Colgate Palmolive Company (CL) reported results for the third quarter of 2009 with earnings of $1.12 per share, which was a penny above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.11. Earnings were up 13.1% year-over-year, driven by effective price implementation and ongoing aggressive cost savings program. Net sales for the quarter were flat year-over-year declining marginally by 0.3% to $3.9 billion as unit volume increased 1.5% and pricing contributed 5.0%. This was partially offset by negative foreign exchange translation of 6.5%. Organic sales (excluding foreign exchange, acquisitions and divestitures) increased 7.0% in the quarter. North American sales increased 3.0% driven by 1.5% pricing and 5.0% unit volume growth, partially offset by 0.5% negative currency translations. In Latin America, sales grew 5.0% as unit volume increased 3.0% driven by solid gains in Venezuela which were partially offset by an 11.0% negative foreign exchange impact. In Europe/South Pacific, ...

The economy is in awful shape right now, but it is not in a terminal decline from which it will never recover. We have faced hard times before and always managed to come out stronger on the other side. While I do believe in happy endings, I do not look for one right around the corner.

Waiting for the recovery does not mean sitting on your hands and doing nothing. There are things that you can be doing today to help yourself prosper for the long run. Indeed, now may be the best time in your life to make moves that will help you have greater wealth later in life.

The stock market almost always turns up before the economy does. Trying to pick the absolute bottom is a fool's game. We are far enough along in the process that it is time to start tiptoeing back

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McDonald's Corp.'s (LMT) share price has advanced above a key level of resistance that had been under pressure since early October. Shares of MCD created a short-term bottom on Oct 10, and have since continued to consolidate into a wedge formation, logging higher lows and pressuring the $57 level. As the market strengthened over the last 2 weeks, MCD was on board for the ride. Take a look at the chart below.

Colgate Palmolive Company (CL) is also pressuring a key level, but has yet to advance into higher territory. This stock has been locked into a very tight trading range since dropping lower in early October. Since then, shares have oscillated between $59 and $65. Estimates have ticked marginally higher within the last month, with the current-year estimate advancing by 3 cents to $3.63 per share. Take a look at the chart.

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