Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) reported better-than-expected Q2 results, sending shares higher.
• Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) said it swung to a Q2 profit despite a dearth of leveraged buyouts.
• CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS) Q2 earnings declined but still topped estimates, sending shares higher.
• Coinstar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSTR) reported stellar Q2 results driven by its the popularity of RedBox.
• Clorox Co. (NYSE: CLX) posted solid Q4 earnings but said revenues were flat due to currency effects.
• Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE: DUK) lower Q2 earnings beat expectations by a penny but revenue fell short.

Today, another jobs report was released ahead of tomorrow's unemployment data. The Bank of England kept rates steady but adopted a weaker currency policy and larger program that caused some more interest in gold.

Here are today's unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow 9,256.26 -24.71 (-0.27%)
S&P 500 997.08 -5.64 (-0.56%)
Nasdaq 1,9973.16 -19.81 (-1.00%)

Analyst Upgrades

• Goldman upgraded Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) to Buy from Neutral on expectations business in the U.S. and China will improve in the second half of 2009. Goldman raised its target price on shares to $40 from $36.
• Canaccord upgraded Exco Resources (NYSE: XCO) to Buy from Speculative Buy citing the company's financial transactions to reduce debt. The firm, which has a $17 target on the stock, says Exco now has a stronger balance sheet, a greater geographic focus, and the ability to expedite drilling programs.
• ThinkEquity upgraded Shanda (NASDAQ: SNDA) to Accumulate from Source of Funds and raised its target to $60 from $50. The firm believes recent weakness on regulatory concerns is overdone and that Q2 estimates are conservative.
• Mack-Cali Realty (NYSE: CLI) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays.
• Marvel Entertainment (NYSE: MVL) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan.
• France Telecom (NYSE: FTE) was upgraded to Outperform from Underperform at Credit Suisse.

The Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (NYSE: BK) has become a minority equity investor in International Derivatives Clearing Group (IDCG), the derivatives clearing unit that's a subsidiary of Nasdaq OMX Group (NASDAQ: NDAQ). Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, nor was the size of the stake -- but it's definitely a symbiotic pact. IDCG will use securities servicing products provided by the bank, and Bank of New York Mellon's chief executive of broker-dealer services, Art Certosimo, will join IDCG's board.

"This strategic partnership with Nasdaq OMX provides our buy side and sell side clients with a flexible platform that meets their derivatives trading, clearing and servicing needs," stated Bank of New York Mellon President Gerald Hassell. Bob Greifeld, CEO of Nasdaq OMX, added that the partnership "lends support to President Obama's proposed reforms of the [over-the-counter] derivatives market."

Nasdaq (NASDAQ: NDAQ) closed at $23.80. Bernard Madoff of Bernard Madoff Investment Securities LLC, was arrested by Federal agents because his investment advisory business was a "giant Poinzi scheme" reports the Wall Street Journal. NDAQ January option implied volatility of 85 is above its 26-week average of 70 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX) closed at $25.98. NYX January option implied volatility of 97 is above its 26-week average of 72 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

Charles Schwab (NASDAQ: SCHW) closed at $16.98. SCHW January option implied volatility of 99 is above its 26-week average of 61 according to Track Data, suggesting larger movement.

TD AmeriTrade (NASDAQ: AMTD) closed at $12.92. AMTD January option implied volatility of 82 is above its 26-week average of 60 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

Analyst upgrades:

• Jefferies upgraded shares of Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG) to Buy from Hold and raised its target to $26.50 from $25 on valuation as they believe MidAmerican Energy will consummate the merger. The firm points out shares are trading at a 14% discount to the $26.50 offer.
  
• Merriman upgraded Denny's Corp. (NASDAQ: DENN) to Buy from Neutral as they believe the company's restructuring and successful menu and food cost management should stabilize operating margins.
  
• Daimler (NYSE: DAI) was upgraded at Merrill to Buy from Neutral on valuation as they believe the stock is oversold at current levels.
• Taiwan Semi (NYSE: TSM) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at HSBC.
  
• Veolia Environnement (NYSE: VE) was lifted to Neutral from Underperform at Credit Suisse.
  
• Goldman raised PMC Sierra (NASDAQ: PMCS) to Buy from Neutral.

Analyst downgrades:

Minyanville contributor Sean Udall dares to share the kind of keen insight and actionable information you won't find in any prospectus. For more original thought, visit www.minyanville.com.

AT&T (NYSE: T) became the first US carrier to make Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO) the default search engine on its cell phones. Default search engines on traditional web portals probably don't carry as much weight as in the past. However, being selected the default for cellular searches is stickier due to the design of many devices. Moreover, YHOO will be providing the tag along ads that appear in conjunction with these searches.

Tech is lagging this morning as the finance stocks experience the biggest lift from the Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM)/Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE) news. Meanwhile, YHOO is flat and on a day like today as a story like this won't carry much weight, but over time, the fact that YHOO is making significant deals in wireless search strengthens the long term valuation case. I suspect the shares of YHOO will lag the broader market until we get renewed take-out chatter or we see better action from other technology leaders.

Meanwhile, one of my newer favorite Naz names is simply the Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) itself. NDAQ has traded terribly the last few months with the decline in its own index. However, volumes and business fundamentals are quite strong a the poor market doesn't necessarily mean that the NDAQ itself is weakening. In fact I would say their market share and overall strategy has strengthened over the last year or more.

NASDAQ OMX (NASDAQ: NDAQ) shares are trading higher today after an analyst at Barron's said the stock is undervalued, adding there is "an extraordinary opportunity" to buy NDAQ at a discount. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on NDAQ.

After hitting a one-year high of $50.47 in November, the stock hit a one-year low of $22.76 last week. NDAQ opened this morning at $27.14. So far today the stock has hit a low of $24.57 and a high of $27.20. As of 1:00, NDAQ is trading at $24.81, up $0.48 (2.0%). The chart for NDAQ looks bearish and steady, while S&P gives the stock a neutral 3 Stars (out of 5) Hold rating.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider an August bull-put credit spread below the $20 range. A bull-put credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of put options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make a 13.6% return in just five weeks as long as NDAQ is above $20 at August expiration. NDAQ would have to fall by more than 19% before we would start to lose money.

NDAQ hasn't been below $22.50 at all in the past year and has shown support around $23 recently. This trade could be risky if the company's earnings (due out 8/6) disappoint, but even if that happens, this position could be protected by the support the stock might find around $22.50 where it has bottomed thus far.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in NDAQ.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: BP Plc, Swiss Reinsurance and A. Schulman were today's noteworthy upgrades:

• Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of BP Plc (NYSE: BP) to Overweight from Equal Weight as they believe the company is at an inflection and net income should grow 22% in 2009.
  
• UBS upgraded Swiss Reinsurance (OTC: SWCEY) to Neutral from Sell on the company's balance sheet, which they believe is solid, but still sees material risk to consensus estimates.
  
• KeyBanc upgraded shares of A. Schulman (NASDAQ: SHLM) to Buy from Hold as they believe the new CEO has had a significant positive impact and that downside is limited from current levels.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• NASDAQ OMX Group (NASDAQ: NDAQ) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Piper.
  
• Ashland (NYSE: ASH) was upgraded to Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan.
  
• BMO Capital upgraded Regal Entertainment (NYSE: RGC) to Outperform from Market Perform.
  
• Goldman upgraded Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) to Neutral from Sell.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: AnnTaylor, FNB Corp and MFA Mortgage were today's noteworthy upgrades:

• Friedman Billings upgraded AnnTaylor (NYSE:ANN) to Outperform from Market Perform based on better management of the business by management, stabilizing fundamentals, and strong balance sheet and cash flow.
  
• B. Riley raised FNB Corp (NYSE:FNB) to Buy from Neutral as they feel more bullish about the company's prospects after meeting with management. The firm raised their target price to $16 from $15.50.
  
• Keefe Bruyette upgraded MFA Mortgage (NYSE:MFA) to Outperform from Market Perform following the company's 40M share equity offering, which they believe will add 2.5c a quarter to EPS.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• Dell (NASADAQ:DELL) was raised at Merrill to Buy from Neutral.
  
• Lehman upgraded Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) to Overweight from Equal Weight.
  
• Big Lots (NYSE:BIG) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Piper.

Merrill Lynch upgraded Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) to "buy" from "neutral," according to Briefing.com. The news service also reports that Citigroup began coverage of Valero (NSYE: VLO) with a rating of "buy."

Costco (NASDAQ: COST) was cut to "neutral" at Piper Jaffray, according to 24/7 Wall St. The financial website also reports that NASDAQ (NASDAQ: NDAQ) was raised to "overweight" at Lehman Brothers.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: National Semi, E.W. Scripps and Dell were today's noteworthy upgrades.

• Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of National Semiconductor Corp (NYSE: NSM) to Buy from Hold as it expects the company to benefit from a rebound in margins and revenue through 2008.
• Bear upgraded E.W. Scripps (NYSE: SSP) to Outperform from Peer Perform based on strength in the network cable market and third party interest in potentially acquiring Scripps Networks Interactive.
• Morgan Stanley upgraded Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) to Overweight from Equal Weight based on the company's competitively priced systems and a broader product portfolio.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• Goldman Sachs added Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) to its Conviction Buy List.
• The firm also raised Arcelor Mittal (NYSE: MT) to Buy from Neutral and added shares to the Pan-European Buy List.
• Nasdaq (NASDAQ: NDAQ) was upgraded at Merrill to Buy from Neutral.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Cisco Systems, NYSE Euronext, Nasdaq and Cognicase were today's noteworthy initiations:

• Friedman Billings believes Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) is well-positioned to take advantage of "Business 2.0" applications and to gain share in a slower economic environment. The firm initiated shares with an Outperform rating and $31 target.
  
• NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX) and Nasdaq (NASDAQ: NDAQ) were assumed with a Neutral rating and $72 target and $44 target, respectively, at UBS. The firm cited increasing competition and moderating volumes.
  
• Deutsche Bank believes Cognicase (COGI) is one of the few carriers offering high-capacity commercial Internet access to enterprise customers at a discount to nearly all of its competitors. Shares were initiated with a Buy rating and $23 target.

OTHER INITIATIONS:

• China Housing (OTCBB: CHLN) was initiated at Merriman with a Buy rating.
  
• Goldman started Juniper (NASDAQ: JNPR) with a Market Perform rating and $27 target.
  
• Suntrust initiated hhgregg (NYSE: HGG) with a Buy rating and $16 target.

"Blank check" companies are created as shells with capital but no operating business. Their purpose it to shop for firms that they can buy and operate. These corporations are also known as SPAC for special acquisition companies.

According to The Wall Street Journal [subscription required], "Last year, SPACs accounted for nearly a quarter of all IPOs in the U.S., according to Dealogic, and the Amex was the go-to listing location for nearly all of them." Now Nasdaq (NASDAQ: NDAQ) wants a shot at allowing SPAC listings as well.

SPACs has been put together by several LBO and investment firms to be used to make buyouts down the road. That would allow the operating companies to be publicly traded right away. But, trading them on stock markets before they buy real businesses is a bad idea even if it gives the SPAC owners an edge on getting to the public market.

Trading in SPACs is trading in a phantom. Investors have no way to know what the SPAC will buy or even if it will ever buy a real business, forcing it to return money to investors. It is a form of gambling being encouraged by the exchanges.

Hopefully, the Feds won't let the Nasdaq get into the business. It will just create one more risky and poorly understood financial instrument

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Are you finding that in these times of volatility you're trading more frequently? Maybe overtrading a bit? Well, you're not alone.

The Nasdaq (NASDAQ: NDAQ) Stock Market's revenues grew 50% in 2007 while its net earnings grew at about half that pace. Nasdaq matched 29.7% of all equity-trading volume.

The WSJ.com reported today [subscription required] that "on Sept. 20, Nasdaq and Borse Dubai settled a long battle for OMX in a deal that would eventually give Borse Dubai a 19.9% stake in Nasdaq."

Nasdaq has a few other catalysts coming up:

1. Securities and Exchange Commission approval on its exchange application to trade options
2. Completion of its acquisition of the Boston Stock Exchange and the
3. Closing of an acquisition of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange

As we see more and more exchange volume and consolidation of global exchanges, Nasdaq may outperform.

Zack Miller is the Managing Editor of IsraelNewsletter.com and a former equity analyst for a leading multinational hedge fund.