Worries about the Fed's stimulus cutbacks continued to torment investors today as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI ) fell for the second day in a row, ending down 1,4%, or 217 points, today to finish at 14,960. It was the first time the blue chips finished below 15,000 in exactly a month, and the descent has been much faster than the climb as the Dow reached its all-time closing high of 15,409 just over a week ago. All 30 Dow components closed lower.
Today, investors reacted to a poor jobs report and the release of the Fed's Beige Book, or its report on current economic conditions, in which it said that the nation's economy was experiencing "modest to moderate" growth, adding that "hiring had increased at a measured pace" in several regions. In an Orwellian state of affairs, investors had recently been reacting positively to bad news, sending stocks higher in the hopes that poor economic data would convince Fed officials to keep the bond-buying program in place. Today, that fever seemed to break as the blue chips fell more than 200 points even with mostly disappointing economic reports.
5 Best Blue Chip Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Apple Inc.(AAPL)
Apple Inc., together with subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets personal computers, mobile communication and media devices, and portable digital music players, as well as sells related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications worldwide. The company sells its products worldwide through its online stores, retail stores, direct sales force, third-party wholesalers, resellers, and value-added resellers. In addition, it sells third-party Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod compatible products, including application software, printers, storage devices, speakers, headphones, and other accessories and peripherals through its online and retail stores; and digital content and applications through the iTunes Store. The company sells its products to consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise, government, and creative markets. As of September 25, 2010, it had 317 retail stores, including 233 stores in the United States and 84 stores internationally. The company, formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc., was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Evan Niu, CFA]
You'd never know it, but Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) has been on a buying spree lately. Of course, Apple doesn't announce its acquisitions unless it absolutely has to, such as when it acquired publicly traded fingerprint sensor specialist AuthenTec last year for $356 million. Avoiding disclosure is just another reason why the company prefers the small, specialized purchase to the big, flashy one.
- [By Rick Munarriz]
Briefly in the news
Smith & Wesson� (NASDAQ: SWHC ) posted strong quarterly results this week. Sales rose a hearty 38%, and earnings soared even higher. That's not a surprise. Firearms are in hot demand as consumers fear that ownership restrictions will be tightened.� Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) can't catch a break. Oppenheimer & Co. analyst�Ittai Kidron became the latest to get cold feet, lowering his price target from $480 to $460 and reducing his iPhone 5 shipment projections for the current quarter. Apple wasn't the only former tech darling to get talked down this week. Maxim Group's Echo He lowered his price target on Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU ) to $75. The concern here is that margins will continue to come under pressure as competition intensifies.�
And now let's take a quick look at some of the other stories that shaped our week. - [By Evan Niu, CFA]
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) wants to move away from Samsung. This we know. While the South Korean conglomerate has many independent divisions, Apple doesn't like giving the component segment business while the smartphone segment is its most viable competitor. To that end, the surest signs yet have emerged that Apple has inked a three-year deal with Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE: TSM ) .
- [By Marshall Hargrave]
Sotheby's has only five analysts following it -- compared with the 48 following Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) -- so it can be tough to get information on the company. But investors can use this to their advantage: Despite the fact that Sotheby's has three activist investors collectively owning 15% of the company, the stock is flat since Loeb's involvement.
5 Best Blue Chip Stocks To Invest In Right Now: McDonald's Corporation(MCD)
McDonald?s Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a worldwide foodservice retailer. It franchises and operates McDonald?s restaurants that offer various food items, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 32,478 restaurants in 117 countries, of which 26,216 were operated by franchisees; and 6,262 were operated by the company. McDonald?s Corporation was founded in 1948 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tamara Rutter]
McDonald's (NYSE: MCD ) is already a household name in about 118 countries around the world. However, the stock has been under pressure lately because of dismal sales projections for the restaurant industry at large. In fact, sales at fast-food restaurants such as McDonald's are estimated to grow less than 4% over the next 10 years, according to The New York Times. Yet, despite this tough environment, McDonald's stock could prove the bears wrong, thanks to rising comps and fresh menu innovations.
- [By Steve Symington]
McDonald's (NYSE: MCD ) , for example, also took a hit during April, as same-store sales for its Asia/Pacific region fell 2.9% that month, thanks largely to weakness in China. Of course, when we remember McDonald's currently operates less than one-third the total number of locations in China as Yum! Brands, combined with the fact that Mickey D's most significant market here in the U.S. is showing remarkable strength, it should come as no surprise that McDonald's investors weren't nearly as concerned as those with an interest in Yum! stock.�
- [By Sue Chang]
McDonald�� (MCD) �is projected to report third-quarter earnings of $1.51 a share, according to a consensus survey by Thomson Reuters.
- [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]
AP The hungry will get some new value-priced dining options at McDonald's (MCD) next month as the world's largest restaurant chain breaks the buck to offer a broader Dollar Menu. Facing what it foresees will be a challenging holiday quarter, McDonald's is going national with the Dollar Menu & More menu that it has been testing in five markets. The rollout will officially kick off on Nov. 4, but may be available at an eatery near you before that. McDonald's will make sure that you hear all about it. A national advertising campaign will kick off a week after its debut. Bucking the Trend The premise of Dollar Menu & More is simple. Instead of simple sandwiches, side salads, and dessert treats for a dollar, the new offerings will be slightly more robust and sell for $2. There will also be shareable items available for $5. Franchisees are on board with the shift -- indeed, they'd been pushing for it, and it's easy to see why. The profit on a $1 McDouble sandwich is far less than what they can earn by merely adding bacon to the same burger and charging $2 for it. With labor and operating costs on the rise, the burger beast probably didn't have much of a choice. Pricing flexibility is a big reason why rival Wendy's (WEN) moved away from a value menu where everything set patrons back just 99 cents. It now has more wiggle room under its "Right Price Right Size" signage. If poultry or beef prices shoot higher, it can adjust accordingly. McDonald's now feels that it can offer different value items at dollar intervals. This would make it seem as if customers will wind up paying more when they head out to the Golden Arches next month, but there's more to offering bargains than meets the eye. Too Much Gilding on the Golden Arches McDonald's knows it has a problem. After nearly a decade of consistently rising same-restaurant sales, McDonald's has posted several negative months of unit-level activity since last October. The company concluded that trying to m
Best Clean Energy Stocks To Watch Right Now: Philip Morris International Inc(PM)
Philip Morris International Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in markets outside of the United States. Its international product brand line comprises Marlboro, Merit, Parliament, Virginia Slims, L&M, Chesterfield, Bond Street, Lark, Muratti, Next, Philip Morris, and Red & White. The company also offers its products under the A Mild, Dji Sam Soe, and A Hijau in Indonesia; Diana in Italy; Optima and Apollo-Soyuz in the Russian Federation; Morven Gold in Pakistan; Boston in Colombia; Belmont, Canadian Classics, and Number 7 in Canada; Best and Classic in Serbia; f6 in Germany; Delicados in Mexico; Assos in Greece; and Petra in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It operates primarily in the European Union, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. The company is based in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Maxx Chatsko]
However, you would be hard-pressed to find any connection between falling smoking prevalence and share performance at Reynolds American (NYSE: RAI ) , Lorriland (NYSE: LO ) , Phillip Morris (NYSE: PM ) , and Altria (NYSE: MO ) . These companies are some of the best performers in the past decade. In fact, Altria is the best-performing stock of the last half-century!
- [By Laura Brodbeck]
Thursday
Earnings Expected From: UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE: UNH), Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), PrivateBancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: PVTB), PPG Industries, Inc. (NYSE: PPG), Philip Morris International Inc (NYSE: PM), Nokia Corporation (NYSE: NOK), Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE: BTU), Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISRG), Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) Economic Releases Expected: Chinese GDP, Chinese industrial production, Chinese retail sales, US industrial production, US housing starts, US building permitsFriday
5 Best Blue Chip Stocks To Invest In Right Now: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) provides information technology (IT) products and services worldwide. Its Global Technology Services segment provides IT infrastructure and business process services, including strategic outsourcing, process, integrated technology, and maintenance services, as well as technology-based support services. The company?s Global Business Services segment offers consulting and systems integration, and application management services. Its Software segment offers middleware and operating systems software, such as WebSphere software to integrate and manage business processes; information management software for database and enterprise content management, information integration, data warehousing, business analytics and intelligence, performance management, and predictive analytics; Tivoli software for identity management, data security, storage management, and datacenter automation; Lotus software for collaboration, messaging, and so cial networking; rational software to support software development for IT and embedded systems; business intelligence software, which provides querying and forecasting tools; SPSS predictive analytics software to predict outcomes and act on that insight; and operating systems software. Its Systems and Technology segment provides computing and storage solutions, including servers, disk and tape storage systems and software, point-of-sale retail systems, and microelectronics. The company?s Global Financing segment provides lease and loan financing to end users and internal clients; commercial financing to dealers and remarketers of IT products; and remanufacturing and remarketing services. It serves financial services, public, industrial, distribution, communications, and general business sectors. The company was formerly known as Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. and changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation in 1924. IBM was founded in 1910 and is based in Armonk, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Matt Thalman]
Shares of IBM (NYSE: IBM ) ended the week lower by 1.82% after an independent study indicated that the company may no longer be the best in chips and servers, saying that Oracle's new chips and servers outperformed IBM's top-line products. IBM has long been the king of the hill, and as the competition heats up, the company will have to step up its game if it wants to remain at the top. �
5 Best Blue Chip Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Visa Inc.(V)
Visa Inc., a payments technology company, engages in the operation of retail electronic payments network worldwide. It facilitates commerce through the transfer of value and information among financial institutions, merchants, consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company owns and operates VisaNet, a global processing platform that provides transaction processing services. It also offers a range of payments platforms, which enable credit, charge, deferred debit, debit, and prepaid payments, as well as cash access for consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company provides its payment platforms under the Visa, Visa Electron, PLUS, and Interlink brand names. In addition, it offers value-added services, including risk management, issuer processing, loyalty, dispute management, value-added information, and CyberSource-branded services. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Chuck Carnevale]
Visa Inc. (V)
Even though Visa did not make my cut, I thought it would be interesting to showcase their phenomenal record. Therefore, dividend growth investors interested in total return might want to take a closer look at Visa.
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