Panasonic Corp. (PC) provided another update on the acquisition of SANYO Electric Co Ltd. (SANYY) at its Board Meeting held on Nov 4, 2009. The company announced the start of its tender offer to acquire 3.1 billion shares of SANYO (or more than 50% of the company’s total shares) for approximately $4.4 billion (403 billion yen).  Earlier, Panasonic had planned to take over all of Sanyo's shares. Panasonic had entered into a capital and business alliance agreement with SANYO in Dec 2008. The latter is a leading company in the rechargeable battery business focused on lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. Panasonic is one of the leading manufacturers of electronic and electrical products, systems and components.  The tender offer is planned for Nov 5 through Dec 7 at a price of $1.4 or 131 yen per share. Goldman Sachs, Daiwa Securities SMBC and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (Sanyo's ...

• Sony (NYSE:SNE) said weak cell phone sales and lower PlayStation III console prices resulted in another quarterly loss.  The firm also said full-year prospects improved from the company's aggressive cost-cutting measures

• Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE:ALU) reported its twelfth straight quarterly loss of $269 million. The firm said it expects operating results to break even by yearend

• Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) reported third quarter earnings one cent above Zacks estimates at 40 cents, as revenues of $3.4 billion were below Zacks estimates of $4.25 billion. The company noted, "Industry sales volumes continued to show signs of stabilization"

• ITT Industries (NYSE:ITT) reported third quarter beat Zacks estimates by 14 cents a share, coming in at $1.03 on inline revenues of $2.7 billion, down 6.3%

• Coventry Health Care (NYSE:CVH) reported its third quarter of 68 cents topped Zacks estimates by 14 cents, on inline revenues of $3.44 billion, up 17.7%

• Aon (NYSE:AOC), reported third quarter

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U.S. stocks rose strongly Thursday, reversing a four-session losing run, after a government report said the economy grew more than expected in the July-September quarter.  Investors shunned Treasuries and jumped back into stocks after the report signaled the economy had emerged from the worst recession since the 1930s. 

The positive surprise was enough to propel benchmark indexes to their biggest advance since July and send safe havens like Treasuries and dollar lower.  Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) and Alcoa Inc. (NYSE:AA) advanced at least 5.1% after the Commerce Department said the economy returned to growth following four straight quarters of decline.  Crude prices jumped $2.44, or 3.1%, to $79.87 and gold was up $16.50 to $1046.40.

The S&P 500 registered its biggest one-day gain since July 23, jumping 2.2% to close at 1,066.11.  The 30-share Dow Jones industrial average shot up by 199.89 points, or 2.05%, at 9,962.58 and the tech-heavy

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Muscle Flex Inc. announced this morning that it has chosen Showreel International Inc. to produce the Muscle Flex Beagle StepFit(TM) Pedometer 2-minute commercial. The commercial has been scheduled to be filmed on Monday, October 19, 2009 for the November 2009 product launch.

An innovative film and video production company known for thinking out of the box, Showreel delivers intelligent, engaging productions that resonate with their target audience. For 25 years the company has created and produced numerous visually stunning award-winning projects for organizations such as Sony, Alcoa, Revlon, Taser International, Herbal Essences, Johnson & Johnson and Gillette.

The Muscle Flex has made innovation and, most importantly, brand integrity its priority to build unequivocal trust in consumers. Muscle Flex is one of the only companies that offers a lifetime guarantee on most of its products and develops its commercials through positive and energizing

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LOS ANGELES, CA — (Marketwire) — 10/16/09 — Muscle Flex Inc. (PINKSHEETS: MFLI) (www.MuscleFlexInc.com) announced today that it has chosen Showreel International Inc. (www.Showreel.com) to produce the Muscle Flex Beagle StepFit(TM) Pedometer 2-minute commercial to be filmed on Monday, October 19, 2009 for the November 2009 product launch. Showreel is an innovative film and video production company known for thinking out of the box and delivering intelligent, engaging productions that resonate with their target audience. For 25 years Showreel has created and produced numerous visually stunning award-winning projects for organizations such as Sony, Alcoa, Revlon, Taser International, Herbal Essences, Johnson & Johnson and Gillette.

The Muscle Flex philosophy in developing its “As Seen on TV” direct response commercials is one of innovation and most importantly, brand integrity — to build unequivocal trust in consumers in the Muscle Flex name and all of its product brands.

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Much like characters in a real-life video game, the companies that make video game consoles – Sony ADR (NYSE: SNE), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Nintendo ADR (OTC: NTDOY) continue bashing each other as they battle one another for the largest share of the video game console market.

Most investors are well aware of this battle going on between these three rivals, so no surprises there. The real surprise in the games console market, of which most investors are unaware, is occurring in the area of handheld games consoles. It is this surprise which may lead to a profitable investing opportunity.

The challengers to the traditional handheld game console makers, like Sony and Nintendo, are the smartphone makers, such as Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL).

Handheld game console makers face increasing pressure from the rise in popularity of mobile phones with processors and graphics that are equal of their own devices, and with “app stores”

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Dell Inc. (DELL) is planning to enter the smartphone business. The renowned personal computer (PC) manufacturer is planning to launch a smartphone, which will run on Google’s (GOOG) Android mobile software and will be connected through telecom giant AT&T’s (T) network. We believe that Dell is following the footprint of another computer maker, Apple Inc. (AAPL), whose flagship smartphone iPhone generated substantial business for the company. Currently the smartphone market is dominated by players like Apple, Research In Motion (RIMM) and Nokia Corp. (NOK). Both handset and PC-makers have understood the business potential of the smartphone and Dell is also in the process of grabbing its share. Rumor has it that Dell could launch the phone as soon as early 2010. As per the projections of the technology research firm iSuppli, global shipments of smartphones are expected to rise 235.6 million ...

Walt Disney Company (DIS) has recently won a copyright infringement case running since 1991, relating to the famous animated character ‘Winnie the Pooh.’ In 1930, Stephen Slesinger, a New York television and film producer, acquired the merchandising rights to the Pooh works from author A.A. Milne. Later in 1961, Slesinger transferred the rights to Disney in exchange for a regular royalty. However, the heirs of Slesinger filed a case against Disney, alleging its failure to pay billions in royalties. The case has been dismissed by the court on the grounds that Stephen Slesinger Inc. had transferred all of its rights to Disney, and had no legal rights to claim any compensation for any infringement. In a separate story, Walt Disney could face a copyright battle for Marvel characters, having recently agreed to acquire Marvel Entertainment (MVL) in a cash and stock deal worth approximately ...

The first chapter of a colossal technological shift in the electronics industry is beginning. Displays on small televisions, iPods and smart phones are getting smaller, clearer and brighter at a rapid pace — and it will forever change the way you work and play. Simply put, it’s difficult to overstate the potential of this future multibillion-dollar market…

I’m talking about organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs. OLED displays are taking off in a big way. These next-generation displays are perfect for the mobile phone and personal media device markets because they are thinner than traditional displays and produce sharper images.

OLED — and active-matrix OLED — technology has now reached its tipping point. Very soon, we will begin to see OLEDs used in a vast array of electronics, including small televisions, digital cameras, netbooks, phones — the list goes on and on.

The rise of the OLED display is similar to that of the

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• Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ:WYNN) said an initial public offering of the firm's Macao operations was priced at the top end of its expected range. The company plans to sell a 25% stake in the unit, at HK$10.08 per share, for a total of $1.6 billion

• Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) upgraded Nike (NYSE:NKE) to buy with a target price of $75. The company reported fiscal first quarter earnings of $1.04 per share, up from last year's $1.03 and beat Zacks estimates of 99 cents a share. Revenues fell 12% to $4.8 billion from $5.4 billion a year earlier

• Toyota (NYSE:TM) announced plans to recall 3.8 million vehicles due to potential accelerator pedal problems from floor mats

• Disney (NYSE:DIS) announced publishing unit plans for DisneyDigitalBooks.com, a new subscription-based web service

• Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) said it is planning to merge its PC and print operations

• Sony (NYSE:SNE) announced plans to unveil its new Playstation3 game

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