Friday, December 31, 2010
Clearwire (CLWR) Technical Stock Trading Video Chart
Today Penny Payday brings you a video chart for Clearwire (CLWR), a NASDAQ company and one of many you can find at Pennypayday.com.
Cable Providers Teaking Custmer Base during Bowl Games
Millions of people around the country could find themselves in a similar spot this weekend. As a midnight Friday deadline approaches, Sinclair Broadcast Group still doesn't have a deal with cable TV operators Time Warner Cable Inc. and Bright House Networks.However, Time Warner Cable said late Thursday that it will continue to provide all available Big 4 network programming this weekend even if Hunt Valley, Md.-based Sinclair pulls local programming, such as the evening news.
Such a plan could mean that college football fans may be able to watch Saturday's ABC broadcast of the Gators playing in the Outback bowl after all.
Without an agreement, Sinclair plans to pull its signals from those two systems. Chapel is a Bright House customer, and Sinclair owns the ABC station in Pensacola, which is carrying the Outback Bowl. Sinclair owns 32 other stations in areas of the country where Time Warner or Bright House has customers.
A last minute deal could still head off any game day disappointments.
But Joe Smith, who operates Sinclair's ABC station in Pensacola, said the outlook for Florida Gators fans in the area wasn't good. "It is quite possible we will be off out there on game day," he said.
Bright House did not return several phone messages left by The Associated Press. Time Warner has said it remained ready to negotiate.
Consumers would still be able to get the stations with an antenna if they have a digital TV or converter box, but most Americans these days get broadcast channels through subscription services such as cable TV or satellite.
Disputes such as these are cropping up more frequently as the broadcast TV industry looks for a sturdier business model. Broadcast companies used to allow cable providers to carry their channels for free and made their money selling commercial time. But they face growing competition from cable channels. And the recession drove home how quickly cash-strapped businesses will rein in ad spending.
A few months ago, in a similar dispute, Cablevision Systems Corp. customers went without Fox programming for 15 days -- missing two World Series games.
As cable providers resist higher program fees demanded by broadcasters, TV viewers are getting caught in the middle.
Montey Chapel and his sons aren't sure what they will do if they can't watch the Outback Bowl at home. "That's the biggest game of the entire day," said Chris Chapel, a Florida graduate.
Bright House subscriber Billy Dortch -- an Alabama fan, himself -- may have bad news for his fiance, who roots for Florida.
"I don't know how I will break it to her if we don't get the Florida game," he said, unloading groceries in the parking lot of Cantonment store.
Shane Wiley, dressed in a Florida Gators' sweat shirt, pulled into a parking spot nearby. Wiley said he has been a Florida fan for the last 15 years and wasn't going to let the cable dispute cause him to miss the game. He has already looked into switching from Bright House to a satellite service. If he can't do that in time, he will go to a friend's house, he said.
Jennifer Stokes' SUV is adorned with a Florida Gator on the front license plate. The Bright House subscriber said there is no way she and her large group of family and friends will miss the Outback Bowl.
"We will just go somewhere else and watch it. It's a big deal," she said.
It wasn't known how many Time Warner and Bright House subscribers are in markets served by Sinclair. Potentially affected are 33 Sinclair stations in 21 markets -- among them Fox, NBC, CBS and ABC affiliates.
However, Fox owner News Corp. has agreed to provide Time Warner with network programming in case a local station operator withholds its signal. That means Time Warner customers would still get shows such as "Glee," "House" and "The Simpsons," even if they couldn't watch the local Fox newscast.
Besides Pensacola, the potentially affected ABC stations are in Charleston, W.Va., Greensboro, N.C. and Dayton and Columbus, Ohio.
Rick Kolloff, who helps organize Penn State alumni gatherings to watch football games in the Columbus area, said he's received no questions or complaints from fans about the cable dispute. His Penn State Alumni Association chapter plans to watch the Outback Bowl at a pub that uses a satellite TV service.
"I guess I'll be interested to see whether folks that are anxious to see that game will leave their house when they normally might not have and come out and join us," he said.
Chevy Volt Sales Very Low
This was the year General Motors Co. and Nissan made good on their promise to bring mass-produced electric cars to the market. But don't count on seeing one in traffic soon. Sales so far have been microscopic and they're likely to stay that way for some time because of limited supplies.GM sold between 250 and 350 Chevy Volts this month and Nissan's sales totaled less than 10 Leaf sedans in the past two weeks. Production for both is slowly ramping up.
It will be well into 2012 before both the Volt and Leaf are available nationwide. And if you're interested in buying one, you'll need to get behind the 50,000 people already on waiting lists.
It's still unclear just how large the market for electric cars will be once those early adopters are supplied. The base sticker price is $40,280 for the Volt and $32,780 for the Leaf, much higher than most similar-sized, gas-powered cars. If those prices rise, it could make them even more of a niche product than predicted. Buyers also are worried that advertised lease deals may not last, and a federal tax rebate of $7,500 could disappear if Congress decides battery-powered cars are no longer a priority.
The Leaf is the only all-electric car on the market. It can travel about 100 miles on battery power before needing to be recharged. Using a standard outlet, that takes 16 to 18 hours. Nissan Motor Co. recommends that Leaf owners install a 220/240-volt outlet in their homes so they can recharge in about seven hours.
The Volt goes about 40 miles on battery power alone before needing to be recharged. But it comes with a backup gas engine that GM says can extend its range to 375 miles as it kicks in to recharge the batteries on the fly. GM believes the backup generator will make it a hit with customers who worry about being stranded with a dead battery.
The Volts are being assembled in Detroit. GM predicts it will sell 10,000 of them in 2011 and between 35,000 and 45,000 in 2012. By way of comparison, Chevrolet sold 187,250 Malibu sedans in the first 11 months of the year with sticker prices that start at $21,975.
Hybrids made up 2.4 percent of U.S. sales this year and the category that includes hybrids and electric cars is expected to double to 4.8 percent by 2013, according to consumer web site Edmunds.com. But electric vehicles likely will be only a small part of this total, said Michelle Krebs, senior analyst at Edmunds, and she doubts they will be big money makers for the car companies.
Rumors that GM may end on Jan. 3 the $350-a-month lease promotion it began advertising this summer sent some Volt buyers scrambling to close early. Peter Schleck, an attorney in Rockville, Md., knows his Volt is heading towards Maryland on a freight train. But he's already signed the papers making him its official owner.
GM spokesman Rob Peterson says the Volt lease terms "will extend into 2011, but I don't have the specifics on how long it will be out there." He added that the company expects to honor the deal for people who have already put down a deposit.
3 Things to Know Before the Market Opens
THE DAY AHEADDecember 31
*Many stock markets closed out the year yesterday. But of those that were open Shanghai was among the strongest, it finished up one and three quarters percent and the Hang Seng was up a fraction but Australia was down more than 0.9% on the session. Most of Europe took the day off, but the Footsie is trading and it is lower by more than one percent at the moment. US stock futures are down a fraction as I write.
*In December UK house prices were up 0.4% on a monthly and annualized basis, according to Nationwide, a small decline was the forecast for both measures.
*There’s no data today, most of the world has already closed for the year…not much left to say but, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tri Valley Corp. (TIV) Technical Stock Trading Video Chart
Today Penny Payday brings you a video chart for Tri Valley Corp. (NY: TIV), a NYSE company and one of many you can find at Pennypayday.com.
Transgenomic (OTC:TBIO) Jumps +40% on Clinical Data (NASDAQ:CLDA) Acquisition
Transgenomic (OTC:TBIO) closed the acquisition of Clinical Data, Inc.'s (Nasdaq:CLDA) diagnostic business with a sales price of $15.5 million. In addition, the company has closed on $6.0 million of financing from Third Security, LLC, a life sciences investment firm, to fund the cash portion of Transgenomic's acquisition of Clinical Data's diagnostic business. Shares of Transgenomic jumped more than 40 percent today on heavy volume. In early trading, the stock was up 20 cents at $0.70 per share on volume of nearly 300,000 shares compared to its average daily volume of only 53,000 shares.This strategic acquisition provides Transgenomic with proprietary genetic commercial tests that have an established revenue base, proprietary biomarker assays, an additional CLIA-certified laboratory operation and established test reimbursement and coverage policies that offer access to testing for an estimated 280 million patients.
Under the terms of the financing with Third Security, the Company has issued an aggregate of 2,586,205 shares of the Company's newly created Series A convertible preferred stock to certain affiliates of Third Security for an aggregate purchase price of $6.0 million. Additionally, the Company issued such affiliates of Third Security warrants to purchase an aggregate of up to 1,293,102 shares of Series A preferred stock at an exercise price of $2.32 per share. The Series A preferred shares issuable pursuant to the purchase agreement and upon exercise of the warrants are convertible into shares of the Company's common stock at a conversion price of $0.58 per share, for an aggregate of 15,517,228 million shares of common stock. Upon full exercise of the warrants, Transgenomic will receive approximately $3.0 million.
Commenting on the acquisition of Clinical Data's diagnostic business, Craig Tuttle, Chief Executive Officer of Transgenomic, said, "We are very excited about the acquisition, which strengthens our molecular diagnostics position in the marketplace, expands our commercial operation with an accomplished team that will improve our competitive position and enhances our customer support and patient care capabilities. We are also very excited about building a strategic relationship and having the support of such a respected investor as Third Security and Randal Kirk. Their knowledge of our industry will be beneficial in catapulting Transgenomic into the top tier of diagnostic providers."
Commenting on the investment, Randal Kirk, Senior Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Third Security, LLC said, "Transgenomic's strong management team, broad product offering and state-of-the-art technology position the Company for growth in a significant and underserved market. We look forward to working with Craig Tuttle and his management team to help Transgenomic expand and realize its growth plans."
Griffin Securities, Inc. acted as financial adviser and placement agent to Transgenomic on this transaction.
Transgenomic (www.transgenomic.com ) is a global biotechnology company specializing in high sensitivity genetic variation and mutation analysis, providing products and services in DNA mutation detection and discovery for clinical research, clinical molecular diagnostics and pharmacogenomics analyses.
NASA Goes with Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard has won a contract from NASA worth up to $2.5 billion. The contract was awarded Monday and calls for Hewlett-Packard to provide and manage up to $2.5 billion worth of PCs, software, peripherals, and associated end-user and IT services for the space agency over 10 years, according to a NASA press release. Specifically, HP will offer services to support NASA personnel in business, science, research, and computation.HP beat out longtime NASA contractor Lockheed Martin to pick up the lucrative project.
"Our team is disappointed that NASA selected another solution," Sheila Collins, a spokeswoman for Lockheed, said in a statement e-mailed to Bloomberg. "We submitted a 'best-value' solution based on our knowledge of the program and our understanding of NASA's mission. We continue to serve NASA on other contracts."
This isn't HP's first contract with the space agency. In 2007, the company took home a seven-year contract worth up to $5.6 billion to provide PCs, printers, and other hardware to any federal agency through NASA's Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement program.
Groupon to be Valued at Nearly $8 Billion
Groupon has filed for a Series G funding round that authorizes it to raise up to $950 million, according to a new report. The new round of funding comes just weeks after the group-buying website rejected a $6 billion acquisition offer from Google.According to VC Expert, Groupon filed for a certificate to authorize the Series G round last week (an amended certificate of incorporation) and will be filing another document next week outlining the exact amount it intends to raise.
If the report is accurate, Groupon’s post-money valuation would be somewhere between $6.4 billion to $7.8 billion. It’s not clear who is participating in the round, nor is it clear how far along Groupon is in the fundraising process. However, today’s news lays the groundwork for what could be one of the biggest venture capital rounds in history.
Groupon is a deal-of-the-day website that is localized to major geographic markets in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Launched in November 2008, the first market for Groupon was Chicago, followed soon thereafter by Boston, New York City, and Toronto. As of October 2010, Groupon serves more than 150 markets in North America and 100 markets in Europe, Asia and South America and has amassed 35 million registered users.
The idea for Groupon was created by now-CEO and Pittsburgh native Andrew Mason. The idea subsequently gained the attention of his former employer, Eric Lefkofsky, who provided $1 million in "seed money" to develop the idea. Groupon is growing fast with a projected revenue of $500 million for 2010. At just under 2-years old in April 2010, the company was valued at $1.35 billion. According to a report conducted by Groupon's marketing association and reported in Forbes Magazine', which was reported by the Wall Street Journal, Groupon is "projecting that the company is on pace to make $1 billion in sales faster than any other business, ever".
Groupon also owns several international operations, all of which were originally deal-of-the-day services similar to it, but then re-branded under the Groupon name after acquisition; these have included the European-based MyCityDeal (17 May 2010), the South American ClanDescuento (22 June 2010), the Japanese service Qpod.jp, and Russian Darberry.ru (both on 17 August 2010). Prior to these acquisitions, Groupon had bought out the mobile technology company Mob.ly.
WikiLeaks CEO Signs Book Deal
Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, will release an autobiography next year, having signed publishing deals that he told a British newspaper might be worth $1.7 million.Mr. Assange told The Sunday Times of London that he had signed an $800,000 deal with Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House, in the United States, and a $500,000 deal with Canongate books in Britain. With further rights and serialization, he told the newspaper, he expected his earnings to rise to $1.7 million.
Paul Bogaards, a spokesman for Random House, said Monday that the book would be “a complete account of his life through the present day, including the founding of WikiLeaks and the work he has done there.” The deal, Mr. Bogaards said, was initiated by one of Mr. Assange’s lawyers in mid-December and was signed in a matter of days. He would not discuss the financial terms. Canongate has not yet made a public comment but has spoken of its own deal in messages on Twitter.
“I don’t want to write this book, but I have to,” Mr. Assange told the newspaper, explaining that his legal costs in fighting extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning about allegations of sexual misconduct, have reached more than $300,000. “I need to defend myself and to keep WikiLeaks afloat,” he said.
Mr. Assange is under what he has called “high-tech house arrest” in an English mansion while he awaits hearings, beginning Jan. 11, regarding those allegations. Two women in Stockholm have accused him of rape, unlawful coercion and two counts of sexual molestation over a four-day period last August. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the matter, and has called the case “a smear campaign” led by those who seek to stop him from leaking classified government and corporate documents.
Mr. Bogaards said the Swedish allegations, with the prospect of lengthy legal proceedings and even prison time in Sweden, had not given the publishers pause before a deal was completed.
It is not yet clear what aspects of a tumultuous rise to fame Mr. Assange, a 39-year-old Australian, will cover in his book.
He is, however, likely to be beaten to the punch with his version of events inside WikiLeaks. Daniel Domscheit-Berg, a German who was formerly Mr. Assange’s deputy in the organization, will release his own memoir in mid-February. It is likely to detail a public falling out, partly over the sexual allegations against Mr. Assange in Sweden, that led to Mr. Domscheit-Berg’s leaving late last summer.
“Inside WikiLeaks: My Time With Julian Assange at the World’s Most Dangerous Website,” will “reveal the evolution, finances and inner tensions” of the organization, said an announcement last week from Crown publishers, another imprint of Random House.
Mr. Domscheit-Berg is writing the book, according to a spokeswoman for his publishers in Germany, and is also working on his own Web site to rival WikiLeaks. That site, OpenLeaks, is expected to reveal its first batch of classified secrets early next year.
5 Things you Need to Know Before Trading
*Stocks in Asia were generally higher on the session, but the Nikkei was an exception, it fell 1.1%. But Australia was up a third of a percent, Shanghai rose about the same and the Hang Seng added a fraction. European indexes are lower on the day, with the Dax down one and a quarter percent and the Footsie is off by a quarter percent. US stock futures are a fraction lower.*According to HSBC, the December reading of China’s Manufacturing Sector Purchasing Managers Index fell one point to 54.4.
*The weekly report on Initial Jobless Claims is due out at 7:30am CST, it is expected to be 415k. The December reading of the Chicago Purchasing Managers Index is due out at 8:45am CST, but three minutes earlier for the subscribers; it is forecast to be 61.0, down a bit from the November result of 62.5. The November reading of Pending Home Sales is due out at 9:00am CST and is expected to be +0.8% on a month on month basis.
*The weekly report on inventories of Natural Gas is due out at 9:30am CST, it is expected to show a decline of 143 bcf. The rest of the energy inventory data is due out at 10:00am CST. Stocks of Crude Oil are forecast to fall 2.85 million barrels, Gasoline inventories are expected to rise 1.5 million and the estimate for Distillates is -625k.
*The Kansas City Fed Manufacturing Index is due out at 10:00am CST; no estimate on the report.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
SNAP Interactive (OTC:STVI) Hits New 52-Week High
Shares of SNAP Interactive (OTC:STVI) were on the buying block today with no news. As I write, volume has skyrocketed to well over 2.5 million shares compared to its average daily volume of only about 97,000 shares. The stock jumped as high as $3.20 per share earlier (a new 52-week high) before settling at its current price of $2.65 per share. SNAP Interactive has a market cap of $93 million and a 52-week range between $0.08 and $3.20 per share.Revenue increased from $2,354,334 for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 to $3,877,209 for the nine months ended September 30, 2010, an increase of $1,522,875. Revenues increased from $801,120 for the three months ended September 30, 2009 to $1,706,691 for the three months ended September 30, 2010, an increase of $905,571.
These revenues are primarily generated from subscription fees for subscriptions to AreYouInterested.com as well as access to premium features on its products. The increase in revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 was primarily due to the implementation of subscriptions on SNAP’s AreYouInterested.com brand which took place in late 2009. In 2009 revenue was generated primarily from advertisements placed on the AreYouInterested.com Facebook application.
Net income increased to $87,289 for the three months ended September 30, 2010 from net income of $22,736 for the three months ended September 30, 2009, an increase of $64,553. Net income decreased to a net loss of $785,022 for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 from net income of $135,638 for the nine months ended September 30, 2009, a decrease of $920,660.
The decrease in net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2009 and shift to a net loss was primarily due to the revenue recognition impact of SNAP’s shift to a subscription model in which revenue is recognized on a deferred basis when subscriptions occur over more than a single month. In addition SNAP incurred increased advertising costs for user acquisition associated with the shift to a subscription model on the AreYouInterested.com brand.
SNAP Interactive is a leading provider of online dating applications for social networking websites and mobile platforms. SNAP has developed two social dating applications built on Facebook Platform which have more than 25 million installations on Facebook. SNAP's portfolio of applications for singles is highlighted by the AreYouInterested.com brand which consists of AreYouInterested.com, the AreYouInterested.com iPhone Dating Application, and the AreYouInterested.com Facebook Application.
For more information visit www.snap-interactive.com.
Granite City (Nasdaq: GCFB): +23% Investors Approve of Change in Control
Control of Granite City (Nasdaq:GCFB). is changing hands in a tentative deal announced Tuesday. The St. Louis Park-based restaurant chain said it has signed a letter of intent with Concept Development Partners LLC (CDP) for equity financing and to arrange $10 million in debt financing, Granite City said in a news release. Granite City will sell $9 million of new convertible preferred stock to CDP and buy back 3 million shares of outstanding common stock from major shareholder DHW Leasing LLC.Granite City didn’t detail how large a stake the investment would give CDP, but said that the deal would result in a change of control — Granite City’s current total market cap is $14 million. The deal must be approved by shareholders. CDP was formed by former McDonald’s executive Rob Doran and Dallas-based private equity firm CIC Partners. Doran will lead Granite City as its CEO when the deal closes, replacing current CEO Steven Wagenheim. Wagenheim will stay on with the company as president and founder. CIC Partners’ Fouad Bashour will chair Granite City’s board.
In addition, Mike Rawlings, CEO of Legends Hospitality and former president of Pizza Hut, and Louis Mucci, former CFO of BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse and chairman of PriceWaterhouseCoopers National Restaurant practice, will join Granite City’s board. Dunham Capital Management LLC, an affiliate of DHW Leasing, will reduce fixed rents on Granite City properties by $300,000 per year under the agreement.
Talisman (PINK:TMHO):
AOP Worldwide, a subsidiary of Talisman Holdings (Pinksheets:TMHO), announces that its organic fish fertilizer has received important regulatory recognition. It has been certified safe by the OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute). Also, it has been certified A as an input by the Biological Farmers of Australia and the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia. AOP Worldwide is the only fish based fertilizer that is a by-product of fresh processing of fish aimed at human consumption, and is manufactured under strict federal guidelines.
In the past, there have been advantages in using manufactured chemical fertilizers. However, as we now realize, this has been at the expense of the environment and depletion of many soil elements. The continued application of only concentrated chemicals on the soil has reduced much of the biological life that contributes to the efficient utilization of many plant nutrients.
AOP Worldwide fish hydrolysate is an all organic, highly nutritional protein fertilizer, made utilizing naturally occurring enzymes present in fresh fish. It is produced using a cold process employing enzymes (natural biological catalysts) which break down fish, or fish frames (the part left after the fillet is removed for human consumption) to simpler protein complexes. This process is called hydrolysis.
No synthetic materials are mixed into the fish hydrolysate, and the only manipulation the product undergoes is grinding and hydrolysis. This process yields a stable, non-odorous, liquid fertilizer that is an easy to use, safe product. The nitrogen in AOP's fish fertilizer is derived from fish protein in the form of amino acids which when added to the soil; slowly break down into basic nitrogen compounds. While a percentage of nitrogen becomes soluble due to the nature of the manufacturing process, no inorganic nitrogen has been added.
AOP Worldwide hydrolyzed fish fertilizer does no biological damage to the soil and will promote the growth of beneficial bacteria making the soil less compact and better able to drain, yet hold moisture better for future plant use as it is needed. With our cold process, the vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, and growth hormones are not damaged or destroyed. Because no proteins are removed, the nutrients remain in the soil longer, and lower N-P-K rates can be used to meet or exceed the results obtained by chemicals with much higher rates. In addition to being approved for use in organic agriculture and home and garden use, and certified as safe by the review and listing authorities, other advantages to using hydrolyzed fish fertilizer are that it rebuilds soil, gives excellent plant growth with increased yields, and is made from a renewable aquatic resource.
"These certifications affirm our objectives of helping to feed the world in a safe, responsible manner, while recognizing our obligations to future generations. We appreciate and understand our responsibilities as a world leader in our field," stated David Long, Company President.
Disclosure
iPad2 on the Way
We know the iPad 2 is coming--be it a feeling in your bones, a sign in the wind, or because it's typical of Apple's normal hardware update pattern. Now we have enough rumors to give us a shape to the idea, and hints about what it'll be like.Numerous leaked iPad 2 cases have arrived from China, and though the first ones were viewed suspiciously, enough have now arrived to suggest that Apple has shared some basic dimension data with its third-party manufacturer partners.
iPad 2 is going to be slightly smaller than iPad 1, but much slimmer--that's the big take-away, which may imply that it's lighter than the first generation device (to tackle one of the few criticisms of the tablet). Its back is also flat, so it can rest on a table and not rock around when you tap at its screen, and the edges seem to be styled similarly to the iPod Touch so it keeps design consistency. One thing we don't know is what it'll be made of? Part of the shaping of the iPad 1 was due to milling inside its aluminum casing designed to make it stiff, but thin and light. With a flat back to the iPad 2 the risk is that the rear face may flex if it's made of thin aluminum, which is a design trick Apple is unlikely to tolerate. To compensate for this, Apple could either incorporate clever structural elements inside the device (which risk impinging on space that could be better used for battery) or use a different material. Will we see a carbon-fiber iPad?
One of the other criticisms of the iPad (although you can level it at other tablets too) is that jabbing at its screen leaves you with hundreds of greasy finger smudges. This is something that Apple, which is hypersensitive to questions of look/feel/user experience, has worked on and new rumors suggest the iPad 2's touchscreen--which will be the same physical size at 9.7 inches as the existing iPad's--will be both smudge-proof and anti-glare. If Apple manages this, it'll improve both the day-time and night-time use of the iPad, and give it a big leg-up in the battle with Amazon.
The leaked case designs sparked many rumors about the ports the iPad 2 will have because of an enlarged slot where the existing speaker ports are on the iPad. At first people connected a rumor that the iPad 2 will have an SD card slot with the enlarged hole in the case, but thinking has now centered on some better speakers, with a slightly re-positioned grille--possibly driven by the thinner profile of the device.
The iPad 2 will definitely have a rear-facing camera, given the holes in the top-left corner (seen from the back) in the leaked case designs. The size of the orifice is close to a centimeter, which is bigger than the hole found in front of the camera on a MacBook, or in the front of an iPhone 4--both units are low resolution ones. The iPad 2's camera may even be higher resolution than that on the rear of the iPhone 4 (a 5-megapixel unit with autofocus), or it may have elements like an optical zoom that need more space.
The cases we've seen this far don't impinge on the front of the iPad, so they don't interfere with the touchscreen, so this doesn't tell us anything about a front-facing camera. It would seem logical for the iPad to get one, though, so Apple can push its FaceTime video calling system further.
Apple's A4 chip, now in the iPhone 4 and Apple TV, was the iPad's secret sauce, so it makes sense that Apple would push the tech in the iPad 2. Now there are strong rumors that the iPad 2 will get a dual-core CPU, certainly based on ARM tech and probably using a Cortex A9 reference design. This decision would allow Apple to significantly boost the processing (and graphics) power of the iPad without pushing the clock speed up too high or sucking too much precious power from the battery.
New rumors suggest the iPad 2 will come in three versions, not two like the current edition. The tech in each will be Wi-Fi only, UMTS, and CDMA, manufactured in a ratio of 3:4:3 to match expectations of sales of CDMA units and informed by current sales patterns of the iPad.
Did we say CDMA? Oh yes. Paralleling rumors that Apple's embracing the 3G (ish) tech that Verizon uses for its U.S. cell phone network, it seems the iPad will also be available natively on Verizon. This is one sure-fire way for Apple to seize huge swathes of the U.S. tablet market in 2011 all to itself.
Foxconn is reported as being ready to ship about 500,000 iPads as soon as the end of February 2011--only about 10 weeks away. This could imply Apple is bringing the device to market sooner rather than later, in order to stem the tide of Android tablets expected next year.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Target Development Group, Inc. (TDGI) Technical Stock Trading Video Chart
Today Penny Payday brings you a video chart for Target Development Group, Inc. (TDGI), a PINKSHEET/OTCBB company and one of many you can find at Pennypayday.com.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Fresh Harvest Products, Inc. (FRHV.OB) Technical Stock Trading Video Chart
Today Penny Payday brings you a video chart for Fresh Harvest Products, Inc. (FRHV), a PINKSHEET/OTCBB company and one of many you can find at Pennypayday.com.
Snow Storm Pummeling East
A powerful East Coast blizzard menaced would-be travelers by air, rail and highway Monday, leaving thousands without a way to get home after the holidays and shutting down major airports and rail lines for a second day. Officials urged anyone who did not have to drive to stay off roads in the region, where high winds pushed snow into deep drifts across streets, railroads and runways. Nearly a foot and a half of snow was expected to fall by the time the storm wore out later in the day.In Monmouth County, N.J., state troopers carried water and food to diabetics marooned on two passenger buses carrying about 50 people on the Garden State Parkway, where stranded cars cluttering ramps stymied snow plows and ambulances, state police spokesman Steve Jones told NBC's "Today" show. One bus was freed by 7 a.m. and the other was expected to be out soon, he said. Passengers reported no major medical problems.
In New York City, hundreds of travelers dozed Monday in Long Island Rail Road train cars frozen at the platform. Others lay like refugees at the entrance to the train link to Kennedy Airport and stood helpless at the ticket office, waiting in vain for good news to flash on the schedule screens. Hours went by without a single train leaving with passengers.
Buses were knocked out as well, cabs were little more than a myth and those who tried walking out of the station were assailed with a hard, frigid wind that made snowflakes sting like needles.
"They tried, but they can't do much with this snow. It's just not stopping," said Sharray Jones, 20, headed home to Long Island after visiting friends.
In Philadelphia, cab driver Farid Senoussaoui, 33, described navigating the slippery conditions as "like a video game." Senoussaoui had worked overnight during the storm and said passengers were universally grateful when he would stop to pick them up.
"The first word you hear is, 'Thank you very much," Senoussaoui said.
In New England, many commuters appeared to be heeding the call to stay off the roads. In greater Boston, highways into the city were nearly abandoned early Monday as many workers were given the day off and others were on vacation for the holiday week.
The blizzard-like conditions wreaked havoc on travelers from the Carolinas to Maine.
Airlines scrambled to rebook passengers on thousands of canceled flights -- more than 1,400 out of the New York City area's three major airports alone -- but said they didn't expect normal service to resume until Tuesday. Amtrak canceled train service from New York to Maine after doing the same earlier for several trains in Virginia.
The Long Island Rail Road, the nation's largest commuter rail system, also suspended service. Bus companies canceled routes up and down the East Coast, and drivers faced hazardous travel conditions -- sometimes with close to zero visibility.
New York City's John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports remain closed Monday, as was northern New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport. A spokesman said Boston's Logan International Airport could take days to get back to normal.
Wind gusts of up to 80 mph knocked out power to thousands. Utilities reported about 30,000 customers were out in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, mostly on Cape Cod and south of Boston.
In Wells, Maine, police say a 59-year-old man died several hours after his pickup crashed into a tree during whiteout conditions Sunday night.
Peter Iarossi, a train conductor for MBCR, which operates commuter rail trains for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, saw his normal 15-minute commute stretch to an hour because of the blizzard conditions.
He woke up extra early and was sitting in his idling car at the railyard an hour before his 6:45 a.m. train was to leave to start its run to Boston.
"You're here to bring the people to Boston," Iarossi said. "You don't have an option. People count on you -- especially in bad weather."
Emergency room nurse Tiffany Lema, at Newport Hospital in Rhode Island, said her normally 45-minute commute from Cranston, just south of Providence, was an awful two hours, made all the more harrowing when her husband's truck couldn't get up and over the Newport Bridge. They made a U-turn and parked near an E-ZPass electronic toll payment office, where her father-in-law picked her up and drove her the rest of the way.
"I wasn't going to jump out at any point, so we just turned it around. It was kind of scary," said Lema, who planned to spend the night at the hospital with other nurses. "You could see the car in front of you but not over the hill, not over the bridge."
A blizzard warning, which is issued when snow is accompanied by sustained winds or gusts over 35 mph for three hours, was in effect early Monday from Delaware to the far northern tip of Maine. The storm was expected to bring its heaviest snowfall in the pre-dawn hours Monday, sometimes dumping 2 to 4 inches an hour. A total of 12 to 16 inches was expected across nearly all of Rhode Island, Connecticut and eastern Massachusetts, though forecasters said winds of 50 mph could create much deeper snow drifts.
States of emergency were declared in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Maine and Massachusetts, where Gov. Deval Patrick urged people who did not have to be on the roads to stay home, to ensure their safety and that of work crews. Nonessential state workers were told to stay home Monday.
In Boston, Mayor Thomas Menino declared a snow emergency that bans parking on all major streets, and the New England Aquarium bubble-wrapped its four 5-foot-tall penguin ice sculptures to protect them from the wind and snow.
More than 2,400 sanitation workers were working in 12-hour shifts to clear New York City's 6,000 miles of streets.
The monster storm is the result of a low pressure system off the North Carolina coast and strengthened as it moved northeast, the National Weather Service said. Because of it, parts of the South had their first white Christmas since records have been kept.
3 Things to Know Before Trading
Stocks were mixed in Asian trade. The Shanghai was particularly weak, down 1.9% in the wake of the China rate hike, however, the Hang Seng was closed; Australia fell about a half percent but the Nikkei was up three quarters of a percent. Europe is generally weak with the Dax off about 1.5%; UK markets are closed so that people can shop. US stock futures are down about 0.4%.*On Christmas Day China hiked interest on their key one-year lending and deposit rates by 0.25%; the move puts the rates at 5.81% and 2.75% respectively. More rate hikes are anticipated during the first half of next year.
*The December reading of the Dallas Fed Manufacturing Activity Index is due out at 9:30am CST, it is expected to improve fractionally to 17.0.
*The Treasury plans to sell $35 billion 2 Year Notes today; the results of the auction will be announced just after noon CST.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Were the Bears Wrong or Just Early
With only a few days remaining in 2010, we can now say with some degree of confidence that it was a good year for both the stock market and US economy. Not great, but good.That means we can also say that the bears were wrong.
And that's saying something. Because coming into this year, pretty much everyone was convinced the US was headed for hell in a handbasket. And that means pretty much everyone was wrong.
But what most bears will tell you these days is that they weren't wrong--they were just early. All the horrible things the bears were predicting, the bears will say, are still going to happen, they're just not going to happen as quickly as they thought they would. For example, the bears will continue, you just wait until next year. The US is still Japan--an empire in decline, in the midst of two or three "lost decades." And the recent stock market revival is just a "sucker's rally" in the midst of a long-term bear market. And so on.
So will the bears finally win in 2011?
That remains to be seen.
I find the "two-decade workout" argument compelling. The golden economy and bull markets of 1980-2007 were fueled in large part by massive borrowing by both consumers and the government. The new forced "austerity," I think, will lead to slower growth and weak asset performance. Houses and the stock market are, even now, expensive by historical measures. So I think the future is likely to bring more high unemployment and disappointing returns.
Dan Gross, however, is more optimistic. He points out that there are important differences between the US and Japan. By bouncing back from the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, the U.S. has, once again, demonstrated its resilience. And I certainly wouldn't disagree with him on that.
In any event, 2010 was a good year for the bulls. For the sake of all of us, here's hoping we get more of the same in 2011.
Is Bank of America Next Target for WikiLeaks
For weeks Bank of America has been the rumored next target of Wikileaks. Founder Julian Assange, without naming the actual bank, has said he has major revelations to come in the new year that may cause the head of a large U.S. bank to resign.If BofA is indeed the center of the scandal, it's one more potentially huge embarrassment for the beleaguered bank. Interestingly, its shares are up about 18% since the rumors started. The stock also rose Wednesday after false reports that Assange had specifically named BofA as his target.
Whether or not the allegations are as damaging as Assange claims, Wikileaks will likely have an impact on the way corporations conduct business, says Sydney Finkelstein, professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. This could mean the beginning of the end of email.
"People say things in emails -- still, even in 2010 -- say things that you know you really shouldn't say," he tells Aaron in this interview. "You're very blunt and you're not careful, you're not guarded."
Wikileaks also highlights the vulnerability of all corporations and governments, no matter how large. "What Julian Assange did, technologically, is not that complicated," he says. "Everyone's got to be concerned about that right now."
It also highlights the failure of journalism in uncovering the biggest stories. Now, whether Wikileaks is journalism or espionage is a valid question.
National Holdings (OTC:NHLD) PIPE for $0.50 per Share
National Holdings Corporation (OTC:NHLD) has been very active today, jumping 25% to $0.35 per share on very heavy volume of nearly 1.4 million shares. NHLD is a holding company for National Securities Corporation, vFinance Investments, Inc., EquityStation, Inc., National Asset Management, Inc., and National Insurance Corporation. National Securities, vFinance and EquityStation are broker-dealers registered with the SEC, and members of FINRA and SIPC. vFinance is also a member of the NFA. The three principal lines of business of the broker-dealers are offering full service retail brokerage; providing investment banking, merger, acquisition and advisory services to micro, small and mid-cap high growth companies; and trading securities, including making markets in over 4,000 micro and small-cap stock, distributing direct market access platforms, and providing liquidity in the United States Treasury marketplace. National Asset Management is a federally-registered investment advisor. National Insurance provides a full array of fixed insurance products to its clients.
On December 13, 2010, NHLD raised aggregate gross proceeds of $1,035,000 pursuant to a private placement of securities. NHLD entered into a subscription agreements with thirteen accredited investors, pursuant to which the Company sold and issued to the Investors an aggregate of 2,070,000 units at a purchase price of $0.50 per Unit. Each Unit is comprised of (i) one share of our common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and (ii) a five-year warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock at a per share exercise price of $0.50 per share.
A total of 2,070,000 shares of Common Stock were issued in the Private Placement. In addition, Investor Warrants to purchase a total of 2,070,000 of Common Stock at the exercise price of $0.50 per share were issued pursuant to such closing. Investors were granted certain piggyback registration rights with respect to the shares of Common Stock purchased by them, including those underlying the Investor Warrants.
The Company received net proceeds of approximately $948,000 after payment of $62,100 of cash commissions to the placement agent of the Private Placement and other offering expenses and related costs in connection with the Private Placement. In addition, NHLD issued to the Placement Agent five-year warrants to purchase an aggregate of 200,000 shares of Common Stock, at an exercise price of $0.50 per share.
Twitter Fund Expected to Return +15-20%
Starting in February, a group of very bold hedge fund managers are launching a multi-million dollar hedge fund whose strategy relies on one very unusual market indicator: your Twitter account.London-based hedge fund Derwent Capital Markets said it had successfully marketed a new venture to a series of high-net worth clients that makes investment choices using information gathered from over 100 million daily tweets.
Simply put: the fund mines the Twitter-verse to gauge market sentiment, and that information-which the firm futuristically brands as "The 4th Dimension" is used to drive the portfolio's holdings.
The 'Twitter Fund', officially marketed to clients as the Derwent Absolute Return Fund, has already attracted at least £25 million in investments, according to the fund's manager Paul Hawtin-who is also the firm's founder. And it is currently in discussions to hire John Bollen, an Indiana University professor who has championed academic theories linking market performance to Twitter moods.
In all, it's a bold strategy, with even bolder profit expectations.
Hawtin is confident he can achieve annual returns of 15-20 percent for the fund. But he hopes that's just the beginning. "I believe with the Twitter indicator (once fully optimized) we can achieve even better annual returns," he said in an emailed statement.
But even if the fund doesn't return a dime on its money, it may have already made history. Hawtin believes the Derwent Absolute Return Fund is the first ever "to use real time mood analysis as a major part of the investment decision process."
An informal search of publicly available hedge fund strategies seems to confirm that.
Asking investors to park millions in an investment vehicle that relies on the random musings of 190-plus million Twitter accounts was not without its challenges.
Hawtin says that investors were initially worried that the fund was simply going long or short based on its Twitter analysis. However, he says it's a more nuanced process than that. "Once they understand it's a far more sophisticated system they then realize the potential," he said.
Whether or not the fund can return on its lofty profit promises remains to be seen, but whatever the fund's future may be, it is sure to open the door for a new round of quantitative experimentation-as the investment world looks for new ways to profit from the endlessly vast amount of information streaming to blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites every second of every day.
Apricus Biosciences (APRI) Technical Stock Trading Video Chart
Today Penny Payday brings you a video chart for Apricus Biosciences (APRI), a NASDAQ company and one of many you can find at Pennypayday.com.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Can Little Fockers and True Grit Save Hollywood
It is just days until another holiday weekend and Hollywood is hoping you’ve already thought about what box office blockbusters are on your movie list. But if the upcoming weekend is anything like the last six weekends, box office sales will continue to fall and may fall short of 2009’s $10.6 billion in gross revenues.Despite the economy starting to pick up and holiday retail sales on track to beat 2009 by a long run, movie attendance is down about 14% this holiday season compared to last.
Paul Dergarabedian, president of Hollywood.com’s Box-office Division, attributes falling attendance to fewer and fewer “home runs” at the box office. “You can’t depend on audience just to go to a movie theatre just to get out of the rain,” he tells Aaron in this clip. “They have to want to go there to see a movie.”
If there any movies worth considering over the next few days, Dergarabedian suggests “True Grit” starring Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon, "Gulliver’s Travels" starring Jack Black for the kids and for a good laugh “Little Fockers.”
Total gross revenues for 2010 stood at $10.1 billion as of Sunday. Despite fewer bums in seats, Dergarabedian predicts that this year’s revenues will outpace last year's – but only slightly -- due to higher ticket prices, which on average cost $7.85 each, according to Hollywood.com.
So, what will be the movie that saves this holiday weekend? Dergarabedian says “Little Fockers.”
“I’ve seen the movie and I wanted to go in hating it and I actually really like it,” he said. “I laughed through the whole movie.”
INSMED (INSM)Technical Stock Trading Video Chart
Today Penny Payday brings you a video chart for Insmed (INSM), a NASDAQ company and one of many you can find at Pennypayday.com.
Horiyoshi (OTC:HHWW) Gets $5M at $1.90 per Share from PIPE
Horiyoshi Worldwide (OTC:HHWW) announced on Monday that it has successfully completed a $5,000,000 equity financing with Milan based investment group, Zyndy Trade Corp. Shares of Horiyoshi Worldwide are up more than 3 percent in early trading today on moderate volume. As I write, the stock is up 5 cents at $1.58 per share on volume of 400,000 shares. Horiyoshi Worldwide has a market cap of $95 million and a 52-week range between $1.03 and $3.25 per share.The Company closed the initial $2,000,000 on December 2, 2010 and on Monday received the final balance of $3,000,000 to close the financing. The net proceeds of $5,000,000 is now in the corporate treasury and will be used to expand the Company's primary business, Horiyoshi the Third.
Under the terms of the agreement, the closing of this final drawdown consisted of the issuance of 1,580,137 restricted shares of common stock at the issuance price of $1.89857, pursuant to the pricing provisions of the agreement.
Horiyoshi Worldwide designs, manufactures, and markets Horiyoshi the Third (HIII) - a high end clothing and accessories product line based on the artistry of Japanese Tattoo Artist, Yoshihito Nakano (Horiyoshi III). The Company is rapidly expanding its distribution platform with the line currently being sold in approximately 45 luxury retail boutiques located in 25 cities worldwide. Debuting in Fall 2009 - HIII has been featured in leading fashion publications such as the New York Times, International Herald Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, Anotherman Magazine, Vogue and Style.com.
For more information on Horiyoshi the Third, visit: www.horiyoshi-thethird.com
Hythiam (OTC:HYTM) Jumps +30% on Heavy Volume
Shares of Hythiam (OTC:HYTM) were on the buying block today jumping more than 30 percent in early trading on heavy volume. As I write, the stock is up nearly 4 cents at $0.15 per share on volume of more than 881,000 shares compared to its average daily volume of about 312,000 shares. Hythiam has a market cap of $26 million and a 52-week range between $0.01 and $0.64 per share.Hythiam provides through its Catasys subsidiary, specialized behavioral health management services to health plans, employers and unions through a network of licensed and company managed health care providers. The Catasys substance dependence program was designed to address substance dependence as a chronic disease.
The program seeks to lower costs and improve member health through the delivery of integrated medical and psychosocial interventions in combination with long term care coaching, including their proprietary treatment program for alcoholism and stimulant dependence. Hythiam does not practice medicine or manufacture, distribute, or sell any medications and has no relationship with any manufacturers or distributors of medications used in the program.
For further information, please visit www.hythiam.com.
Blockbuster Still Closing Doors in 2011
Blockbuster plans to close another 182 stores in the next few months according to a report. The move is part of a restructure designed to return the company to profitability under the protection of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which it filed for in September. The latest closures come after the once dominant DVD rental giant also shuttered more than 2,000 stores over the past two years.Blockbuster’s decline and fall has been largely attributed to the rise of Netflix and Redbox vending machines. Apple’s iTunes on-demand movie rental service is also thought to have had an impact.
In the last several weeks, Blockbuster has appeared to ramp up its advertising with the promotion "Less Waiting. More Watching."
Last week its Blockbuster Express kiosk business announced a partnership with Warner Bros, and earlier in the month said it would begin testing renting select DVDs the day they are released for home purchase.
While the company tried to adjust its strategy and move into a internet video service backed by CinemaNow, it did not have the footprint that Netflix managed to establish. It also tried a mail service, which Netflix had successfully implemented, but because it had been so heavily dependent on its retail chain it could not compete with the selection that Netflix offered.
Once the restructure is completed, Blockbuster is expected to emerge from bankruptcy sometime in 2011 led by a new consortium backed by billionaire investor Carl Icahn.
Stocks to Watch
Navistar said Wednesday that its fourth-quarter earnings declined as the North American truck market has remained weak. Navistar's earnings came in at $39 million, or 54 cents a share, down from $86 million, or $1.19 a share in the same period a year earlier. Shares of the company were falling 0.52%, or 31 cents, to $58.86 in premarket trading.Walgreen reported that its first-quarter earnings increased 26.5% to 62 cents a share from 49 cents a share in the same period a year earlier. Earnings came in ahead of analyst estimates of 54 cents a share. Shares of the company were up 0.46%, or 17 cents, to $37 in premarket trading.
Oxford Industries announced its acquisition of Sugartown Worldwide, which owns the women's brand Lilly Pulitzer. Shares of Oxford, an Atlanta-based fashion apparel maker, rose 9.83%, or $2.18, to $24.35 in premarket trading.
American Airlines, the main unit of AMR, said after Tuesday's close that it will no longer offer access to its flights and fares through Orbitz Worldwide's namesake travel reservations Web site. AMR shares rose 1.12%, or 9 cents, to $8.14 in premarket trading, while Orbitz was falling 2.8%, or 18 cents, to $6.26.
Microsoft plans to reveal a new Windows operating system next month that relies less on chip technology from Intel and more on chips based on designs from ARM Holdings of the U.K., reports say. ARM Holdings shares rose 3.84%, or 76 cents, to $20.54 in premarket trading Wednesday.
Nike released better-than-expected earnings on Tuesday, but future orders rose less than expected. The company reported that futures orders, which refer to Nike merchandise to be delivered between December 2010 and April 2011, was up 11% to $7.7 billion. Analyst Sterne Agee was looking for order growth somewhere between 12% and 13%, according to a Dec. 9 research note previewing the quarter. Shares of the company fell 5.75%, or $5.29, to $87.01 in premarket trading.
Xilinx, a programmable logic chips maker, said late Tuesday that it expects a sequential sales decline in the current quarter to be deeper than previously anticipated because of weak demand from some of its large wireless communications customers. Xilinx was dropping 4.61%, or $1.31, to $27.08 in premarket trading. Xilinx's main competitor Altera is also down in premarket trading, falling 2.23%, or 80 cents, to $35.01.
Investors were modestly disappointed that business software maker Red Hat reported third-quarter earnings inline with Wall Street's expectations yesterday, after technology companies OracleC, Accenture and Research in Motion released stronger-than-expected earnings last week. Red Hat earnings came in at in at 20 cents, inline with what analysts were expecting. Shares of the company fell 2.67%, or $1.28, to $46.60 in premarket trading.
5 Things to Know Before the Market Opens
THE DAY AHEAD December 22
*Stocks were mixed in Asian trade. Shanghai lost 0.9% and the Nikkei was off by a quarter percent, but the Hang Seng rose a quarter percent and Australia was up a fraction. European indexes are little changed for the most part; the Dax is currently flat, but the Footsie has a gain of about 0.4%. US stock futures are essentially unchanged as I write.
*The November reading of Japan’s Merchandise Trade Balance was a surplus of Y426.7 billion, down from the month before and Y200 billion less than forecast, as Imports grew 14.2% on a year over year basis and Exports were up 9.1% on that basis.
*The November reading of Germany’s Import Price Index was up 1.2% on the month, more than twice the expected increase.
*The most recent Bank of England vote to keep rates and stimulus steady was split three ways, 1 – 7 - 1, according to the minutes from their latest policy meeting. Posen wanted to add more stimulus, Sentence again wanted to hike rates a quarter point and the remaining policymakers were happy to leave things just as they were.
*The final Q3 reading of the UK GDP was revised down one tenth to +0.7% on a quarter on quarter basis, it had been expected to be unrevised.
*US mortgage applications were down 18.6% in the week ended December 17, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. This was the biggest decline of 2010, driven by a 25% drop in Refis; applications for purchase were down 2.5%.
*The final reading of the Q3 GDP is due out at 7:30am CST. Headline growth is expected to be revised higher by three tenths to 2.8%, the estimate on Personal Consumption is one tenth higher at 2.9% and the GDP Price Deflator is forecast to be steady at 2.3%. The quarter on quarter annualized reading of the PCE Core inflation measure is expected to be unrevised at +0.8%. The November reading of Existing Home Sales is due out at 9:00am CST, it is expected to show a monthly increase of 7.1% for an annualized sales rate of 4.75 million units. Also due out at 9:00am is the FHFA House Price Index, it is expected to show a month on month decline of 0.2%.
*The weekly report on energy inventories is due out at 9:30am CST. Stocks of Crude Oil are forecast decline by 3.4 million barrels, Gasoline inventories are expected to increase 1.5 million and the estimate for Distillates is unchanged on the week.
*The Fed is scheduled to buy Treasuries today that are due to mature between 2/15/21 and 11/15/27; the results of the operation will be announced just after 10:00am CST.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
AOP Organic Fish Fertilizer Certified as Safe
SPRINGFIELD, OH -- (Marketwire) -- 12/21/10 -- AOP Worldwide, a subsidiary of Talisman Holdings (PINKSHEETS: TMHO), announces that its organic fish fertilizer has received important regulatory recognition. It has been certified safe by the OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute). Also, it has been certified A as an input by the Biological Farmers of Australia and the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia.AOP Worldwide is the only fish based fertilizer that is a by-product of fresh processing of fish aimed at human consumption, and is manufactured under strict federal guidelines.
In the past, there have been advantages in using manufactured chemical fertilizers. However, as we now realize, this has been at the expense of the environment and depletion of many soil elements. The continued application of only concentrated chemicals on the soil has reduced much of the biological life that contributes to the efficient utilization of many plant nutrients.
AOP Worldwide fish hydrolysate is an all organic, highly nutritional protein fertilizer, made utilizing naturally occurring enzymes present in fresh fish. It is produced using a cold process employing enzymes (natural biological catalysts) which break down fish, or fish frames (the part left after the fillet is removed for human consumption) to simpler protein complexes. This process is called hydrolysis.
No synthetic materials are mixed into the fish hydrolysate, and the only manipulation the product undergoes is grinding and hydrolysis. This process yields a stable, non-odorous, liquid fertilizer that is an easy to use, safe product. The nitrogen in AOP's fish fertilizer is derived from fish protein in the form of amino acids which when added to the soil; slowly break down into basic nitrogen compounds. While a percentage of nitrogen becomes soluble due to the nature of the manufacturing process, no inorganic nitrogen has been added.
AOP Worldwide hydrolyzed fish fertilizer does no biological damage to the soil and will promote the growth of beneficial bacteria making the soil less compact and better able to drain, yet hold moisture better for future plant use as it is needed. With our cold process, the vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, and growth hormones are not damaged or destroyed. Because no proteins are removed, the nutrients remain in the soil longer, and lower N-P-K rates can be used to meet or exceed the results obtained by chemicals with much higher rates. In addition to being approved for use in organic agriculture and home and garden use, and certified as safe by the review and listing authorities, other advantages to using hydrolyzed fish fertilizer are that it rebuilds soil, gives excellent plant growth with increased yields, and is made from a renewable aquatic resource.
"These certifications affirm our objectives of helping to feed the world in a safe, responsible manner, while recognizing our obligations to future generations. We appreciate and understand our responsibilities as a world leader in our field," stated David Long, Company President.
About Talisman Holdings:
Talisman Holdings, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: TMHO) is a highly innovative holding company built on the belief that the world's greatest potential for financial growth lies in emerging companies. Talisman Holdings finds undervalued small and microcap businesses with breakthrough products, services and technologies and delivers the equity, financial guidance, strategic counsel, consulting and business functions they need in order to succeed in the public marketplace. Taking an ownership or equity stake in standout emerging growth companies creates assets and drives shareholder value for Talisman Holdings and the diversified holding company organizational structure and range of industries provides diversity of risk. For more information please visit Talisman's website at www.talismanholdings.com.
About Advanced Organic Products Worldwide:
Advanced Organic Products Worldwide (AOP Worldwide), a wholly owned subsidiary of Talisman Holdings, is dedicated to enhancing the value of the Company by becoming a world leader in the safe nourishment of crops, people and the environment. Presently, it is focused on marketing a revolutionary organic fertilizer which is of value to users and the environment. The Company is deeply concerned with global well being. Its future will be linked with earth friendly projects. The spirit of the Company is to be involved with the kind of undertakings that make a difference in everyday life... where creative scientific knowledge is transferred to practical, real world results and benefits. Interested parties are encouraged to visit the corporate website at www.aopww.com.
FORWARD-LOOKING DISCLAIMER
This summary contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements address future events and conditions concerning the Company's business plans. Such statements are based on management's current expectation and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties, such as future economic conditions and changes in anticipated revenues and costs, which may cause actual results to differ materially. The Company expressively disclaims any future obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein. Investors and potential investors should independently investigate and fully understand all risks before making investment decisions.
For more information contact us at:
Talisman Holdings, Inc.
3035 Colony Lane
Springfield, OH 45503
Phone/fax (937) 342-0383
info@talismanholdings.com
AOP Worldwide
3035 Colony Lane
Springfield, OH 45503
Phone/fax (937) 342-0383
info@aopww.com
Windows Phone Already Collecting Dust
Here's the thing about 1.5 million Microsoft Windows Phone 7 phones sold in six weeks - it doesn't mean 1.5 million people have bought Microsoft phones.In an in-house question and answer session, Microsoft's mobile communications and marketing executive, Achim Berg answered what has been a big question hanging over the company's critical re-launch of its mobile phone software: How many Microsoft phones have been sold?
"We are pleased that phone manufacturers sold over 1.5 million phones in the first six weeks, which helps build customer momentum and retail presence," Berg said in an interview published by Microsoft Tuesday.
Berg is referring to "phones being bought and stocked by mobile operators and retailers on their way to customers." In other words, 1.5 million Microsoft phones have been sold into the sales channel -- that's the entire distribution system and all the participating stores around the world presumably.
The last time we checked in on Windows 7 phone sales it was the day after the Nov.8 launch and 40,000 Microsoft phones had been sold. That qualifies as an unusually slow start for such a heavily anticipated, and advertised phone.
Microsoft has been going against the tide as more Apple iPhones and Google Android phones fill the market. The Windows 7 effort is Microsoft's bold bid to reenter the smartphone game. Google's Android chief Andy Rubin recently announced that 300,000 Android phones were being activated daily, and Apple has claimed a 270,000 iPhone daily activation rate.
Superphones are a hot item right now, but not every player is cashing in.
Now that we know there are 1.5 million Windows 7 phones on the shelves there can be one or two possibilities. One, consumers could buy them. Or two, they pile up as inventory in warehouses.
Judging by the sputtering start, the later scenario seems likely.
And if there are a million plus Windows 7 phones unsold, there's probably less likelihood that Nokia would be willing to jump into the game with a Nokia version of the Microsoft Windows Phone 7device, as has been rumored.
Herbal Viagra More Appealing Because of Health Concerns
Can you get the same benefits from an herbal Viagra alternative that you can from the real thing?It seems every day there is a new, touted herbal alternative to the male enhancement and impotence drug Viagra. The drug has ingrained itself so much in modern American culture that there are entire web pages devoted to Viagra jokes and millions of internet searches a year to buy Viagra online.
But are there really safe supplements that act as natural alternatives to Viagra that work just as well, without the possible side effects that have scared some men off, and prompted them to seek herbal versions of the drug?
While most herbal supplements that are said to match their medical couterparts in effectiveness are naturally met with a lot of skepticism by the medical community, their effectiveness and life-changing abilities for men who suffer from impotence, low sex drive, inability to sustain erections, and general sexual and erectile dysfunction is present.
Viagra was approved for sale by the FDA in 1998. Right from the start, American pharmacists dispensed over 215,000 Viagra prescriptions within the first month Viagra was released for public sale, launching a media blitz and the subsequent skyrocketing of Viagra manufacturer Pfizer’s stock.
The most notable and well publicized hazard of prescription – Viagra has the possibility of heart attack if your heart is not in the best condition, and if you are not physically fit or are at an age where heart attacks may become more probable.
While most deaths occurred in elderly men, this scare has prompted many men to seek natural alternatives and herbal supplements that provide results either comparable to Viagra or identical to Viagra, without the necessity for a prescription, doctor’s visit, or high expense of necessary dosages.
So, despite what your personal opinion may be on herbal supplements and natural equivalents to medically prescribed drugs, you can’t deny the fact that there must be a reason for the rising popularity of herbal viagra alternatives. The reason is, it does work, and it does work very well for thousands of men. You just need to find the right one.
Grid Petroleum Corporation (GRPR.OB) Technical Stock Trading Video Chart
Today Penny Payday brings you a video chart for Grid Petroleum Corporation (GRPR.OB), a OTCBB company and one of many you can find at Pennypayday.com.
General Motors Using Oil Spill Booms for Chevy Volt
Although it might be a stretch to say that something good has come of last summer's tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a new announcement this morning from General Motors showcases the power of creative thinking.The company is planning to collect the booms used to absorb oil from the spill along 100 miles of the Alabama and Louisiana coasts and recycle them into parts to be used in the new Chevy Volt.
GM estimates it will net about 100,000 pounds of plastic resin from recycling the booms, which it will then use to make air deflectors for the Volt's radiator. The amount of recycled plastic from the booms will be enough to supply parts for the entire estimated first year of Volt production.
The air deflectors will be made of 25 percent boom material and 25 percent recycled tires from GM's Milforn Proving Ground vehicle test site. The remaining 50 percent consists of some post-consumer recycled plastics and other polymers, according to a company statement.
GM had to work with a number of partners to develop the supply chain for collecting and converting the booms. Heritage Environmental was responsible for collecting the booms in Louisiana, which handed the booms off to Mobile Fluid Recovery for use of its high-speed drum to spin the booms, drying them and eliminating oil and wastewater. Then, Lucent Polymers got the boom material into a physical state for producing the plastic parts, and GM's tier-one supplier GDC Inc. combined the recycled plastic resin with the tire materials and other polymers to produce the actual products.
"This was purely a matter of helping out," John Bradburn, manager of GM's waste-reduction efforts, said in a statement. "If sent to a landfill, these materials would have taken hundreds of years to begin to break down and we didn't want to see the spill further impact the environment. We knew we could identify a beneficial reuse of this material given our experience.
General Motors has long had a commitment to reducing waste and recycling materials whenever possible. Earlier this month, the company announced that it had met its goal of having half its plants be landfill-free, with a total of 76 plants, or 52 percent, achieving landfill-free status. The company also incorporates recycled and renewable materials into its cars and trucks, and has achieved an 85 percent recyclable rate for its vehicles.
5 Things to Know Before Trading
Stocks were strong throughout Asia. Shanghai was up about 1.8%, the Hang Seng and the Nikkei both had a gain of one and a half percent and Australia added three quarters of a percent. European indexes are also showing a gain this morning, with the Footsie higher by three quarters of a percent and the Dax is higher by about 0.6%. US stock futures are up about a third of a percent.*The Reserve Bank of Australia saw their monetary policy as “mildly restrictive” , according to the minutes from their latest policy meeting. And they also noted at their December 7 meeting that household borrowing was restrained, but they thought their policy was appropriate given the high terms of trade.
*The Bank of Japan held steady on their key overnight rate at 0.10% and also kept their asset purchase and credit-loan program totals steady, at their meeting earlier today, as expected. They said that the economy’s recovery seems to be pausing and will likely grow at a slower pace for some time.
*The October reading of Japan’s All Industry Activity Index is -0.2% on a month on month basis, as was forecast.
*German Consumer Confidence Index dipped one tenth to 5.4, but had been expected to increase a couple of tenths; it’s the first downtick since June.
*The November reading of Switzerland’s Trade Balance was a surplus of SF1.93 billion, down from the October surplus of SF2.05 billion; Exports were down 3.4% from the month before and Imports were lower by 3.3%.
*The weekly report on chain store sales from ICSC showed an increase of 1.7% on a week on week basis for the week ended December 18 and that sales were up 4.2% for the week when compared to a year ago. The Johnson Redbook report on the same thing is due out at 7:55am CST.
*The Fed is again doing double duty on Treasury purchases. In the morning they are scheduled to buy Treasuries that are due to mature between 6/30/16 and 11/30/17; the results of this operation will be announced just after 10:00am CST. In the afternoon the Fed is scheduled to buy TIPS that are due to mature between 7/15/12 and 2/15/40; the results of this operation will be announced just after 1:00pm CST.
Stocks to Watch
Jabil Circuit beat analysts' first-quarter earnings expectations. The electronics contract manufacturer posted earnings of $132.1 million, or 61 cents a share, for the three months ended Nov. 30, up from of $68.3 million, or 32 cents a share, a year earlier. Earnings came in ahead of the average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters for earnings of 54 cents a share. Shares of the company rose 4.59%, or 81 cents, to $8.47 in premarket trading Tuesday.ConAgra Foods reported fiscal second-quarter earnings in line with analyst estimates of 45 cents a share, down from 52 cents a share a year earlier. Shares of the packaged food company fell 0.49%, or 11 cents, to $22.33 in premarket trading.
TD Bank said Tuesday it agreed to buy Chrysler Financial from private-equity firm Cerberus Capital for $6.3 billion in cash. Shares of TD were down 0.26%, or 18 cents, to $69.33 in premarket trading.
Darden Restaurants, the company that operates Red Lobster, Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, posted an in-line profit from continuing operations of $75.8 million, or 54 cents a share, in its latest quarter. Shares fell in premarket trading to $49, down 2.84%, or $1.43.
Nike is set to release its second-quarter earnings after the market closes Tuesday. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect earnings to come in at 88 cents a share, up from 76 cents a share in the same year-ago period. Nike shares rose 0.37%, or 33 cents, to $90.60 in premarket trading.
Dutch chemicals company DSM offered to acquire Martek Biosciences for $31.50 a share, or $1.09 billion in cash. The board of Martek, a biotechnology company, has recommended that shareholders approve the offer. Shares of Martek rose 33.99%, or $7.94, to $31.30 in premarket trading Tuesday.
AstraZeneca said Tuesday it will record a fourth-quarter impairment charge of $445 million as it discontinued development of motavizumab for preventing serious respiratory syncytial virus disease. Shares of the company fell 0.39%, or 18 cents, to $45.77 in premarket trading.
On Monday, Adobe Systems topped Wall Street expectations by reporting adjusted fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of $285.7 million, or 56 cents a share. Shares of the graphics design and publishing software maker rose 6.79%, or $1.98, to $31.16 in premarket trading Tuesday.
LaserCard agreed to an $80 million buyout by Sweden's Assa Abloy. LaserCard, which makes secure ID cards, expects the acquisition to close during its fiscal fourth quarter. Shares of LaserCard were up 39.33%, or $1.75, to $6.20 in premarket trading Tuesday.
Monday, December 20, 2010
What Does ObamaCare Mean for Companies like BioMedical (OTC:BMTL)
With ObamaCare yet to be implemented, there are sweeping changes in the health care field that are occurring irrespective of new legislation. This article will demonstrate just a few of the ways in which health care is entering into the 21st century.-The Hospitalist: Traditionally hospital workers have been separated into two categories: doctors and nurses. Doctors prescribe and diagnose, nurses administer and treat. But today, a new breed of doctor has emerged from this traditional dichotomy. The hospitalist is a medical doctor who can do all of the things normal doctors can, but instead of operating or seeing patients all day, he makes rounds through the hospital, talking to patients and asking them what can be made better, from their pain (which he can prescribe medication for) to the efficiency of the cafeteria food (although some areas of the hospital he can affect more easily than others).
-ER: In some hospitals, you can now buy a spot in line at the ER. This area is now the most common entry point in a hospital and has ballooned in terms of numbers of people waiting. They are mostly older people, and poor people who can't afford doctor's visits and who wait until a problem is an emergency. Also, more people are on Medicaid, and believe it is easier to see a doctor by waiting in line for some hours rather than making an appointment and being turned away.
-More primary care doctors: The need for more primary care doctors and fewer specialists means that people are waiting in ER lines to get checked up. More people need cheaper and easier access to good care. But it seems that the only way this is happening is by spending money in the old fashioned way of getting good medical care. While ObamaCare will make it so that everyone has health insurance, the overall quality of treatment decreases. The rich will always be able to afford the best treatment. The poor will have access to basic treatment, which is better than no treatment at all.
-Medical waste disposal: Reusing medical supplies is an option for many hospitals, especially those attempting to recover from enormous debt obligations. It used to be that sterile medical supplies on an operating table were discarded after an operation. Today, there is not enough money to do that anymore. Medical waste services make medical waste management faster and more cost efficient.
Emails Boost Volume for Cavitation Technologies (OTC:CVAT)
A third party for Cavitation Technologies (OTC:CVAT) initiated an e-mail marketing campaign today that has helped fuel the company’s surge in volume. In early trading, shares of CVAT were up 10 percent at $0.15 per share on heavy volume of more than 2 million shares compared to its average daily volume of only 90,000 shares. CVAT has a market cap of $19 million and a 52-week range between $0.09 and $0.32 per share.Cavitation Technologies announced today that it has completed delivery for a Nano Reactor Unit to AgNatural, LLC, a U.S. based vegetable oil refiner and received payment through Fidelity Capital Partners, LLC. The Unit will allow AgNatural to deploy the CTi's Nano Neutralization process at its vegetable oil facility in North Carolina.
On December 15, 2010, CTi announced that it had entered into a finance lease arrangement for the Unit with AgNatural and Fidelity Capital Partners, LLC, a California finance leasing firm, with CTi granting a five-year license to AgNatural for the use of its technology at their North Carolina facility. CTi has now received the payment in full for the 5 year license arrangement.
The finance lease arrangement with AgNatural and Fidelity follows several months of testing and evaluating CTi's technology at various U.S. vegetable oil facilities. Through this program, CTi has been able to confirm the commercial viability of a new proprietary application or process developed for the vegetable oil refining industry. Dubbed "Nano Neutralization™", the Company believes that this application has the potential to provide continuous economic benefits to refiners through increased oil yields and reductions in process chemicals.
CTi's CEO Roman Gordon said: "This is a very exciting time for us as years of hard work is now resulting in revenue. We firmly believe, that this is just the beginning and that our technology will be well received around the world."
Cavitation Technologies is a technology company engaged primarily in the development of environmentally clean Nano Reactor technologies and liquid process applications and solutions in various fields and industries, including vegetable oil processing and refining; renewable fuels; petroleum refining and petrochemicals; water and wastewater treatment; and the food and beverage industries.
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