The year 2008 was for the global equity markets the worst in history. Capital outflow reached record 14 trillion dollars. The crisis of the financial system and the worst recession since 1970, froze investor confidence. MSCI index of global shares in the year fell by a record 44%.br /br /One of the worst performance posted stock market in Russia. Benchmark RTS Index closed the year 72% lower. The second worst result in the world has seen China's stock index, the SSE Composite lost a record 65% after the boom in 2006 and 2007 brought the growth of over 300%.br /br /In the U.S., the Dow Jones index ended the last trading day a profit of 2.2% over the year but lost 34% of which was the worst loss since the Great Depression in 1931. Only two titles, retailers Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) and Mc Donalds (MCD), closed the ...

Wall Street’s Ghosts of Christmas

There’s a powerful force visiting Wall Street this year. Call it the ghost of Christmas past, present and future. And the worst thing is what it does to companies who accept its influence, even while the number of those falling under its spell continues to grow:

General Motors (NYSE: GM), American International Group (NYSE: AIG), Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), Citigroup (NYSE: C), Well Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) and the list goes on and on…

It’s been quite apparent about its intentions. But what warnings do these Spirits of Christmas - a.k.a. the government - want to give investors? Their message is simple:

Investors can no longer ignore the government when investing.

Regulation is back, and while it seems a heavy hand is needed with lapses like those in the Madoff-ponzi

...

Gloomy economic picture fuels risk aversion… Financials, energy, retailers among top drags… Dow off 4.3 pct, S&P 500 off 5 pct, Nasdaq off 5.3 pct

U.S. stocks tumbled on Monday as signs of further deterioration in the economy around the world punctured last week’s market enthusiasm, with financial services companies and retailers among Wall Street’s biggest drags.

Major industrial companies also contributed to losses on signs global demand is faltering, leading investors to pare back risk in favor of safe-haven government debt.

With the holiday shopping season under way, investors feared that retailers may turn in their bleakest sales in many years. The S&P retail index declined 4.4 percent.

Department store Macy’s Inc tumbled 9.6 percent.

Consumers made repeat trips to stores and spent more on bargains this weekend, but analysts said the rush is unlikely to translate into a much-needed boost in profit.

...

In this feature, we turn our attention to General Motors (GM), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Wal-Mart (WMT), Chevron (CVX) and Home Depot (HD).

One of the hallmarks of this bear market has been how indiscriminate it has been.  Companies that are likely to be absolutely devastated by the economic slowdown are getting whacked almost as much as those that should do just fine.  To illustrate this, one needs go no further than the Dow 30.

Below we present the 30 blue chips sorted by how much they have declined over the last year.  All but one of them is down.  Yes, two of the firms that are likely to suffer the most are at the top of the list, General Motors (GM) and Citigroup (C).  However, the relative positions of many of the others simply

…

viastockadvisors

‘Easy hold’ stocks’ have strong finances, consistent sales and earnings and moderate volatility; one such stock is Wal-Mart Stores(NYSE: WMT),” says Chuck Carlson in The DRIP Investor.

Track Chuck Carlson’s picks at:

http://trackthepros.com/stocks/category/543

“Easy hold stocks are ‘easy holds’ for good reason — their price action generally does not force you to make too many decisions about selling. And one that has held up quite well of late is Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer. 

“The firm’s discount focus has been especially popular with consumers in recent months in light of the sluggish economy and job markets. The firm has beaten earnings estimates in each of the last four quarters. Record profits of $3.50 per share are expected for the current fiscal year ending January 2009. 

“Long term, I expect Wal-Mart to provide the sort of steady sales and profit growth that will keep its stock trending higher. The

...

“Our Timely Ten — our top ten current buys — is the best collection of high-quality stocks at or near historic low prices and high yields I have seen,” says Kelley Wright in IQ Trends.

http://trackthepros.com/stocks/category/1760

“Strictly from an information standpoint, this is the most confusing, contradictory and divergent period I can recall.

“I believe the market is telling us more work needs to be done. But while the bottoming process goes through its motions, the Undervalued category –  those stocks showing historic levels of undervaluation based on this dividend yields — continues to grow as real value is being created.

“As opposed to 2005 through 2007, there is now no reason to bottom fish for the hot turnaround. Rather, classic big names and yields are plentiful. So investors can stick with the highest quality.

“The Timely Ten is our reasoned expectation based on our methodology and experience for what we believe

...

Displaying solid muscle in a softer retail climate, Wal-Mart (WMT) posted 87 cents per share for its Q2 (ended July), beating the Zacks consensus by 2 cents.  This was on sales of $101.6 billion in the quarter, a 10 percent increase year over year.  Cost-cutting and prices kept lower were cited, but government stimulus checks also made their way to Wal-Mart stores in bunches.

The company guidance for fiscal year 2009 (ending February '09) is for WMT to bring $3.43-3.50 per share.  However, 5 analysts covering WMT have revised their fiscal year estimates upwards in the past month, and the Zacks consensus for the year is currently $3.54.

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

Just last week I wrote Times are tough so go with Wal-Mart, easy money with a 6% gain since last Tuesday. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) shares are up 3% today and taking the DOW up 100 points.  It pays to read the Masters. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), which reported a 3.9% jump, excluding fuel, in U.S. same-store sales - double the high end of if its flat to up 2% forecast. Namesake stores posted 4% growth and Sam's Club had a 3.6% increase. Even Wal-Mart's homegoods sales, which ...

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) the world's largest retailer said the U.S. economy is playing a critical factor in 2008 and the stock is down 2% and falling. Stocks are taking a hit today and down the ship goes. Wal-Mart Stores 's low prices are driving sales with customers flocking to buy basics like groceries, shampoo, cleaning supplies, and pharmacy items. But once customers buy what they need they are also purchasing other items as well. Surprisingly one area of strength was consumer electronics. Low prices and improved customer services were the primary drivers of sales growth, the company said, despite the “economic headwinds” caused by energy and food ...

Half a year has gone by and Wal-Mart (WMT) released results yesterday.

26 week sales results at Wal-Mart stores are up 5.5%, Sam’s Clubs are up 7.1% and the International operations are up 16.2%. Total sales results are up 8% vs. 2006. Not bad at all.