Investing

Are United Parcel Service's Earnings Better than they Look? Fri, 19/11/2010 - 00:23 by Seth Jayson Although business headlines still tout earnings numbers, many investors have moved past net earnings as a measure of a company's economic output. That's because earnings are very often less trustworthy than cash flow, since earnings are more open to manipulation based on dubious judgment calls. Comments Read more	Is It Time to Break Up Microsoft? Fri, 19/11/2010 - 00:18 by Rick Aristotle ... Is Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) worth more as an organ donor than alive in one piece? A shareholder raised the idea during yesterday's annual meeting: "Is it time to consider breaking this company up?" Comments Read more	Do You Trust Amazon? Thu, 18/11/2010 - 12:37 by Anders Bylund If you think of Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN)as nothing but an online retailer, think again. The house that Jeff Bezos built is very serious about treating its computing services like a real business. Comments Read more
Is a Revenue Miss Coming for DST Systems? Thu, 18/11/2010 - 12:33 by Seth Jayson There's no foolproof way to know the future for DST Systems (NYSE: DST) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result. Rest assured: Even if you're not monitoring these metrics, short-sellers are. Comments Read more	Will Cabot Microelectronics Earn or Burn? Thu, 18/11/2010 - 12:26 by Seth Jayson Margins matter. The more Cabot Microelectronics (Nasdaq: CCMP) keeps of each buck it earns in revenue, the more money it has to invest in growth, fund new strategic plans, or (gasp!) distribute to shareholders. Healthy margins often separate pretenders from the best stocks in the market. That's why I check on my holdings' margins at least once a quarter. I'm looking for the absolute numbers, comparisons to sector peers and competitors, and any trend that may tell me how strong Cabot Microelectronics' competitive position could be. Comments Read more	Lights, Camera, Amazon? Thu, 18/11/2010 - 12:20 by Tim Beyers Attention, screenwriters and filmmakers.Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) wants to be your new best friend. The e-tailer yesterday unveiled Amazon Studios, a new venture for procuring commercially viable film and script ideas through open competitions. As much as $2.7 million in prize money is on the line, the company said in a press release. Comments Read more
SINA Growing With China's Twitter Thu, 18/11/2010 - 12:17 by Rick Aristotle ... SINA (Nasdaq: SINA) is still growing, as long as you only focus on the new media darling's online advertising business. Revenue in its latest quarter climbed 12% to $108.2 million, with brisk growth in the company's Web-based advertising business more than offsetting weakness everywhere else. Adjusted earnings climbed 65% to $0.50 a share. Comments Read more	Brightening Prospects for the Video Game Industry Thu, 18/11/2010 - 12:13 by Rick Aristotle ... Comments Read more	How Rackspace Profits From Cloud Computing Thu, 18/11/2010 - 12:06 by Tim Beyers Among bearish investors, these are the three words most often used to describe Rackspace Hosting (NYSE: RAX). But are they fair? I'm not buying it. With each passing quarter, the company gets better at squeezing revenue and profit out of its burgeoning digital fiefdom. Comments Read more
Cisco Did Deserve This Whipping Thu, 18/11/2010 - 11:55 by Andrew Bond The massive sell-off in shares of Cisco(Nasdaq: CSCO) after it posted a pretty poor quarter Thursday struck some as plain old stupidity by Wall Street. Others thought the whipping was undeserved, and now would be a good time to pick up shares in a great company with more cash on its balance sheet than just about any nonfinancial in the United States. I see a company that looks lost, and a usually very honest and candid CEO, John Chambers, didn't seem to have any real answers on the company's conference call. Comments Read more	4-Star Stocks Poised to Pop: ReneSola Thu, 18/11/2010 - 11:53 by Brian D. Pacampara Based on the aggregated intelligence of 170,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool Chttp://www.themoneytimes.com/sites/all/libraries/fckeditor/editor/skins/...); background-position: 0px -544px; " class="TB_Button_Image" alt="">APS, the Fool's free investing community, solar-wafer maker ReneSola (NYSE: SOL) has earned a respected four-star ranking. Comments Read more	Almost Family Is Almost Perfect Thu, 18/11/2010 - 11:21 by Tim Beyers I'm a believer in growth stocks. As an analyst for our Motley Fool Rule Breakers service, I think you should be a believer, too. But even I have to admit some growth stories are bogus, hence this regular series. Comments Read more