Category: Stock Option Trading News

Global Crossing (GLBC), a New Jersey based telecommunications carrier announced that it had earned $1 million during its fiscal further quarter for 2007. While this might seem like a small profit, it was a huge improvement of the $90 million loss the company suffered during the same quarter in 2006. Increased Internet and corporate networking sales were noted as being leading contributors to the strong improvement from 2006 to 2007. Total sales went from $488 million to $616 million, a rise of 26% from last year’s fourth quarter to this year’s. According to Thomson Financial, analysts had estimated $608.3 in sales. The stock investing community was inspired by the superior revenue.

Microsoft (MSFT) has found an answer to online software services that people are seeking in order to make their business life easier and so today Microsoft Corp. has announced their expansion business program testing that will be offered as online services. This is an investment strategy that puts Microsoft at the cutting edge and in competition with other reputable companies. People are now resorting to online capabilities for their writing, accounting, email and other online programs to increase productivity. People are looking for ease of use and so software packages and installation steps have become a distant friend only on occasions.

Blue Coat Systems (BCSI), WAN optimization software supplier based in Sunnyvale announced huge profits and revenue for its fiscal third quarter, ended December 31, 2007. The company’s sales jumped an incredible 73%, from $47.1 million during last year’s third quarter, to $81.4 million in this year’s third quarter. The remarkably strong sales performance helped take the company from a $42,000 net income during last year’s quarter (less than 1 cent per share) to a robust $10.5 million net income, or 26 cents per share, net income during this year’s third quarter.

The US Government and Central Bank are doing everything they can to help reduce the economic impact of a pending recession. Congress recently passed a $168 economic stimulus package consistently mostly of tax rebates to millions of Americans. The Fed has been cutting interest rates at lightening speed. In spite of recession concerns, floundering consumer confidence, stock trading uncertainty, and a sluggish holiday retail season, many TV makers are expecting strong growth during 2008. Sony (SNE) experience double-digit growth in the fourth quarter of 2007 in US electronics sales.

Pfizer Inc. (PFE) reported a drop of 70% in its fourth-quarter net income. Pfizer (PFE) also posted its first yearly sales decline with its top drug, Lipitor. The world’s largest drug maker recorded a net income of $2.88 billion (42 cents a share). This is down from the prior year’s recorded net income of $9.45 billion ($1.32 a share). Last year’s $7.9 billion gain was due to the sale of its consumer health care unit to J&J (JNJ).

Motorola (MOT) lost a significant amount of stock investing value over the past year. Globally, it fell to third place. This is due to a lack of new handsets. Analysts predict it could take the entire year of 2008 to show any signs of progress due to the fact that it can take several years to create a new phone and the cost of phones are still too high. Investors stock investing in these stocks will most likely not see high returns on investment, unfortunately. In fourth-quarter 2007, Motorola (MOT) reported a net income of $100 million, equaling to 4 cents a share. This is down from $623 million at 25 cents a share, just last year. This significant loss is attributed to sales dropping 18.2% to $9.65 billion from $11.79 billion.

BlackRock Inc.’s (BLK) fourth-quarter earnings jumped 90% as the investment-management firm benefited from strong demand for its advisory and alternative-investment services. Net income at the New York company rose to $322.4 million, or $2.43 a share, from $169.4 million, or $1.28 a share, a year earlier. The latest quarter’s results include a 1-cent integration charge associated with the company’s September 2006 acquisition of the operations of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, while such charges a year earlier totaled 25 cents.

Volkswagen (VLKAY) widened its lead in China over General Motors Corp. (GM) with a 28% growth in sales as the German automaker maintained its position last year as China’s largest passenger carmaker. Volkswagen outsold U.S. rival GM by 431,064 passenger cars in 2007, compared with 298,507 in 2006. Volkswagen’s China sales last year rose to 910,491 units, exceeding its sales target of 900,000. GM, through its passenger car joint venture, Shanghai General Motors Corp., sold 479,427 vehicles in China in 2007, up 16.9%.

A court ruling could force Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) to pay patent royalties to rival Broadcom Corp. (BRCM) for the next 13 months to keep selling chips for cell phones that infringe three Broadcom patents. U.S. District Judge James Selna granted Broadcom’s request for a permanent injunction against the Qualcomm products at issue in a patent battle between the two Southern California chipmakers. The judge also added a “sunset provision” to his order, which allows Qualcomm to keep selling the chips through January 2009 if it pays royalties to Broadcom.

As part of the strategic intent of Ford (F) to refocus on its core brands, Ford had already put Jaguar and Land Rover on the selling block in June this year. In March, Ford had sold control of Aston Martin, the sports car marquee, to a Kuwait led consortium for $931 million in cash and preferred stock.