EF Hutton

Following up on my last post about how conversations have always been leading indicators of what is about to come, I remembered some great E.F. Hutton commercials in the late 1970′s, early 1980′s. Anyone who was around in the US during that time would remember that when “E.F. Hutton talks, people listen”. I still think that this was one of the best ad campaigns of all time. E.F. Hutton, an American stock brokerage firm, eventually became part of Smith Barney (subsidiary of Citicorp) during...Read Full Story

(Reuters) – Activist investor Carl Icahn has built a stake that was likely around 100 million shares in Dell Inc and wants the personal computer maker to conduct a leveraged recapitalization, complicating founder Michael Dell's effort to take the company private, CNBC reported. Icahn, who is known for shaking up management, has accumulated a stake in Dell representing 6 percent of the company, CNBC said on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the investment More here: Icahn builds Dell...Read Full Story

1. How did real estate agent Bret Parsons characterize the decor of actor Nicolas Cage's foreclosed mansion in Bel Air, California? ANSWER: "Frat house bordello" CNBC Portfolio Challenge Bonus Bucks Answers for Tuesday, October 18, 2011 and CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio ChallengeCNBC Bonus Bucks Answers See more Nicolas Cage photos:More on Zimbio: Most Outrageous Celebrity Purchases Nic Cage and His $276,000 Dinosaur Skull From the castle, to the king cobras (as well as the...Read Full Story

CNBC Bonus Bucks Answers for Thursday, October 20, 2011 and CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge1. Which of Rupert Murdoch's four children once ran a television production company called Shine that was acquired by Murdoch's News Corp. in April? ANSWER: Elisabeth 2. According to CNBC.com’s table of earnings surprises, how did Abbott Laboratories’ most recently reported earnings per share number compare to the consensus estimate? ANSWER: EPS was one cent above the estimate 3. Which...Read Full Story

French Yields Exploded Upward Bonds tobunds spread: Yields on French 10-year government bonds just exploded, now up over 6% on the day to 3.14%. The spread between French 10-year bonds and German bunds is up even more dramatically — more than 10 bps or a full 9% on the day. That's a euro-era wide, according to Dow Jones. We have no idea what spurred this, but it can't have been good news. Strife continues over remains of 9/11 victims Sony slashes annual operating profit f'cast by 90...Read Full Story