Archives: March 2009

UBS Auction Rate Security Holders Don't Get More Relief, Judge Says

Posted by: Aaron Pressman on March 31

You remember the whole auction rate securities mess? These long-term bonds and shares of preferred stock were sold as cash-equivalent, short-term investments because their interest rates were reset at weekly...

How to Market "Toxic" Funds to Investors

Posted by: Lauren Young on March 27

My editor asks this question: If individual investors are going to be offered "toxic" asset funds, what euphemism will be used to market them? "Junk" is taken. "Trash"? "Other-Side-of-the-Tracks? Today's...

More Concerns for Airline Stocks

Posted by: Ben Steverman on March 26

By Kyle Shen In 2007, Warren Buffett lamented that “if a farsighted capitalist had been present at Kitty Hawk, he would have done his successors a huge favor by shooting...

Hidden Gem of an Economic Indicator? Diamond Sales

Posted by: Lauren Young on March 26

Earlier today I wrote about our chief economist’s call that the stock market has bottomed. A housing guru also says a real estate bottom may be in sight. Apparently, the...

What Would You Ask Bank CEOs?

Posted by: Ben Steverman on March 26

President Barack Obama meets on Friday with the heads of the country's largest banks. Chief executives of about a dozen banks, including Bank of America (BAC), JP Morgan Chase (JPM),...

Have We Reached Real Estate Bottom's Yet?

Posted by: Lauren Young on March 26

Have we reached the bottom? Today's lead story on BusinessWeek.com focuses on the stock market rally: equities are up 20% since the low. But what about real estate, which dragged...

Gambling on Geithner

Posted by: Ben Levisohn on March 22

In the age of TARP, TALF and other acronyms, government action is the market wild card. For this week’s government intervention, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is expected to announce details...

Citi Mulls Reverse Stock Split: Anger and Applause

Posted by: Lauren Young on March 20

The blogosphere is filled with opinions from folks who are either angry or applauding news that Citigroup (C) is considering a reverse stock split to boost its share price. Citigroup...

Peek behind GE's curtain did more damage than good for investors

Posted by: Aaron Pressman on March 20

Tired of getting relentlessly pummeled in the press, Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of GE (Symbol: GE), decided to fight back with a little transparency this week. Top execs spent six hours...

Is Citigroup’s Reverse Stock Split a Smart Move?

Posted by: Lauren Young on March 19

Last week I wrote a story about a pending boom of reverse stock splits. In that piece, Anton Schutz, manager of the Burnham Financial Services Fund (BURKX), predicted that Citigroup...

Real estate trusts taking the cash out of their dividends

Posted by: Aaron Pressman on March 18

I don't have to tell you that 2009 has been a horrible year for real estate investment trusts -- and we're only in mid-March. The SPDR Dow Jones Wilshire REIT...

Yale investing guru Swensen missed problems with his advice

Posted by: Aaron Pressman on March 17

The brutal bear market has been less than kind to almost everyone who ever gave investing advice. In some cases, the press has picked up on it but not in...

"Brawl Street": Jon Stewart vs. Jim Cramer

Posted by: Karyn McCormack on March 12

The "week-long feud of the century" kicked off The Daily Show's March 12 episode with host Jon Stewart flexing his muscles and concluded with a conciliatory friendly handshake with CNBC's...

GE’s Ratings Rally: Where Does The Stock Go Now?

Posted by: Lauren Young on March 12

You would think a ratings downgrade would send General Electric (GE) reeling. Think again. In midday trading, General Electric was up 11.54% to $9.47. Since 1956, General Electric has carried...

Short Sellers, Not Citi, Spurred the Rally

Posted by: Ben Levisohn on March 10

After Today’s mega-rally, which saw the S&P 500 rally 6.4%, investors breathed a sigh of relief. For the moment at least, the selling had stopped, and maybe, just maybe, the...

The Real Reason Stocks Are Falling

Posted by: Ben Steverman on March 09

Monday was another down day for the market, with the S&P 500 index falling 1% to another 12-and-a-half-year low of 676.53. There's been a lot of talk lately about the...

Penny Stock or Not, Citigroup's Bonds Have Value

Posted by: Lauren Young on March 05

Citigroup's stock might be worth pennies, but Citi's short-term debt is still a good buy, according to Jason Graybill, who co-manages the fixed-income team at Carret Asset Management in New...

A Look Inside General Electric's Freefall

Posted by: Lauren Young on March 04

As General Electric fell below $6 for the first time since 1991 on Wednesday (the share price fell as much as 18%, to $5.73, before closing at $6.69, down $0.32...

Restaurant Stocks: Are Consumers Warming Up?

Posted by: Ben Steverman on March 03

Was there a subtle shift in consumers' mood last month? Or was it just the sunny weather? Restaurants are a pricier, expendable item in my family budgets. But, in February,...

Restaurant Stocks: Are Consumers Warming Up?

Posted by: Ben Steverman on March 03

Was there a subtle shift in consumers' mood last month? Or was it just the sunny weather? Restaurants are a pricier, expendable item in my family budgets. But, in February,...