Do Not Expect An Encore from Intel

Intel (INTC) delivered a stellar earnings report Tuesday evening with revenues and margins that beat expectations. However, do not expect an encore in the near-term because INTC’s historical performance suggests this may be as good as it gets for a while. Q3 revenues were $9.4B with consensus expectations for $9.04B. The 17% sequential growth in … Read more

Fastenal Confirms Continuing Weakness in Non-Residential Construction

Fastenal (FAST) is a $5.8B market cap industrial company that supplies components and parts for construction and manufacturing. FAST reported earnings yesterday that again confirmed a recurring theme of weakness in non-residential construction. This area has often been called “the next shoe to drop” that will presage further weakness in the economy. This drop has … Read more

The World Steel Association Projects Steel Demand to Return to 2008 Levels

The World Steel Association (worldsteel) forecasts for 2010 confirm my earlier view that steel demand (and production) most likely bottomed this year and some kind of recovery is underway. Worldsteel’s forecasts indicate that demand for steel in 2010 will return to 2008 levels after contracting in 2009 by 8.6%: “The World Steel Association (worldsteel) is … Read more

My Biggest Whiff for the Year: Goldman Sachs

Just thinking about writing this piece makes me cringe. After celebrating gold’s fresh 18-month highs yesterday, it occurred to me that I need to review my biggest whiff of this year: Goldman Sachs (GS), affectionately called “Government Sachs.” I could just as easily call this one “how I missed out on at least 900% returns.” … Read more