Imaging Diagnostic Systems (OTC:IMDS) Fighting Breast Cancer with Real Time Results

Imaging Diagnostic Systems (OTC:IMDS), a pioneer in laser breast imaging, announced today that a Premarket Notification 510(k) was submitted on Monday, November 22, 2010, to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). With this submission, the company moves forward in the process of seeking marketing clearance for its innovative breast imaging device, the CTLM system.

Volume has already topped 10 million shares, as I write, and IMDS has a gain of 87 percent so far today to boast about. The company has an average daily volume of 1.5 million shares and a market cap of $38 million.

The CTLM system is an innovative breast imaging device intended to aid in the diagnosis of breast cancer in a non-invasive procedure. The patient lies face down comfortably on the scanning bed for approximately 10 minutes until the scan is completed. CTLM uses state-of the-art laser technology and proprietary computed algorithms instead of x-rays and breast compression to create three-dimensional views of the blood supply in the breast. These images can be used to complement current breast imaging modalities, providing additional information on the nature of breast abnormalities.

“This submission is a significant step toward the realization of our dream of marketing this unique breast imaging device throughout the United States,” stated Linda Grable, CEO of Imaging Diagnostic Systems. “CTLM has the potential to be a significant addition to breast imaging facilities, especially in difficult cases, like patients with dense breasts. We are committed to getting this product to market as quickly as possible, while simultaneously developing strong distribution channels and marketing resources for its launch."

As breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, the emphasis on breast cancer screening and detection has steadily increased. According to the World Health Organization, survival rates vary widely throughout the world, from more than 80 percent in the United States, Sweden, and Japan, to under 40 percent in poorer countries. In the face of these statistics, along with the benefits that the CTLM system offers to women and their physicians, the system is rapidly gaining international recognition.

Imaging Diagnostic Systems will continue to market the CTLM system and to work with its international clinical sites, where the system has gained approval. The documentation and the data submitted to the FDA will now officially enter the 510(k) review process.

The G: You Don't Want the Doc to read " US Govt vs Your Name"

Most market regulation happens on the back of a large decline. Useful security laws were created for US Markets in the 1930's protecting the everyman, and I have always held the opinion of Milton Friedman who thought insider trading should be legal, and if the secretary over heard the news of a takeover - she would buy stock first - before others, and she should have that right due to her proximity and the natural law.

Not everyone feels like Uncle Milton and since 1929 The G developed a personality reflected by this journalist in the late 20's...... I always contend, you don't want the document to read "US Govt vs Your Name".

" Congress did not take away from the citizen his inalienable right to make a fool of himself. It simply attempted to prevent others from making a fool of him. As to its efficacy in regulating securities issuers, the sunlight theory may be summed up by a saying: Those who are forced to undress in public will presumably pay some attention to their figures."

The great stock market crash of 1929 and the ensuing depression are generally credited with providing the impetus for federal securities legislation. The first major federal legislation enacted in reaction to the stock market crash was the Securities Act of 1933 (the "'33 Act"). The '33 Act, administered by the newly created Securities & Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), provides for the registration of the initial distribution of most securities. During its consideration, some legislators wanted the law to take the form of the New York Fraud Law while others wanted it to provide the type of merit tests which are now found in some blue sky laws.
The original draft of the '33 Act did contain merit tests, but they were deleted in the final draft. The law provides for full disclosure of all material facts. This "sunlight theory of regulation" is based on the assumption that if investors are given all of the necessary information they will make wise investment decisions and clearly FINRA and the New Millenium Manhattan prosecutor have taken the Gallion facts and rooted back into the dark underbelly of research and non public information......more to come on this story.

5 Things To Know Before Trading

Stocks in Asian trade were generally weak in reaction to news of a military exchange between North and South Korea. The Nikkei managed a gain of almost one percent, but the Hang Seng lost 2.7%, Shanghai was lower by about two percent and Australia fell more than one percent. European indexes are also lower on the session. The Footsie is currently down about two thirds of a percent and the Dax is off a fraction, but Ireland is down about two percent and other Euro/peripherals are down one percent or more, as the debt spreads for these countries are again widening out from the German baseline. US stock futures are down about three quarters of a percent or so.

*North and South Korea exchanged artillery fire earlier today; at least two South Korean marines are said to be dead and several others have been injured on an island that is just off the west coast of the peninsula within disputed territorial waters. As is often the case when dealing with conflicts involving North Korea it is not clear what sparked the conflict, or for that matter if the problem will escalate.

*The final reading of Germany’s Q3 GDP was unrevised +0.7% on a quarter on quarter basis and +3.9% year on year; growth was driven by strong exports and personal consumption.

*The November reading of Germany’s manufacturing sector Purchasing Managers Index was up more than two points on the month to 58.9, well above the estimate for a fractional gain. The November reading of their service sector PMI also beat the forecast with a monthly gain of 2.6 points, it rose to 58.6..

*In October there were 30,766 loans for house purchase in the UK, according to the British Bankers Association, slightly under the estimate.

*The weekly report on chain store sales from ICSC will be released at 6:45am CST. The Johnson Redbook report on the same thing is due out at 7:55am CST.

*The first revision of the Q3 GDP is due out at 7:30am CST. Headline GDP is forecast to be revised up to 2.4% from the initial report of 2.0%. However the key Q3 Personal Consumption component is expected to be revised down one tenth to 2.5% and the GDP Price Deflator is expected to be unrevised at 2.3%. The Core PCE price measure is also expected to be unchanged at 0.8% on a quarter on quarter annualized basis. The October reading of Existing Home Sales is due out at 9:00am CST; Sales are forecast to fall 1.1% from the pace set the month before to an annualized rate of 4.48 million units.

*The November reading of the Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index is due out at 9:00am CST, it is expected to improve one point on the month to 6.

*The FDIC will release their Q3 report on bank earnings at 9:00am CST.

*The Fed is scheduled to buy TIPS today that are due to mature between 7/15/12 and 2/15/40; the results of the operation will be announced just after 10:00am CST.

*The Treasury plans to sell $35 billion 5 Year Notes today; the results of the auction will be announced just after noon CST.

*The minutes from the November 2/3 FOMC meeting are due to be released at 1:00pm CST. In addition to the minutes the Fed will also release their Summary of Economic Projections, which will extend out to 2013 for the first time.

The Expanding Applications of GPS Technology

Aisle411, the mobile application designed to help locate items inside retail stores hits the market today. The introduction of Aisle411, currently available only on the iPhone, is among the vast indications that GPS based apps are in high demand within the mobile community. Mobile applications aren’t just changing the way we get our directions, they’re changing the direction of GPS technology. More and more, as evidenced by Aisle 411 and other GPS apps designed to help us save time and eliminate hassle, GPS is undergoing a major shift. It’s not just about getting there any more, it’s about getting their faster and eliminating as much hassle as we can along the way.

Going to the grocery store used to mean wandering around the frozen foods aisle looking for pizza only to find it next to the ice cream and not the frozen vegetables. Now, if you’re shopping in one of the places where Aisle 411’s service is applicable, only in a few grocery stores in San Francisco, Chicago, St. Louis, and San Jose, Calif., that challenge no longer exists. The focused nature of Aisle 411 is representative of a major shift in the way consumers use GPS, not just to get there, but to get there faster.

Earlier this year the release of Happy Hour, a GPS fueled application that points users in the direction of the nearest Happy Hour, with details on the drink specials is also designed to help shave off extra minutes anywhere we can. The same could be said of the popular retail app released last year that employed GPS technology to find the best deal on an item at the nearest retail locations.

The improvements in accuracy of GPS in the last year or so have led to a flurry of new applications, many of which have gained popularity as a result of their capacity for eliminating everyday aggravations once considered inevitable. 83% of people have said they have experienced difficulty finding an item in the grocery store, now they don’t have to. One of worst parts of holiday shopping is finding out you missed out on a deal and now, both of these could conceivably be a thing of the past.


“The rapid rate of smartphone adoption is unparallel to previous technologies that over time became ubiquitous. We are at the very beginning of this wave and already it is larger and has more momentum than ever measured before,” says Patrick Bertagna, the CEO of leading GPS company, GTXO.

Smartphones are a huge game changer for the GPS industry and the more people buy them, the faster that change happens. People now want more from their GPS than just directions. They want to be able to locate items, venues, packages being shipped or lawless teenagers out past their curfew. Today they have applications for all of these things.

If GPS is going to fulfill practical applications outside of the car, that means they have to be as portable as the people who use the technology. Bertagna, like Aisle 411 CEO Nathan Pettyjohn, was able to envision this, concentrating on the practical applications of the technology and how they can apply to personal and business needs beyond the original parameters drawn out at first introduction. Just like we no longer have to spend 30 minutes trying to find our way back to the freeway after taking a wrong turn, GPS is helping us get everywhere faster than we otherwise could, whether it’s to the bar, to the party our teenage son is attending after hours or even just to the produce aisle.

CANA-General Cannabis Moving Forward with Plan for Multi-Platform Management

The failure of Proposition 19, the initiative to legalize recreational marijuana use in the state of California quieted many marijuana companies looking to be among the first publicly traded participants in the anticipated “Green Rush” projected to follow the bill’s passage. The same can’t be said of General Cannabis (CANA.PK), which unlike most corporations angling for a piece of the pot pie, has managed to stay afloat and continue moving forward in the face of the disappointment. The latest in a string of new updates from the company is the purchase of Weedmaps.com or Weedmaps, LLC. A combination of cash and stock with additional earn out potential for the two co-founders of Weedmaps, LLC, Justin Hartfield and Keith Hoerling, the buyout is among the first of several decisive business moves planned for the near future.

The purchase of Weedmaps.com fulfills the aim of the company to solidify itself in the arena of media and technology within medical marijuana. Weedmaps, described by its founder as a sort of Yelp or Wikipedia for medical marijuana, already boasts 50,000 members and 4.2 million in monthly page views. The company is expected to bring in $4 million in revenue by the end of the year.

"This purchase has been in the planning stages for a long time and we are incredibly excited to have completed the transaction. We believe there is tremendous potential in the Cannabis industry, and General Cannabis truly represents the future of the industry" said Hartfield.

The future of the industry, if Hartfield is to be believed, is the corporatization of medical marijuana, the objective of General Cannabis. Until now, the medical marijuana industry has been extremely fragmented with small and divided operations, rather than one company that possesses the capacity to do It all from research, to growing, to doctor and dispensary management. General Cannabis aims to be the first that does it all and their acquisition of weedmaps is among the initial steps of making multi-platform management a reality. The ultimate goal of the company, the one that separates it from the early publicly traded companies with more narrow stances is their intent to establish eight separate subsidiaries or corporate objectives that encompass all angles of the industry including, medical management, internet and media, financial services, product development, industrial agriculture, dispensary management, political relations and philanthropy.

"The acquisition of Weedmaps, and the addition of Hartfield and Hoerling to the intellectual and creative process of General Cannabis will create a wealth of innovation that this Company intends to develop as it redefines this industry,” said Doug Francis, Chairman & President of General Cannabis following the finalization of the purchase. “It is the goal of General Cannabis not just to offer exceptional service for our end users, but to create multiple vertical operational and B2B services that simultaneously capture significant market share while creating new ancillary businesses along the way."

Another 52-Week High for ZAP (OTC:ZAAP)

Electric vehicle pioneer ZAP (OTC:ZAAP) completed its initial down payment of $10 million towards the 51% acquisition of Jonway Automobile. Jonway Automobile plans to complete an audit of its financial statements by December 31, 2010 and thereafter, ZAP intends to finalize the acquisition with the payment of the $19 million balance of the $29 million purchase price.

In late trading, shares of ZAAP hit a new 52-week high of $1.06 per share on heavy volume of more than 2.2 million shares compared to its average daily volume of about 200,000 shares. ZAAP has a market cap of $116 million and a 52-week range between $0.17 and $1.06 per share.

Jonway Automobile reported sales of over 4,000 gasoline vehicles through the end of September 2010, and projects total sales of over 6,500 vehicles by December 31, 2010. Jonway Automobile reported that wholesale sales prices of the vehicles averaged $10,000. Jonway Automobile projects year-end revenues for 2010 to increase more than 40% compared to last year with its current gasoline vehicle product line. Jonway Automobile reports that it is debt-free, cash flow positive and able to finance its gasoline product revenue growth at the same rate for 2011.

Under the new equity structure, Jonway Automobile will be 51% owned by ZAP, and 49% by its original parent Jonway Group. This equity ownership transfer was approved by the Chinese government on October 3, 2010. Jonway Automobile plans to ramp up production of the A380 SUV electric vehicle (EV) in the first half of 2011 together with ZAP’s Alias EV by third quarter 2011 at their Sanmen, Zhejiang factory. By combining Jonway Auto’s ISO 9000 manufacturing facilities, capable of delivering over 50,000 vehicles per year, with ZAP’s EV technologies, products and expertise, the company aims to lead the emerging EV fleet market in China.

Alex Wang (Wang Gang) was recently appointed by ZAP’s board to be Co-CEO of ZAP. ZAP (Jonway) will expand the market to sell both gasoline and EVs from China to rest of the world.

ZAP (Jonway) recently showcased its EV product line at the 25th Electric Vehicle Symposium in Shenzhen to launch its EV sales in China targeting volume production delivery by the first half of 2011.

Focused on delivering quality products, Jonway started to sell its A380 SUV product line last year, offering quality and value incorporating a Mitsubishi power train. ZAP (Jonway) plan to enhance manufacturing facilities to produce electric vehicles in Jonway’s 3.6 million square feet of factory facilities on the 141 acres of land in Sanmen, Zhejiang Province, China.

ZAP is one of the oldest EV companies with extensive industry experience in EV product design and conversions. ZAP supplies electric trucks and vans to the military, government and corporate fleets and is one of the early pioneers of electric motorcycles, scooters and ATVs. The Santa Rosa, California based company offers a product line of all electric trucks, vans, sedans and motorcycles in production today.

Solar Thin Films: (OTCBB:SLTZ): Q3 Earnings Lifts Stock

Earnings are always one of the biggest drivers for companies to boast their performance over the previous quarter. Solar Thin Films (OTC:SLTZ) reported its third quarter earnings today and since have incurred significant volume and gains. In early trading, shares of Solar Thin Films jumped 14 percent, or 6 cents per share, to $0.48 per share on heavy volume of nearly 300,000 shares. This lightly traded SmallCap stock has a market cap of just under $10 million.

Solar Thin Films today reported earnings of $618,291 ($0.03 per share) on revenues of $1,048,232 for the quarter ending September 30, 2010. This compares to a loss of $833,956 ($0.05 per share) on revenues of $2,181,056 for the quarter ending September 30, 2009.

For the nine months ending September 30, 2010 the company lost $324,294 ($0.02 per share) on revenues of $2,232,747 as compared to the nine months ending September 30, 2009 when the company showed a loss of $2,329,807 ($0.18 per share) on revenues of $8,402,980.

Solar Thin Films develops, manufactures and markets a complete line of manufacturing equipment for the production of "thin-film" amorphous silicon photovoltaic ("PV") modules through its subsidiary Kraft Elecktronikai Zrt. based in Budapest, Hungary. The Company sells both "turnkey systems" and sub-systems to customers currently located in China, Spain and the United States and has produced equipment for installations in the US, Germany, Portugal, Taiwan, Greece and Spain.

The Company believes that its line of thin-film photovoltaic manufacturing equipment positions it to take advantage of the rapidly growing demand for solar modules and an expected market shift towards "thin-film" PV modules as part of a cost effective, "clean technology" energy solution.

Market Jitters Due To Hedge Fund Liquidation: 2 Hedge Funds Raided

Two Connecticut hedge funds were just raided by the FBI in connection with the huge insider trading investigation that is currently underway. Both funds raided are run by former SAC traders. Level Global is one of them.

The firm's latest 13f-HR shows the firm's top holdings are:

Apple: ~$152 million (~538,000 shares)Citi: ~$105 million (27,000,000 shares)McDonalds ~$104 million (1,400,000 shares)Monsanto ~$141 million (2,950,000 shares)Oracle ~$119 million (4,450,000 shares)Sina ~$112 million (~2,220,000 shares)Virgin Media ~$445 million (~19,000,000 shares)It also has large stakes in other media companies like Cablevision, Vodaphone, Viacom and Motorola. Other focuses include retail (Talbots, Guess, Fossil) and food and food-related companies (Starbucks, Potash).


The FBI's huge investigation into institutional insider trading is apparently close to a turning point - they could charge the largest number of people in history with participating in a vast insider trading "ring" "within weeks," a person familiar with the situation told Reuters.

The people who the government will name is unknown at the moment, but we have an idea of more than a few people who have been implicated. The government is trying to bust traders at Jennison, Wellington, MFS, Citadel, Maverick, and SAC Capital, one of the most prestigious - and "squeaky clean" - hedge funds in the world.
But so far, they only seem to have dirt on one trader at SAC who left in 2008, and none at Citadel, Jennison, Wellington, MFS, or Maverick.

The names we know are other people who are involved in the case, and who have been implicated in insider trading charges before. That their charges are being brought up again is an indication of how big the government's investigation is - they're trying to get everyone who receives "advantageous" information from industry experts, it seems. New names are probably being kept private at the moment, so no one's career is smudged unnecessarily - and so they make a big splash when the charges are announced.

The people involved so far are:

Chip Skowron - a former portfolio manager at Front Point partners, a hedge fund at Morgan Stanley (that is currently spinning out of the fund and will be run independently). He has been suspended. There are more details of his implication in the Wall Street Journal.The Doctor - Dr. Yves M. Benhamou provided information about a company called Human Genome Sciences to Skowdown. It enabled the $1 billion fund Skowdon managed at Front Point to avoid $30 million in losses in late 2007 and early 2008. There are more details of his implication in the Wall Street Journal.

Jonathan Hollander - a former SAC Capital Advisors analyst (who left November 2008). Prosecutors took at least two confidential statements from Hollander at some point over the last 21 months. Hollander was charged in 2006 with receiving confidential information about the status of buyout negotiations involving the Albertstons supermarket chain. The tip apparently generated $3.5 million for Hollander's firm at the time, CR Intrinsic, a subsidiary of SAC Capital. More details about his involvement are in Reuters.

Joseph Contorinis - a former Jefferies Group Inc hedge fund manager who was convicted by a Federal jury of insider trading in October. More details about his involvement are in Reuters.The squealer / the witness - Nicos Stephanou, a former UBS banker, is one of the government's star witnesses against Contorinis. He testified that he had provided insider information to Contorinis about corporate buyouts and testified that he had given the same information to Hollader - while he was at SAC. More details about his involvement are in Reuters.

Ramesh Chakrapani - a Blackstone Group banker who the government charged with insider trading. The charges were later dismissed. More details about his involvement are in Reuters.

FONAR (NASDAQ:FONR) Doubles Share Price on Earnings

FONAR Corporation (NASDAQ:FONR) shares skyrocketed today after announcing solid quarterly results. In late trading, the stock was up more than 92 percent at $1.96 per share on heavy volume of more than 3 million shares compared to its average daily volume of only 17,000 shares. This lightly traded SmallCap stock has a market cap of $10 million and a 52-week range between $1.00 and $3.81 per share.

FONAR announced its earnings for the first quarter of fiscal 2011, ending September 30, 2010. Income from operations for the quarter ending September 30, 2010 was $435,000 as compared to a loss of $1,422,000 for the same period one year earlier, ending September 30, 2009. FONAR has had income from operations for three quarters in a row.

Net income for the first quarter of fiscal 2011 ending September 30, 2010 was $385,000 as compared to a net loss of $1.7 million for the same quarter one year earlier ending September 30, 2009.

Total net revenues for the quarter ending September 30, 2010 increased 16% to $8.7 million as compared to the one year earlier to the quarter ending September 30, 2009, when net revenues were $7.5 million.

At the end of the first fiscal quarter of fiscal 2011 ending September 30, 2010, total current assets were $15.3 million, total assets were $22.0 million, total current liabilities were $25.0 million, total long-term liabilities were $2.2 million, and total cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $1.3 million.

Commenting on the results of the first quarter of fiscal 2011, Raymond Damadian, M.D., president and chairman of FONAR said, "We are delighted to be able to show rising income for the first quarter of fiscal 2011. This has largely been done by cutting costs. Important savings have been made by reducing our Selling, General and Administrative expenses and our Research and Development expenses. In fact, these two categories have been reduced 31% when comparing the most recent fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2010 with the first quarter of fiscal 2010 ending September 30, 2009."

"I am also pleased to announce that during the most recent fiscal quarter, FONAR has installed its first UPRIGHT® Multi-Position™ MRI in Africa and Australia making FONAR a true global participant in the MRI world," added Dr. Damadian. We have installed 14 of our nearly 150 FONAR UPRIGHT® Multi-Position™ MRI scanners outside of the United States."

DISCLOSURE: NO POSITION

CrowdGather (OTC:CRWG) Directing Traffic to Forums

Shares of CrowdGather (OTC:CRWG) are very active today already more than doubling its average daily volume with a nice 5 percent gain. In late trading, shares of CrowdGather were up 5 cents at $1.05 per share on volume of more than 336,000 shares compared to its average daily volume of only 101,000 shares. CrowdGather has a market cap of $48 million and a 52-week range between $0.80 and $2.33 per share.

CrowdGather is one of the leading networks of community forums, reaching millions of passionate users each month. The heart of CrowdGather is the richness of content created by our highly engaged audience of technology, gaming and lifestyle enthusiasts.

The CrowdGather Network comprises thousands of online communities, now serving over 80 million page views per month and 4.5 million unique monthly visitors. The Company provides a highly interactive and informational social network for members, a management and revenue-sharing resource for third-party forum owners, and a largely untapped advertising network for marketers worldwide.

Since 2008, CrowdGather has grown from 9 million page views a month to over 80 million. The CrowdGather Network is made up of thousands of online communities for technology professionals, gamers, and lifestyle enthusiasts.

DISCLOSURE: NO POSITIONS

5 Things To Know Before Trading

*Stocks were mixed in Asian trade. Shanghai added 0.8% and the Nikkei was up a fraction, while the Hang Seng lost a fraction and Australia fell a quarter percent. European indexes are generally lower on the session; the Footsie is off about one and a third percent, but the Dax is down just a third of a percent. US stock futures a lower by about a half percent.

*The September reading of Japan’s All Industry Activity Index was down 0.8% on a month on month basis, a couple tenths more of a decline than expected.

*The People’s Bank of China announced on its website earlier today that they will raise the reserve ratio requirement for the nation’s banks by 50 basis points, as of November 29. PBOC boss Zhou says China can take more steps if needed to counter hot money flows. This is the fifth time this year that China’s central bank has increased the reserve requirements of its banks.

*The October reading of Germany’s Producer Price Index is +0.4% on a month on month basis, one tenth more than forecast

*There are reports that an EU/IMF aid plan for Ireland is likely to be announced next week.

*Fed boss Bernanke defended the current Fed strategy saying that both high unemployment and further disinflation could “hinder the recovery”, at the ECB conference in Frankfurt earlier this morning. He also assailed currency devaluation by trade surplus countries while also noting that he is fully aware of the dollar’s international role and that strong US economic fundamentals will underpin the dollar’s value. Also at the conference ECB boss Trichet said he thinks Bernanke’s statements on the strong dollar are very important.

*The Fed is scheduled to sell Treasuries today that are due to mature between 8/15/28 and 11/15/40; the results of the operation will be announced just after 10:00am CST.

S&P500 (NYSE:SPY): What The GM Rally Means for 2010

Holiday markets can be really tricky and - make no mistake - the action we see in stocks between now and year end will torture those who overthink the moves of these final 23 trading days in 2010. The first clue will be todays trading action and Monday when the market fails into the 122 area for the SPY at least from my viewpoint.

The reason is purely technical and fairly simple if u are a marketwatcher. I always look for cultural events to put in highs and lows and I have been watching the market acting like it will put in a high into year end.

Market clues historically have come from bell weather names, and we can now look again at GM as a market indicator. Lets return and look at GM at yearend and see how a $32 per share investmnet sits for all of the pension funds who own it. The smart perople got out yersterday including the worlds largest hedgefund Uncle Sam Inc who trades for the US taxpayer.

Market Opens Higher on IPO's and Ireland: GM Opens at $35

It seems like 1998 all over again. Full trading posts, CNBC spending time at the NYSE and hosts talking over one another. It's like the first trade in GM will spark some huge rally. There are a few things to know. Firstly, CNBC hosts and TV hosts know little about markets, most of them have never managed money, they are in the buisness of getting ratings for TV or Radio of the website. The real story is solving the Global crisis and the resurgence of the US Consumer during Holidays and beyond.

Stock index futures pointed to a rise of nearly 1 percent at the open on Thursday on expectations Ireland will get a giant loan to ease its debt crisis. Ireland's central bank chief said he expected the country to receive tens of billions of euros in loans from European partners and the International Monetary Fund to help shore up its shattered banks and stabilize the economy.

U.S.-listed shares of Bank of Ireland (NYSE:IRE - News) climbed 10 percent to $2.38 in premarket trading, while the FTSEurofirst 300 (^FTEU3 - News) index of top European shares was up 1.2 percent.
Concerns over European sovereign debt woes have weighed on equities in recent sessions, with the S&P 500 down nearly 4 percent since November 5.

"They've moved toward a resolution, and it looks promising that one will be reached," said Michael Holland, who oversees more than $4 billion as chairman of private investment firm Holland & Co in New York. "There was concern that there wouldn't be a deal, and if we move away from the threat of a default there, the market will clearly really like it."

Futures barely moved after data showed new jobless claims rose slightly less than expected last week. The underlying trend remained tilted toward a gradual improvement in the labor market.

Solar Thin Films: (OTCBB:SLTZ): Shifts To Domestic Focus

Solar stocks have had a sideways year and since the move in 2007 the industry has range traded. When I speak to portfolio managers across market caps about Solar Stocks they all say that they are afraid NOT to be long a pedigree name and some smaller solar companies who have upside. Essentially, managers who choose to be in cash versus investing in a growth area are subject to scrutiny.

This creates sector phantom shorts where the entire group carries a premium in the multiple and if you have to chase them near quarter end you can end up chasing the stock like the short side players do when they are looking to cover. This Phantom Short mentality lies within every manager who knows he should be long sectors which will have unprecedented growth. Solar stocks are a revenue growth explosion waiting to happen and many times the market consolidates before it makes a leg higher pulling all market caps with it. Having said this I have started looking for Solar stocks who have changed business models to adapt to the current environment. Solar Thin Films is one of these stocks.

The company recently announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of 2COR9, LLC, a California company which will develop and install solar power plants for industrial, commercial, and government customers. The types of facilities which the company's personnel have sold while at predecessor firms include agricultural centers, corporate offices, distribution centers, manufacturing facilities and retail facilities. The company's host customers generally have sizable facilities so they can utilize extensive unused roof space.

The U.S. has become the fastest growing solar market in the world and poses a great opportunity for Solar Thin Films. Vast utility scale solar power projects are fueling a sharp increase in the U.S. Solar Market overall. The U.S. solar electric capacity, including both photovoltaic and concentrating solar power installations, increased 37% in 2009. Photovoltaic installations (grid-tied) grew by 38%.

Solar has been a very visible component of California's overall renewable initiative. The state created the California Solar Initiative to target subsidies for residential sized systems in addition to other programs aimed at large-scale commercial utility sized installations. In the past few years, many states, following California's lead, have passed laws promoting large scale adoption of solar power. California will still remain the largest player in the PV market, but other states will be close behind. 2COR9 LLC, along with Solar Thin Films, Inc., are in the perfect spot to exploit this opportunity.

As was stated in a recently filed 8K, the company decided to shift focus from turnkey factory sales in foreign markets through the Hungarian manufacturing business to concentrate on establishing and managing solar farms throughout the United States, Israel, Canada and other places with government support programs for solar power generation.

The acquisition should be completed within the next week or 10 days.

3 Things to Know For Today's Trading

*Stocks in Asia were generally strong overnight. The Nikkei was among the best with a gain of two percent, the Hang Seng gained 1.8%, Shanghai added about one percent and Australia was up a third of a percent. European indexes are following suit, with both the Footsie and Dax currently higher by 1.4%. US stock futures are trading higher by about one percent.

*Japan’s cabinet office monthly economic report kept its assessment of the economy unchanged from the month before, noting that “economic movements appear to be pausing recently” and again saying that the economy is in a difficult situation because of things such as a “high unemployment rate”.

*The October reading of Switzerland’s Trade Balance was a larger surplus than expected at SF2.1 billion, as exports were up 6.2% on the month while imports increased only 1.9%.

*The October reading of UK Retail Sales was +0.5% on a month on month basis, one tenth better than forecast and a reversal of the 0.5% decline seen in September. However, sales were -0.1% on a year over year basis, a tenth under the estimate.

*Ireland has not yet asked for aid insists Irish Fin Min Lenihan, even as EU and IMF arrive in Dublin to discuss the debt situation, but he says it is possible they could accept an aid package for its banks, or that funds could be made available “but not drawn down”. Talks among the interested parties are ongoing.

*The weekly report on Initial Jobless Claims is due out at 7:30am CST, it is expected to be 441k. The November reading of the Philly Fed Business Activity Index is due out at 9:00am CST, it is forecast to improve four points on the month to 5.0. Also due out at 9:00am is the October reading of the Leading Economic Indicators, it is expected to be +0.5%.

*GM’s IPO was priced yesterday at $33, and the stock is set to trade today at the NYSE.

*The Mortgage Bankers Association is set to release some Q3 data on mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures at 9:00am CST.

*The weekly report on inventories of Natural Gas is due out at 9:30am CST, it is expected to show an increase of 7 bcf.

*The Fed is scheduled to buy Treasuries today that are due to mature between 5/31/13 and 11/15/14; the results of the operation will be announced just after 10:00am CST.

*The Treasury is scheduled to announce at 10:00am CST the details of next week’s auctions of 2 Year, 5 Year and 7 Year Notes.

*There are several Fed speakers on the calendar today: Governor Duke will testify to congress on foreclosures at 9:00am CST; Governor Warsh takes part in a panel discussion on “The Future of Financial Markets” at a Chicago Fed event at noon CST; Minneapolis Fed boss Kocherlakota will speak in Chicago at 12:30pm CST, his topic is “Monetary Policy Actions and Fiscal Policy Substitutes”; Cleveland Fed’s Pianalto will talk about “Current Economic and Monetary Policy Issues” in her hometown at 12:30pm CST; and Philly Fed’s Plosser is set to discuss “Asset Bubbles and Monetary Policy” at the Cato Institute in DC at 3:30pm CST.

*A heads up for Friday at 4:15am CST; that’s when Fed boss Bernanke, ECB’s Trichet, Strauss-Kahn of the IMF and PBOC Governor Zhou will take part in an ECB conference in Frankfurt and discuss how the financial crisis has influenced their thinking and actions.

Zanett (Nasdaq: ZANE): +22% Early Morning Mover

Zanett (Nasdaq: ZANE), a leading consulting firm specializing in serving Fortune 500 corporations and mid-market organizations in Health Care, Life Sciences, Manufacturing & Distribution, Retail, Gaming & Hospitality, and State & Local Government has announced its financial results for Q3 the nine months ended September 30, 2010. Financial Highlights for the NINE months ended September 30, 2010

28% revenue growth to $12.7 million in Q3 2010, vs. $9.9 million in Q3 2010.11% Growth for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 vs same period last year.$45+ million in total new contracts signed in first 9 months of 2010.GAAP operating income of $284k in first nine months of 2010, vs. GAAP operating loss of $652k in the same period 2009.Q3 GAAP net income of $95k, vs loss of $818k for same period 2009.$150 million un-weighted sales pipeline as of September 30, 2010.

Mr. Dennis Harkins, the president and CFO of Zanett Inc. stated, "We are very happy with our progress that we have had this year and the 3rd quarter continues that that story. We have actively engaged in the contracts we have signed over the last 12 months and we look forward to this growth continuing in the fourth quarter as we have given guidance of over 25% year-over-year revenue growth in the 4th quarter 2010, compared to the 4th quarter of 2009.

"We have an unbelievable group of people that work for Zanett and continue to provide value to our customers. Our vertical strategy into healthcare which we embarked on late in 2009 has paid huge dividends in our performance in 2010. We expect as we use that same strategy as we expand into other verticals, as well as our continued emphasis in health care, to fuel our growth in 2011."

Zanett, Inc. provides customized information technology solutions to corporations and mid-market companies in the United States. It offers end-to-end business solutions, including services to initiate, develop, and implement e-business systems; application development; project management; business analysis; architecture design; package customization; testing and quality assurance, and implementation management; and implementation of enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, and customer relationship management systems. The company also provides voice and data communications network integration solutions that include the provision of hardware, peripheral equipment, and telecommunications lines for voice and data communications networks, as well as related security and design services. The company was founded in 1992 and is based in New York, New York

Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRKA): He can Do Whatever He Wants

I want this job, and I think I could do it. Warren Buffet passed me over for Todd Combs a 39 yearold wonder boy who will manage 2-3 Billion starting in January 2011. It was initally reported that Combs would manage a much larger sum, but as parts of the BRKA Portfolio is liquidated, it becomes clear that he starts with around 3 billion.

The portfolio which was liquidated was only around 8-10 stocks where the company was a large holder and it will be interesting to see if Combs has a similar style he employed at Castle Point, his Hedge Fund he is wrapping up as we exit 2010.

In the board's business sessions, Buffett says, he clarified what role Combs will be playing when he reports for work in January. The backstory here concerns Berkshire's October 25th press release in which Buffett, announcing Combs' hiring, indicated that Combs would be running "a significant portion" of Berkshire's money.

That wording, plainly imprecise, led some media commenters to believe that Combs was going to be handling megabillions of Berkshire's huge investment portfolio, which at the end of September was $113 billion in size.
But Buffett told the board that he and Combs had discussed Combs' initially running perhaps $2 billion to $3 billion. Either amount would greatly exceed the $400 million that Combs was running at Castle Point.

Amounts of $2 billion to $3 billion, though, would be roughly comparable to the sums managed by Lou Simpson, who has long been in charge of investing the funds of GEICO, a big Berkshire division. Simpson, 74, whose offices are in Chicago, is retiring at the end of this year.

Combs will be paid, says Buffett, as Simpson has been: by salary and an incentive compensation plan that gives him a proportion of the amount by which his performance beats the S&P 500 over a three-year period. Says Buffett, "You want to get away from the short-term ups and downs of the market when you're paying someone for running money, and a plan like this does the job."

The details of Combs' position at Berkshire make it clear that he's entering into an extended trial, during which both Buffett and vice-chairman Charlie Munger (who met Combs first and sent him to Buffett) will be assessing the skills and thinking that their new manager will be bringing to the work. Buffett's original description, set forth three years ago, of his plan to hire someone to manage money stated that more than one person might be signed up. The possibility that an additional investment manager or two could be hired to join Combs therefore exists.

At Castle Point, Combs' mandate has been financial services investments. But at Berkshire, Buffett told the board, Combs will in no way be restricted as to what he can invest in. "He can range wherever he wants to," said Buffett.
That happens to be what Buffett has done, of course. At various times, he's been heavy in junk bonds, foreign currencies, and derivatives (a part of the Berkshire portfolio right now).

Warren I am available to work for you, please give me a call.

5 Things To Know Before Trading

Stocks were generally weak in Asia, with some exceptions. The Hang Seng and Shanghai both fell two percent and Australia was down 1.6%. The Nikkei however managed a fractional gain. European indexes are mixed and not sharply changed on the session; The Dax is up about 0.3% but the Footsie is currently down 0.20%. US stock futures are up a fraction.

*The Q3 reading of Australia’s Wage Cost Index matched the forecast of +1.1% on a quarter on quarter basis; it is the highest result since Q4 2008.

*The final September reading of Japan’s Leading Economic Index was revised down 0.3 to 98.6; that’s the lowest result since February and the fourth decline in the last five months.

*The Bank of England policymakers were split in three ways, with seven voting for steady rates and levels of QE, one (Posen) in favor of more Q% and one (Sentence) in favor of hiking rates twenty five basis points, according to the minutes from their latest policy meeting. The majority is said to be ready to adjust policy in either direction as needed.

*The September reading of the UK Unemployment Rate was steady at 7.7%, as expected. In October the net change in the number of jobless claims fell 3.7k, a good surprise versus the expectation of +6.0k.

*Ireland is going to begin meetings with the EU and IMF tomorrow to see what can be done to solve the country’s debt crisis. Irish PM Cowen has been insisting they can handle the situation even as the EU, etc. continues to diplomatically insist they cannot. Earlier today LCH Clearnet raised the margin requirement for Irish bond trading to 30 percent of the net position, a move that raises the stakes in a real money way.

*US mortgage applications fell 14.4% in the week ended November 12, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, both key components, applications for purchase and refinancing were down on the week.

*The October reading of the Consumer Price Index is due out at 7:30am CST. Headline CPI is expected to rise 0.3% on a month on month basis and the estimate for Core CPI is +0.1%. The forecasts for the year on year measures are +1.3% and +0.7% respectively. The October reading of Housing Starts is also due out at 7:30am. Starts are expected to be 598k units at an annualized rate, or -2.0% from the month before; the estimate for Building Permits is 568k units annualized or +3.9% up from September’s rate.

*The weekly report on energy inventories is due out at 9:30am CST. Stocks of Crude Oil are forecast to fall 70k barrels, inventories of Gasoline are expected to decline 600k and the estimate for Distillates is -2.13 million.

*The Fed is scheduled to buy Treasuries today that are due to mature between 2/15/18 and 11/15/20; the results of the operation will be announced just after 10:00am CST.

*There are a couple of Fed speakers on the calendar today. Boston Fed’s Rosengren will talk at 7:00am CST and St. Louis Fed boss Bullard will speak at 8:15am CST.

Handheld GPS Systems take a Hit as Smartphones Thrive

The widespread embrace of smartphones is presenting itself as a huge threat for GPS navigation devices, a new report from the industry research firm Berg Insight indicates.

The first incarnation of GPS, the auto navigation devices from which current technology options sprung, gained tremendous popularity several years ago and became indispensible to most modern drivers. Now, smartphones may mean the end for GPS devices, as they offer the services with little or no additional cost.

The Swedish company that conducted the research observed that personal navigation system sales are not staying competitive enough or producing high enough sales to balance the inevitable losses brought on by the booming smartphone market. The study indicates that global sales of Personal Navigation devices will peak at 42 million in 2011 prior to undergoing a harsh decline that will only continue as smart phones gain prevalence.


“The rapid rate of smartphone adoption is unparallel to previous technologies that over time became ubiquitous. We are at the very beginning of this wave and already it is larger and has more momentum than ever measured before,” says Patrick Bertagna, the CEO of leading GPS company, GTXO.

GPS maker Garmin posted an 11 percent year-over-year decline in revenue in the third quarter of 2011. The sector of the company devoted to GPS for automobile was hit the hardest, not a surprising development against new data showing mobile phone subscribers who use their Smartphone as a navigation device increasing up to 57 percent in the first half of 2010.

Bertagna, anticipated this shift. GTXO has adapted to the changing industry in a way that most companies of its kind will have to do if they want to stay relevant; focusing on cell phone applications and utilizing GPS technology in innovative ways. Bertagna has 17 Applications over three platforms from the iPhone to Blackberry and continually works to stay applicable as smartphone technology improves.

He views smartphones as not just as threat for GPS, but as changing the face for industries across the board. “Your smartphone will soon replace your wallet and everything inside, it will be your ID, credit cards, access to accounts and even your keys to get in your car or house. They will allow you to bank, shop, play, connect with friends and if not too outdated make a phone call. All with more ease and seamless integration with your lifestyle. This is the new frontier.”

Beatles Finally Take a Bite Out of Apple

It's been a long and winding road, this relationship between Apple and the Beatles.

But Tuesday, at long last, the Fab Four made it to iTunes.

The iTunes store's main page featured a host of Beatles albums for sale, beneath an early photo of the supergroup.

The update came in advance of what Apple had promised would be a 10 a.m. ET announcement that would make Tuesday, "A day to remember."

The Beatles had famously been the most high-profile hold-out to making their music available via digital download.

The surviving band members and the estates of the others have been reluctant to sign up, saying that the quality of digital music isn't good enough to do their catalogue justice.

That being the case, the past few years have seen rumor after rumor that the Beatles were finally going to arrive on iTunes.

The iTunes page offered a Beatles box set, lots of albums from their more than two-decade career and video of a live concert.

Beatles Finally Take a Bite Out of Apple

It's been a long and winding road, this relationship between Apple and the Beatles.

But Tuesday, at long last, the Fab Four made it to iTunes.

The iTunes store's main page featured a host of Beatles albums for sale, beneath an early photo of the supergroup.

The update came in advance of what Apple had promised would be a 10 a.m. ET announcement that would make Tuesday, "A day to remember."

The Beatles had famously been the most high-profile hold-out to making their music available via digital download.

The surviving band members and the estates of the others have been reluctant to sign up, saying that the quality of digital music isn't good enough to do their catalogue justice.

That being the case, the past few years have seen rumor after rumor that the Beatles were finally going to arrive on iTunes.

The iTunes page offered a Beatles box set, lots of albums from their more than two-decade career and video of a live concert.

The Mad, Mad World of the Fed: Fear and Loathing

The Fed is under fire. The vitriol being directed at the central bank in general and its chairman in particular is really something to behold. Although the policy course change was well telegraphed, the actual execution of the new process has market participants and observers furious and disgusted. If one had not seen it for one’s self it would have been difficult to imagine the degree of disrepute which has befallen the Fed. Here are some quotes from an article on the depths to which the Fed’s reputation has sunk.

The Fed claims to be pursuing a slow and steady course, but the results are so erratic that everybody is furious and disgusted with the Fed. No one, in fact, seems quite sure of what the Fed is up to, including the Fed itself.

Recently a group of respected economists recommended that the Fed governors all submit their resignations…

The irony is that over the last year and a half the Fed has presided over increasingly wild swings in money-supply growth…at a time when it has been attempting to get a better grip on its procedures. The result instead has been increased volatility and unprecedented gyrations in interest rates. Responding to some of the administration’s concerns the Fed recently modified its operations again. But this has served to sow even more confusion, and Wall Street bond dealers are baffled over what the Fed is doing.

“It’s like a soap opera, except that it’s very important,” commented a leading government-securities dealer. “Trying to determine interest rates has now become a guessing game. It’s like throwing darts at a board.”

There is some speculation that there has been deliberate collusion between the Fed and the Treasury, an indication of the deep suspicion of the Fed that now exists within the financial community. Criticism of the Fed from bond dealers has reached a fever pitch.

Oh, I’m sorry this article is almost thirty years old; it’s not about the current Fed. “The Mad, Mad World of the Fed; Fear and Loathing” was about the changes in the execution of monetary policy instituted by Paul Volcker in the early years of his tenure as chairman. Please excuse the error.

But I do think an interesting feature of the current situation is the dichotomy of opinion amongst the participating members of the policy committee; there has been an unprecedented degree of dissension on the Fed. In the first fifty meetings of his regime the chairman has had dissenting votes at more than half of them. Ten times during that span there were two voters who went against the majority, four times there were three members who voted thumbs down and there were even four dissenters at two of the sessions. This is really an indication that the chairman’s authority is on a razor’s edge and that certainly does not bode well for his…oops. Sorry, once again I am mistaken. I have by accident looked up the early years of the Alan Greenspan chairmanship. Bernanke has also presided over dissenting votes at slightly more than half the meetings during his tenure, but never more than two at any one time. I apologize for any confusion.

One thing that is unusual, I think we can all agree, is for a Fed chairman to go public in a widely read periodical with a detailed explanation of his reasoning behind a particular policy effort. And by this I mean of course the article the chairman published in Fortune magazine to clarify…There I go again, the magazine article was from 1937 when then chairman Mariner Eccles realized his strategy would be somewhat controversial.

Hmmm, the more things change the more they remain the same. There must be something unique about today’s Fed; something that makes this era different… What about the beard? Yes, the beard. Can you name another Fed chairman who sported any facial hair, let alone a beard? I don’t think so. Things really are different this time, don’t you think?

3 Things to Know For Today's Trading

Stocks in Asian trade had varied results. Australia managed a quarter percent gain, but the Nikkei lost a third of a percent, the Hang Seng fell 1.4% and Shanghai was down four percent. Shanghai has now fallen more than nine percent from a seven month high mark set four days ago; concerns about additional tightening by the PBOC and rumors that authorities will institute price controls to keep a lid on inflation have weighed on the market. European indexes are broadly weaker this morning as debt concerns continue to be a factor. The Footsie is currently off by 1.5% and the Dax is down three quarters of a percent. US stock futures are down about two thirds of a percent.

*The Reserve Bank of Australia says that their recent tightening was “prudent” because of a shift in the balance of risks and because of what they see as a “gradual upward trend” in inflation over the medium term, according to the minutes from their November policy meeting. On the other had they see consumers as cautious and say retail discounting has been extensive. But the outlook for their resource industries is “very strong”.

*Foreign Direct Investment in China was up 7.9% on a year over year basis in October, to $7.66 billion. This was an up tick from the 6.1% annualized gain seen the month before, but was below the 10.4% estimate for October.

*The September reading of Japan’s Tertiary Industry Index was -0.9%, a decline that was almost double the estimate.

*The November reading of Germany’s ZEW Survey of Economic Sentiment rose for the first time in seven months, from -7.2 to +1.8; well above the forecast for -6.0.

*The October reading of the UK Consumer Price Index is +0.3% on a month on month basis and +3.2% year over year; both measure are one tenth above the estimates.

*The weekly report on chain store sales from ICSC showed sales fell 0.1% on a week on week basis for the week ended November 13, but sales were up 3.4% in the week when compared to the corresponding week from a year ago. The Johnson Redbook report on the same thing is due out at 7:55am CST.

*New York Fed boss Dudley and Fed Vice chairwoman Yellen were both in the press defending the Fed’s latest move. Yellen said, among other things, that she was “not happy to see us caught up in a political debate.”

*The October reading of the Producer Price Index is due out at 7:30am CST. The headline PPI is expected to be +0.8% on a month on month basis and the Core PPI is forecast to rise 0.1%. The Treasury announcement of the net purchases in September of long-term US securities by foreign accounts, the TIC data, is due out at 8:00am CST, it is expected to be a net increase of $62.5 billion. The October reading of Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization are due out at 8:15am CST. Production is expected to be +0.3% on a month on month basis and utilized Capacity is forecast to be 74.9%, or up two tenths from the month before. The November reading of the NAHB Housing Market Index is due out at 9:00am CST, it is expected to rise one point on the month to 17.

*The Fed is scheduled to buy Treasuries today that are due to mature between 5/31/12 and 5/15/13; the results of the operation will be announced just after 10:00am CST.

*Atlanta Fed boss Lockhart is scheduled to speak about the economy at 6:15pm CST.

Mobile SmallCap Stocks Prime Acquisition Targets

2010 has been termed the “Year of Mobile”. This is the year where the proliferation and adoption of the smart phone has given rise to staggering industry growth projections. A year where global mobile advertising revenues alone will exceed $3.5 billion dollars.

Right in front of our eyes, a technological revolution is taking place which will not only transform forever the way in which we communicate with others, but how major companies and their brands communicate with us. In fact, the rate at which new technology is emerging in the mobile phone field has even overtaken that of personal computers.

Mobile phones are the new "final frontier". Mobile phone growth has exceeded even the most optimistic penetration predictions. In the United States alone, 84% of the population owns a mobile phone. Worldwide, mobile phone access is growing by about 30% a year. The mobile phone is a lot more personal than, say, a desktop computer or a laptop. A phone owner will go everywhere with his/her phone. This provides a unique advertising opportunity for businesses. Ads can be targeted with an unprecedented level of accuracy and users who view the ads are more likely to interact with them than on traditional media. Furthermore, ads can be location specific or tailored based on other criteria such as behavioral, geographic or demographic criteria, allowing for the targeting of one, the holy grail of marketing.

When I look for next year's big potential stock winners, there’s no doubt what space will most likely provide them. The following companies each represent a specific mobile area that I think will see tremendous growth not only over the next year but over the next few years. As in most high growth technology evolutions, we will see periods of consolidation where larger players aggressively seek out smaller mobile emerging leaders focused on niche markets and verticals that would complement their existing mobile strategy. As is often the case, it’s cheaper to acquire a business than for a company to build it from scratch.

What makes these targets valuable is that they all have deep value that can be unlocked inside the larger scale of the acquirer. With many large players focused squarely on mobile, and hoards of cash in their bank accounts, I expect mobile acquisitions to accelerate in the next twelve months.

Here are two of my top smaller mobile companies who possess unique qualities that would make them highly attractive takeover candidates in the new year:

Augme Technologies (OTC:AUGT) ($2.61)

Augme Technologies has the only innovative patented end to end mobile marketing platform and solution that is instantly formatted for use on all devices and all operating systems. Augme’s patented technology is foundational to key targeted Internet functions, such as advertising, broadcasting and content delivery. Recently, two additional new patents have been issued based on this original technology that cover Internet and Mobile Web sites to be delivered with customized content that is tailored to any end-user's network-enabled device and enables content targeting by publishers of Internet and mobile web destinations. In recent quarters revenues have been doubling quarter over quarter and they recently said they expect revenues to be more than $10M for the next twelve months and they are already working with a host of household name Fortune 100, 200 and 500 companies like Johnson and Johnson, Graphic Packaging, HBO, Lionsgate, News Corporation and others. The company presents a best of both world scenario with an attractive IP portfolio and a rapidly growing mobile business; either would be desirable to host of larger players.

Glu Mobile (NASDAQ:GLUU) ($2.23)

Glu Mobile Inc. is a leading global publisher of social games for smartphone and tablet devices. They just released what they call their first social mobile game. This new business model is focusing on microtransactions within games and in-game advertising. Revenues for this sector grew 98% quarter over quarter. With the explosion of smart phones and tablet devices coming by year end I would expect this trend to accelerate. The following titles are released or will be released before Christmas. Keep in mind they have very strong partnerships with both Apple and Google. They will continue to release 5 to 6 titles per quarter.

US Markets Vulnerable: Hedging The Risk Trade

The risk trade is pretty simple. Long US Stocks, Long Commodities, Long Euro's. The problem with this trade is that everyone has it on in some form or another and when it reverses there will be a run for the door. Many market watchers think the new part of this risk trade is to buy Volatility as a hedge, which is why the VIX measure of Volatility rose disproportionaltely.

For 10 long years, market rallies have ended badly for investors. Now, with stocks up 15.6% in four months, strategists are beginning to suggest that ordinary investors start dialing back on risk. That doesn't mean dumping shares willy-nilly. With the Federal Reserve committed to flooding markets with liquidity, it still makes sense to be in equities. But "if you've ridden the market up, you might want to do some trimming," says Steven Shueh, managing partner at Roundview Capital. Some investors may already be starting. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has given up 2.2% from its Nov. 5 high.

The first step is to disabuse yourself of the notion that it's impossible to time the market. It turns out that sometimes you can. When markets are stuck in a trading range for an extended period, selling into strength and buying into weakness can outperform buy-and-hold investing. If that sounds like sacrilege, it may be because mutual-fund firms have spent decades persuading you to keep your money in their stock funds through thick and thin so they could collect bigger profits.

Consider an investor with a $1 million portfolio on Dec. 24, 1998, the first time the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index was at its current level. But if the investor had merely held on, he would have seen essentially zero appreciation through Nov. 11 of this year. If that same investor instead had sold one-tenth of his portfolio every time the stock market gained 20% and allocated one-fifth of his cash to the market when stocks fell more than 10%, he would have gained about $140,000, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis.

An approach using broad valuation measures performed even better. One metric, the ratio of stock-market capitalization to gross domestic product, tracks the market's value versus that of the underlying economy. An investor with $1 million on Dec. 24, 1998, who sold 10% at the end of each month when the ratio was above 115% and bought stocks with 20% of his cash when the ratio was below 75%, produced a gain of around $365,000. (The average has been about 91%). Of course, investing success depends greatly on when you start. If you had tried the strategy at the market low of October 2002, for example, you would have come out about the same as if you had bought and held.

Throughout this year the market has traded in a band of about 20%—far away from both its 2007 high and its 2009 low. Stocks gained 15% from Feb. 8 to April 23 on hopes that a robust economic recovery in the U.S. would sustain global growth. By July 2, it had dropped 16% to 1022.58, as disappointing economic data fueled fears of a double-dip recession. xcNow stocks are up again—but for how long?

US China Mining (OTCBB:SGZH): Results Improve Across Board

US China Mining (OTCBB:SGZH), a Chinese leader in coal production and exploration in the People's Republic of China, recently announced its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2010. Third Quarter 2010 Highlights:

Revenue increased 93% to $17.85 million from $9.27 million in the third quarter of 2009Gross profit increased 73% to $7.79 million from $4.5 million in third quarter of 2009Operating profit increased by 47.2% to $5.3 million compared to $3.6 million for the same period in 2009Operating expenses increased to $2.5 million compared to $915 thousand in the third quarter of 2009Cash balance increased 43.8% to $40.14 million from $27.9 million as of September 30, 2009Average selling price for coal increased to $47.84 from $44.17 in the third quarter of 2009, an increase of 8.3%


During the three months ended September 30, 2010, revenue was $17.85 million, compared to $9.27 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of approximately 93%. This increase in sales is primarily attributed to increased brokerage sales from both Tonggong and Xing An Mines.

Gross profit for the third quarter was $7.79, compared to $4.50 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of $3.29 million or 73%. Gross margin decreased slightly to 44% from 49% in the three months ended September 30, 2009. The decrease in gross margin was mainly attributable to the increased average cost of coal per ton for the period.

Operating expenses for the third quarter were $2.5 million, compared to $915 for the same period in 2009. This increase in operating expenses was driven mainly by certain new levies required by the provincial and local government, beginning in the second quarter of 2010.

Operating profit increased by 47.2% to $5.3 million for the period compared to $3.6 million for the same period in 2009. This increase in operating profit was driven principally by the increase in revenues for the quarter as well as the higher selling price for coal over year earlier levels.

Net income for the three months ended September 30, 2010 was $3.85 million compared to $2.76 million for the same period of 2009, an increase of $1.09 million or 39%. Total production during the three months ended September 30, 2010 was 30,810 tons, compared to 67,416 tons produced for the same period of 2009, a decrease of 36,606 tons. The decrease in production was primarily due to our mine maintenance and retrofit projects at the Xing An mines. As of September 30, 2010, cash and cash equivalents totaled $40.14 million, compared to $27.9 million at September 30, 2009. Cash balances were grown through cash flow from operations.

The average selling price per ton for the three months ended September 30, 2010 was $47.84 as compared to $44.17 for the same period of 2009, an increase of 8%. Total sales volume, including brokerage sales, was 373,794 tons for the three months ended September 30, 2010, compared to 209,793 tons for the same period of 2009, an increase of approximately 78%.

Mr. Hongwen Li, President of US China Mining Group, commented, "We are very pleased with the growth in revenues from our brokerage operations as we continue to leverage our competitive advantage in that segment of the industry. We remain very focused on maximizing the value of all our assets and expect our brokerage business to be a significant revenue contributor to our company going forward. We are now well positioned to take advantage of the favorable economic trends developing in our industry as we look forward to the Xing An mine resuming production in the coming months."

5 Things To Know Before Trading

*Stocks were mixed in Asian trade. The Nikkei gained one percent and so too did Shanghai, but Australia lost a fraction and the Hang Seng was lower by 0.8%. European indexes are generally higher, with the Dax currently up by a third of a percent and the Footsie has a fractional gain. US stock futures are higher by a third to a half percent.

*The first look at Japan’s Q3 GDP was stronger than forecast at +3.9% on an annualized basis, more than double the result from the previous quarter and well above the estimate for growth of 2.5%. On a quarter on quarter basis Japan’s GDP was +0.9%, better than the forecast for a growth rate of 0.6%.

*The October reading of Switzerland’s Producer and Import Prices was -0.4% on a month on month basis, missing the estimate for an unchanged result.

*Following a detailed audit of the Greek balance sheet, by the EU data agency Eurostat, the country’s headline deficit for 2009 was raised to 15.4% of GDP from a previously reported 13.6% deficit. Representatives from the EU, ECB and IMF are due in Athens today to assess Greece’s efforts to stabilize their public finances. Additionally the EU Commission says that there is no doubt that the Ireland situation is delicate and clearly serious, but they support Ireland’s 4-year deficit reduction plan.

*In a speech to her CDU Party convention Germany’s Merkel reiterates that changes to EU treaties may be needed for the stability of the common currency and that Europe’s future is tied to that of the euro. “If euro fails, then Europe fails” she said.

*”A group of prominent Republican leaning economists, coordinating with Republican lawmakers and political strategists, is launching a campaign this week calling on Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke to drop his plan to buy $600 billion in additional US Treasury bonds,” reports the Wall Street Journal this morning. This group of economists say in an open letter to be published in ads this week in the WSJ and New York Times that “The planned asset purchases risk currency debasement and inflation, and we do not think they will achieve the Fed’s objective of promoting employment.” The letter says that the new round of quantitative easing “should be reconsidered and discontinued.” A spokeswoman for the Fed responded to the letter by saying in part, “The Federal Reserve is committed to both parts of its dual mandate and will take all measures to keep inflation low and stable as well as promote growth in employment. In particular, the Fed has made all necessary preparations and is confident that it has the tools to unwind these policies at the appropriate time.”

*The October reading of Retail Sales is due out at 7:30am CST. Headline Sales are forecast to rise 0.7% on a month on month basis and Sales ex-autos are expected to be +0.4%. Also due out at 7:30am is the November reading of the Empire State Manufacturing Index; the average estimate is 14.00, down a bit from the October result of 15.73. The September reading of Business Inventories is due out at 9:00am CST, it is expected to be +0.8%.

*The Fed is scheduled to buy Treasuries today that are due to mature between 5/31/16 and 11/15/17; the results of the operation will be announced just after 10:00am CST, should there be no technical glitches in the process.

Reddy Ice (NYSE:FRZ): +17% Everyone Needs Ice

By: Janice Meehan

Revenues for the third quarter of 2010 were $120.1 million compared to $115.4 million in the same quarter of 2009 Their ongoing antitrust investigation and litigation against one of it’s insurance carriers was settled during the third quarter and Reddy Ice received $5.0 million. Net income per diluted shares was $0.30 per share in the third quarter of 2010 compared to $0.44 in the same quarter last year.

Reddy Ice Holdings manufacture and distribute packaged ice in the United States. Their products are found in supermarket chains, convenience stores, wholesale ice and food distributors, commercial and industrial users, bars, restaurants, sporting events, agricultural buyers, wholesale ice and food distributors. Their product includes various ice forms, such as block, cube, cylindrical, crushed and half-moon.

Judging from their client base and the increase in distribution, their only concern is competitive pressures. “The current trend is a result of a more stable economic environment, commented CEO and President Gillbert M. Cassagne. Our margins continue to be impacted by cost increases for certain items, higher costs in connection with initiatives that were begun in the second quarter and competitive pressures”. However, he is optimistic the upward trend of the last two quarters will continue due to operational initiatives, some of which were just recently launched, that will provide meaningful benefits in the coming quarters.
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Heely's (Nasdaq: HLYS): The NANO is a Darn Cool Product

Mobile and Web based marketing can be the key to sales. Viral views of Youtube clips can create a buzz which equals any Madison Avenue Media Blitz. Heely's has a cool new product called Nano and the stock is getting a bump from an expanision of their product line.

U.S.-based Heelys (NASDAQ:HLYS), the creator behind the popular shoe with a removable wheel in the heel, has introduced a product so revolutionary that it’s already defining a new sport. ‘Freeboarding,’ as it’s called, has been building momentum ever since Heelys released the Nano™ in August.

Developed in-house by Heelys and released in early August, Nano™ creates a hybrid skate system by working with Heelys to create a stable platform for the front foot, allowing the user’s rear foot to build momentum, carve sharp turns, and perform a wide variety of tricks.

It’s this unique combo of skating and running that allows the user to freeboard through an environment, using obstacles and the landscape as creatively as possible. Borrowing elements from both skateboarding and freerunning, the Nano™ enables the user to roll and build speed, while the free foot allows for vaulting over obstacles and tumbling without the need to hold on to the board in order to stick the landing and continue skating.

Freeboarding was first introduced when Heelys began to test the Nano™ and train skaters for events. Due to their exceptional athleticism and balance, a majority of the candidates selected were freerunners. As they became more adept at skating, the freerunners naturally began to incorporate their own moves, giving birth to freeboarding.

Twin brothers Jonathan and Thomas Tapp, two of the first freerunners to test the Nano™, were eventually selected to perform in the upcoming Heelys Nano™ holiday commercials. Based in Dallas, TX, the Tapp brothers began their careers as professional freerunners at the age of seventeen, regularly providing stunt work for movies and commercials. After catching the eye of Heelys CEO Tom Hansen, they were approached by Heelys in 2009 to test out the Nano™.

“When Heelys first explained what the Nano™ was to us, we were stoked to try and incorporate some of the skills we’d already developed through freerunning and parkour,” said Thomas Tapp. “As it turns out, freeboarding is a great way to pull off some insane tricks. Plus, you can get around really quickly while still maintaining a lot of control.”

To highlight the different aspects of freeboarding and to show off the Nano™ in new and creative ways, the Tapp brothers have begun to post a “Clip of the Week” video via www.tappbrothers.com. Having already posted clips the last two weeks, the Tapps will post a new clip every Friday throughout the holidays. Fans will also be able to learn more about the Nano™ from the Heelys Facebook page or from www.heelys.com.

To view the Nano 2010 holiday commercial go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw3Fvf6pNAI
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Heely's(Nasdaq:HLYS): The NANO is a Darn Cool Product

Mobile and Web based marketing can be the key to sales. Viral views of Youtube clips can create a buzz which equals any Madison Avenue Media Blitz. Heely's has a cool new product called Nano and the stock is getting a bump from an expanision of their product line.

U.S.-based Heelys (NASDAQ:HLYS), the creator behind the popular shoe with a removable wheel in the heel, has introduced a product so revolutionary that it’s already defining a new sport. ‘Freeboarding,’ as it’s called, has been building momentum ever since Heelys released the Nano™ in August.

Developed in-house by Heelys and released in early August, Nano™ creates a hybrid skate system by working with Heelys to create a stable platform for the front foot, allowing the user’s rear foot to build momentum, carve sharp turns, and perform a wide variety of tricks.

It’s this unique combo of skating and running that allows the user to freeboard through an environment, using obstacles and the landscape as creatively as possible. Borrowing elements from both skateboarding and freerunning, the Nano™ enables the user to roll and build speed, while the free foot allows for vaulting over obstacles and tumbling without the need to hold on to the board in order to stick the landing and continue skating.

Freeboarding was first introduced when Heelys began to test the Nano™ and train skaters for events. Due to their exceptional athleticism and balance, a majority of the candidates selected were freerunners. As they became more adept at skating, the freerunners naturally began to incorporate their own moves, giving birth to freeboarding.

Twin brothers Jonathan and Thomas Tapp, two of the first freerunners to test the Nano™, were eventually selected to perform in the upcoming Heelys Nano™ holiday commercials. Based in Dallas, TX, the Tapp brothers began their careers as professional freerunners at the age of seventeen, regularly providing stunt work for movies and commercials. After catching the eye of Heelys CEO Tom Hansen, they were approached by Heelys in 2009 to test out the Nano™.

“When Heelys first explained what the Nano™ was to us, we were stoked to try and incorporate some of the skills we’d already developed through freerunning and parkour,” said Thomas Tapp. “As it turns out, freeboarding is a great way to pull off some insane tricks. Plus, you can get around really quickly while still maintaining a lot of control.”

To highlight the different aspects of freeboarding and to show off the Nano™ in new and creative ways, the Tapp brothers have begun to post a “Clip of the Week” video via www.tappbrothers.com. Having already posted clips the last two weeks, the Tapps will post a new clip every Friday throughout the holidays. Fans will also be able to learn more about the Nano™ from the Heelys Facebook page or from www.heelys.com.

To view the Nano 2010 holiday commercial go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw3Fvf6pNAI
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Friday Weakness: China Leads Soft Global Markets

Major Chinese indexes tumbled amid worries the government might raise interest rates to combat mounting inflation. The Chinese government said Thursday that the pace of inflation hit a more than two-year high in October.

Cooling China's economy could have an impact worldwide because the country's robust economy has helped offset sluggish growth in places like the U.S. Many companies have credited international sales, particularly in China, as a reason earnings have been strong.A slowdown in China without stronger growth elsewhere could put a crimp in corporate profits.

The speculation about a rate hike in China came as little headway was made on a plan to strengthen global growth. Leaders from the Group of 20, which includes large developed and emerging economies, failed to agree on policies about trade and currency manipulation that could stoke protectionism and a trade war.
The group refused to endorse a plan the U.S. presented to force China to allow the value of its currency to rise. The U.S. argues that China is keeping the value of its currency artificially low because a weak currency makes exports cheaper and more attractive globally. That, in turn, gives China an unfair advantage in global markets, helping its economy at the expense of others.

The U.S. position was undermined in recent weeks though because of its own actions. The Federal Reserve last week announced a plan to buy government debt in an effort to spark growth. However, that plan also weakens the value of the dollar, which could eventually help its own exports.

Derycz Scientific (OTCBB: DYSC) Share Up 100% in A Month As New Contracts Continue

When life science industry professionals need information, they need it fast. Derycz Scientific, a $25M market-cap business services company, has solutions that facilitate and eases the flow of essential published articles and documents, information you don’t want your customers or employees – in research, regulatory affairs, legal, medical affairs, or sales and marketing – to live without. And organizations are seeking Reprints Desk, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Derycz, to do just that.

Today Reprints Desk announced they have signed a new agreement with the American Medical Association (AMA) for the electronic distribution of articles from JAMA and other AMA publications to support the research needs of Reprints Desk’s corporate clients.

"Reprints Desk is pleased to be able to expand our relationship with the American Medical Association after our recent selection as the exclusive provider of clinical reprints and ePrints for JAMA and other AMA publications," said Jan Peterson, Derycz Scientific's Head of Publisher Relations. "Reprints Desk is able to deliver most requested documents across all subject areas within minutes as a result of publisher relationships like this, enabling us to fulfill our promise to customers for speed and transparent publisher list pricing."

Want to know how Reprints Desk’s solutions work? Reprints Desk offers a one-stop solution for reprints, ePrints and single articles. The company has delivered millions of articles worldwide, innovating the way in which content is retrieved and delivered by organization and end-users. The service is designed to help make effective use of published articles in a copyright-compliant manner.

Derycz, the parent company, develops many other companies, products, services and systems that solve information logistics issues and facilitate the re-use of published content in a manner that helps organizations achieve their marketing, communication and research goals effectively

In addition to Reprints Desk, another subsidiary is Pools Press which provides clinical reprints of professionally printed articles from medical and technical journals; prints; booklets, catalogs, pamphlets, direct mail pieces, newsletters and all business stationery; and works with publishers who wish to outsource a portion of or all of their reprints business.

Shares of Derycz are trading up more than 193% since April of 2010 and up 100% just over the last month. The stock has moved from $.97 on October 1st to $1.94, the trading price today.

3 Things to Know For Today's Trading

*Stocks in Asia were generally quite weak; Shanghai in particular, which fell more than five percent on the session on concerns that even more PBOC tightening could be on the way because of stronger than expected readings on inflation, today’s move erased all the gains previously gained in November. The Hang Seng lost almost two percent, the Nikkei was down 1.4% and Australia fell three quarters of a percent. European indexes are mixed at the moment with both the Footsie and Dax essentially unchanged. US stock futures are down about a half percent.

*The key outcome of the G20 meeting in Korea was that they decided to put off solutions until tomorrow for many of the problems, such as currency and current account imbalances, that are front and center today.

*The Q3 reading of German GDP slowed to +0.7% on a quarter on quarter basis from the record pace of +2.3% in the previous quarter. The growth rate was one tenth under the forecast. Overall Eurozone Q3 GDP was +0.4% quarter on quarter, one tenth below expectations and down from 1.0% in Q2.

*The preliminary November reading of consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan is due out at 8:55am CST, it is expected to be 69.0 after finishing October at 67.7.

*The Fed is scheduled to buy Treasuries today that are due to mature between 11/15/14 and 4/30/16; they expect to purchase between $6 and $8 billion of this paper. The results of the operation will be announced just after 10:00am CST.

*There are a couple of Fed speakers on the calendar today. Governor Tarullo will speak on financial reform at 7:35am CST and Governor Raskin will talk about mortgage servicing at 3:35pm CST.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Fresh Capital and Reverse Merger for 5 to1 (OTC:TIMR)

5to1, Inc., (OTCBB:TIMR) - a publisher-controlled, online advertising alliance, announced today the successful completion of a financing and reverse merger.

The funding was organized by the CEO and founding investors of interclick (Nasdaq:ICLK) along with The Frost Group. The Frost Group led the $6.5 million Investment. 5to1 will continue its business as a wholly owned subsidiary of 5to1 Holding Corp under the leadership of 5to1's current management team which is headed by Chief Executive Officer, James Heckman. Effective November 11, 2010, the Company will be quoted on the OTC markets under the symbol "FTOH".

5to1 has formed an alliance of major media publishers, managing and selling unsold inventory on a publisher-only controlled advertising platform. The company was founded by former Fox Interactive Media executives, James Heckman (CEO) and Ross Levinsohn (Chairman) who were able to gather many of the top digital pioneers in the industry to join as co-founding advisors and investors, including Levinsohn's former partner at Fuse Capital, Jonathan Miller (News Corp. CEO Digital Media), who helped incubate the model with former Fox and AOL Sales head, Michael Barrett; Michael Kassan and Wenda Harris Millard of Media Link; former CBS digital head Quincy Smith; digital music pioneer Fred Davis; former MTV CDO Jason Hirschhorn; former Tribune President of Broadcasting Ed Wilson; founding CEO of ESPN.com, Mike Slade; and Casey Wasserman, CEO of WMG.

5to1 also includes a management team with over 200 years of senior officer Internet leadership experience, the core of which came from Fox Interactive Media's executive staff. Heckman, Levinsohn and outgoing interclick CEO Mike Mathews will comprise the Board of Directors.

Jim Heckman, CEO, stated, "We've quietly built a media coalition on top of a first-to-market advertising platform that presents an opportunity for premium brands to reach the most valuable consumers. Our mission is to focus on the most important segment of the advertising ecosystem -- premium brands and media partnered in a true marketplace environment. We clearly value and empower branding over the algorithmic approach and our funding strategy syncs with the company's overall contrarian thesis by aligning with major media leaders as financial partners along with the public marketplace."

"This funding will enable us to demonstrate that publishers, when properly empowered, are far better equipped to understand, protect and manage their own advertising inventory than a conflicted computer," added Heckman. "We are laser focused on putting value back in the hands of those who have created it."

5to1 has formed an online advertising alliance of major media publishers built on a proprietary, publisher-controlled platform that ensures consistent pricing and quality while eliminating sales channel conflict. The 5to1 alliance offers top brand advertisers true premium inventory at mass scale, something that otherwise does not exist in the online advertising ecosystem today.

Fresh Capital and Reverse Merger for 5to1 (OTC:TIMR)

5to1, Inc., (OTCBB:TIMR) - a publisher-controlled, online advertising alliance, announced today the successful completion of a financing and reverse merger.

The funding was organized by the CEO and founding investors of interclick (Nasdaq:ICLK) along with The Frost Group. The Frost Group led the $6.5 million Investment. 5to1 will continue its business as a wholly owned subsidiary of 5to1 Holding Corp under the leadership of 5to1's current management team which is headed by Chief Executive Officer, James Heckman. Effective November 11, 2010, the Company will be quoted on the OTC markets under the symbol "FTOH".

5to1 has formed an alliance of major media publishers, managing and selling unsold inventory on a publisher-only controlled advertising platform. The company was founded by former Fox Interactive Media executives, James Heckman (CEO) and Ross Levinsohn (Chairman) who were able to gather many of the top digital pioneers in the industry to join as co-founding advisors and investors, including Levinsohn's former partner at Fuse Capital, Jonathan Miller (News Corp. CEO Digital Media), who helped incubate the model with former Fox and AOL Sales head, Michael Barrett; Michael Kassan and Wenda Harris Millard of Media Link; former CBS digital head Quincy Smith; digital music pioneer Fred Davis; former MTV CDO Jason Hirschhorn; former Tribune President of Broadcasting Ed Wilson; founding CEO of ESPN.com, Mike Slade; and Casey Wasserman, CEO of WMG.

5to1 also includes a management team with over 200 years of senior officer Internet leadership experience, the core of which came from Fox Interactive Media's executive staff. Heckman, Levinsohn and outgoing interclick CEO Mike Mathews will comprise the Board of Directors.

Jim Heckman, CEO, stated, "We've quietly built a media coalition on top of a first-to-market advertising platform that presents an opportunity for premium brands to reach the most valuable consumers. Our mission is to focus on the most important segment of the advertising ecosystem -- premium brands and media partnered in a true marketplace environment. We clearly value and empower branding over the algorithmic approach and our funding strategy syncs with the company's overall contrarian thesis by aligning with major media leaders as financial partners along with the public marketplace."

"This funding will enable us to demonstrate that publishers, when properly empowered, are far better equipped to understand, protect and manage their own advertising inventory than a conflicted computer," added Heckman. "We are laser focused on putting value back in the hands of those who have created it."

5to1 has formed an online advertising alliance of major media publishers built on a proprietary, publisher-controlled platform that ensures consistent pricing and quality while eliminating sales channel conflict. The 5to1 alliance offers top brand advertisers true premium inventory at mass scale, something that otherwise does not exist in the online advertising ecosystem today.

British Students Protest Turns Violent: Flashback to Chicago 1968

Tens of thousands of students marched noisily through London on Wednesday against plans to triple university tuition fees, and some tried to occupy the headquarters of the governing Conservative Party, in the largest street protest yet against the government's sweeping austerity measures. Organizers said 50,000 students, lecturers and supporters were demonstrating against plans to raise the cost of studying at a university to 9,000 pounds ($14,000) a year — three times the current rate.

Violence flared as a handful of people smashed windows in a high-rise building that houses Conservative headquarters, as others lit a bonfire of placards outside the building. Office workers were evacuated as several dozen protesters managed to get into the lobby, chanting "Tories Out," while outside police faced off against a crowd that occasionally hurled food, soda cans and placards. "We are destroying the building just like they are destroying our chances of affording higher education," said Corin Parkin, 20, a student at London's City University.

I was a teenager in 1968 but I recall vividly the news coverage of Chicago Cops beating the crap out of hippies in Grant Park and around Chicago. This was Mayor Daley's attempt to get rioting students under control as the Democratic Convention was hosted in Chicago and he was trying to get a Democrat in office. He failed as Richard Nixon defeated Hubert Humphrey by a small %, but the real spoiler was that George Wallace got around 13% of the vote and skewed the election for Nixon.

Julienne Lauler from the Blogsite The Sixties said " Forty years ago, Kent State University went from a virtually
anonymous Midwestern college campus to the infamous university at which four students were shot and killed while protesting the United States' invasion of Cambodia.

On the day of the shooting, thousands of students flooded the university commons, delivering fiery speeches and calling for a definitive end to the Vietnam War. Provoked by protesters who were yelling and throwing rocks, Ohio National Guardsmen suddenly fired their rifles and pistols in what they claimed to be "self defense," killing four students and injuring nine. To some students, the Kent State shootings epitomize an era of student activism that no longer exists and has been replaced by a generation of students who are increasingly cynical about their ability to effect social change.

I flashed back to these dates and did some digging on the web for some real life bystanders and found Mr. Schultz, ''I was standing right here,'' Mr. Schultz remembered, as if 28 years ago was yesterday, positioning himself by a bush. ''The park was absolutely jammed, thousands of people. ''The cops were beating a kid there, and the first camera was broken right beside me. A newspaper photographer was taking the picture, and a nightstick came down, and he said, 'They got my lens,' astonished. They had a kid across a car here; there were beatings, clubbings, screaming everywhere.''

It is good to see British Students protesting things they believe in, I hope they are organized and avoid any police actions, but our society has revolved around social activism thru history and it usually takes the voice of a younger generation to enact change.

Things To Know Before The Open

*Stocks were mixed in Asian trade. The Nikkei was strong with a 1.4% gain, but the Hang Seng and Australia were both down 0.85% and Shanghai was off by two thirds of a percent. European indexes are generally lower on the day; the Footsie is lower by about a half percent and the Dax is down 0.3%. US stock futures are essentially unchanged on the session.

*The People’s Bank of China announced today that as of November 16 it will raise the commercial bank reserve requirement by 50 basis points.

*The October reading of China’s Balance of Trade was a surplus that was a couple billion more than forecast at $27.15 billion; up sharply from the $16.88 billion surplus seen the month before.

*The October reading of Japanese Consumer Confidence Index fell a few tenths to 41.4, a result that was better than the 40.8 forecast.

*The October reading of Germany’s Wholesale Price Index was -0.3%, after two consecutive months of readings that were at one percent or more.

*The Bank of England says it is likely that the CPI will be below its target rate in 2013, but that there is upside risk, according to the Quarterly Inflation Report. They note that there is a “wider than usual” range of views on the policy committee in regards to growth and inflation, leading them to say the outlook is “highly uncertain”. In discussing the report BOE boss Mervyn King said that the economy began to recover in the last year but the level of output in the UK is likely to remain weak, in part because of the risk that consumer spending will slow.

*US mortgage applications were up 5.8% in the week ended November 5, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association; both indexes, for purchase and Refi, were up about that amount.

*The weekly report on Initial Jobless Claims will be released today, Wednesday, at 7:30am CST instead of tomorrow because of the Federal Veterans Day holiday; Claims are expected to be 450k. The September reading of the US Balance of Trade is due out at 7:30am and is forecast to be a deficit of $45.0 billion. The October reading of the Import Price Index is the third bit of data that will be out at 7:30am, it is expected to rise 1.2% on a month on month basis. The Treasury will release its Monthly Budget Statement at 1:00pm CST, it is forecast to show a deficit of $140.0 billion, down from the year ago deficit of $176.4 billion.

*The weekly report on energy inventories is due out at 9:30am CST. Stocks of Crude Oil are forecast to increase 1.5 million barrels, but Gasoline inventories are expected to fall 1.0 million and the estimate for Distillates is -2.0 million.

*The Treasury plans to sell $16 billion 30 Year Bonds today, the results of the auction will be announced just after noon CST.

*The Fed is scheduled to announce the consolidated calendar of Treasury purchases at 1:00pm CST. The calendar will be for about one month of buying for both the QE2 and MBS reinvestments.

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