Yue Yuen profit misses forecast, challenges seen

Yue Yuen profit misses forecast, challenges seen Stock Market PredictionsHONG KONG (Global Markets) - Yue Yuen Industrial (Holdings) Ltd (0551.HK), the world's largest branded sports shoe manufacturer, said it expects next year to be challenging after posting a 6.2 percent fall in net profit for fiscal 2011, missing forecasts. Chairman Tsai Chi Neng said in a filing to the Hong Kong bourse that the global economic environment in 2012 would remain volatile as recovery was gaining momentum only gradually and consumers in developed economies "may...

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Xerox's lowered cash forecast irks investors

Xerox's lowered cash forecast irks investors Stock Market PredictionsNEW YORK (Global Markets) - Xerox Corp (XRX.N) warned it would have less operating cash than expected this year, partly because it has to absorb added costs related to the earthquake in Japan, sending its shares down more than 2 percent. While Xerox's solid second-quarter results and upbeat earnings forecast on Friday showed that its focus on providing corporate clients with more than just copiers was starting to pay off, its weaker outlook for operating cash flow served as a...

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GM profit bolstered by pricing, stock up

GM profit bolstered by pricing, stock up Stock Market PredictionsDETROIT (Global Markets) - General Motors Co's (GM.N) ability to raise U.S. vehicle prices and better-than-expected pension returns offset weakness in the fourth quarter in Europe and South America, sending shares up more than 6 percent. The stock rise also reflected investor relief that the results were not worse, given that GM lost $747 million in Europe last year. For the fourth quarter, analysts gave the world's biggest automaker mixed reviews.Fourth-quarter earnings were roughly...

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Google scores a plus as investors toast results

Google scores a plus as investors toast results Stock Market PredictionsSAN FRANCISCO/BANGALORE (Global Markets) - Shares of Google Inc (GOOG.O) surged 14 percent on Friday, a day after blockbuster results and early signs of success in newer initiatives revived hopes that the Internet giant is getting back on the growth track. The shares shot up to $600.25, climbing back to pre-2011 levels on Nasdaq. If the gain stands by the end of Friday, it would mark the biggest single-day gain for Google shares since October of 2008."We are witnessing signs...

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Olympus dumped by major shareholder as Japan steps up probe

Olympus dumped by major shareholder as Japan steps up probe Stock Market PredictionsSINGAPORE/TOKYO (Global Markets) - Singapore's sovereign wealth fund said on Saturday it has sold most of its holdings of Olympus Corp (7733.T) on concern about wrongdoing, the first major shareholder to show it had lost confidence in the scandal-hit Japanese medical device and camera maker. Japanese authorities are investigating Olympus after the company admitted this week that it hid investment losses for decades using funds from M&A payments. Media reports...

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OmniVision set to regain smartphone market share, shares jump

OmniVision set to regain smartphone market share, shares jump Stock Market Predictions(Global Markets) - Shares of OmniVision Technologies Inc (OVTI.O) rose as much as 16 percent on Friday, as the camera sensors supplier recovered from a big contract loss with Apple Inc (AAPL.O) to forecast better-than-expected quarterly results. OmniVision, whose products are used in HTC Corp's (2498.TW) EVO and Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc's (MMI.N) Droid X, also reported strong third-quarter sales.At least two brokerages raised their price targets on OmniVision's...

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Starbucks raises outlook, pins hopes on the affluent

Starbucks raises outlook, pins hopes on the affluent Stock Market PredictionsLOS ANGELES (Global Markets) - Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) raised its fiscal year forecast above Wall Street's estimates, banking on its relatively well-heeled customers visiting more often and shaking off price increases. The world's biggest coffee chain, which is coming off a years-long restructuring that involved closing poorly performing stores to rekindle growth, on Thursday reported better-than-expected fiscal third-quarter earnings.Seattle-based Starbucks joined a...

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Jury says Exxon must pay $1.5 billion for leak

Jury says Exxon must pay $1.5 billion for leak Stock Market PredictionsTOWSON, Maryland (Global Markets) - A jury in Maryland awarded plaintiffs suing oil company Exxon Mobil about $1.5 billion for a 2006 leak at a gasoline station, according to court documents. Verdicts released by the Baltimore County Circuit Court on Friday showed the jury awarded the 160 plaintiffs in the case against the oil company more than $1 billion in punitive damages.That figure is in addition to the $495 million in compensation that the jury awarded the plaintiffs...

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Analysis: Big name investors, funds bet on Rite Aid recovery

Analysis: Big name investors, funds bet on Rite Aid recovery Stock Market PredictionsNEW YORK (Global Markets) - Rite Aid Corp (RAD.N), a perennial laggard U.S. drugstore chain, is enjoying something of a comeback, enticing some big-name hedge funds to buy shares on the bet that a turnaround will send them rising. Debt-saddled, money-losing Rite Aid is the third-largest U.S. drugstore chain, with nearly 4,700 stores. After years of declines, same-store sales have risen in its three most recent quarters. On Thursday, Rite Aid said second-quarter...

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Hansen shares rise on Q3 sales beat

Hansen shares rise on Q3 sales beat Stock Market Predictions(Global Markets) - Shares of Hansen Natural Corp (HANS.O) rose as much as 6 percent, a day after the company posted quarterly sales that beat analysts' estimates, driven by solid growth of its Monster energy drink brand. Sales in October were about 31 percent higher than last year, the company said on a conference call with analysts.Longbow Research analyst Alton Stump said October sales growth accelerated from reported third-quarter revenues, implying fourth-quarter revenues will beat...

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Overstock.com posts surprise qtrly loss on higher costs

Overstock.com posts surprise qtrly loss on higher costs Stock Market Predictions(Global Markets) - Overstock.com Inc (OSTK.O) posted a quarterly loss while analysts had predicted a profit, hurt by higher costs, sending the discount e-retailer's shares down 8 percent in premarket trading. The company, which saw its sales stumble after Google Inc (GOOG.O) penalized it for breaching some of search giant's guidelines in February last year, has been trying to attract online shoppers by spending more on advertising and marketing.It has also been trying...

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Shutterfly jumps on acquisition of Kodak's photo sharing site

Shutterfly jumps on acquisition of Kodak's photo sharing site Stock Market Predictions(Global Markets) - Shares of Shutterfly Inc (SFLY.O) jumped as much as 18 percent on Friday, after the photo-sharing services company said it would acquire bankrupt Eastman Kodak Co's (EKDKQ.PK) online photo services business for $23.8 million. Kodak said the deal with Shutterfly followed a "stalking horse" bid -- a starting bid or minimally accepted offer that other bidders must surpass in a court-supervised auction -- from the web-based personal publishing service.Analysts...

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Be trusted to stock market predictions

We constantly hear predictions on what next for the stock market, house prices and much more (some of them are reported on the site). Here, TiM gives its a 30-second view on who you should trust...So which predictions can you trust?Be trusted to stock market predictions is very few. Many experts and pundits have a vested interest in talking a particular market up or down. Or sometimes it's nothing more than a sub-conscious bias.Most fund managers, for instance, operate in a culture where stock markets are king. And we don't need to tell you that...

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India is world's third best performing market in the world during 2009

India came on the third best performing market in the world in 2009 just behind Russia and Brazil.While the BSE Sensex returned 81% during 2009, the Brazilian market gave investors a slightly higher return of 82.7% and the Russian market offered investors a handsome return of 111.6%. During 2009. The broad market as measured by the movement of BSE Sensex, gained by 81% from December 31,2008 to December 31, 2009.This return was higher than the eleven major world indices such as Nasdaq Composite Index, S&P 500 Index, Dow Jones Industrial Average...

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Darden eyes changes at Olive Garden, shares up

Darden eyes changes at Olive Garden, shares up Stock Market PredictionsLOS ANGELES (Global Markets) - Darden Restaurants Inc (DRI.N) is starting a new round of cost cuts and revamping its marketing and promotions to boost results at its Olive Garden chain, which generates about half its sales. Darden will adopt a pricing tactic it used to turn around results at its Red Lobster chain, executives said on Friday, as new data suggested the economy may not be as weak as feared.Bernstein Research analyst Sara Senatore said recent economic jitters had...

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Emulex falls as outlook underlines growth worries

Emulex falls as outlook underlines growth worries Stock Market Predictions(Global Markets) - Shares of Emulex Corp (ELX.N) fell as much as 9 percent, a day after the network equipment maker warned of slowing sales and projected a weaker-than-expected first quarter. At least three brokerages slashed their target price on the company's stock on Friday, as the outlook underscored the weakness in the broader storage and networking market.For the first quarter, the company said it expects to earn 10-12 cents a share on revenue of $114-$118 million....

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China Mobile to set up finance unit with $780 million

China Mobile to set up finance unit with $780 million Stock Market PredictionsHONG KONG (Global Markets) - China Mobile Ltd (0941.HK), the world's biggest mobile operator, said on Friday it will set up a finance unit with 5 billion yuan ($780 million), in a move that could disappoint shareholders hoping for a dividend hike. The new unit would be called China Mobile Finance and would engage in financial services such as insurance agency business and inter-bank lending, China Mobile said in a statement posted on the Hong Kong stock exchange."It...

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Prada's $2.1 billion IPO makes modest HK debut

Prada's $2.1 billion IPO makes modest HK debut Stock Market PredictionsHONG KONG (Global Markets) - Italian fashion house Prada SpA (1913.HK) posted slim gains in its $2.14 billion IPO debut in Hong Kong, defying expectations for a weak start as investors who couldn't buy into the IPO snapped up the stock in a buoyant market. The Milan-based company is the second to post first-day gains among the billion dollar-plus IPOs in Hong Kong this year, after MGM China (2282.HK), which rose a tepid 1.8 percent.Many other global brands are exploring options...

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Elpida shares jump on bargain hunting

Elpida shares jump on bargain hunting Stock Market PredictionsTOKYO (Global Markets) - Shares in Elpida Memory Inc (6665.T), the world's No.3 maker of dynamic random access memory chips, gained the most in two years on Friday amid a rise in DRAM spot prices and a view among investors that the stock had fallen too far in recent trade. The shares, which rose 17.6 percent to 535 yen, had shed more than 40 percent in the month to Thursday's close, battered by Elpida's move to raise $990 million to finance its expansion in cutting-edge chips for smartphones...

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Harbin CEO backs $750 million buyout offer, shares rise

Harbin CEO backs $750 million buyout offer, shares rise Stock Market PredictionsBANGALORE (Global Markets) - Chinese electric motor maker Harbin Electric Inc (HRBN.O) said its chief executive and Abax Global Capital had reaffirmed their offer to take the company private for $750 million, after a research firm raised doubts about the deal going through. Shares of the company rose 10 percent to a high of $17 on Friday on Nasdaq, but were still much below the offer price of $24 a share, indicating investor skepticism.CEO Tianfu Yang made the offer...

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Mizuho Financial to cut 3000 jobs: report

Mizuho Financial to cut 3000 jobs: report Stock Market Predictions(Global Markets) - As part of the restructuring related to the merger of its two banking units, Mizuho Financial Group Inc (8411.T) will cut 10 percent of its workforce, or 3,000 jobs, by end of fiscal 2015, The Nikkei said. The merger will help cut the combined bank's annual expenses, which currently stands at about 800 billion yen ($10.38 billion), by about 40 billion yen ($519 million) by fiscal 2015, the business daily said.The financial group's board is set to approve the merger...

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Debt buyback a bullish bet for LyondellBasell

Debt buyback a bullish bet for LyondellBasell Stock Market PredictionsNEW YORK (Global Markets) - Chemical maker LyondellBasell's (LYB.N) plan to buy back nearly $2.8 billion in debt and pay a special dividend nearly the same size is a bullish bet that demand for commodity chemicals will recover from a recent soft patch and rally the rest of the decade. The company, which exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last year, said late on Thursday it would launch a tender offer for $1.47 billion of 8 percent notes due in 2017 and $1.32 billion of 11...

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KCC shares jump after $602 million Hyundai Heavy stake sale

KCC shares jump after $602 million Hyundai Heavy stake sale Stock Market PredictionsSEOUL (Global Markets) - Shares in South Korea's KCC (002380.KS) surged 11 percent after the chemical producer sold 697.2 billion won ($602 million) worth of shares in the world's largest shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (009540.KS) at the top of its expected price range. The sale of its 2.49 million shares or 3.27 percent stake in Hyundai Heavy via a block trade follows KCC's planned purchase of a $675 million stake in Samsung's unlisted amusement park operator...

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Edwards Lifesciences shares off 11 pct after sales disappoint

Edwards Lifesciences shares off 11 pct after sales disappoint Stock Market PredictionsCHICAGO (Global Markets) - Edwards Lifesciences Corp (EW.N) shares slid more than 11 percent on Friday, a day after the heart valve maker reported results that disappointed investors and prompted at least one broker downgrade. The company after the market closed on Thursday reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings but sales were lighter than expected, prompting concerns that the adoption of its transcatheter valves may be slower than previously expected.U.S....

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Schwab had net outflow in April

Schwab had net outflow in April Stock Market PredictionsNEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Global Markets) - Charles Schwab Corp (SCHW.N), the biggest U.S. online brokerage, said on Friday that clients withdrew a net $500 million in April, the first down month since last June, and its stock fell nearly 2 percent on fears the company would not meet its asset-growth goals. Schwab said customers withdrew the money to pay taxes, and that customer trading activity slowed from a year earlier. A spokesman said April is typically the slowest month for inflows because...

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S&P boosts Ford closer to investment grade

S&P boosts Ford closer to investment grade Stock Market Predictions(Global Markets) - Ford Motor Co (F.N) is within one notch of investment grade credit rating at two of the three major ratings agencies after Standard and Poor's Ratings Service on Friday boosted the automaker two notches up its ratings ladder. S&P said the outlook for Ford is "stable."This follows an upgrade of one notch by Fitch Ratings on Thursday. Fitch also rates Ford at BB+, the highest level of "speculative" or "junk" status, one notch below the lowest "investment...

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Stock Market Prediction – Fact Or Fiction?

Is stock market prediction fact or fiction? Stock market prediction is mostly a fiction created by the big money people who sell dreams though it does exist in some forms.That is truly a multi billion dollar question. People have been analyzing data for a long time trying to develop predictive measures of the stock market.In most instances they develop something that gives them a slight edge for a while but eventually returns to the normal performance or in some cases presents very large drops as the model breaks down.Notice I mentioned a model....

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Analysis: Battered healthcare stocks ready for rebound

Analysis: Battered healthcare stocks ready for rebound Stock Market PredictionsNEW YORK (Global Markets) - Sharp falls in U.S. healthcare stocks this week -- where industry bellwethers dropped as much as 8 percent in one day -- were a premature sell-off, analysts say, as the sector's underlying fundamentals remain strong. Companies from hospital operator HCA Holdings Inc to drugmaker Pfizer Inc came under pressure before the broader market sell-off on Thursday on concern about possible government cuts to the Medicare health program for the elderly...

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