In January I predicted (see Notable Bankruptcies of 2009: Q1) that “major” bankruptcies in 2009 would challenge the 383 mark set in 2001 (the high-water mark after the dotcom bubble). I even suggested that it was possible that we could exceed 400 “major” bankruptcies in 2009.[More...]

In January I predicted (see Notable Bankruptcies of 2009: Q1) that “major” bankruptcies in 2009 would challenge the 383 mark set in 2001 (the high-water mark after the dotcom bubble). I even suggested that it was possible that we could exceed 400 “major” bankruptcies in 2009. According to Bankruptcydata.com, there have been 156 “major” filings thus far in 2009. Assuming that bankruptcies are equally distributed throughout the year, this puts us on pace for 312 bankruptcies. That is tracking well shy of my prediction. In fact, bankruptcies were down significantly from Q1 to Q2, as there were 90 bankruptcies in the first quarter but only 66 in the second. That stylized fact begs the question: Is that a “green shoot”[More...]

In January I predicted (see Notable Bankruptcies of 2008) that “major” bankruptcies in 2009 would challenge the 383 mark set in 2001 (the high-water mark after the dotcom bubble). I even suggested that it was possible that we could exceed 400 “major” bankruptcies in 2009. According to Bankruptcydata.com, there have been 90 “major” filings thus far in 2009. Assuming that bankruptcies are equally distributed throughout the year, this puts us on pace for 360 bankruptcies. I fully expect the filing pace to quicken as the year goes on, and as the economy continues to deteriorate. Below you can find an updated list of what I see as the “noteworthy” bankruptcies of 2009, as reported by <a[More...]

UP
Akeena Solar Inc De (AKNS)
Amazon.com, Inc (AMZN)
National City Corporation (NCC)
Mastec Inc (MTZ)
Bearingpoint Inc (BE)
DOWN
Maguire Pptys Inc (MPG)
Enersys (ENS)
Bce Inc (BCE)
Lowe's Companies, Inc (LOW)
E Trade Financial Corp (ETFC)

Yeoman's work by Barron's Eric Savitz, who pens the must read techblog Tech Trader Daily, in assembling a laundry list of stocks downgraded by GS (published Friday after the bell). The money quote from Goldman analysts states they have become "incrementally more cautious on tech fundamentals given the current macroeconomic backdrop." Additionally, "with software a typically back-end loaded sale, if there is any concern on budgets in the early part of 2008, we would expect CIOs to hold off their purchases until later in the year." The main area of concern: "Companies with large enterprise exposure and significant dependence on the U.S. consumer." Ouch. I have long advocated deciding on an exit strategy prior to owning a stock. While these downgrades may not mean immediately selling them, at the very least you should be revisiting your pre-planned exits. If you are unsure about selling, your trailing stop losses should give you some protection in the event of a selloff. If you are not using trailing stops, then you may want to tighten up your existing stops -- especially on those names that have enjoyed a good run. What follows is a list of stocks affected by estimate cuts and/or price...