Smiling In The Gloom

While most stocks were plummeting last Thursday,Ford Motor Company was gaining.That is why CEO Alan Mulally was smiling.Ford had just posted its first profit after 7 consecutive quarters of losses.The soft-spoken leader said he wasn't really surprised by the results,and he was cautiously optimistic about reaching a deal with the United Auto Workers union.Although there could be setbacks ahead,by the end of 2009,Ford should be back in the black for good.The automaker is exploring the sale of its Jaguar and Land Rover divisions,and conducting a strategic review of its Volvo unit.Sixteen plants are to be closed,paring 45,000 jobs.The Ford Edge is the best-selling crossover vehicle,and 14 Ford vehicles recently won J.D. Power quality awards.Ford was the most actively traded stock on Monday.This morning,General Motors(GM) also released good second quarter numbers.