General Motors has emerged from bankruptcy. Now it must step out of the long dark shadow of its own reputation. For years, GM churned out sub-par vehicles that badly lagged Japanese rivals in reliability. Now, there is substantial evidence that GM is pulling abreast of Toyota (TM) and Honda (HMC). But nobody seems to know it. Or believe it. "The perception gap is a very real problem," said Jack Nerad, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book.

Just days after its public shouting match with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA over sudden acceleration claims, Toyota is now arguing with the nationâ??s top private safety organization, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety IIHS. On Wednesday, the IIHS released its list of Top Safety Picks for 2010....

When it comes to emerging markets ETFs that focus on more than one country, the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index (NYSE: EEM) is the 800-lb. gorilla in the room. EEM trades a huge amount of shares per day and the ETF is considered the bellwether among emerging markets ETF.

That said, the ETF Professor would like to call your attention to the Vanguard Europe Pacific ETF (NYSE: VEA), which is up a tidy 25% year-to-date.

VEA tracks the MSCI EAFE Index. VEA's largest holding HSBC (NYSE: HBC) accounts for just 1.74% of the total makeup, and other familiar names include BP (NYSE: BP), Toyota Motor (NYSE: TM) and Telefonica (NYSE: TEF).

Obviously, VEA emphasizes developed markets in addition to emerging markets, so the ETF can act as a hedge against volatile emerging markets plays. The expense ratio is just 0.11%.

Aging baby boomers and their finicky offspring may not see eye to eye on much these days, but both demographic groups seem to agree that smaller is better when it comes to new cars.

These three under-covered ETFs may be just what your portfolio needs.

MivInvestments Inc. has initiated an independent bullish technical trading alert for 11/20/09 on Echo Therapeutics, Inc. (OTC:ECTE.OB). Shares of the company finished the day at $1.35, up 8.15% from the opening bell on heavy buying pressure. The excitement was due to the announcement on positive results of a clinical study testing symphony(TM) tCGM System [...]

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 20, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Toyota Motors (TM), Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (PBR), ExxonMobil Corp. (XOM), Chevron Corp. (CVX) and Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDS.A).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:

Toyota’s 1st Sales Gain in 15 Months

Toyota Motors (TM) has posted its first year-over-year monthly sales gain across the globe in 15 months during October. The company’s sales rose 4% to more than 630,000 vehicles. In the U.S., the company’s sales fell 3.5%.

However, in the domestic market Toyota’s sales grew 15% helped by tax breaks for purchases of environment-friendly cars. In China, the company saw a staggering rise of 40% in sales. Toyota returned to profitability in the second quarter of fiscal 2010 ended Sep 30, 2009, after reporting losses since the third quarter of fiscal 2009.

The company posted a profit of ¥21.8 billion ($232 million) or ¥6.96 per share (7 cents) per share. This profit was attributed to government incentive programs across the world – such as the U.S. “Cash for Clunkers"– that helped the company recoup its market share. Consolidated revenue in the quarter dipped 24% to ¥4.54 trillion ($48 billion).

Automotive revenue fell 24% to ¥4.11 trillion ($44 billion) while Financial Services revenue shrank 17% to ¥307 billion ($4 billion). This was on the back of a decline in vehicle sales in each region as well as a negative impact from the appreciation of yen. Sales volume declined 16% to 1.64 million units due to a decrease in volume in all the regions except North America.

Petrobras Profit Exceeds Ests

Brazilian energy giant Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (PBR), or Petrobras S.A. announced encouraging third quarter results, helped by strong performance from the Supply segment. Earnings per ADR came in at R$1.66 (96 cents), comfortably beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 80 cents. However, on a year-over-year basis, Petrobras’ earnings per ADR was down approximately 28.7%, hurt by lower prices of oil and natural gas. Still, they were better than the high double-digit earnings decline suffered by other majors such as ExxonMobil Corp. (XOM), Chevron Corp. (CVX), and Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDS.A).

Total oil and gas production during the third quarter of 2009 reached 2,534 million oil-equivalent barrels per day, from 2,524 million in the previous quarter and 2,437 million in the same period of 2008. Compared to the third quarter of 2008, Brazilian oil and natural gas liquids production increased 4.8%, while international production was up 24.6%. However, Brazilian natural gas volumes were down 3.3% from the year-ago period, while international output during the quarter was down 6.0% year over year.

During the third quarter of 2009, the average sales price of oil in Brazil decreased 36.4% from the year-earlier period to $64 per barrel. Average sales price of international oil was down 16.9% year-over-year, reaching $57.16 per barrel. Regarding natural gas, average international sales price decreased 21.5% from the third quarter of 2008, while domestic price was down 61.5%.

Refining costs per barrel in Brazil was down 2.6% to $3.37 and internationally, it fell 45.2% to $3.51. Lifting cost per barrel moved down 24.5% in Brazil to $22.86, while overseas costs rose 9.4% to $5.6. Petrobras exported an average of 724,000 barrels of oil per day, 10.2% higher compared to the same period last year.

Want more from Zacks Equity Research? Subscribe to the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5515.

About Zacks Equity Research

Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5517

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leonard Zacks. As a PhD in mathematics Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros at http://at.zacks.com/?id=5518.

Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/zacksresearch

Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts

Disclaimer: Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should always research companies and securities before making any investments. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.

Contact:
Mark Vickery
Web Content Editor
312-265-9380
Visit: www.zacks.com

 

 

Zacks Investment Research

Toyota Motor (TM) has posted its first year-over-year monthly sales gain across the globe in 15 months during October. The company’s sales rose 4% to more than 630,000 vehicles. In the U.S., the company’s sales fell 3.5%. However, in the domestic market Toyota’s sales grew 15% helped by tax breaks for purchases of environment-friendly cars. In [...]

(TM) Toyota Motor Reports 1st Sales Gain in Fifteen Months

Toyota Motor (TM) has posted its first year-over-year monthly sales gain across the globe in 15 months during October. The company’s sales rose 4% to more than 630,000 vehicles. In the U.S., the company’s sales fell 3.5%. However, in the domestic market Toyota’s sales grew 15% helped by tax breaks for purchases ...

VIASPACE Inc., a clean energy company growing Giant King(TM) Grass as a low-carbon, renewable energy crop, announced that it has leased an additional 136 acres in Guangdong Province, China. The new acreage has already been planted with Giant King Grass. With 250 acres now under cultivation, VIASPACE is in negotiations to acquire more land. The current [...]

Tammy DeRosier and Paul Keeton - Ah or Uh-Oh September

Companies featured in this segment: BP plc (NYSE:BP), Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM), Honda Motor Company’s (NYSE:HMC), General Motors Corporation (OTC:GMGMQ), SNC-Lavalin Group Incorporated (TSX:SNC), and Electricite de France (EPA:EDF)

Companies featured in this segment: Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK), Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT), Toyota Boshoku Corporation (TYO:3116), Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM), The Electricity Networks Strategy Group, Dana Holding Corporation (NYSE:DAN), Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), General Motors Corporation (NYSE:GM), Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM), Chrysler LLC, Nissan Motor Company (NASDAQ:NSANY), AND Jindal South West Holdings Limited (BSE:532642).

Tom Dorsey and Tammy DeRosier - Dynamic Asset Level Investing Review

STAMFORD, Conn., Jan. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Green Earth Technologies (Pink Sheets: GETG), a leading manufacturer and marketer of ‘green’ environmentally safe consumer packaged goods products, announced today that their G-OIL(TM) 4-Cycle 10W-30 Eco Engine Oil is now available to consumers at over 2,000 locations. The G-OIL(TM) 4-Cycle joins a list of ‘G’-Branded products currently available [...]