Paul Shread

Big Blue could have investors singing the blues again on Thursday, after the company missed revenue estimates after the close on Wednesday. Stocks bounced back from steep losses during the day, but still finished in the red. The ISDEX http://www.wsrn.com/apps/ISDEX/ fell 11 to 203, and the Nasdaq dropped 51 to 2016. The S&P 500 declined […]

Intel stuck to its prediction of a second-half recovery in its microprocessor business last night. Now the burden falls to consumers and businesses to make that prediction come true. For the record, Intel’s quarter was abysmal, with revenues falling 24% to $6.3 billion and pro forma earnings falling 76% to 12 cents a share, a […]

Yesterday’s announced acquisition of Expedia by USA Networks threw a new twist into the soaring online travel sector. First of all, it was a “takeunder,” not a takeover, valuing shares of Expedia at about 20% under Friday’s closing price of 48.70 a share. Estimates of the value of the complicated deal range from $35-$44 a […]

A strong day for stocks ended on a modestly weak note when Intel matched earnings expectations, but lowered its revenue outlook. The ISDEX http://www.wsrn.com/apps/ISDEX/ rose 3 to 215, and the Nasdaq climbed 38 to 2067. The S&P 500 added 11 to 1214, and the Dow surged 134 to 10,606. Volume rose to 1.23 billion shares […]

Stocks fell Monday after Applied Materials became the latest technology company to warn that a recovery could be a year away. The ISDEX http://www.wsrn.com/apps/ISDEX/ fell 8 to 212, and the Nasdaq lost 55 to 2029. The S&P 500 dropped 13 to 1202, and the Dow declined 66 to 10,472. Volume declined to 1 billion shares […]

A slew of major earnings reports this week could be just what the market needs to decide which way it will break out of its two-month trading range. With Intel reporting after the close tomorrow, IBM after the close on Wednesday, and Microsoft , eBay and Sun Microsystems after the close on Thursday, it could […]

Blue chips followed through on Thursday’s strong gains on Friday, but tech stocks took a breather. The ISDEX http://www.wsrn.com/apps/ISDEX/ gave back 1 to 220, and the Nasdaq added 9 to 2084. The S&P 500 rose 7 to 1215, and the Dow climbed 60 to 10,539. Volume declined to 1.1 billion shares on the NYSE, and […]

Yesterday was an impressive-looking rally for the major U.S. indexes, but more evidence is needed before we can say the tide has turned. Until then, caution is advised, particularly for the next few days, for reasons we will get to in a moment. But first, the one big positive. The indexes produced some impressive-looking candlesticks […]

Stocks soared Thursday on better than expected earnings news from Microsoft and Yahoo. The ISDEX http://www.wsrn.com/apps/ISDEX/ soared 17 to 222, and the Nasdaq surged 103 to 2075. The S&P 500 rose 27 to 1208, and the Dow soared 237 to 10,478. Volume rose to 1.39 billion shares on the NYSE, and 1.87 billion on the […]

Before we get to Yahoo and Microsoft, a word about the real news yesterday. One of the truly great corporate streaks came to an end yesterday. Emerson ended its record of 43 years of uninterrupted growth with an earnings warning. A stunning development from one of the most consistent performers in stock market history. As […]

Microsoft and Yahoo surged after hours on Wednesday on better than expected earnings news, capping a modest up day for the market. The ISDEX http://www.wsrn.com/apps/ISDEX/ fell 5 to 204, and the Nasdaq rose 9 to 1972. The S&P 500 lost 1 to 1180, and the Dow climbed 65 to 10,241. Volume rose to 1.3 billion […]

Earnings season is barely underway, but so far the only second-half recovery that companies are talking about is the second half of 2002. Corning on Monday said the telecom equipment spending slowdown could last another 12-18 months. And on last night’s conference call, DoubleClick CFO Stephen Collins said “the best-case scenario is for growth to […]