Shares of Time Warner Inc (TWX.N) rose 2.6 percent to $23.60 in premarket trading after the company announced a plan to separate its AOL unit.

Lowe’s (LOW  18.45, -0.42, -2.23%) is expected to report first-quarter earnings of 25 cents a share, according to a consensus survey by FactSet Research.

Mitsubishi MTU 6.32, +0.07, +1.12%) is scheduled to release fourth-quarter earnings. The Japanese banking giant is expected to report a loss of 15 cents per American depositary share.

Consolidated Edison  (ED 34.86, -0.16, -0.46%) and Schering-Plough Corp.(SGP  23.35, -0.28, -1.18%)  are both scheduled to hold their annual shareholders meetings.

The vast majority of his mutual fund holdings are in the Vanguard FTSE Social Index fund (VFTSX).

According to the Vanguard site, the fund consists of mostly U.S. large and mid-sized companies that meet certain social and environmental criteria. The index tracks the performance of the FTSE4Good US Select.
Continue reading Obama’s mutual fund

The expected launch of its SEQureDx™ Down syndrome test by Sequenom (SQNM) is delayed, due to the discovery by company officials of employee mishandling of R&D test data and results. Accordingly the company is no longer relying on the previously announced R&D test data and results.

DreamWorks Animation (Nasdaq: DWA) 25.17%

Massey Energy (NYSE: MEE) 23.62%

Suntech Power 16.43%

Yingli Green Energy 12.52%

Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) 7.69%

Shares of Dendreon (DNDN) skyrocketed Tuesday after the Seattle biotech company announced positive results in a clinical trial for its prostate cancer drug Provenge.

The stock nearly tripled in early trading before pulling back slightly, indicating that a potent mix of a short squeeze and increased hopes that the Food and Drug Administration will approve the drug were at work on the volatile stock.
Continue reading Stocks to watch – Dendreon (DNDN)

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Stocks slumped Tuesday, with the Dow industrials ending at a 3-month low, as the government’s bank rescue plan failed to reassure investors burned by the 14-month old recession.

Treasury prices rallied, lowering the corresponding yields, and the dollar slipped versus other major currencies.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) lost 382 points, or 4.6%, closing at its lowest point since Nov. 20, the date considered by many experts to have been the low of the bear market. The Dow had lost as much as 422 points in the afternoon.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 (SPX) index lost 43 points, or 4.9%. The Nasdaq composite (COMP) lost 66 points, or 4.2%.

The TARP announcement “was a huge disappointment,” said Stephen Stanley, chief economist at RBS Greenwich Capital. “There’s been an incredible buildup for weeks and then they release a plan that has little in the way of details.”

A deteriorating economy brings two benefits for profit-minded colleges. Rising joblessness creates an army of potential degree-seekers, while falling advertisement rates allow for cheap pitches. Of course, students must be able to come up with tuition. A giant fiscal stimulus bill pending in the U.S. Senate carries $16 billion of proposed increases for federal student loans, grants and work-study programs. Even without the fresh funds, Carmel, Ind.-based ITT Educational Services (ESI:  128.87, +0.78, +0.60%), which operates 105 technical institutes in 37 states, seems to be getting on fine. In its fourth quarter the company achieved a 29% jump in new-student enrollment — its 26th consecutive quarterly increase. Sales for the quarter rose 21% and earnings per share improved 34%. Shares have gained 45% in six months, and now fetch an immodest 21 times this year’s earnings forecast.

http://www.smartmoney.com/

Shares of BP recovered over the past week. At least, BP shares recovered from 52-week oil spill low (as well as a new 14-year low) that was touched on Friday, June 25, when fears spiked that Hurricane Alex would shut down BP’s oil spill containment effort.

By far the largest block of survey votes pinned an acceptable “buy” BP value at $25, with 28% of survey respondents saying that if BP hit that mark, it would signal the time to place a long bet.

Many potential BP buyers, has even lower expectations for the stock. Approximately 17% of survey respondents said they would buy BP at $20. Another 19% of survey takers indicated that BP shares would have to dip below $20 before they became interested in the stock.

Lurking beneath all of the reluctance to step up and take a bet on BP is the view demonstrated by 17% of survey takers: hurricane fears might be overblown, these votes said, but when it comes to BP, hurricanes or no hurricanes, the stock is ultimately headed for bankruptcy.

Altira has excellent cash flow, and is the ultimate recession proof stock. During a recession, I am looking for a company that is going to maintain if not grow its earnings and provide a nice dividend. Altria does that. At its current price it has an over 8% yield, putting a good amount of cash into your pocket ever quarter. Continue reading The best stock to invest in during recession