| Rail Transport: Down 10% Amid a Muted Recovery The latest rail data from the Association of American Railroads (AAR) continues to reflect the weak economy and, despite Thursday’s stimulus boosted GDP, the real economy continues to flounder.Total intermodal traffic came in at 207,401 trailers. This was a marginal increase from last week’s reading, a 10.1% decline from last year and a 14.5% decline from 2007. Of course, it’s important to note that the figures are year over year, so bear in mind that this data is actually worse than the same period last year when the economy was seen melting down. The weekly and monthly data is certainly showing some signs of improvement of the March lows. The AAR reports.:Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
Toyota: How to Kill One of the World's Most Powerful Brands Jesse Felder submits: via editorialcartoonists.comMichael Hiltzik, an LA Times columnist and victim of Toyota (TM) mechanical problems, recently penned an enlightening article on Toyota that argues the company's mechanical problems are exacerbated by a problematic corporate culture. Hiltzik submits that Toyota has been aware of the potentially fatal acceleration issue for at least nine years. Rather than addressing it then in the most aggressive and effective way possible, the company pursued a familiar policy of, 'denying the problem exists, implying motorist error and simply hoping the issue will go away.'Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
Con-Way Trader Is Selling Volatility optionMONSTER submits: By David Russell Volatility has been drifting lower in Con-Way for more than a year, and traders expect the trend to continue.Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
Will Honda Challenge Toyota With New Plug-In Hybrid? TechCrunch submits: By Matt BurnsHonda (HMC) isn’t exactly the first Japanese car company that comes to mind when thinking about hybrids. Toyota (TM), thanks to its Prius and hybrid Lexus line-up, won the general populus a few years back, but Honda is set to make another run with the third generation of Honda Civic Hybrids along with a new line of electric vehicles.Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
Ford: A New Chance to Get on Board Thoughts Worth Thinking submits: Writing in 2009, I argued the investment case for Ford at $3.25 a share, based largely on fundamentals of good management and improved quality. With the stock now trading over $12 a share (enjoying a 5% bounce yesterday to close at $12.44 from an upgrade by Barclays Capital [1] ), perhaps that was luck, but at the end of the day my qualitative observations were on target. The shares are nevertheless down from their April 26, 2010 peak of $14.57, raising the question of whether now is a good time to add Ford positions. I think it is. Right now, there are lots of fuzzy reasons that make the market nervous about Ford (F). After such huge gains, it’s natural to be worried about a “hangover” effect. Then there are double dip fears, the return of General Motors, and bad numbers in Europe. [2]Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |