Stocks To Watch On Friday: Google, Advanced Micro Devices, Bank of America, Well Fargo, JP Morgan, GlaxoSmithKline, HSBC, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Deutsche Bank, Sanofi-Aventis

Equities finished in negative territory following the release of wider than expected trade balance data and less than impressive weekly jobs data. Financials were the stark underperformers in the S&P 500 as speculation intensifying on the outcome that the foreclosure scandal will have on the balance sheets on major US banks. As a result: Bank of America , JP Morgan  and Well Fargo   posted heavy losses. The latter half of the session saw equities pare back some of the earlier losses and at the closing bell DJIA closed down 0.01% at 11094.57, S&P 500 closed down 0.36% at 1173.81 and NASDAQ 100 closed down 0.13% at 2054.51.

UK

GlaxoSmithKline  – Co. not interested in buying Actelion, says person familiar with the situation. (RTRS)

HSBC  – Co. could drop its USD 8bln bid for South Africa's Nedbank. (FT)

Lloyds – Co. has appointed Goldman Sachs to advise on a review of co.'s SeaDragon business, according to sources. (Telegraph)

Rio Tinto /BHP Billiton – EU Commission set to say cos.' USD 116bln iron ore joint venture is anticompetitive. (RTRS)

BHP Billiton  – China's Sinochem will not be making a counter offer for Potash. (RTRS)

BG Group – CNOOC is rumoured to be preparing GBP 14 per share bid for oil and gas business of co. (Telegraph)

Reckitt Benckiser – Co. has been fined GBP 10.2mln following abuse of its dominant position in the market for the NHS supply of alginate and antacid heartburn medicines. (Sources)

US

Google – Q3 adjusted EPS USD 7.64 vs. Exp. USD 6.67, Q3 revenue USD 7.29bln vs. Exp. USD 5.26bln. Co. says Q3 revenue Ex-TAC USD 5.48bln vs. Exp. USD 5.26bln and Q3 cash and cash equivalents USD 33.4bln. Says Q3 sites revenue USD 4.83bln (+22%) and Q3 traffic acquisition costs increased to 1.81bln. In addition, says Q3 aggregate paid clicks increased approximately 16% compared to Q3 2009 and Q3 average cost-per-click increased approximately 3% compared to Q3 2009. (RTRS) Co. shares were up 6.5% in after market trade.

Advanced Micro Devices  – Q3 adjusted EPS USD 0.15 vs. Exp. USD 0.06, Q3 revenue USD 1.62bln vs. Exp. USD 1.61bln and Q3 gross margin 46%. Co. says expects revenue to be approximately flat sequentially for Q4, says saw weaker than expected consumer demand in Q3 and recorded a charge of USD 0.03/share related to debt redemption in Q3. (RTRS) Co. shares up 2.2% in after market trade.

Europe

GERMANY

Deutsche Bank – Co. has said now controls 30% of Postbank. (RTRS)

Commerzbank – Co. is looking for new partners for its ship financing business, according to co.'s chief executive. (FT Deutschland)

FRANCE

Sanofi-Aventis  – Co.'s CEO said that co.'s position on USD 69 per share for Genzyme remains unchanged. (Sources)

Carrefour – Q3 sales EUR 25.6bln vs. Exp. EUR 25.4bln, Q3 like-for-like sales up 1.1% and says Q3 French stores revenue EUR 10.5bln. (RTRS/Sources)

Saint Gobain – Co. is planning the IPO of its glass packing division at the earliest for Q2 2011, a person familiar with the situation said. (Sources)

Stocks To Watch : BP, Google, Bank of America, AIG, BHP Billiton, General Electric, Rio Tinto

UK Banks – UK's chancellor George Osborne has stepped up the pressure on banks by pledging to force the industry to sign up to a code of practice on tax avoidance within a month. (Sources)

UK

FTSE – Dividend payments by UK-listed firms fall less than expected this year after payouts grew in Q3, the first time since Q1 of 2009, Capita Registrars said. (RTRS)

BP (BP: 41.49 +0.87 +2.14%) – TNK-BP will buy BP Venezuela and Vietnam assets for USD 1.8bln. (Sources)

Vodafone – Co. is moving closer to the sale of its 45% stake in SFR to Vivendi. (Mail on Sunday)

BHP Billiton (BHP: 82.26 -0.15 -0.18%)/Rio Tinto (RIO: 65.44 -0.97 -1.46%) – Cos scrapped their proposed USD 116bln iron –ore venture as expected, caving in to opposition from regulators, steelmakers and major investors 16 months after unveiling the plan, no break fee to be paid. (RTRS)

BHP Billiton – The Canadian industry minister has confirmed that no new counter offers have been made for Potash Corp. (Telegraph)

Shire – Co. CEO has said that acquisitions would take precedence over dividend payouts. He added he sees no reason for a sale of the company. (Finanz und Wirtschaft)

BAE Systems – Co. is under pressure to renegotiate contracts to offer better value in the future ahead of the UK strategic defence review. (Telegraph)

SABMiller – Co.'s H1 final performance in line with expectations and their H1 organic lager volumes rise 1% vs. Exp. 0.5%. (Sources)

Centrica – Co. has launched its biggest asset sell-off since 2003 with a GBP 400mln auction of North Sea oil and gas fields. (Sunday Times)

Reckitt Benckiser – Activist investors are trying to refund part of the Co. CEO's GBP 90mln pay package following the Co. being fined GBP 10.2mln for anti-competitive tactics.

Vedanta – Co. has drawn up plans for a floatation of its GBP 4bln Zambian copper subsidiary. According to sources, co.'s Zambian offshoot KDC could seek to raise GBP 500mln in a London listing. (Observer)

US

Equities finished mixed as financials remained under pressure on concerns of potential implications that the recent foreclosures scandal may have on banks' balance sheets. The DJIA finished in negative territory after being weighed by less than impressive earnings from General Electric (GE: 16.25 -0.05 -0.31%) (-5.01%). On the contrary, the NASDAQ 100 outperformed its peers being led by Seagate Tech (STX: 15.92 +0.41 +2.64%) (+22.22%) after speculation co. may be taken private and Google (GOOG: 617.71 +16.26 +2.70%) (+11.19%) after co. reported stellar earnings. At the closing bell the DJIA closed down 0.29% at 11062.78, the S&P 500 closed up 0.20% at 1176.19 and NASDAQ 100 closed up 2.10% at 2097.73.

Bank of America (BAC: 12.34 +0.36 +3.01%)– Co. has been sued by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago. (Sources)

AIG (AIG: 42.26 +0.79 +1.90%) – Co.'s remaining shareholding in AIA Group after is listing is not of concern to investors, AIA CEO Mark Tucker said. Co. is also to set to set close the institutional book for AIA IPO on Tuesday, two days ahead of schedule due to strong demand. Sovereign wealth fund China Investment and ping an insurance co. of China are among Chinese institutional investors eyeing significant stakes in AIA Group. (RTRS/FT)

Europe

Allianz – Co. is preparing a surprise GBP 2bln bid for the Channel tunnel rail link. (Sunday Times)

Commerzbank – Co. is considering a EUR 10bln rights issue in 2011 to pay back sum of the state aid it received. (WirtschaftsWoche)

Daimler – Barron's gave a positive write-up on co.'s shares, saying that a big reason for being optimistic about the co. is China. Also writes that there's a chance that the dividend will be reinstated next year. (Barron's)

Volkswagen – Co.'s Turkish sector has set an aim to increase its sales this year by 9% from a year ago to 40,000 units. (Sources)

K+S – Co. CEO has said the company would examine takeover offers (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)

Total – Co. finds gas and condensate in well drilled in North Sea, and co's discovery has better reservoir quality than expected, according to Norway Directorate. (RTRS)

GDF Suez – According to sources, co. plans to double its number of clients in Italy in the next two years. (La Repubblica)

AXA – Co. is continuing talks with AMP on whether to bid for Axa Asia Pacific Holdings, and has made progress. (Australian)

LVMH – Co. may sell Moet-Hennessey division to Diageo, in order to raise funds to acquire Hermes.  (Evening Standard)

EDF – Constellation Energy has offered to sell the Unistar joint venture to the Co. for USD 117mln. (Sources)

Schneider Electric – Co. is targeting accelerated sales growth in Germany next year with energy saving technology. (Financial Times Deutschland)

Alstom – Co. says that its Indian sales growth is expected to outpace local economy. (Sources)

Banco Santander (STD: 13.46 +0.26 +1.97%) – Co. has reduced the value of its UK unit by 20% to GBP 16bln, ahead of a possible IPO next year. (Sunday Express)

Intesa Sanpaolo – Co. has agreed to acquire 51% of Banco Monte Parma for EUR 159mln. (Sources) Co. CEO has also said that the Co. may consider making acquisitions in Eastern Europe, and that the Co. is still committed to listing its asset management unit Banca Fideuram. (RTRS)

Enel – Co. has confirmed the IPO price for Enel Green Power unit at between EUR 1.80 and EUR2.10. Valuing the unit at between EUR 9bln and EUR 10.5bln. Co. plans to float 32.8% of the unit. (Il Sore 24 Ore) In other news, the Enel Green Power unit is open to acquisitions, according to the unit's Chief. (Handelsblatt)

Telecom Italia – Co. may consider simplifying their operations in South America in order to boost their credit rating. (Il Giornale)

Philips – Co.'s Q3 net EUR 525mln vs. Exp. EUR 338mln, Q3 sales EUR 6.16bln vs. Exp. EUR 6.14bln. And co. is cautious on Q4 revenue development. (Sources)

Credit Suisse (CS: 45.08 +1.24 +2.83%) – Co.CEO has said that the Co. could transfer systemically important units to either units such as Neue Aargauer Bank, or to an entirely new bank. (Der Sonntag)

Hot Stocks To Know : Bank Of America, Citigroup, JP Morgan, Google, Ebay, Dell, Safeway

U.S. stocks just about got their head above water on the day Friday but have managed to complete the second straight weekly gain for the S&P's 500 Index, as Google Inc. (GOOG: 617.71 +16.26 +2.70%) and Seagate (STX: 15.92 +0.41 +2.64%) fuelled a rally in technology shares that helped offset a decline in bank shares and an unexpected drop in consumer confidence. Google jumped 11 percent after earnings topped analysts' estimates and Seagate surged 22 percent as private-equity firms consider buying the world's largest maker of disk drives used in computers. But JP Morgan (JPM: 38.20 +1.05 +2.83%) shed a further 4.1 percent and Bank of America (BAC: 12.34 +0.36 +3.01%) slipped to a 15-month low as financial companies led losses in the S&P 500 as investors continued to fret over the fallout from the foreclosures fiasco. And General Electric (GE: 16.25 -0.05 -0.31%) slid 5 percent after reporting revenue that missed brokers estimates.

Today's Market Moving Stories

• Sterling is the under performer so far Monday (along with the NOK and SEK) and we would now expect further weakness to develop over the coming days, especially given the risks on the horizon. Indeed, Wednesday sees the release of the BoE minutes, which should show a shift towards more dovishness, while the Government's Spending Review will reveal the full extent of the fiscal tightening. I also note that the press is increasingly speculating about the prospect of a renewed slowdown and even a double dip in the UK, citing reports from the E&Y Item Club which is predicting a renewed soft patch and the CEBR which suggests the BoE will return to quantitative easing in early 2011. This is consistent with the view and we believe that Wednesday's BoE minutes will reveal the first steps towards further QE measures in the UK. Cable (GBPUSD is already) breaking lower through initial support and is now sitting on up trendline support at the 1.5835 level. A break below here will open downside pressure towards the 1.5535 area initially.
• And, the USD has started correcting higher with position adjustment following dovish comments from ECB President Trichet and increasing signs that a currency war can be avoided. ECB's Trichet has warned that more protectionist pressures might be in the pipeline and that countries must remain vigilant as a result. In addition, Trichet, who insists he is the single "spokesman" for the ECB, said a majority of the governing council didn't agree with Bundesbank president Axel Weber's view that the central bank's purchases of government bonds issued by the fiscally weaker euro-zone members need to stop now. Hence, Trichet has distanced himself from the hawkish comments coming from Weber and Stark. Bear in mind that the recent EURUSD supportive widening of interest rate differentials has been mainly driven from the EUR side. Trichet has left the impression that moving away from unlimited Repo allocation in January was not a done deal allowing interest rate differentials to come in and EURUSD to move lower.
• Bernanke has confirmed that QE will be on the agenda when the Fed meets on 3 November, but concerning the amount of QE the Fed chairman has remained uncommitted. Other Fed members have been more outspoken on the dovish side. Chicago Fed's Evans (who gets his vote in Jan so he's worth listening to) backs much more accommodation, advocating price level inflation targeting. Sounded uber dovish he added that the Fed's "dual mandate misses are too large to shrug off" and "much more policy accommodation is appropriate today". Says the country is in a "bona fide liquidity trap", and needs more easing. Says price-level targeting would be helpful to policy. For a second there I thought he was talking about Japan – but he actually was referring to the US.
• Boston Fed's Rosengren called for aggressive and early policy action to counteract deflation risk reiterating a Boston Fed Study citing inflation too low and growth too slow for Fed to meet it's dual policy debate. At the same time the US Treasury has delayed the release of its currency report now scheduling the release post G-20. The intention of both decisions is clear: The US wants to leave the door for negotiations with China and Asia open. A shock and awe approach concerning QE or the US Treasury calling China a currency manipulator would close the negotiation door.
• Worth a read: Robert Samuelson What's left in the Fed's toolbox?
  Bernanke says the Fed can revive the economy, but their tools are arcane and weak.
• I did enjoy JC Trichet's slap for the Bundesbank's very own poster boy Axel Weber over the weekend when he said "a majority" of the ECB Governing Council is still in favour of keeping the sovereign bond purchasing program in place, and insisted Trichet himself, as President, is the voice of the Governing Council. No one else thank you very much. He was referring to Weber's comments last week calling for the scheme to be disbanded now. Wolfgang Munchau in FT reflects on Weber's latest outburst, and decides Italy's Draghi would be better choice for ECB President when Trichet's term expires next year. Munchau says he can't see Weber communicating a consensus he does not believe in at an ECB press conferences (as an ECB President is required to do). A good article, but watch out for Munchau's claim that Weber was the only one who voted against the ECB's sov bond program. Probably true, but ECB doesn't publish the voting breakdown, so we cannot know this for sure. Here's the full weekend interview: http://www.ecb.int/press/key/date/2010/html/sp101017.en.html. And a speech too:
• Any G20 agreement on currencies looks very remote. The G20 meeting starts on Friday. But it's a B list Finance Ministers and Central bank Governors only affair with a Summit of Leaders follows on Nov 11-12. There are many good reasons not to expect substantive agreement on FX and, over the weekend, we got two more: Spokesman for Brazilian Fin Minister Mantega (he of "currency war" fame) said the Fin Min unlikely to attend G20. Reason? He's staying at home to monitor the need for further FX policy measures. Honestly, you can't make this stuff up.
• And the Korean Herald over weekend cited Korea's "Chief of the G-20 affairs office" at the BoK (Kim Sung-Min) saying it would be 'impossible' for a currency accord to emerge from the upcoming G20 meeting. Why? Cos "If they reach a detailed agreement in their joint declaration, there is no doubt that it will invite a wave of speculative funds". Yep – exactly what would happen if all CBs suddenly agree to stop intervening. Kim said any agreement would be "heavy on rhetoric" and short on specifics. Yep, very probably.
• Away from currency worries and surprise news that U.K. house prices rose sharply in October from September as estate agency valuations increased in line with typical seasonal trends, outweighing a further increase in the number of properties for sale, a decline in the number of new buyers and continued tight mortgage criteria, a survey by Rightmove showed Monday. Rightmove's latest index–which measures the price at which a property is advertised for sale, not the achieved price–showed house prices in mid-October rose 3.1 percent on the month and were 2.9 percent higher from a year earlier. The monthly increase was the biggest since a 3.2 percent rise in February. That compares with a 1.1percent monthly decline and a 2.6 percent annual gain in September. The steep rise is in stark contrast with other recent housing market surveys. Mortgage lender Halifax, in its September data, reported the sharpest monthly drop in house prices since records began of 3.6 percent.

Bank Fail Friday

Regulators closed two banks in Missouri and one in Kansas, raising the total number of bank failures in 2010 to 132. In Missouri, the state division of finance closed Premier Bank of Jefferson City, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. arranged for its nine branches to be reopened Saturday by Providence Bank in Columbia. Under a loss-sharing agreement with the FDIC, Providence Bank agreed to purchase $657.9 million of Premier's $1.18 billion in assets and assume all of the failed bank's $1.03 billion in total deposits, except for certain brokered deposits. The FDIC will retain the balance of the Premier assets for later disposition. The loss-sharing agreement covers $408.7 million of Premier's assets, and the shutdown will cost the FDIC's insurance fund an estimated $406.9 million. The Missouri finance division also closed WestBridge Bank & Trust Co. in Chesterfield, and the FDIC arranged for Midland States Bank in Effingham, Ill., to assume its $72.5 million in deposits. The failures were the fifth and sixth in Missouri this year.

Friday was a weak day for US Banks, with BoA taking the majority of the pain. The uncertainty around the final costs to the banks is the real risk here- we are likely to see penalties and lender settlements in court to deal with the inaccurate paperwork plus an increase in operating costs going forward as loan docs are modified. But also how aggressive will the agencies such as Fannie and Freddie, and even MORE significantly will non-agency (or private label securities) MBS investors get in trying to put back mortgages to the banks. There are already reports that groups of investors have filed suits. It is a subjective process to try and analyze the costs here and for banks to determine how much to accurately reserve. Actually, the banks have been reserving against mortgage repurchases (or put backs) for a long time. However when JP Morgan increased its mortgage repurchase reserve to USD1.6bn in Q3 from USD650m approx run rate for previous quarters some of the concern was being quantified. So we know then that we should expect to see the others increase both mortgage repurchase reserves and their litigation reserves to try to combat this issue as it comes. BoA is the most exposed here and its results, due out on Tuesday will be very very closely watched. It needs to address this and the reserve numbers are ALL the investor base will be looking for, regardless of the results and whether the number beats EPS est. A very big reserve number, maybe in the $3 billion range would be a shock to see but cannot be ruled out. I have also seen some estimates of the subsequent costs of this to the sector (o/w which a majority proportion will be to the big mortgage banks) and they are looking potentially hefty- in the mid-to-high tens of billions in worst case, although this very much depends largely on the probability of the banks actually being forced to buyback in the first place which could be quite low given the huge legal and logistically issues involved. However this is likely to be a cost drawn out over a number of years which is of some comfort when set against the run rate of annual earnings.

So to reiterate, it is critical that the banks handle this properly in terms of disclosure and talking about it as it will be a key focus. JPM and Wells are overall in a position of more strength to handle this better than BoA and Citi (C: 4.17 +0.22 +5.57%) and as such look set to navigate this over time when put into the perspective of the run rate of their annual earnings. BoA's risk is the largest as it has the largest number of unsettled loan put backs. As such there is a not insignificant risk of BoA's results looking quite ugly tomorrow with more spread widening threat.

Company Equity News

• Another big week ahead for the US banks; Q3 numbers are continuing but the reality is that the banks can beat by a good margin, but all eyes will be on statements from management and the mortgage repurchasing and legal reserve builds related to the mortgage foreclosure mess. Final total cost calculation is next to impossible to calculate- subjective and part of a lengthy drawn out process, but have seen estimates in the mid-to-high double digits (I've seen $30 billion and $50 billion), with the caveat that banks may have recognized a good chunk of P&L impact already. Read across to Europe should be low but not discounted. The question could be asked before long, but ABS analysts make a key distinction that mortgage servicing businesses are regulated in Europe, compared to the non-agency mortgage practices in the US.
• Stocks on the move the Monday in Europe include BlueBay which has rallied 30 percent after the London- based manager of fixed-income funds agreed to be bought by the ever expanding Royal Bank of Canada for about £963 million . Meanwhile rivals Ashmore Group , a U.K. fund manager that focuses on emerging markets, and Henderson Group, which owns New Star Asset Management Group, climbed 1.7 percent and 4.3 percent, respectively. And Man Group, the world's largest publicly traded hedge-fund manager, advanced 2.1 percent.
• Elsewhere Nobel Biocare Holding surged 4.3 percent as Helvea recommended buying shares of the world's biggest maker of dental implants.
• And Bellway , a U.K. homebuilder specializing in first-time buyers, increased 2.1 percent, while Persimmon, the U.K.'s third-largest homebuilder by volume, climbed 1.2 percent as Taylor Wimpey rallied 1.8 percent on news of the Rightmove survey (see below)
• Mining and basic resources names are softer in Europe today with BHP Billiton (BHP: 82.26 -0.15 -0.18%) sliding 1.2 percent and Rio into retreating 1.5 percent dragging a measure of basic-resources producers to the biggest drop among 19 industry groups in the Stoxx 600 as the world's No. 1 and No. 3 mining companies abandoned a plan to create the largest iron-ore exporter after regulators from Europe to Asia were concerned it would limit competition. The changes demanded by regulators, including asset sales, were unacceptable to both companies, London-based Rio said. And Xstrata and Antofagasta have slumped 1.8 percent and 2 percent respectively as HSBC Holdings cut its recommendations on the mining companies to "underweight" from "neutral." Rival Vedanta Resources shed 1.8% as the brokerage cut its stance to "neutral" from "overweight." Copper fell for the first time in a week in London trading as the dollar strengthened.
• And PPR has dropped 2.1 percent Monday after the owner of the FNAC retail chain was cut to "sell" from "hold" at Deutsche Bank AG, (DB: 58.40 +1.73 +3.05%) which said "the Gucci brand is continuing to underperform relative to its peers in terms of sales growth, profits growth and margins."
• Stateside before the opening bell Citigroup's (C: 4.17 +0.22 +5.57%) third-quarter profit amounted to 7 cents a share, the New York-based bank said today in a statement. Ten analysts surveyed by Bloomberg estimated per-share earnings of 5 cents a share helping the Dow futures to pare losses. At first glance Citi's number look neutral to a small positive but I'd need more info on the mortgage foreclosure issue before giving then the thumbs up.
• TNK-BP has signed an agreement to buy BP's (BP: 41.49 +0.87 +2.14%) assets in Venezuela and Vietnam for $1.8 billion, the Russian company today in an e-mailed statement. BP shares have lost 1% today.
• C&C Group,the Irish maker of Magners cider reached an agreement with labour unions to cut the company's �7 million pensions deficit, the Sunday Times reported, citing union SIPTU. But separately, Citigroup Inc. lowered its recommendation for the shares to "hold" from "buy."
• Global brewer SABMiller said Monday lager volumes rose 1% in the first half of its financial year, marking a return to growth in the second quarter. Like its drinks rivals, SABMiller, which counts Castle, Pilsner Urquel and Peroni lager amongst its brands, was hit by a drop-off in consumer demand for alcohol during the global economic downturn. Lager volumes had been falling for most of last year, albeit with a brief return to volume growth in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010. But the 1 percent rise in the six months to Sept. 30 signals another recovery in volume demand, indicating a 2 percent increase in the second quarter after a 1 percent drop in the first quarter. In the first half last year, lager volumes decreased by 1 percent. Soft drink volumes rose 2 percent in the first half, and the company said it benefited from volume increases as well as price rises and lower raw material costs. SAB said overall its financial performance for the first half was in line with its expectations. SAB reports organic lager volumes which exclude the effects of acquisitions and disposals.
• U.K. dividends rose 1.6 percent in the third quarter of 2010 and are forecast to rise £1 billion to £55.7 billion for the year, although still 5 percent on 2009, according to the latest Capita Registrars Dividend Monitor, which analyses data provided by financial information specialists Exchange Data International on every dividend paid on the U.K. market. MAIN FACTS: -Excluding BP PLC effect, dividends expand at fastest pace in two and a half years. -FTSE 250 grows dividends rapidly, up 33 percent–far faster than FTSE 100–distributing £1.4 billion. -FTSE 100 payouts fall 2 percent in Q3 to £15.7 billion, thanks largely to BP effect. -Yields fall as market rally outpaces dividend recovery. -U.K. companies will pay out 17 percent less to investors than at the peak in 2008. -If BP hadn't been forced to cancel its dividend, the total amount returned to investors by U.K. companies would have risen 4 percent this year, roughly flat in real terms. -Excluding BP, dividends grew at their fastest rate since the first quarter of 2008 during the third quarter, up 13 percent. -In Q3, U.K. listed companies paid out £17.6 billion, up from £17.3 billion last year; Year to date, U.K. dividends totalled £46.1 billion, down from £47.8 billion for the first nine months of 2009. -200 companies paid a dividend in the third quarter, about the same as last year; number was reduced by some firms who moved their Q3 payouts into the 2009/10 tax year to beat the new 50 percent tax band. –Number increasing, starting, or reinstating payments to shareholders still outnumbered those who cut or cancelled their dividends by a very healthy 3.1:1.
• EBay (EBAY: 25.72 +0.04 +0.16%), Dell (DELL: 14.661 +0.171 +1.18%), and Safeway (SWY: 22.44 +0.68 +3.13%) are among 12 companies that may draw takeover bids from private-equity firms or other buyers on their low debt and plentiful cash, Barron's reported, citing analysts and investors
• A surcharge German electricity users pay to help that nation's renewable energy industry is slated to rise, The Financial Times reports on its website Sunday. According to the report, the surcharge will increase from two eurocents to 3.5 eurocents per kilowatt-hour, the FT said, citing "the country's leading power generators."
• Philips Electronics Monday posted a better-than-expected third quarter net profit on cost-cutting, improved organic growth particularly in the lighting and healthcare divisions and a stake sale, but its outlook remained cautious due to lingering economic uncertainty. "The third quarter was another solid quarter for Philips," said Chief Executive Gerard Kleisterlee, adding that in the first nine months of the year, Philips has already exceeded its target for the year of earnings before interest and tax of at least 10%. The Dutch maker of medical scanners, shavers and lighting reported net profit in the quarter ended Sept. 30 of �34 million compared with �76 million a year ago. The figure was boosted by higher earnings in both the lighting and healthcare sector as well as a �54 million gain after Philips sold its stake in NXP Semiconductors last month to its U.K. pension fund. That beat analyst expectations for �65.4 million. Philips said that, given the uncertain economic climate and fragile consumer confidence in some of its markets, it is taking a cautious view on revenue development in the fourth quarter. It said the quarter will be seasonally strong but this will be counter-balanced by year-end inventory and the continued soft construction market. Philips, which competes with U.S.-based General Electric Co. and Munich-based Siemens AG, reported a 9.6 percent rise in sales to �.16 billion from �.62 billion a year ago. Analysts had seen sales at �.16 billion. Earnings before interest, taxes and amortization, or Ebita, rose to �48 million from �44 million. Late late last month, rival Siemens said its fourth-quarter order intake and sales will likely beat the previous year's level.

Hot Stock Picks: Apple, Amazon, GigaMedia, Denison Mines, Patterson-UTI Energy

GigaMedia (GIGM: 2.02 -0.08 -3.81%) – The technical daily chart displays a downtrend line broken to the upside on heavy volume.  MACD signal line has crossed to the upside as well. The trend is beginning to shift towards bullish, a possible long entry can be taken if $2.04 provides support. From here we can expect a run to the $2.25 area and from there we could see an explosive upsurge to $2.74 and better. Stay tuned.

 

Shares of Apple (AAPL: 318.00 +3.26 +1.04%) closed the day gaining more than 4% to a new historic mark for stock at $314.74, near the highs of the day at $315. The stock has been on one of the most amazing runs of this most recent bull market. Looking at the daily chart the investor sentiment in AAPL stock showed by RSI continues strong and MACD still going up. The stock still trading in a strong Bull Market with share price above 20 dma, 50 dma and 200-daily moving average. Following this technical chart it's predictable that next week AAPL will reach new highs again.

 

Denison Mines Corp. (DNN: 2.15 +0.15 +7.50%) shares may be in a consolidation phase following a nice trend. Looks like it will move up again. Keep an eye for a possible breakout over $2.05.

Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN: 19.59 +0.05 +0.26%) – You probably cannot believe but PTEN closed GREEN again, reaching also during the regular trading session a new 52 week high at $19.67. Stock has reached overbought conditions, so at these levels we should have some cautions.

Shares of Amazon (AMZN: 163.56 -1.08 -0.66%) were up nearly 6% or $9.11 to $164.64, reaching during the session a new 52 week high at $164.88. The daily chart show a continuation of the trend with MACD and RSI in the Bullish areas. The stock is in a strong bull market with both 50-day and 200-day moving average going up, however in overbought conditions.

Other stocks to watch :

The Top Insurance stocks based on daily volume

ABK – AMBAC FINANCIAL GRP
PMI – P M I GROUP INC
MBI – M B I A INC
AGO – ASSURED GUARANTY LTD
GNW – GENWORTH FINCL INC
MTG – M G I C INVT CORP WIS
MET – METLIFE INC
PGR – PROGRESSIVE CORP
AIG – AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL
HIG – Hartford Financial
PFG – PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL
XL – Xl Group Plc
ALL – ALLSTATE CORP
PRU – PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL
AFL – AFLAC INC
LNC – LINCOLN NATIONAL CORP
CI – C I G N A CORP
TRV – The Travelers Co
CB – CHUBB CORP
UNM – UNUM GROUP
ACE – Ace Ltd
MFC – MANULIFE FINANCIAL
L – LOEWS CORP
ORI – OLD REPUBLIC INTL CORP
FNF – FIDELITY NATIONAL T
CNO – Cno Fnancial Grp
MRH – Montpelier Re Holdings
AXS – AXIS CAPITAL HLDGS LTD
CINF – Cincinnati Financial
AIZ – ASSURANT INC
WRB – WR Berkley Corp
LFC – CHINA LIFE INSUR CO.
BRO – BROWN AND BROWN INC
VR – Validus Holdings Ltd
AHL – ASPEN INSURANCE HLD
PL – PROTECTIVE LIFE CORP
PNX – PHOENIX COMPANIES INC
CHSI – HealthExtras, Inc.
RE – Everest Re Group Ltd
PUK – PRUDENTIAL PLC
SLF – Sun Life Fincl Inc
AEG – AEGON NV
RNR – RENAISSANCE RE HLDG.
TMK – TORCHMARK CORP
WSH – WILLIS GROUP HOLDING
PRE – PARTNER RE LTD
FAF – First American Corp
DFG – DELPHI FNCL GROUP INC
AJG – GALLAGHER ARTHUR J
HCC – H C C INSURANCE HLD
THG – ALLMERICA FINANCIAL
ACGL – Arch Capital Group Ltd
CISG – CNinsure Inc
ENH – Endurance Specialty
TRH – TRANSATLANTIC HLDGS
AFG – AMERICAN FNCL GROUP
FSR – Flgstn Reins Hld
UTR – Unitrin Inc
MIG – MEADOWBROOK INS GROUP
EHTH – eHealth Inc
CNA – CNA FINANCIAL CORP
SFG – STANCORP FINANCIAL
MHLD – Maiden Hldgs Ltd
EIG – Employers Holdings Inc
UVE – Universal Insurance

The Top Oil stocks based on daily volume

PBR – PETROLEO BRASILEIRO SA
XOM – EXXON MOBIL CORP
CHK – CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CORP
HAL – HALLIBURTON CO HLDG CO
RIG – Transocean Ltd
SLB – SCHLUMBERGER LTD
COP – ConocoPhillips
SU – SUNCOR ENERGY INC
WMB – WILLIAMS COS INC
BP – BP AMOCO ADS
CVX – Chevron
SD – Sandridge Energy Inc
VLO – VALERO ENERGY CORP NEW
WNR – WESTERN REFINING INC
BHI – BAKER HUGHES INC
MMR – MCMORAN EXPLORATION CO
NE – NOBLE DRILLING CORP
PDE – PRIDE INTL INC
OXY – OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM
NBR – Nabors Industries Inc
TSO – Tesoro Corp
EP – EL PASO CORP
PXP – Plains Exploration
HK – Petrohawk Energy
SUF – SULPHCO INC
RRC – Range Resources Corp
DNR – DENBURY RESOURCES INC
APC – ANADARKO PETROLEUM
STR – QUESTAR CORP
ATPG – ATP Oil & Gas C
APA – APACHE CORP
HERO – HERCULES OFFSHORE I
TOT – Total Sa
PWE – PENN WEST ENERGY TRU
NXY – Nexen Inc
BEXP – Brigham Exploration Co
RDC – ROWAN COS INC
DO – DIAMOND OFFSHR DRLL
EXXI – Energy XXI Ltd
HES – AMERADA HESS CORP
ECA – EnCana Corp
HDY – Hyperdynamics Corp
DVN – Devon Energy Cp
HP – HELMERICH & PAYNE INC
CNQ – Canadian Natural Resources
BQI – Oilsands Quest
SE – SPECTRA ENERGY CORP
EOG – EOG Resourses
NR – NEWPARK RESOURCES INC
TLM – TALISMAN ENERGY INC
SUN – SUNOCO INC
XCO – EXCO RESOURCES INC
KEG – Key Energy Services
ESV – Ensco Plc Adr
VTG – Vantage Drilling
MUR – MURPHY OIL CORP HLD
KWK – Quicksilver Resources
PVX – PROVIDENT ENERGY TR
FST – FOREST OIL CORP
KOG – KODIAK OIL & GAS CP
DPTR – Delta Petroleum Corporation
HOC – Holly Cp
XEC – Cimarex Energy Co
REXX – Rex Energy Corp
PXD – PIONEER NATURAL RES CO
FTO – FRONTIER OIL CORP
PVA – PENN VIRGINIA CORP
GLBL – Global Industries
COG – CABOT OIL & GAS CORP
SM – Sm Energy Co
NBL – NOBLE AFFILIATES INC
BPZ – BPZ Resources
HLX – Helix Energy Soluti
CPX – COMPLETE PRODUCTION
CRZO – Carrizo Oil & Gas
CRK – COMSTOCK RESOURCES INC
ALY – Allis Chalmers Energy
CLR – Continental Resources
ATLS – Atlas Energy Inc
EPD – ENTERPRISE PRODUCTS
CLNE – Clean Energy Fuels
AEZ – AMER OIL & GAS INC
UPL – ULTRA PETROLEUM CP
STO – Statoil ASA
NFX – NEWFIELD EXPLORATION
LINE – LINN ENERGY LLC UTS
VQ – Venoco Inc
TTI – T E T R A TECHNOLOGIES
ME – Mariner Energy Inc
E – E N I SPA ADR
SGY – STONE ENERGY CORP
WLL – WHITING PETROLEUM CP
GTE – GRAN TIERRA ENERGY
GMXR – Gmx Resourcs Inc
ETP – HERITAGE PROPANE PT.
PGH – Pengrowth Energy Trust
GDP – GOODRICH PETE CORP NEW
OII – OCEANEERING INTL INC
WPZ – WILLIAMS PARTNERS L.P.
PQ – Petroquest Energy Inc
ACGY – Stolt Offshore SA
INT – WORLD FUEL SVCS CORP
HNR – Harvest Natural Resources
BAS – BASIC ENERGY SERVICES
ATW – ATWOOD OCEANICS
PDS – Precision Drilling
SFY – SWIFT ENERGY CO
ERF – Enerplus Resources
REP – REPSOL YPF SA
DEJ – DEJOUR ENTERPRISES
RGNC – REGENCY ENERGY
IOC – Interoil Cp
IVAN – Ivanhoe Energy Inc
CXO – Concho Resources Inc
CPE – CALLON PETROLEUM CO
TGA – TransGlobe Energy Corp
DVR – CAL Dive International
CFW – CANO PETROLEUM INC
BWP – BOARDWALK PIPELINE
FTK – FLOTEK INDS INC (DE)
PAA – PLAINS ALL AMERICAN
BRY – BERRY PETROLEUM CO
SSL – Sasol Ltd
KMP – KINDER MORGAN ENRGY
RES – R P C INC
PETD – Petroleum Development
EC – ECOPETROL SA
GSX – Gasco Energy Inc
AXAS – Abraxas Petroleum C.
EEE – KFX Inc
PKD – PARKER DRILLING CO
PTR – PETROCHINA CO
BBG – Bill Barrett Corp
NGAS – NGAS Resources
PDC – Pioneer Drilling Co
ROSE – ROSETTA RESOURCES
CVI – CVR Energy Inc
EGY – Vaalco Energy Inc
WTI – W&T OFFSHORE INC
NRGY – INERGY LP
EXH – Exterran Holdings Inc
AAV – Advantage Oil&Gs
CEO – CNOOC Ltd
TRGL – Toreador Resources
CPNO – COPANO ENERGY LLC UTS
EROC – Eagle Rock Energy
LNG – Cheniere Energy Inc
FXEN – FX Energy, Inc.
SSN – Samson Oil & Gas Ltd
UNT – UNIT CORP
LGCY – Legacy Reserves LP
HGT – HUGOTON ROYALTY TRUST
MWE – MARKWEST ENERGY PTN.
CRR – CARBO CERAMICS INC
HUSA – HOUSTON AMER ENERGY CP
BTE – Baytex Energy Trust
PBT – PERMIAN BASIN RLTY
AREX – Approach Resources Inc
GPOR – Gulfport Energy Corp
WRES – WARREN RESOURCES INC

Disclaimer : This is not an investment advisory, and should not be used to make investment decisions. Information in AC Investor Blog is often opinionated and should be considered for information purposes only. No stock exchange anywhere has approved or disapproved of the information contained herein. There is no express or implied solicitation to buy or sell securities. The charts provided here are not meant for investment purposes and only serve as technical examples. Don't consider buying or selling any stock without conducting your own due diligence.

Stock Picks For Tuesday: Citigroup, SIGA Technologies, GigaMedia, OceanFreight

SIGA Technologies, Inc.(SIGA: 14.06 +0.83 +6.27%) has been one of the hottest stocks around, trading up from $8.00 to its current price of $14.38, all this month. Monday, the stock closed at $14.06, trading 3x normal daily volume.  I am buying SIGA again once it breaks $14.38, but I recommend using the stops on this stock.

 

Citigroup Inc. (C: 4.17 +0.22 +5.57%) released earnings and was one of the big winners on Monday.  The stock traded as high as $4.20, before pulling back the last hour of the day.  I am watching the stock on Tuesday, and will be buying once the stock breaks through Monday's high of $4.20. Citigroup could be a good stock for medium-term investment, based on its historical performance and from the technical indicators. Let's keep an eye on it.

 

GigaMedia Limited (GIGM: 2.02 -0.08 -3.81%) was a bit weak today despite a positive stock market. It appears that the 50-day moving average located at $2.01 was successfully tested. The momentum clearly favors the bulls. As long as GIGM can remain over $2, I like the stock. If $2.10 is broken, look for $2.4-$2.5. Today's pullback has been on lower volume just as it should be. Looking for a nice bounce from here with accumulation and relative strength.

 

OceanFreight Inc. (OCNF: 1.1198 +0.1698 +17.87%) – Technical breakout on no news. I don't see anything until the $1.32-$1.5 area. The stock is now back above the 50 day moving average which is very bullish. Let's keep an eye on her as i think momentum will pick up.

Other stocks to watch :

New 52-week High stocks 

AGAM – AGA Medical Holdings
AAPL – Apple Inc
ORCL – Oracle Corporation
AGN – ALLERGAN INCORPORATED
IBM – INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
COP – ConocoPhillips
AMZN – Amazon.com, Inc.
UNH – UNITEDHEALTH GROUP INC
NU – NORTHEAST UTILITIES
MCD – MCDONALDS CORP
MCP – Molycorp Inc
HAS – HASBRO INC
SWKS – SKYWORKS SOLUTNS
D – DOMINION RESOURCES
PWE – PENN WEST ENERGY TRU
MFE – MCAFEE, Inc.
AEE – AMEREN CORP

WPI – WATSON PHARMACEUTICALS
SIGA – SIGA Technologies Inc.
NST – NSTAR
CNP – CenterPoint Energy Inc
ZAGG – Zagg Incorporated
RDC – ROWAN COS INC
ISLN – Isilon Systems Inc
AMX – America Movil SA
FRX – FOREST LABORATORIES
SO – SOUTHERN CO
VMED – Virgin Media Inc
SCCO – Southern Copper Cp
SVM – Silvercorp Metal
STZ – Constellation Brand
ED – CONSOLIDATED EDISON
RAI – RJ Reynolds Tobacco
APH – AMPHENOL CORP
AMP – AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL
SUN – SUNOCO INC

The Top Internet stocks based on daily volume

YHOO – Yahoo! Inc
BIDU – Baidu Inc
GOOG – GOOGLE INC CL A
AKAM – Akamai Technologies
GIGM – GigaMedia Limited
VRSN – VeriSign, Inc.
MWW – Monster Worldwide Inc
EQIX – Equinix, Inc.
RAX – Rackspace Hosting Inc
VCLK – ValueClick, Inc.
FFIV – F5 Networks, Inc.
ELNK – EarthLink, Inc.
NTES – Netease.com, Inc.
TSYS – TeleCommunication S
SOHU – Sohu.com Inc.
VHC – PASW Inc.
ZIXI – ZixIt Corporation
LLNW – Limelight Networks Inc
DRIV – Digital River, Inc.
RNWK – RealNetworks, Inc.
TMRK – Terremark Worldwide
ARTG – Art Technology Group
UNTD – United Online Inc
ASIA – Asiainfo Linkage
MOVE – Move Inc
ARBA – Ariba, Inc.
INAP – InterNAP Network
OPWV – Openwave Systems Inc
SPRT – Support.Com Inc
PAET – US LEC Corp.
BBBB – BLACKBOARD INC
SXCI – SXC Health Solutions
REDF – Rediff Com
WBSN – Websense, Inc.
PWRD – Perfect World Co Ltd
LPSN – LivePerson, Inc.
MLNK – CMGI, Inc.
APEI – American Public Education
CTCT – Constant Contact Inc
RDWR – Radware Ltd.
SIFY – Sify Tech Lt ADR
INET – Internet Brands Inc
JCOM – JFAX.Com Inc.
SONE – S1 Corporation
SFLY – SHUTTERFLY INC
WBMD – Webmd Health Crp
GA – Giant Interactive G
SABA – Saba Software, Inc.

Below is a list of stocks whose chart displays a cup and handle pattern

F – FORD MOTOR COMPANY
PG – PROCTER & GAMBLE CO
DIS – DISNEY CO WALT HLDG CO
ETFC – E*Trade Financial Inc
SU – SUNCOR ENERGY INC
KR – KROGER CO
UPS – UPS
TLAB – Tellabs, Inc.
TSO – Tesoro Corp
TEVA – Teva Pharmaceutical
TCK – Teck Recs B
ADSK – Autodesk, Inc.
QLGC – QLogic Corporation
D – DOMINION RESOURCES
MBT – MOBIL TELESYSTEMS
SE – SPECTRA ENERGY CORP
KWK – Quicksilver Resources
VECO – Veeco Instruments Inc.
ABB – ABB LTD
PCL – PLUM CREEK TIMBER CO
RMD – RESMED INC
AINV – APOLLO INVT
GTI – GrafTech International
KT – KOREA TELECOM CORP
CIT – CIT GROUP INC
CE – CELANESE CORPORATION
TM – TOYOTA MOTOR CORP
PRXL – PAREXEL International
AZN – ASTRAZENECA PLC
KMT – KENNAMETAL INC
KFN – KKR Financial Hldg
HNT – Health Net Inc
STRI – STR Holdings
SJM – Smucker JM Co
BGCP – eSpeed, Inc.
CBE – Cooper Inds Plc
GRA – GRACE W R & CO NEW
CLI – MACK CALI REALTY CORP
CVE – Cenovus Energy Inc
PNR – PENTAIR INC
LPSN – LivePerson, Inc.
SBNY – SIGNATURE BANK
ELY – CALLAWAY GOLF CO
TTES – T-3 Energy Services.
OTEX – Open Text Corporation
TRMK – Trustmark Corporation
NPSP – NPS Pharmaceuticals
SFN – Sfn Group Inc
RTI – R T I INTERNATIONAL
KYN – KAYNE ANDERSON MLP
DG – Dollar General Corp
PRE – PARTNER RE LTD
IDA – IDACORP INC
AIXG – Aixtron Aktienge

Disclaimer : This is not an investment advisory, and should not be used to make investment decisions. Information in AC Investor Blog is often opinionated and should be considered for information purposes only. No stock exchange anywhere has approved or disapproved of the information contained herein. There is no express or implied solicitation to buy or sell securities. The charts provided here are not meant for investment purposes and only serve as technical examples. Don't consider buying or selling any stock without conducting your own due diligence.

PowerShares To Shut Door On 10 ETFs

Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC, a leading global provider of exchange-traded funds [[ETFs]] with more than $50 billion in franchise assets, announced that it plans to close 10 of its ETFs.

The 10 ETFs include:

• PowerShares Dynamic Healthcare Services Portfolio (PTJ: 21.12 0.00 0.00%)
• PowerShares Dynamic Telecommunications & Wireless Portfolio (PTE: 15.01 0.00 0.00%)
• PowerShares FTSE NASDAQ Small Cap Portfolio (PQSC: 24.22 0.00 0.00%)
• PowerShares FTSE RAFI Europe Portfolio (PEF: 36.0499 0.00 0.00%)
• PowerShares FTSE RAFI Japan Portfolio (PJO: 38.16 0.00 0.00%)
• PowerShares Global Biotech Portfolio  (PBTQ: 25.525 0.00 0.00%)
• PowerShares Global Progressive Transportation Portfolio (PTRP: 28.92 0.00 0.00%)
• PowerShares NASDAQ-100 BuyWrite Portfolio (PQBW: 21.99 0.00 0.00%)
• PowerShares NXQ Portfolio (PNXQ: 28.40 0.00 0.00%)
• PowerShares Zacks Small Cap Portfolio (PZJ: 19.7406 0.00 0.00%)

According to PowerShares, the last trading day on the NASDAQ and NYSE Arca exchanges for these ETFs will be December 14, 2010.  For those who own these ETFs and do not sell their shares on or before the last trading day will receive cash equal to the amount of the net asset value of their shares, which will include any capital gains and dividends, in the cash portion of their brokerage accounts on the liquidation date (currently scheduled for Dec. 21, 2010).  From a tax perspective, shareholders generally recognize a capital gain or loss equal to the amount received for their shares over their adjusted basis in such shares.

Despite the closure of these ETFs, the ETF industry as a whole continues to attract assets and grow at a healthy level.