| QQQQ to Nasdaq Composite: See Ya
EVERYONE KNOWS IT'S A MARKET of stocks, not a stock market. But that old saw even holds for traders of index funds, notably those based on the Nasdaq Composite Index and the Nasdaq-100. So far in 2007, the Nasdaq Composite's total return is up 19.09%, while the Nasdaq-100 -- the basis for the popular QQQQ exchange-traded fund, is up 27.74%. The outperformance of the QQQQ is so significant that it has persuaded most options traders and investors to consider less-diversified investment strategies, Credit Suisse derivatives strategists Ed Tom and Glenn DeSouza said in a recent trading advisory. The ETF (now officially called PowerShares QQQ Trust due to a licensing marketing agreement) consists of only the top 100 Nasdaq nonfinancial stocks. The Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) consists of all the listed Nasdaq stocks, which now totals about 3,000 companies.
Goodyear Announces Conversion Period for Convertible Notes
AKRON, Ohio, Jan. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: GT) today announced that its 4.00 % Convertible Senior Notes due June 15, 2034 are now convertible at the option of the holders and will remain convertible through March 31, 2008, the last business day of the current fiscal quarter. The notes became convertible because the last reported sale price of the company's common stock for at least 20 trading days during the 30 consecutive trading-day period ending on January 16, 2008 (the 11th trading day of the current fiscal quarter), was greater than 120 percent of the conversion price in effect on such day. The notes have been convertible in previous fiscal quarters. The company will deliver shares of its common stock or pay cash upon conversion of any notes surrendered on or prior to March 31, 2008.
NetSuite IPO closes, generates $185 million
The $185.4 million is a gross amount from which underwriting discounts and expenses will be deducted, the company said. Moreover, 365,000 of the shares bought by the underwriters were owned by stockholders like NetSuite's CEO and chief technology officer, so the proceeds from those shares -- about $9.5 million -- won't go to the company. In the final IPO prospectus, NetSuite had estimated that, if the underwriters exercised their option in full -- as they did -- NetSuite's IPO net proceeds would be approximately $161.9 million. NetSuite initially set a range of $13 to $16 per share for its IPO but subsequently raised it and eventually set the price at $26 per share on Thursday of last week, the day when the stock started trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the "N" symbol.
Stocks dive, then rebound after Fed cut
They have been cutting back rather than borrowing or spending more, even during the recent holiday season. "People are up to their eyeballs in debt, and they're being asked to borrow more," said Mike Schenk, senior economist for the Credit Union National Association. Interest rate reductions are one strategy the Fed has used in previous crises to help the economy recover. A rate cut tends to spur the economy by making it cheaper for businesses to borrow money. It would also lighten the burden on individuals with credit card debt and with mortgages that have adjustable rates. Still, the effect on Wall Street was not overwhelmingly positive: The Standard & Poor's 500 index, the broad market measure most closely followed by traders, fell 14.69, or 1.11 percent, to 1,310.50, while the Nasdaq composite index lost 47.75, or 2.04 percent, to 2,292.27.
Sensex rises 864 points after US Fed rate cut
Mumbai, Jan 23 Stock market benchmark Sensex ended a seven-day losing streak today, gaining 864 points after the US Federal Reserve cut interest rates in an emergency move to prevent the world's biggest economy from slipping into a recession.
The 3-share index rose 864.13 points to 17,594.07, led by index-heaviest Reliance Industries Ltd, which rose by Rs 196.80 to settle at Rs 2,554.85. The Sensex rose to a high of 17,997.11 and fell to a low of 16,951.03 points in volatile intra-day trading.
The wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty surged by 404.10 points at 5203.40, after touching the day's high of 5328.05 and a low of 4891.60 points.
The US central bank cut short-term benchmark rate by a steep 75 basis points yesterday, in a surprise move that is aimed at checking the nation's economy from slowing down and soothing the investor community.
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