Morning Report: Pass the Expresso

(Stocks in this article: NYSE: NWL, NYSE: RTP, NYSE: HBC, NYSE: M, NYSE: PHG, Nasdaq: ETFC, NYSE: C)

Welcome back! I feel you... Trust me, market participants are having as hard a time getting rolling today as you are, but the market, she will not wait. After an extra cup of coffee this morning, let's take a stab at the day's market-moving news.

1. Holiday Shopping Recap - More shoppers X increased discounting = increased sales. That's the story plain and simple. Retailers discounted heavily and benefited from an increase in cost conscious shoppers this year, which I view as a negative sign for the economy. If you have more traffic on Black Friday, that probably means price matters to more people this year.


2. Will Today be the Day We Break $100 - Nada, not looking so, as Iran's new OPEC Minister says production hikes are possible. Looking at it from Iran's perspective, causing economic havoc upon the U.S. is favored, while stockpiling oil revenue before shipments are impacted by war seems preferred. In other words, while Iran likes seeing high oil prices, it's more in its interest now to book as much revenue as possible by raising barrel delivery.


3. Company News - Rumors surfaced that Citigroup (NYSE: C) is about to announce significant job cuts. Reuters ventured at a number between 17k and 45k. HSBC (NYSE: HBC) is sinking $45 billion to bail out two SIVs. This seems born out of the SIV Superfund idea, but allows HBC to protect its own interests more directly. If this starts a trend, it may allow specific firms to protect themselves while leaving others more at risk without large bank Superfund participants there to help them.
   

Market-Moving News

• CNN Money: Asia Rallies


• Financial Times: London Moves Higher


• Bloomberg: Holiday Sales


• CNN Money: Black Friday Review


• Platts: Crude Futures Look Bullish


• AP/Yahoo!: Temperatures Pressure Oil Higher


• Bloomberg: HSBC Holdings (NYSE: HBC) Bails Out Two SIVs


• Reuters: Citigroup (NYSE: C) Planning Major Layoffs


• CNBC: Summers Says Recession Likely


• DailyFX: What Can Turn the Dollar


• Yahoo! Earnings Calendar


• TheStreet: Macy's (NYSE: M) Miracle on 34th Street


• AP/Yahoo!: Philips (NYSE: PHG) to Buy Genlyte


• CNBC: E*Trade (Nasdaq: ETFC) Talks to Buyers


• MarketWatch: Rio (NYSE: RTP) Raises Dividend


• AP/Yahoo!: Newell Rubbermaid (NYSE: NWL) Cuts Guidance


• BBC: Chavez Cuts Ties With Columbia


• BBC: Hamas Dismisses Mid-East Talks


• Economist: The Geopolitical Week Ahead


• Iran Daily: Tales from the Dark Side

Don't miss this weekend's report regarding the secular nature of food price change, and its repercussions for the valuations of agriculture stocks. Please support our effort by visiting the site and supporting our advertisers. Receive Wall Street Greek FREE via email by subscribing here. (disclosure)