2008 Financial Thread

[MJZiggy]

software got wiped when I changed computers...couldn't find the disc to reinstall on the new one.

I found this really cool product that doesn't have this problem--never needs synching and is guaranteed never to crash. It's called a paper calendar and address book.

[LL2]

I don't think Charter or AMD are going to do anything noteworthy.

I'd have a hard time putting money into CharterCrap

ETrade intrigues me though. They seem like a company that will come back in the next couple years.

I agree. ETrade's stock is cheap right now. I remember after the tech stock bubble burst thinking that a few of these internet companies are dirt cheap and will rebound nicely. Some of them dropped as low as $1 a share. One of them was Priceline, and now they are at $112 a share.

[Kiwon]

I found this really cool product that doesn't have this problem--never needs synching and is guaranteed never to crash. It's called a paper calendar and address book.

[Kiwon]

Suspense grows over XM-Sirius antitrust review

Thu Jan 3, 2008 3:32pm EST
By Peter Kaplan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. government antitrust lawyers have spent nearly 10 months so far investigating Sirius Satellite Radio Inc's plan to acquire rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc, despite company hopes that the deal would be approved by the end of 2007.

The delay may be due to the complexity of the issues raised by the merger of the only two U.S. satellite radio companies -- or because the Department of Justice (DOJ) is putting together a case to block the deal in federal court, analysts at Stifel Nicolaus said in a research note on Thursday.

Alternatively, top officials at DOJ may be leaning toward approval but might still be weighing arguments from staffers who oppose the deal, Stifel Nicolaus said.

"Like many others, we believed it was likely that the DOJ would have reached a decision before the winter holidays," Stifel Nicolaus said.

Washington, D.C., antitrust lawyer Andre Barlow, of the firm Doyle, Barlow & Mazard, said some analysts may have underestimated the complexity of the investigation.

"It certainly wasn't as imminent as (some) projected," Barlow said, referring to previous rumors that the government was about to make a decision.

Asked by Reuters about the ongoing review, Sirius and XM issued a joint statement saying: "As the companies said from the outset, we expected to complete the processes at DOJ and the FCC so that the regulators could make their decisions and the merger could close by the end of 2007. We have fully complied with the requests from both agencies. The ball is now in their court and we look forward to their determinations."

A key antitrust issue in the case is whether the combined satellite radio company would still face enough competition from free, over-the-air radio and new technologies.

The deal, announced on February 19, 2007, would bring entertainers such as Oprah Winfrey and shock-jock Howard Stern under one roof. Sirius and XM, both of which are losing money, each currently charge subscribers about $13 a month for more than 100 channels of news, music, talk and sports.

Barlow said the DOJ antitrust division is probably in the latter stages of reviewing the deal. But he said a final decision could still take some time because the proposed deal raises complicated questions about emerging technologies and how officials should view the radio business.

"It is a complicated deal to review," Barlow said.

The traditional radio industry, as well as some consumer groups and U.S. lawmakers, have criticized the deal as anti-competitive. But the satellite radio companies argued that they face plenty of competition from traditional radio stations and from the growing popularity of iPods and other personal audio players.

To allay critics' concerns, the two companies promised that after the merger, they would offer several new packages starting at lower prices, which they say would give consumers more programming choices than XM or Sirius could provide individually.

In November, one industry analyst said an antitrust decision by the department could be imminent and he believed the deal would be approved. Two U.S. lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee responded with a letter to U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, saying they were concerned about reports that officials might intend to approve the merger over objections of career attorneys at the Justice Department.

The Sirius-XM deal is also being examined by the Federal Communications Commission, which is expected to follow the Justice Department's lead.

The FCC is studying whether the deal would be in the public interest -- and whether to enforce a 1997 FCC order prohibiting the two companies from merging.

Shareholders from both companies approved the merger on November 13. XM shareholders would get 4.6 shares of Sirius common stock for every share of XM owned.

Shares of XM, which closed at $13.98 the day before the February 19 deal announcement, have been volatile ever since. XM dipped below $11 a share in May and then nearly hit $16 in late November. On Thursday, XM was trading at $12.57, up 15 cents.

The share price of Sirius, meanwhile, had a 52-week peak of $4.26 just before the deal was announced and was trading late Thursday at $3.12, up 7 cents.

[LL2]

We are doing a 401k rollover to an IRA account at Scottrade. Can we buy stocks like Etrade or others within an IRA? I know you can buy ETF's and looking into those as well. If you buy stocks within an IRA and sell the stock down the road the returns are still tax deferred. I know I need to ask our broker, but I thought I'd see if others have done it.

[Scott Campbell]

We are doing a 401k rollover to an IRA account at Scottrade. Can we buy stocks like Etrade or others within an IRA? I know you can buy ETF's and looking into those as well. If you buy stocks within an IRA and sell the stock down the road the returns are still tax deferred. I know I need to ask our broker, but I thought I'd see if others have done it.

Yes, you can trade stocks in a self directed IRA, and the gains are tax deferred.

[LL2]

Cool! Thanks!

[Kiwon]

Forget tupperware. Host a Taser party.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,320385,00.html

TASR went from nothing to the $90-100 range as I recall in less than a year.

Then the lawsuits started and the stock price came down. Things have leveled off now. Taser sales parties via independent distributors are a good idea.

Just "don't tase me, bro."

[LL2]

E*Trade is under $3 a share. Does anyone think this could be a good stock worth buying cheap? I think E*Trade is one of those companies that got clobbered by the sub-prime mortgage mess and will rebound in the long run. Plus, they are a well known name brand.

[LL2]

I've been watching E*trade closely this past week and it's sinking like a rock. Getting close to $2 a share. I'm glad I haven't bought any yet, but I'm wondering if I should wait a little longer.

[The Leaper]

I wouldn't consider E-Trade right now...stocks are not a hot commodity at present, and the economy is starting to head south. Don't see much revenue for that company in the near future.

[Freak Out]

Ooops!

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080109-att-torpedoes-its-own-stock-takes-other-telcos-down-too.html

[LL2]

Ooops!

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post...-down-too.html

That was funny! Gotta watch what you say.

[Kiwon]

The market is down 5% already this year.

As tempting as some beaten down stocks might look it takes some courage to jump in now with any significant cash.

[The Leaper]

The economy is going in the pooper. Consumer confidence is going in the pooper. Typically, you'd think politicians in Washington would get the economy humming in an election year...but with their approval ratings all hovering around 15%, I guess they don't care anymore.