What happens when an obscure small-cap company announces behemoth Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) is a major customer? Shares skyrocket.
That's exactly what happened Thursday when Pixelworks Inc. (Nasdaq: PXLW) disclosed Apple is a chief purchaser.
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The 2014 IPO market has already seen 37 companies go public, and this IPO chart shows which industries have produced the most initial public offerings.
When numerous companies go public from one industry, it means there is high demand for stocks in that field. And in 2014, one industry has trumped the rest: healthcare.
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The news that Staples Inc. (Nasdaq: SPLS) plans to close 225 stores illustrates a grim trend in retail that will accelerate over the next couple of years.
The store closings are expected to save Staples $500 million by the end of 2015 and represent 12% of the office supply chain's 1,846 North American stores.
"Our customers are using less office supplies, they're shopping less often in our stores and more online, and their focus on value has made the marketplace even more competitive," Staples Chief Executive Officer Ronald Sargent said.
The announcement on store closings came amid a disappointing Q4 earnings report. The company's earnings per share of $0.33 were well below expectations of $0.39. Revenue slipped 11% to $5.87 billion, which also missed expectations.
If the first two months are any indication, the 2014 IPO market could be the biggest ever.
Through the first two months of 2014, 56 companies filed for initial public offerings in the United States. That's the highest total for any year in the past decade, and 60% higher than the next closest year, 2007.
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I've written and railed about rip-off student financial aid schemes here for years.
And based on all the very personal stories I've received, I know many of you are outraged as well – even more so because of your devastating first-hand experiences.
Make no mistake: For-profit education companies are (more often than not) "rip-off traps" that condemn unsuspecting students into indentured servitude to greedy companies' bottom lines.
Well, there may be a White Knight after all.
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Yesterday (Wednesday), the Obama administration announced a new Obamacare delay as a political move to protect vulnerable Democrats during midterm elections.
Insurers are now permitted to keep offering health insurance plans that don't meet the coverage requirements mandated by Obamacare. The extension will presently last for two years.
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The weather is taking a decidedly better turn here in London these past few days.
It's a good thing, because all of the talk currently in British circles is about the deteriorating situation in Ukraine.
These concerns involve the all-too-obvious geopolitical impacts of a Russian takeover of Crimea and perhaps a broader swath of Eastern Ukraine.
However, there is another matter that has a more immediate impact on Europe, especially if the temperatures start falling again.
You see, despite the Russian-controlled natural gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea to northern Germany (Nord Stream) and across Belarus to Poland, most of the Russian natural gas coming to the continent still passes across Ukraine – about 80% in fact.
And Europe is still reliant upon this energy flow despite attempts to diversify.
That means the longer the crisis between Russia and Ukraine remains unresolved, the higher the tension level among Europeans will be.
Here's what that means…
The 2014 IPO market is booming as 61 companies have already filed for initial public offerings. Biotech companies like Dicerna Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: DRNA) and Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. (Nasdaq: RARE) have led the way with first-day gains of 207% and 101%, respectively.
The success of biotech IPOs has led Money Morning's Defense & Tech Specialist Michael Robinson to call this "the biotech century."
Stock Market Today, March 5, 2014: U.S. stocks closed mixed today, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing down, the S&P 500 closing flat, and the Nasdaq closing up.
Stocks today were reacting to a weak private-sector jobs report, more corporate earnings reports, and easing Russia-Ukraine tensions.
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Alternative energy company Plug Power Inc. (Nasdaq: PLUG) is on an absolute tear, up 334.19% so far in 2014 and 52.61% over the past five days.
On Tuesday, PLUG shares surged 20% to a fresh 52-week high of $7.02 before finishing the session up 15% to $6.99.
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