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

• Jim Jubak (MSN Money): 3-step strategy for a twitchy market, November 19, 2009. Many investors are deeply suspicious of the 60% run-up in stocks this year and are itching to sell. But then what? Here’s how to take some gains now while setting up a profitable 2010.

• Randall Forsyth (Barron’s): Treasury yield plunge sends warning, November 20, 2009. Collapse in note yields suggests economic distress will keep Fed on hold well into 2010 or beyond.

• Gordon Chang (Forbes): When in doubt, blame Bernanke, November 19, 2009. According to Liu Mingkang, China’s chief bank regulator, low American interest rates and the falling dollar have “seriously affected global asset prices, fueled speculation in stock and property markets

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This Small Oil Producer is Ripe for a Takeover… Here’s How to Profit

by Sheena Martin, Contributing Editor Friday, November 20, 2009

Takeovers are big news in the market at the moment.

In fact, did you know that takeovers have the biggest one-day gain in stocks for any asset?

As my colleague – and takeover expert – Louis Basenese says, they’re “some of the safest companies you can own. According to FactSet Merger Stat LLC, the average one-day return for shareholders of the target company is 48%.”

Furthermore, Louis says, “Industries naturally go through cycles of consolidation – waves of mergers, acquisition and takeovers.”

One industry riding this wave as it comes out of recession is oil. And I have a takeover target making strides in oil exploration that could put money in your pocket in a few months

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Dell Inc. (DELL) reported third quarter 2010 EPS of 23 cents, below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 27 cents. Revenue Revenue for the quarter was $10.75 billion, down 17.0% from $12.97 billion reported in the year-ago quarter and up 1.0% from $10.62 billion reported in the previous quarter. The company’s third quarter reported revenue was adversely affected by the timing of the Windows 7 launch and due to backlog buildup in the company’s SMB and consumer businesses. Revenue by Segment Large Enterprise posted revenue of $3.4 billion, an increase of 4.0% sequentially and decline of 23.0% year-over-year. In the last quarter, the company expended its networking partnership with Brocade and Juniper, and introduced products like PowerEdge 11g servers and expanded PowerVault storage systems. Public revenue for the quarter was $3.7 billion, down 3.0% on sequentially and 7.0% from the year-ago quarter. Shipments were ...

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 20, 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: Apple Inc. (AAPL), KT Corp. (KTC), SK Telecom (SKM), China Unicom (CHU) and American Express Company (AXP).

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 Thursday’s Analyst Blog:

South Korea Welcomes iPhone

Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) iPhone is finally reaching the hands of South Korean mobile users. The country’s telecom regulator Korea Communications Commission (“KCC") has granted Apple the license to sell the iconic handset in the domestic cell phone market. KCC has also lifted

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

• Ambrose Evans-Pritchard (Telegraph): Is $6,300 fair value for gold? November 19, 2009. The last parabolic spike in gold took off when central banks joined the fray in the 1970s, hoarding bullion with the same enthusiasm as gold bugs. Dylan Grice from Société Générale says it smells much the same today. He sees an eerie similarity between the decision of India’s central bank to buy half the IMF’s entire sale of gold, and the move by France’s central bank to start converting dollars into gold in 1965.

• Gregory Zuckerman (The Wall Street Journal): John Paulson making big new bet on gold, November 19, 2009. John Paulson, who scored about $20 billion of profits between 2007 and early

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You can add gold demand to the list of items being supported by China. China was the sole market to see positive growth in consumer demand for gold, rising 12 percent from a year ago the World Gold Council reports. Total gold demand in China reached 120 tonnes, nearly double the amount from just four years ago. Overall, gold demand was off 34 percent from 2008 but that is largely the result of exceptionally high demand increases during the darkest time of the financial crisis. On a year-to-date basis, gold demand is only down 6.3 percent. Chinarsquo;s improving economy has made consumers less price sensitive than those in India and the Middle East who have not fully adjusted to gold prices at current levels. Jewelry demand in India fell 42 percent on a year-over-year basis but Indians havenrsquo;t abandoned their strong cultural connection to gold. Exchange activity among consumersmdash;where old pieces are swapped for ...

W.W. Grainger Inc. (GWW) reported a 3% year-over-year drop in October sales. (October this year had one less selling day compared to October 2008.) The company benefited from a 2% positive contribution from the businesses in Japan and India, 1% from the acquisition of Imperial Supplies and 2% from favorable foreign currency translation. Excluding the impact of acquisitions and currency exchange, Grainger’s daily sales in October were down 8% from last year. The company witnessed a 7% decline in daily sales in the U.S., as demand remained weak across all end markets. These results include sales from Imperial Supplies, which the company acquired in mid-October. Excluding this acquisition, U.S. daily sales were down 8%. In the Canadian (Acklands-Grainger) division, daily sales were up 5% due to favorable foreign exchange. However, the division’s daily sales were down 7% in local currency due to continued weakness in ...

Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) iPhone is finally reaching the hands of South Korean mobile users. The country’s telecom regulator Korea Communications Commission (“KCC") has granted Apple the license to sell the iconic handset in the domestic cell phone market. KCC has also lifted the restrictions that prohibited location-based services on smartphone devices such as the Google Maps application on iPhone.    South Korea’s second-largest wireless carrier KT Corp. (KTC) will start booking Internet order for iPhone (3G & 3GS) soon and begin selling it from Nov 28, 2009. The company targets to initially sell 150,000 units priced between KRW250,000 and KRW300,000 (US$216 and US$260). KT’s peer SK Telecom (SKM), the largest mobile operator in the country, is still negotiating with Apple for securing distribution rights.     South Korean wireless market is technologically advanced and relatively mature with roughly 47 million total subscribers, representing 96% penetration of

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The severe economic recession and maturity of the Japanese telecom market have compelled Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp. (NTT) to look at other geographies. Industry sources say the company has started negotiations with Patni Computer Systems, the sixth largest software services exporter of India , to acquire 66% stake in the latter. Entry into India will unlock the $60 billion IT and ITES (IT enabled services) market to Nippon. In the last reported quarter, Patni generated approximately $166.75 million in revenue and around $33.7 million of net profit.  Nippon, the largest telecom operator in Japan is facing strong competition in the Japanese wireless market and from the potential impact of low-cost, fixed-line services, such as “voice-over-Internet protocol" (VoIP). In order to maintain its leadership position, the company has taken various measures in the domestic telecom market and also decided to capture selected international opportunities to drive long-term ...

Gilbarco Veeder-Root, a wholly owned unit of Danaher Corporation (DHR), agreed to buy a petroleum dispensing pump (PDP) unit from Larsen & Toubro (L&T) in India. The PDP business unit manufactures, sells, integrates and services petroleum dispensers, LPG equipment, and automation systems solutions. The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.   This acquisition will further strengthen Gilbarco’s position in the fast growing Indian market. Danaher’s management stated that the acquisition reaffirms the company’s interest in India and is in tandem with its long-term growth strategy. The acquired unit will be joining 14 other Danaher companies in India.   The PDP unit will be a part of Gilbarco Veeder-Root’s organization in a new division called Gilbarco Veeder-Root India. Gilbarco supplies integrated fuel control, site management and support services for petroleum marketers and commercial fuelling enterprises.   During its third quarter conference call, Danaher pointed that it was ...