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	<title>Stock Blog Hub &#187; Big Lots Inc.</title>
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		<title>(LOW) Earnings Season Quieting Down &#8211; Earnings Preview</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/05/21/low-earnings-season-quieting-down-earnings-preview/100632</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/05/21/low-earnings-season-quieting-down-earnings-preview/100632#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 May 2012 16:38:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Home Improvement Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AutoZone Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AZO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BBY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Buy Company Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Campbell Soup Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COST]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Costco Wholesale Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CPB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DELL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dell Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hewlett-Packard Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HJ Heinz Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HNZ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HPQ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[KKD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LOW]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lowe's Companies Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TIF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tiffany & Company]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=100632</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Earnings Preview – Week of May 21st It will be a relatively quiet week on the earnings front, as there are only a few reports left before we close the books on the first quarter earnings season. This turned out to be a positive reporting season, with the growth rate, surprises and percentage of beats coming ahead of pre-season expectations. We will get reports from about 100 companies this week, including 17 companies in the S&#38;P 500, which will take the complete tally of S&#38;P 500 results to 495 by the end of the week. The economic calendar this week is on the light side as well, which means that headlines from Europe will likely continue to drive market activity on a day-to-day basis. We will get reports on New ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/05/21/low-earnings-season-quieting-down-earnings-preview/100632/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BIG) Big Lots 2011 Third Quarter Earnings Preview</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/01/big-big-lots-2011-third-quarter-earnings-preview/87841</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/01/big-big-lots-2011-third-quarter-earnings-preview/87841#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:07:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Target Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TGT]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=87841</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc. (BIG), a broad line closeout retailer in the United States, is slated to report its third-quarter 2011 financial results before the opening bell on Friday, December 2, 2011. The current Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter is 10 cents a share. For the quarter to be reported, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is $1,120 million. Second-Quarter 2011, a Synopsis On August 25, 2011, Big Lots posted better-than-expected second-quarter 2011 results. The quarterly earnings of 52 cents a share came ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 45 cents, and increased 8.3% from 48 cents earned in the prior-year quarter. However, on a reported basis, including one time items, earnings came in at 50 cents a share. Total revenue for the quarter inched up 2.2% to $1,167.1 ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/01/big-big-lots-2011-third-quarter-earnings-preview/87841/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(JCP) U.S. Holiday Preview &#8211; National Retail Federation</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/28/jcp-u-s-holiday-preview-national-retail-federation/87634</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/28/jcp-u-s-holiday-preview-national-retail-federation/87634#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:45:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Department Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Amazon.com Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AMZN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BBBY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coach Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COH]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dollar General Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Dollar Stores Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FDO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[J. C. Penney Company Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JCP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JWN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Limited Brands Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LTD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[M]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Macy's Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nordstrom Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sears Holdings Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SHLD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wal-Mart Stores Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WMT]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=87634</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The National Retail Federation (“NRF”), an industry trade group, projects a 2.8% growth in sales, amounting to $465.6 billion, during the current November to December holiday season, lower than the 5.2% rise in the corresponding period of the previous year. Online retail may increase 15% to touch $37.6 billion. These estimates reveal a rebound in consumer expenditure, which amounts to about 70% of the U.S. economy. Brick-and-mortar retailers ran extended hours post Thanksgiving in order to snatch some business from Internet retailers who continue to grow at a brisk pace. The growth trajectory of online sellers remains intact despite huge destruction of consumer wealth during the financial crisis in 2008 and tepid recovery since then. On the other hand, retail icons for middle-class shoppers, J. C. Penney Company (JCP) and ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/28/jcp-u-s-holiday-preview-national-retail-federation/87634/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(SKS) U.S. Retail Still Rolling &#8211; Zacks Industry Rank Analysis</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/18/sks-u-s-retail-still-rolling-zacks-industry-rank-analysis/87188</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/18/sks-u-s-retail-still-rolling-zacks-industry-rank-analysis/87188#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:57:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Department Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AAP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Advance Auto Parts Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BBBY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CVS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CVS Caremark Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DLTR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dollar Tree Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Dollar Stores Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FDO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[M]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Macy's Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[O'Reilly Automotive Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ORLY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saks Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SKS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Target Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TGT]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=87188</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Industry Rank Analysis 11-15-11 Before you know it, Christmas will be here. That is something that tends to bring retail front and center to the minds of investors. Rumors of the death of the U.S. consumer appear to be premature. Despite extremely low levels in the surveys of consumer confidence, people are still going out to shop. Personally I don’t like to rely on those surveys, because what people say to the poll takers is often very different from what they actually do. A wide variety of Retail industries are doing very well based on the Zacks Rank. In light of the second month in a row of surprisingly strong Retail Sales numbers, it looks like the retailers might continue to stay on top for a while. Also in the ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/18/sks-u-s-retail-still-rolling-zacks-industry-rank-analysis/87188/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(VZ) U.S. Initial Jobless Claims Rise Again</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/11/vz-u-s-initial-jobless-claims-rise-again/82822</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/11/vz-u-s-initial-jobless-claims-rise-again/82822#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:51:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Telecom Services - Domestic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COST]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Costco Wholesale Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[KR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kroger Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Safeway Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SWY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Verizon Communications Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[VZ]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=82822</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance rose by 22,000 last week to 414,000. This was worse than the expected level of 400,000. Last week’s numbers were revised upwards by 3,000, so one could see it as an increase of 5,000. Recently, initial jobless claims seemed stuck once again in a trading range above the 400,000 level, after a brief period lower than that earlier this year. The drop three weeks ago below 400,000 level was very good news, after 17th straight weeks above it. Alas, that was not destined to last, and it got revised away. Being below 400,000, as we were in February and March, signaled the start of much more robust job growth, such as we saw in March and April. We seem to be flattening out just over ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/11/vz-u-s-initial-jobless-claims-rise-again/82822/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(VZ) Verizon Strike Raises Inital Jobless Claims</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/08/25/vz-verizon-strike-raises-inital-jobless-claims/82050</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/08/25/vz-verizon-strike-raises-inital-jobless-claims/82050#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Aug 2011 23:03:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Telecom Services - Domestic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COST]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Costco Wholesale Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[KR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kroger Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Safeway Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SWY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Verizon Communications Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[VZ]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=82050</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance rose by 5,000 last week to 417,000. This was worse than the expected level of 400,000. Worse, last week’s numbers were revised upwards by 4,000, so one could see it as a increase of 9,000. Recently, initial jobless claims seem stuck once again in a trading range above the 400,000 level, after a brief period lower than that earlier this year. The drop two weeks ago below 400,000 level was very good news after 17th straight weeks above it. Alas, that was not destined to last. This is the second straight week of claims going in the wrong direction. There was, however, a special factor in the last two weeks: the Verizon (VZ) strike &#8212; now on hiatus while talks continue &#8212; added at least ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/08/25/vz-verizon-strike-raises-inital-jobless-claims/82050/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AWK) Company News for May 27, 2011 &#8211; Corporate Summary</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/05/27/awk-company-news-for-may-27-2011-corporate-summary/75079</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/05/27/awk-company-news-for-may-27-2011-corporate-summary/75079#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 May 2011 17:03:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Utilities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Water Utilities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Water Works Company Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AWK]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Diamond Foods Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DMND]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gen-Probe Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goldman Sachs Group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GPRO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HJ Heinz Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HNZ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RadioShack Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RSH]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TIF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tiffany & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toronto-Dominion Bank]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=75079</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[•    Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE:BIG) reported Q1 EPS of $0.70, above the Zacks Consensus Estimates of $0.68 per share. Revenues for the quarter fell 0.6% year-over-year to $1.23 billion, lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.276 billion •    TD Bank Group (NYSE:TD) announced Q2 EPS of $1.62, lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.66 per share. Revenues for the quarter grew 7.5% year-over-year to $5.23 billion, falling short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.355 billion •    Tiffany &#38; Co. (NYSE:TIF) posted Q1 EPS of $0.63, higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.57. Revenues for the quarter grew 20% year-over-year to $761 million, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $701 million •    H.J. Heinz Company (NYSE:HNZ) announced Q4 EPS of $0.69, lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/05/27/awk-company-news-for-may-27-2011-corporate-summary/75079/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AGL) Company News for May 20, 2011 &#8211; Corporate Summary</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/05/20/agl-company-news-for-may-20-2011-corporate-summary/74598</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/05/20/agl-company-news-for-may-20-2011-corporate-summary/74598#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 May 2011 17:11:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gas Utilities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Utilities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AGL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AGL Resources Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Casual Male Retail Group Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CMRG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Deere & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Morgan Stanley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NETL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NetLogic Microsystems Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PETM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Petsmart Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UBS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UBS AG]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=74598</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[•    Professional-networking site LinkedIn (NASDAQ:LNKD) made its debut at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. Share prices rocketed 109.44% to more than double to close at $94.25 •    Pet-store chain PetSmart, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:PETM) shares gained 7.58% after the company reported its first-quarter profits late Wednesday exceeding the Street’s expectations •    According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, discount retailer Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE:BIG) has decided  that it will not sell itself after bids for the company came in below expectations •    Shares of Casual Male Retail Group, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:CMRG) slid 6.64% to close at $3.94 after the large men’s clothing retailer reported a first-quarter profit that came in below analysts’ expectations •    AGL Resources Inc. (NYSE:AGL) was downgraded by UBS  (NYSE:UBS) to &#8220;Neutral&#8221; rating from “Buy” rating ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/05/20/agl-company-news-for-may-20-2011-corporate-summary/74598/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AAPL) Company News for March 04, 2011 &#8211; Corporate Summary</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/03/04/aapl-company-news-for-march-04-2011-corporate-summary/68077</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/03/04/aapl-company-news-for-march-04-2011-corporate-summary/68077#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 Mar 2011 06:20:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Personal Computers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AAPL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Apple Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coventry Health Care Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CVH]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HJ Heinz Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HNZ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MetroPCS Communications Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NWSA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OPK]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opko Health Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PCS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TDC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teradata Corporation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=68077</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[• H.J. Heinz Company (NYSE:HNZ) reported Q3 EPS of $0.85, ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.81 per share • Big Lots Inc (NYSE:BIG) reported Q4 EPS of $1.46, above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.37 per share • Global news giant News Corp (NASDAQ:NWSA) won approval from the U.K. government for its $12.7 billion bid to take full control of British Sky Broadcasting Group • Stifel Nicolaus upgraded health insurer Coventry Health Care (NYSE:CVH) from hold to buy rating, saying Coventry’s 2011 outlook is probably understating its potential for the year • On Thursday government contractors Global Defense Technology &#38; Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:GTEC) shares rose 51% to $24.25 after the company reported that it would be acquired for $24.25 per share by an affiliate of Ares Management LLC • Wireless provider MetroPCS Communications Inc. ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(ANF) Company News for December 6, 2010 &#8211; Corporate Summary</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/12/06/anf-company-news-for-december-6-2010-corporate-summary/61339</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/12/06/anf-company-news-for-december-6-2010-corporate-summary/61339#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Dec 2010 01:17:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Apparel Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Abercrombie & Fitch Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Air Products & Chemicals Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ANF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[APD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cisco Systems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CSCO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dollar General Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goldman Sachs Group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GOOG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Illinois Tool Works Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ITW]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JEF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jefferies Group Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Morgan Stanley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Netflix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NFLX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PFE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pfizer Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Royal Bank of Canada]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RY]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=61339</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[• Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO) is reported to be in talks with a possible $3.2 billion offer in the works for Australian Riverdale Mining • Barron&#8217;s wrote favorably on Big Lots (NYSE:BIG) on valuation merits after last week&#8217;s earnings miss • According to All Things Digital, talks between Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Groupon were terminated • Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) CEO Kindler stepped down from his position • Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) says it now meets standards to exit Tarp • Dollar General (NYSE:DG) posted better-than-expected third quarter earnings of $0.39 versus $0.35 estimates, on inline revenues of $3.22 billion • Oppenheimer upgraded Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) from &#8220;market-perform&#8221; to &#8220;outperform,&#8221; with a $23 price target • Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) upgraded Abercrombie &#38; Fitch (NYSE:ANF) from &#8220;buy&#8221; to &#8220;conviction buy,&#8221; with a price target of $70 • Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) maintained a &#8220;buy&#8221; on Air Products ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/12/06/anf-company-news-for-december-6-2010-corporate-summary/61339/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BIG) Company News for December 3, 2010 &#8211; Corporate Summary</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/12/05/big-company-news-for-december-3-2010-corporate-summary/61231</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/12/05/big-company-news-for-december-3-2010-corporate-summary/61231#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 05 Dec 2010 20:24:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Banco Santander S.a.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRCM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Broadcom Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CBS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CBS Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EBAY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eBay Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goldman Sachs Group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GOOG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HBC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HSBC HLDGS PLC ADS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marvell Technology Group Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MRVL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[National Semiconductor Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NSM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[STD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UBS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UBS AG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Walter Energy Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wells Fargo & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WFC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WLT]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=61231</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[• Walter Energy (NYSE:WLT) said it plans to acquire Canada&#8217;s Western Coal for $3.3 billion • Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) is reported to have signed a deal to pay $1.9 billion for a Manhattan city block • Citigroup (NYSE:C) downgraded eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) from &#8220;buy&#8221; to &#8220;hold&#8221; • Big Lots (NYSE:BIG) reported third quarter earnings of $0.23, a one-cent miss, on inline revenues of $1.06 billion. The firm lowered guidance to a $2.75-$2.81 range • HSBC (NYSE:HBC) upgraded Banco Santander (NYSE:STD) from &#8220;neutral&#8221; to &#8220;overweight,&#8221; with a $12 price target • Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) downgraded Broadcom (NASDAQ:BRCM) from &#8220;outperform&#8221; to &#8220;market perform&#8221; • Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) downgraded Marvell Tech (NASDAQ:MRVL) from &#8220;buy&#8221; to &#8220;neutral,&#8221; with a $22 price target • FBR upgraded National Semiconductor (NYSE:NSM) from &#8220;market-perform&#8221; to &#8220;outperform,&#8221; taking the price target from $17.50 to $20 • UBS (NYSE:UBS) began coverage ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/12/05/big-company-news-for-december-3-2010-corporate-summary/61231/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(KR) Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance Rose by 26,000</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/12/02/kr-initial-claims-for-unemployment-insurance-rose-by-26000/61112</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/12/02/kr-initial-claims-for-unemployment-insurance-rose-by-26000/61112#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Dec 2010 06:37:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Grocery Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[KR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kroger Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wal-Mart Stores Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WMT]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=61112</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance rose by 26,000 last week to 436,000 (last week was also revised up by 3,000, so one could see it as a 29,000 increase). This was worse than the expected level of 422,000. Last week’s big surprise to the downside seems to have been a bit of a mirage. However, it still looks like we might get out of the “trading range” that initial claims have been in for the last year. Initial claims have been generally trending down since they hit a secondary peak of 504,000 (after revisions) on 8/14. The path has, however, been erratic. Since claims can be volatile from week to week, it is better to track the four-week moving average to get a better sense of the trend. It fell ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/12/02/kr-initial-claims-for-unemployment-insurance-rose-by-26000/61112/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(WMT) U.S. Initial Jobless Claims Edge Up</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/11/18/wmt-u-s-initial-jobless-claims-edge-up/59910</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/11/18/wmt-u-s-initial-jobless-claims-edge-up/59910#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Nov 2010 23:57:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[KR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kroger Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wal-Mart Stores Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WMT]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=59910</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance rose by 2,000 last week to 439,000 (last week was also revised up by 2,000, so one could see it as a 4,000 increase). This was slightly better than the expected level of 442,000. While not as good as a further drop, it still keeps alive hopes that we might be able to get out of the “trading range” that initial claims have been in for the last year. Initial claims have been generally trending down since they hit a secondary peak of 504,000 (after revisions) on 8/14. The path has, however, been erratic. Since claims can be volatile from week to week, it is better to track the four-week moving average to get a better sense of the trend. The four-week moving average fell ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/11/18/wmt-u-s-initial-jobless-claims-edge-up/59910/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(WMT) U.S. Initial Jobless Claims Rise by 20,000</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/11/04/wmt-u-s-initial-jobless-claims-rise-by-20000/58078</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/11/04/wmt-u-s-initial-jobless-claims-rise-by-20000/58078#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 05 Nov 2010 05:45:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[KR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kroger Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wal-Mart Stores Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WMT]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=58078</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance rose by 20,000 last week to 457,000. We just can’t seem to get out of the “trading range” that initial claims have been in for the last year. Last week, hopes were raised that we might finally be showing some real progress, as claims fell for the third week in a row and for the seventh time in eight weeks. But this week’s numbers put any such celebration on hold. Since claims can be volatile from week to week, it is better to track the four-week moving average to get a better sense of the trend. It rose by 2,000 to 456,000. After declining sharply in the second half of 2009, the four-week moving average has been stuck in a tight trading range. In mid-August, ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/11/04/wmt-u-s-initial-jobless-claims-rise-by-20000/58078/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(WMT) Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance rose by 13,000 last week to 462,000</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/10/17/wmt-initial-claims-for-unemployment-insurance-rose-by-13000-last-week-to-462000/55212</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/10/17/wmt-initial-claims-for-unemployment-insurance-rose-by-13000-last-week-to-462000/55212#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Oct 2010 03:35:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[KR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kroger Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wal-Mart Stores Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WMT]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=55212</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance rose by 13,000 last week to 462,000. We just can’t seem to get out of the “trading range” that initial claims have been in for the last year. Last week, hopes were raised that we might finally be showing some real progress, as claims fell for the second week in a row and for the sixth time in seven weeks. This week’s numbers put any such celebration on hold. Since claims can be volatile from week to week, it is better to track the four week moving average to get a better sense of the trend. It rose by 2,250 to 459,000. After declining sharply in the second half of 2009, the four-week moving average has been stuck in a tight trading range. In mid-August, ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/10/17/wmt-initial-claims-for-unemployment-insurance-rose-by-13000-last-week-to-462000/55212/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BAC) Company News for August 25, 2010 &#8211; Corporate Summary</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/25/bac-company-news-for-august-25-2010-corporate-summary/49268</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/25/bac-company-news-for-august-25-2010-corporate-summary/49268#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:07:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Center Banks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BHP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bhp Billiton Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Corning Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GLW]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Intuitive Surgical Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ISRG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JEF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jefferies Group Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Morgan Stanley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OPEN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OpenTable Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PEG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Service Enterprise Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TOL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toll Brothers Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[VLTR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Volterra Semiconductor Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wells Fargo & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WFC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=49268</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[• Big Lots (NYSE:BIG) reported second quarter earnings one cent better than Zacks expectations at 48 cents per share, as revenues rose 5.2% to $1.14 billion, slightly below Zacks expectations of $1.5 billion • Toll Brothers (NYSE:TOL) reported better-than-expected fiscal third quarter results. Earnings of 16 cents per share were ahead of Zacks expectations of a 15 cent loss as revenues fell 1.5% to $454.2 million, ahead of projections of $390 million • BHP Billiton&#8217;s (NYSE:BHP) full year earnings of $12.72 billion more than doubled last year&#8217;s $5.88 billion on revenues of $52.8 billion, that topped the prior year&#8217;s $50.21 • Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) upgraded Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) to &#8220;outperform&#8221; from &#8220;market perform,&#8221; with a price target range of $340-$360 • Oppenheimer upgraded Corning (NYSE:GLW) to &#8220;outperform,&#8221; with a price target of $20 • Morgan Stanley ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/25/bac-company-news-for-august-25-2010-corporate-summary/49268/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BHP) Company News Summary for August 24, 2010</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/24/bhp-company-news-summary-for-august-24-2010/49148</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/24/bhp-company-news-summary-for-august-24-2010/49148#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:16:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Basic Materials]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Industrial Metals & Minerals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BHP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bhp Billiton Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BKC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BPL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Buckeye Partners LP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Burger King Holdings Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Deutsche Bank AG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Diamond Management & Technology Consultants Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DTPI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DUK]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Duke Energy Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goldman Sachs Group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MDT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Medtronic Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[POT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rio Tinto plc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RTP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trina Solar Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TSL]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=49148</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[• Big Lots (NYSE:BIG) reported second quarter earnings one cent better than Zacks expectations at 48 cents per share, as inline revenues climbed 5.2% to $1.14 billion • Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) posted second quarter earnings of 80 cents, below Zacks estimates of 82 cents, on revenues of $3.93 billion, below Zacks expectations of $3.94 billion • Burger King (NYSE:BKC) released fiscal fourth quarter earnings of 36 cents a share, above Zacks estimates of 34 cents, on revenues of $623 million, off estimates of $639 million • Trina Solar (NYSE:TSL) reported second quarter earnings of 52 cents, above Zacks projections by 3 cents, as revenues grew 147.2% to $370.8 million, up from Zacks estimates of $339 million • While BHP Billiton (NYSE:BHP) continued to consider themselves the biggest boys in the Potash (NYSE:POT) pile, suitors for the ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/24/bhp-company-news-summary-for-august-24-2010/49148/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BA) Stock Market News for August 24, 2010</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/24/ba-stock-market-news-for-august-24-2010/49147</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/24/ba-stock-market-news-for-august-24-2010/49147#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:16:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aerospace-Defense - Major Diversified]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Industrial Goods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[3PAR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BKC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BlackRock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BLK]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boeing Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Burger King Holdings Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CAT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Caterpillar Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DELL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dell Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hewlett-Packard Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HPQ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Impax Laboratories Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[IPXL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[markets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MDT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Medtronic Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Merck & Company Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MRK]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PAR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PFE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pfizer Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UBS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UBS AG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United Technologies Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UTX]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=49147</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[U.S. stocks dropped on Monday as economic worries prevailed over early-morning enthusiasm resulting from Hewlett’s Packard’s bid for 3Par. The takeover tussle for 3Par sent technology shares almost to the bottom of the decliners’ list as investors rushed to safe havens and defensive stocks. Hewlett-Packard’s (NYSE:HPQ) shares fell 2% after the computer maker offered to buy data storage company 3Par (NYSE:PAR), rivaling a prior offer from Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL). All stock indexes fell on the day, led by a 0.9% drop in tech-heavy Nasdaq. H.P. said it will pay $1.6 billion for 3Par. The Dow industrials, up 91 points at one time, closed with a loss of 39 points, or 0.4%, at 10174.41. The broader S&#38;P 500-stock index fell more than 4 points, or nearly 0.4%, to 1067.36. On the ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/24/ba-stock-market-news-for-august-24-2010/49147/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BHP) Stock Market News for August 23, 2010 &#8211; Market News</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/23/bhp-stock-market-news-for-august-23-2010-market-news/49004</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/23/bhp-stock-market-news-for-august-23-2010-market-news/49004#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:39:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Basic Materials]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Industrial Metals & Minerals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[3PAR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BHP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bhp Billiton Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Campbell Soup Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CPB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DELL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dell Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hewlett-Packard Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HPQ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INTC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Intel Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JDS Uniphase Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JDSU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[McAfee Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MDT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Medtronic Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MFE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Novell Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NOVL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pactiv Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PAR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Patterson Companies Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PDCO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[POT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PTV]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TIF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tiffany & Company]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=49004</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Stocks fell for a second consecutive week as persistent worries about the economy continued to weigh on investor sentiments. Concerned that the economy would slide back into recession, investors chose to stay away from stocks and flew to the safety of government debt. The Dow industrials and the Standard &#38; Poor’s 500-stock index dropped on Friday but the Nasdaq managed to pull off a tepid advance. Absence of catalysts further eroded volume on Friday, which already has fallen to a record low this month. The Dow average fell 57 points, or nearly 0.6%, to close at 10213. The S&#38;P 500 index dropped 0.4% to 1072. The Dow average has re-entered the negative territory for the year. On the New York Stock Exchange, about three stocks rose in price for every ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/23/bhp-stock-market-news-for-august-23-2010-market-news/49004/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>(WMT) US. Claims for Unemployment Insurance Shock With Half a Million Initial Claims</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/22/wmt-us-claims-for-unemployment-insurance-shock-with-half-a-million-initial-claims/48580</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/22/wmt-us-claims-for-unemployment-insurance-shock-with-half-a-million-initial-claims/48580#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Aug 2010 03:25:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wal-Mart Stores Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WMT]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=48580</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance rose by 12,000 in the last week to 500,000. This is bad news. The four-week average (see graph below from http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/) rose by 8,000 to 482,500. That is more bad news. After declining sharply in the second half of last year, initial jobless claims have been in a tight “trading range.” They are now breaking out to the upside, which is not at all what we need to see happening. To really indicate that the economy is back on track, and is generating enough jobs to put a dent in the massive army of the unemployed, we need to see the four-week average fall below 400,000 and stay there. Now we are decisively moving in the wrong direction.  Both the weekly number and the four-week ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/22/wmt-us-claims-for-unemployment-insurance-shock-with-half-a-million-initial-claims/48580/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>(WFC) U.S. Initial Jobless Claims Pulls Back</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/07/08/wfc-u-s-initial-jobless-claims-pulls-back/42905</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/07/08/wfc-u-s-initial-jobless-claims-pulls-back/42905#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:58:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Center Banks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MGIC Investment Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MTG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wal-Mart Stores Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wells Fargo & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WFC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WMT]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=42905</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Initial claims for unemployment insurance fell back towards the bottom of the “trading range&#8221; they have been stuck in since the start of the year. Last week they fell by 21,000 to 454,000, essentiality reversing the big rise last week. Because the week-to-week movements in this data can be very volatile and noisy, it makes more sense to concentrate on the four-week moving average. It fell 1,250 to 466,000. While that is well below the 598,000 where it was a year ago, it is still a very elevated level. To really indicate that the economy is gaining enough jobs to put a real dent in the unemployment rate, we need to see the four week average fall to about 400,000. The steep fall in the four-week average late last year and ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/07/08/wfc-u-s-initial-jobless-claims-pulls-back/42905/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(JCP) Retail Industry Review and Outlook &#8211; June 2010 &#8211; Industry Outlook</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/06/11/jcp-retail-industry-review-and-outlook-june-2010-industry-outlook/40053</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/06/11/jcp-retail-industry-review-and-outlook-june-2010-industry-outlook/40053#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 Jun 2010 14:01:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Department Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Eagle Outfitters Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ANN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AnnTaylor Stores Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Dollar Stores Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FDO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gap Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GPS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[J. C. Penney Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JCP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Limited Brands Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LTD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[M]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Macy's]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Home Depot]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=40053</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The improving U.S. economic scene, some early tentative signs of a turnaround in the labor market, and pent-up demand held down by the recession have come together to perk up the retailers. Evidence of these favorable trends has been seen in comp sales, though the improvements are far from uniform. Recovery still remains fragile and requires a boost from a sustained and significant recovery in jobs creation and income growth. In the end, it will be the turnaround in the jobs and income picture that will outweigh other drags, such as tighter credit availability and new credit regulation. Coming out of the downturn, consumer shopping preferences also appear to be shifting. There is clear evidence that consumers now prefer online shopping for electronics and other categories. This has prompted retailers ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/06/11/jcp-retail-industry-review-and-outlook-june-2010-industry-outlook/40053/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(DHI) U.S. New Home Sales Impress! $$</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/05/26/dhi-u-s-new-home-sales-impress/38511</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/05/26/dhi-u-s-new-home-sales-impress/38511#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 May 2010 20:26:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Industrial Goods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Residential Construction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Darden Restaurants Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DHI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DR Horton Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DRI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Housing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MAS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Masco Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PCL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Plum Creek Timber Company Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[USG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[USG Corporation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=38511</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[New Home Sales jumped 14.8% in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 504,000. That easily beat expectations for a rise to 425,000. Well actually, after the revisions, that would not be a rise. The March numbers were revised sharply higher to an annual rate of 439,000 from the originally reported level of 411,000. Thus new home sales are actually running 22.6% above what we thought the March level was last night. Sales are up 47.8% from extremely low levels of a year ago. The revision to the March numbers is one more reason to expect that when the second look at the first quarter GDP is released on Thursday, growth will be revised higher than the original 3.2% rate. I would not be at all surprised to see ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/05/26/dhi-u-s-new-home-sales-impress/38511/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(CPB) Uncertain Environment? Diversify and Seek Value &#8211; May 20, 2010</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/05/21/cpb-uncertain-environment-diversify-and-seek-value-may-20-2010/37916</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/05/21/cpb-uncertain-environment-diversify-and-seek-value-may-20-2010/37916#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 May 2010 16:31:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Shawn</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Consumer Goods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Processed & Packaged Goods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AutoZone Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AZO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Campbell Soup Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COST]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Costco Wholesale Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CPB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HJ Heinz Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HNZ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MDT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Medtronic Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NetApp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Novell Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NOVL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NTAP]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=37916</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I spent most of this week at the 2010 CFA Institute Annual Conference, attending several great presentations and panels. Many of the topics centered around strategy, though the regulatory environment and Europe came up frequently during Q&#38;A sessions. In terms of strategies for dealing with the uncertainty, valuation and diversification were stressed constantly. Seth Klarman, president of the Baupost Group and author of the book &#8220;Margin of Safety,&#8221; opined that &#8220;price is an essential determinant of valuations&#8221; and emphasized that buyers should be focused on their entry points. Jeremy Grantham, co-founder of investment firm GMO and known for calling market bubbles, suggested altering portfolio allocations as the risk environment changes. (John Bogle, founder of mutual fund giant Vanguard, said later in the conference that his personal bond allocation is equivalent ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/05/21/cpb-uncertain-environment-diversify-and-seek-value-may-20-2010/37916/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BIG) Big Lots &#8211; Had Record Earnings Results Across Several Metrics</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/04/12/big-big-lots-had-record-earnings-results-across-several-metrics/33403</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/04/12/big-big-lots-had-record-earnings-results-across-several-metrics/33403#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:34:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=33403</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Big Lots, Inc. (BIG) has soared to new highs since I last reviewed it in Dec 2009. However, the stock still has value characteristics despite the big stock move. Big Lots is a closeout value retailer which sells a broad range of products including seasonal items, furniture, housewares, toys, electronics, home decor and tools. The company has 1361 Big Lots stores in 47 states and also sells merchandise through its web site, www.biglots.com. It also has wholesale operations through Big Lots Wholesale, Consolidated International and Wisconsin Toy. Big Lots Had Record Results Across Several Metrics On Mar 3, Big Lots reported fourth quarter fiscal 2009 results which surprised on the Zacks Consensus for the fourth quarter in a row by 2.3%. Earnings per share were $1.31 compared to the Zacks ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/04/12/big-big-lots-had-record-earnings-results-across-several-metrics/33403/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BIG) Big Lots Incorporated &#8211; Bull of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/04/06/big-big-lots-incorporated-bull-of-the-day-2/32870</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/04/06/big-big-lots-incorporated-bull-of-the-day-2/32870#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:31:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=32870</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Big Lots (BIG) is the largest broad-line closeout retailer with an annual turnover of more than $4 billion. The closeout format gives it an edge over traditional discount retailers as customers are offered merchandise assortments at very low prices. The company&#8217;s business model is gaining strength. The retailer now expects EPS to grow at a CAGR [compound annual growth rate] of 12% to 16% over the next three years. We think the company&#8217;s focus on closing underperforming stores, reducing operating expenses, and improving merchandise content are steps in the right direction. Moreover, the company&#8217;s in-store initiatives and testing of smaller prototype stores will help drive traffic. We have a long-term Outperform recommendation on the stock. Our target price of $42.00, 15.4X 2010 EPS, reflects this view. Zacks Investment Research]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/04/06/big-big-lots-incorporated-bull-of-the-day-2/32870/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AMAT) Personal Income Increases &#8211; Savings Slip in February</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/03/29/amat-personal-income-increases-savings-slip-in-february/32190</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/03/29/amat-personal-income-increases-savings-slip-in-february/32190#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:24:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Semiconductor Equipment & Materials]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AMAT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Applied Materials Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Darden Restaurants Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DRI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PACCAR Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PCAR]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=32190</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In February, Personal Income increased by $1.2 billion from January. That is essentially unchanged, as the increase does not even round to 0.1%. In contrast, personal consumption expenditures, also know as PCE or personal spending, rose by $34.7 billion or 0.3%. If spending rises by more than income, naturally savings will fall. Personal spending in February fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $340.0 billion, down 9.3% from January’s rate of $374.9 billion. The savings rate fell to 3.1% from 3.4%. Relative to consensus expectations, personal income came in a tick lower than the 0.1% increase expected, while PCE was in line with expectations. On both spending and income, the February rate was a slowdown from the revised January increases of 0.3% for income and 0.4% for PCE. However, ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/03/29/amat-personal-income-increases-savings-slip-in-february/32190/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(LEN) Investors and Homeowners Ask When Will Housing Come Back?</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/03/25/len-investors-and-homeowners-ask-when-will-housing-come-back/31916</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/03/25/len-investors-and-homeowners-ask-when-will-housing-come-back/31916#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Mar 2010 00:05:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Industrial Goods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Residential Construction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DHI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DR Horton Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Housing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JWN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LEN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lennar Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MAS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Masco Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nordstrom Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PCL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Plum Creek Timber Company Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United Technologies Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UTX]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=31916</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday we got news that New Home Sales had fallen to their second all-time record low (since the data started in 1963) in a row.  With other areas of the economy clearly on the mend (at least for now) the question arises: when will housing come back? I want to focus on new home sales, not existing home sales, because new home sales directly contribute to economic growth, while existing home sales have only an indirect effect. The U.S. is a much larger place now than it was back in 1963, both in terms of population and the overall size of the economy, even adjusted for inflation. With more and richer people, one would expect that there would be a demand for more and newer houses. In the graph below I show ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/03/25/len-investors-and-homeowners-ask-when-will-housing-come-back/31916/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BIG) Labor Department Report Shows Lack of Hires &#8211; Not Too Many Fires</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/03/09/big-labor-department-report-shows-lack-of-hires-not-too-many-fires/30164</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/03/09/big-labor-department-report-shows-lack-of-hires-not-too-many-fires/30164#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:39:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JWN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nordstrom Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=30164</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Labor Department released its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) today for January. This survey does not get the same sort of attention that the employment report gets, mostly because it comes out well after the employment data does (we just had the February data released on Friday, and this is for January). So why am I blogging about old news? Because the numbers in the employment report are the net between newly created jobs and jobs that have been lost. In any economy, be it booming like in the late 1990’s or falling off a cliff like it was a year ago, there will always be some jobs that are created and some that are going away. The JOLTS data gives us a picture of what is ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/03/09/big-labor-department-report-shows-lack-of-hires-not-too-many-fires/30164/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BIG) Big Lots Reports Stronger-Than-Expected Earnings</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/03/03/big-big-lots-reports-stronger-than-expected-earnings/29574</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/03/03/big-big-lots-reports-stronger-than-expected-earnings/29574#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:23:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=29574</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc. (BIG) recently posted stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter 2009 results on the heels of better sales, improved inventory control and effective cost management. The quarterly earnings of $1.31 per share outdid the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.28, and soared 31% from $1.00 delivered in the prior-year quarter. The better-than-expected results prompted management to provide three years’ outlook. The retailer now expects earnings per share to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 12% to 16% from fiscal 2010 to fiscal 2012 based on annual sales growth rate of 5% to 7% and annual comparable-store sales increase of 2% to 3%. Big Lots also forecasted first-quarter 2010 earnings between 60 cents and 65 cents a share, and fiscal year 2010 earnings in the range of $2.65 to $2.75. On a ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/03/03/big-big-lots-reports-stronger-than-expected-earnings/29574/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(WMT) Automatic Data Processing Sees 20,000 Job Losses</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/03/03/wmt-automatic-data-processing-sees-20000-job-losses/29570</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/03/03/wmt-automatic-data-processing-sees-20000-job-losses/29570#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:40:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inflation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wal-Mart Stores Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WMT]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=29570</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Automatic Data Processing, the largest payroll processing firm in the nation, reported this morning that the nation lost 20,000 private sector jobs in February, which is the smallest number by its count since the recession began all the way back in December of 2007. This is a relatively tasty appetizer to the jobs data main course that comes out in Friday morning. However, the revision to the January data to a loss of 60,000 jobs from their original estimate of 22,000 leaves a bit of a bad aftertaste. The report points out that due to differences in methodologies, the ADP report is less affected by the blizzards in the Northeast than the BLS report will be. In other words, brace yourself for an ugly looking jobs report on Friday, but ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/03/03/wmt-automatic-data-processing-sees-20000-job-losses/29570/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(PGR) Earnings Season Almost Complete &#8211; Earnings Preview</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/02/28/pgr-earnings-season-almost-complete-earnings-preview/29127</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/02/28/pgr-earnings-season-almost-complete-earnings-preview/29127#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:10:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ArcSight Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ARD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Arena Resources Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ARST]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CHDN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Churchill Downs Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COST]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Costco Wholesale Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[F]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ford Motor Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PGR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Progressive Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ready Mix Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RMX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toyota Motor Corporation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=29127</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Earnings Preview 2/26/10 Earnings season is winding down, but that does not mean it is over. Next week will bring 296 earnings reports, though just 11 members of the S&#38;P 500. Some of the higher profile firms to report will be Progressive Insurance (PGR), Costco (COST) and Big Lots (BIG). While the earnings news will be lighter next week than it has been recently, there will be lots of economic data released, starting with data on personal income and spending, both ISM indexes and ending the week with the always extremely important employment report on Friday. Monday • Personal Income will be reported and it expected to rise by 0.4% for January, matching a 0.4% rise in December • Personal spending is expected to have risen 0.4% (seasonally adjusted) in January, up ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/02/28/pgr-earnings-season-almost-complete-earnings-preview/29127/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(BIG) Big Lots &#8211; Earnings Estimates Heading Higher</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/02/17/big-big-lots-earnings-estimates-heading-higher/28223</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/02/17/big-big-lots-earnings-estimates-heading-higher/28223#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:10:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=28223</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Big Lots, Inc. (BIG) reported a strong fiscal third-quarter performance on Dec 4, and the closeout retailer looks poised for more of the same when it announces its fiscal fourth-quarter numbers on Mar 3. Earlier this month, BIG reported a strong same-store sales increase for the quarter; it was the company&#8217;s largest same-store sales advance for that period in 10 years. The company enjoys a solid string of better-than-expected quarterly profit performances, rising earnings estimates and solid value fundamentals. It has a price-to-book of 2.86 and a forward P/E of 11.85. Big Lots is the nation&#8217;s largest broadline closeout retailer, operating more than 1,360 Big Lots stores in 47 states. We have a long-term recommendation on BIG of &#8220;Outperform&#8221;, as its closeout format offers an edge over traditional discount retailers ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/02/17/big-big-lots-earnings-estimates-heading-higher/28223/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(WMT) Notes on Unemployment Duration</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/02/05/wmt-notes-on-unemployment-duration/27217</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/02/05/wmt-notes-on-unemployment-duration/27217#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:12:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[J. C. Penney Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JCP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[KR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kroger Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saks Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SKS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wal-Mart Stores Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WMT]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=27217</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One of the most notable features of the Great Recession relative to that of all previous recessions is that in this one, once you lose your job, it has been incredibly difficult to find a new one. As a result, people have been pounding the pavement looking for work for periods of time that would have been unheard of in any other downturn. There are two basic measures of unemployment duration provided in the monthly employment report &#8212; the average (mean) duration and the median duration. The average has a longer history, but since it is impossible to be unemployed for less than zero weeks, it will always be higher than the median, and is a number that is much more prone to be skewed by outliers. However, as the ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/02/05/wmt-notes-on-unemployment-duration/27217/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(BAC) U. S. Initial Jobless Claims Rise</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/21/bac-u-s-initial-jobless-claims-rise/25672</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/21/bac-u-s-initial-jobless-claims-rise/25672#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:41:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Center Banks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wal-Mart Stores Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WMT]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=25672</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The data on the Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance this morning was disappointing. Initial jobless claims rose by 36,000 to 482,000. This caused the 4-week average to rise by 7,000 to 448,250. It was the first increase in the 4-week average since August 15th, when it stood at 571,000. The 4-week average peaked back in April at 658,750, and as the chart below (from http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/) shows, it has been in a steep decline ever since. Despite this week&#8217;s setback we have made significant progress on that front, and are edging closer to the level which would be consistent with net job creation in the economy (probably a bit over 400,000). After the last two recessions, the 4-week average formed an extended high plateau after coming off its peak, which was ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/21/bac-u-s-initial-jobless-claims-rise/25672/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(BIG) Big Lots Incorporated &#8211; Bull of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/15/big-big-lots-incorporated-bull-of-the-day/25061</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/15/big-big-lots-incorporated-bull-of-the-day/25061#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:28:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=25061</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Big Lots, Inc. (BIG) is the largest broad-line closeout retailer with annual revenue over $4 billion. The closeout format gives it an edge over traditional discount retailers as customers are offered merchandise assortments at very low prices. We think the company&#8217;s focus on closing underperforming stores, reducing operating expenses and improving merchandise content are steps in the right direction. Moreover, the company&#8217;s in-store initiatives and testing of smaller prototype stores will help drive traffic. Comparable-store sales are regaining strength. However, rising competition from dollar stores and other discount retailers, and limited consumables product offerings when consumers are cutting discretionary spending are concerns. Our target price is $33.00 per share. Zacks Investment Research]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/15/big-big-lots-incorporated-bull-of-the-day/25061/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(KR) Continuing Jobless Claims Fall</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/14/kr-continuing-jobless-claims-fall/24979</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/14/kr-continuing-jobless-claims-fall/24979#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:15:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Grocery Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[KR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kroger Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RGR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sturm Ruger & Company Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wal-Mart Stores Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WMT]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=24979</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The initial claims for unemployment insurance report was a mixed bag. The numbers are always a bit flaky around the holiday season, so there will still be a fair amount of uncertainty about the real state of the job market for at least a few more weeks. Initial claims rose by 11,000 to 444,000 last week. However, the 4-week moving average &#8212; which takes out some of the big volatility in the week-to-week numbers, and is even more important than normal around the holidays &#8212; fell by 9,000 to 440,750. While it is not a good thing to see initial claims rising, one should step back for a minute and look at the longer-term trend, which is shown in the graph below (from http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/). The 4-week moving average has been ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/14/kr-continuing-jobless-claims-fall/24979/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>(BIG) Big Lots Raises Fourth Quarter Outlook</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/13/big-big-lots-raises-fourth-quarter-outlook/24873</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/13/big-big-lots-raises-fourth-quarter-outlook/24873#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:50:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=24873</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc. (BIG) recently raised its fourth quarter 2009 guidance encouraged by better-than-expected sales results. By categories, electronics, furniture and hardlines experienced an improvement in demand. The Columbus, Ohio based company Big Lots now expects quarterly comparable-store sales to increase in the range of 3.5% to 4.5%, up from 1.5% to 2.5% forecasted earlier. The shares of Big Lots rose 1.8% or 52 cents to close at $30.21 on Tuesday. The company’s sagging comparable-store sales gained momentum in third-quarter 2009, when Big Lots saw its comps declining marginally by 0.2%, showing a substantial improvement from a decline of 2.4% posted in the second-quarter 2009. The company also raised its fourth-quarter earnings guidance. Big Lots stated that it now sees quarterly earnings in the range of $1.19 to $1.24 per ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/13/big-big-lots-raises-fourth-quarter-outlook/24873/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>(WMT) Federal Reserve Beige Book Looks Better</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/13/wmt-federal-reserve-beige-book-looks-better/24890</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/13/wmt-federal-reserve-beige-book-looks-better/24890#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[J. C. Penney Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JCP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TIF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tiffany & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wal-Mart Stores Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WMT]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=24890</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Federal Reserve released its collection of largely anecdotal information from the 12 Federal Reserve Districts today. It painted a somewhat more upbeat picture of the economy than it did in the report last month, continuing a pattern of gradual improvement that started last summer. Here is a summary of the report: “Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts indicated that while economic activity remains at a low level, conditions have improved modestly further, and those improvements are broader geographically than in the last report. Ten Districts reported some increased activity or improvement in conditions, while the remaining two &#8212; Philadelphia and Richmond &#8211;reported mixed conditions. The last Beige Book reported eight Districts with increased activity or improving conditions and four Districts showing little change and/or mixed conditions. &#8220;Most Districts ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/13/wmt-federal-reserve-beige-book-looks-better/24890/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AXP) Unemployment Duration Still Increasing</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/10/axp-unemployment-duration-still-increasing/24586</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/10/axp-unemployment-duration-still-increasing/24586#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:35:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JWN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nordstrom Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=24586</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What really sets this recession apart from all previous post-war recessions is the difficulty people have in going back to work after they have been laid off. In any economic environment, there are always jobs that are being lost, and new jobs created. It is the net number that is shown in the employment reports like we got this morning. This time around, and particularly in recent months, it has not been that the economy has been losing old jobs are a super-high rate, but that there has been very little new hiring. One manifestation of this is that long-term unemployment, people who have been out of work for more than 26 weeks (the point at which regular state unemployment benefits usually run out), has simply exploded. The number of ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/10/axp-unemployment-duration-still-increasing/24586/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>(KR) Initial Unemployment Claims Rise Slightly</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/07/kr-initial-unemployment-claims-rise-slightly/24410</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/07/kr-initial-unemployment-claims-rise-slightly/24410#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:07:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Grocery Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[KR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kroger Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wal-Mart Stores Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WMT]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=24410</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Initial claims for unemployment insurance rose to 434,000, an increase of 1,000. That, however, comes on the heels of a very large drop last week, and both weeks have some holiday distortions in them. Given the week-to-week volitility in the numbers, it is best to look at the 4-week moving average. There, the news is significantly better. The 4-week average fell by 10.250 to 450,250. Since the 4-week average is well above the level of this week and last week on the single-week basis, it means that the average is likely to fall sharply again next week. As the graph below (from http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/) shows, the 4-week moving average has been in a steep downtrend since April, and we are now about 30% above peak levels. We are also well below the 528,000 ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/07/kr-initial-unemployment-claims-rise-slightly/24410/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(ADM) Institute for Supply Management’s Services Index Up</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/06/adm-institute-for-supply-management%e2%80%99s-services-index-up/24322</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/06/adm-institute-for-supply-management%e2%80%99s-services-index-up/24322#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:00:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Consumer Goods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Farm Products]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ADM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Archer-Daniels-Midland Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Dollar Stores Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FDO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[POT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tractor Supply Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TSCO]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=24322</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Institute for Supply Management’s non-manufacturing (services) index rose to 50.1 in December from 48.7 in November, effectively saying that the service side of the economy is neither expanding nor contracting (50.0 is the dividing line). This is in marked contrast to the Manufacturing index it released on Monday. The service side covers far more of the economy than does the manufacturing side, but the service index is much newer and does not have the same sort of predictive history that the manufacturing index does. The table below compares the two indexes, and the sub-indexes that make them up. Of particular interest is the employment index, which has been contracting now for 20 straight months on the service side, while it has been over 50 now for the last three ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/01/06/adm-institute-for-supply-management%e2%80%99s-services-index-up/24322/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BIG) Big Lots, Inc. &#8211; Reports Record Third Quarter &#8211; Share Repurchase Program</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/12/09/big-big-lots-inc-reports-record-third-quarter-share-repurchase-program/22332</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/12/09/big-big-lots-inc-reports-record-third-quarter-share-repurchase-program/22332#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:04:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=22332</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc. (BIG) recently posted a record third quarter as it surprised on estimates for the fourth quarter in a row. The company raised fourth quarter and full year guidance. Big Lots trades at 12.9x forward earnings. Company Description Big Lots is a closeout retailer which sells a broad range of products including seasonal items, furniture, housewares, toys, electronics, home decor and tools. The company has 1368 Big Lots stores in 47 states and also sells merchandise through its web site, www.biglots.com. It also has wholesale operations through Big Lots Wholesale, Consolidated International and Wisconsin Toy. Big Lots Reports Record Third Quarter On Dec 4, Big Lots reported its third quarter results and easily beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 50%. Earnings per share of 27 cents topped last ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/12/09/big-big-lots-inc-reports-record-third-quarter-share-repurchase-program/22332/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BIG) Initial Jobless Claims Down</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/11/07/big-initial-jobless-claims-down/19805</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/11/07/big-initial-jobless-claims-down/19805#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:46:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JWN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nordstrom Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saks Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SKS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wal-Mart Stores Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WMT]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=19805</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Initial claims for unemployment insurance fell by 20,000 this week to 512,000. Last week&#8217;s numbers were revised slightly higher, so arguably the drop was 18,000, but that&#8217;s still a nice improvement. The four-week moving average dropped by 3,000 to 523,750. Since new claims can be volatile from week to week, the four-week moving average is generally considered a better gauge of where we are. The graph below (from http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/) shows the history of that average. We are now 135,000 below the peak set back in April. This is a key piece of evidence that the recession is over. However, we remain above the highest levels seen in either of the last two recessions. The level indicates that we are still losing jobs, but at a slower rate than we had ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/11/07/big-initial-jobless-claims-down/19805/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(A) Fewer Revisions, But Still Positive &#8211; Earnings Trends</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/10/03/a-fewer-revisions-but-still-positive-earnings-trends/16460</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/10/03/a-fewer-revisions-but-still-positive-earnings-trends/16460#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2009 22:12:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Scientific & Technical Instruments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[A]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Agilent Technologies Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BBY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Buy Company Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[E]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eni SpA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INTC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Intel Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[National Semiconductor Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NSM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TIF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tiffany & Company]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=16460</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Key Points: Growth Third quarter expected to be down 23.8% year-over-year Fourth quarter to more than double year ago, but it is all in the Financials 2009 total net income expected to fall 7.3%, but rise 23.8% in 2010 More than half expected to post positive growth in Q4 Levels Bottom up estimate for S&#38;P 500 now $59.61 in 2009 S&#38;P 500 now expected to earn $73.81 in 2010. Top down estimates $53.94 and $68.40, respectively Scorecard &#38; Surprise Early results strong with a median surprise of 5.32% A tiny sample with only 3.2% of reports in Revisions Total estimate increases outnumber cuts almost 3:2 for 2009 Upward revisions outnumber cuts by more than 7:4 for 2010 Revisions ratios for both years slipped, but are still up big from earlier ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/10/03/a-fewer-revisions-but-still-positive-earnings-trends/16460/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>(BIG) Big Lots, Inc. &#8211; 10 of 12 Analysts Raise Estimates</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/09/14/big-big-lots-inc-10-of-12-analysts-raise-estimates/15080</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/09/14/big-big-lots-inc-10-of-12-analysts-raise-estimates/15080#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:49:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=15080</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Big Lots, Inc. (BIG) recently surprised on estimates for the third consecutive quarter even as it saw a slight decline in sales. Big Lots is a closeout retailer which sells a broad range of products including seasonal items, furniture, housewares, toys, electronics, home decor and tools. It has been benefiting from customers seeking value in their purchases during the recession. On Aug 25, the company reported that earnings per share were 35 cents which surprised on the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 12.90%, or 4 cents. It also surpassed the 32 cents reported in the second quarter of 2008. Sales fell by 1.7% to $1.086 million from $1.105 million in the year ago quarter. Comparable store sales were also lower, decreasing 2.4% for the quarter. Fiscal 2009 Guidance Raised Given that ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>(BIG) Big Lots Retail Stores Surpass Expectations</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/08/26/big-big-lots-retail-stores-surpass-expectations/13420</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/08/26/big-big-lots-retail-stores-surpass-expectations/13420#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:34:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=13420</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc. (BIG) recently reported better-than-expected second quarter results surpassing the bottom-line expectation. Effective cost management drove the growth in bottom-line with increased efficiencies in distribution and transportation costs, reduced advertising expenses, and decline in payroll costs. Earnings per share (excluding one-time items) of 35 cents was well above the company’s guidance range of 26 cents to 32 cents, and surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 31 cents. Earnings per share increased 9.4% year over year, compared to 32 cents in the prior-year quarter. On a reported basis, Big Lots delivered EPS of 34 cents, up 6.3%. Management now expects EPS for the third and fourth quarter to be in the range of 14 cents to 19 cents, and 99 cents to $1.04, respectively. Management also raised its full ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BIG) Big Lots, Inc. &#8211; Value &#8211; Zacks Rank Buy</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/06/13/big-big-lots-inc-value-zacks-rank-buy/8289</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/06/13/big-big-lots-inc-value-zacks-rank-buy/8289#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:58:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discount Variety Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Lots Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=8289</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Big Lots, Inc. (BIG), the closeout retailer, recently surprised on estimates for the third time in the last 4 quarters. BIG trades with a forward P/E of 12.3. Company Description Big Lots is a closeout retailer which sells a broad range of products including seasonal items, furniture, housewares, toys, electronics, home decor and tools. The company has 1345 Big Lots stores in 47 states and also sells merchandise through its web site. It also has wholesale operations through Big Lots Wholesale, Consolidated International and Wisconsin Toy. Big Lots Surprised by 10% in the First Quarter On May 28, Big Lots reported fiscal first quarter 2009 earnings per share of 44 cents compared to 42 cents in the first quarter of fiscal 2008. Analysts expected 40 cents per share. Sales fell ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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