For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 3, 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: CIT Group Inc. (CIT), Dean Foods (DF), Frontier Communications (FTR), Verizon Communications (VZ) and Time Warner Cable (TWC).

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Here are highlights from Monday’s AnalystBlog:

CIT Group Files Chapter 11

CIT Group Inc. (CIT) has filed for Chapter 11 protection on Sunday. The company struggled for months to avoid collapse since the recession elicited billions of dollars in loan losses, and the financial crisis made it incapable of funding itself from

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Snap-on Inc. (SNA) posted lackluster third quarter results before the opening bell Thursday as the company’s European operations and Financial Services segment adversely affected performance.  The Kenosha, WI-based company’s earnings plunged 53.5% year over year to $25.4 million, or 44 cents per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5 cents. Total sales slipped 16.6% year over year to $581.8 million, with adverse foreign currency translations contributing 3% of the decrease.  Commercial & Industrial Group segment sales fell 21.5% year over year to $265.4 million; excluding foreign currency translation, sales fell 17.2%. Operating earnings slipped $29.8 million from the prior year quarter to $10.9 million. The decline was caused by lower sales, particularly in Europe, coupled with the company’s inventory reduction efforts. Moreover, performance was also affected by $4.5 million of restructuring costs associated with operations in Europe.  Snap-on Tools Group segment sales contracted 8.5% ...

Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #5 Rank ("strong sell") List today:

American Commercial Lines Inc (ACLI) Arris Group Inc (ARRS) Associated Banc-Corp (ASBC) Astec Industries Inc (ASTE) Badger Meter Inc (BMI) Banner Corp (BANR) Beacon Roofing Supply Inc (BECN) Brunswick Corp (BC) C&D Technologies Inc (CHP) Capital Product Partners LP (CPLP) Capitol Federal Financial (CFFN) Ciber Inc (CBR) CIT Group Inc (CIT) Copano Energy LLC (CPNO) Crucell NV (CRXL) CryptoLogic Ltd (CRYP) Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA (ERJ) ...

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) is contemplating to amend the terms of a $3 billion loan which it had given to struggling lender CIT Group Inc. (CIT) to enable it to continue using the facility.  The investment bank extended a 20-year funding to CIT in Jun 2008. According to the terms of the contract, CIT will pay Goldman 2.85% of the maximum amount lent, which would come to about $85.5 million annually for the first 10 years of the agreement. CIT would be required to pay $1 billion if it files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  CIT, one of the nation's largest lenders to small and midsize businesses, received $2.3 billion in federal bailout funds last year. In July, the company secured a $3 billion emergency loan from some of its largest bondholders, evading an immediate bankruptcy filing. But the company still needs to reduce its ...

After being significantly hurt by the economic downturn, the first wave of deals to stabilize the aircraft leasing industry is now on its way. Dutch aircraft leasing firm AerCap Holdings (AER) said on Friday it would buy Genesis Lease Ltd. (GLS) in an all-stock deal worth $302.6 million for greater scale and access to more funds for aircraft purchases.

The weak market condition has created the necessity for such consolidation. The combined entity will create the largest publicly listed aircraft leasing company, controlling about 5% of the total leased market. With 358 commercial aircraft and 83 engines that are either owned, on order, under contract or letter of intent, or managed, the combined company is expected to significantly contribute to the recovery of the industry. It will also have 116 airlines as clients, with a lease portfolio value of about $6 billion.

According to the deal, Genesis

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U.S. stocks recovered from early losses to end the day slightly higher, helped by a rebound in energy, financial and technology shares.  Volume was extremely light as investors, lacking in enthusiasm, refrained from taking big positions. 

The Dow Jones industrial average, which at one point had given up as much as 84 points, rose 37.11 points, or 0.4%, to close at 9,580.63, its eighth consecutive advance.  The broad Standard & Poor's 500-stock index rose 2.86 points, or 0.28%, to 1,030.98.  The tech-heavy NASDAQ composite index edged up 3.30 points, or 0.16%, to 2,027.73, helped by a late-session rally in technology shares.  Treasuries fell, pushing the yield on 10-year notes up 0.3 point to 3.46%.  On the New York Stock Exchange 1.16 billion shares exchanged hands and advancing shares were ahead of those that declined eight to seven.

This morning’s stock futures suggest moderate gains on the opening.  Dow Jones

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pAh, the things we can learn by listening to earnings conference calls. Interesting tidbit came out during American Railcar's (a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=ARII"ARII/a) call. They have some a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2009/08/03/daily43.html"serious exposure to CIT /anot only from the current quarter's earnings, but large part of their order backlog.br //pblockquotep /ppAmerican Railcar Industries Inc.a class="story_clink" href="http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/related_content.html?topic=American%20Railcar%20Industries%20Inc" /areported an 82 percent drop in profit in the second quarter, prompting the company to foreshadow more layoffs./pp/ppThe covered hopper and tank railcar manufacturer (Nasdaq: ARII) also raised concerns about how the troubles of its largest customer, struggling commercial lender CIT Group Inc., may hurt business./pp/ppCIT, which is trying to avoid bankruptcy, accounted for 13 percent of American Railcar’s revenue in the second quarter and accounts for 53 percent of orders included in the backlog of 1,770 railcars as of June 30./pp/ppIn the event of a bankruptcy, CIT, among other things, may have the right tobr /cancel or could ...

Upbeat headlines have been everywhere in recent weeks, and they all seem to point to a single conclusion: The U.S. economy is in the early stages of a very rapid recovery.

In fact, when you peruse the news it’s difficult to come to any other conclusion. For instance:

A number of key earnings reports have been much better than expected, and company executives buttressed those profit figures with positive comments about the next 18 months. The trading operations of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE:GS) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) both just reported record profits. U.S. housing prices rose in May for the first time in three years. Initial jobless claims have plunged 15% since their April peak. The Conference Board’s Index of Leading Economic Indicators rose 0.7% in June, its third successive positive reading. And just ...

[Editor's Note: Fifteen trades. All profitable. Since launching his Geiger Indextrading service late last year, Money Morning Investment Director Keith Fitz-Gerald is a perfect 15 for 15, meaning he's closed every single one of his trades at a profit. And he did this during one of the most volatile periods for the U.S. stock market since the Great Depression. Fitz-Gerald says the ongoing financial crisis has changed the investing game forever, and has created a completely new set of rules that investors must understand to survive and profit in this new era. Check out our latest insights on these new rules, this new market environment, and this new service, the Geiger Index.]

For U.S.-centric investors who question whether it’s really necessary to invest in “risky” overseas markets, here’s an important fact to consider: It’s China – not the United States – that’s leading us …

The probably bankruptcy of CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT) could have major implications on the retail and manufacturing sectors this week, as many related companies are reliant on the financing giant.

With options running out over the weekend, CIT advisors began preparations for a bankruptcy filing. As of Sunday, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) and Morgan Stanley (MS) were talking with other banks about a debtor-in-possession loan, used to fund a company’s operations after it seeks court protection from creditors, Bloomberg News reported.

Bondholders held calls last week to discuss whether to swap some claims for equity to reduce indebtedness. Thomas Lauria, a lawyer at White & Case LLP, told Bloomberg that a group of CIT creditors he represents offered to provide $3 billion in new loans to bridge CIT to an out-of-court restructuring or an orderly bankruptcy, but had yet to hear back from CIT management.

“It seems CIT was

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