by Tara Clarke
Groupon Inc. (Nasdaq: GRPN) will report Q4 2013 earnings after closing bell today (Thursday). GRPN stock gained 1.2% in pre-market trading Thursday, despite projections of a slow quarter.
The current Wall Street consensus expectation is earnings per share (EPS) gain of $0.02 per share on $718.67 million in revenue, compared to a loss of $0.01 per share in the same period a year ago.
To continue reading, please click here...
by David Zeiler
While Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) stock is up an impressive 75% over the past 12 months, today's (Thursday's) earnings will tell us whether the tech pioneer can keep that momentum going in 2014.
After stumbling several years ago, the company set up a five-year turnaround plan that is now in year two. Hewlett-Packard's earnings, scheduled for release after the market close Thursday, will tell us how well that plan is faring.
To continue reading, please click here...
by David Zeiler
The latest exchange on raising the minimum wage in 2014 is only one chapter in this months-long political brawl – one that will see Republicans mostly on the defensive.
Fresh ammo came Tuesday from a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report, which gave both advocates and opponents some statistics to crow about.
this issue will only get more prickly for them...
by Tara Clarke
This morning (Thursday), the world's largest retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) reported disappointing fourth-quarter earnings before opening bell. A challenging retail environment, foul weather, and recent restructuring kept Wal-Mart from meeting Wall Street expectations.
This is the fourth time in the last nine quarters the retail superstore notched an earnings miss. WMT stock dropped $0.48 per share (0.64%) in pre-market trading on the news, and it's down to 2.91% per share as of 9:45 a.m. EST. Historically, its stock averages a 1% loss in the week following earnings.
by Diane Alter
For Facebook Inc. (Nasdaq: FB)if you can't beat 'em, buy 'em…
In its biggest acquisition yet, Facebook announced late Wednesday it's buying mobile messaging company WhatsApp in a $19 billion blockbuster deal.
Today's pre-market trading report, Feb. 20, 2014: The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 89 points on Wednesday to 16,040.56. The Nasdaq dropped by 0.8% to 4,237.95 while the S&P slipped 0.6% to 1,828.75.
To continue reading, please click here...
by Shah Gilani
Editor's Note: Yesterday Shah showed you the easiest way to make a fortune in the markets, as long as you're willing to break one of Wall Street's golden rules. Today, here's another reason Shah's so willing…
Headline news about banks settling charges for violating rules, regulations, and laws – and announcements of the fines they agree to pay – appears every day…
Rarely – if ever – do they reveal how much money is really being paid or where it's going…
They also seldom explain what kinds of settlements are reached…
Or how banks negotiate what they'll actually pay and to whom… or how they negotiate tax deductibility of fines… or how they get "credits" for fines they never pay… or how insurance covers some of it…
This is not one of those stories… this is about what really happens behind the banksters' doors.
by Tara Clarke
Thursday, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) will report fourth-quarter earnings before opening bell. A challenging retail environment and recent restructuring are likely to keep Wal-Mart from beating – or even meeting – expectations.
That's just one reason investors should steer clear of Wal-Mart stock.
The retail superstore has missed Wall Street expectations in three of the last eight quarters and averages a 1% stock loss in the week following earnings.
This time around, it is expected to report fourth-quarter earnings per share (EPS) of $1.37 on revenue of $130.55 billion, compared with a profit of $1.67 per share on revenue of $127.92 billion in the same quarter a year ago.
To continue reading, please click here...
When rumors first began swirling last year about an Alibaba IPO, analysts estimated that China's largest e-commerce company could be valued as high as $100 billion.
According to a Reuters poll this month, eight analysts estimated that Alibaba could raise $15 billion through its IPO – at a valuation of $140 billion.
There's a reason why Alibaba's value continues to rise ahead of its IPO.
The e-commerce giant has been busy lately…
To continue reading, please click here...
by Diane Alter
Best stocks to buy for the week ending Feb. 14, 2014: All three major benchmarks neared record highs last week, posting their biggest weekly gains of 2014.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 2.3% to end the week at 16,154.39. The S&P 500 Index tacked on 2.3% to 1,838.63 – within spitting distance of its 1,848.38 record close. The Nasdaq rose 2.9% to 4,244.03, its highest level in 13.5 years.
But the best gains came from precious metals. Concerns about a flagging U.S. economy ignited renewed interest in gold and silver as reluctantly bullish investors hedged their bets.
To continue reading, please click here...
