Portfolio Manager's Commentary on Investing and Trading in the U.S. Financial Markets
Friday, June 26, 2009
Links of Interest
Market Performance Summary
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In Play
NYSE Unusual Volume
NASDAQ Unusual Volume
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Thursday, June 25, 2009
Friday Watch
Late-Night Headlines
Bloomberg:
- A 66% gain in prices for the lowest-ranked loans since March 10 has reduced the chance that collateralized loan obligations will suffer from event of defaults, according to Morgan Stanley analysts. Over the past two months there has been a “substantial rally” in CLOs, a type of collateralized debt obligation that pool high-yield, high-risk, or junk, loans and slice them into securities of varying risk and return, analysts led b y Vishwanath Tirupattur wrote. CLOs have gained in value after the underlying collateral rose, the analysts said. Since March 10, the S&P/LSTA US Leveraged Loan 100 index, has risen 16.7 cents to 78.7 cent on the dollar. Loans ranked CCC, the eighth-highest junk rating by S&P, gained 24.4 cents to 61 cents, according to Morgan Stanley. Event-of-default “fears have significantly faded in light of the CCC loan rally,” they wrote. The increased value of leveraged loans means the top-ranked portions of CLOs are well covered if the portfolio was liquidated, the analysts said. Pieces graded A, S&P’s sixth-highest rating, now have a reasonable prospect of some principal return, the report said.
- Imports of coal to China, the world’s biggest consumer of the fuel, won’t return to last month’s record until at least mid-2010 as gains in shipping costs make domestic mine output more cost effective, according to Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. Chinese buyers have taken advantage of a drop in spot prices this year to build stockpiles, preferring cheaper imports to more expensive local coal. The 96% jump in freight costs in May has negated that advantage. “Chinese coal production seems to be cranking back up and underlying demand is not that strong” if you look at decelerating growth in power demand, said Mark Pervan, a commodity strategist at ANZ in Melbourne. “Something has to give and in this case it’s higher-priced imports. You won’t see these import levels again for another 12 to 18 months. This window has closed for now.”
Wall Street Journal:
NY Times:
CNNMoney.com:
Forbes:
Politico:
Reuters:
Financial Times:
TimesOnline:
Globe and Mail:
Late Buy/Sell Recommendations
Citigroup:
- Reiterated Buy on (LEN), target $12.
Night Trading
Asian Indices are -.25% to +1.0% on average.
S&P 500 futures -.43%.
NASDAQ 100 futures -.37%.
Morning Preview
US AM Market Call
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Pre-market Commentary
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Today in IBD
In Play
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Who’s Speaking?
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Earnings of Note
Company/EPS Estimate
- (KBH)/-.64
Economic Releases
8:30 am EST
- Personal Income for May is estimated to rise .3% versus a .5% gain in April.
- Personal Spending for May is estimated to rise .3% versus a -.1% decline in April.
- The PCE Core for May is estimated to rise .1% versus a .3% increase in April.
10:00 am EST
- The
Upcoming Splits
- None of note
Other Potential Market Movers
- The Fed’s Fisher speaking and (CHS) analyst meeting could also impact trading today.
BOTTOM LINE: Asian indices are mostly higher, boosted by technology and commodity shares in the region. I expect US equities to open modestly lower and to rally into the afternoon, finishing modestly higher. The Portfolio is 100% net long heading into the day.
Stocks Finish at Session Highs Boosted by Healthcare, Transport, Education, Homebuilding, Steel and Oil Service Shares
Market Summary
Top 20 Biz Stories
Today’s Movers
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GuruFocus.com
PM Market Call
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In Play
Stocks Surging into Final Hour on Falling Long-Term Rates, Declining Inflation Fears, Short-Covering, Investor Performance Angst
Today's Headlines
Bloomberg:
- The Federal Reserve will let one of its emergency programs expire and trim two others in a sign that improving financial markets allow a first step toward ending its unprecedented interventions. “Conditions in financial markets have improved in recent months, but market functioning in many areas remains impaired and seems likely to be strained for some time,” the Fed said in its statement.
- Iraq is set to welcome back foreign oil companies into the war-torn nation to develop the world’s third-largest crude reserves three decades after expelling them. Eight of the world’s top 10 non-state oil producers, including Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell Plc, are vying for the right to help Iraq develop six oilfields and two natural-gas deposits. More than 30 companies in total are bidding for $16 billion worth of technical service contracts for producing fields that will be awarded in Baghdad on June 29-30. The government, also running a second bidding round for 11 oil and gas fields, aims to boost production to about 6 million barrels a day by 2015, from 2.4 million barrels in May. Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, produces 8 million barrels a day. Companies investing in Iraq are looking to take a stake in the long-term potential that the country’s 115 billion barrels of reserves hold after gaining a foothold through the service contracts for operational fields. Iraq will earn 100 times more than the foreign companies it hires to develop the deposits, the minister told parliament in Baghdad on June 23. The deposits being offered in the first licensing round may yield $1.7 trillion in profit for the country, based on an oil price of $50 a barrel, while oil companies seeking service contracts will gain $16 billion over the 20-year life of the contracts, he said. Iraq may be a more attractive long-term development for international investors since it has produced only about 8 percent of its oil compared with more than 20 percent by Saudi Arabia and Iran, Shafiq said.
Wall Street Journal:
Google Blog:
NY Times:
TheDeal.com:
Rassmussen:
- World shipping faces a long-term capacity glut because owners failed to cancel enough of the excess vessels ordered during the industry’s boom, according to a report by one of the sector’s most respected analytical companies. The World Shipbuilding Market annual report, by London-based Drewry Shipping Consultants, says the glut of orders could be bad news for shipping companies and shipbuilders. Shipping companies will face long-term depressed rates for their services because of excess availability, while yards could face a long-term drought of orders once those currently awaiting building are delivered. Many shipping markets, including the tanker, dry bulk, container and car carrier segments, experienced a boom from shortly after China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001 until the middle of last year. Owners embarked on a spree of ship orders at the height of the boom. In dry bulk – ships that carry iron ore, coal and other bulk commodities – vessels with a capacity of about 70 per cent of the world fleet are currently on order. In container shipping, one of the most important markets, demand is now falling more than 20 per cent year-on-year, making many of the ships significantly in excess of requirements. Nigel Gardiner, Drewry’s managing director and the report’s main author, said there were some market projections that about 50 per cent of ships on order would be cancelled. Instead, he expected owners to let delivery slip backwards. 40 per cent of ships on order last year from Chinese yards were not delivered during the year. Many Chinese yards took orders before the facilities themselves were built and took orders from less financially stable owners. Many of the “greenfield” yards might now never be built and many others in many countries might face bankruptcy.
Bear Radar
Style Underperformer:
Large-cap Value (+1.75%)
Sector Underperformers:
REITS (+.42%), Disk Drives (+.53%) and Foods (+.72%)
Stocks Falling on Unusual Volume:
NKE, CRTX, PAYX, CHDX, FUQI, FSLR, SNY and CAG
Stocks With Unusual Put Option Activity:
1) ANF 2) PAYX 3) LLY 4) GT 5) BBBY