StockSHAKERS

Fed says economic recovery likely to be more modest in near-term

breaking market news, breaking news, breaking stock market news, breaking stock news, breaking wall street news, fed action, government, market analysis, market facts, money, return rate, short term investments, stockmarket analysis, stocks, trading, trading ideas, trend, usa economics No Comments

Fed says economic recovery likely to be more modest in near-term

Fed to keep constant holdings of securities at current level

Fed expects exceptionally low funds rate for extended period

Fed announcement cuts market losses

Fed to buy long-term Treasury debt, keeps target rate unchanged

Tags: Fed says economic recovery likely to be more modest in near-term

10Aug

Apple licenses super-tough “Liquidmetal” technology

Movers & Shakers, breaking market news, breaking news, breaking stock market news, breaking stock news, breaking wall street news, free stock info, free stock picks, free stock tips, market facts, stocks, trading, trading ideas No Comments

Apple licenses super-tough “Liquidmetal” technology

Apple has acquired a license to use the intellectual property developed by Liquidmetal Technologies.

There was no official announcement, the information was uncovered in an SEC filing by AppleInsider.

On August 5, 2010, Liquidmetal Technologies, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Liquidmetal”), entered into a Master Transaction Agreement with Apple Inc., a California corporation (“Apple”), pursuant to which (i) Liquidmetal contributed substantially all of its intellectual property assets to a newly organized special-purpose, wholly-owned subsidiary (the “IP Company”), (ii) the IP Company granted to Apple a perpetual, worldwide, fully-paid, exclusive license to commercialize such intellectual property in the field of consumer electronic products in exchange for a license fee, and (iii) the IP Company granted back to Liquidmetal a perpetual, worldwide, fully-paid, exclusive license to commercialize such intellectual property in all other fields of use (together with all ancillary agreements, the “Master Transaction Agreement”).

Liquidmetal is interesting stuff. According to the website, the characteristics of the material is as follows:

•High Yield Strength
•High Hardness
•Superior Strength/Weight Ratio
•Superior Elastic Limit
•High Corrosion Resistance
•High Wear-Resistance
•Unique Acoustical Properties
Liquidmetal also exhibits excellent strength and elastic properties:

Liquidmetal could make for some interesting portable products.

Tags: aapl, Apple licenses super-tough "Liquidmetal" technology

10Aug

Fed rate announcement at 2:15pm ET on Tuesday 081010

Movers & Shakers, breaking market news, breaking news, breaking stock market news, breaking stock news, breaking wall street news, daily stock picks, daily stock tips, equity, fed action, free stock info, government, market facts, markets, return rate, short term investments, stockmarket analysis, stocks, trading, trading ideas, trend, usa economics No Comments

There is a Fed rate announcement at 2:15pm ET on Tuesday
10 August 2010. On the previous Fed Day the FOMC
kept the rates in the 0% to 0.25% range.

Fed expected to downgrade US growth outlook

The Federal Reserve’s interest rate-setting panel will meet Tuesday, under pressure to bolster a weak economic recovery that many fear is grinding to a halt.

The 10-member body is expected to downgrade its assessment of the health of the world’s largest economy, as it keeps interest rates at historic lows.

The Fed’s policies have come under the microscope in recent months, as investors asked whether the central bank was overly rosy in its previous assessments, calling its credibility into question.

In June, the Fed said the economic recovery was “proceeding” despite headwinds and would remain “moderate for a time.”

That language — which is eagerly watched by investors — may now be revised to reflect a dramatic slowdown in the pace of the recovery.

“It will be hard to take the Fed seriously if a more forthright acceptance of the array of softer data is not forthcoming,” said Ian Shepherdson of High Frequency Economics.

The scale of the slowdown was laid bare last week, when the Labor Department reported 131,000 jobs were lost in July, far more than expected.

On Monday, researchers at the San Francisco regional Fed ditched the ordinarily couched language of central bankers to warn a double dip recession was possible.

“A recessionary relapse is a significant possibility sometime in the next two years,” researchers Travis Berge and Oscar Jorda wrote, adding that “the policies that are adopted today could play a decisive role in shaping the pace of growth.”

Fed watchers will be looking for any hint of a change in those polices Tuesday, specifically a return to stimulus spending that marked the depths of the recession.

The bank battled the financial crisis by spending more than one trillion dollars, buying up Treasury bonds, mortgage-backed securities and other financial instruments to lubricate markets.

The Federal Reserve may take a tiny step in that direction by reinvesting cash from maturing bonds rather than shrinking its portfolio.

Analysts say that could mean spending anywhere between 100-300 billion dollars over the next year.

“The FOMC faces a tough meeting tomorrow with the market pricing in either a significant change to the statement or, indeed, renewed moves to stimulate the economy, such as re-investing maturing coupons on bond holdings,” said UBS analysts in a note to clients.

But some market-watchers doubt the Fed will take such drastic action without a more explicit threat to the recovery.

“Other than implicitly marking down its near term growth outlook, we expect the tone of the FOMC to not be substantially different than June,” said Joseph LaVorgna, chief US economist at Deutsche Bank.

“We do not expect the Fed to symbolically announce that it plans to reinvest maturing mortgage backed securities back into the market.

LaVorgna indicated even a modest shift in policy such as altering the interest paid on banks’ excess reserves held at the Fed could upset fragile markets.

“We do not expect the Fed to cut the interest on reserves either, as that would wreak havoc.”

Most analysts expect the Fed to ply a middle course, setting out what it will do if things get worse.

“The committee is likely to define what can be done in terms of monetary policy, if the macroeconomic situation were to worsen in the near future,” said Thomas Julien of Natixis.

Tags: Fed expected to downgrade US growth outlook, Fed rate announcement at 2:15pm ET on Tuesday 081010

09Aug

VIX Index Trading up in todays trading session

breaking market news, breaking stock market news, breaking stock news, breaking wall street news, fed action, government, market analysis, return rate, stockmarket analysis, stocks, technical analysis, trading, trading ideas, trend No Comments

VIX Index Trading

Overall volume in the index market was light Monday, but the CBOE Volatility Index (.VIX) saw a bit more volume than usual. The volatility index edged up .40 to 22.14 in cautious trading ahead of an interest rate announcement from the Federal Reserve tomorrow afternoon.
In VIX options, the top trades of the day included a combination where an investor apparently bought 13,230 October 30 calls at $3.30 and sold 13,230 October 30 puts at $4.10.
This combo creates a bearish position similar to holding a short position in VIX futures. About 184,000 VIX calls and 111,000 VIX puts traded total, or nearly double the recent average daily volume.

Tags: Federal Reserve announcement, rate change, VIX Index Trading

08Aug

Stockshakers News Stories Moving the Markets Now

Movers & Shakers, breaking market news, breaking news, breaking stock market news, breaking stock news, breaking wall street news, trading ideas No Comments

Stockshakers News Stories Moving the Markets Now

Everbright Bank sets price range for Shanghai IPO
BlackBerry bids to address Saudi security concerns
Washington vows no slack-off in Gulf oil cleanup
Wall Street slips on jobs data
HP says investors supportive despite CEO’s ouster
Australia’s ruling Labor holds narrow poll lead
S.Korea’s Lee picks reformist PM; shuffles cabinet
Car bombs hit Iraqi cities of Ramadi, Falluja
Pakistan navy travels far to reach flood victims
Weak private hiring shows US recovery on the ropes
Wheat panic ebbs, ample stocks blunt fears
NY AG files price-fixing suit vs LCD makers

Tags: Stockshakers news stories moving the markets now

About StockSHAKERS:

Category:

Archives:

Blogroll:

Meta:

Sold FAS 10:40AM EST

Rally?

The IBD 100 Top 10 for the week of August 23

Market Remains in Weekly Chart Head & Shoulders pattern

IBD 100 Top Ten for the week of August 16

Fed says economic recovery likely to be more modest in near-term

Apple licenses super-tough “Liquidmetal” technology

Fed rate announcement at 2:15pm ET on Tuesday 081010

VIX Index Trading up in todays trading session

Stockshakers News Stories Moving the Markets Now

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

About StockSHAKERS:

Category:

Archives:

Blogroll:

Meta:

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Recent Posts