If you're up to your chin in negative news this week, take my hand as we go over some of the more uplifting headlines of the week. There was more in the news than just layoffs, missed earnings, and guidance knockdowns this week -- no, really!
1. No more buyout tears
Maybe holiday shoppers aren't buying much this season, but companies aren't forgetting the pocketbook. Pharmaceuticals giant Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) is buying Omrix Biopharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: OMRI) for $25 a share in cash.
The $438 million deal connects J&J with a partner it already knows well. After all, it already markets a pair of Omrix drugs that help patients stop bleeding during surgical procedures. Ahh, if only Omrix can market a drug to make the market stop hemorrhaging.
The moral of the story is that deals are still getting done.
2. The monogrammed towels read CFO
What does a diaper change and Tuesday's trading in China Finance Online (Nasdaq: JRJC) have in common? They both smell like bottoms. Shares of the Chinese stock market research website operator opened 13% lower, but closed 23% higher by the end of the trading day.
What happened exactly? The report itself was pretty grim, with the company pointing to premium subscription weakness since September, a trend that may linger for several quarters. However, the stock also found itself opening somewhat near its $3.60 a share cash balance. As a profitable, high-margin company that should bounce back quickly when Chinese investors are back to gain an investing edge with premium research, there was no reason for the stock to be trading for a nearly immaterial enterprise value.
The stock bounced back, even on bad news, and that itself is good news for those looking for a bottom (with or without baby powder in hand).
3. Fool for the Citi
Citigroup (NYSE: C) shares soared on Monday, after the tumultuous banking giant received a second government bailout. Ka-ching into tin cups isn't typically good news, but Citigroup apparently needed the $20 billion capital infusion and broader asset protection.
I'm no fan of the bailouts. Few people are. However, lifelines being extended and iconic institutions being spared are clearly enough to boost the market's confidence in the near-term.
4. I think Icahn
I'm not the only one who believes in Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO) these days. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn is lowering his cost basis in the languishing dot-com giant by snapping up more shares. According to an SEC filing, Icahn bought 6.8 million shares earlier this week, at an average price of $9.88.
He now owns 75.6 million shares of the company, with most of that at substantially higher prices. Icahn's track record has been iffy lately, but it's worth heeding now that he also sits on the Yahoo! board. Until we stop referring to Icahn as a "billionaire investor" and start going with "millionaire investor" I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Insider buying at Yahoo! is a good thing, anyway you slice it.
5. Vampires at the multiplex
Who says that the multiplex is dead? Exhibitors delivered their best pre-Thanksgiving weekend since 2005 this past weekend, fueled by Twilight's success. It couldn't have been all giddy teenage girls ringing up $69.6 million in ticket sales.
This naturally bodes well for movie house chains like Regal (NYSE: RGC) and Cinemark (NYSE: CNK) as we head into the popcorn snacking-busy holiday season.
6. Save the date, or steal it
Finally, the market has risen every single trading day this week. We'll see where Friday leaves us, but the market is working on a winning streak four trading days long if you reach to last Friday. In these volatile times, it doesn't get any better than that in the quest for good news.
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