Oct
30
Posted on 30-10-2008
Filed Under (Uncategorized) by ryan
October 30, 2008 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
Fortune Brands (NYSE:FO) boasts a stable of leading brands in the distilled spirits, golf and home & hardware product categories, but lately, all the company has to show for its far-flung business interests is a mixed bag of operating results.
Oct
30
October 30, 2008 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
Home appliance giant Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) posted third quarter results on Tuesday Oct. 28, 2008 and its numbers provided further indication of an abrupt slowdown of the global economy. Like others in the industry, Whirlpool has been dealing with the downturn by significantly cutting production and reducing other costs. While Whirlpool’s earnings are not entirely dismal, another metric shows that the company is reeling from the the volatile combination of declining consumer demand and increasing raw materials costs.
Oct
28
Posted on 28-10-2008
Filed Under (Uncategorized) by ryan
October 29, 2008 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
Despite Mr. Market’s fearful state and beastly ravaging of share prices of firms in various industries, many operators in the healthcare sector are seeing business fundamentals hold up quite well. Topping the list is Sigma-Aldrich (Nasdaq:SIAL), which reported steady third quarter results on Tuesday, October 21. The company possesses a number of appealing qualities that should help it withstand even the most dour global economic conditions.
Oct
24
October 24, 2008 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
Many third quarter earnings releases are filled with references to “extraordinary” financial conditions, “unprecedented” challenges not seen since the 1930s and attempts to avoid “outright panic” when it comes to preserving existing business models. In a welcome contrast to the fear gripping many management teams, McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) CEO James A. Skinner’s only macro observation during the company’s earnings conference call was “these are interesting times to be doing business”. In other words, the global burger giant continues to do well, despite global economic turmoil. After all, people still have to eat. A family can be fed at a lower cost by dining at fast food restaurants, which makes fast food restaurant chains somewhat defensive. (Read more about defensive stocks in Guard Your Portfolio with Defensive Stocks.)
Oct
23
October 23, 2008 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
Most nations would salivate at the prospect of posting high single-digit quarterly GDP growth, but China is not your ordinary country. That’s just what happened Monday when China’s National Bureau of Statistics announced 9% economic growth for its third quarter of 2008, with certain economists and investors marveling at how this compares with the negligible economic growth rates that the United States and European Union are posting these days.
Oct
21
October 21, 2008 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) bills itself as the world’s largest beverage company, and the world proved to be its oyster during the third quarter as it more than offset challenging conditions in the North American market. International market growth may prove more of an uphill battle going forward, but Coke is easily besting the competition right now and overall stock market malaise is making the share price look quite interesting at current levels.
Oct
17
October 17, 2008 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
Like other international food and beverage firms, snack food and drink giant PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP) is grappling with uncertain global economic growth prospects and volatile commodity costs. As Wednesday, October 17, 2008′s third-quarter earnings demonstrated, these factors are making it difficult for Pepsi to manage its businesses, which are usually known for posting steady results. Plus, it’s having to deal with challenging prospects in its home market, and these problems aren’t going to fizzle out anytime soon.
Oct
15
October 15, 2008 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
Friday’s third quarter earnings release from General Electric (NYSE:GE) was mostly a non-event seeing as the industrial and financial titan preannounced an earnings shortfall back on September 25. But it did demonstrate that the company should be more than able to weather any clouds on the horizon when it comes to the uncertain global economy.
Oct
10
October 10, 2008 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
Membership warehouse operator Costco (Nasdaq:COST) released second-quarter earnings October 8 that continued to demonstrate why it is one of the safest bets in retailing these days. Given the diminished value of real estate, investment accounts, higher commodity costs and anemic economic-growth prospects, consumers are looking to stretch their dollars as much as possible, and Costco is one of their primary destinations. But is it the best destination for investors?
Oct
06
October 06, 2008 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
I recently read over an S&P banking industry survey from 2006 to try and gauge if there were any indications that savvy investors could have picked up on to predict just how serious the housing meltdown would become. Here is what the survey said about mortgage volume trends at the time:
Oct
02
October 02, 2008 | by Ryan C. Fuhrmann
Last week industrial and financial giant General Electric (NYSE:GE) issued its second profit warning so far this year, citing historically volatile financial conditions. The warning was hardly a surprise given the conglomerate’s sizable financial segment and the tendency of any business associated with the term “financial” to sink like a stone in this market. Read the rest of this entry »
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