Monday, June 30, 2014
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Pharma Flash:AbbVie Continues To Court Shire PLC
AbbVie,the Chicago-based biopharma concern,is continuing its courtship of Ireland's Shire PLC,despite repeated rejections on the grounds that AbbVie made an inadequate offer.It has made a third offer of 46 billion dollars,also promising a plan to buy back shares and offer shares as well as cash to Shire shareholders.*
Shire has several ADHD drugs in its portfolio,such as Adderall.The deal would also be an inversion for AbbVie,i.e.,by being Ireland-based,it would lower AbbVie's tax rate to 13% and free up overseas cash.That's significantly less taxes than US competitors pay.*
AbbVie was formerly part of Abbott Laboratories.It was spun off on 1 January 2013 as a global biopharma firm.With 25,000 workers,AbbVie has launched a Phase III study of Veliparib for Advanced Breast Cancer.
AbbVie claims the proposed combination is strategically compelling to AbbVie and Shire and would create a larger and more diversified biopharmaceutical company with multiple leading franchises and significant financial capacity for future acquisitions,investment and enhanced shareholder distribution and value creation.It offers attractive free cash flow and an enhanced return of capital policy.The new company would be listed in both London and on the NYSE.*
AbbVie(ABBV),Shire PLC(SHPG)
Shire has several ADHD drugs in its portfolio,such as Adderall.The deal would also be an inversion for AbbVie,i.e.,by being Ireland-based,it would lower AbbVie's tax rate to 13% and free up overseas cash.That's significantly less taxes than US competitors pay.*
AbbVie was formerly part of Abbott Laboratories.It was spun off on 1 January 2013 as a global biopharma firm.With 25,000 workers,AbbVie has launched a Phase III study of Veliparib for Advanced Breast Cancer.
AbbVie claims the proposed combination is strategically compelling to AbbVie and Shire and would create a larger and more diversified biopharmaceutical company with multiple leading franchises and significant financial capacity for future acquisitions,investment and enhanced shareholder distribution and value creation.It offers attractive free cash flow and an enhanced return of capital policy.The new company would be listed in both London and on the NYSE.*
AbbVie(ABBV),Shire PLC(SHPG)
Monday, June 23, 2014
Shop Talk:Summer 2014
Dear Readers,
You may notice some changes in the publication schedule.This is ultimately due to budget cutbacks.Some items may be posted earlier than usual,or perhaps later.They may be shorter,but every effort to preserve standards will be made.
Thank you to those who have clicked an ad recently.That's what really helps.
Have a great Summer 2014.
Andrew Taylor
Publisher
You may notice some changes in the publication schedule.This is ultimately due to budget cutbacks.Some items may be posted earlier than usual,or perhaps later.They may be shorter,but every effort to preserve standards will be made.
Thank you to those who have clicked an ad recently.That's what really helps.
Have a great Summer 2014.
Andrew Taylor
Publisher
Monday Newsline:Asian Shares Rise;GE Acquires Alstom Power;Michelle Wie Champion
Asian shares rose Moday,but trimmed their early gains as trading progressed,with the CNBC 100 ASIA IDX falling from an 0.24% gain down to an 0.13 rise.The Hang Seng index,for instance,had been up 0.25,but even slipped into negative territory,down 0.11%.India's Nifty Fifty futures were down 0.32%.
The CNBC 100 ASIA IDX was lifted by a strong ASX 200 as Australians were reassured by robust commodity prices,with both NYMEX and Brent crude futures appreciating on the Iraq crisis,and copper and aluminium markets being cheered by the flash HSBC China PMI Index,which showed expansion of Chinese manufacturing for the first time in six months.The index registered 50.8 in June versus 49.4 for the final May reading.A reading of 50 or above means increased factory activity.
South Korea's KOSPI was up 0.35% on the strength of Samsung Electronics' good showing.*
The S&P futures presaged a positive morning for US stocks,with the S&P futures up 0.25%.This follows on a record high for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones indexes on Friday.
One factor in play this morning is General Electric's succussful 17.6 billion dollar bid for the power assets of the French company Alstom,beating out the German conglomerate Siemens.This was in part due to several trips to Paris by GE CEO Jeff Immelt to sell the deal to French authorities.*
In sport,American Michelle Wie,24,long one of the star players of LPGA golf,finally achieved the milestone of winning her first major championship Sunday as she took the US Women's Open at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.It was the end of a long quest by the tall Stanford graduate and onetime wunderkind to meet the high expectations which were set for her.She clinched the national trophy with a two under par 70 on the rigorous Donald Ross Pinehurst #2 course.She now has won a total of four LPGA tournaments,her popularity with the media and her colleagues tending to exceed her actual career accomplishments until this point.*
General Electric(GE),Samsung Electronics Ltd(OO5930:Korea SE)
The CNBC 100 ASIA IDX was lifted by a strong ASX 200 as Australians were reassured by robust commodity prices,with both NYMEX and Brent crude futures appreciating on the Iraq crisis,and copper and aluminium markets being cheered by the flash HSBC China PMI Index,which showed expansion of Chinese manufacturing for the first time in six months.The index registered 50.8 in June versus 49.4 for the final May reading.A reading of 50 or above means increased factory activity.
South Korea's KOSPI was up 0.35% on the strength of Samsung Electronics' good showing.*
The S&P futures presaged a positive morning for US stocks,with the S&P futures up 0.25%.This follows on a record high for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones indexes on Friday.
One factor in play this morning is General Electric's succussful 17.6 billion dollar bid for the power assets of the French company Alstom,beating out the German conglomerate Siemens.This was in part due to several trips to Paris by GE CEO Jeff Immelt to sell the deal to French authorities.*
In sport,American Michelle Wie,24,long one of the star players of LPGA golf,finally achieved the milestone of winning her first major championship Sunday as she took the US Women's Open at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.It was the end of a long quest by the tall Stanford graduate and onetime wunderkind to meet the high expectations which were set for her.She clinched the national trophy with a two under par 70 on the rigorous Donald Ross Pinehurst #2 course.She now has won a total of four LPGA tournaments,her popularity with the media and her colleagues tending to exceed her actual career accomplishments until this point.*
General Electric(GE),Samsung Electronics Ltd(OO5930:Korea SE)
Friday, June 20, 2014
Pfizer,Cellectis Ink Cancer Immunotherapy Pact
Pfizer,the world's largest pharmaceutical company,has signed a deal with French biotech firm Cellectis to develop and commercialise CAR-T immunotherapies in the field of oncology directed at several targets.Cellectis' CAR-T technology utilises engineered T-cells from a single donor for use in multiple patients,rather than engineering a patient's own T-cells to target tumour cells.*
Cellectis' CAR-Ts are off-the-shelf products which can be industrialised and standardised.They may be shipped in advance and would be accessible to cancer centers all over the world without the need for a local CAR-T processing facility,which is an enormous advantage.*
Cellectis plans to open a US site for this collaboration with New York-based Pfizer.Cellectis CEO Andre Chulika,PhD,said we look forward to working closely with the team at Pfizer on researching and developing novel CAR-T therapies that could potentially change the way cancer is treated.
Mikael Dolsten,MD,PhD,Pfizer President of R&D,added that combining the innovation and scientific expertise of Cellectis with Pfizer's deep oncology and immunology experience creates a world-class partnership designed to deliver a new generation of CAR-T immunotherapies for cancer patients with urgent medical needs.*
Cellectis will receive an upfront payment of 80 million dollars plus R&D costs.It will also receive development,regulatory and commercial milestone payments of 185 million per Pfizer product,as well as tiered roylaties on net sales.Pfizer will also purchase about 10% of Cellectis capital through newly issued shares of Cellectis,pending shareholder approval.*
Pfizer(PFE),Cellectis(ALCLS:EN Paris)
Cellectis' CAR-Ts are off-the-shelf products which can be industrialised and standardised.They may be shipped in advance and would be accessible to cancer centers all over the world without the need for a local CAR-T processing facility,which is an enormous advantage.*
Cellectis plans to open a US site for this collaboration with New York-based Pfizer.Cellectis CEO Andre Chulika,PhD,said we look forward to working closely with the team at Pfizer on researching and developing novel CAR-T therapies that could potentially change the way cancer is treated.
Mikael Dolsten,MD,PhD,Pfizer President of R&D,added that combining the innovation and scientific expertise of Cellectis with Pfizer's deep oncology and immunology experience creates a world-class partnership designed to deliver a new generation of CAR-T immunotherapies for cancer patients with urgent medical needs.*
Cellectis will receive an upfront payment of 80 million dollars plus R&D costs.It will also receive development,regulatory and commercial milestone payments of 185 million per Pfizer product,as well as tiered roylaties on net sales.Pfizer will also purchase about 10% of Cellectis capital through newly issued shares of Cellectis,pending shareholder approval.*
Pfizer(PFE),Cellectis(ALCLS:EN Paris)
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Prospects in Energy and Tech
The Permian Basin is an energy-rich sedimentary formation primarily in West Texas and Southeast New Mexico.Permian Basin shale oil is said to be second only to Saudi Arabia.Pioneer Energy is the Permian,said CNBC host Jim Cramer.EOG Resources is there,too,and so is Cemerex Energy.
Energy is the hottest IPO sector,up 27% in 2014.*
Google made 20 acquisitions in robotics in 2013-also in artificial intelligence.It's no longer just search.It's a way to be diversified without buying a bunch of names.This is truly a robotics company.They have their eye on the future.Ten to fifteen years out,it seems Google has gobbled up all the talent.
IBM and CISCO also buy into artificial intelligence,while Intel is now into wearable tech and robotics.3-D imagery and artificial intelligence are disruptive.
Intel has raised its guidance and was upgraded by Morgan Stanley.Intel's going right to 40.Business is much stronger,the yield's still three and change.We have a leader in old tech.You have to dust off the old playbook of what to do when Intel gets it right.The engineers are in charge-a 100% change in leadership.They are in gaming;they are in mobile.Look out,Samsung.*
Sony is bringing PlayStation TV out this fall.*
I think that Yahoo is a buy off of Alibaba going public soon,Cramer noted.*
Goldman Sachs has upgraded Hewlett-Packard from sell to neutral.HP's management has executed far better than we anticipated,Goldman said.The stock has appreciated 50% since it was downgraded.*
Twitter's COO Ali Rowghani has resigned-perhaps on a lack of user growth.Twitter does not intend to hire a replacement.On day to day usage and monetising,Twitter isn't in the same league as Facebook,CNBC's John Forte pointed out.*
The merged Sprint/T-Mobile company is to be branded T-Mobile.A definitive agreement is still weeks away.They agreed on a two billion breakup fee.They have to develop a playbook for DOJ opposition.Without the merger,neither firm is capitalised enough to compete with the other two telecoms,CNBC colleague David Faber said.
Sprint(S),T-Mobile US Inc(TMUS),Intel(INTC),Hewlett-Packard(HPQ),Pioneer Energy(PXD),Google(GOOG),Facebook(FB),Cemerex Energy(XEC),EOG Resources(EOG)
Energy is the hottest IPO sector,up 27% in 2014.*
Google made 20 acquisitions in robotics in 2013-also in artificial intelligence.It's no longer just search.It's a way to be diversified without buying a bunch of names.This is truly a robotics company.They have their eye on the future.Ten to fifteen years out,it seems Google has gobbled up all the talent.
IBM and CISCO also buy into artificial intelligence,while Intel is now into wearable tech and robotics.3-D imagery and artificial intelligence are disruptive.
Intel has raised its guidance and was upgraded by Morgan Stanley.Intel's going right to 40.Business is much stronger,the yield's still three and change.We have a leader in old tech.You have to dust off the old playbook of what to do when Intel gets it right.The engineers are in charge-a 100% change in leadership.They are in gaming;they are in mobile.Look out,Samsung.*
Sony is bringing PlayStation TV out this fall.*
I think that Yahoo is a buy off of Alibaba going public soon,Cramer noted.*
Goldman Sachs has upgraded Hewlett-Packard from sell to neutral.HP's management has executed far better than we anticipated,Goldman said.The stock has appreciated 50% since it was downgraded.*
Twitter's COO Ali Rowghani has resigned-perhaps on a lack of user growth.Twitter does not intend to hire a replacement.On day to day usage and monetising,Twitter isn't in the same league as Facebook,CNBC's John Forte pointed out.*
The merged Sprint/T-Mobile company is to be branded T-Mobile.A definitive agreement is still weeks away.They agreed on a two billion breakup fee.They have to develop a playbook for DOJ opposition.Without the merger,neither firm is capitalised enough to compete with the other two telecoms,CNBC colleague David Faber said.
Sprint(S),T-Mobile US Inc(TMUS),Intel(INTC),Hewlett-Packard(HPQ),Pioneer Energy(PXD),Google(GOOG),Facebook(FB),Cemerex Energy(XEC),EOG Resources(EOG)
Monday, June 16, 2014
Monday Newsline:Kaymer Snares US Open as NBC Era Ends
Germany's Martin Kaymer became the first man from his country to win the prestigious 114th US Open Sunday at Pinehurst Resort,North Carolina,and Comcast NBC Universal sadly marked its final broadcast of the storied golf tournament after 20 straight years of coverage.Kaymer,29,had previously won the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Sraits,Wisconsin;the World Number One ranking for eight weeks in 2011;10 tournaments on the European Tour-plus the Ryder Cup as a member of Team Europe;as well as the 2014 Players Championship a few weeks ago in Florida.
Kaymer's nine under par 72 blew away the rest of the field by a margin of at least eight strokes.His closest competitors were Americans Erik Compton and Ricky Fowler,who shared second at one under par.Compton,34,a survivor of two heart transplants who is happy to just be alive,became the sentimental favourite as he notched his best PGA showing ever.*
Europeans have taken the last two US Open trophies,with Englishman Justin Rose taking America's national championship last year.Speaking of Kaymer's performance,Ricky Fowler said that Martin was in his own golf tournamnet.Seeing how in control his golf game was kind of pushes me,becuase I was not far off.*
Phil Mickelson,44,was calm as he reflected on his road ahead.The Hall of Famer had carded a poor seven over par at Pinehurst as his putting seemed to desert him,but he looked forward to the next four or five years and the exciting courses on the US Open schedule.The US Open is the only one of the four majors he has yet to win,and only five other men have accomplished this grand slam of golf.*
Meanwhile,the broadcast booth was dealing with another kind of drama.NBC analyst Johnny Miller choked up as he and colleague Dan Hicks signed off.After 20 consecutive years of televising United States Golf Association events,Comcast's NBC Universal and partner Disney's ESPN were outbid by News Corp's Fox Sports last August for the next 12 years of USGA events,which besides the US Open include the US Senior Open,US Women's Open and USGA amateur events.Fox got a 12 year multimedia deal running from 2015 through 2026.Its winning bid was reportedly around 74 million dollars a year-twice what NBC/ESPN were paying.
Fox Sports has zero experience at golf coverage,so there's a big unknown for USGA golf fans in the years ahead.The USGA is the official governing body of the sport in the USA.*
US futures and Asian markets reflected concern about the Iraq crisis and the Federal Reserve possibly raising interest rates sooner rather than later.The S&P futures were down 6.78 points,while the Dow and NASDAQ futures dropped 48.0 and 9.66 points,respectively.Oil futures climbed 0.4%,and gold rose 0.6% as Treasury rates fell.Most Asian markets were down or virtually flat on the Iraq and Fed worries.The Nikkei was down 1.04%,while the Hang Seng fell 0.6% and the KOSPI was flat in Monday trading.
Comcast(CMCST A),News Corporation(NWS)
Kaymer's nine under par 72 blew away the rest of the field by a margin of at least eight strokes.His closest competitors were Americans Erik Compton and Ricky Fowler,who shared second at one under par.Compton,34,a survivor of two heart transplants who is happy to just be alive,became the sentimental favourite as he notched his best PGA showing ever.*
Europeans have taken the last two US Open trophies,with Englishman Justin Rose taking America's national championship last year.Speaking of Kaymer's performance,Ricky Fowler said that Martin was in his own golf tournamnet.Seeing how in control his golf game was kind of pushes me,becuase I was not far off.*
Phil Mickelson,44,was calm as he reflected on his road ahead.The Hall of Famer had carded a poor seven over par at Pinehurst as his putting seemed to desert him,but he looked forward to the next four or five years and the exciting courses on the US Open schedule.The US Open is the only one of the four majors he has yet to win,and only five other men have accomplished this grand slam of golf.*
Meanwhile,the broadcast booth was dealing with another kind of drama.NBC analyst Johnny Miller choked up as he and colleague Dan Hicks signed off.After 20 consecutive years of televising United States Golf Association events,Comcast's NBC Universal and partner Disney's ESPN were outbid by News Corp's Fox Sports last August for the next 12 years of USGA events,which besides the US Open include the US Senior Open,US Women's Open and USGA amateur events.Fox got a 12 year multimedia deal running from 2015 through 2026.Its winning bid was reportedly around 74 million dollars a year-twice what NBC/ESPN were paying.
Fox Sports has zero experience at golf coverage,so there's a big unknown for USGA golf fans in the years ahead.The USGA is the official governing body of the sport in the USA.*
US futures and Asian markets reflected concern about the Iraq crisis and the Federal Reserve possibly raising interest rates sooner rather than later.The S&P futures were down 6.78 points,while the Dow and NASDAQ futures dropped 48.0 and 9.66 points,respectively.Oil futures climbed 0.4%,and gold rose 0.6% as Treasury rates fell.Most Asian markets were down or virtually flat on the Iraq and Fed worries.The Nikkei was down 1.04%,while the Hang Seng fell 0.6% and the KOSPI was flat in Monday trading.
Comcast(CMCST A),News Corporation(NWS)
Friday, June 13, 2014
Two More Women Hanged in India
The body of a 19-year-old woman was found hanging from a tree in Uttar Pradesh state in Northern India on Thursday.Her family claims she was raped,but a post-mortem examination couldn't confirm that.On Wednesday,a 44-year-old woman was also found hanging from a tree in the same state.Again,her family alleged rape which her post-mortem couldn't confirm.
These two deaths bring to four the number of women murdered in Uttar Pradesh since 29 May,when the bodies of two teenagers who were found to have been gang-raped were discovered hanging from a tree.Those two killings resulted in protests by hundreds of outraged citizens.
On 14 January,a Danish tourist,51,reported that she had been gang-raped and beaten in the Indian capital,New Delhi,when she asked a group of men for directions.
The pattern of violence against women in India became a burning national issue in December 2012,when a young medical student was gang-raped and killed on a bus in New Delhi.Stricter laws to protect women were passed after that incident,but with little if any effect.Less than a year later,a 20-year-old student was gang-raped and killed in Kolkata,India on 7 June 2013,her battered body found near a canal.
These two deaths bring to four the number of women murdered in Uttar Pradesh since 29 May,when the bodies of two teenagers who were found to have been gang-raped were discovered hanging from a tree.Those two killings resulted in protests by hundreds of outraged citizens.
On 14 January,a Danish tourist,51,reported that she had been gang-raped and beaten in the Indian capital,New Delhi,when she asked a group of men for directions.
The pattern of violence against women in India became a burning national issue in December 2012,when a young medical student was gang-raped and killed on a bus in New Delhi.Stricter laws to protect women were passed after that incident,but with little if any effect.Less than a year later,a 20-year-old student was gang-raped and killed in Kolkata,India on 7 June 2013,her battered body found near a canal.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Where To Invest Summer 2014
Deutsche Bank downgraded Dollar General on margin concerns,but Goldman Sachs said the stock is too low,and we're gonna stand by it,CNBC host Jim Cramer said.Too many people downgraded it on what turned out to be a decent quarter.*
Target stores are looking a little dowdy.*
Teen apparel retailer Quiksilver,Inc's balance sheet's not that good there.They lost their surfer spokesman Kelly Slater.*
Union Pacific said autos are great.Once they start ramping up those factories so they can run more,it looks really good for the economy-sorry to be so cheerful.*
Salesforce.com is in that very challenged area.You saw that software as a service got hammered yesterday.It's not the place to be.*
Ford's May sales were up 3.0%,beating the Edmunds estimate of 0.9;GM's were up 12.6%.GM totally blew their numbers away.It's been a monster bad stock.My charitable trust owns it.It's been very low in relation to its sales.*
I went to the Ford F-150 plant,and that is a winner.They make a big margin on the F-150.*
I don't know golfer Phil Mickelson from Adam.FBI agents walked up to him at a tournament.Listen,when the FBI shows up like that,they're making a statement,a frightening statement.*
I like First Solar very much,but they've been eviscerated by Chinese dumping.We're in a bit of a war with China financially.*
One of the things that happens in a bull market is,a guy upgrades a stock and it goes higher.Every one of the health maintenance stocks is on fire.Wellpoint is higher,and I think it deserves to be.You have takeovers,you have analysts making big calls,and it's working.There was a lot of fear and a lot of pain about that stock.I think you'll see the analysts come out of their foxholes and their pillboxes.*
AT&T expects to save 1.6 billion dollars in content costs after year 3 of the DirectTV deal,a 20% cut,adds Cramer colleague David Faber.It is certainly front and center for many of these companies as they see the Comcast-Time Warner Cable and AT&T-DirectTV mergers come into effect.One day CBS and Viacom coul come back together,but I don't want to get too far ahead of myself.Disney is by itself.It's so much bigger than everybody else.They have so many different parts.They have the theme parks.*
Rite-Aid is back.It's no longer a turnaround;it's an earnings per share story.I buy my beer at Rite-Aid.I'm not kidding.When you go into your drugstore,they don't look like they used to,CNBC Wall Street expert Jim Cramer pointed out.*
AT&T(T),Rite Aid Corporation(RAD),Ford Motor Company(F),Dollar General(DG),General Motors(GM),Walt Disney(DIS)
Target stores are looking a little dowdy.*
Teen apparel retailer Quiksilver,Inc's balance sheet's not that good there.They lost their surfer spokesman Kelly Slater.*
Union Pacific said autos are great.Once they start ramping up those factories so they can run more,it looks really good for the economy-sorry to be so cheerful.*
Salesforce.com is in that very challenged area.You saw that software as a service got hammered yesterday.It's not the place to be.*
Ford's May sales were up 3.0%,beating the Edmunds estimate of 0.9;GM's were up 12.6%.GM totally blew their numbers away.It's been a monster bad stock.My charitable trust owns it.It's been very low in relation to its sales.*
I went to the Ford F-150 plant,and that is a winner.They make a big margin on the F-150.*
I don't know golfer Phil Mickelson from Adam.FBI agents walked up to him at a tournament.Listen,when the FBI shows up like that,they're making a statement,a frightening statement.*
I like First Solar very much,but they've been eviscerated by Chinese dumping.We're in a bit of a war with China financially.*
One of the things that happens in a bull market is,a guy upgrades a stock and it goes higher.Every one of the health maintenance stocks is on fire.Wellpoint is higher,and I think it deserves to be.You have takeovers,you have analysts making big calls,and it's working.There was a lot of fear and a lot of pain about that stock.I think you'll see the analysts come out of their foxholes and their pillboxes.*
AT&T expects to save 1.6 billion dollars in content costs after year 3 of the DirectTV deal,a 20% cut,adds Cramer colleague David Faber.It is certainly front and center for many of these companies as they see the Comcast-Time Warner Cable and AT&T-DirectTV mergers come into effect.One day CBS and Viacom coul come back together,but I don't want to get too far ahead of myself.Disney is by itself.It's so much bigger than everybody else.They have so many different parts.They have the theme parks.*
Rite-Aid is back.It's no longer a turnaround;it's an earnings per share story.I buy my beer at Rite-Aid.I'm not kidding.When you go into your drugstore,they don't look like they used to,CNBC Wall Street expert Jim Cramer pointed out.*
AT&T(T),Rite Aid Corporation(RAD),Ford Motor Company(F),Dollar General(DG),General Motors(GM),Walt Disney(DIS)
Monday, June 9, 2014
Monday Newsline:Japan's Strength;Sony's Morpheus;Daniel Ricciardo
Asian shares were cheered by good data from Japan and China Monday morning,as well as a steady jobs report from the US on Friday.The MSCI Asia Pacific index rose 0.20%.
The Japanese economy grew a surprising amount in Q1,with the GDP up 6.7% versus an estimate of 5.6.Japanese manufacturing shares were strong,with Alps Electric up 4.0%;Panasonic up 3.0;and Hitachi Construction Machinery up 2.8.The Nikkei rose 0.41%.*
China showed strong exports in May,with a trade surplus of 35.9 billion dollars,up 7.0% on the year.It was the highest surplus since 2008.China's growth target is 7.5%.*
India's SENSEX index was up 0.6% on hopes new Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil economic reforms.*
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott will travel to Washington this week to meet with President Barack Obama.The two leaders will discuss trade,Asia-Pacific affairs and Afghanistan.Australian markets were closed Monday for the Queen's Birthday holiday.*
Sony will display its Project Morpheus PS4 virtual reality headset at the E3 electronic entertainment show in Las Vegas this week.The Morpheus is a response to Facebook's Oculus headset.Sony has sold two million more Playstation 4 consoles than Microsoft's Xbox 1.
The Sony Morpheus headset is more physically attractive than the Facebook Oculus,which could be a significant edge in itself.The Morpheus features a sleeker,more stylish and space age design than the boxy Oculus.*
In sport,South Korea's Inbee Park notched another LPGA victory at the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic in Waterloo,Ontario.Park shot an incredible 23 under par 61 to edge American Kristie Kerr and her 20 under par 63.China's Shanshan Feng was third with an 18 under par 63.
In motor racing,Australia's Daniel Ricciardo,24,sped to the first victory of the season for Red Bull Racing,while his teammate,World Champion Sebastian Vettel,took third at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.It was also Ricciardo's first F1 victory,while Vettel has yet to win this year.Germany's Nico Rosberg of Mercedes AMG came in second on the podium.*
Sony(SNY),Panasonic(Tokyo:6752;US OTC:PCRFY),Facebook(FB)
The Japanese economy grew a surprising amount in Q1,with the GDP up 6.7% versus an estimate of 5.6.Japanese manufacturing shares were strong,with Alps Electric up 4.0%;Panasonic up 3.0;and Hitachi Construction Machinery up 2.8.The Nikkei rose 0.41%.*
China showed strong exports in May,with a trade surplus of 35.9 billion dollars,up 7.0% on the year.It was the highest surplus since 2008.China's growth target is 7.5%.*
India's SENSEX index was up 0.6% on hopes new Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil economic reforms.*
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott will travel to Washington this week to meet with President Barack Obama.The two leaders will discuss trade,Asia-Pacific affairs and Afghanistan.Australian markets were closed Monday for the Queen's Birthday holiday.*
Sony will display its Project Morpheus PS4 virtual reality headset at the E3 electronic entertainment show in Las Vegas this week.The Morpheus is a response to Facebook's Oculus headset.Sony has sold two million more Playstation 4 consoles than Microsoft's Xbox 1.
The Sony Morpheus headset is more physically attractive than the Facebook Oculus,which could be a significant edge in itself.The Morpheus features a sleeker,more stylish and space age design than the boxy Oculus.*
In sport,South Korea's Inbee Park notched another LPGA victory at the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic in Waterloo,Ontario.Park shot an incredible 23 under par 61 to edge American Kristie Kerr and her 20 under par 63.China's Shanshan Feng was third with an 18 under par 63.
In motor racing,Australia's Daniel Ricciardo,24,sped to the first victory of the season for Red Bull Racing,while his teammate,World Champion Sebastian Vettel,took third at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.It was also Ricciardo's first F1 victory,while Vettel has yet to win this year.Germany's Nico Rosberg of Mercedes AMG came in second on the podium.*
Sony(SNY),Panasonic(Tokyo:6752;US OTC:PCRFY),Facebook(FB)
Friday, June 6, 2014
Today's European Issues on President's Mind-plus a Jim Kelly update
On the eve of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Europe by the D-Day invasion,the President of the United States reflected on a number of controversies in Europe today,and also on the release of a US soldier,Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl,by Taliban militants in Afghanistan.We are at a point where Mr.Putin has a chance to get back in the lane of international law,said President Barack Obama at a Thursday press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron in Brussels,Begium.If Mr.Putin takes those steps,it is possible for us to begin to rebuild trust.The fact that some Russian troops have withdrawn from the Ukrainian border does not mean we can afford three or four or six months of drift.
I have no doubt I'll be seeing President Putin at the D-Day observances.He and I have always had a businesslike relationship.I will be delivering the same message:Russia has a legitimate interest,but it's up to the people of Ukraine to make its own decision.The destabilising actions we now see,funded and encouraged by Russia,are unacceptable.If he continues undermining the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine,we will have no choice but to impose more sanctions,Mr.Obama indicated.*
On the issue of Scotland possibly leaving the United Kingdom,he noted that,from the outside at least,it looks as if the UK-Scotland union has worked pretty well,but ultimately that is for the people of Scotland to decide.As to Britain possibly leaving the European Union,it's important for us to know that Great Britain has a seat at the table of the larger European project.It's hard for me to imagine that project would go well without Great Britain.I'm sure the people of Great Britain will make the right decision.*
I'm never surprised by controversies that are whipped up in Washington,the President continued.We had a prisoner of war whose health had deteriorated,and we had an opportunity and we seized it,and I make no apologies for that.This basic principle that we don't leave anybody behind dates back to the beginning of the Republic.As Commander in Chief,I am responsible for these kids.I write too many letters to folks who don't get to see their children again.We don't condition whether we make the effort to get someone back,the President explained.*
Jim Kelly update:A large crowd of Buffalo Bills great Jim Kelly's friends and former NFL colleagues gathered in the Buffalo suburb of Batavia,New York Tuesday for the 28th Jim Kelly Celebrity Classic,the annual charity golf tournament of the Kelly for Kids Foundation.Jim is still in a Buffalo hospital recovering from six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatments for his recurrent oral cancer that has spread into his sinus area.
Jim's pain has subsided,older brother Dan Kelly said,but he will still need 6-8 weeks more rest after about another week in hospital,before he can be tested to determine how successful his treatment has been.
This year's tournament should raise more than 250,000 dollars,according to Dan.The Foundation has donated more than five million to regional charities since its inception.
I have no doubt I'll be seeing President Putin at the D-Day observances.He and I have always had a businesslike relationship.I will be delivering the same message:Russia has a legitimate interest,but it's up to the people of Ukraine to make its own decision.The destabilising actions we now see,funded and encouraged by Russia,are unacceptable.If he continues undermining the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine,we will have no choice but to impose more sanctions,Mr.Obama indicated.*
On the issue of Scotland possibly leaving the United Kingdom,he noted that,from the outside at least,it looks as if the UK-Scotland union has worked pretty well,but ultimately that is for the people of Scotland to decide.As to Britain possibly leaving the European Union,it's important for us to know that Great Britain has a seat at the table of the larger European project.It's hard for me to imagine that project would go well without Great Britain.I'm sure the people of Great Britain will make the right decision.*
I'm never surprised by controversies that are whipped up in Washington,the President continued.We had a prisoner of war whose health had deteriorated,and we had an opportunity and we seized it,and I make no apologies for that.This basic principle that we don't leave anybody behind dates back to the beginning of the Republic.As Commander in Chief,I am responsible for these kids.I write too many letters to folks who don't get to see their children again.We don't condition whether we make the effort to get someone back,the President explained.*
Jim Kelly update:A large crowd of Buffalo Bills great Jim Kelly's friends and former NFL colleagues gathered in the Buffalo suburb of Batavia,New York Tuesday for the 28th Jim Kelly Celebrity Classic,the annual charity golf tournament of the Kelly for Kids Foundation.Jim is still in a Buffalo hospital recovering from six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatments for his recurrent oral cancer that has spread into his sinus area.
Jim's pain has subsided,older brother Dan Kelly said,but he will still need 6-8 weeks more rest after about another week in hospital,before he can be tested to determine how successful his treatment has been.
This year's tournament should raise more than 250,000 dollars,according to Dan.The Foundation has donated more than five million to regional charities since its inception.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Tech and Oil Deals;Inflation Rising
I am looking for tech deals and oil deals,said CNBC host Jim Cramer.Oracle should buy Concur Solutions-it's such a great company,I can't believe it's still independent.Anadarko Petroleum's now a clear story.It's one of the great oil stocks that's been held back by litigation.
Hillshire Brands-this is Sara Lee.Sara Lee,congratulations."We break out Hillshire Brands and we see the hidden value in Hillshire." Now Pilgrim's Pride and Tyson Foods want to acquire Hillshire.
With Twitter,a lot of what's going on is,people realise the shares lockup has expired.If you can make Twitter into something that you don't have to tweet,but still use as your personal news service,then I am positive on Twitter.*
There's been significant buying of Interpublic Group,and people are saying it's by Elliot Management Group,points out Cramer's colleague David Faber;while Beats was bought by Apple for three billion.Apple seeks the most innovative products and services.They got Dr.Dre and Tommy Iovine in the Beats deal.It's a play for wearable tech.*
Fundamentally,inflation is picking up across the board,said John Brynjolfsson of Armored Wolf Investments.Wage inflation is picking up.
I don't think Fed policy has untimately changed the laws of physics.It doesn't make sense to have a zero percent Fed funds rate.It's not a logical equilibrium.I'm long bunds right now,short treasuries.I'm very uncomfortable with the size of the Fed's balance sheet.It can't get out of hand.That's why it's better to tighten sooner,rather than later.*
Apple(AAPL),Hillshire Brands(HSH),Anadarko Petroleum(APC)
Hillshire Brands-this is Sara Lee.Sara Lee,congratulations."We break out Hillshire Brands and we see the hidden value in Hillshire." Now Pilgrim's Pride and Tyson Foods want to acquire Hillshire.
With Twitter,a lot of what's going on is,people realise the shares lockup has expired.If you can make Twitter into something that you don't have to tweet,but still use as your personal news service,then I am positive on Twitter.*
There's been significant buying of Interpublic Group,and people are saying it's by Elliot Management Group,points out Cramer's colleague David Faber;while Beats was bought by Apple for three billion.Apple seeks the most innovative products and services.They got Dr.Dre and Tommy Iovine in the Beats deal.It's a play for wearable tech.*
Fundamentally,inflation is picking up across the board,said John Brynjolfsson of Armored Wolf Investments.Wage inflation is picking up.
I don't think Fed policy has untimately changed the laws of physics.It doesn't make sense to have a zero percent Fed funds rate.It's not a logical equilibrium.I'm long bunds right now,short treasuries.I'm very uncomfortable with the size of the Fed's balance sheet.It can't get out of hand.That's why it's better to tighten sooner,rather than later.*
Apple(AAPL),Hillshire Brands(HSH),Anadarko Petroleum(APC)
Monday, June 2, 2014
Monday Newsline:Good Data Encourages Asia;Matsuyama Wins
Several Asian markets were closed Monday for the Dragon Boat Festival,including China,Hong Kong and Taiwan.Of those that did open,the Nikkei rose strongly,up 2.07% on good reports.Japanese capex rose 7.4% in Q1,and the Nikkei saw its first monthly gain in five months in May.*
The China PMI indicated that factory activity increased by the most in five months,although home prices were down slightly on the month.Asian markets were also impressed by the record high achieved by the S&P 500 Index last week.The ASX 200 rose 0.47% and the KOSPI was up 0.35%.Indian stocks also gained,rising 1.0%.
Gross operating profits rose 3.0% on the quarter in Australia,helping the stock market there.
Overall,a positive economic climate is encouraging equity investors worldwide.*
In sport,the young Japanese golfer Hideki Matsuyama,22,sent cheer to his nation as he defeated American Kevin Na in a playoff at The Memorial Tournament in Dublin,Ohio.It was his first victory on US soil,and the first ever win by a Japanese golfer at the prestigious PGA event.
Australian Will Power won the first of two Indycar races comprising the Chevrolet Belle Isle Detroit Grand Prix on Saturday,and came in second in the Sunday race,maintaining his lead in the overall Indycar Series standings.Helio Castroneves of Brazil won Sunday's race.Both drivers are members of Team Penske.
The China PMI indicated that factory activity increased by the most in five months,although home prices were down slightly on the month.Asian markets were also impressed by the record high achieved by the S&P 500 Index last week.The ASX 200 rose 0.47% and the KOSPI was up 0.35%.Indian stocks also gained,rising 1.0%.
Gross operating profits rose 3.0% on the quarter in Australia,helping the stock market there.
Overall,a positive economic climate is encouraging equity investors worldwide.*
In sport,the young Japanese golfer Hideki Matsuyama,22,sent cheer to his nation as he defeated American Kevin Na in a playoff at The Memorial Tournament in Dublin,Ohio.It was his first victory on US soil,and the first ever win by a Japanese golfer at the prestigious PGA event.
Australian Will Power won the first of two Indycar races comprising the Chevrolet Belle Isle Detroit Grand Prix on Saturday,and came in second in the Sunday race,maintaining his lead in the overall Indycar Series standings.Helio Castroneves of Brazil won Sunday's race.Both drivers are members of Team Penske.
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