Daily Highlights: 2.19.10


  • Asian stocks, US Futures fall on concern Fed move signals stimulus exit.
  • Australia has less room for growth without inflation: Australian Central Bank.
  • Consumer Prices in US probably climbed in January on higher energy costs.
  • Dollar touches 9-month high versus Euro after Fed raises discount rate.
  • Fed raised the rate it charges banks for emergency loans by a quarter percentage point.
  • Greece replaces debt chief Papanicolaou as deficit crisis batters markets.
  • Japan stocks fall sharply on Fed emergency loan rate hike; Nikkei down 2.1 percent.
  • Oil falls below $78 in Asia as Fed emergency loans rate hike triggers dollar rally.
  • Singapore says 2010 economy may expand 4.5% to 6.5%, faster than expected.
  • Alcatel to pay $137M to avoid US prosecution for graft.
  • Anglo American posted 52% fall in 2009 net at $2.43B, suspends dividend.
  • Barrick Gold to buy a 25% stake in Cerro Casale gold mine for $475M from Kinross.
  • Carrefour said qtrly profit unexpectedly slid 70% on impairment charges linked to closing stores in Italy.
  • CBS Corp. reversed more than 2 years of declines in its TV-advt revenue.
  • Cnooc, Sinopec said to weigh bids for Devon stake in Azerbaijan oil field.
  • Daimler AG posted an unexpected loss in Q4 of €352M; scraps its full-year dividend.
  • DirecTV posts Q4 loss of $32M on charges related to its merger with Liberty Entertainment. Plans $3.5B stock buy back.
  • First Solar's Q4 net rose 6.7% to $141.6M as revs surged 48% to $641.3M.
  • Goodyear Tire's Q4 loss narrowed to $27M as sales grew 7% to $4.4B.
  • Ingram Micro swung to Q4 profit of $107M following a prior-year $742.6M in write-downs.
  • Japan Airlines Corp. closed at 1 yen before delisting, wiping out shareholder wealth.
  • MGM Mirage's Q4 revs fell 11% to $1.45B, posts a loss of $433.9M amid Las Vegas woes.
  • Morningstar misses by $0.13, posts Q4 EPS of $0.29. Revs rose 2.8% to $122.6M.
  • P&G's CEO expects stronger sales in coming months as P&G unveiling new products.
  • Schlumberger Ltd. in advanced talks to buy Smith International Inc.
  • Toyoda will appear before House Panel as US probes Toyota's recalls.
  • Wal-Mart's Q4 net rises 22% to $4.63B, sees soft sales persisting through till April.

Economic Calendar: Data on CPI to be released today.

Earnings Calendar: AGP, APL, BRC, CROX, HUN, JCP, LEAP, NVDA, PCG, PLA.

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Data provided by Egan-Jones Ratings and Analytics