Or, at least he's certainly trying to. The McDonald's icon famous for his wild red hair, yellow jumpsuit and floppy shoes, has gotten a makeover from a theatrical stylist ��really ��who has updated just about everything but the shoes.
The new Ronald sports a red blazer, a red bow tie, red-and-white striped rugby shirt, yellow vest and, yes, yellow cargo pants.
His hair is more coiffed. His vibe is less creepy. And ��how shall we politely say this? ��he looks slightly less clown-like.
"As a strategy, it feels a little desperate," says Kate Newlin, a brand consultant. She says it's as if the new Ronald is shouting: "Please remember you once loved me."
Love is sorely needed. McDonald's on Tuesday reported a 5% drop in first-quarter net income and 1.7% drop in U.S. same-store sales. Shares closed flat on Wednesday at 99.13.
Top 10 Cheap Companies To Buy Right Now: IntriCon Corporation(IIN)
IntriCon Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, engineering, and manufacture of body-worn devices. It offers microelectronics, micro-mechanical assemblies, and injection-molded plastic components to medical device manufacturers of portable and lightweight battery powered devices; bio-telemetry devices, which include wireless continuous glucose monitors that measure glucose levels and provide real-time blood glucose trend information; and cardiac diagnostic monitoring devices. The company also provides bubble sensors and flow restrictors that monitor and control the flow of fluid in an intravenous infusion system; and a family of safety needle products for original equipment manufacturing customers. In addition, it offers hybrid amplifiers and integrated circuit components along with faceplates for use in-the-ear and in-the-canal hearing instruments; and microminiature electromechanical components consisting of volume controls, microphone s, receivers, trimmer potentiometers, and switches to hearing instrument manufacturers. Further, the company provides professional audio headset products used for homeland security and emergency response applications in fire, law enforcement, safety, aviation, and military markets; and a line of miniature ear and head-worn devices for use by performers and support staff in music and stage performance markets. It markets its products directly through its internal sales force in the United States, as well as through sales representative primarily in Europe and the Asian Pacific. IntriCon Corporation has strategic alliances with Dynamic Hearing Pty Ltd. to use its technology for the development of new body-worn ULP-DSP applications; and Advanced Medical Electronics Corp. to develop new bio-telemetry devices. The company, formerly known as Selas Corporation of America, was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in Arden Hills, Minnesota.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lisa Levin]
Intricon (NASDAQ: IIN) shares gained 33.98% to touch a new 52-week high of $6.23 after the company reported Q1 results.
Abraxas Petroleum (NASDAQ: AXAS) shares gained 2.19% to reach a new 52-week high of $5.60. Abraxas Petroleum shares have jumped 154.88% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 18.57% in the same period.
Best US Companies To Own In Right Now: Sempra Energy(SRE)
Sempra Energy, together with its subsidiaries, develops new energy infrastructure, operates utilities, and provides energy-related products and services worldwide. It operates in six segments: SDG&E, SoCalGas, Sempra Generation, Sempra Pipelines & Storage, Sempra LNG (liquefied natural gas), and Sempra Commodities. The SDG&E segment has electric and natural gas franchises that locate, operate, and maintain facilities for the transmission and distribution of electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, street and highway lighting, and direct access customers. The SoCalGas segment has natural gas franchises that locate, operate, and maintain facilities for the transmission and distribution of natural gas to electric generation, wholesale, large commercial, industrial, and enhanced oil recovery customers. The Sempra Generation segment involves in the generation and wholesale distribution of electricity through a fleet of natural gas-fired power generati on facilities in Arizona, Nevada, and Indiana, as well as Mexico with a total capacity of 2,513 megawatts. The Sempra Pipelines & Storage segment operates 1,883 miles of distribution pipelines, 224 miles of transmission pipelines, and 3 compressor stations in Mexico; operates Mobile Gas, a natural gas distribution utility located in Mobile and Baldwin counties in Alabama; and operates natural gas storage facilities in Washington County of Alabama and Simpson County of Mississippi. The Sempra LNG segment involves in the receipt, storage, and vaporization of LNG, as well as the purchase and sale of natural gas. It operates Energia Costa Azul LNG receipt terminal in Baja California, Mexico, as well as Cameron LNG receipt terminal in Hackberry, Louisiana. The Sempra Commodities segment engages in the commodities-marketing business. Sempra Energy has operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Peru. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered i n San Diego, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By MONEYMORNING.COM]
At issue is the application by Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE) for permission to export LNG from a terminal at Cameron, La.
You see, despite the fact that the Department of Energy (DOE) authorized exports in this case over a month ago, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) must still approve all export permits.
- [By Robert Rapier]
As I pointed out in last week�� Energy Letter, US natural gas production is up 11.4 Bcfd in just the past five years. Presently there are 13 pending proposals awaiting approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), with a total proposed export capacity of 17.9 Bcfd. Two projects have been approved by FERC. Cheniere Energy (NYSE: LNG) and Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE) have had projects approved with a combined proposed capacity of 4.46 Bcfd.
- [By Aaron Levitt]
CBI has been racking up new contracts like crazy. The latest include a $6 billion LNG export facility contract with Sempra Energy (SRE) and a $100 million contract to build pipelines & propane dehydrogenation unit for Enterprise Products Partners (EPD).
Best US Companies To Own In Right Now: SPDR EURO STOXX 50 ETF (FEZ)
SPDR DJ Euro Stoxx 50 ETF (the Fund), formerly DJ Euro Stoxx 50 ETF, seeks to replicate as closely as possible the price and yield of the Dow Jones EURO STOXX 50 Index (the Index). The Index seeks to provide a blue-chip representation of the market sector leaders in the Eurozone. The Index represents the performance of the 50 largest companies within the Eurozone portion of the Dow Jones STOXX Total Market Index. The Index is a free-float market capitalization weighted index that captures approximately 60% of the underlying market and covers approximately 95% of the free-float market capitalization of the investable universe in the Eurozone.
The Fund utilizes a passive or indexing approach to invest in a portfolio of stocks to replicate the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is SSgA Funds Management, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tom Aspray]
The news out of the Eurozone continues to improve as their Purchasing Managers Index rose to 51.7 in August consistent with an expanding economy. The chart shows a nice trend here suggesting that the worst by indeed be over. A deeper pullback in some of the euro ETFs like SPDR Euro STOXX 50 ETF (FEZ) should create a buying opportunity.
- [By Chris Ciovacco]
In Thursday's ETF analysis, evidence is presented that supports increasing demand for assets that get a tailwind from a weak U.S. dollar, including emerging markets (EEM) and foreign stocks (EFA). Casting a wider economic net, our market model told us to start buying stocks last week even with the threat of a U.S. default. Wednesday, we continued with our incremental allocation shifts by adding some exposure to the energy sector. Thursday, we sat tight holding long positions in small caps (IJR), Europe (FEZ), emerging markets and technology (QQQ). The upper bounds of the bullish S&P 500 trend channel shown below may offer some resistance to the market's near vertical ascent.
Best US Companies To Own In Right Now: Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA)
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is a Germany-based aviation company with global operations and a total of more than 400 subsidiaries and associated companies. The Company is engaged in passenger transport, airfreight and airline services. The Lufthansa Group operates in five major business segments: scheduled passenger air traffic (Passenger Airline Group) consists of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Lufthansa CityLine GmbH, Swiss International Air Lines AG, Austrian Airlines AG, Air Dolomiti S.p.A., Eurowings Luftverkehrs AG and Germanwings GmbH; scheduled airfreight services (Logistics) consists of the Lufthansa Cargo group; maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) consists of the Lufthansa Technik group; information technology (IT Services) consists of the Lufthansa Systems group, and catering (Catering) consists of the LSG Lufthansa Sky Chefs group. On April 20, 2012, the Company announced the divestiture of British Midland Ltd. (bmi) to International Consolidated Airlines Group SA. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tom Stoukas]
Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA) and Allianz SE (ALV) led airlines and insurers lower, retreating at least 1.5 percent. Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) slid 1.6 percent. Deutsche Bank AG (DBK) rose after JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its recommendation on the shares. Gildemeister AG (GIL) added 3.4 percent after Deutsche Bank upgraded the maker of cutting tools.
- [By Jonathan Morgan]
Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA), Europe�� largest airline by sales, advanced 3.1 percent to 15.52 euros as a gauge of travel and leisure companies posted the biggest gain of the 19 industry groups in the Stoxx Europe 600 Index. EasyJet Plc rallied after saying its fiscal third-quarter revenue climbed.
- [By Jonathan Morgan]
German stocks were little changed, as declines in utilities and banks offset gains in Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA) and Deutsche Boerse AG.
RWE AG (RWE), Germany�� second-largest utility, slipped 2.4 percent after RBC Capital Markets cut its recommendation on the stock. Lufthansa followed its European peers higher, recovering some of its Aug. 2 selloff. Xing AG (O1BC), the business social network, jumped the most since October as Deutsche Bank AG (DBK) upgraded its rating on the shares.
Best US Companies To Own In Right Now: E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company(DD)
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company operates as a science and technology company worldwide. It operates in seven segments: Agriculture & Nutrition, Electronics & Communications, Performance Chemicals, Performance Coatings, Performance Materials, Safety & Protection, and Pharmaceuticals. The Agriculture & Nutrition segment provides hybrid seed corn and soybean seed, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, value enhanced grains, and soy protein under the Pioneer brand name. The Electronics & Communications segment supplies materials and systems for photovoltaic products, consumer electronics, displays, and advanced printing. The Performance Chemicals segment offers fluorochemicals, fluoropolymers, specialty and industrial chemicals, and white pigments for various markets, such as plastics and coatings, textiles, mining, pulp and paper, water treatment, and healthcare. The Performance Coatings segment supplies high performance liquid and powder coatings for motor vehicle origi nal equipment manufacturers (OEM); the motor vehicle after-market; and general industrial applications, such as such as coatings for heavy equipment, pipes and appliances, and electrical insulation. The Performance Materials segment provides polymers, elastomers, films, parts, and systems and solutions for the automotive OEM and associated after-market industries, as well as electrical, electronics, packaging, construction, oil, photovoltaics, aerospace, chemical processing, and consumer durable goods. The Safety & Protection segment primarily offers nonwovens, aramids, and solid surfaces for the construction, transportation, communications, industrial chemicals, oil and gas, electric utilities, automotive, manufacturing, defense, homeland security, and safety consulting industries. The Pharmaceuticals segment represents its interest in the collaboration relating to Cozaar/Hyzaar antihypertensive drugs. The company was founded in 1802 and is headquartered in Wilmington, Dela ware.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Alex Planes]
The company popularly known as DuPont (NYSE: DD ) is a shortened form of "E.I. du Pont de Nemours," itself a shortened version of the name Eluthere Irenee du Pont de Nemours, a Paris-born chemist with particular expertise as a gunpowder manufacturer. It was on July 19, 1802, on the banks of the Brandywine River in Delaware, that du Pont broke ground on the first gunpowder mills that gave rise to the DuPont chemical empire.
- [By Dan Dzombak]
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI ) is down after the International Monetary Fund reported that it expects the U.S. economy to slow, and consumer confidence came in below expectations.�As of 1:30 p.m. EDT the Dow has lost 116 points, or 0.76%, led down by DuPont (NYSE: DD ) after it lowered its guidance and was downgraded by Merrill Lynch. The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC ) is down 0.67%.
- [By Travis Hoium]
DuPont (NYSE: DD ) is lagging the Dow today, falling 1.6% after getting some reasonably good news. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said today that farmers planted a record number of acres of soybeans and corn this year, using 93% and 90% genetically engineered seeds, respectively. DuPont is one of the biggest seed suppliers, so that should mean higher demand for its products over the past quarter. Of course, futures of both corn and soybeans fell once the news was released, so the bump in demand may only be a temporary one.
- [By Rich Duprey]
Whether from outside pressure or internal decision making, the specialty chemicals industry is seeing more streamlining going on. DuPont (NYSE: DD ) �sold its performance coating unit in 2012 for $4.9 billion�and, last year, announced the spinoff of its performance chemicals unit, having received�input from another activist investor, Nelson Peltz, who had taken a $1.3 billion stake in the company.
Best US Companies To Own In Right Now: Fidus Investment Corp (FDUS)
Fidus Investment Corporation, incorporated on February 14, 2011, provides customized mezzanine debt and equity financing solutions to lower middle-market companies. The Company�� investment objective is to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns by generating both current income from its debt investments and capital appreciation from its equity related investments.
The Company seeks to maintain a diversified portfolio of investments in order to help mitigate the potential effects of adverse economic events related to particular companies, regions or industries. The Company�� investment advisor is Fidus Capital, LLC.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By BDC Buzz]
Fidus Investment (FDUS) is one of the newer business development companies ("BDCs") but its stock performance has been strong with a steady climb to higher than average multiples. This is most likely due to its higher than average 'total return' of around 16%. Last quarter FDUS grew its net asset value ("NAV") per share more than any of the other 25 BDCs that I follow and announced a special dividend on top of its regular dividends which is currently yielding around 8%. The company announced that it received approval for a second SBIC license giving it access to cheap long-term growth capital to grow the portfolio and dividends. FDUS also reported realized gains in Q3 from exited investments that could provide for some large upcoming special dividends. I believe that investors should look beyond the current lower than average dividend yield and higher than average pricing multiples, and consider the potential total return for FDUS over the coming quarters. I will also address my key concerns for the company and some things to watch for through the end of the year.
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