Investors can find great investments by looking beyond the glare of the top-rated stars.

Treasuries are expensive; high-grade corporates are cheap.

Dow Chemical won't take the Kuwaiti joint-venture pullout lying down.

It would be hard to miss the headline that Alcoa (AA) fired 15,000 people yesterday. The actions of big companies are probably a much better indicator for what is ahead for the economy that forecasts from business professors. The fascinating and troubling aspect of the Alcoa cuts is that the company made $470 million in the last reported quarter and Wall St. estimates have it making a very modest amount of money next year. Dow Chemical (DOW), which recently let thousands of people go is also a money maker. One of the most successful corporations in the US, IBM (IBM)...

According to Reuters, Alcoa (AA) will fire over 13,000 people. Reuters reports that Apple (AAPL) disappointed with no Jobs of big announcements at Macworld. Reuters reports that GM (GM) says government loans cover its worst case scenario.

Right off the open my longs in FXP and ERY were winners. FXP popped 10% on the open and I dumped it. Bad move, more later. ERY up 6% and I dumped it. Bad move, more later. AAPL down in the morning and I dumped it for a 1.75% gain. This was a good move [...]

Dow Chemical (DOW) is prepared to pay up to $100 mil-a-month penalty for missing a Sat. deadline for closing its proposed $15 bil takeover of Rohm...

Filed under: Private equity, Dow Chemical (DOW), Blackstone Group L.P (BX)

It's been brutal for the chemicals industry. Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW), for example, lost a multi-billion dollar joint venture deal with Kuwait. Then there was the implosion of the Huntsman (NYSE: HUN) buyout, which singed private equity operator, Apollo Management LP.

Now, there's another victim: Lyondell Chemical. The company, which is part of the LyondellBasell Industries AF empire, filed for bankruptcy.

Lyondell Chemical, a maker of polymers and petrochemicals, couldn't manage the price deflation as well as harsh materials costs. Although, the main problem was a $12.7 billion merger in 2007, which resulted in large amounts of debt.

Continue reading Private equity tries to feast on Lyondell blow-up

Private equity tries to feast on Lyondell blow-up originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Earnings reports, Analyst reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Deals, Apple Inc (AAPL), Alcoa Inc (AA), Bank of America (BAC), Bed Bath and Beyond (BBBY), Dow Chemical (DOW), Analyst initiations

Alcoa, Inc. (NYSE: AA), the aluminum maker giant and a Dow component, said late Tuesday it will cut 13,500 jobs, or 13% of its global workforce, as well as reduce aluminum production by an additional 135,000 metric tons per year, lowering output by 18% annually. Alcoa has been hit by the auto industry slowdown among other things and this is designed as cost-saving move to offset the declining demand. AA shares traded over 5% in premarket action at 7:30 am.

Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) sold part of its stake in China Construction Bank Ltd., China's second-biggest commercial lender, for $2.8 billion. BAC reduced its stake form 19.1% to 16.6%. Despite the $15 billion bailout money it received from the government, it seems BAC needs more money to cope with the worst financial crisis for banks since the 1930s. BAC shares were over 1% lower in premarket tade at 7:38 am.

Satyam Computer Sciences (NYSE: SAY) shares crashed 84.5% in premarket trading at 7:45 am after the software firm announced it had falsified accounts and assets for years and inflated cash and bank balances by more than $1 billion, leading the group's founder and chairman to quit. Credit Suisse said it was suspending its coverage of Satyam.

Continue reading Stocks in the news: AA, BAC, SAY, MON, STZ, BBBY, DOW, ROH, AAPL

Stocks in the news: AA, BAC, SAY, MON, STZ, BBBY, DOW, ROH, AAPL originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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US stocks rose on Tuesday on optimism Obama's massive stimulus plan will pull the US economy out of recession.[More...]

Schaeffer's analyst Colleen S. King takes a look at news on the Street before the market open.

Companies featured in this segment: Alcoa (NYSE:AA), AK Steel (NYSE:AKS), U.S. Steel (NYSE:X), Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX), ThyssenKrupp (FRA:TKA), Holcim (VTX:HOLN), Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ), Cytogenix (NASDAQ:CYGX), Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW), 3M (NYSE:MMM), Sony Corporation (NYSE:SNE), Cameco Corporation (NYSE:CCJ), KBR Incorporated (NYSE:KBR), Global Investment House (KUW:GLOBAL), Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (AFM:JOPH), Arab Potash Company (AFM:APOT), Southern Company (NYSE:SO), McDermott International Incorporated (NYSE:MDR), and Toshiba Corporation (OTC:TOSBF).

Companies featured in this segment: General Motors Corporation (NYSE:GM), Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F), Chrysler LLC, BP plc (NYSE:BP), Clipper Windpower plc (LSE:CWP), Otter Tail Corporation (NASDAQ:OTTR), MDU Resources Group Incorporated (NYSE:MDU), Dow Chemical (NYSE:DOW), Rohm and Haas (NYSE:ROH), Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company Incorporated (TYO:4182), Itochu Corporation (OTC:ITOCY), ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM), Nippon Oil Corporation (TYO:5001), Santos Limited (NASDAQ:STOSY), AGL Energy Limited (ASX:AGK), Sasol Limited (NYSE:SSL), Eni S.p.A (NYSE:E), Horizon Oil Limited (ASX:HZN), Interoil Corporation (TSX:IOL), Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX), ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM), and Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS-A)

Companies featured in this segment: DuPont (NYSE:DD), Braskem's (NYSE:BAK), Petrobras' (NYSE:PBR), Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW), Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN), General Electric (NYSE:GE), BHP Billiton (NYSE:BHP), Rio Tinto (NYSE:RTP), Del Monte Foods Company (NYSE:DLM), Akzo Nobel N.V. (OTC:AKZOY), Petra Diamonds Limited (LSE:PDL), Babcock & Brown Limited (ASX:BNB), and Tosoh Corporation (TYO:4042)

Companies featured in this segment: Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE), Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW), Babcock & Brown Limited (ASX:BNB), FPL Group Incorporated (NYSE:FPL), General Electric (NYSE:GE), E.ON (OTC:EONGY), Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX), Alcoa (NYSE:AA), AK Steel (NYSE:AKS), RTI International Metals Incorporated (NYSE:RTI), Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO), ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM), KBR Incorporated (NYSE:KBR), LyondellBasell Industries, Technip (OTC:TKPPY), ThyssenKrupp AG (FRA:TKA), Uhde Gmbh, INEOS ABS (India) Limited (BSE:506222), Societe Generale (OTC:SCGLY), Energy Corporation plc (LSE:IEC), Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (BSE:500312), Rosneft NK OAO (MCX:ROSN), Gazprom OAO (RTD:GAZP), Rio Tinto (NYSE:RTP), NMDC Limited (BSE:526371)