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[Ovid]

I may be crazy but THQI looks very attractive in the short term.

On to GS...

Goldman May Earn $2.3 Billion In 3Q - Barclays Capital

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) may post a $2.3 billion third-quarter profit as the investment bank benefits from the rebound in equity markets in recent months, Barclays Capital analyst Roger Freeman said Friday.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index has jumped more than 15% so far in the third quarter, while the broader MSCI World Index has gained even more. That should boost the value of some of the investments Goldman has made with its own money, known as principal investments, Freeman said.

Goldman owns a stake in Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBAF), which has gained more than 20% during the third quarter. That should generate a gain of roughly $500 million, or 20 cents a share, for Goldman in the period, Freeman estimated.

Other gains from Goldman's principal investments in equities could boost quarterly income by $800 million in the third quarter, the analyst added in a note to investors.

Freeman raised his overall earnings forecast for Goldman's third quarter to $4.50 a share from $3.90 a share. That's roughly $2.3 billion in quarterly profit. The average analyst polled by Thomson Reuters expects the investment bank to make $3.73 a share.

During the second quarter, Goldman generated record profit of $3.44 billion as the firm took more risks while rivals were still recovering from the financial crisis.

Despite a few major deal announcements recently, mergers and acquisitions, where Goldman is a leading advisor, remain in the doldrums. Freeman expects the firm to generate $294 million in revenue from M&A advice, down from the second quarter and off more than 50% from a year earlier.

Goldman may also collect a less money from helping companies raise new capital selling equity during the third quarter. Freeman expects the firm to report $258 million in equity-underwriting fees for the period. That's down from $736 million in the second quarter, when Goldman was a leading underwriter for banks looking to boost capital in the wake of the financial crisis.

Goldman shares rose 0.8% to $182.86 during afternoon trading on Friday. The stock is up more than 115% so far this year and touched $183 Thursday, the highest level since August 2008.

 

[Ether_Snake]

Yeah I'm thinking THQ will eventually be bought out, but they aren't worth much right now. They missed the DS/Wii train they could have hoped on in 2007/2008, and now that sales are really slow and that the 360/PS3 might be more stable sources of revenue than in the past few years if the PS3 Slim sells well, they won't be able to profit much from that since they got nothing strong on those consoles.

I'm thinking maybe a Japanese studio could buy them, like Square bought Eidos. But then again that's complete speculation.

I'm glad I bought TTWO at 8.70 or so. I'm just waiting for them to eventually be offered something again, it is nearly inevitable, but they really need another hit outside of GTA. Borderland is a good attempt, but I don't think it will be the success they need for an FPS, especially with COD still taking all the space in the room, with whatever Halo gets released once in a while here and there. Not sure what they can do really.

I'm still wary on ATVI, mainly on Blur (complete wreck), Tony Hawk (Whatever happened to that one, wasn't it supposed to be released this year? Why no hype, no marketing?), and Singularity (impossible to market). I also think they'll get more and more competition from Rock Band.

All I really like about them is Blizzard. They have been unable to reproduce the WoW and COD success in other genres, so it looks like luck to me. I thought the management knew what they were doing.

 

[Ether_Snake]

I was looking around and found no interesting investments. Guess I'm gonna wait. If the US dollar was higher and the CAD weaker I think I would have sold some stuff. It's unbelievable how much my potential profits have been hurt by the rising CAD VS the USD:|

I'm actually wondering if I shouldn't transfer some of my CAD money into USD and then wait for the USD to rise.

 

[Ovid]

My portfolio on Investopedia's Simulator

It seems that I make better trades when I buy and hold.

 

[Ether_Snake]

So Activision delayed Blur, not surprisingly. Game will still more than likely bomb, along with Singularity.

Now I'm left to wonder: WHERE THE HECK IS TONY HAWK RIDE?? There never even was a release date announced. The game disappeared. My guess is they realized they can't sell another huge ass piece of plastic, especially not for a skateboard game. Amazon has a November 17th release date, yeah right. Way to go. I swear Kotick is actually a terrible businessman, if it wasn't for EA's terrible management and for Infinity Ward and Blizzard's own respective success, which has nothing at all to do with the management, Activision would be down the drain. On top of all of this, they are probably never going to make another Marvel game from late 2010 onward.

 

[Ovid]

So Activision delayed Blur, not surprisingly. Game will still more than likely bomb, along with Singularity.

Now I'm left to wonder: WHERE THE HECK IS TONY HAWK RIDE?? There never even was a release date announced. The game disappeared. My guess is they realized they can't sell another huge ass piece of plastic, especially not for a skateboard game. Amazon has a November 17th release date, yeah right. Way to go. I swear Kotick is actually a terrible businessman, if it wasn't for EA's terrible management and for Infinity Ward and Blizzard's own respective success, which has nothing at all to do with the management, Activision would be down the drain. On top of all of this, they are probably never going to make another Marvel game from late 2010 onward.

Why do you think this game will not be released this year? I will admit there hasn't been any buzz around the game but has been officially dated for a November release.

 

[Ether_Snake]

There is nothing at all about the game. I've seen a lot of sites with TBA release dates too.

 

[kiun]

wow THQI went up by 7%. Anyone knows why ?

 

[kathode]

GPS is hitting new 52-week highs every couple days now. I just dumped my puts and took about a 2k loss on the chin. Ah well, it happens. What a crazy rally it's been.

Picked up some longs - NFLX, CUB, DASTY. We'll see how things develop.

Guess RSTEIN is on vacation or something.

 

[Ovid]

wow THQI went up by 7%. Anyone knows why ?

Buyout rumor. Too bad I didn't take my own advice
Still on the sidelines till next month.

 

[Ovid]

There is nothing at all about the game. I've seen a lot of sites with TBA release dates too.

I don't know. I really haven't paid much attention to the Tony Hawk franchise since THPS3. You might be right.

 

[yoopoo]

Yay..my THQI losses are now down to 10%. The rumor is that EA is buying THQ btw.

 

[RSTEIN]

Hi guys! I have some bad news... I got a real job. I'm doing what I was doing before but now for a real investment firm (as opposed to me sitting in my underwear in front of the computer). So I'm busy all day and I have to get up early/go to bed relatively early which really sucks.

It's hard to fight the rally because everyone who has resisted it has gotten crushed (speaking personally I lost about $7k on a batch of puts recently). So the more people capitulate, the higher the market goes, and so on and so on. By any measure out there the market is overbought. Markets can stay overextending for long periods. This has happened many times, especially after big corrections the rebounds can be very violent.

I personally don't like much here. I like the WMTs, MCDs, telcos, big cap consumer staples/discretionary (PG, JNJ, etc). These sectors have lagged and if we do get a correction maybe it's a good place to hide.

Picked up some longs - NFLX, CUB, DASTY. We'll see how things develop.

Why did you pick those ones, specifically?

 

[Ether_Snake]

Yeah but I think the rumor is based on nothing, not that it can't be true, it would make sense.

But EA are obviously unable to get out of their hole. They are 100% unable to turn the company around, and they end up having to buy studios or publishers to get anything done.

The way I see it is that if EA buys THQ because of their WWE and World Championship brand and such, or whatever it's called, it will result in more internal competition among their products. It might help them raise their profits, but it won't necessarily be possible for them to have all of their sports brands doing great numbers. Maybe one of the reasons their sports games have been doing worst is because of other sports games. They should try to figure out a way to turn the company around instead of just buying more.

Congrats RSTEIN on the new job

 

[Ovid]

As I mentioned to you guys before I never shorted a stock in my life so I have a question.
In my stock simulator I shorted AIG at $53.00 and it closed at $45. This morning I put an order to cover the short position at $50. When I checked my portfolio a few minutes later it says that the trade was executed. How is that possible if the high it reached was $49.56?

 

[Ether_Snake]

Today, it's EA that is rumored to be bought out, this time by MSFT. We'll see.

 

[Ovid]

So are they both (THQ and EA) going to be bought out are will it be one or the other?

 

[kathode]

Congrats on the job RSTEIN. Any particular reason you left independence behind?

Why did you pick those ones, specifically?

I just wrote a big long post about each one and accidentally hit the "page back" button on my keyboard. Lost the whole thing :lol Quick summary: Technical trading has been a bust for me for at least a month now. Everything looks overbought, everything is above the averages, and I can't seperate wheat from chaff with the methods I'm used to. So I turned to some sites like fool.com where I've gotten good recommendations before, examined charts, and picked a few I liked. (No more "OMG UNG IS SO LOW! BUY BUY BUY" type stuff).

DASTY - foreign 3d modeling company that's getting some big clients. Convincing bounce off 200d MA in July.
CUB - Military, steady growth, CEO has been there 50 years. Broke through 50 day earlier this month.
NFLX - Always loved this stock and the company. Strong fundamentals and a strong chart IMO.

Wanted to grab three in $5k lots and save the rest of my cash for options. But won't be buying options until the current ridiculously overbought situation calms down.

Also still holding two million shares of SDVI, which is going to make me a rich man, you'll see!!

 

[kathode]

WTF at that close??

 

[sefskillz]

oof, brutal day for me. at least YONG was up

 

[Ovid]

According to Bloomberg, Microsoft has no plans to aquire EA. ERTS down 2% AH.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khW7dMnFLHE

 

[sefskillz]

eyeing BEST for a bounce back tomorrow or friday.

kicking myself for not buying back into XOMA last week

 

[Ether_Snake]

I'm guessing whoever started the ERTS/MSFT rumor was afraid of the THQI rumor having a negative impact on ERTS' share price. So I'm guessing the THQ deal might be real

Or it's just that, baseless rumors.

 

[RSTEIN]

Congrats on the job RSTEIN. Any particular reason you left independence behind?

Well, first, I now get to help manage $1 billion instead of my puny six figure account. It's a neat opportunity. I can basically do almost anything I want with no real set schedule. Right now for example I'm back testing several trading strategies. Tomorrow I may be analyzing XYZ company. The next day I'm doing something totally different.

Secondly, the wife and I are trying to make a baby. I could definitely live off my account and cover our living expenses. My wife has a good job so together we're fine. But looking beyond where we are now, looking at where I want to go with my career and the expenses associated with a child, it would be difficult. To make trading work as a living (i.e. consistent cash flow that can cover bills) with my trading style I would need more money to manage. I don't make crazy bets and don't look to make a killing. I'm a grinder. I would need at minimum $500,000 and preferably $1,000,000 to achieve a level of income that would give us the cushion we want where I could sleep at night knowing that my family is provided for (which is really my only job in life). I just bought a house here in Toronto so I have money tied up there. I don't have access to that kind of money. Raising money or creating a limited partnership is tough and grueling. I want to definitely do it in the future but now is not the right time.

I'm up 220% for the year but that's crazy and not repeatable. As you know, there are draw downs in any trading strategy. There are periods where I won't make any money. When you're playing with your savings and the pressure is on to make a certain income it's called trading with scared money. If we run into a bad/wonky market then I'm not going to be in a good headspace when it comes to trading. All I'm going to think about is that I have to put food on the table.

So, we'll see how it goes. So far so good.

Good luck everyone!

 

[Ether_Snake]

California, California, Connecticut, California, California, California, Massachusetts, California, California, California

Is it me or are those home prices still extremely inflated?

 

[Zyzyxxz]

http://i38.tinypic.com/29yhwmc.jpg[IMG]

California, California, Connecticut, California, California, California, Massachusetts, California, California, California

Is it me or are those home prices still extremely inflated?[/QUOTE]

Well being from California all I know is that for the most part the rich aren't affected that much by the recession because they can afford to wait it out and this is the time for them to be buying the real estate us poor people are foreclosed on.

If prices are down everywhere it just means the ghetto houses become cheaper and the rich hoods become a little less rich.

Most of these folks in places like Newport beach probably have enough savings to wait it out while those who don't aren't living in homes but are probably rented in the highly inflated rental prices of these areas.

But yes California prices are still somewhat inflated in the good areas, the low-income areas have taken the real hit as in 35% price drops while the richer areas not as much IIRC.

 

[Ovid]

Alot of economic data this week. Plan yours trades accordingly.

The data that will be released on Tuesday and Thursday will the have the most impact on the markets. This data will weigh heavily on how much steam is left in this rally as we head into earnings season next week.

I'm liking BBW in the short term.

 

[Ether_Snake]

USD-JPY: 88.6380

I am getting the impression that the US and China are working behind the scene to make the USD' devaluation a controlled process.

 

[teh_pwn]

I'd expect considerably higher inflation than average over the next several years, but it will eventually get under control. A weaker currency makes American labor cheaper, which creates jobs and strengthens the dollar. I'm not saying that our current fiscal and foreign policies are good, but there are forces to soften the blow. Either way, long term stocks are the perfect hedge against inflation because as inflation occurs, the companies cash flow changes to reflect higher customer prices. It takes about 5 years for the adjustment, but long term you're way better off fighting inflation with stocks rather than bonds.

 

[kathode]

Newegg.com has filed for an IPO. Can't find any details on the offering date, but definitely one to watch.

 

[Ovid]

Newegg.com has filed for an IPO. Can't find any details on the offering date, but definitely one to watch.

Good for them. I love their prices especially during the holidays.

 

[Ovid]

Holy shit, CBAI up 77% today. Nice.

 

[Dolla Dolla]

I just got into stocks this year. Does anyone do pennystocking here?

Do people post their picks to watch? I went through a few pages of this massive thread and saw some did, but didn't know if it was encouraged or not.

Does everyone go long, or do they short sometimes, too? Also, wanted to bookmark this thread so it doesn't fall off my radar.

 

[Ovid]

I just got into stocks this year. Does anyone do pennystocking here?

Remember, stocks that trade under $5 are considered "penny stocks". So yea, the members who post in this thread do trade penny stocks.

Do people post their picks to watch? I went through a few pages of this massive thread and saw some did, but didn't know if it was encouraged or not.

Posting your stock picks is cool. I do it all the time.

BTW...CBAI up another 54% today. Damn, I wish I sunk more money into that stock over the summer.

 

[PacoDG]

Newegg.com has filed for an IPO. Can't find any details on the offering date, but definitely one to watch.

fuuuuuuuuuuu

I have little money to spend, but I wouldn't mind throwing down some side money on this rather than drinking for the month

 

[Dolla Dolla]

Alot of economic data this week. Plan yours trades accordingly.

The data that will be released on Tuesday and Thursday will the have the most impact on the markets. This data will weigh heavily on how much steam is left in this rally as we head into earnings season next week.

I'm liking BBW in the short term.

Where do you get this information? I've been looking for a weekly breakdown of stuff that happens that could affect stock picks.

 

[Ovid]

Where do you get this information? I've been looking for a weekly breakdown of stuff that happens that could affect stock picks.

http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/ecalendar/index.html

Wow, look at CIT. The stock was up over 30% yesterday and now is it's down over 30%. It's like July all over again.

Cord Blood America Opens Las Vegas Cryogenic Laboratory; Consolidates Offices in Nevada

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cord Blood America, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: CBAI), the umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation company (http://www.cordblood-america.com ) focused on bringing the life saving potential of stem cells, a biological insurance policy, to families nationwide and internationally, said today that it is opening its new Corporate headquarters and cryogenic research and storage laboratory in Las Vegas, as planned, the first week of October.

Matthew Schissler, founder and CEO, said the 17,000 square foot facility is perhaps the one of the largest cryogenic storage facility in the U.S. "Our goal is to ensure CBAI becomes one of the largest cryogenic storage companies in the world," Cord Blood America's founder said.

"The new facility will significantly reduce the cost of sales while increasing gross profits, because we no longer have to outsource the storage and because of its proximity to one of the nation's busiest airports," Mr. Schissler said.

"It allows us to expand our arsenal, storing other stem cells such as adipose tissue and peripheral blood stem cells. Also, we will explore wholesale storage contracts with other companies for a profit, as well as store other medical necessities including plasma or tissue. Having the new facility will move CBAI away from being strictly a business to consumer sales company of cord blood stem cell storage. CBAI will have the ability to offer multiple consumer storage products, while adding additional business- to-business revenue streams, with possibly an additional layer of research and development."

"We anticipate processing of stem cells in the new lab to commence sometime in the fourth quarter of 2009. We are confident that this new facility will assist Cord Blood America to become a giant in the cryogenic storage sector," Mr. Schissler said.

Will it be another up day for CBAI?

 

[Meier]

What are people's thoughts on C? I have a bunch of shares at $4.40... do you guys think it will touch $5 any time soon?

Ugh, down 15 cents now! This thing is a nightmare. :lol

 

[Ovid]

What are people's thoughts on C? I have a bunch of shares at $4.40... do you guys think it will touch $5 any time soon?

It will definitely hit 5 bucks again. The only problem with C in the long run is that the stock price will be diluted when the company issues more shares. Short term the stock will hit $5.

CBAI up another 20% in early morning trading. This stock is unbelievable. I never held a stock that moved like this before.
EDIT: Classic case of buy on the rumor sell on the news? Price gets to a little over a $.01 and the selling begins? It's currently still in the green.

Bought shares of BBW this morning @ 4.75. That was the entry price I was looking for.
Jumped into GS as well.

 

[Dolla Dolla]

http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/ecalendar/index.html

Many thanks.

Wow, look at CIT. The stock was up over 30% yesterday and now is it's down over 30%. It's like July all over again.

I was thinking it would've been smart to short CIT yesterday at the close. They were up 30% on rumors of a merger with IndyMac. Then at the end of the day, they issued a statement that there were no such talks. Also, if you look at news surrounding the company recently, it's not pretty at all.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

fuuuuuuuuuuu

I have little money to spend, but I wouldn't mind throwing down some side money on this rather than drinking for the month

I've got $15K ready to buy woot!

 

[tHa_vIlLaMaN]

It will definitely hit 5 bucks again. The only problem with C in the long run is that the stock price will be diluted when the company issues more shares. Short term the stock will hit $5.

CBAI up another 20% in early morning trading. This stock is unbelievable. I never held a stock that moved like this before.
EDIT: Classic case of buy on the rumor sell on the news? Price gets to a little over a $.01 and the selling begins? It's currently still in the green.

Bought shares of BBW this morning @ 4.75. That was the entry price I was looking for.
Jumped into GS as well.

What broker do you use for your trades? E*Trade doesn't even let you trade stock under a certain amount.

 

[Ovid]

What broker do you use for your trades? E*Trade doesn't even let you trade stock under a certain amount.

Scottrade and Zecco. Both (most recently Scottrade) allow you to purchase shares of CBAI through their website. A few months ago you had to call your local Scottrade branch to purchase shares of this company.

 

[RSTEIN]

Cramer recommended CIT yesterday

:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

 

[Ovid]

Cramer recommended CIT yesterday

:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

Dude, you never know. This stock could jump over 30% in AH trading or in the pre-market tomorrow if they get another lifeline.

Did he recommend the stock in the Stop Trading! segment or on Mad Money?

 

[RSTEIN]

Dude, you never know. This stock could jump over 30% in AH trading or in the pre-market tomorrow if they get another lifeline.

Did he recommend the stock in the Stop Trading! segment or on Mad Money?

I just saw this write up at zerohedge:

Citigroup's on the move, so is CIT . I think that Citigroup will be the biggest beneficiary of the new plan to buy toxic assets, because it is basically running its SIV as discontinued operations and it could benefit from the new program. CIT is about the possible IndyMac link-up courtesy of John Paulson, a real smart guy who was negative about mortgages before it paid to be negative. I put both of these up there as examples of companies that won't die, and because they won't die, they live. I know that seems a little circular in reasoning, but because Citigroup never suffered a run like Wachovia and Washington Mutual did, it made it and as our flagship site mentioned, it is safe. If it is safe, it can go higher. Because no one forced CIT into bankruptcy, it can live to play again, and when I read in the New York Post that Paulson owns CIT debt, I realized that he's powerful enough to save this company, particularly because he is one of the investors in IndyMac and knows his way around the bottom of the debt barrel. These two stocks represent lottery tickets that are no longer rip-ups because they have made it out of the "critical care" stage and are recovering. I would buy them both.

His whole premise is that CIT won't die. That's his investment thesis. How fucking irresponsible can one be? He goes on TV and states matter of factly that CIT won't die "because it didn't die before." WTF? Come on.

Today:

CIT Group ($1.35, -$0.85, -38.64%) shares plunged after The Wall Street Journal reported the troubled, century-old lender to small and mid-sized companies may seek a restructuring that would likely wipe out the value of common shares. The stock had risen nearly 32% Tuesday on hopes it would find some other solution, but CIT is likely to hand control of the company to bondholders to deal with its more than $30 billion in debt outstanding.

 

[Ovid]

I'm telling you this is an exact replay what happened in July. I can see this stock nosediving headed into the close. Then news comes out after 8pm saying that they were thrown another lifeline. Anyone willing to take a gamble on this one?

 

[Tarazet]

I'm telling you this is an exact replay what happened in July. I can see this stock nosediving headed into the close. Then news comes out after 8pm saying that they were thrown another lifeline. Anyone willing to take a gamble on this one?

No way. But I do feel a bit of regret for bailing on my CIT bonds as soon as bankruptcy was possible. I could have saved a couple hundred bucks by riding out that first blip.

 

[tHa_vIlLaMaN]

Scottrade and Zecco. Both (most recently Scottrade) allow you to purchase shares of CBAI through their website. A few months ago you had to call your local Scottrade branch to purchase shares of this company.

Thanks, I'm really thinking about getting another brokerage account. Then I'll probably just keep all my long term investments at E*Trade and do my short-term trading elsewhere.

No way. But I do feel a bit of regret for bailing on my CIT bonds as soon as bankruptcy was possible. I could have saved a couple hundred bucks by riding out that first blip.

I made a small killing on CIT when their stock was below $1.00 in about July, I'm kinda hesitant to double-dip thought. Maybe if it drops below $1.20, so the potential upside becomes greater.

 

[Dolla Dolla]

Do we have any day trader's in here / people who try to flip stocks really quickly on the short or long side? I use my IRA account for long-term investments, my regular brokerage is short-term. I try to flip everything in a week / 2 weeks max.