Molson Coors Brewing Company (TAP) reported strong second quarter results with earnings of $1.11 per share. Earnings were 18 cents above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 93 cents, and up 19.4% year-over-year. The increase in earnings was driven by increased pricing and substantial cost reductions, which were partially offset by unfavorable currency translations, cost-push inflation and lower worldwide volume.   Net sales declined 54.5% year-over-year to $798 million, primarily due to the company’s adoption of new accounting standards for Non-controlling Interests in Financial Statements (FAS160). This eliminated net sales from the 42%-owned Miller Coors joint venture, making year-over-year comparisons of consolidated and U.S. segment net sales (along with cost of goods sold and SG&A) less meaningful. However, net sales declined in both Canada (-11.6%) and the U.K. (-15.6%). Overall beer volume declined 3.2% to 13,533 hectoliters. Volume declined in all the three operating segments: ...

Recently, my colleague Marc Lichtenfeld and I took a collective pop at some lazy journalists and other media cheerleaders. Their crime? Whipping the investment community into false optimism through misleading headlines regarding earnings announcements.

They’re at it again.

This time, the flashy headline writers grabbed onto the latest report from the National Association of Realtors, which stated that existing home sales climbed for the third straight month, and at a faster pace than economists expected.

And they were out in force again when the Commerce Department said new U.S. home sales saw an 11% bounce in June. On an annualized basis, that equated to 384,000 homes - 9% higher than estimates.

Collectively, new and existing home sales hit the highest level in eight months in June.

Sweet! Hand me some champagne - let’s celebrate. Or maybe we should hang on a sec… there’s a problem with these headlines. Here’s what you need to know about

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The Real Estate Market: Don’t Celebrate Housing’s Recent Uptick Yet

by Martin Denholm, Contributing Editor

Recently, my colleague Marc Lichtenfeld and I took a collective pop at some lazy journalists and other media cheerleaders. Their crime? Whipping the investment community into false optimism through misleading headlines regarding earnings announcements.

They’re at it again.

This time, the flashy headline writers grabbed onto the latest report from the National Association of Realtors, which stated that existing home sales climbed for the third straight month, and at a faster pace than economists expected.

And they were out in force again when the Commerce Department said new U.S. home sales saw an 11% bounce in June. On an annualized basis, that equated to 384,000 homes - 9% higher than estimates.

Collectively, new and existing home sales hit the highest level in eight months in June.

Sweet! Hand me some champagne - let’s celebrate. Or maybe we should hang on

...

BOK Financial Corporation's (BOKF) second-quarter earnings of $0.77 were significantly above our expectation as well as the Street's. Results reflect increase in interest revenue and fees and commissions revenue both sequentially and year-over-year. Provisions for credit losses were down around 21% on a year-over-year basis to $47.1 million. Net income for the quarter came in at $52.1 million or 77 cents per diluted share, compared to net income of $55.0 million or 81 cents per diluted share for the first quarter of 2009 and a net loss of $1.2 million or 2 cents per diluted share in the year-ago quarter. Mortgage banking revenue remained at relatively high levels due to increased loan volume driven by government initiatives to lower national mortgage interest rates. The company has achieved an increase in interest margin both on a sequential and year-over-year basis. This was primarily driven by lower ...

Break out the tissues, folks… Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner can’t sell his house.

Frustrated at not being able to sell his $1.6 million New York mansion after three-and-a-half months on the market, Geithner has yanked down the “For Sale” sign. And that’s after he and his wife lowered the price to below what they paid for it in 2004. Having taken out a $1.25 million mortgage at the time, they’re now apparently renting the home at a loss.

Doesn’t Tim read the papers? He didn’t seriously expect to sell Fort Geithner in such a short time in a market like this, did he? It’s tough out there, mate. First, you have to persuade buyers that it’s worth shelling out $1 million-plus for a house. Then you have to convince them that it’s not made of cards - you know, like some of his economic theory.

But wait… haven’t we just seen some

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Product variation is one of the more recognized ways to increase sales or enter an established market, if it is done correctly. Finding the best variation for the targeted customer is the key. Better, newer, faster and/or tastier all come to mind. If a company can find and implement a solid product diversification plan, profits may well follow.

Eldorado Spring Water Inc., a spring water bottler, distributor and marketer, works to market bottled organic vitamin spring water products primarily in Colorado. The company has recently completed one of its most profitable sales periods and is currently working to introduce its product lines throughout the Rocky Mountain and Western states of the US.

In a typical sense, the company is following a standard business model for its products, offering a variety of flavored organic vitamin bottled water drinks to retail, health food and restaurant outlets. As its products have taken hold in

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The Rocky Mountain region of the United States has an estimated 34 million barrels of original oil. After this oil is recovered by traditional means, approximately 23 billion barrels of oil will be left behind. Ameriwest Energy Corp. (OTCBB: AWEC) has positioned itself to capitalize on this oil, focusing on the production of underdeveloped oil resources in the Rocky Mountain to find a balance between low-risk recovery projects and exploration plays with significant upside potential.

The company today announced its formal intention to exercise its right to purchase oil and gas mineral leases adjoining its recent Geary Prospect acquisition. While Muddy Mineral Exploration, LLC was the highest bidder in the United States Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management auction, the company extended an offer of first right of refusal to Ameriwest on an 80 percent Net Revenue Interest.

The purchase in mention is for a 10-year Federal

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