Raytheon Q3 2009 Earnings Transcript
Raytheon Co. (RTN)Q3 2009 Earnings CallOctober 22, 2009 09:00 AM ETComplete Story » seekingalpha.com |
General Dynamics Q4 2009 Earnings Call Transcript
General Dynamics Corporation (GD)Q4 2009 Earnings CallJanuary 27, 2010 11:30 am ETComplete Story » seekingalpha.com |
How the Largest U.S. Airlines Stacked Up in 2009
Robert Herbst submits:For 2009, the nine largest airlines accumulated just over $4 billion in net losses. 2008 wasn’t much better with a $3.5 billion loss. So far, 2010 projections show a $2.7 billion net profit coming from $120 billion in operating revenue.This article analyzes nine key financial and operational categories. A brief 2010 outlook is included at the end.Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
Inflation Is Alive and Well at the U.S. Postal Service
Ockham Research submits: The US Postal Service today announced that it will raise postage rates yet again, this time to 46 cents for a first class stamp. The rates will also rise for periodicals and parcels by 8% and 23% respectively. This is the seventh rate increase in the last decade, as the cost of shipping a letter has increased by an average annual rate of 3.1% during that time. According to our rough calculations, the rate increases have averaged about 70 basis points greater than CPI annually (annual CPI from 1999 to 2009: 2.2%, 3.4%, 2.8%, 1.6%, 2.3%, 2.7%, 3.4%, 3.2%, 2.8%, 3.8%, –.4%). Put simply, the increasing cost of postage is only incenting consumers to look elsewhere for shipping. The rate increase is part of a plan to lower the projected $7 billion budget shortfall that USPS expects to incur this year. Costs have ballooned with retiree benefits, but the labor unions are likely too strong to allow any cut in those benefits. Instead, the postal service anticipates the new heightened rates will increase revenue and shrink the deficit by $2.3 billion in its first nine months. However, they blame the recent budget shortfall on shipping volume decreasing as much as 13% in this year alone. USPS places blame on the slumping revenue on both the recession and the Internet (increased usage of online communication).Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
Boeing's Government Contract Breeds a Nice Options Play
John Mylant submits: Boeing Co. (BA)The second-largest U.S. satellite maker attracted the attention of one bullish options player, perhaps on news the firm expects to receive a minimum of $2 billion of orders for military communications satellites from a Defense Department contract announced in the previous week.Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |