Long-time investors in Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) have not had a great ride over the past 24 months, in which the stock tumbled to a several-year low, hitting bottom in November 2008 at $7.06. It's a far cry from the growth stock dreams of 2006, where the stock regularly scored in the upper $30s. Today's close, $14.69, is more than double that day in November; but still many investors are likely below water. And while the third quarter 2009 results won't push the stock back toward its 2006 highs, at the very least, it's cracking $16 in after-hours trading.

It's a good day to be King. ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) is king, all right, the beneficiary of those millions of Americans who won't give up their SUV, the receiver of high summer oil prices, the blushing bride of the resource junkie. The oil company released its third quarter results and earnings were $10.49 billion, $1.77 a share, the second-highest total ever for the company and a 6% increase from the year-earlier quarter.

Analysts had expected only $1.59 per share, so the stock was up already in pre-market trading to about $72.10.

The shares are expected to raise the overall market on a day when housing news is gloomy, gloomy and expected to be even gloomier. Are cars more important to Americans than their houses? So it would seem, and if the news continues to trend like this, maybe the citizens of the great U.S. of A. will just move into those beloved autos.

Jim Cramer isn't shy about his expectations. Some of us on BloggingStocks pooh-poohed his earlier calls but it seems he knows of what he speaks! Today's third quarter earnings have Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) up big and, in comments on MAD MONEY tonight, Cramer touted his Google call. It's up $35 in after-hours trading, and he raised his target from $500 to $560, based on $14 per share and a 40x multiple.

GOOG traded up 7% to $457+ in after-hours trading after blowing away the street expectations.

Cramer, ever the showman, came out in the show's opening wearing GOOG in black marker on his forehead and on his knuckles.

Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) revenue: $8.7 billion, down 12% from third quarter 2005. Intel net income: $1.3 billion, down 31% from third quarter 2005. Earnings per share: 22 cents. Beating expectations by five cents a share: priceless.

Yep. My first draft headline was something like "Intel slides, dips, down, yuck" but after checking out after-hours trading I had to begrudgingly admit that sometimes, down is good! In a minute, the webcast of earnings will be beginning, and I'll be liveblogging it. As I finish the call, I note that the initial after-market-close euphoria has worn off a bit, and the after-hours trading is now around $21.06, just a touch up from close of $20.90.

2:32 p.m. [all times Pacific]: The call is beginning. Alex Lenke, Investor Relations manager, will be host. He either (a) is very nervous or (b) has been told to enunciate very very carefully. He sounds like an unusually friendly, cute and geeky robot.

2:34 p.m.: CEO Paul Otellini takes over. He's pushing the "record shipment in mobile and server product segments" and is pleased about the huge number of new products. "The industry recognizes our clear leadership in core microarchitecture." Factories have been "executing extremely well" and the 45 nanometer processors are coming out on schedule (which is, I think, what my brother -- an electrical engineer who works for the company -- does. Cool).

2:37 p.m.: They see WiMAX as a major part of the company's strategy. Happy to move the Pentium 4 into lower price points. Lauds the "biggest ad campaign in years." Headcount declined, on track to be at 92,000 employees by the end of next year. They want to be agile enough to deliver a new core or shrink every year.

In breaking after-market-close results, International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM)'s third-quarter earnings were up 47% with a 5.1% increase in sales to $22.62 billion; a huge bit of good news for Big Blue.

On the other side of the coin was Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT). Oh, how the mighty mobile company has fallen. Third quarter 2006 earnings for Motorola were down 45%, to 39 cents a share, although you could barely tell from the rosy picture painted by the earnings release; full of optimism about sales at $10.7 billion, up 17% from Q3 2005. We're waiting to see how investors react.

Update: investors were thrilled with IBM and sent stock up after hours to $91.32 from a close of $86.95. Motorola was terrible news and investors sent the stock tumbling to $22.90 from its already-lower close of $24.85.