For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – October 28, 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: BP plc (BP), ExxonMobil (XOM), Chevron (CVX), U.S. Steel Corp. (X) and POSCO (PKX).

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Here are highlights from Tuesday’s AnalystBlog:

BP Tops on Better Cost Control

BP plc (BP) reported its third quarter 2009 results of $1.71 per ADS (American Depositary Share), beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.14 on the back of stronger cost controls and increased upstream volumes. However, in comparison with the year-earlier results, earnings fell approximately

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BP plc (BP) reported its third quarter 2009 results of $1.71 per ADS (American Depositary Share), beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.14 on the back of stronger cost controls and increased upstream volumes. However, in comparison with the year-earlier results, earnings fell approximately 34% on lower oil prices. BP’s strong performance sets the stage for earnings releases by ExxonMobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX), which are scheduled to report their results on Thursday and Friday this week, respectively. BP expects its capex budget to be $20 billion for the year. The company’s attractive dividend (currently yielding around 6%) remains unchanged from the year-ago level. We believe that BP’s dividend is safe with the recent uptrend in oil prices. Net cash provided by operating activities for the quarter was $8.1 billion compared with $14.9 billion a year ago. Net debt at the end of ...

The first Russian-assembled Opel car, the result of a joint venture between General Motors and the Avtotor plant, has been completed.  RusAl has reported its 2008 losses, saying that it sustained a $5.98 billion hit due to the financial crisis.  The state may start guaranteeing corporate infrastructure bonds by the end of the year as the ruble continues to gain thanks to oil revenues and subsequent renewed investor interest.  The Moscow-Vladivostok time difference is hampering business relations, says United Russia's Gennady Lazarev, who wants it to be shortened.  Russia's economic activity was finally back on the rise last quarter, but 'gross domestic product was still 9.4% below year-earlier levels, underscoring the amount of damage the recession and lower oil prices have wreaked on Russia's economy'. ...

Early last week, Mexican airport operator, Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte, S.A.B. de C.V. (OMAB), reported terminal passenger traffic at its 13 airports during August 2009.  Total passenger traffic decreased 12.9% year over year in the month. Domestic traffic decreased 11.0%, and international traffic decreased 24.1%. However, total passenger traffic volumes decreased at a slower rate than during any prior month of the year. This effect is principally the result of the improvement in domestic traffic.  The performance of airlines such as VivaAerobus, Grupo Aeromexico, Aeromar, and Grupo Mexicana benefited domestic traffic. Three domestic routes were opened: Mexicana Link opened the Acapulco-Guadalajara and Guadalajara-Mazatlan-San Jose del Cabo routes on August 1, and Aeromexico Connect opened the Zacatecas-Mexico City route on August 11.  The Culiacan, Durango, and Mazatlan airports reported traffic growth of 15.7%, 23.2%, and 2.6% respectively. However, the overall volume of domestic traffic was ...

Last week, Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico S.A.B. de C.V. or GAP (PAC) announced preliminary terminal passenger traffic figures for August. Total terminal passengers fell 7.7% from the comparable period last year. Domestic passenger traffic decreased 3.8%, while international passenger traffic shrank 15.8% compared to August 2008.

Airlines all over the world are facing difficulties, primarily due to the collapse of the global economy. Declining business and leisure travel is affecting airlines' business to a larger extent.

Moreover, the Mexican economy should face a more challenging period in the coming quarters as the Bank of Mexico recently lowered its benchmark interest rate by just 25 basis points to 4.5%, reducing the scope for aggressive rate cuts. The Mexican economy is rapidly slowing down and the trend is likely to continue in the short term. Thus, it certainly would be a difficult year for PAC, Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste S.A.

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The $300 Trillion “Money Bang” Keith Fitz-Gerald and his team have just produced a groundbreaking report that shows how this historic “Money Bang” is gaining steam. You’ll find out why China is investing $200 billion in one company – and why it’s expected to gain 356%… Why the Dept. of Energy is “backing” one solar company – and why it’s 506% revenue jump is a “smidgen”… And why one recently IPO’d water company is headed for a 600% run. Just go here for details.

It wasn’t long ago that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s decision to nationalize state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) resulted in a failed coup that very nearly cost him his post.

Now, Chavez’s aggressive economic policies are again being called into question, this time as the country slides into what could be a protracted period of stagflation, which is …

As an investor I've always been interested in, Prince Alwaleed carries an interesting story. His Citigroup investment has been well documented, first as a wild success, and then, well we all know what happened to Citigroup in 2008. I read his biography and reviewed it awhile back (a href="http://briskycapital.blogspot.com/2007/11/book-review-alwaleed-by-riz-khan.html"Click here to read review and purchase book/a).br /br /Today, I found a a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087amp;sid=aGiKNISJrIkc"piece from Bloomberg /agiving us an update on how he has survived the recession. So far, it looks like he's done well:br /br /br /blockquotepAug. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, Citigroup Inc.’s largestbr /individual investor, was ranked the richest Saudi national by Arabian Business,br /even after losing 4.6 percent of his personal wealth in the past year.br /br /Alwaleed’s assets are valued at $16.3 billion, compared with $17.1 billionbr /last year, the Dubai-based magazine said today in its 2009 Saudi Rich List,br /citing the accounts of ...

Yesterday, GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. (GOL) filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed global offering of preferred shares, including preferred shares in the form of ADSs. The company expects to raise somewhere between R$550 million and R$650 million, depending on market conditions.

The company intends to use the proceeds for general corporate purposes and to strengthen its balance sheet, particularly its cash and cash equivalents position.

The offering of preferred shares in Brazil will be registered with the Comissao de Valores Mobiliarios, the Brazilian securities commission. The international offering will be led by BofA Merrill Lynch, Banco Itau BBA, Morgan Stanley and Bradesco BBI, as joint bookrunners.

Shares of Gol Linhas Aereas tumbled 7.7% after the announcement. However, we believe the company will experience growth in the short-to-medium term based on its continued investment in fleet renovation and international agreements.

The company is in the

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European shares slipped back from a 10-month closing high on Wednesday, as investors took profits, even as German and U.S. economic data continued to point to recovery.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index of top shares fell 0.5 percent to close at 973.92 points, breaking a four-day winning streak, and having hit its highest close since early October on Tuesday.

The European benchmark index is still up 50.9 percent from its lifetime low of March 9, as investors have become more confident on the prospects of recovery.

“The market has come a long way, and the economics are still supportive,” said Georgina Taylor, equity strategist, Legal & General Investment Management.

“We’re just seeing a little profit taking. Nothing has been derailed. Housing data is improving. The only area of concern is consumer spending.”

Energy companies were the biggest drag on the index, with crude prices down more than 1 percent to just above $71 a barrel,

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Earlier today, CNOOC Ltd. (CEO) reported results for the six months ended June 30. Net income for the period was 12.4 billion yuan ($1.82 billion), down 55% from 27.54 billion yuan ($3.9 billion) a year earlier. The steep fall in net income was primarily due to significantly lower oil prices despite excellent production performance.   The average realized oil and gas prices for the period were $49.35 per barrel and $3.90 per thousand cubic feet, respectively.   During the first half, the company’s crude oil and natural gas production reached 87.3 million barrels and 106.3 billion cubic feet, respectively. Total net oil and gas production reached 105.8 million barrels-of-oil-equivalent (BOE), up 15.2% year over year. Net oil and gas production from overseas reached 15.0 million BOE, up 38.9% year over year.   CEO’s overseas production was boosted by successful start up of Akpo oilfield and Phase I of OML130

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