CNBC's Fast Money Tim Seymour thinks that investors should take profits in Ford (NYSE: F) because it typically fails at $9. Ford (F) gained 0.92% today and closed at $8.81.

Guy Adami recommends buying Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT), and Karen Finerman suggests buying Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) on the heels of good Medtronic (NYSE: MED) earnings. Abbott Laboratories gained 2.09% today, while Boston Scientific (BSX) added 4.90%.

Pete Najarian wants to buy Brocade Communications Systems (NASDAQ: BRCD) after a big pullback today. Brocade (BRCD) dropped 8.95% today and closed at $7.10.

Ford Extends Almost $8 Bln In Loans To 2013

Visit StreetInsider.com at http://www.streetinsider.com/news.php?st=p&id=5138104 for the full story.

Visit StreetInsider.com at http://www.streetinsider.com/news.php?st=p&id=5137406 for the full story.

Analog Devices delivers despite a lousy product mix. Now imagine what it can do in a richer customer environment.

The Conference Board’s index of Consumer Confidence increased to 49.5% from a significantly upwardly revised level of 48.7 in October. Originally, the October level was at 47.5%. Consensus expectations were for the consumer confidence level to actually fall to 47.5%. The index saw a big improvement from dismal levels during the ...

The Conference Board’s index of Consumer Confidence increased to 49.5% from a significantly upwardly revised level of 48.7 in October. Originally, the October level was at 47.5%. Consensus expectations were for the consumer confidence level to actually fall to 47.5%. The index saw a big improvement from dismal levels during the spring, but since May consumer confidence has roughly hovered within a few points of 50.

All of the improvement came from the expectations component of the consumer confidence index, which rose to 68.5 from 67.0 last month. However, that was because fewer consumers thought things would get worse and would stay unchanged (at a very bad level), rather than due to an increase in those who thought things would actually get better over the next six months. The percentage expecting an improvement in business conditions over the next six months actually declined to 20.0% from 20.8%. However, the decline in those expecting further deterioration in the economy fell to 15.1% from 18.2% last month.

The 5,000 households' (that the Conference Board surveyed) assessment of the present situation fell ever-so-slightly to 21.0 from 21.1. That is a very bad reading, not too far from the record low set in February 1983 of 17.5%. Overall, 45.7% of consumers saw the current business conditions as bad, down from 46.7% in October, while 8.1% saw business conditions as good, up from 7.8% last month.  Their view of the labor market continued to deteriorate, with 49.8 seeing jobs as hard to get, up from 49.4% last month.  The percentage (of deluded people) who saw jobs as plentiful dropped to 3.2% from 3.5% in October.

While the better-than-expected consumer confidence reading for this month -- and the upward consumer confidence revision to last month -- are encouraging, the details of the report are not all that robust. In theory, higher consumer confidence should lead consumers to open up their wallets, something that is very important as the holidays approach. If consumers have confidence about the economy, they are more likely to buy big ticket items like cars from Ford (F) or major appliances from Whirlpool (WHR). Perhaps they might buy more impulse items at the checkout counter at Wal-Mart (WMT).

Historically though, the consumer confidence numbers, like the University of Michigan sentiment numbers, do not have a great track record of predicting how consumers will behave. So count this consumer confidence report as a minor positive. Changes in consumer spending generally have much more to do with changes in personal income than with this sort of survey data, and that data is due out tomorrow.



Dirk van Dijk, CFA is the Chief Equity Strategist for Zacks.com. With more than 25 years investment experience, he has become a popular commentator appearing in the Wall Street Journal and on CNBC. Dirk is also the Editor in charge of the market-beating Zacks Strategic Investor service.
Read the full analyst report on "F"
Read the full analyst report on "WHR"
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Zacks Investment Research

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 24, 2009 - Zacks Research Equity Strategist Dirk Van Dijk says that S&P 500 earnings are continuing to show red ink. He tracks companies on the Zacks.com web site, naming names, while forecasting trends for the months ahead.

Be Thankful for a Strong Earnings Season

The broad increases in earnings estimates seems to reflect a much better short-term outlook for the economy. Note that some of the most cyclical areas such as Retailers, Materials and Autos are seeing a large preponderance of upward over downward earnings revisions, and that most of the firms in those sectors are seeing their consensus estimates increase.

On the other hand, the defensive Staples sector has a very high revisions ratio of 8.55, so it’s not just the cyclicals. Then again, given the great performance by the Staples on the surprise front, a strong estimate revisions performance is not surprising.

One industry that has seen some remarkable increases in their estimates for both this year and next is the Semiconductor Equipment industry, with firms like Applied Materials (AMAT), KLA-Tencor (KLAC) and Novellus (NVLS) all seeing no estimates cut and double-digit numbers of increases leading to very large percentage gains in their mean estimates. Those are what one might term new economy cyclicals. Many of the old economy cyclicals like Ford (F) and Cummins Engine (CMI) have also seen large estimate increases.

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Zacks Investment Research

Ford Motor (F) has revealed its plan to invest R$4 billion ($2.26 billion) in order to benefit from government tax incentives and lower interest rates in Brazil that are fueling record sales. Presently, Ford is the fourth-largest automaker in the country. Ford has decided to spend R$2.8 billion at the Camacari plant — a state-of-the-art plant [...]

(F) Ford Motor Focuses on Brazil

Ford Motor (F) has revealed its plan to invest R$4 billion ($2.26 billion) in order to benefit from government tax incentives and lower interest rates in Brazil that are fueling record sales. Presently, Ford is the fourth-largest automaker in the country.

Ford has decided to spend R$2.8 billion at the Camacari plant -- a state-of-the-art plant in the northeastern state of Bahiato -- with the aim of increasing output by 20% to 300,000 vehicles a year. The plant produces the sport utility vehicle EcoSport and the Fiesta subcompact. The investment is expected to generate 1,000 jobs in the region. The remaining R$1.2 billion will be invested at Ford's factories in Sao Paulo including its Sao Bernardo plant and a testing facility in Tatui.

So far, car sales in Brazil have been significantly helped by government tax incentives that lowered car prices and lured consumers to showrooms. But the tax breaks are scheduled to expire by the end of the year. However, the investment will allow Ford to achieve state and federal tax breaks from the Brazilian Government until 2015.

Being the fourth-largest automaker in Brazil, the investment will no doubt help Ford strengthen its position to tap the huge market potential in the country, edging it past peers such as Italy's Fiat, Germany's Volkswagen and some Asian and French manufacturers. According to the Brazilian automobile dealers' association, automobile sales in the country are expected to grow by 9% in 2010.
Read the full analyst report on "F"
Zacks Investment Research

Companies featured in this segment: Jacobs Engineering Group Incorporated (NYSE:JEC), Sasol Limited (NYSE:SSL), OAO Gazprom (OTC:OGZPY), Pristine Power Incorporated (TSX:PPX), Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), BP plc (NYSE:BP), DuPont (NYSE:DD), Total SA’s (NYSE:TOT), Jacobs Engineering (NYSE:JEC), VT Group (LSE:VTG)

Companies featured in this segment: Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), Fiat SpA (OTC:FIATY), Ivanhoe Mines Limited (NYSE:IVN), Rio Tinto plc (NYSE:RTP), Salzgitter Group AG (ETR:SZG), Lonza Group AG (VTX:LONN), Linde AG (ETR:LIN), E.ON AG (OTC:EONGY)

Companies featured in this segment: Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), CEZ (PRG:BAACEZ), Areva SA (EPA:CEI), Toshiba Corporation (TYO:6502), Mitsubishi Corporation (OTC:MSBHY), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited (TYO:7011), Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)

Schaeffer's analyst Morgan Searcy takes a look at news on the Street before the market open.

Companies featured in this segment: ABB Limited (NYSE:ABB), Scottish and Southern Energy plc (SSE), Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), Jacobs Engineering Group (NYSE:JEC)