DHL Withdraws From U.S.; China ‘Stimulates’ Railway and Steel Industries; YouTube to Show Full-Length Flicks; McDonald’s October Sales Solid; DB Analysts Says GM Stock Worthless; Fannie Mae to Tap Fed Fund; Starbucks Profit Down 97%; U.S. Cotton Production Declines by a Third
- U.S. job cuts and slashed stateside budgets have forced express mailer DHL Express, a subsidiary of Deutsche Post AG, from the U.S. Market, Reuters reported. With the move, Deutsche Post AG cut 9,500 jobs (on top of 5,400 from earlier this year). It was also an early Christmas present for rivals United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) and FedEx Corp. (FDX), who’ve also taken their lumps from the slumping U.S. economy.
- Shares moved higher for China infrastructure titans – China Railway Group and Angang Steel Co. – who are widely believed to be beneficiaries of the government’s $586 billion economic stimulus package. Much of that package will go to housing and the expansion of railways, roads and airports, Bloomberg reported.
- Google Inc.’s (GOOG) YouTube inked a deal with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. to show full-length television shows and movies, Reuters reported. The move is a bid to up advertising revenue – something Google is exceptionally good at doing – but also take a swipe from Hulu.com, a web site that airs full-length shows with limited commercial interruption.
- McDonald’s Corp. (MCD) posted strong October same-store sales, with much credit going to the fast-food provider’s global expansion. Same store sales in the U.S. rose 5.3%. In Europe, that figure is 9.8%. In Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, that figure is 11.5%, MarketWatch reported.
- Shares of General Motors Corp. (GM) plunged more than 25% yesterday (Monday) after Deutsche Bank AG (DB) analyst Rod Lache said the company’s stock could hit zero within a year. “Even if GM succeeds in averting a bankruptcy, we believe that the company's future path is likely to be bankruptcy-like,” Lache said in a note to clients.
- Fannie Mae (FNM) yesterday (Monday) posted a $29 billion third-quarter loss, mainly because of a $21.4 billion non-cash charge to reduce the value of tax assets. The mortgage finance company, seized by federal regulators in August, warned that it might have to tap the government's $100 billion lifeline.
- Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) said yesterday (Monday) that profit dropped 97% in its fiscal fourth quarter. The company reported profit $5.4 million, or a penny a share, down from $158.5 million, or 21 cents per share, a year ago. Revenue rose 3% to $2.52 billion.
- U.S. cotton production is expected to drop to 13.5 million bales this year, down nearly a third from last year, The Associated Press reported. Farmers planted fewer acres of cotton and shifted to higher-priced crops when prices for corn, rice, and soybeans hit record highs this summer. Hurricanes Gustav and Ike also crimped production.