Market Insight

Markets rarely move at random. InvestorPlace’s leading analysts break down macro trends, sector dynamics, and recurring market patterns to help investors understand what is changing, what matters most, and where opportunities may emerge.

Toyota’s Incentives Entice Buyers and Cause Headaches for Other Automakers

By Paul Ausick
Toyota Motors (TM) is expected to sell 182,100 new cars in March, up more than 32% from March 2009, and up a whopping 82% from February 2010, according to Edmunds.com. General Motors sales for March are predicted to be 22% higher than a year ago and 39% higher than last month. Ford Motor Co. (F) should see a nearly 50% increase from a year ago and a 43% jump from last month. March sales comparisons are adjusted to account for an additional sales day in March 2010.

Oracle Heeds Caution for Enterprise Spending Sector (ORCL, SAP, CSCO, IBM, MSFT, EMC, VMW)

By Jon Ogg
Oracle Corporation (ORCL) is proving to investors today that, despite a significant run up and despite a significant bullish bias, valuations may be catching up to even the best of the stocks out there. This earnings report showed many issues out there lurking for SAP AG (SAP), Cisco Systems (CSCO), and perhaps even IBM (IBM). And let's not leave out Microsoft (MSFT), EMC (EMC) or VMware (VMW).

Is RadioShack on the Block?

By Paul Ausick
Just days after RadioShack Corp. (RSH) reported fourth-quarter 2009 earnings, rumors started flying that the company was a possible takeover target. Shares rose to a new 52-week high until today, when RadioShack shares jumped again to a new high after just half an hour of trading.

Systemax SYX Could Reopen Circuit City Stores

By Jeff Reeves
Systemax (SYX), owner of the online electronics clearinghouse Tiger Direct, is jumping into the brick-and-mortar retail game. That's a bit of a surprise, since this may not exactly be the economic environment to make a big push into any segment of retail. But the real shocker is that Systemax is making the move under two defunct big box brands: Circuit City and CompUSA.

How to Buy IPOs With ETFs and Mutual Funds

By Jeff Reeves
Everybody loves the romance of an IPO -- a company going public with the potential to deliver huge profits to those investors on the ground floor. But the reality of initial public offerings are very different than the storybook version some traders believe. Trying to research these tiny upstarts can give investors fits, and sometimes even a stock that looks good on paper can fall flat on its face right out of the gate.

Stocks Flying High on the Boeing Boom (BA, COL, MOG.A, PCP, SPR)

By Jim Woods, Editor-in-Chief, Successful Investing, Intelligence Report, Bullseye Stock Trader
Aviation-giant Boeing Co. (BA) is sitting comfortably in first class these days. This week the company announced that it expects worldwide air passenger traffic to comeback up to 2008 levels, and it expects global airplane sales to pick up in 2011 or 2012. Boeing also recently said it plans to raise production of its 777 and 747 aircraft earlier than previously projected.

Apple’s iPhone Could Be A Lot Bigger

By Paul Ausick
An analyst at Bernstein Research has some advice for Apple, Inc. (AAPL). Sign up more carriers, and kick out a cheap iPhone. Both bits of advice have merit, but are the arguments strong enough to persuade Steve Jobs to take a shot at them?

Voice Over Broadband … on Smartphones?

By Jeff Reeves
The Apple (AAPL) App Store recently began offering Line2, a program that turns the iPhone into a dual-mode phone complete with a second number for just $1.Line2 can make and receive calls any time you're in a wireless hot spot, sending voice over Wi-Fi and not phone lines. The service costs just $15 a month, and is a hit among those who are frustrated by the spotty network of AT&T (T).

U.S. Treasury Moving to Unload Citi Stock

By Paul Ausick
There appears to be some movement in the sale of the 27% of common stock in Citigroup Inc. (C) owned by the U.S. Treasury. The federal government is believed to be ready to announce next month a scheduled trading plan to unload the Citigroup shares

Best Buy Up on Strong Earnings

By Paul Ausick
Best Buy (BBY) shares are up nearly 8% this morning following the company's fourth quarter earnings report. For the quarter ended in February, Best Buy reported diluted EPS of $1.82, up from $1.35 a year ago. Revenue jumped 12%, to $16.55 billion for the quarter. Analysts were expecting EPS of $1.79 on revenues of $16.08 billion.

Consumer Spending Now Tops 2008 Peak … Really!

By Jon Markman, Editor, Trader's Advantage and CounterPoint Options
Some new data out of ISI Group puts the surprising strength of the American public in full view. The data shows that nominal consumer spending made a new high four months ago and is now clearly above its 2008 peak (based on core retail sales, February spending probably rose 0.5%).

Pharmacy Stocks Helped by Healthcare Reform (CVS, ESRX, RAD, MHS, WAG, WMT)

By Jeff Reeves
President Obama signed the health care reform bill into law Tuesday, and despite the huffing and puffing of Republicans, there's not much that can be done to change things. The legislation gives 32 million currently uninsured Americans access to medical procedures and prescription drugs -- making them prospective customers of leading prescription providers like CVS Caremark (CVS), Express Scripts (ESRX), Rite Aid (RAD), Medco Health Solutions (MHS), Walgreens (WAG) and Wal-Mart (WMT).

Global Banking Set for a Comeback

By Jon Markman, Editor, Trader's Advantage and CounterPoint Options
One of my most out-of-consensus ideas at the moment is that regional banks stocks are on the verge of new swing higher. And that means it just might be crazy enough to come true. Sentiment is terrible: The February 2010 Fund Manager Survey ranked global bank stocks as the most underweighted sector by institutional investors.

Conoco’s New Plan for Success (COP, XOM, CVX)

By Paul Ausick
Of the three remaining US-based supermajor oil companies, Exxon Mobil (XOM), Chevron (CVX), and ConocoPhillips (COP), Conoco has surfaced as the one facing the most serious problems going forward. Today the company announced its plans for "creating and delivering value to our shareholders," according to the company's chairman and CEO.

Starbucks SBUX to Pay First-Ever Dividend

By Jeff Reeves
Starbucks (SBUX) just announced today that it will begin paying regular quarterly dividends of 10 cents a share -- a move Wall Street greeted by bidding up shares about 2% after the announcement. If the move was meant to perk up investor sentiment, it certainly worked. The Seattle company also said it will buy back an extra 15 million SBUX shares over a previously announced 6.3 million buyback plan.

Four Tech Stocks to Watch This Week (ADBE, RHT, BBY, ORCL)

By Jon Ogg
Tech earnings to come this week include reports from Adobe Systems (ADBE), Red Hat (RHT), Best Buy (BBY) and Oracle Corp. (ORCL).

MGM Auction Doesn’t Generate Much Drama (TWX, LGF, LINTA, T, NWSA, BBI, NFLX)

By Paul Ausick
The bidding for independently-held MGM Studios failed to generate the $2 billion bid that current private equity owners had hoped for despite drawing bids from Time Warner (TWX), Lions Gate Entertainment (LGF) and AT&T (T) to name a few.

Bill Gates Goes Nuclear

By Paul Ausick
TerraPower LLC, a company owned by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, has reportedly begun discussions of a partnership with Toshiba Corporation to develop a new nuclear reactor.

Baidu Price Target Raised on Google’s Move to Hong Kong

By Paul Ausick
Google's (GOOG) move to Hong Kong has caused Goldman Sachs (GS) to lift its price target on Baidu (BIDU) from $575 per share to $675 per share.
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