[$$] Not Much Stress in Money Markets

Share: 

City of Industry, CA --(www.USEquityNews.com)-- 07/01/2009 - Mortgage Investment industry alert provided by U.S. Equity News. Welcome, Logout My Account My Journal Help Message Center ( new) U.S. Edition WSJ.com is available in the following editions and languages: The username entered is already associated with another account. Please enter a different username Keep me logged in. Forgot your password? Dow Jones Reprints: This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers, use the Order Reprints tool at the bottom of any article or visit www.djreprints.com The end of the second quarter looks to be a calm one for money markets as conditions continue to improve after last year's hyperstress. That is reflected in the performance across fixed-income markets: The riskier the asset class, the better it has performed. High-yield, high-risk corporate debt posted gains of 22.4% this quarter through Friday, according to Barclays Capital, while safer investment-grade bonds returned 10.3%. [Read the full article]


UPSIDE MOVERS (+) JAVA gained as DoJ extends inquiry into Oracle deal. (+) SVA got revised approval for flu vaccine in China. (+) AIS and TEVA received FDA approval for a needle-free injector for human growth hormone. (+) DCGN says it discovers kidney stone gene. (+) CYTR reports favorable update for trial of Tamibarotene. (+) FRE to sell $2 bln in bills. (+) CSIQ gets order. (+) ARTX gets order. (+) EGT says plan to move into Philippines progressing. (+) KBH gets upgrade. (+) MSFT may sell Razorfish: reports. DOWNSIDE MOVERS (-) AA gets analyst downgrade. (-) ELN drops in line with Biogen (BIIB) after BIIB reports that a 10th patient on Tysabri develops a potentially deadly brain infection. The news wipes out ELN's premarket gains made after reports that Novartis (NVS) is interested in parts of ELN. (-) STT reportedly gets SEC Wells Notice. MARKET DIRECTION Stocks end at or near the day's highs Monday. [Read the full article]

For shareholders of government-backed mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the last year has been most unkind. After Congress bullied the firms into making risky loans, regulators seized them last fall as defaults spiraled out of control, threatening the safety of trillions of dollars in mortgage bonds. Shareholders lost more than 97% of their investments. (See 'Fannie Mae Goes Begging.") Now take a look at the companies that invest in those mortgage bonds, instead of the firms that issued them. Annaly Capital Management ( NLY - news - people ), perhaps the best known of these so-called agency REITs, has returned 12% to shareholders in the last year, including dividends. MFA Financial ( MFA - news - people ), another popular mortgage REIT, returned 18% when dividends are included. One reason for the windfall is that agency bonds and bondholders were rescued by the government. [Read the full article]

It might seem that customers are the last thing on the minds of companies in the headlines these days. General Motors, Citigroup (C), AIG (AIG), Fannie Mae (FNM)-all of them and others might have avoided their monumental stumbles if they had focused more on the needs and wants of their customers than their own. It's a good time to remind ourselves of the innovative practices that win the hearts and minds of customers.

New truths have emerged from the information revolution we are all navigating. But the fundamental answers haven't changed. Here are five ideas to help keep customers front and center:

Customers want solutions. In the words of marketing guru Ted Levitt: "People don't want a quarter-inch drill; they want a quarter-inch hole." All products and services should fall into the category of getting a job done, solving a problem, filling a need. Companies need to expand their thinking, and their product portfolios, to be more solution-centric. [Read the full article]

About U.S. Equity News

U.S. Equity News provides information, resources and news services for investors of small-cap, micro-cap and emerging companies. U.S. Equity News distributes RSS news feeds and a free subscription-based newsletter available through its website at www.usequitynews.com.

U.S. Equity News is a financial news distribution service by Equity Solutions, Inc. (www.equityirsolutions.com) that provides a platform for public companies to disseminate important news to key Wall Street interest such as shareholders and new investors. Equity Solutions, Inc. can assist by providing an effective increase in the awareness of a public company's news, development and corporate story through its proprietary network and its financial portal. U.S. Equity News and its affiliates charge each client cash for news distribution and may take an equity position in the companies mentioned herein, please visit the disclaimer at www.USEquityNews.com.

Contact Information:
U.S. Equity News
Tel: (626) 961-8039
Email: info@usequitynews.com

Comments:
Disclaimer: User Comments do not reflect the views of US Equity News, and we are not responsible for the content of users' comments. We also reserve the right to edit or delete comments to our discretion.

---