[Editor's Note: Fifteen trades. All profitable. Since launching his Geiger Indextrading service late last year, Money Morning Investment Director Keith Fitz-Gerald is a perfect 15 for 15, meaning he's closed every single one of his trades at a profit. And he did this during one of the most volatile periods for the U.S. stock market since the Great Depression. Fitz-Gerald says the ongoing financial crisis has changed the investing game forever, and has created a completely new set of rules that investors must understand to survive and profit in this new era. Check out our latest insights on these new rules, this new market environment, and this new service, the Geiger Index.]

Individual investors who still hold any doubts about Mainland China’s future growth potential should take a long hard look at Airbus SAS, the Pan-European commercial airliner maker that is now building airplanes …

Documents brought to light by key by congressional investigators hightlight real disagreement between top-level U.S. Federal Reserve officials about how it should address the Bank of America Corp.(NYSE:BAC) acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. are almost certain to fuel the ongoing congressional debate over the central bank’s push to expand its authority over the U.S. financial system.

This growing concern manifested itself Thursday, when Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke; was grilled by Capitol Hill lawmakers during a congressional hearing looking into the central bank’s conduct in BofA’s buyout of Merrill Lynch. Bernanke’s failure to resolve some of the most-pointed questions posed by congressional leaders – (especially Republicans) who wanted to discover whether the Fed overstepped its authority and interfered with merger-related decisions – may undermine a proposed financial system overhaul that would imbue the central bank with broad authority over big U.S. financial institutions. One example: In

...

Documents brought to light by key by congressional investigators hightlight real disagreement between top-level U.S. Federal Reserve officials about how it should address the Bank of America Corp.(NYSE:BAC) acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. are almost certain to fuel the ongoing congressional debate over the central bank’s push to expand its authority over the U.S. financial system.

This growing concern manifested itself Thursday, when Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke; was grilled by Capitol Hill lawmakers during a congressional hearing looking into the central bank’s conduct in BofA’s buyout of Merrill Lynch. Bernanke’s failure to resolve some of the most-pointed questions posed by congressional leaders – (especially Republicans) who wanted to discover whether the Fed overstepped its authority and interfered with merger-related decisions – may undermine a proposed financial system overhaul that would imbue the central bank with broad authority over big U.S. financial institutions. One example: In

...

Highlights include Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT), The Boeing Co. (BA) and Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC).Thursday, Congress received a Defense expenditure request of $663.8 billion for fiscal year 2010 in two parts: a baseline budget of $533.8 billion, which is 4.0% higher (2.1% in constant dollars) than the 2009 baseline budget of $513.3 billion, plus a $130 billion kicker to cover ongoing military operations (Afghanistan, Iraq and, perhaps, other interesting places).This proposed budget would terminate both Lockheed Martin's (LMT) F-22 fighter at 187 shipsets as well as Boeing's (BA) C-17 transport at 205 shipsets. On the other hand, the next chapter of the "Northrop Grumman (NOC)/EADS versus Boeing for the tanker" saga is written in ink for all to see.Of course, this request has to now wind its way through the system, which could make for some stimulating sessions ...

Highlights include Microsemi Corp. (MSCC), The Boeing Co. (BA), Raytheon Co. (RTN), Rockwell Automation (ROK), Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT), Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC), L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. (LLL)and Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX).Microsemi Segments Have Limited ExposureMicrosemi Corp. (MSCC) is well positioned in strong growth markets. Its High Reliability products for the defense, aerospace, commercial air and medical markets are extremely well positioned. Since these products have limited exposure to the uncertain conditions in the market, growth is expected to continue.High-reliability products have higher ASPs and higher margins. Management's current R&D effort is focused on this area, since it is expected that a higher percentage of sales from this line would improve the profitability of the company. This would, in turn, enable it to generate the targeted model of 50-55% gross margin and 30% operating margin....

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL - April 27, 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: Credit Suisse Group AG (CS), The McClatchy Company Inc (MNI), Triquint Semiconductor (TQNT), The Boeing Co (BA) and Energy Conversion Devices Inc (ENER).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=4579.

Here are highlights from Friday's Analyst Blog:

Credit Suisse Surprisingly Good

Today, Credit Suisse Group AG (CS) reported a surprisingly good first quarter, posting net earnings from continuing operations of CHF2.0 billion, well above the CHF2.1 billion loss in the prior-year quarter and our CHF297 million estimate.

This result

...

President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team is reportedly putting the finishing touches on an economic recovery plan that could run from $675 billion to $1 trillion, though many experts believe the program will most like range between $700 billion and $800 billion.

Briefings for top congressional Democrats were to start either over the weekend or today (Monday), a senior transition-team official told The Associated Press late last week. President-elect Obama is slated to meet today with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., in a Democratic strategy session that is likely to focus on the economic recovery package.

It’s time to look forward, not back. The 111th Congress meets tomorrow (Tuesday), and a comprehensive economic stimulus package is at the top of its agenda.  Hopefully, the lawmakers can put partisan bickering aside (fat chance) and have a bill in place for President-elect Barack

...

“Airshow China,” the huge aerospace trade show that’s known officially as the “China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition,” ended Sunday in the southern-coast city of Zhuhai. It was the seventh time the event has been held.

But it’s the first time China’s commercial airplane sector has a long-term flight plan to follow.

Roughly $4 billion deals involving 102 aircraft were signed during the six-day event, which was attended by representatives of 600 aviation companies from 35 countries, officials from the Airshow China Organizing Committee told the People’s Daily newspaper.

But the real news was that China has set a timetable for its proposed “jumbo” jet, a passenger aircraft China plans to design and build domestically to compete directly with commercial jetliners built by industry heavyweights Airbus SAS of Europe and The Boeing Co. (BA), the U.S.-based airliner industry pioneer that’s America’s biggest exporter.

China

...

For The Boeing Co. (BA), the strike may be over, but the fallout continues. Just days after resolving an eight-week strike by 27,000 unionized machinist workers, the Chicago-based aerospace giant announced that the job action will force it to delay the first test flight of its problem-plagued 787 Dreamliner passenger jet until next year.

Boeing was planning to make the inaugural flight of the next-generation jetliner – already delayed four times – during the fourth quarter. But company spokesman Jim Proulx said the strike – which started Sept. 6 and forced Boeing to temporarily shutter its commercial aircraft business – forced the firm to push the test flight into next year.

Boeing is conducting a special assessment to determine just how much the strike affected its production schedule. The company will revise the Dreamliner’s schedule – including a new date for that first test flight – based

...

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union will vote this Saturday on whether to end its two-month strike against The Boeing Co. (BA). A tentative agreement to end the strike was reached Monday.

Boeing’s shares soared $6.55 each, or 15.5%, to close at $48.91. They are still down 50% from their 12-month high of $98.71 and are down 45% for the year.

It was the longest strike in 13 years: The union walked out for 28 days in 2005 and 69 days in 1995.

Both sides claimed victory this time around.The union said that it “won the battle and made some significant gains,” while Boeing claimed it had “retained the flexibility necessary” to manage its business, Reuters reported.

Saturday will be the 57th day of the walkout by unionized machinist workers, who have shut down Boeing’s commercial-jetliner-assembly business since they left their jobs on Sept. 6., in a dispute over contract

...