BloggingStocks

Before the bell: AAPL, BUD, MA, WYNN, LVS, ASH, HRC

Melly Alazraki — 2008-07-11T08:12:00+00:00

Filed under: Before the bell, Apple Inc (AAPL), Anheuser-Busch Cos (BUD), MasterCard Inc'A' (MA), Las Vegas Sands (LVS)

Before the bell: Futures lower on oil, Fannie and Freddie; GE meets

Today is the day. Today Apple Inc.(NASDAQ: AAPL)'s new 3G iPhone went on sale. Many countries will now be able to join the iPhone mania, selling the handset to eagerly awaiting customers. Most notably, Japan,Australia and Hong Kong are part of the 22 nations rollout.

Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD) shares are surging 4% in premarket trading after The New York Times reported deal with InBev is now near. Not only that, but it seems the talks are of a friendly deal. This is quite a change from the recent law suits between the two after A-B rejected the Belgian brewer's $46 billion, or $65-a-share, takeover offer.

Shares of MasterCard (NYSE: MA) are rising 3.5% in premarket trading on news that the company will be added to the S&P 500 Index on July 17 in place of ACE Ltd. (NYSE: ACE). Shares of ACE are down over 5%.

Wynn (NASDAQ: WYNN) shares are soaring nearly 13.5% in premarket trading after the company said it expects second-quarter operating income in Macau to double and Las Vegas operating income to drop by more than 50%. Wynn has also boosted its share buyback program by up to $500 million. Shares of competitor Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) rose 5.8% and shares of MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGM) surged 5.2% after tumbling during Thursday's session.

Another deal in the chemicals industry: Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) said it's agreed to acquire Hercules Inc. (NYSE: HRC) for about $3.3 billion in cash and stock. This works out to $23.01 a share, a premium of about 38% over Thursday closing price.

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Las Vegas takes its lumps over the holiday weekend

Aaron Katsman — 2008-07-06T16:10:00+00:00

Filed under: Consumer experience, Conventions and conferences, Las Vegas Sands (LVS), Recession

With a slowdown in the U.S. economy, the Las Vegas economic expansion has come to a halt. With people unable to pay for a gallon of gas, it comes as no surprise that they are not in the mood to go gamble. The Independent of the UK had a fascinating article about how Las Vegas is suffering with the slow economy.

According to the report: "With Americans cutting back on luxuries, and the price of transport rocketing, the so-called 'Vegas vacation' is facing the axe. This week, as the nation celebrated Independence Day, major hotels were taking stock of a fall in all-important room occupancy rates from their usually impressive 95 per cent levels to nearer 80 per cent."

Gambling revenues have also slipped 3%. Attendance at conventions, a big contributor to the city's coffers has dropped by more than 7%.

All an investor has to do to see how bad the carnage has been is to check some stocks related to the Las Vegas gambling and tourist industry. Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) has gone in the last 52 weeks from more than $148/share down to around $39, a drop of more than 70%. Ouch. MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGM) has dropped from more than $100/share to under $30.

As the economy continues to sputter, look for more trouble ahead for Las Vegas. On the other hand, contrarian investors may look at an uptick in the U.S. economy, whenever it happens, as a signal to potentially look at stocks that are associated with Las Vegas.

Aaron Katsman is the lead Portfolio Manager and Managing Director of America Israel Investment Associates, LLC. and Senior Editor of IsraelNewsletter.com. DISCLOSURE: Writer's fund has no position in any stock mentioned, as of 7/6/08.

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Las Vegas Sands (LVS): Gamble on Macau

Steven Halpern — 2008-05-14T11:05:00+00:00

Filed under: China, Newsletters, Las Vegas Sands (LVS), DJIA, Stocks to Buy

While many know that Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are the two wealthiest, Tony Sagami notes that few know the third: Sheldon Adelson. In his Asia Stock Alert, he explains, "Adelson is the founder and CEO of Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS), our latest featured stock." Here, he looks at the gaming company and its bright prospects in Macau.

"Due to its strategic location in the South China Sea, Macau has a rich history as an Asian trading hub. To this day, it looks more European than Asian. And its popularity with tourists is absolutely exploding - an
estimated 27 million visited Macau last year.

"The majority (55%) came from mainland China, but many more visited from Hong Kong (30%) and Taiwan (9%). These tourists are flocking to Macau not because of its history or picturesque seaside location. They're coming to gamble.

"And boy, did they gamble! On my last visit to Macau, I saw table after table filled with boisterous high rollers routinely making $100,000 bets. These 'whales' account for about 80% of Macau's gambling revenues.

"Today, Macau has become the Las Vegas of China. It is the only city in the region with fully legalized gambling. And gambling is deeply engrained in the Asian culture. Plus, Macau is within a five-hour flight of three billion people - nearly half the world's population.

"Macau has overtaken Las Vegas as the gambling capital of the world. Gamblers wagered $10.6 billion in Macau last year, crushing the $8 billion that Las Vegas pulled in. My favorite way to play this trend? Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) is the best way to participate in Macau's gambling boom.

"Las Vegas Sands owns and operates the luxurious Venetian casino and convention center as well as the new Palazzo resort on the Las Vegas strip. But you may not be aware that it also owns the Macau Sands and the Macau Venetian.

"Don't let the name fool you. Las Vegas Sands is very much an Asian-focused company, because its
draws two-thirds of its revenue from Macau. It's that 'Macau focus' which makes Las Vegas Sands so exciting - and here's why I believe it will be a home run stock for us.

"The Sands Macao opened in 2004. In its first year, it generated $340 million in operating profit. Last year, that number rocketed to $900 million. The 740-table Sands Macau is doing such good business that LVS recovered its entire $260 million investment in just eight months!

"With last December's opening of the Macau Venetian - and plans to open six additional Macau properties, including luxury hotels like the Four Seasons, St. Regis and Shangri-La - we believe astonishing growth will last for years.

"As a kicker, Las Vegas Sands has been granted a license to operate the first casino in Singapore: The Marina Bay Sands, which will be the largest conference center in all of Asia. The Marina Bay Sand is expected to open in 2009, and I believe it will be immediately and hugely profitable.

"Bottom line: The combination of Macau, Las Vegas and Singapore is the sweetest recipe for gaming profits I have ever seen. LVS is going to make a mountain of money in Macau and Singapore, but that's just the tip of the Asian iceberg.

"Finally, we believe that the stock is on sale. It was only five months ago that LVS hit $148 a share, but is
now in the low $80s. Wall Street is worried that an economic slowdown in the U.S. will also drag the company's profits down.

"Ha! The U.S. economy is indeed slowing, but since LVS gets two-thirds of its revenues from Macau, it is substantially insulated from any slowdown in gambling on the Las Vegas strip. That's why I regard this drop as a gift and a great, great time to pick up some cheap shares."

Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers the latest market commentary and favorite investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

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Pre-market movers (SYMC) (JDSU) (LVS)

Douglas McIntyre — 2008-05-01T08:09:00+00:00

Filed under: Before the bell, Symantec Corp (SYMC), Las Vegas Sands (LVS)

NetManage (NASDAQ:NETM) is up 66% on word of a buy-out from Micro Focus.

Symantec (NASDAQ:SYMC) is up almost 5% on good earnings.

Network Equipment (NYSE:NWK) is off 17% on poor earnings.

JDS Uniphase (NASDAQ:JDSU) is down 13% after missing Wall St. estimates.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) is off 10% due to a poor quarter.

Stocks may traded differently in the pre-market than they do in the regular session.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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Early analyst calls (GRMN) (LVS)

Douglas McIntyre — 2008-05-01T07:55:00+00:00

Filed under: Before the bell, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Las Vegas Sands (LVS), Garmin Ltd (GRMN)

Merrill Lynch downgraded Garmin (NASDAQ:GRMN) to "neutral" from "buy" according to Briefing.com. The news service also reports that Oppenheimer downgraded First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) to "perform" from "out perform."

Jefferies & Co reaffirmed its "buy" rating on Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) after the company posted earnings according to the AP.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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Wynn Resorts (WYNN) rises on news from Macau

Brent Archer — 2008-04-22T14:18:00+00:00

Filed under: Major movement, Good news, Industry, China, Options, Technical Analysis, Las Vegas Sands (LVS)

Wynn Resorts Ltd. (NASDAQ: WYNN) shares are surging on news that the government of Chinese gambling mecca Macau will not issue new casino licenses for the near future. This has given casinos like WYNN and Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS), who have already acquired licenses and built casinos in Macau, a big advantage in the growing Chinese casino market. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on WYNN.

After hitting a one-year low of $85.53 in June, the stock hit a one-year high of $176.14 in October. WYNN opened this morning at $95.81. So far today the stock has hit a low of $95.60 and a high of $106.96. As of 12:15, WYNN is trading at $101.55, up $6.01 (6.3%). The chart for WYNN looks neutral and deteriorating, while S&P gives the stock a bearish 2 Stars (out of 5) Sell rating.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a June bull-put credit spread below the $75 range. A bull-put credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of put options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make a 9.9% return in just two months as long as WYNN is above $75 at June expiration. Wynn would have to fall by more than 26% before we would start to lose money. Learn more about this type of trade here.

WYNN hasn't been below $85 at all in the past year and has shown support around $93 recently. This trade could be risky if the prices for the company's earnings (due out in early May) disappoint, but even if that happens, that position could be protected by support the stock might find above $90, where it bottomed out in March.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer.

DISCLOSURE: Mr. Archer owns and/or controls diversified portfolios of long and short stock and option positions that may include holdings in companies he writes about. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in WYNN or LVS.

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Ignore random market noise and focus on lesser known names

Timothy Sykes — 2008-04-01T12:35:00+00:00

Filed under: Google (GOOG), Apple Inc (AAPL), U.S. Steel (X), Technical Analysis, Las Vegas Sands (LVS), Lehman Br Holdings (LEH), Bear Stearns Cos (BSC), Stocks to Buy

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) this, Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) that, will Lehman Brothers Holdings (NYSE: LEH) follow Bear Stearns (NYSE: BSC) -- bleh, all hotly debated, all random market noise! Noise that you must learn to ignore.

The financial media -- envious of the fat profits generated by such entertainment-based businesses as World Wrestling Entertainment Inc (NYSE: WWE), Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) and Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN) -- has brainwashed you into believing that in order to make money in the stock market, you must keep up to date with every single headline and development in the business world. Hogwash!

I have no problem with financial entertainment, but I do take issue with all these media outlets making their content out to be useful to investors. I've repeatedly echoed this theme in articles like this and I don't expect this industry to change anytime soon, but I am going to keep preaching so you will better understand how low your chances of success are if you bet on the most popular -- hence the most efficient -- topics du jour. Unless you are George Soros or Warren Buffett or a few other wealthy elderly men, there is always somebody better informed and more intelligent than you are. Hence, you are always at a disadvantage.

To combat this, I stick to the much derided -- and highly inefficient -- world of microcaps and smallcaps where my competition is just a bunch of manipulators and suckers; meaning, I often have the upper hand.

And if that niche is too volatile for you -- as it is for those of you with heart conditions -- I suggest focusing on stocks breaking out of their trading ranges, or those making new highs. Yesterday, I highlighted 20 stocks, only five of which I thought looked worthwhile and today let's add three more stocks to that list. United State Steel Corporation (NYSE: X), Weatherford International (NYSE: WFT) and Illumina Inc (NASDAQ: ILMN), all of which are breaking out to new highs. If you keep your stop losses tight with charts like those, it's tough to go wrong.

Timothy Sykes writes the blog timothysykes.com, is a former hedge fund manager, star of the TV show Wall Street Warriors and author of the book, An American Hedge Fund: How I Made $2 Million as a Stock Operator & Created a Hedge Fund

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Las Vegas Sands (LVS) falls on economic troubles

Brent Archer — 2008-03-17T14:46:00+00:00

Filed under: Major movement, Bad news, Industry, Options, Technical Analysis, Las Vegas Sands (LVS), Recession

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) stock is falling with the rest of the market this morning as investors, following the JP Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) buyout of Bear Stearns (NYSE: BSC) on the cheap, are fearing that other banks have sizable exposure to troubled credit markets, which poses a high amount of risk to an already lagging economy. A struggling US economy would cut into LVS revenues in their domestic properties. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on LVS.

After hitting a one-year high of $148.76 in October, the stock hit a one-year low of $70.70 in January. This morning, LVS opened at $72.00. So far today the stock has hit a low of $70.00 and a high of $73.50. As of 1:55, LVS is trading at $71.12, down $3.70 (-4.9%). The chart for LVS looks bearish and steady, while S&P gives the stock a negative 2 STARS (out of 5) sell rating.

For a bearish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a June bear-call credit spread above the $100 range. A bear-call credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of call options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make a 6.4% return in three months as long as LVS is below $100 at June expiration. LVS would have to rise by more than 40% before we would start to lose money. Learn more about this type of trade here.

LVS hasn't been above $100 since the New Year and has shown resistance around $80 recently. This trade could be risky if the US economy turns itself around, but even if that happens, this position could be protected by resistance LVS might find at its 200 day moving average, which is currently around $100.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer.

DISCLOSURE: Mr. Archer owns and/or controls diversified portfolios of long and short stock and option positions that may include holdings in companies he writes about. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in LVS.

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Earnings highlights: Time Warner, Cisco, Gannett, Disney, EDS and others

Trey Thoelcke — 2008-02-09T09:40:00+00:00

Filed under: Earnings reports, Cisco Systems (CSCO), Time Warner (TWX), Walt Disney (DIS), Avon Products (AVP), Gannett Co (GCI), Electronic Data Systems (EDS), Activision Inc (ATVI), Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL), Las Vegas Sands (LVS), Unilever ADR (UL)

The earnings crunch rolls on, and here are a few of the highlights of this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

Activision Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) earnings soared on popularity of Guitar Hero and other game franchises.
Arch Coal Inc. (NYSE: ACI) beat earnings expectations and offered revised guidance.
Avon Products Inc. (NYSE: AVP) beat estimates despite lower profits due to restructuring costs.
Chattem Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTT) beat estimates and raised its guidance.
Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) met estimates but a weak forecast raised concerns.
Dionex Corp. (NASDAQ: DNEX) beat estimates on strength in petrochemical and food/beverage markets.
Electronic Data Systems Corp. (NYSE: EDS) earnings fell, helping to raise concerns about tech stocks.
Flextronics International Ltd. (NASDAQ: FLEX) beat estimates and affirmed its outlook.
Gannett Inc. (NYSE: GCI) missed fourth-quarter earnings estimates on lower ad revenue.
Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) missed expectations due to rising construction costs.
MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGM) forecast it would beat earnings expectations by as much as 10 cents a share.
Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. (NASDAQ: ODFL) beat revenue estimates and raised its guidance.
RealNetworks Inc. (NASDAQ: RNWK) warned it would miss first-quarter and full-year expectations.
Silicon Laboratories (NASDAQ: SLAB) beat expectations and raised its guidance.
THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) posted disappointing results that included cancelled game franchises.
Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX) met estimates and announced restructuring plans (see transcript).
Unilever (NYSE: UL) fourth-quarter net income tanked on a sell-off of its European frozen food business.
Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) posted better-than-expected results on gains in TV and theme parks.

For additional earnings highlights from this past week, see Earnings highlights: PepsiCo, Toyota, News Corp., ADM, Toll Bros. and others.

Also, Doug McIntyre suspects analysts are expecting too much from earnings in the later half of the year. And Zac Bissonette is skeptical about claims of "record earnings."

Upcoming results to watch for include General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT), Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO), Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE), and Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

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Las Vegas Sands (LVS) rises on encouraging Macau numbers

Brent Archer — 2008-02-05T12:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Major movement, Earnings reports, Options, Technical Analysis, Las Vegas Sands (LVS)

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) shares are trading higher today, even though the company reported an adjusted fourth-quarter profit of $71.1 million, or 20 cents per share, well below analyst estimates of 35 cents per share. The company blamed high construction costs on multiple new resorts for the lower earnings. However, its Las Vegas Strip model of casino-resorts is paying off in Macau, as revenues at its Macau resort increased 46% over the previous year to $10.3 billion in 2007.

Due to the fact that LVS sank 7% yesterday on a profit warning from an industry analyst, investors see this morning's earnings as not so bad. Plus, they see something to be excited about in the Macau resort's performance, judging by this morning's jump in stock price. If you think that the company won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on LVS.

After hitting a one-year high of $148.76 in October, the stock hit a one-year low of $70.70 last month. LVS opened this morning at $84.74. So far today the stock has hit a low of $84.74 and a high of $90.19. As of 11:05, LVS is trading at $88.61, up $7.16 (8.8%). The chart for LVS looks bearish and steady, while S&P gives the stock a negative 2 STARS (out of 5) sell rating.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a March bull-put credit spread below the $65 range. A bull-put credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of put options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. This particular trade will make a 6.4% return in just seven weeks as long as LVS is above $65 at March expiration. LVS would have to fall by more than 26% before we would start to lose money.

LVS hasn't been below $70 at all in the past year and has shown support around $79 recently. This trade could be risky if the economy continues to head into the toilet, but even if that happens, this position could be protected by the support the stock might find around $70, where LVS bottomed twice in the past year.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in LVS.

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Options update 1-18-08: Las Vegas Sands volatility elevated as it opens Palazzo Las Vegas

Paul Foster — 2008-01-18T09:58:00+00:00

Filed under: Options, Las Vegas Sands (LVS)

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) opened the company's new $1.9 billion resort.

The Palazzo Las Vegas is the first hotel to open on the Las Vegas Strip in nearly three years.

LVS closed at $74.46. LVS February option implied volatility of 67 is above its 26-week average of 49 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price fluctuations.

Options Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

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Las Vegas Sands (LVS), Vegas casinos see positive trends

Brent Archer — 2007-12-27T13:50:00+00:00

Filed under: Good news, Industry, Newspapers, Options, Technical Analysis, Las Vegas Sands (LVS)

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) shares opened higher this morning on a New York Times story noting how gambling revenues for Las Vegas casinos are high this year, and "way up" in the past few weeks. The story cites casinos catering to affluent customers and foreign customers from countries with strong currencies as major reasons for the gambling boom this year. LVS stock is in the red now, but that move could be attributed to investors who bought the stock at its highs selling their positions to get the tax-loss this year. If you think that the company won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on LVS.

After hitting a one-year low of $71.24 in June, the stock hit a one-year high of $148.76 in October. LVS opened this morning at $107.85. So far today the stock has hit a low of $107.02 and a high of $110.45. As of 11:25, LVS is trading at $107.05, down $0.87 (-0.8%). The chart for LVS looks bearish and steady, while S&P gives the stock a negative 2 STARS (out of 5) sell rating.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a February bull-put credit spread below the $80 range. A bull-put credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of put options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. This particular trade could make a 6.4% return in just 7 weeks as long as LVS is above $80 at February expiration. Las Vegas Sands would have to fall by more than 20% before we would start to lose money.

LVS hasn't been below $80 since July and has shown support around $107 recently. This trade could be risky if the slowing economy starts to hurt casinos, but even if that happens, this position could be protected by the support the stock might find at its 200 day moving average, which is around $100 and rising.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in LVS.

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10 stocks to like in a shaky market, 10 worst jobs in America & most discounted cars - Today in Money 11/02

Allan Halprin — 2007-11-02T09:12:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft (MSFT), Starbucks (SBUX), PepsiCo (PEP), Viacom (VIA), International Business Machines (IBM), Citigroup Inc. (C), Money and Finance Today, AFLAC Inc (AFL), Chevron Corp (CVX), Hershey Co (HSY), Wrigley, (Wm) Jr (WWY), Las Vegas Sands (LVS), Freep't McMoRan Copper (FCX), Crocs Inc (CROX)

In the News:

· Will Stocks Rise or Fall After Yesterday's Huge Drop?

· Asian, European Markets Slide Following U.S. Plunge

· Job Grown Has Strong October By Adding 166,00 Jobs; Unemployment Rate Holds at 4.7%

· Viacom 3Q Earnings Jump 80% on Music Sale

· SEC May Probe Merrill Lynch Hedge Fund Deals

· Chevron Profit Falls By More Than $1 Billion

· Citigroup Stocks Plunges 7% Amid Questions

· Crocs' Stock Plummets 36% on Signs Growth Is Slowing

· Las Vegas Sands Stock Crumbles

· Toys 'R' Us Turning All Stores Into Superstores to Compete With Target, Wal-Mart

· Starbucks, Wrigley & Hershey Interested in Godiva

· Don Imus Returning to Airwaves December 3

· Tortino & Jeno Frozen Pizza Recalled for Possible E.Coli

Steady Stocks for a Shaky Market

If you have watched stocks gyrate over the last year, you don't need us to tell you the market has been volatile. If you'd prefer less of a roller coaster ride try these ten stocks. They include Accenture, Aflac, Delphi, Freeport-McMoRan, IBM, Microsoft, National Oilwell, Oshkosh Truck, PepsiCo and Transocean.

Ten Steady Stocks For A Shaky Market - Forbes.com

10 Worst Jobs in America

Low pay, no benefits put these workers in a tough spot. Among the worst are restaurant hosts, ushers, lifeguards, dishwashers, waiters, travel guides and believe it or not models.

The 10 worst jobs in America - MarketWatch

Fixing Your Money Screw-Ups

As with a mess in your kitchen, a mess in your finances won't go away unless you clean it up. But it doesn't necessarily require a lot of elbow grease to make things right. Here are solutions to five common financial indiscretions, but the advice works just as well for most other money mishaps.

Fix Your Money Screw-Ups - Kiplinger.com

Maxed Out on Credit Card Fees

Your boss might give you a break if you're late to work a few times, but don't expect the same courtesy from your credit card issuer. Pay your bill late even once and you'll take a real hit to your financial future.

Raw Deal: Killer credit card fees - CNNmoney

10 Steps to Avoid Holiday Debt

'Tis the season to be spending, so make a budget and check it twice.
10 Steps to Avoid Holiday Debt - TheStreet.com

America's Most Discounted Cars

Looking for automotive bargains? Here are 20 cars, pickups, and SUVs that have discounts ranging from 29% to 21%.

Cars for Bargain Hunters - BusinessWeek

Gallery of Discounted Cars

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Analyst downgrades: BTI, DVW, PCBC, VLCM and AMMD

Eric Buscemi — 2007-10-30T11:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Analyst reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Las Vegas Sands (LVS)

MOST NOTEWORTHY: British American Tobacco, Covad Communications, Pacific Capital, Volcom and American Medical Systems were today's noteworthy downgrades:

Goldman downgraded shares of British American Tobacco (NYSE: BTI) to Neutral from Buy on valuation.
Covad Communications (NYSE: DVW) was lowered to Hold from Buy at Jefferies. The firm downgraded shares after Platinum Equity Holdings agreed to acquire the company.
Keefe Bruyette downgraded Pacific Capital Bancorp (NASDAQ: PCBC) to Market Perform from Outperform following its Q3 credit loss pre-announcement.
ThinkEquity reduced Volcom (NASDAQ: VLCM) to Accumulate from Buy following its reduced guidance.
American Medical Systems (NASDAQ: AMMD) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Raymond James and at Piper Jaffray. Piper downgraded shares following the lower-than-expected Q3 results. Shares were also downgraded to Hold from Buy at Stifel following the weak Q3 report.

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

Citigroup downgraded Mechel OAO (NYSE: MTL) to Hold from Buy.
Hutchison Telecommunications (NYSE: HTX) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JP Morgan.
Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at BMO Capital.

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Option update: Las Vegas Sands (LVS) and Wynn Resorts (WYNN) sell off on Macau expectations

Paul Foster — 2007-10-03T13:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Options, Las Vegas Sands (LVS)

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS), a leading international developer of multi-use integrated resorts operated by Sheldon Adelson, is recently down $10.62 to $133.97.

Morgan Stanley said that preliminary Macau gaming revenues are up 55% YoY versus its estimate for 70% and below the Street's estimates.
LVS October option implied volatility of 57 is above its 26-week average of 41 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price fluctuations.

Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN) operates Wynn Macau & Wynn Las Vegas.

WYNN is recently down $13.23 to $152.72.
UBS Warburg downgraded WYNN to Sell from Neutral.
WYNN overall option implied volatility of 54 is above its 26-week average of 43 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price fluctuations.

Daily options Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

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Option update: Option heavy and volatility up in LVS, BDC

Paul Foster — 2007-10-02T13:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Rumors, Products and services, Options, Las Vegas Sands (LVS)

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS), a leading international developer of multi-use integrated resorts operated by Sheldon Adelson, is recently up $4.42 to $142.73. LVS October option implied volatility of 56 is above its 26-week average of 41 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price fluctuations.

Belden (NYSE: BDC) designs, manufactures and markets signal transmission solutions for data networking and specialty electronic markets. BDC is recently up $3.74 to $52.03 on overseas takeover chatter. BDC has a market cap of $2.1 billion with June quarterly total revenue of $549 million. BDC call option volume of 1,240 contracts compares to put volume of 193 contracts. BDC October option implied volatility of 47 is above its 26-week average of 37 according to Track Data, suggesting larger risk.

Daily options Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

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Option update: Las Vegas Sands (LVS) volatility elevated

Paul Foster — 2007-09-13T14:24:00+00:00

Filed under: Options, Las Vegas Sands (LVS)

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) -- volatility elevated. LVS, a leading international developer of multi-use integrated resorts operated by Sheldon Adelson, is recently trading near its all time high. LVS has a market cap of $41.5 billion. Unconfirmed chatter is circulating that LVS could announce a potential secondary stock offering. LVS October option implied volatility of 48 is above its 26-week average of 40 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price fluctuations.

Build a Bear Workshop (NYSE: BBW) -- volatility elevated into EPS and Strategic Alternatives. BBW, a company providing make-your-own stuffed animal, interactive retail entertainment experience, is recently up 40 cents to $17.44. BBW is expected to report EPS on 10/18. On 9/11, Buckingham Research reiterated its Accumulate rating on BBW and lowered its price target on BBW to $25 from $29. Buckingham Research says, "the company is addressing weakness in the top-line with more frequent introductions of new product and more targeted marketing." BBW announced on 6/28/07 it retained Lehman Brothers (NYSE: LEH) to assist in potential strategic alternatives to enhance shareholder value. BBW September option implied volatility of 54 is above its 26-week average of 40 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price risks.

Daily options Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

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Las Vegas Sands (LVS), Universal Studios look to Singapore for new parks, resorts

Tom Barlow — 2007-09-05T17:31:00+00:00

Filed under: Launches, Competitive strategy, General Electric (GE), China, Las Vegas Sands (LVS)

Macao has emerged as the gaming and entertainment hotspot of China, and already Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS) and General Electric Company (NYSE: GE)'s Universal Studios is looking for more fresh meat. They think they've found it in Singapore, and the grand Resorts World at Sentosa.

The Resorts World is a ~~cooperative~~ venture of Genting Int'l ~~(75% stake) and Star Cruises (25%)~~. The 120-acre, $5.2 billion development will include casinos, a Universal Studios theme park, hotels, a marine park, and other resort entertainments. Las Vegas Sands is constructing the Marine Bay Sands, investing over $3 billion in the facility. Early projections point to a 2009-2010 time frame for its opening.

Universal has promised to not build any other parks in SE Asia for 30 years as part of its agreement to build a $1 billion theme park.

All these grand plans, however, rest on successful completion of the infrastructure by Genting ~~RWS owners~~, and they are just now reaching the point where final total costs can be estimated. If the ~~partners have~~ developer has to reach deeper for additional cash, investors in LVS and GE may become a bit nervous about the amount of money these companies have already thrown in the pot.

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Las Vegas Sands (LVS) opens world's biggest casino

Tom Barlow — 2007-08-31T16:20:00+00:00

Filed under: Launches, Conventions and conferences, Competitive strategy, China, Las Vegas Sands (LVS)

Last year, more money was gambled in Macao, China's version of Las Vegas, than anywhere else in the world. The big players in the casino world are rapidly expanding to serve what they see as a burgeoning market. This week Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) rolled out the biggest table stake yet, opening the mammoth Venetian Macao.

Mammoth may be an understatement for this complex, which Las Vegas Sands claims is the second largest single-phase construction in the world, behind only a flower warehouse in Holland. Check out these numbers:

3,000 rooms
1.2 million square feet of convention space
550,000 square ft of gaming space, with 3,400 slots, 870 gaming tables
15,000 seat theater soon to feature the Cirque du Soleil.
10,000-person staff.

To put this in perspective, the gaming space alone is ten times the size of the White House.

This, and further aggressive plans by LVS, as well as Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ:WYNN) and MGM Mirage (NYSE:MGM), demonstrate confidence in the future of Macao despite some disturbing present-day statistics. Unlike Las Vegas, the average stay of in Macao is only 1.25 days. According to BusinessWeek, the daily take by casinos has been falling steadily as new properties come on line, from 10,000 in 2002 to $3,200 now and expected to drop to as little as $1,800 by 2010. Slots, the Las Vegas cash cow, are only a small fraction of the take in Macao.

So much of this development depends on the Chinese government allowing continued easy access to Macao, and the casino ability to grow the vacation and convention business. Certainly the money is flowing to China's businesspeople, much as it did to the Japanese in the 1970's and 80's. The Japanese showed a strong preference to use their new wealth to travel internationally. I wonder if the Chinese will as well? If so, Macao could be a gamble indeed.

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Option update: volatility Up as Sheldon Adelson opens Venetian Macao

Paul Foster — 2007-08-28T12:01:00+00:00

Filed under: Options, Las Vegas Sands (LVS)

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) volatility Elevated into Macao Resort Hotel opening. LVS opened the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel today. Sheldon Adelson, chairman & chief executive officer, said "it is no overstatement to say that the opening of Venetian Macao represents a massive paradigm shift for Macao and the future of tourism development in Asia." Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) says "the scale is enormous and the detail impressive." LVS over all option implied volatility of 44 is above its 26-week average of 39 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price fluctuations.

Ameristar Casinos (NASDAQ: ASCA) implied volatility Elevated at 43. ASCA, a Las Vegas based gaming and Entertainment Company, is recently down $0.55 to $28.39. ASCA has a market cap of $1.6 billion with long term debt of $878 million. ACSA over all option implied volatility of 43 is above its 26-week average of 37 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price risks.

Daily options Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

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