Word of the Day

Exchange-Traded Fund

In the wide and varied family of the thousands and thousands of funds out there, the exchange-traded fund is one of the more consumer-friendly ones.

Unlike mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, behave more like stocks. You can buy into an ETF at any time, and sell it whenever you feel like it. And like a stock, an ETF's value can rise and fall--depending on what the ETF is invested in.What do ETFs invest in? Well, they're typically linked to an index like the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the S&P 500. So, if you had an ETF that trades the same companies that make up the Dow or the S&P, it will rise and fall in value pretty much the same amount as the Dow or S&P.

You can also buy ETFs that invest in other types of products, like bonds, currencies, gold or other commodities. The ETF market has grown considerably in the past few years, so there is no shortage of ETFs to invest in.

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Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Stocks In Focus For Thursday

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MarketWatch

SAN FRANCISCO -- Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trade in Thursday's session are Dell Inc., Sears Holdings Corp., and Tiffany & Co.

Dell (DELL) is projected to post a second-quarter profit of 36 cents a share, according to analysts surveyed by FactSet Research.

Sears (SHLD) is forecast to post earnings of 33 cents a share in the second quarter, according to analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters.

Tiffany (TIF) is estimated to report a profit of 55 cents a share in the second quarter, according to analysts surveyed by FactSet Research.

Brown-Forman Corp. (BFB) is expected to report first-quarter earnings of 88 cents a share, according to analysts surveyed by FactSet Research.

Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) is expected to report earnings of $1.37 a share in the fiscal third quarter, according to analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters.

Esterline Technologies Corp. (ESL) is likely to report a fiscal third-quarter profit of 65 cents a share, according to analysts surveyed by FactSet Research.

Novell Inc. (NOVL) is expected to report fiscal third-quarter earnings of 3 cents a share, according to analysts surveyed by FactSet Research.

PetSmart Inc. (PETM) is forecast to post earnings of 29 cents a share in the second quarter, according to analysts surveyed by FactSet Research.

Del Monte Foods Co. (DLM) is estimated to report a loss of 3 cents a share in the fiscal first quarter, according to analysts surveyed by FactSet Research.

Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (MRVL) is expected to report earnings of 22 cents a share in the second quarter excluding stock option expenses, according to analysts surveyed by FactSet Research.

Williams-Sonoma Inc. (WSM) is projected to post a second-quarter profit of 9 cents a share, according to analysts surveyed by FactSet Research.

Zale Corp. (ZLC) is likely to report a fiscal fourth-quarter loss of 58 cents a share, according to analysts surveyed by FactSet Research.

After Wednesday's closing bell, Fannie Mae (FNM) named David Hisey as its new finance chief, and said its current CFO Stephen Swad was leaving the company. Fannie Mae also named Peter Niculescu its chief business officer to succeed Robert Levin, who plans to retire early in 2009. The company also named Michael Shaw as chief risk officer. See full story

Watch list

Bank of America Corp. (BAC) will buy back $43 million in auction-rate securities from government agencies in Massachusetts, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing state securities regulators. The bank agreed to repay $18 million to the financially troubled Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and $25 million to the Massachusetts Housing Partnership, the newspaper said.

Coldwater Creek Inc. (CWTR) said its second-quarter profit fell to $3.1 million, or 3 cents a share, from $8.7 million, or 9 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Revenue fell to $241.4 million from $253.5 million last year. Analysts surveyed by FactSet Research estimated a quarterly profit of 1 cent a share on revenue of $242 million. The company said it sees a profit of 2 cents to 7 cents a share in the third quarter, and 4 cents to 10 cents a share in the fourth quarter. Analysts estimate 5 cents a share in the third quarter, and 8 cents a share in the fourth quarter.

Men's Wearhouse Inc. (MW) reported its fiscal second-quarter net income fell to $32.8 million, or 63 cents a share, from a net income of $54.2 million, or $1 a share in the same quarter last year. Excluding costs related to the closure of its Canadian manufacturing facility, the company would have earned 72 cents a share. Revenue slid to $545.3 million from $569.3 million a year earlier. Analysts surveyed by FactSet Research had forecast the company to earn 71 cents a share on revenue of $553.2 million. The company expects earnings of 34 cents to 38 cents a share and adjusted earnings of 36 cents to 40 cents a share in the third quarter. Analysts are forecasting the company will earn 53 cents a share in the third quarter. In fiscal 2008, the company is projecting earnings of $1.38 to $1.48 a share and adjusted earnings of $1.50 to $1.60 a share.

Oracle Corp. (ORCL) named Jeff Epstein as chief financial officer, effective September, the software giant said. Epstein most recently served as CFO of Oberon Media, a privately-held Internet game technology provider and publisher.

TiVo Inc. (TIVO) said that it swung to a second-quarter profit as subscriber acquisition costs declined sharply. The pioneer of digital video recorder technology reported that it earned $2.9 million, or 3 cents a share, in the latest three months. It posted a loss of $17.7 million, or 18 cents a share, in the prior year's second quarter. Analysts polled by FactSet Research were expecting a loss of 2 cents a share. In the third quarter, TiVo expects to post a loss in the range of $7 million to $9 million on service and technology revenue of $49 million to $51 million. See full story

United Airlines, operated by parent company UAL Corp. (UAUA) , said it will trim 1,550 flight attendant jobs in response to reduced capacity, according to Crain's Chicago Business Web site. The airline will begin offering voluntary furloughs of six to 21 months in late October and did not announce layoffs, Crain's said.