Jim Cramer

Worldwide LED Tube Light Shipments to Reach 220 Million in 2013

Jim Probasco — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:16:09 +0000

DigiTimes Research said Wednesday that LED tube lighting shipments in 2013 would account for 5.5 percent of the entire lighting market globally.

With efficiency reaching 110lm/W, comparable to that of fluorescent bulbs – and with prices coming down – these ultra high efficiency replacements for fluorescent bulbs are becoming more popular.

The biggest drawback has been the difference in price between LED bulbs and CFLs or incandescent lighting. With increased efficiency and production, however, prices are coming down. DigiTimes said retail prices for 4-foot T8 LED tubes would drop by 25.7 percent in 2013 to an average selling price of $48.30.

The DigiTimes forecast was bolstered by PR Newswire, Wednesday, quoting a GiiResearch.com ElectroniCast report that said global consumption of LED linear tube lamps rose to $194 million in 2012.

Last week ElectroniCast forecast that consumption would grow at an average annual rate of 23 percent between 2012 and ...

Here Are 14 Yearbook Photos of Business Big Shots

Alex Biles — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:19:13 +0000

When we think of the business titans of our age, we often associate their likeness with private jets, cash flows in the millions, intense board room meetings and bold leadership.

Yet, the humble beginnings of the CEOs, co-founders and chairmen of some of America's top companies are often overlooked.

Benzinga compiled a collection of high school yearbook photos from some of the biggest names in the business and finance sectors today.

Which high school version of a current business big shot would you hang out with if you could? Let us know in the comments.

Brian Moynihan is the CEO of Bank of America.

Moynihan was the youngest boy in a family of nine, and would wear his older siblings' hand-me-downs. "I had the smallest [sweater] and then I grew into the next and the next and the next. I had to wear them all," Moynihan told Brown Alumni Magazine. (Photo: Brown Daily Herald).

David Tepper is the head of Appaloosa Management, a hedge fund that grossed $2.2 billion last year -- the most of anyone in 2012.

When Tepper was 4 or 5 years old, his older sister brought him to school as the topic of her show-and-tell project. David showed up off his advanced multiplication and addition skills to the class. (Photo: Bloomberg TV).

Donald Trump is the Chairman and President of the Trump Organization

Born in Queens, Trump was sent to the New York Military Academy by his parents, beginning at age thirteen. (Photo: Yearbook Library).

Rex Tillerson is the Chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil. ...

Nordic American Tanker CEO Says Market Turnaround Will Bring 'Loads of Money'

Luke Jacobi — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:38:18 +0000

Nordic American Tanker (NYSE: NAT) CEO Herbjorn Hansson gave an exclusive interview Thursday morning to Benzinga.

Hansson opened the interview by mentioning his upcoming visit with oil giant Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM), commenting Nordic American Tanker has “done a lot of business with them”, along with Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) and BP (NYSE: BP).

Shares spiked six percent Wednesday after it was rumored Hansson would be on Jim Cramer's show Mad Money, a rumor that was first confirmed by Benzinga. Cramer went on to comment that Nordic American Tanker is the “best run company in the industry” and that Hansson is “the most disciplined guy in the industry.”

Despite operating in ...

Cramer's Three Reasons Why this Market Will Continue Higher

Tim Parker — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:54:21 +0000

If you’re a believer in the 2013 bull, you have to love what CNBC’s Jim Cramer said Monday about the markets. Specifically, he mentioned three trends that make him excited about the longevity of the bull market.

Good News Isn’t Punished

If you trade earnings, you know the pattern. If a stock sees a significant move to the upside prior to earnings, all of the experts slap it with the label, “priced to perfection.” If the report is bad, the stock sells off and if it’s good, the same thing happens due to profit-taking.

That isn’t happening in this market. Good news is met with more buy orders. Looking for an example? look at Whole Foods (NASDAQ: WFM).

Bad News is Good News

For a market that is up double digits in 2013, the bar is set high. You might believe that even at these levels, stocks are fairly ...

Cramer Loves this Stock – Should You?

Tim Parker — Sat, 04 May 2013 14:36:10 +0000

Value investors have waited for this to happen for a while.

This tech company hasn’t garnered the media attention of Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) but on Friday, CNBC’s Jim Cramer came out singing its praises. Just because Cramer likes it doesn’t mean you should, but this stock may have given value investors exactly what they wanted—an entry point.

That company is LinkedIn (NASDAQ: LNKD). Even after Friday’s double digit fall, the stock is up 53 percent this year and has quadrupled since its 2011 IPO.

Then came Thursday after the bell. LinkedIn announced earnings that were well above consensus estimates but spooked investors with its Q2 guidance. Looking to Q2, the company projected revenue of $342 to $347 million versus consensus of $359.24 million. This sent the stock down 13 percent on Friday to close at $175.59.

Slow Mobile Adaptation

Does this story sound familiar? Social media is all about mobile and companies slow to embrace it find themselves ...

Golden Arches Across The World

Jason Cunningham — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:50:11 +0000

McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) CEO Don Thompson spoke exclusively on CNBC's Squawk on the Street Friday morning about the state of the fast-food giant and its position in various markets around the globe.

In the U.S., McDonald's sales show a level of infrequency in relation to hopes of an economic recovery.

"At McDonalds' we are seeing some faint signs at times like late-night hours, breakfast, at times we'll see some resurgence there, but again, it's been a little bit of a mixed bag based upon the cycles within what we've seen across the last year," said Thompson.

In Europe, there are obviously struggles in many countries, but Thompson was quick to say that Europe can't be looked at as a whole.

"The U.K. for us, Russia, have been fairly strong markets, but across Europe, you've got a bit of a mixed bag. We don't see that changing economically anytime soon," said Thompson.

In China, business is growing, despite bird flu scares.

"I think China's still a tremendous growth opportunity for us at McDonald's. We have about, last year we opened up about [250] restaurants. You know, our goal is to be somewhere in the 1,700 range, or 2,000 range, actually, by the end of the year," said Thompson.

The drive-thru, due to increased auto sales, are all the rage in China. This is a big reason for growth there as ...

Benzinga's M&A Chatter for Thursday April 25, 2013

Charles Gross — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 23:46:48 +0000

The following are the M&A deals, rumors and chatter circulating on Wall Street for Thursday April 25, 2013:

Hearing Unconfirmed Chatter of Vertex Interest in Sarepta

The Rumor:
Shares of Sarepta Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SRPT) rose in early trading Thursday on unconfirmed market chatter of a potential bid for the maker of Eteplirsen, which is designed to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX), whose own shares soared on April 18 following the release of positive phase 2 cystic fibrosis data, was rumored to be the buyer.

Zachary Prensky of Little Bear Research, told Benzinga, that while a deal for Sarepta would be attractive to Vertex at the current price level, there is no evidence they intend to make an offer. Also, Sarepta CEO Christopher Nishan Garabedian has said ...