For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 11, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: AT&T Inc (T), Centennial Communications Corp (CYCL), Verizon (VZ), JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (JASO) and AutoNation (AN).

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Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog:

AT&T Completes CYCL Acquisition

AT&T Inc (T) has reportedly completed its much anticipated acquisition of Centennial Communications Corp (CYCL), the eighth largest US wireless carrier by subscribers. This follows the recent approvals of the transaction by the US Department of Justice and US

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AutoNation (AN) has sketched its industry outlook, revealing a gloomy 2010 preceding an improvement in the years following. The company stated that it anticipates a marginal rise in industry sales to 11 million cars and trucks from the current-year rate of 10 million vehicles. This was in stark contrast to an annual rate of more than 16 million vehicles ticked earlier this decade. AutoNation blamed tight credit for pulling down sales this year. However, sales will hit bottom in 2009. Many banks have kept their credit standards extremely high for car loans, which is depressing the industry sales despite continuous efforts taken by the government to ease credit standards. Further, job loss and stability in housing prices are also an issue. Thus, the Richmond, Virginia-based automotive retailer -- the largest in the U.S. -- expects the industry to recoup sales gradually by 2011 and beyond....

Fed Chairman Bernanke posed the “existence of an ongoing need” for a lending facility to serve businesses and consumers Friday.

The Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF), while originally set to expire at the end of this year, will be extended into the next, with a potential to generate $1 trillion for residential and commercial borrowers. The TALF represents the central mechanism of the Fed/Obama administration’s attempts to restore the flow of credit and stabilize the markets.

Citing the demand to further drive down rates on car loans by continuing to employ the TALF mechanisms to bolster the automotive industry and ensure a recovery, Bernanke also reaffirmed his pledge to reach out to minority-owned businesses and see to it that they get a fair shake from these government lending programs.

The program began slowly and continues to show demand below expectations. With $200 billion offered in the first phase, the Fed

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Several local news outlets are reporting that car dealers are experiencing a post-Cash for Clunkers Slump in sales. There is concern that the government's incentive program took sales away from the fall (and even 2010) by giving consumers reason to purchase new vehicles over the summer instead.

It is definitely taking sales away from September. Edmunds.com calculates that September sales are running at an 8.8 million unit pace. To put this number in perspective, Edmunds Senior Statistician Zhenwei Zhou said sales last September were 12.5 million. He also added "it had been over 16 million for years".

Whether this month's slump continues throughout the remainder of this year and into 2010 remains to be seen. Many carmakers are expected to introduce new incentive programs in addition to rolling out new models. Plus, two of the best-selling cars over the past several years - the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord

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The cat let out of the bag last week — a frazzled, flaming, rabid, death-dealing cat — was the news that Goldman Sachs announced impressive second-quarter profits, and set aside $18 billion or so for employee bonuses averaging $600,000 per head (though, of course, not evenly distributed among them). There probably are not fifty-three people in the USA who can explain how this development figures in with last fall’s bailout gift from the US treasury, or the $13 billion GS received on the backside of US gift payments to the failed AIG insurance company, plus the reams of necrotic securitized debt paper rotting in the back of the GS vaults. This is a company playing with the fire of world history.

It brings back the question, which has loomed dimly at the margins of America’s collective consciousness, as to whether we can get through the long emergency ahead without

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Last week was a very important one. The U.S. Treasury placed a record level of debt, the Federal Reserve announced it would not expand its monetary easing, and we got many top players opining about the economy.  In addition, we are facing the uncertainties about ‘Cap and Trade’ legislation and the healthcare reform.

And to cap it all, we are about to close the first half of 2009, with all the consequences in terms of portfolio adjustments that need to take place.

The Treasury debt placement was well received by the markets.   We saw these issues amply oversubscribed and trading well after their placement.  This was very encouraging.  End of the half adjustments also saw a bid coming back into the U.S. dollar.  And, with the Federal Reserve issuing a statement in which they are not expanding quantitative easing further, the ghost of hyperinflation is delayed for the time

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V-Shaped Bottom or Second Valley? The truth can earn you 79%.  Watching economists attempt to find consensus can be like watching a burlap sack full of cats – lots of sound and apparent action, but precious little benefit.

Unfortunately, you eventually have to open the sack full of angry cats to find out how it all comes out. And then there’s that part about going to jail (or hell) because you put cats in a burlap sack.

Not that I would ever do something like that. This is really just one of those mental exercises. But I do watch economists a lot. I guess someone has to.

The One Real Question

The big argument this week: “The V-shaped bottom” versus “The Second Valley.” I guess we should open the sack a bit and see who’s winning.

Adherents to the former believe that we have seen the worst that fate (or rather our own stupidity

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Give a bank an inch, and it takes a mile. Legislation is making its way through Congress calling for an overhaul of credit card policies. It aims to force banks to stop universal defaults. That’s because a missed payment at one bank currently causes all banks to raise their interest rate.

The legislation will also require banks to delay punitive interest rate hikes until bills are 60 days late, provide more disclosure on how rates are raised and issue a 60-day notice alerting credit card holders that rates are about to move higher.

How have the banks responded? According to the New York Times, “Banks are expected to look at reviving annual fees, curtailing cash-back and other rewards programs and charging interest immediately on a purchase instead of allowing a grace period of weeks…”

What did you expect? Gratitude for the multi-billion-dollar bailouts funded by the taxpayers?

We wonder why long-term mortgages and car

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Highlights include Citigroup, Inc. (C), Bank of America Corp. (BAC), Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC), U.S. Bancorp (USB) and Comerica Inc. (CMA).Consumer Access to Credit Becomes a Bit EasierFirst announced late last year and originally scheduled to start in last month (February), the much-anticipated Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) was unveiled today.The credit crunch (arguably the worst since the 1930s) has made it nearly impossible for small businesses and households to obtain such financing at reasonable rates (those who are able to get credit are required to pay close to usury rates for such facilities.).Prior to the financial crisis, banks relied heavily on packaging loans into securities and selling them to fund additional lending, which represented approximately 25% of all auto, student and other consumer loans in recent years. Unfortunately, the credit market mechanism ground ...

TheTreasury Department’s new bailout plan would require participation from private investors and would include government guarantees to limit losses. The details remain explained, but skepticism and fears of another crash are running high. For more information, read the following article from Money Morning:

By relying on asset-backed securities, large amounts of leverage and unregulated hedge funds as its key elements, the U.S. Treasury Department’s overhaul of the banking-system bailout plan is essentially relying on some of the same ingredients that caused the financial crisis in the first place.

This time around, someone should take the punch bowl away before the party even gets started. Otherwise, as Yogi Berra once said, it will be “Déjà vu all over again.”

The only difference this time around is that the U.S. Treasury Department is calling the plays.

Backdrop on a bailout

In a press conference Tuesday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy …