Filed under: Before the bell, Analyst reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Deals, Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Starbucks (SBUX), International Business Machines (IBM), Citigroup Inc. (C), Penney (J.C.) (JCP), Merrill Lynch (MER), Kohl’s Corp (KSS), Intuit Inc (INTU), Kraft Foods’A’ (KFT), Bear Stearns Cos (BSC)

Before the bell: Futures lower ahead of CPI, after AMAT

Standard & Poor’s lowered the credit rating on Bear Stearns (NYSE: BSC) to A from A+, saying the outlook is negative.

Earnings season rolls on with results from J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) - $1.01 per share expected, Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE: KSS) - 60 cents per shares expected, Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU) - 12 cents per share, Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) - 21 cents per share expected.

Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER) confirmed yesterday the appointment of NYSE Euronext Chief Executive John Thain as its new CEO. MER shares are up nearly 1% in premarket trading after analysts wrote favorably of the appointment. Credit Suisse analyst Susan Roth Katzke upgraded Merrill to Outperform from Neutral. Sandler O’Neill & Partners LP analyst Jeff Harte also said Thain is “the right man for the job.”
Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) still looking for its next leader.

Continue reading Before the bell: BSC, MER, SBUX, IBM, KFT …

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