Filed under: Deals, Competitive strategy, Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Yahoo! (YHOO), News Corp’B’ (NWS)

It looks like we have now entered the when, not if, stage of Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) acquiring Yahoo Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) and we will soon be saying good-bye to the Yahoo we know for something else.

You will find this splattered across the web today: Microsoft presents its vision of a combined company to Yahoo executives in what appears to be the first meeting since Microsoft made its unsolicited offer for Yahoo, reports The Wall Street Journal [subscription required].

On January 31, 2008, a buyout offer of $44.6 billion was made by the software giant to combine forces with Yahoo!, against the supposedly next evil empire, Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG).

Google has stolen Yahoo’s thunder, and try as it might, Yahoo has not been able to get it back. Its stock has stagnated. Even as GOOG shareholders have watched their stock plummet some 40% this year, Google is still the current web star when it comes to search and advertising revenue. Microsoft hopes to steal this mantle by combining MSN with Yahoo.

Continue reading Bye bye Yahoo!, it was nice knowing you

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Filed under: Earnings reports, Technical Analysis, Stocks to Buy

CAI International (NYSE: CAP) is a leading manager and lessor of intermodal freight containers. The company operates a worldwide fleet of 754,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit containers, through ten offices in the US, Europe and Asia. It offers term and finance (rent-purchase) leases and contracts to repair, reposition and store containers. CAI focuses on managing units owned by container investors.

The company pleased investors last week, when it reported Q4 EPS of 36 cents and revenues of $18.9 million. Analysts had been looking for 31 cents and $18.2 million. Management also guided FY08 EPS to $1.30-$1.35, versus $1.27 consensus. The CEO noted that there had been no decline in demand resulting from the U.S. economic slowdown. Trading lanes to Europe and within Asia were said to have remained strong.

Continue reading CAI International (CAP): Share price cycling in bullish ‘flag’

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Filed under: Earnings reports, Technical Analysis, Stocks to Buy

CAI International (NYSE: CAP) is a leading manager and lessor of intermodal freight containers. The company operates a worldwide fleet of 754,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit containers, through ten offices in the US, Europe and Asia. It offers term and finance (rent-purchase) leases and contracts to repair, reposition and store containers. CAI focuses on managing units owned by container investors.

The company pleased investors last week, when it reported Q4 EPS of 36 cents and revenues of $18.9 million. Analysts had been looking for 31 cents and $18.2 million. Management also guided FY08 EPS to $1.30-$1.35, versus $1.27 consensus. The CEO noted that there had been no decline in demand resulting from the U.S. economic slowdown. Trading lanes to Europe and within Asia were said to have remained strong.

Continue reading CAI International (CAP): Share price cycling in bullish ‘flag’

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Filed under: JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Bear Stearns Cos (BSC)

It was clear yesterday from the stock price action that The Bear Stearns Companies (NYSE: BSC) was facing some pain. The stock plunged yesterday to a five-year low on liquidity concerns, according to Bloomberg News. Bear rolled out its executives in an attempt to alleviate those concerns.

But today’s news of a bailout to ease a liquidity squeeze is a major shock. The Wall Street Journal reports that JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM) and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York are arranging financing for Bear Stearns. Bear’s stock is down more than 15% in early trading on the news. And the Dow is down 234 points.

The Journal reports that Bear Stearns CEO Alan Schwartz, in noting the liquidity rumors, said in a separate statement that “amidst this market chatter, our liquidity position in the last 24 hours had significantly deteriorated. We took this important step to restore confidence in us in the marketplace, strengthen our liquidity and allow us to continue normal operations.”

This move raises many questions: How much money is being raised? Why is the Fed getting involved instead of private investors? How bad is the problem really? How much of Schwartz’s comments are covering up for a really bad situation? Is this a government bailout for Bear Stearns’s bad decisions?

Peter Cohan is President of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. He also teaches management at Babson College and edits The Cohan Letter. He has no financial interest in the securities mentioned.

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Filed under: JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Bear Stearns Cos (BSC)

It was clear yesterday from the stock price action that The Bear Stearns Companies (NYSE: BSC) was facing some pain. The stock plunged yesterday to a five-year low on liquidity concerns, according to Bloomberg News. Bear rolled out its executives in an attempt to alleviate those concerns.

But today’s news of a bailout to ease a liquidity squeeze is a major shock. The Wall Street Journal reports that JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM) and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York are arranging financing for Bear Stearns. Bear’s stock is down more than 15% in early trading on the news. And the Dow is down 234 points.

The Journal reports that Bear Stearns CEO Alan Schwartz, in noting the liquidity rumors, said in a separate statement that “amidst this market chatter, our liquidity position in the last 24 hours had significantly deteriorated. We took this important step to restore confidence in us in the marketplace, strengthen our liquidity and allow us to continue normal operations.”

This move raises many questions: How much money is being raised? Why is the Fed getting involved instead of private investors? How bad is the problem really? How much of Schwartz’s comments are covering up for a really bad situation? Is this a government bailout for Bear Stearns’s bad decisions?

Peter Cohan is President of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. He also teaches management at Babson College and edits The Cohan Letter. He has no financial interest in the securities mentioned.

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Filed under: Forecasts, Economic data, Goldcorp Inc (GG), Oil

Gold prices hit the $1,000 target for the first time on Thursday as fears about a possible recession increased and the U.S. dollar continued to weaken. The dollar hit yesterday new lows against the euro and sank to 13-year lows against the yen, while crude oil prices busted through the $110 barrier. Still, there have been a handful of notable names that have benefited from the news to trade up to new highs.

Gold has been strong lately, and gold stocks have been following gold’s lead. It seems like gold is following its upside trend today as well, as the current surging oil futures made gold prices relatively cheaper for foreign investors who use other currencies.

However, some analysts believe this is far from being over and expect even higher values for the price of gold. Clément Gignac, National Bank Financial ’s chief economist and chief strategist, believes that gold prices will reach $1,500 an ounce within the next 12 to 18 months. Nick Barisheff, portfolio manager of the Millennium Bullion Fund, shares the same belief and anticipates that gold could even touch the $2,000 to $3,000 mark in the “next two to three years.”

Continue reading Stocks that benefit from higher gold prices

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Filed under: Forecasts, Economic data, Goldcorp Inc (GG), Oil

Gold prices hit the $1,000 target for the first time on Thursday as fears about a possible recession increased and the U.S. dollar continued to weaken. The dollar hit yesterday new lows against the euro and sank to 13-year lows against the yen, while crude oil prices busted through the $110 barrier. Still, there have been a handful of notable names that have benefited from the news to trade up to new highs.

Gold has been strong lately, and gold stocks have been following gold’s lead. It seems like gold is following its upside trend today as well, as the current surging oil futures made gold prices relatively cheaper for foreign investors who use other currencies.

However, some analysts believe this is far from being over and expect even higher values for the price of gold. Clément Gignac, National Bank Financial ’s chief economist and chief strategist, believes that gold prices will reach $1,500 an ounce within the next 12 to 18 months. Nick Barisheff, portfolio manager of the Millennium Bullion Fund, shares the same belief and anticipates that gold could even touch the $2,000 to $3,000 mark in the “next two to three years.”

Continue reading Stocks that benefit from higher gold prices

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Filed under: Industry, Law, Housing, Recession

Talk about closing the barn door after the horses are gone.

Yesterday, Treasury Secretary and former Goldman Sachs CEO Hank Paulson called for greater oversight of financial institutions in the U.S. Apparently, some bankers got a little crazy with the fancy financial instruments and now the credit markets are busted. So Paulson is calling for a new sheriff to come in and clean up the town.

But where was the sheriff when the party was really going wild? This is not the time to worry about that. As Paulson said, “This effort is not about finding excuses or scapegoats. But poor judgment and poor market practices led to mistakes by all participants.” You see, everybody is equally to blame. Bankers who made millions selling AAA-rated junk bonds, brokers who flipped houses on the side, little old ladies who lost their homes — everyone made mistakes. Now it’s time to clean up the mess, no questions asked and no hard feelings.

Continue reading Paulson is a few years late and a trillion dollars short

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Filed under: Industry, Law, Housing, Recession

Talk about closing the barn door after the horses are gone.

Yesterday, Treasury Secretary and former Goldman Sachs CEO Hank Paulson called for greater oversight of financial institutions in the U.S. Apparently, some bankers got a little crazy with the fancy financial instruments and now the credit markets are busted. So Paulson is calling for a new sheriff to come in and clean up the town.

But where was the sheriff when the party was really going wild? This is not the time to worry about that. As Paulson said, “This effort is not about finding excuses or scapegoats. But poor judgment and poor market practices led to mistakes by all participants.” You see, everybody is equally to blame. Bankers who made millions selling AAA-rated junk bonds, brokers who flipped houses on the side, little old ladies who lost their homes — everyone made mistakes. Now it’s time to clean up the mess, no questions asked and no hard feelings.

Continue reading Paulson is a few years late and a trillion dollars short

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Filed under: Management, General Electric (GE), Market matters, Stock screen

The New York Times reports that General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) sponsored a webcast yesterday with its CEO, Jeff Immelt, to answer questions submitted by the general public. Immelt denied that its NBC Universal unit was for sale while answering questions from Carl Quintanilla and a co-host of the Squawk Box program on CNBC, and Chrystia Freedland, the United States managing editor of The Financial Times.

A few disclosures are in order: GE invited me to participate in this webcast but I had a prior commitment. I met last July with GE’s CFO — where he said that NBC Universal was worth between $40 billion and $45 billion. I’ve appeared on CNBC with Quintanilla, most recently as guest host of Squawk Box. And I own GE stock and am not a happy camper since it’s trading 13% below where it was on September 10, 2001 when Immelt took over. The S&P 500 has risen 21% since then.

Is Immelt right that GE is undervalued? I took a look at that question and concluded that it was slightly overvalued on February 27th. Specifically, I calculated a range of breakup values for GE which were between 11.1% and 1.5% less below GE’s current market capitalization. I could be wrong about that analysis since I was compounding assumptions on assumptions and had no guidance on the analysis from GE.

Continue reading GE needs new message, not new medium

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