On a seasonally adjusted basis, U.S. light vehicle sales remained deeply depressed in December. But at least things don't seem to be any worse than they had been the previous month.

U.S. light vehicle sales usually get a lift in December, and 2008 was no exception. Sales of cars (excluding SUVs) manufactured in North America were 22.7% higher in December than in November, which is even a little stronger than the usual seasonal increase. But it was a modest bump up from a frighteningly low level, with November 2008 39.9% below November 2007 levels, and December 2008 still down 33.9% from December 2007.

Data source: Wardsauto.com Year-over-year change in monthly sales Category Nov 2008 Dec 2008 domestic cars -39.9%-33.9% domestic trucks-36.9%-38.8% imported cars-29.5%-31.9% imported trucks-35.8%-31.4% all vehicles-36.7%...

We are maintaining our Sell recommendation on Votorantim Celulose S.A. (

CARBO Ceramics, Inc. (...

We are maintaining our Sell recommendation on Votorantim Celulose S.A. (VCP). The short-term outlook for pulp prices is quite uncertain as a result of the current credit crisis.Third quarter results were disappointing and the pulp cash production cost increased during the quarter due to the stoppage of production in the Jacareí and Conpacel units. Fourth quarter guidance is also disappointing. The recent reduction in demand in Europe and North America, along with the U.S. financial crisis, resulted in a decrease in pulp list prices all over the world.Moreover, after the loss announced by Aracruz (ARA), the merger no longer seems to be a good idea.Read the full analyst report on VCPRead the full analyst report on ARA "VCP" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?"ARA" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?...

Toyota Motor Corp. (TM) said it would halt all production in Japan for 11 days to reduce buildup of inventory in the face of plunging demand. The world's largest automaker's sales fell 37% last month, forcing it to forecast its first annual loss in 70 years.

The suspension, which will affect production at all of the company's 12 Japan-based plants, is expected to end in February or March. The company's new announcement adds to a three-day shutdown earlier this month.

Battered American rivals like General Motors (GM) and Ford (F) have also idled plants across North America in response to the slump in auto sales in a weak economy.

Toyota shares were up more than 1% at $66.30 at noon on the New York Stock Exchange.

"TM" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?Zacks Investment Research

QuoteMedia Inc. has been makings major strides in the ever-changing marketplace. With a strong management team and an aggressive business style, QuoteMedia has developed a concept of doing business that is quickly gaining national attention.

With the economy being is such a tailspin; savvy investors want to have up to the second news so they know where their hard-earned money should be placed. QuoteMedia’s array of services benefit clients with an exceptional number of strong technical differentiators in embedded, fully private-labeled and seamlessly integrated environments. Through the aggregation of financial data, news, and research sources, QuoteMedia has become a comprehensive solution for stock market related information provisioning.

Another unique aspect of this company is their far-reaching hand. With media offices in Arizona, British Columbia and Toronto, QuoteMedia provides quality service throughout North America and has a strong array of employees constantly researching the markets.

QuoteMedia is

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Express Scripts, Inc. (...

Safeway Inc. (SWY) is a food and drug retailer in North America. The company's 1,738 stores are located principally in California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, the Chicago metropolitan area and the Mid-Atlantic region, as well as British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba/Saskatchewan.We maintain our Buy rating and our six-month target price of $28, or about 12x our 2009 EPS estimate. On October 7, Safeway reported in-line results for the third quarter. Management also reiterated its full-year EPS guidance of $2.25-$2.35 and free cash flow of $500-$700 million.While Safeway shares are up about 34% from their November lows, the shares are still down about 27% in the last year. Safeway shares sold off because of risks associated with the difficult macro environment that has consumers trading down to cheaper alternatives as well as the credit crisis that has impacted the entire stock market....

Gold hit two historic milestones in 2008. First, in early March, the “yellow metal” hit its all-time high of $1,030 an ounce. Just three months later, the price of gold for December delivery had plummeted to $681 an ounce, a 21-month low and 33.9% drop from its record high. Most gold bugs were equal parts puzzled and broken-hearted.

The world’s stock markets tanked, as did some of its biggest economies. In such an environment, they thought, gold should have risen. After all, gold is widely considered to be a safe-haven investment when everything else is spiraling south.

However, Money Morning Contributing Editor Martin Hutchinson – an investment banker with more than 25 years’ experience on Wall Street and a leading expert on the international financial markets – understood perfectly what other investors did not.

“Gold is not a safe haven against recession,” said

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Toyota Motor Corporation (TM) is the largest automaker in the world in terms of sales and production. A strong presence in North America has been further consolidated by gaining market share from the leading U.S. automakers. Moreover, the company also has a strong cash flow and a strong balance sheet. However, Toyota is unable to offset sales losses in the U.S. even as it continues an aggressive expansion in China, the Middle East, and other emerging markets. The company is suffering from sluggish U.S. economy, rising costs, pricing pressures, and huge capital expenditures. Improved sales efforts, successful cost containment measures, and Toyota's technological advancement are some of the positive factors associated with the stock. It recently downgraded sales and production guidance for fiscal 2009. These prompt us to rate the stock a hold with a six-month target price of $55.00. Read

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