For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 18, 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: American Express Co. (AXP), Bank of America Corp. (BAC), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Citigroup Inc. (C) and Capital One Financial Corp. (COF).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog:

Mixed News for Credit Card Issuers

U.S. credit card issuers have reported a drop in the default rate for October, though delinquencies are rising as a result of continuing stress on consumers. While a decrease in the default rate reflects a decline

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U.S. credit card issuers have reported a drop in the default rate for October, though delinquencies are rising as a result of continuing stress on consumers. While a decrease in the default rate reflects a decline in late payments in the first half of the year, the increase in delinquencies is bad news for the sector as it implies that the companies could experience more charge-offs in the coming quarters.   Consumers remain under stress as a result of the weakness in the housing market, combined with job losses. Recently, Fitch has also expressed its concern about the credit card issuers in the U.S. Fitch expects U.S. credit card issuers’ earnings to remain challenged over the near term as a result of soaring unemployment, bankruptcies and losses.   The default rate (or charge-off rate) has improved in October from the prior month. For American Express Co. (AXP) it ...

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 17, 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: Citigroup Inc. (C), Liberty Global Inc. (LBTYA), Comcast Corp. (CMCSA), Deutsche Telekom AG (DT) and Vodafone Plc (VOD).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Monday’s Analyst Blog:

Citi to Sell Stake in Bellsystem24

Citigroup Inc. (C) announced that it will sell stake in Bellsystem24 to U.S. private equity firm, Bain Capital Partners, in a deal that values the Japanese call center operator at $1.1 billion.

The company announced on Sunday that it

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Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts!

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FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com

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DrStockPick.com Watch List!

My Picks for Monday November 16, 2009 are:

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GE, General Electric Co.

GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE, is a world-leading provider of jet engines, components and integrated systems for commercial and military aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings.

GE Aviation and AVIC Systems of China have agreement on forming a new joint venture company to develop and market integrated avionics systems for commercial aircraft customers.

The joint venture is based in China but will target the U.S. and the global market as GE Aviation and AVIC Systems work together to achieve mutual

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Zimmer Holdings, Inc. (ZMH) recently decided to raise $1 billion by selling its senior unsecured notes in an underwritten public offering in two separate transactions. The transactions involve selling $500.0 million of 4.625% notes due 2019 and $500.0 million of 5.75% notes due 2039. The public offering is expected to close on Nov 17, 2009.   Zimmer has already filed an automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the public offer. Citigroup Global Markets Inc., a division of Citigroup, Inc. (C); Banc of America Securities LLC, a division of Bank of America Corp. (BAC); and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., a division of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) are the active joint book-running managers of the offering. The offer will be made to the public through the prospectus.   The 2019 notes yield 118 basis points above the Treasury ...

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 12, 2009 – Zacks Equity Research highlights Cisco Systems (CSCO) as the Bull of the Day and Potash Corporation (POT) the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on JPMorgan Chase & Company (JPM), Citigroup Inc.(C) and Bank of America (BAC).

Full analysis of all these stocks is available at http://at.zacks.com/?id=5506

Here is a synopsis of all five stocks:

Bull of the Day:

Cisco Systems (CSCO) is a leading provider of IP-based networking and other products. The company's first quarter results were a significant improvement over prior quarters, with both revenue and earnings exceeding our expectations.

Of particular note is the growth in orders, which indicates continued business momentum. Improving operating performance, solid financials, a sound restructuring policy and new growth initiatives are the drivers behind our Outperform rating.

However,

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Citigroup Inc.’s (C) management indicated that it is comfortable with its valuation for an asset that is expected to be written down by an accounting expert. Citigroup has a roughly $38 billion deferred tax asset, which essentially represents expected cash flow from future tax benefits. However, accounting expert Robert Willens expects the bank to write the asset down by about $10 billion (equivalent to about 7% of the bank's net worth) in the fourth quarter of 2009. Citigroup Vice Chairman Ned Kelly said the bank stands by its deferred tax asset valuation. The company expects to realize about $16 billion of the deferred tax asset by around 2016, and the remainder in an even longer time frame. Citigroup, once the largest U.S. banks by assets, fell behind last year after a series of acquisitions by rivals. Citi has been among the banks hardest hit by ...

General Electric Co. (GE) is in talks to sell its security systems unit, most likely to United Technologies Corp. (UTX), for more than $1.5 billion in an effort to reshuffle its extensive portfolio and raise capital for strategic acquisitions.

United Technologies Corp. is a diversified company whose products include Carrier heating and air conditioning, Hamilton Sundstrand aerospace systems and industrial products, Otis elevators and escalators, Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines, Sikorsky helicopters, UTC Fire & Security systems and UTC Power fuel cells. The company has been lately looking to expand its security business.

GE’s move to sell its fire alarms and security division comes as it is finalizing a bigger deal to hive off its NBC Universal television and movie unit into a joint venture controlled by the cable operator Comcast.  Strategically, GE wants to raise funds to expand its core businesses – which include infrastructure, oil and gas equipment,

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According to an internal memo to all employees, JPMorgan Chase & Company (JPM) will lift a salary freeze it put in place last year. The salary freeze was applicable for employees making more than $60,000 a year. The decision to lift the salary freeze is a part of JPMorgan’s compensation review process, following its profits for last several quarters in its investment-banking operations.   The bank also intends to pay a $500 special award globally to employees who receive less than $60,000 a year.   Additionally, the bank also plans to add more than 300 staff to its branches to support a $4 billion increase in small business lending in an effort to help revive the U.S economy. Also, to boost new loans and refinancing, JPMorgan will hire 1,200 mortgage loan officers by the end of 2010. This addition will increase the company’s sales force by approximately ...

Citigroup Inc. (C) has allocated several million stock options this week to more than a quarter of its employees, encouraging them to remain with the company especially when their competitors are on a hiring spree. Citigroup employees have witnessed massive erosion of their stock options as the bank’s share price plummeted to about $4 from about $56 a few years ago. As an added incentive for its employees, Citigroup also said that it would grant one stock option at just above the current market price for each invested share employees had accumulated. If the share price rebounds and as it has at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Citigroup employees could see an impressive increase in their 2009 compensation. As per the program, an employee who had accumulated 3,000 shares would get an additional 3,000 options for staying. ...