Analyst Upgrades

• Dominion (D) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Corinthian Colleges (COCO) to outperform from underperform at RBC Capital.
• Canadian National (CNI) to sector outperformer from sector performer at CIBC.
• DragonWave (DRWI) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Infosys (INFY) to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• SL Green Realty (SLG), Lexington Realty (LXP) and Taubman Centers (TCO) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Sunstone Hotel (SHO) to buy from neutral and Extra Space Storage (EXR) to buy from hold at KeyBanc.

Analyst Upgrades

• Diamond Offshore (DO) to conviction buy from sell and Baker Hughes (BHI) to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Frontier Communications (FTR) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Syntel (SYNT) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo, to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank and to buy from neutral at Janney Capital.
• Kulicke & Soffa (KLIC) and Fiserv (FISV) to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• 3M (MMM) to neutral from underweight and Tyco (TYC) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Collective Brands (PSS) and Nordstrom (JWN) to overweight from equal weight, as well as Foot Locker (FL) to equal weight from underweight, at Morgan Stanley.
• Amazon.com (AMZN) to buy from hold at Lazard Capital.
• Yamana Gold (AUY) to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.

"As soon as it is possible to do so, several North American companies are likely to move quickly to enter Cuba, the greatest untapped opportunity remaining in the western hemisphere," says Jim Powell.

Here, the editor of Global Changes & Opportunities looks at what he believes are the best investment opportunities for investing in Cuba, should such a change occur.

"In August, Raul Castro announced that 500,000 public workers in Cuba will be laid off and will need to find jobs in newly-legalized small private enterprises.

Analyst Upgrades

• Goldman upgraded Citigroup (C) to conviction buy from buy, Principal Financial (PFG) to buy from neutral, and Stancorp Financial (SFG) and Hartford Financial (HIG) to neutral from sell.
• JetBlue (JBLU) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Barclays upgraded Royal Caribbean (RCL) and Carnival (CCL) upgraded to overweight from equal weight.
• Hollysys Automation (HOLI) was upgraded to buy from hold at Roth Capital.
• RBC Capital upgraded Alliance Data Systems (ADS) to outperform from sector perform.
• RRI Energy (RRI) was upgraded to buy from hold at Citigroup.

"Royal Caribbean (RCL) has nothing new or revolutionary going for it, but it's one of the strongest stocks in the market," says Mike Cintolo.

The editor of Cabot Top Ten Weekly explains, "With its nearly 40 cruise ships, the stock is a a pure-play on discretionary leisure spending, and its earnings can rise rapidly during improving times.

"And that's what investors are discounting now -- earnings fell from $2.82 per share in 2007 to 75 cents last year, but look set to get back to $2 per share this year and challenge new-high ground in 2011!

Cleveland fans are angry and still in denial, while South Florida is jumping for joy and celebrating the region's king catalyst for the housing market turnaround. On the evening of July 8th, LeBron James officially placed a catalyst for a potential bottom on the fledgling South Florida condo and housing market. Season tickets at American Airlines were already sold out in anticipation of the King James arrival to the city of Miami. In the words of Minyanville's Todd Harrison today, "Inspiration is a beautiful thing."

Nobody could be more excited and inspired with the King James confidence booster than the following employees of these six companies:

Analyst Upgrades

• UBS upgraded JPMorgan (JPM) to buy from neutral and has a $50 price target on the stock. The firm cites valuation for the upgrade.
• Morgan Joseph upgraded Deere (DE) to buy from hold, citing strong U.S. demand for combines and tractors, favorable fundamentals in Brazil, and expectations for improved domestic construction-equipment demand. The firm has a $75 price target on the stock.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Venoco (VQ) to outperform from market perform to reflect increased confidence in the company's Monterey Shale potential.
• GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) was upgraded to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Tenet Healthcare (THC) was upgraded to positive from neutral at Susquehanna.
• Agnico-Eagle (AEM) was upgraded to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) reports Q3 earnings results Tuesday, hence I'll await those results before re-evaluating the stock, but today we'll take a moment to highlight a high-profile addition to its fleet: the Oasis of the Seas -- the world's largest oceanliner.

Five times larger than the SS Titanic -- 225,282 gross tons and 1,181 feet in length versus Titanic's 46,328 gross tons and 830 feet in length -- the $1.5 billion Oasis will perhaps represent the world's largest and elaborate floating city, in terms of creature comforts (U.S. Nimitz-class aircraft carriers can carry more people, but no, the U.S. Navy does not offer as lavish accommodations nor as much per-person space for military personnel).

Analyst upgrades:

• Jefferies upgraded Biogen (NASDAQ: BIIB) to Buy from Hold based on valuation. The firm, which has a $50 target on the stock, believes Tysabri PML cases are reflected in shares.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN) to Buy from Hold as it finds the valuation attractive and believes the company's sales are benefiting from stabilization in California and share gains. Deutsche raised its target on shares to $45 from $36.
• RBC Capital upgraded Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) to Outperform from Sector Perform and raised its target to $39 from $36 citing valuation and views it as a low risk option on a global economic recovery.
• Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Citigroup.
• Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
• Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) was upgraded to Hold from Sell at RBS.

You can't win them all. The May 14, 2009 Shorts of both Carnival Corp. (NYSE: CCL), at $25.56 and Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE: RCL), at $14.45 were Stopped Out.

Each is a major cruise line that's battling domestic and international macroeconomic headwinds, overcapacity, stagnant-to-lower U.S. disposable income for many U.S. employment segments, and the sector's latest concern: the H1N1 virus that has discouraged some citizens from taking vacations in large-gathering, contained surroundings.

Analyst upgrades:

• Wells Fargo transferred coverage of Cooper Industries (NYSE: CBE) with an Outperform rating, upgraded from the previous analysts' Market Perform rating. The firm believes commercial construction will be of less of a headwind for the company than the Street thinks, and has a $38-$41 valuation range on the stock.
• Kaufman Bros. upgraded SuccessFactors (NASDAQ: SFSF) to Buy from Hold after channel checks indicated demand trends picked up in July. The firm raised its target on shares to $15 from $12.
• UBS upgraded eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) to Buy from Neutral and believes Marketplace transaction growth is "turning the corner." Additionally, the firm believes the secondary market represents a long-term opportunity for the company. The firm raised its target to $28 from $24.
• Novartis (NYSE: NVS) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jefferies.
• Arcelor Mittal (NYSE: MT) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Citigroup.
• Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
• Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform AMC Monday at Bernstein.

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

• Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) reported strong Q2 earnings thought revenue fell but beat analysts' estimates.
• Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE: CL) beat Q2 earnings estimates but revenue suffered from currency effects.
• Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW) reported a drop in Q2 revenue and a net loss on restructuring charges.
• Eastman Kodak Co. (NYSE: EK) posted a deeper-than-expected Q2 net loss as sales plunged.
• Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) reported its lowest quarterly profit in years, well short of expectations.

Analyst upgrades:

• Morgan Keegan upgraded Motorola (NYSE: MOT) to Outperform from Market Perform due to the increased visibility of Android-based launches, as well as the stock's valuation.
• OfficeMax (NYSE: OMX) was upgraded to Buy from Hold by Citigroup, which cited the company's stabilizing sales trend, accelerating share gains, and valuation.
• Kaufman Bros. upgraded iRobot (NASDAQ: IRBT) to Buy from Hold on valuation.
• Cancaccord upgraded Rio Tinto (NYSE: RTP) to Buy from Hold citing the turnaround in the aluminum business and its exposure to copper.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Smith & Nephew (NYSE: SNN) to Market Perform from Underperform.
• BT Group (NYSE: BT) was upgraded to Neutral from Reduce by Nomura.
• Societe Generale raised L'Oreal (OTC: LRLCY) to Buy from Sell.
• Franklin Resources (NYSE: BEN) was upgraded to Buy from Hold by Sandler O'Neill.

Analyst upgrades:

• Goldman upgraded General Electric (NYSE: GE) to Buy from Neutral and raised its target to $15 from $13 citing reports that U.S. House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank has indicated regulatory reform will not require a separation of GE Capital.
• Syntel (NASDAQ: SYNT) was upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform by Wells Fargo. The firm upgraded the stock following the company's much better than expected Q2 EPS.
• Canaccord upgraded USANA (NASDAQ: USNA) to Outperform from Market Perform citing the strong Q2 report and earnings momentum. The firm has a $40 target on the stock.
• Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Barclays.
• Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR) was upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform at FBR Capital.
• Tyco Electronics (NYSE: TEL) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.
• Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE: RCL - option chain) stock is falling today after the company reported a second-quarter loss of $35.1 million, or 16 cents per share, worse than analysts' forecasts of a loss of 13 cents per share. RCL also forecast third-quarter earnings of 95 cents to $1 per share, while analysts are expecting a profit of $1.22 per share. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on RCL.

This morning, RCL opened at $15.29. So far today the stock has hit a low of $14.50 and a high of $15.38. As of 11:25, RCL is trading at $14.55, down $1.84 (-11.2%). The chart for RCL looks bullish and S&P gives RCL a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.