Not every automaker CEO is down on his knees with cap in hand. Some of them are too proud to beg… and Taipan Daily won’t have to beg either with the right options strategy.

Not every auto manufacturer wants charity, you know.

While Detroit’s CEOs were up on Capitol Hill whining and begging like street junkies for a mere $25 billion to tide them over until spring, salesmen from Bentley, Lamborghini and Maserati were working the floor of the Los Angeles Auto Show like madmen in an attempt to stem their stateside sales losses.

Now don’t let their $500 suits and smooth manners fool you. These guys are hurting too. Lambo’s down 15% (pretty much a match to the whole biz’ 2008 decline). And Volkswagen AG’s Bentley (VLKAY) group has slipped a whopping 30%.

No Pain Here

Perhaps the folks who buy BMWs and Mercedes are up against it right now. But

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NYSE exec provides update on everything from AMEX's 'black box' technologies for more actively managed ETFs to progress on merging platforms.

 

Earlier this month, NYSE Euronext completed its acquisition of the American Stock Exchange. With the addition of AMEX's 416 ETF listings and 13 ETNs, the exchange-traded product listings at NYSE Euronext now number 680, excluding overseas ETFs, and a total of $595 billion in exchange-traded product assets.

IU.com's Eric Rosenbaum recently spoke with NYSE Euronext Senior Vice President Lisa Dallmer about the specific benefits of the completed acquisition for the ETF industry, and the current outlook for ETFs given the tough markets. 

 

IndexUniverse (IU): With the Amex deal completed, what are the major benefits to the NYSE as a competitor for ETF listings and ETF servicing business, beyond the bragging rights that are always a part of the battle among exchanges for market share?

Lisa Dallmer (Dallmer): At the broadest

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Some 23 different companies have been deleted in the blue chip benchmark since June alone as the credit crisis takes its toll.

 

 

The S&P 500 is set to add another exchange to its blue chip index. After the close of trading on Tuesday, the Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. will replace department store chain Dillard's Inc., which has occupied the blue chip benchmark's last spot.

The shift follows the addition of Comstock Resources Inc., an oil and natural gas producer, to the S&P MidCap 400 index. It replaced Entercom Communications Corp., a radio broadcaster that was listed as the benchmark's 400th largest company based on market-cap size when the move was made last week.

Also, the S&P SmallCap 600 index has made two changes within the past week. One of those involved replacing wireless tech provider EMS Technologies with Radio One Inc.  At the same time, Integral Systems Inc. was added and Fleetwood Enterprises, which makes recreational vehicles, fell out of the benchmark.

This

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Some 23 different companies have been deleted in the blue chip benchmark since June alone, as the credit crisis takes its toll.

 

The S&P 500 is set to add another exchange to its blue chip index. After the close of trading on Tuesday, the NASDAQ OMX Group Inc. will replace department store chain Dillard's Inc., which has occupied the blue chip benchmark's last spot.

The shift follows the addition of Comstock Resources Inc., an oil and natural gas producer, to the S&P MidCap 400 index. It replaced Entercom Communications Corp., a radio broadcaster that was listed as the benchmark's 400th largest company based on market-cap size when the move was made last week.

Also, the S&P SmallCap 600 index has made two changes within the past week. One of those involved replacing wireless tech provider EMS Technologies with Radio One Inc.  At the same time, Integral Systems Inc. was added

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Aurizon Mines Ltd. is an emerging gold producer, exploration, and development company. Trading on the American Stock Exchange (AMEX) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) with a market capitalization of $235.29 million, Aurizon is focusing on becoming an intermediate gold producer. The Company is working to achieve this end by exploring and developing large land positions in favorable geological trends that are close to infrastructure. They also look for land positions, which are in politically stable pro-mining regions.

Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Aurizon owns the Casa Berardi Mine Project as well as their Joanna Gold Project and their Kipawa Exploration Property. The Company’s combined property holdings cover over 300 square miles in the Abitibi area in the Canadian province of Quebec.

The Casa Berardi mine is their 100 percent owned gold mine project. Gold production at this site began in 2007. The company expects this site to produce approximately 160,000 to

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With lifting of the SEC's short-selling ban, ProShares moves to open its temporarily closed inverse financial ETFs.

 

 

With the lifting of the Securities and Exchange Commission's ban on short-selling, ProShares short financials funds, ProShares Short Financials (AMEX: SEF) and Ultrashort Financials (AMEX: SKF), resumed normal creation activity. 

During the suspension of creations, average daily trading volume of SKF and SEF exceeded 19 million shares, according to ProShares.

There was no word from Rydex this morning as to whether its short financials fund, 2X Inverse S&P Select Sectors Financials (AMEX: RFN), would also be back to normal.

Separately, ProShares announced that it has moved all of its 64 ETFs to the NYSE Alternext platform (the new name for the Amex ETF platform), in response to the completed acquisition by NYSE of the ProFund ETF current trading home, the American Stock Exchange.

The ETFs' closing time will now be 15 minutes earlier,

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Last week, NYSE completed its acquisition of the Amex, prompting more consolidation within the industry.

 

The parade of exchange-traded products over to NYSE Arca is continuing this week, with First Trust Portfolios and iPath transferring exchange-traded portfolios to NYSE from the American Stock Exchange.

Since the NYSE announced its acquisition of the Amex, it has been as if July Fourth came early to the ETF world, with many providers moving portfolios to the NYSE Arca platform en masse.

Last week, NYSE completed its acquisition of Amex, and with the closing of the deal, cemented its position as the largest ETF platform: NYSE Arca now hosts 680 of the total 813 industry ETFs, and more than $320 billion in exchange-traded product assets (see story).

In the most recent ETF moves related to the NYSE-Amex deal, Barclays said it will transfer its iPath CBOE S&P 500 BuyWrite Index

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Cubic Energy, Inc. (QBC) is an independent energy company focused on the exploration, development, and production of natural gas and crude oil. As its name eludes, the company takes a multi-dimensional focus on the integration of engineering, financial management and earth sciences in its oil and gas exploration efforts. Cubic plans to pursue low-risk opportunities while building high-yield reserves.

The company received landmark news at the end of July 2008 that it had received approval to be listed on the American Stock Exchange (AMEX). Cubic’s common stock began trading under the symbol “QBC” on August 4th. The shares had previously been traded under QBIK on the OTCBB. President and CEO of Cubic, Calvin Wallen said, “This is an incredible milestone for Cubic and its shareholders. With the ability to list on AMEX, Cubic is able to reach both United States and Global investors.”

During fall 2008, Cubic announced that its

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Vision Capital HedgeEx-Merrill Head in Talks With Hedge FundThe following piece on Vision Capital Advisors is being published as part of our daily effort to track hedge fund events in the industry. To review other hedge fund research please see our Hedge Fund Tracker Tool.Stan O'Neal, one of the first executives on Wall Street to be ousted as the credit crunch hit last fall, is talking to a boutique hedge fund firm about coming onboard. Vision Capital Advisors has been in talks with Stan O'Neal, the former chief executive officer of Merrill Lynch about a possible position with the firm, according to someone familiar with the situation. What O'Neal's role will be has not yet been determined, the source said. If O'Neal takes the position, it will be his ...

Founded in 1919, Northgate Minerals Corporation is a gold and copper mining company with corporate headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company lists on the American Stock Exchange under the symbol (NXG). They also list on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol (NGX). They have mining operations, development projects, and exploration properties in Canada and Australia.

With a current market capitalization of $349.96 million, the company has forecast significant unhedged gold production for this year. Their plans for growth in the industry include further acquisition opportunities in politically stable mining regions around the world. On February 18, 2008, Northgate successfully completed their acquisition of Perseverance Corporation Ltd., an Australian gold producer with two operating mines with combined production of 200,000 ounces per year. This made Northgate a multi-mine gold producer, with three operating mines in Canada and Australia.

The company’s Kemess South mine project is in north-central British Columbia. Their Kemess

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