG)

Closing Bell: The Rest of the World Doesn't Matter (AMZN, BBY, GME, MU, SFD, TEVA, PG) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) is recently down 1.16 to 19.05, below its 10-day moving average of 22.74, and above its 50-day moving average 18.81.

GameStop Corp. (GME) April 21 and 22 calls are active on call option implied volatility of 42, compared to its 26-week average of 36, according to Track Data. Active call volume suggests traders positioning for larger price movement in Q4 results that are expected to be released on March 24.

Options Update is by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Options Update: CBOE Volatility Index Down 5.8% to 19.04 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Quarterly reports from Oracle (ORCL), Discover (DFS) and Tiffany (TIF) will highlight news on the earnings front this week.

Elsewhere on the economic calendar, the focus will be on housing, with existing home sales data due from the National Association of Realtors on Monday, new home sales numbers from the Census Bureau on Wednesday and data on housing starts released on Thursday.

Also watch for durable goods orders in February and the final GDP for the fourth quarter.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Housing Data and Late Season Earnings (ORCL, DFS, TIF)

Week in Preview: Housing Data and Late Season Earnings (ORCL, DFS, TIF) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Trinity Industries (TRN) to buy from hold at BB&T.
• Cameron (CAM) to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• Expedia (EXPE) to positive from neutral at Susquehanna.
• Micron (MU) to buy from hold at Lazard Capital.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ANF, CAM, CLX, EXPE, GME, MU, NAV, NOK, WMT ...

Analyst Calls: ANF, CAM, CLX, EXPE, GME, MU, NAV, NOK, WMT ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It was September 29 when I last wrote about GameStop (GME) in Chasing Value: Are GameStop's Days Numbered? At that time I strongly believed "The demise of GameStop is not imminent -- but it's inevitable." My opinion of this outlet for new and used video games has indeed changed since that time.

I now believe even more fervently that GameStop the gamer is a goner. If you own it, you are playing a game of chicken to see if you make a few bucks with GME as it bounces up and down before it sinks. A word of caution is in order: timing the market as a strategy is a losing proposition the majority of the time.

Continue reading Chasing Value: GameStop's Demise Not Imminent, Just Inevitable

Chasing Value: GameStop's Demise Not Imminent, Just Inevitable originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GameStop Corp. (GME) is down about 3.8% at the time of this writing. That places the quote at $20.20. Volume is pretty heavy. The 52-week low for the stock is $17.12; the 52-week high is $26.05. Looks like the market isn't exactly sure what to do with this company as the shares are at a comfortable distance between the two extremes.

Earlier today, the video-game chain reported earnings for the third quarter. According to the press release, net income, on an adjusted basis, came in at 38 cents per share. That was one penny above the estimate. Total company same-store sales increased 1.1%.

Continue reading GameStop: Buy or Sell After Latest Report?

GameStop: Buy or Sell After Latest Report? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Goldman upgraded CSX (CSX) to neutral from sell.
• General Cable (BGC) was upgraded to buy from hold at KeyBanc.
• Morgan Stanley upgraded Chart Industries (GTLS) and Dresser Rand (DRC) to overweight from equal weight.
• Blackrock (BLK) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Macquarie.
• Credit Suisse upgraded Zions Bancorp (ZION) to neutral from underperform and GameStop (GME) to outperform from neutral.
• Honeywell (HON) was upgraded to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• Panera Bread (PNRA) was upgraded to buy from neutral at SunTrust.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AMD, BLK, CSX, DKS, GME, HGSI, HON, KEY, NSC, STP, ZION ...

Analyst Calls: AMD, BLK, CSX, DKS, GME, HGSI, HON, KEY, NSC, STP, ZION ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Time to Check In on THQ

Time to Check In on THQ originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading GameStop Down Today -- Buy or Sell?

GameStop Down Today -- Buy or Sell? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Bookstores disappearing, music stores almost gone, video stores all but done -- and GameStop Corp. (GME) is next. Yes, it's days are numbered, we just don't know what that number is yet.

I have been pondering this for a while, off and on, and did a very limited survey of two teenage boys -- mine -- asking them their thoughts about GameStop. The 17-year-old was playing a game on his Apple (AAPL) MacBook Pro at the time. He said he downloads free games or buys them, but all from the Web. He knew he could buy used games inexpensively at GameStop but had never done so and thought this business activity would fade.

The 14-year-old was also on his Mac, using FaceBook and YouTube. He said he had been to GameStop with friends in the past but never bought anything. Both boys use their cell phones to play games in the car.

Continue reading Chasing Value: Are GameStop's Days Numbered?

Chasing Value: Are GameStop's Days Numbered? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading GameStop Earnings Disappoint Investors

GameStop Earnings Disappoint Investors originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Activision Blizzard (ATVI) has had a rocky ride over the last year. The following chart illustrates the sideways motion of the video-game superstar's stock. The 52-week range has been a narrow one: the low is $9.93, and the high is $13. Lately, the shares have received a new burst of energy after falling to the $10 level in May. At the time of this writing (it's a little over one hour until the market closes up shop), a quote of $12.02 went by on my screen.

A catalyst currently exists for the publisher. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is set to be released on Tuesday. This is the highly-anticipated game from the Blizzard portion of the company. And when I say highly-anticipated, I mean it.

Continue reading Activision Blizzard Up Ahead of StarCraft II Release

Activision Blizzard Up Ahead of StarCraft II Release originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I remember 15 years ago, I rarely felt more satisfied than when I sold an unwanted CD for a decent price (still looking for someone to take that Spin Doctors album off my hands). It was also a rush to score a CD that was new (and cheap) to me, even if it had been dismissed by its former owner. That business may have suffered a precipitous fall, the trade of used goods continues to thrive among the gaming community.

Gamestop (GME) makes much of its business (27% in the last quarter, to be exact) in the used trade, and it makes good business sense. Once a consumer buys a title from, say, Electronic Arts (ERTS), the publisher has made its money. The profit from used discs goes to the seller and the middle man (which happens to be Gamestop). While used games comprised just 27% of Gamestop sales last quarter, they made up 48% of the company's gross profit.

Continue reading Best Buy to Start Dealing in Used Games

Best Buy to Start Dealing in Used Games originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• FBR Capital upgraded Microsoft (MSFT) to outperform from market perform, citing valuation and the ongoing corporate PC cycle refresh. The firm upped its target for shares to $32 from $31.
• Oppenheimer upgraded BP (BP) to outperform from perform with a $55 price target as it sees greater upside potential than downside risk from the oil spill.
• Wunderlich upgraded Stericycle (SRCL) to hold from sell and raised its target for shares to $50 from $42, citing the company's alliance with Republic Services (RSG).
• Illinois Tool Works (ITW) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• GameStop (GME) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Janney Montgomery.
• Fluor (FLR) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BP, BSMD, CKR, CSX, MCD, MSFT, PCP, SBUX, SRCL ...

Analyst Calls: BP, BSMD, CKR, CSX, MCD, MSFT, PCP, SBUX, SRCL ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 27 May 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Below are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks. Click through to the original posts for more details.

• Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ANF) shares sold off after it posted a narrower Q1 net loss, but same-store sales rose.
• Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT) swung from a year-ago loss to a Q2 profit that was better than expected.
• Deere & Co. (DE) reported better-than-expected Q2 earnings and improved sales, and raised its full-year outlook.
• Dell Inc. (DELL) posted better-than-expected Q1 earnings, but the gross margin was disappointing, and shares fell.
• GameStop Corp. (GME) higher Q1 earnings beat consensus estimates but same-store sales declined.
• Gap Inc. (GPS) said its higher Q1 earnings beat expectations while revenue fell in line with estimates.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: Dell, Gap, GM, Home Depot, HP, Sears, Target, Walmart ...

Earnings Highlights: Dell, Gap, GM, Home Depot, HP, Sears, Target, Walmart ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 22 May 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Are You Brave Enough to Buy GameStop Stock?

Are You Brave Enough to Buy GameStop Stock? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 May 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Target Corporation (TGT), a retailer that competes with Best Buy Co., Inc. (BBY), Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT), and others, is getting ready to report first-quarter numbers. They should arrive on Wednesday, May 19. Are you going to buy or sell ahead of the event?

Let's take a look at how the stock has been performing over the last twelve months to get a cursory feel of the situation. Right now, as of this writing, Target is trading at roughly $55. Such a value is definitely closer to the 52-week high of $58.52 than to the 52-week low of $36.36.

Continue reading Target's Q1 Report: What Should We Expect?

Target's Q1 Report: What Should We Expect? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 17 May 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading GameStop (GME): A Technical Outperformer

GameStop (GME): A Technical Outperformer originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Baird upgraded Dell (DELL) to outperform from neutral, citing valuation and improving IT hardware trends. The firm raised its target to $21 from $17.
• Janney Montgomery upgraded Regal Entertainment (RGC) to buy from neutral, citing box office momentum and improving potential for a dividend increase. The firm raised its target for shares to $20.50 from $16.
• Thomas Weisel upgraded CF Industries (CF) to overweight from market weight as it sees reduced financing risk following the equity offering and valuation.
• GameStop (GME) was upgraded to buy from hold at BB&T.
• Exxon Mobil (XOM) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Raymond James.
• Cameron (CAM) was raised to outperform from market perform at BMO Capital.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: CF, DELL, EXC, MA, MSFT, RGC, RVBD, TSCO, WHR, XOM ...

Analyst Calls: CF, DELL, EXC, MA, MSFT, RGC, RVBD, TSCO, WHR, XOM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks:

• Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) received an analyst's downgrade following its disappointing earnings report and guidance.
• Chicago Bridge & Iron Co. (CBI) improved earnings prospects prompted one analyst to upgrade the stock.
• Cintas Corp. (CTAS) lower Q3 earnings topped analysts' expectations, and it reiterated its Q4 earnings guidance.
• CRA International Inc. (CRAI) received an analyst's downgrade following its earnings results for Q1.
• Discover Financial Services (DFS) reported a net loss for Q1 due to a needed boost to its loan loss reserves.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: Discover, FedEx, GameStop, Guess, Nike, Palm ...

Earnings Highlights: Discover, FedEx, GameStop, Guess, Nike, Palm ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.