Renewed fears that the global economic recovery is faltering shook investors across Asia, sending stock markets in the region sharply lower Thursday.  The Nikkei fell below the 10,000 mark for the first time in three weeks.  Dollar and yen rose as hedge funds sold off risky positions and traders trimmed their appetite for risk. 

The Nikkei 225 stock average fell 1.8% to 9,891.10 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index plunged 2.3% to 21,264.99 points. In Mainland China, the Shanghai Composite Index dropped 2.3% to close at 2,960.47.  All other major indices in the region ended in the red.   

On Wednesday, US stocks tumbled after a weaker-than-anticipated new home sales report aggravated concerns that the seven-month old rally has gone ahead of any economic recovery.  To add to the bearish sentiment Goldman Sachs lowered its projection for the third-quarter gross domestic product.  The government's report on third-quarter GDP is due

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After surging to almost one-year highs Wednesday, stocks took a step back as worries that the recent rally has gone too far, too fast resurfaced.  Investors pulled out profits even as latest round of upbeat economic data tried to convince them that a recovery is indeed underway.  Shares of companies that have led the recent advance failed to find favor amid a lackluster trading session.  Although the retreat was modest, it signaled a growing belief that the rally is overextended.

The Dow Jones industrial average declined 7.79 points, or 0.08%, to end the day at 9,783.92. The broad Standard & Poor's 500 Index retreated 3.27 points, or 0.31%, at 1,065.49 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index eased 6.40 points, or 0.30%, to end at 2,126.75.  On the New York Stock Exchange, declining shares beat those that advanced by eight to seven on volume of 1.52 billion shares.  At Wednesday's

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* Visa (NYSE:V) reported first quarter earnings of 73 cents a share, ex-items, beating estimates of 64 cents versus 52 cents a year ago, as revenues increased 13% to $1.65 billion, which beat Street estimates of $1.61 billion. The firm reiterated its earnings view and reduced revenue forecast for 2009 and 2010

* Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) reported fiscal second quarter earnings of 16 cents ex-items versus 15 cents, beating estimates of 15 cents a share, as revenues fell 7.6% to $2.33 billion, missing estimates of $2.36 billion

* Motorola (NYSE:MOT) reported a first quarter loss of 10 cents a share, topping estimates by one cent, versus a 5 cent loss a year ago, as revenues fell 27.9% year-over-year to $5.4 billion

* Eastman Kodak (NYSE:EK) reported a loss of $1.34 per share in the quarter, a $1.01 miss versus a 39 cent loss a year earlier, as revenues fell 29.4% year-over-year to $1.5 billion

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March 7, 2009 ndash; The markets are in terrible shape, arguably, the economy is in worse shape. This week we saw a pickup in job losses, higher unemployment rates across the nation and as a whole, heightening concerns that the government really has no answer to solve the financial marketrsquo;s crisis while the markets reacted in turn, moving to levels we havenrsquo;t seen in 12 years. Here is the dismal prognosis for the week: middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; The Markets ndash; The DJIA and Samp;P fell to 12-year lows. The DJIA has dropped nbsp;more than 20% since inauguration day (this is a spurious factoid, we think but one that dickheads like Rush Limbaugh are trumpeting on the airwaves so we might as well acknowledge it) . The DJIA closed at 6,626.94 on Friday, down 6% on the week, down 24% year-to-date and down 50% since the economists and lsquo;expertsrsquo; acknowledged back in January, ...

Thursday January 29, 2009 Navivest

An extension of yesterday’s stellar, across the board rally, would be very welcomed by the investment community today. However, that likelihood is threatened by key economic reports that are due out today.

These are Durable Goods, which measures the dollar amount of orders for manufactured goods that are meant to three years or more, Initial Claims, which measures the number of those filing for unemployment benefits and New Home Sales.

Durable Goods and Initial Claims, we get before the stock market opens, so they could dictate the tone of the market.

Also, before the bell, we get earnings from some key companies, including Altria Group (MO), Eastman Kodak (EK), Ford (F), International Paper (IP) and Raytheon (RTN) that could possibly either spur the markets higher, or cast a pall.

The markets have developed a propensity to ignore bad news of late and actually rally when such news

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Can you hear that, Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI)? It’s the sound of obsolescence. With the news that LG Electronics will be producing high-definition televisions that will stream movies from Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX), you can add another nail in the coffin for Blockbuster.

At first, Netflix’s threat to Blockbuster seemed laughable. But now, with more consumers cutting back and looking for instant entertainment, low monthly costs and the ease of Netflix are really starting to squeeze Blockbuster.

And that’s not to say that Blockbuster hasn’t given its rivals a hand. There was the misguided and disastrous attempt to merge with financial-albatross Circuit City (OTC: CCTYQ), the botched roll-out of the “no more late fees - just other fees” program and the complete failure to see how a vindictive fee and collection system could alienate its customers.

But the competition isn’t just coming from Netflix. Redbox’s easy-to-use, dollar-a-day

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Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) - Another Nail In The Coffin

Can you hear that, Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI)? It’s the sound of obsolescence.

With the news that LG Electronics will be producing high-definition televisions that will stream movies from Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX), you can add another nail in the coffin for Blockbuster.

At first, Netflix’s threat to Blockbuster seemed laughable. But now, with more consumers cutting back and looking for instant entertainment, low monthly costs and the ease of Netflix are really starting to squeeze Blockbuster.

And that’s not to say that Blockbuster hasn’t given its rivals a hand. There was the misguided and disastrous attempt to merge with financial-albatross Circuit City (OTC: CCTYQ), the botched roll-out of the “no more late fees - just other fees” program and the complete failure to see how a vindictive fee and collection system could alienate its customers.

But the competition isn’t

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White House and Democrats tentatively agree to auto aid… Eastman Kodak, Electronic Arts warn on outlook… Energy shares could get lift from higher oil prices

U.S stocks headed for a higher open on Wednesday as news the White House and congressional Democrats reached an agreement in principle to aid U.S. automakers. including General Motors , calmed investors’ worries.

But signs of further deterioration in the world economy and the profit outlook, including big job losses at an global mining company, fueled caution a day after stocks sell-off ended two straight days’ of gains.

Without government help. investors fear that a possible failure or bankruptcy in the auto sector could send shock waves through the economy and worsen unemployment.

Backers of the $15 billion proposal for bailing out U.S. automakers could come to a vote in the House as early as Wednesday, officials said.

“Investors have been concerned

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Value Investors - Beware The Value Traps

by Louis Basenese, Advisory Panelist Associate Investment Director, The Oxford Club Wednesday, December 3, 2008: Issue #895

Value investors, consider this your warning… With thousands of stocks down 50% (or more), investors are salivating over the bargains. But for every true deal, there are at least three “value traps” - stocks destined to languish at depressed levels indefinitely. Or worse, get cheaper still.

Think Kmart here. In late 2001, it became the poster child for value investors. They argued it was dirt cheap based on countless metrics like book value and sales. And it was destined for a historic turnaround.

Sure enough, the stock went from the bargain bin to the trash heap, as the company filed bankruptcy in early 2002. So before you

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