If you're feeling good about the market, you're not alone. Take my hand as we go over some of this week's more uplifting headlines.
1. Mickey Mouse SEALs his fate
Disney
Regardless of its intentions, there was no way that Disney would have come out ahead with the application. The public was already outraged that Disney was trying to lay claim to the name of the Navy's elite squad that gunned down Osama bin Laden this month. Why should the media giant cash in on a mission it had nothing to do with? Isn't it bad enough that Disney routinely rips off fairy tale classics in the public domain as animated fodder to claim for its own?
Even if Disney was simply protecting a property for a future series -- and not cash in on SEAL Team 6 merchandise -- it just didn't sit well with consumers.
One also has to wonder what Disney was thinking in applying for the trademark in the first place. As an icon of Americana, Disney's already an obvious terrorist target. Why make matters worse and place its global empire of theme parks and stores at risk?
Kudos on the injection of common sense, Disney.
2. Fizz in the biz
CNBC's Jim Cramer and Herb Greenberg gave SodaStream
It couldn't have played out any better for SodaStream, with Greenberg and Cramer choosing SodaStream's cola and ginger ale over canned brands in a blind taste test.
Cramer went on to pop the pop with a less theatrical TheStreet.com appearance, urging folks to buy the product but to treat the stock as a more speculative endeavor given its recent gains.
Caution is always good, though SodaStream's real gains came a week earlier, after posting blowout quarterly results. And if Cramer's product endorsement actually drums up more starter kit sales -- eventually leading to higher-margin carbonator and soda syrup purchases -- won't this be a self-fulfilling prophecy when it comes to an even higher share price?
3. Forgive and for debt
Satellite radio is no longer an "out of this world" risk. Moody's is upgrading the debt of Sirius XM Radio
The aural entertainer has seen its fundamentals improve given the rebound in both the economy and new car sales over the past two years. With no major debt repayment milestones in the near-term horizon and little need for beefy capital expenditures, Sirius XM is as stable as it's ever been.
Sirius XM still has a few more rungs to climb before its debt is classified as investment grade by Moody's, but it's clearly moving in the right direction.
4. Avast ye scurvy sum
Film critics may feel that the fourth installment in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean series should be walking the plank, but it didn't get in the way of smooth sailing for IMAX
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides set a new worldwide opening weekend record for IMAX, taking in $16.5 million in ticket sales for the super-sized cinematic platform.
The flick's opening take through traditional multiplexes was actually lower than previous installments, and that's a testament to IMAX's aggressive global expansion and the event-driven appeal of IMAX's premium experience.
This is also an important lesson in IMAX's resiliency relative to the studios putting out the celluloid it projects. Disney will eventually pay the price for the poor reviews. DVD sales and broadcasting rights will suffer if the flick is universally disliked. However, IMAX only needs to cash in during the first few weeks of a film's theatrical run. It's the better place to be, especially with IMAX's busy slate, which always has a fresh release from a rival studio on the way.
5. Born on the Baidu
China's leading online search engine appears ready to earn its passport stamps. A Baidu
There's obviously excitement for regional search engine market leaders. Shares of Russia's Yandex
