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| Tue, Apr 15, 2008 | ||
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North Pointe Holdings Corporation (NPTE) Stockholders Approve Acquisition by QBE Holdings, Inc.
Visit StreetInsider.com at http://www.streetinsider.com/news.php?st=p&id=3545318 for the full story.
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StreetInsider
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| Mon, Mar 17, 2008 | ||
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I-trax, Manatron and North Pointe Holdings among 52-week highs
I-trax Inc. (
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SmallCapInvestor.com
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| Fri, Mar 14, 2008 | ||
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North Pointe Holdings only small-cap 52-week high
North Pointe Holdings Corp. (
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SmallCapInvestor.com
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| Fri, Jan 04, 2008 | ||
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North Pointe Holdings, Origin Agritech and Community National Bank of Lakeway Area lead small-cap percentage gainers
North Pointe Holdings Corp. (
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SmallCapInvestor.com
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Unusual 11 Mid-Day Movers 1/04: NPTE, SEED, NG Higher; CBLI, ACAT, MCRL, GPN Lower
Visit StreetInsider.com at http://www.streetinsider.com/news.php?st=p&id=3240485 for the full story.
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StreetInsider
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| Mon, Mar 24, 2008 | ||
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The Greek's Week Ahead - Fed Nearly Out of Bullets! Thank God?
One has to wonder what exactly turned the stock market around last week, while at the same time slapping some sense into the dollar and shooting down commodities like geese in open season? A lot happened last week, so it's not so easy to discern which factor was most important in driving change. We had many variables in play that ranged from the so-called bailout of Bear Stearns (
Bear bailout... We are quite sure Bear Stearns employees have a few other choice words to describe the deal that left them high and dry, and for many, unemployed. The Fed brokered, or was it strong-armed, Bear's managers into settling for $2 a share in exchange for JP Morgan Chase's ( While it's easy to rip the deal now, if the Fed let Monday start without one, Bear Stearns might not exist today, not even at $2. Bear's mistake was in not moving its Thursday scheduled earnings report up to the Friday before it's demise. Still, Monday morning should have been soon enough to appease the market's concern; unfortunately it was not soon enough to appease the Fed's. After Bear's competitors all reported better than expected numbers last week, and Bear basically pulled its report from the board, it seems plainly obvious that BSC would also have had uplifting news to note. Apparently, this information is now insignificant, or would that be embarrassing, to report posting selling out for next to nothing... Was it Fed action, or its limited ability to take future action that helped stocks and the dollar, and hurt commodities? As the Federal Open Market Committee cut the fed funds interest rate 75 basis points, to 2.25%, it became plainly obvious there’s only so much the Fed can do before it runs out of gunpowder. Is it possible, however, that the stock market viewed that reality as a good thing. Maybe the stock market's rise displayed its satisfaction with the fact that there’s only so much more damage the Federal Reserve can do to the dollar going forward. While the government, from all its facets, desperately worked to spur the election-year economy, stocks came back to life last week at the expense of newly rich commodities. The dollar also regained some serious lost ground by the close of trading on Friday. Yet another possibility exists as to why this occurred. Perhaps the Fed’s words also scared some trigger happy, profit-rich investors out of commodity plays at the end of last week. The FOMC Policy Statement published last Tuesday contained this prescient notation, “The Committee expects inflation to moderate in coming quarters, reflecting a projected leveling-out of energy and other commodity prices and an easing of pressures on resource utilization.” Stocks got a noticeable lift on Tuesday, before giving back ground on Wednesday. By Thursday, however, the dollar was surefooted and strengthening, stocks rising and commodities crashing. The Dow Industrials closed the week up 3.4%. After first weakening sharply, the dollar strengthened to finish the week at 1.54 euros. Gold and oil closed the period well off where they started it. Or, maybe none of the aforementioned factors drove the change, or all of them combined. Plenty of cash has built up on the sidelines, as noted by a Barron's article this weekend. The panicked public has stored some $3.45 trillion in money-market funds, and that compares to $2.2 trillion stashed away at the market low of March 2003. Plenty of capital was also piled up in the commodity market, so when catalyst came forth, money started moving into better balance (read back into equities). The Week Ahead The last week of March offers little in the form of market-moving economic events, and mostly wraps up prior reports with final update. We took a look at a recent forecast published by the National Association of Home Builders. The group is projecting a bottoming of housing starts this year, with modest improvement in 2009. The group interestingly forecasts the fed funds rate to average 2.17% in 2008, and that would seem to imply their view that the Fed should be near finished in its expansionary rate action. The group's fed funds rate projection for 2009, however, looks flawed to us, as it forecasts a rate of 2.13%. At first sign of economic stability, we expect the Fed to quickly hike rates to combat inflation. Thus, we would look for a higher average fed funds rate in 2009 than in 2008. Recall the Economic Fishtail of a monetary policy we anticipate Bernanke and Mishkin are planning, as per their own discussion in white papers and consistent with current inflation concerns. Monday We will get some indication of the current housing situation when February’s Existing Home Sales Report hits the wire on Monday and when New Home Sales are reported on Wednesday. Bloomberg’s consensus sees the annual pace of existing home sales running at 4.85 million in February, compared to 4.89 million in January. The week ahead holds a few noteworthy earnings reports including Monday's news from 3Com ( Tuesday The state of the consumer will receive another check up this week, as the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index is reported on Tuesday and the University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index reaches the wire on Friday. Bloomberg’s consensus is looking for a reading of 73.0 for the Conference Board measure, down from 75.0 in February. The ICSC will also weigh in with its weekly take on same-store sales. Last week's figure offered 1.6% sales growth, year over year. Tuesday's earnings include Fortress Investment Group, LLC ( Wednesday Economists measured by Bloomberg expect February’s Durable Goods orders, scheduled for report on Wednesday, to increase 0.7% month-to-month. This compares with a sharp order decrease in January. Recall, because of widespread penetration of efficient just-in-time processes, orders and inventories now move on a dime and can show volatility when reported. New Home sales are seen running at a rate of 575K in February, compared to 588K in January. While we are still analyzing winter data, spring is the most important season for housing. Still, the continuation of the decreasing sales trend in February should dim near-term hopes for the industry's shares. The S&P Case Shiller Home Price Index (Jan.) should not offer any good news either, as prices likely continued their slide. Look for the regular mortgage activity and petroleum status reports on Wednesday morning. Petroleum inventory information should regain trading significance now that the loft is coming out of oil prices. Fed rate cut dissenter, Richard Fisher, is scheduled to find a microphone on Wednesday when he addresses a group in Texas. Wednesday earnings include Deutsche Bank ( Thursday Thursday's final take on fourth quarter GDP is expected to still show an increase of just 0.6%. Weekly Initial Jobless Claims, a closely followed barometer of the labor situation, is seen drifting to 370K, from 378K reported this past week. February's reporting of aggregate corporate profits is due for release at 8:30 a.m., and the Natural Gas Report at 10:30. Thursday's earnings include ConAgra Foods ( Friday Personal Income and Outlays are expected to show increases in February of 0.3% for income and 0.1% for spending. The PCE Deflator is expected to still measure hot (above 2.0% yr/yr), bringing inflation concerns back into focus. Fed rate cut dissenter #2, Charles Plosser, will address a group overseas on Friday; all ears will be on Plosser, as we seek more detail on exactly what he's thinking. Considering the sudden drop in commodity prices last week, Friday’s Farm Prices Report should garner some attention. The Department of Agriculture releases its data at 3:00 p.m. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index is expected to read 70.0 for March, down from 70.8. Ironically, poor sentiment should help stock fuel for an eventual robust rally. Friday's earnings reports include Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling ( Inquire about advertising at The Greek. If you operate a business that employs a web strategy, we can help to significantly improve your effectiveness. Ask us how - Email: ads @ WallStreetGreek.com. (disclosure)  
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| Sun, Aug 05, 2007 | ||
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The Greek's Week Ahead - The Fed is on the Clock
The Greek's Week Ahead has been engineered to prepare you for events that could impact your portfolio this week.
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Wall Street Greek
Last week's activity offered the epitome of volatility, with huge fluctuations in direction commonplace, especially within the first and last half hours of trading. The market seemed unsure as to which direction to take, moving on new bits of concerning news flow ( as we warned here that it could in last week's copy ). Three bombs in particular barraged the market: the solvency warning from American Home Mortgage ( Alas, undeniably, Monday brings a new day, though also a week's worth of potential minefield, depending on your outlook. The pessimist will surely be looking for the next lender, builder or insurer failure. Speaking of insurers, did you see Barron's frightening piece on ACA Capital ( Optimists, on the other hand, will be looking on with glossy eyes and hopeful smiles toward Tuesday's Federal Open Market Committee announcement. In times like these, Alan Greenspan’s Fed could usually be counted on to come to the rescue, but there's some debate as to how Mr. Bernanke's group will react. It seems certain they will address the critical topic of credit markets and liquidity. Many are hopeful that assertive commentary from the Fed and assurance that the overseer will be there if necessary, would be enough to settle shaky hands. After all, despite its focus on inflation and view that the subprime issue was contained, the group has indicated that economic growth, housing and credit issues would be closely watched for change. It's implied there that, "like a bridge over troubled waters, they will guide us through"; let's just hope that bridge was built recently and properly inspected. Implication aside, last week, two Fed governors contradicted each other with credit market related statements, but we'll take comfort in the fact that the last word was one of reassurance. It's about time we take a closer look at the week ahead... Monday is economic news light, so barring any early morning AHM type slam, and there's no guarantee of this, then the market should start to anticipate Tuesday's Fed statement. Again qualified by the absence of explosions in lending or anywhere else, we think the market will see inflows of capital in anticipation of good news from the Fed. We're not sure this matters to anyone but Canadians, and we hope our fans in the great white north know we love them, but the Canadian markets are closed on Monday. In the States, Monday's earnings report schedule includes A.C. Moore Arts & Crafts ( Tuesday brings the usual ICSC-UBS Weekly Same-Store Sales Report, and recent data indicates mall traffic is down. Last week's data showed a little bit of life though, as the group reported week-over-week growth of 1.1% and year-over-year growth of 3.2%. Internationally, South Korea is hosting a meeting of six nations to discuss energy aid for North Korea's nuclear compliance. At 8:30 a.m. EDT, second quarter productivity is slated for report. In Q1, productivity rose 1.0%, while unit labor costs increased 1.8%, quarter-over-quarter. Barron's reported MFR's expectation for productivity to increase 2.0% this time around. At 2:15 p.m., the highly anticipated and likely week defining event occurs, the FOMC releases its policy statement. Most expect the group to keep the Fed-funds target rate at 5.25%. A cut would help to ease credit concerns, and a firm statement that the Fed remains ready to act if necessary may do the same. Continued hawkish inflationary commentary would, however, not be helpful at this point. Later on Tuesday, June Consumer Credit is seen increasing by $5 billion, compared to $12.9 billion in May. There are a few ways to interpret consumer credit changes. An excessive or abnormal increase could be indicative of stretched consumers pushing it a bit more, while light growth could be construed as a result of tightening credit standards that could in turn impact consumer spending patterns. Or, if considered directly and simply, it would be an indicator of lower spending. For comparison purposes, the extremely cold month of April showed a consumer credit increase of just $2.6 billion. We provide earnings report data because we know a good deal of you are traders seeking the next catalyst. Tuesday presents an extremely heavy earnings schedule including Affordable Residential Communities ( The Mortgage Bankers Association reports its regular Purchase Index bright and early on Wednesday morning. Even as treasury yields decline, mortgage rates appear sure to rise further in light of the worsening environment. While banks are lending more carefully, demand for homes also suffers due to concern that prices could drop further. June Wholesale Inventories are set for report at 10:00 a.m., with expectation for a 0.4% rise, according to Bloomberg's consensus. At 10:30, the EIA Petroleum Status Report is due. We plan to write a piece on the sector, discussing the recent divergence of share and commodity prices. Overseas, the Bank of Australia is expected by many to raise rates Wednesday. Also, World Bank Head Robert Zoellick is set to meet with Asian ministers to discuss regional growth. General Motors ( Thursday starts with the Weekly Initial Jobless Claims Report. The measure has hovered close to 300,000 lately, or just a bit higher. However, we continue to expect jobless claims to rise only after the monthly Employment Situation Report reflects meaningful weakness in the labor market. Before businesses start firing, they stop hiring, plain and simply. Therefore, Friday's report may have ominously forecast a coming change in the trend for the weekly new benefits filings. We think so. We expect housing construction to begin to better reflect the realities of the situation. We suspect the data has been fogged by the employment and firing of many illegals by industry participants. We also expect more financial market, retail and consumer oriented businesses to increase layoffs in coming months. Retailers report chain store sales on Thursday, and recent data indicates mall traffic is down. For the most part, the weekly sales data from the ICSC has not been positive either. Retailers might provide some bad news on Thursday that could sour the taste the Fed serves up. Also notable, Thursday marks the deadline for companies to file their 10Qs with the SEC, so problematic news not presented in corporations' preliminary press releases could surface as a result. The EIA reports its weekly natural gas inventory on Thursday at 10:30. Markets in Singapore are closed, while Thursday's American earnings reports include 1-800 Contacts ( Friday will likely factor this week, as three economic news bits come to the fore. July import prices are set for report at 8:30. According to Barron's, Lehman Brothers anticipates a 1.0% rise due to higher petroleum prices. Excluding the impact, Lehman sees prices flat. The RBC Cash Index is due at 9:00 a.m. This is important, as the index measures consumer attitudes and spending. It considers the consumers' view on the economy, personal finance, savings and investment confidence. The metric has been on a general declining trend, reaching bottom just last month when it measured 76.1. Finally, the Federal Budget for July is set for report at 2:00 p.m. EDT. Consensus sees a deficit of $35 billion, according to Bloomberg. Friday's earnings reports include Aircastle LTD ( Receive Wall Street Greek via email by subscribing here . If you change your mind, it's easy to unsubscribe. We respect your privacy and will not share your information with any third party. ( disclosure ) 
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| More Blogs | ||
| Conference Calls for NPTE |
| 03/28/08 |
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Q4 2007 Earnings
Rescheduled from Mar 26 Archive for NPTE |
| 08/10/07 |
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Q2 2007 Earnings
Archive for NPTE |
| 05/14/07 |
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Q1 2007 Earnings
Archive for NPTE |
| 03/29/07 |
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Q4 2006 Earnings
Archive for NPTE |
| 03/15/07 |
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Q4 2006 Earnings
Archive for NPTE |
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