The White House is ratcheting up the rhetoric on health care reform. And insurers Aetna (AET), Cigna (CI), Humana (HUM), Wellpoint (WLP) and Unitedhealth Group (UNH) are listening closely to see how their industries will be affected if legislation finds its way to Barack Obama's desk and gets signed into law.

When a leader actually leads, he or she should be rewarded. An example of real leadership might be Tony Hayward, CEO of BP plc (BP). While BP had a fairly tough 2009, posting lower numbers than the previous year, its payouts to shareholders actually rose.

Sony (SNE) is a giant in the video game industry. To this day, the PlayStation 2 remains the best-selling console in history. Microsoft (MSFT) has sold half of that with both its Xbox and Xbox 360 combined. Video game industry titan Nintendo (NTDOY) has six of the ten best-selling devices, but still has not toppled SNE from the #1 spot. But given the events of the past several years, it's hard to call Sony a great video game company anymore.

The recent launch of an investigation into Google's (GOOG) business practices in Europe and the company's threat to pull out of the Chinese search market due to government spying on users have contributed to the continuing drama of Google's position vis a vis Microsoft (MSFT).

For every $1,000 invested in Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) in 1964, an investor would now have a tidy $8 million in value, if that investor had held the stock for the full 45-year period. The annualized return on book value is 20.3%, and the annualized return at the market price would be 22%.

Here's your daily bite of Apple AAPL stock news and rumors for March 5, 2010.

Video game console makers Sony (SNE) and Microsoft (MSFT) have been hoping that 2010 turns out to be a better year for video games than the last. And after a disappointing January report, the February numbers that will be released in the next week or so are going to be an important indicator. Software stocks like Activision Blizzard (ATVI), Take Two Interactive (TTWO), Electronic Arts (ERTS) are biting their nails in anticipation.

Since Microsoft (MSFT) released its Windows 7 operating system in October 2009, it has sold 90 million licenses for the software. Most of those have been to consumers, with enterprise sales lagging as usual while IT departments try to figure out if the investment in a new operating system is worth the expense.

Target (TGT) sales rose 2.4%, more than double estimated gains, and Macy's (M) sales rose 3.7%, compared with an estimated loss of 1.4%. Other gainers include Kohl's (KSS), TJX Companies (TJX) jumped 10%, Aeropostale (ARO) rose 7%, and Limited Brands (LTD) gained 10%.

Here's your daily bite of Apple AAPL stock news and rumors for March 4, 2010.

A few years back, agricultural chemical companies were all the rage. After the financial crisis, however, these fertilizer and agricultural chemical companies are pretty much right back where they started three years ago. So what lies ahead for Ag Stocks (POT, MON, MOS, AGU, CF, TRA)?

The market for IPOs appears to be getting better in the US. In 2008, just 43 new listings were offered; in 2009 the number went up to 63. So far this year, there are more than 100 companies lined up to go public.

After the collapse of Lehman Brothers in the fall of 2008, the total value of U.S. mortgages was estimated at about $10 trillion. Backing out the premium included to cover the non-recourse nature of most of the loans, the value was about 10-12% lower. That's still an awfully big number.

When Apple (AAPL) filed its lawsuit against Taiwanese company HTC Corporation, the conventional view is that the Cupertino company was firing a shot over the bow of Google (GOOG). HTC makes smartphones using Google's Android operating system as well as Google's own Nexus One smartphone. That may be true, but it's not the whole story.

Costco Wholesale (COST) reported earnings this morning the same day as BJ's Wholesale (BJ). Even Big Lots (BIG) got in on the earnings game. Considering that we are in the midst of an economic recovery, the winner was actually surprising. Very surprising.

Covered here are T, VZ, S, Q, LEAP, PCS, AAPL, CLWR, with analysis on where these telecom stocks are valued in relation to each other and which stocks offer the most upside versus current 2010 targets.

China's growing online gaming market got some sobering news this morning with the quarterly and full-year report from Shanda Games (GAME). The parent company, Shanda Interactive Entertainment (SNDA) reported record revenue, but weak profits for the quarter.

With all the talk about debt, deficits and value destruction in the news lately, I figured you could stand to hear something positive for a change. So with thanks to the analysts at ISI Group in New York, here are some strengths in the U.S. and global economy to put into your mix of thoughts:

Any investment that has "real estate" as part of its title is a risky proposition right now. However, among Real Estate Investment trusts (or REITs), there are still some nice opportunities right now if you know where to look. These companies tend to yeild very high dividends, and some have very good upside potential even amid a tough housing market.