The dollar doesn't buy what it used to, especially if it's something made in another country. When the dollar is weak, imports cost more because it takes more dollars to buy a foreign product. And the weak dollar is just the way our government likes it.

That's because the other side of the dollar bill is that when it's weak, U.S. products become cheaper for other countries to buy. While China is having a resurgence in its economy, it will buy more goods and services, many of them from the U.S. Our stuff is a bargain because it doesn't take as many renminbi to buy dollars. U.S. manufacturers take their renminbi, buy dollars and repatriot the money. They still make the same profit on the product and enjoy stronger sales, due to the weak dollar.

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: The unmighty dollar

Comfort Zone Investing: The unmighty dollar originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) said its Q3 profit declined despite the popularity of Guitar Hero.
• Blackboard Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBB) said Q3 revenue surged and its offered impressive cash flow numbers.
• Boston Beer Co. Inc. (NYSE: SAM) easily beat Q3 earnings estimates and raised its full-year guidance.
• Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) lower Q1 results topped estimates and sent shares higher.
• Cognizant Technology Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: CTSH) was upgraded following its strong Q3 results.
• Corporate Executive Board (NASDAQ: EXBD) received an analyst's upgrade following the Q3 results.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Cisco, Ford, Humana, MasterCard, Starbucks, Toyota ...

Earnings highlights: Cisco, Ford, Humana, MasterCard, Starbucks, Toyota ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Before the bell: Futures higher after data, earnings

Before the bell: Futures higher after data, earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: When gold starts paying dividends (AIG, NTRI, MOS, TM, GDX)

Closing Bell: When gold starts paying dividends (AIG, NTRI, MOS, TM, GDX) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Toyota to recall around 3.8 million vehicles

Toyota to recall around 3.8 million vehicles originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Although Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) has created specific marketing companies to help it stir up more consumer interest in vehicle purchases in the U.S., the world's largest automobile company now wants to spend as much as $1 billion in the fourth quarter of this year to bump up sales as much as possible.

Not only that, but the auto company is adding two more hybrid Prius models and is enhancing the margins its dealers receive. Will all of this add up to a large rise in Q4 sales for the automaker? As signs continue to sprout up that the economic recession is nearing an end, customers may start flocking to non-U.S. cars in Q4 now that the "Cash for Clunkers" parade has ended gas efficiency continues to top of the lists of customers shopping for a new car this fall and winter.

Continue reading Toyota to spend $1 billion to reverse sales slide in Q4

Toyota to spend $1 billion to reverse sales slide in Q4 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yesterday, Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) announced that it will launch a voluntary safety recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that will impact roughly 96,000 Toyota and Scion vehicles sold in the U.S. thanks to possible brake problems.

The problem occurs in extremely cold temperatures in the 2009 and 2010 Toyota Corolla and Corolla Matrix, along with the 2008 and 2009 Scion xD vehicles, all of which come equipped with 1.8 liter engines. Toyota will notify vehicle owners from 19 affected states in early September 2009. Toyota dealers will install a newly designed intake air connector to correct the problem.

Continue reading Toyota recalls vehicles because of brake problems

Toyota recalls vehicles because of brake problems originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: A directionless win... sort of (ETFC, EK, TM, VG, WSM)

Closing Bell: A directionless win... sort of (ETFC, EK, TM, VG, WSM) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Even with the cash-for-clunkers program in full effect, demand for new automobiles is the lowest it's been in years. This has heightened competition among automakers, who are being forced to both improve their products and discount their prices. Consumers in the market for a new 2010 vehicle may be treated to a discount.

Toyota Motor (NYSE: TM), for example, plans to introduce a less expensive Prius, and the 2010 Nissan (OTC: NSANY) Sentra will see its sticker price drop by anywhere from $130 to $1,080, based on the features the buyer opts for. Other vehicles that will hit the showroom floors at a discount include the Mercedes-Benz E350 mid sized sedan and the Lexus RX 350, discounted by $3,300 and $700, respectively.

Continue reading Automakers to cut sticker prices on 2010 models

Automakers to cut sticker prices on 2010 models originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Now that the "new GM" has risen, some of the old ideas are starting to resurface in the media. One of the freshest ideas is here again, coming off the lips of GM CEO Fritz Henderson.

The Chevy Volt, GM's all-electric passenger car slated to hits the streets sometime in 2011, will get "230 miles per gallon" according to the automaker's CEO. That's great -- but why mention the MPG figure for an electric car?

Continue reading GM's Henderson: The Chevy Volt will get 230 miles per gallon

GM's Henderson: The Chevy Volt will get 230 miles per gallon originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Although Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) has bypassed the now-out-of-bankruptcy General Motors as the largest automaker in the world, many of its cars in the U.S. market are, well, boring. It's true that fuel efficiency is now top-of-mind on the U.S. auto buyer's agenda, but the love for fast sports cars has never gone away. It's just been suppressed.

The new Camaro from GM is proof -- it's affordable, sexy, and a true sports car in its modern glory. It is amazing what having a desirable car can do for an automaker's image, even though one car does not make a company (far from it).

Continue reading Toyota to introduce new sports car to U.S. market

Toyota to introduce new sports car to U.S. market originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Toyota creates two marketing new companies to align more with consumer tastes

Toyota creates two marketing new companies to align more with consumer tastes originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Toyota finds itself on the list of cars most hurt by the recession

Toyota finds itself on the list of cars most hurt by the recession originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

• GM: Lead Foot in Exiting Bankruptcy
• GM Can Purr After Tune-Up

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: The world's been waiting for the new GM

Cramer on BloggingStocks: The world's been waiting for the new GM originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Who said big oil was a dying business? Fortune has released its Global 500, their "annual ranking of the world's largest corporations," and topping the charts is Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A), which, much like a Mariah Carey song, bumped up into the coveted number-one slot after some time at number three. The Netherlands-based oil company trumped its U.S. rival, Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) by $15 billion in sales and saw its revenue spike nearly 29% from 2007.

Speaking of Exxon, the company once again had a tiger in its tank, ranking number two in the world as oil futures bounced around in a nearly $100-dollar range, hitting $146 per barrel at its heights.

Continue reading Royal Dutch Shell crowned world's largest corporation

Royal Dutch Shell crowned world's largest corporation originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Although Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) was first out of the gate with a gas/electric hybrid vehicle back in 1997 with the Prius, the holy grail for much of the consumer automotive industry has been a 100% electric vehicle that lasts a while on a charge, is big and roomy, and has a long range.

Oh, and it must remain comparable (read: affordable) in price to its fossil fuel cousins. The former GM's Chevy Volt project was a very good stab at this (who knows where that project is heading, though), but what about world automotive leader Toyota?

Continue reading Toyota to start mass production of electric autos by 2012

Toyota to start mass production of electric autos by 2012 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Quarterly earnings could be up year-over-year by the fourth quarter. A low threshold for improvement, as a result of last year's Q3 financial meltdown, could set the stage for the appearance of a recovery, but the ride from here to there will be a difficult one.

Data from Bloomberg and S&P suggests that profits for stocks comprising the S&P 500 Index may be down 21% next quarter. It's still a double-digit blow, but a better result than Q2's estimated 34% -- and far ahead of Q1's 60% year-over-year fall in profits. The driver of a recovery, however concealed by low expectations, is likely to be a combination of unemployment and consumer spending. Last month, we saw unemployment reach a 26-year high, putting obvious constraints on purchasing.

Continue reading Q2 to be tough on earnings, but some improvement

Q2 to be tough on earnings, but some improvement originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Auto sales continued to drop in June, but we are starting to see signs that sales may be beginning to stabilize a bit.

The auto industry is still in deep trouble. It is going to take a while before things get back to normal, but before things can even start to improve, they have to stop worsening, and that's what may be happening.

Continue reading Auto sales show signs of stability

Auto sales show signs of stability originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ford (NYSE: F) is the last of the "Big" Three standing on its own two feet. Chrysler and General Motors (OTC: GMGMQ) are on crutches supplied by the federal government. While they're both still upright, those crutches are mighty expensive (the government will own 60% of GM when it emerges from bankruptcy).

Speaking of bankruptcy, Chrysler is already on the other side and now a partner with Fiat. That was perhaps the fastest legal action ever seen. Usually bankruptcy takes between 18 months to two years before a new company emerges.

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: Is Ford a buy?

Comfort Zone Investing: Is Ford a buy? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 06 Jun 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I recently attended a Lakers' basketball playoff game and took notice of the fact that Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) was a major sponsor advertising at Staples Staples Inc (NASDAQ: SPLS) Center. This, while our home grown car companies are all on the verge of collapse.

As we write stories on the depressed economy readers frequently comment about "buying American" as a theme that will help the greater good by keeping jobs and money in the United States.

This patriotic notion got me thinking about what would happen if we carried it further? Would we stop advertising and promotion of foreign products? Would we restrict discussion of foreign products in the media all together? Would we limit the production of foreign products here, even if they are providing jobs for Americans?

Continue reading Buy American -- but promote foreign brands?

Buy American -- but promote foreign brands? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 21 May 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.