links for 2009-12-29

First Solar's U.S. Ambitions Slowed | TheStreet.com When First Solar acquired OptiSolar earlier this year, the $400 million deal was supposed to push the company into a preeminent position in the nascent U.S. large-scale solar-project business. But several developments on Tuesday placed those plans in doubt and may have left investors with questions about First … Read more

“Stealth” Rallies In Nucor and U.S. Steel Setup Potentially Explosive January Earnings Season

Over the past three days, the S&P 500 finally broke upward out of a five-week trading range (the NASDAQ has had a much more aggressive breakout). Well before this latest bullish move, many stocks and whole sectors soared higher in a “stealth” rally. Steel companies U.S. Steel (X) and Nucor (NUE) are two stocks in … Read more

links for 2009-12-25

Art Cashin: Class Warfare a Threat to US Recovery — CNBC "It's bubbling up again, all this 'Wall Street versis Main Street' stuff…If we could get back to work again instead of pointing fingers, things in this country would go a lot better." (tags: ArtCashin stock_market) Five Questions for a Keynesian – The NBR Blog … Read more

Bernanke On Gold: Higher Prices Reflect Commodity Fundamentals, Not Higher Inflation Expectations

During recent re-confirmation hearings for Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, U.S. Senator Jim Bunning – a frequent critic of the Federal Reserve – asked Bernanke several questions about gold prices. Bunning’s questions appear targeted at prodding Bernanke into acknowledging that inflation expectations are much higher than the Federal Reserve’s current estimation. Bunning also uses high … Read more

Looking for a Charmed Third Time with ReneSola

I am always on the hunt for trading opportunities in solar stocks. For a third time, ReneSola (SOL) appears to be a long opportunity. My previous two attempts failed as I bought calls instead of shares. Purchasing shares instead of calls would have left me flat at this point. I am looking for a charmed … Read more