LargeCap Stocks to Keep an Eye on Today

Tomahawk, WI 8/9/2011 (PennyPayDay) -- Entertainment company Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) is expected to report third-quarter profit of 73 cents a share after the markets close Tuesday vs. 67 cents a share a year ago.

Shares were rising 1.2% to $33.41 in premarket trading Tuesday.

Transatlantic Holdings (NYSE: TRH) said late Monday that the takeover offer from National Indemnity , a unit of Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway, doesn't constitute a superior offer but said it would "engage in discussions" with National Indemnity.

Shares of Berkshire Hathaway's B shares were rising 0.9% to $67.25.

HSBC (NYSE: HBC) confirmed Tuesday it is in talks about a sale of its card and retail services business in the U.S.

Shares were down 0.2% to $42.73.

Solar products company SunPower Corp (NASDAQ: SPWRA) is expected to report second-quarter loss of 19 cents a share vs. profit of 15 cents a share a year ago.

Game developer Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ: TTWO) posted a non-GAAP profit of $2 million, or 2 cents a share, for the June-ended period, on revenue of $334.4 million, down from a year-ago equivalent profit of $40.9 million, or 43 cents a share, on revenue of $375.4 million.

The average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters was for earnings of 9 cents a share in the quarter on revenue of $351.2 million.

Software provider Limelight Networks (NASDAQ: LLNW) posted a non-GAAP loss of $5.9 million, or 5 cents a share, for its fiscal second quarter ended in June on revenue of $50.5 million. The average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters was for a loss of 3 cents a share in the June period on revenue of $52.4 million.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: VRX) , the Canadian drug company, may be interested in buying Medicis Pharmaceutical, according to a report.

Education program provider Education Management Corp. (NASDAQ: EDMC) has been accused of engaging in improper recruitment methods to obtain more than $11 billion in U.S. student aid.

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Lawmakers to Vote Later Today on Debt Deal

Oxford, MS 7/28/2011 (PennyPayDay) -- Stocks rallied on Monday on relief over a last-ditch deal in Washington to raise the U.S. borrowing limit and avert an unprecedented default, though analysts said the gains could be short-lived.

Lawmakers were due to vote later Monday on the White House-backed agreement, which includes spending cuts of $2.4 trillion over 10 years. The deal was seen passing the Democratic-led Senate, but faced tougher opposition in the U.S. House of Representatives, where both conservative Tea Party supporters and liberal lawmakers have criticized it.

Even though a default was considered unlikely by many investors, equities grew increasingly volatile as Washington was stalemated. Wall Street suffered its worst week in a year last week.

"We're not seeing a bigger rally now because a deal was expected. The only surprise is how close negotiations came to the wire before potential Armageddon," said Neal Neilinger, chief investment officer at Aladdin Capital in Stamford, Connecticut, which manages $10.5 billion in assets. "As the day goes on, it's likely you'll see some profit-taking."

The Dow Jones industrial average (DJI:^DJI - News) jumped 72.13 points, or 0.59 percent, at 12,215.37. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (^SPX - News) put on 7.84 points, or 0.61 percent, at 1,300.12. The Nasdaq Composite Index (Nasdaq:^IXIC - News) was up 18.35 points, or 0.67 percent, at 2,774.73.

Gold, seen as a safe haven in times of economic uncertainty, fell more than 1 percent before recovering to stand just half a percent down. September crude futures climbed 2.2 percent. The Select Sector Energy SPDR Fund (Pacific:XLE - News) rose 0.7 percent.

Even with an agreement, many investors were concerned about a possible downgrade of the United States' AAA sovereign debt rating, as well as European sovereign debt problems. The FTSEurofirst 300 (^FTEU3 - News) index of top European shares dipped 0.3 percent.

"The deal lowers the odds of a downgrade, but it doesn't make it go away," said Wayne Kaufman, chief market analyst at John Thomas Financial in New York. "People still have question marks in their minds about what comes next."

In earnings news, Allstate Corp (NYSE:ALL - News) recorded a second-quarter loss that was narrower than expected, while insurer Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM - News) raised its full-year profit view.

Allstate gained 2.6 percent to $28.45, and Humana advanced 0.4 percent to $74.79.

HSBC Holding Plc (LSE:HSBA.L - News; NYSE:HBC - News) reported a surprise first-half profit and said it would cut 30,000 jobs as it retreats from countries where it is struggling to compete. U.S.-listed shares of the bank rose 2.3 percent to $49.98.

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PennyPayday focuses on bringing penny stocks and small-cap companies from all exchanges into the spotlight for investors seeking early development opportunities. PennyPayday has quickly become a recognized penny stock site and a top source for investors seeking information and research on today's emerging hot stocks. PennyPayday provides the investing public with stock market daily news, free real-time stock quotes, free stock charts, research for investing, as well as economic stories, videos, and market briefs from a staff of experienced and dedicated financial journalists.

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Some LargeCap Stocks to Keep an Eye on Today

HSBC, Europe's biggest bank, said pretax profits in 2010 more than doubled to $19.04 billion from $7.04 billion a year earlier, but the figure came in below analysts' estimates. Shares of HSBC were down 4.3% to $54.80 in premarket trading Monday.

Ventas agreed to acquire Nationwide Health Properties in a stock-for-stock deal valued at $7.4 billion. There were no premarket trades for either of the real estate investment trusts. Ventas closed at $57.19, up 1.9%, on Friday, while Nationwide rose 2.4% to $38.96.

A fund of financial company JPMorgan is in discussions to buy a significant stake in Twitter, the rapidly-growing social networking site. Premarket quotes weren't available for shares of JPMorgan. The stock finished Friday's trading session at $46.68, up 1.7%.

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