Firm notes they are downgrading their view on the sector given unfavorable indications from our cyclical framework suggesting a modest inventory correction, even in the face of improving electronic demand and a more constructive outlook for the global economies. They are also downgrading shares of INTC, TXN, MRVL, and LSI to Neutral, and MXIM, NSM, POWI and MCHP to Underperform. Merrill now rates a modest 5 stocks (BRCM, XLNX, ALTR, ADI and LLTC) as Buys within their[More...]

High you high octane fans, FBR Capital is upgrading Talbots (NYSE:TLB) to Outperform from Market Perform while raising tgt to $4 from $2. The upgrade comes since they believe: 1) the risk/reward from current levels is attractive, as they believe the stock already discounts the ongoing challenging business; 2) the looming threat of bankruptcy has been greatly reduced; and 3) merchandise improvements continue in the company’s spring product flows. To be clear, FBR is recommending shares of TLB to more speculative investors with a high tolerance for risk. They fully appreciate the ongoing issues with the company’s balance sheet but note the company has made tremendous progress in stabilizing its liquidity situation. Firm also points out that the company is in the process of selling the J. Jill division, which[More...]

I've posted two charts to give investors an idea[More...]

Jim Cramer for the last few months has been advising viewers to hedge themselves against the real possibility of a ramp up in inflation.  In the past, I can recall him saying that a properly diversified portfolio should have as much as 20% allocated to gold and other precious metals.  While, Cramer has a tendency for hyperbole, as you can see in the quote as he  talks about “wheelbarrow currency”, there is still wisdom in hedging your portfolio somewhat against inflation.  He had this to say prior to interviewing the CEO of Agnico-Eagle (AEM) <a href="http://blog.ockhamresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/aem.jpg"[More...]

The day after Easter was thankfully quite, the rest of the week will heat up measurably. Some catchy headlines today are as follows Aso’s $153 Billion Boost to Japan Economy May Incur `Massive’ Future Cost-Not much in the stimulus to promote medium term growth. Worse, “The government needs to address its debt ’so the Japanese consumer feels comfortable that their pension system is viable. They will then start to unlock those savings,’”  said Kirby Daley. The debt burden will be borne by a shrinking population that will be hard pressed to keep the economy growing fast enough in years to come, said <a onmouseover="return escape( popwSearchNews( this ))"[More...]