This post provides links to a number of interesting articles I have read over the past few days that you may also enjoy.

• Paul Krugman (The New York Times): Interest rates: the phantom menace, November 20, 2009. Well, what I hear is that officials don’t trust the demand for long-term government debt, because they see it as driven by a “carry trade”: financial players borrowing cheap money short-term, and using it to buy long-term bonds. They fear that the whole thing could evaporate if long-term rates start to rise, imposing capital losses on the people doing the carry trade; this could, they believe, drive rates way up, even though this possibility doesn’t seem to be priced in by the market. What’s wrong with this picture?

• Michael Panzner (Financial Armageddon): Economists: wrong again, November 21, 2009. As if they didn’t cause enough

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BlueFire Ethanol Fuels, Inc., a pioneer in cellulosic ethanol production via its proprietary conversion process utilizing concentrated acid hydrolysis, disclosed today that their CEO, Arnold Klann, will attend the 4th Annual Cellulosic Biofuels Summit (CBS) next week on Nov. 17. The event will be held in Washington, D.C.

Standing alongside executives from across the cellulosic biofuel industry, such as Dr. Kristina M. Johnson, Under Secretary for the Department of Energy, and Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, Klann will help resolve financing issues facing the industry.

Klann expressed BFRE’s pleasure at participating in the CBS and emphasized the importance of funding challenges faced by the entire industry. Klann cited BFRE’s Concentrated Acid Hydrolysis Technology Process as being a commercially-ready, proven and patented vehicle whereby non-foodstock urban, agricultural and forestry waste (collectively biomass) could be converted to ethanol, while growing the industry. Klann went on to say

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CBS Corporation (CBS) recently reported better-than-expected third-quarter 2009 results. The quarterly earnings of 25 cents a share surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 22 cents, but fell 35.9% from 39 cents posted in the prior-year quarter.

On a reported basis, including one-time items, quarterly earnings of 30 cents a share improved from quarterly loss of $18.58 delivered in the year-ago quarter.

The sequential rise in revenue and the cost containment drove the earnings growth. Total revenue climbed 11.4% sequentially to $3,350 million in the quarter, but tumbled 0.8% year-over-year. However, the rate of year-over-year decline sharply decelerated from 11% and 14% experienced in the second and the first quarters of fiscal year 2009, respectively.

By segments, television revenue jumped 9.3% to $2,269 million, driven by a rise in television license fees (up 36%) and affiliate revenue (up 11%), partly offset by softness in local advertising revenue (down 5%). Publishing revenue climbed

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• Kraft (NYSE:KFT) reported third quarter earnings of 55 cents a share on revenues of $9.8 billion, beating Zacks estimates of 48 cents, but slightly below revenue projections of $10.24 billion

• MedcoHealth Solutions (NYSE:MHS) reported third quarter earnings of 75 cents ex-items, 4 cents above Zacks estimates, on revenues of $14.80 billion, up from estimates of $14.71 billion

• Miller Tabek upgraded entertainment stocks such as CBS (NYSE:CBS), Entravision (NYSE:EVC), News Corp. (NASDAQ:NWS), Viacom (NYSE:VIA.B), and Disney (NYSE:DIS) from "neutral" to "buy"

• Disney (NYSE:DIS) said China approved its plans for a $3.5 billion theme park in Shanghai, set to open in 2014 at the earliest

• Time Warner (NYSE:TWX) reported third quarter earnings of 61 cents a share, ahead of Zacks estimates of 52 cents.  Revenue of $7.14 billion was almost inline with Zacks estimates.  The firm said it sees full-year earnings of at least $2.05

• Garmin (NASDAQ:GRMN) reported third quarter earnings

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Home Shopping Latino Inc., focused on airing the only network of its kind to service the exploding Latino market in the USA with the on air name Viva TeleCompras, today announced an agreement with ROCCX and Executive Producer Rosario Marino for the production of five one hour segments to be aired on Viva’s Network.

According to recent statistics, the total Latino population in the United States is at 42.7 million, making them the largest minority group in the United States. The loyalty and size of the Latino market is readily apparent in the fact that Univision is now the 5th largest television network in the United States behind ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX. Latino spending power has reached $700 billion and is expected to top $1 billion by 2010.

A Miami-based dynamic group of perfectly bilingual skilled professionals with expertise in the areas

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Stress-related employee turnover, absenteeism and low morale all affect a company’s bottom line. Based on information from the American Institute of Stress and the American Psychological Association, job stress and related problems cost companies an estimated $200 billion or more a year.

Massage has been known to reduce blood pressure, relieve arthritis pain, improve joint and muscle aches, especially in painful areas of the neck and back, and even increase immunity to colds and flu. But what is not known is that massage services in the workplace can do wonders not only for a company’s morale but also for their profits.

Massage in general decreases job stress and fatigue while increasing alertness, clear thinking and productivity in employees. A recent study in the American Psychologist gave one group of workers a 15 minute rest while giving another group of workers a 15 minute

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About David Webb

David Webb has over a decade of major market local and syndicated talk radio in Houston, Dallas and New York City.A television and radio commentator, David appears twice weekly in the FOX News Strategy Room. He also appears on radio and TV nationally - CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox; internationally on BBC Radio and TV, NDTV/India, Dutch National TV, in Saudi Arabia, Germany, Japan, France and Canada.

Muscle Flex Inc. announced this morning that the Muscle Flex VATA Brasil Sports and Active Wear Line will be featured on Fox Morning News in Las Vegas on Thursday September 17 at 8:50 am and on FOX Evening News in Los Angeles (Southern California) on CBS KCAL on Friday September 18 at 6:00 pm. Lash Fary, Founder of Distinctive Assets, will be on the Fox News broadcasts to showcase his “Everybody Wins at the Emmys Gift Basket”, in which the Muscle Flex VATA Brasil Sports and Active Wear line is included.

Lash Fary is regarded as one of Hollywood’s most influential product trend setters and high profile celebrity event organizers. Under his leadership, Distinctive Assets has set new standards for Gift Baskets and Gift Lounges for events such as the GRAMMYs, the Tony Awards, the Latin GRAMMYs, the People’s Choice Awards,

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Main Street Capital Announces Monthly Dividends for October, November and December 2009 of $0.125 Per Share

Main Street Capital Corporation (Nasdaq: MAIN) (”Main Street”) announced today that its Board of Directors declared monthly dividends of $0.125 per share for October, November and December 2009. These monthly dividends, which will be payable pursuant to the table below, equate to a total of $0.375 per share for the fourth quarter of 2009. The dividends per share for the fourth quarter of 2009 also equate to an approximate annualized yield of 11.4% based on Main Street’s current share price. Including the dividends declared for the fourth quarter of 2009, Main Street will have paid $3.26 in cumulative dividends since its October 2007 initial public offering.

ABOUT MAIN STREET CAPITAL CORPORATION

Main Street is a principal investment firm that provides long-term debt and equity capital to lower middle market companies. Main Street’s investments are made to

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DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

Thursday August 27, 2009

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Interactive multichannel retailer HSN, Inc. (Nasdaq:HSNI) announced today that the Company will participate in the Goldman Sachs 16th Annual Global Retailing Conference in New York City on Thursday, September 10, 2009. HSNi’s Chief Executive Officer, Mindy Grossman, and Chief Financial Officer, Judy Schmeling, will be meeting with investors throughout the day.

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that it has signed a five-year strategic procurement outsourcing agreement with Korea Exchange Bank (KEB), the country’s largest foreign exchange bank.

NuMobile, Inc. (OTCBB: NUBL) is scheduled to be featured in an upcoming exclusive China Crescent Enterprises, Inc. (OTCBB: CCTR) Webcast on Tuesday, September 1, 2009.

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