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Weston, Nov 20 (FlowTrades.com) – The majority of stocks fell for the week, with only the Dow posting a gain after surging to new highs on better than expected economic news overseas and a pledge by the APEC to maintain economic stimulus measures. The Dollar rebounded from a 15-month low against the euro, sending . Read More --

Visit StreetInsider.com at http://www.streetinsider.com/news.php?st=p&id=5130733 for the full story.

The reason for the failure of the tech sector to double-dip in March is because it was already gearing up for a potentially big fourth quarter thanks to Windows 7.

Analysts at FTN Equity Capital Markets Corp reiterated their "buy" rating on Intel (NASDAQ: INTC).

FTN Equity Capital Markets expects INTC's Clarkdale (desktops/workstations) and Arrandale notebooks to be launched in early 2010. FTN Equity Capital Markets anticipates a quick ramp up of these products. FTN Equity Capital Markets' contacts have indicated that the launch of INTC's Nehalem-EX (MP server chip) and next-generation 32nm 6-core CPUs would be on schedule in 4Q09 and 1Q10, respectively. According to FTN Equity Capital Markets, these products will act as a catalyst for INTC's margin expansion.

With most server CPU prices remaining relatively flat, FTN Equity Capital Markets continues to expect Intel's ASPs to remain stable going forward. New products, higher utilization and lower-cost manufacturing are likely to contribute towards expansion in INTC's gross margins, FTN Equity Capital Markets said. INTC has the potential for delivering higher-than-sector-average earnings growth and attractive cash dividend, FTN Equity Capital Markets believes.

Investors react to Dell's weak earnings and a move to scoop up the dollar and move away from riskier investments.

BloggingStocks: Today was a very unusual day. There was no real economic data to absorb. And the markets did see some unusual options trading ahead of expiration date at 4:00 PM today. Disappointing earnings kept a negative bias in the air despite a brief recovery ... Read more

t is a well-documented fact that a significant portion of the historical equity returns are a result of reinvested dividends. In Triumph of the Optimists: 101 Years of Global Investment Returns (2002), the authors looked at equity returns from capital gains and dividends from 1900 to 2000. They determined that performance in any given year was driven by capital appreciation, but long-term returns were largely the result of reinvested dividends.[More...]

U.S. stocks tumbled Thursday as concerns about a subdued economic recovery played in the minds of investors.  Safer bets like dollar strengthened and oil prices slumped.  As investors turned to safe havens, Treasury prices rose, sending corresponding yields lower.  Yields on three-month bills, considered one of the safest bets, turned negative for the first time since December.  A Bank of America Merrill Lynch downgrade of semiconductor industry also added to the downward pressure.     

The spike in bond prices came even as the Treasury announced plans to auction a record $118 billion in new notes next week – an auction schedule of $44 billion 2-year notes on Monday, $42 billion 5-year notes Tuesday, and $32 billion 7-year notes on Wednesday.

The Dow, which had plunged as much as 170 points during the session, ended down 93.87 points, or 0.9%, to 10,332.44.  The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 14.90 points, or 1.3%, to 1,094.90, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index dropped 36.32 points, or 1.7%, to 2,156.82.  Wall Street’s fear gauge, the CBOE Vix, jumped more than 4%.  Crude prices dropped $1.93 to $77.46. Gold prices rose to their fifth straight record close, up 70 cents to $1141.90.

As glimmers of a full-blown economic recovery fade, investors have increasingly become intolerant, locking in profits at every opportunity.  Also, a lack of conviction on part of the market to push beyond the current rally has been a dampener and concerns of an asset bubble build-up due to accommodative monetary policies have diminished risk appetites, sending daily average volume to levels of only about 1 billion.   

Nevertheless, to show not all is bad, the OECD raised its growth estimates for its 30-country members to 1.9% in 2010 from June's estimate of a 0.7% growth, and to a 2.5% GDP expansion in 2011.

Tech shares, already up 54.3% year-to-date, fell 1.7% Thursday, after Merrill's analyst slashed 2010 global growth targets, and downgraded ten companies in the semiconductor sector.  Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) shares fell 4.1%, and Texas Instruments (NYSE:TXN) retreated 3.4% after the downgrade.  Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) shares plunged 6.1% in premarket trading, after the company reported earnings that missed analysts’ projections.

Among the S&P 500 industry groups, energy producers, off 2.1%, were the biggest decliners.  ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) fell 1.9% and Chevron Corp. (NYSE:CVX) dropped 2% as crude prices fell for the first time in four days. Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE:SLB) shares fell 3.3%.

Zacks Investment Research

BloggingStocks: Analyst upgrades: Pali Capital upgraded Lazard (LAZ) to buy from neutral, citing a healthy restructuring environment, improving M&A and strength in the asset management segment. The firm has a $46 target on shares. Baird upgraded Scansource ... Read more

The market started out weak on an inline unemployment report.  The chip makers led the market lower as Bank of America downgraded both INTC and TXN.  INTC lost 4.08% while TXN dropped 3.38%.  If you read the above linked article, you can really get a sense that it is a "ratings game".  The timing was [...]

Here is our latest conversation…. new insights for anyone who invests in anything. This week we highlight a discussion about specific stocks to examine. Plus: Will the Obama double dip happen? CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE ___ Vote for our Podcasts for the 5th Annual Podcast Awards ___ Sponsor: Try GotoMyPC free for 30 days! For this special [...] Related posts:

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What a miserable morning. Led by a downgrade of Intel (INTC) and a concern that the recent rally is ahead of economic realities, investors have been itchy to sell. Volume has been confirming that we are in for some type of correction, yet most of the recent ones have been mild. Once again though we are [...] Related posts:

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Schaeffer's analyst Morgan Searcy takes a look at news on the Street before the market open.

Companies featured in this segment: The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW), Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), Metabolix Incorporated (NASDAQ:MBLX), Apache Corporation (NYSE:APA), Spectra Energy Corporation (NYSE:SE), Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW), Encana Corporation (NYSE:ECA), Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN), Quicksilver Resources Incorporated (NYSE:KWK), Jacobs Engineering Group Incorporated (NYSE:JEC), Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM), Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ), Nexen Incorporated (NYSE:NXY), EOG Resources Incorporated (NYSE:EOG), BASF SE (OTC:BASFY), Koninklijke DSM NV (OTC:RDSMY), Novozymes A/S (CPH:NZYM-B), Enel SpA (BIT:ENEL), Electricite de France SA (EPA:EDF), Korea Gas Corporation (SEO:036460), Gas Natural SDG SA (MCE:GAS), Imperial Oil Limited (TSX:IMO), Talisman Energy Incorporated (NYSE:TLM)

Schaeffer's Andrea Kramer takes a look at unusual option activity on the Street