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Strategies & Market Trends : Three Amigos Stock Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sergio H who wrote (22825)	12/11/2000 6:26:25 PM
From: Ken W	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29382

Sergio: EK: This came out less than 30min before the close. Does not sound too good for EK. Click Here! Related Quotes EK FUJIY 39 9/16 39 1/2 +9/16 +5/8 delayed 20 mins - disclaimer Monday December 11, 3:34 pm Eastern Time Analysts see no rosy picture for Kodak By Jennifer Laidlaw NEW YORK, Dec 11 (Reuters) - It won't be all smiles Tuesday when photography powerhouse Eastman Kodak Co. (NYSE:EK - news) presents Wall Street a snapshot of its financial outlook for next year. Analysts said they expect Kodak to be cautious with its estimates, amid weaker demand for film across the photographic industry. The Rochester, N.Y.-based photography giant recently reported lower third-quarter net profits and has warned of a poor fourth quarter on slowing demand and the need to pare inventories. And analysts are expecting more or less the same picture next year. ``I would expect that the first half of 2001 would be a little shaky as the company gets a hold on what is causing all this slowdown,'' said Marjorie Saint Aime, an analyst at Pittsburg Institutional. Slower film sales and rising inventories will continue to affect earnings in early 2001 as consumers hold back on buying new cameras and photo equipment, she said. ``It is the entire economy that is causing consumers to be cautious.'' And the economic slowdown comes at a challenging time for the company. Kodak has been struggling to redefine itself in a digital age with major investments in digital and online photography and has been vying for market share with competitors like Japan's Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd. (NasdaqSC:FUJIY - news). But investors have yet to be convinced that the company is on winning strategy. Its shares have languished close to their year lows of $35-5/16 in recent months. On Monday afternoon, they were up $1 at $40, well off their 52-week high of $67-13/16. Just last week, Credit Suisse First Boston lowered its 2001 earnings expectations for Kodak to $5.10 a share from $5.40 a share because of the softening economy. At Tuesday's meeting, analysts say they will be watching for more details of the company's plans to boost revenues and profits. Kodak has said it would cut costs and reduce inventories in the fourth quarter. And in October it said to streamline operations it would consolidate its seven business units into two groups: consumer business and commercial business. They will also be watching out for any news on the pace of film sales in the United States, which will be a key indicator of the company's future performance. Kodak has previously said that it expects its U.S. film sales to grow by just 4 percent in the fourth quarter, much slower than the 11 percent growth in the second quarter. Looking ahead to the second half of 2001, analysts said they expect the company to paint a rosier picture as the company's cost cutting measures take effect. Another light at the end of the tunnel might be the recent rebound in the euro, which would lessen the impact of currency translation on the company. ``If the euro manages to hold at current levels, the transactions penalty will be...a lot lower,'' said Ulysees Yannas, analyst at Buckman, Buckman, & Reid. He also said the company's 2001 results might be better than expected because of the company's extensive share buy back program, which has reduced its number of shares outstanding. He estimates that the buy back could add on five percent to the company's earnings per share. Yannas is at the high end of analysts' earnings expectations for the company in 2001, predicting earnings of $5.90 a share. Analysts polled by First Call/Thomson Financial are expecting the company to post earnings of $5.30 a share next year, up from an expected $5.07 a share this year. Ken

To: Sergio H who wrote (22825)	12/11/2000 6:45:57 PM
From: Ken W	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29382

Sergio EK is getting about as oversold as it can get. There is a distinct poss. that it could bounce from here to 43-45 and hold there a bit before making the next move up or down. There is a huge gap to fill back in the 50's. Long term downside is in the mid 30's...but not in the cards for a long, long time. siliconinvestor.com Ken

To: Sergio H who wrote (22825)	12/11/2000 8:30:59 PM
From: JoeinIowa	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29382

Beware the Polar Pig. The cold air mass is heading your way. Market watch, Dec. 11 A massive column of Arctic cold pushing into the US should buoy record high prices for natural gas futures through the rest of December, a top energy analyst reported Monday. "Heating demand is projected to remain unusually high into at least the second half of December as weather forecasts call for a continued flow of Arctic cold into the US," said Robert Morris, senior energy analyst for Salomon Smith Barney Inc., in his weekly report. "In fact, forecasts for this week show a massive Polar air mass—approaching, in industry terms, the severity of a 'Polar Pig'—surging into effectively the entire continental US, causing what appears to be record cold temperatures in some regions to unseasonably cold temperatures across major metropolitan centers," he said. A "pig" is a mechanical unit that is forced through a pipeline to purge and clean it. With some 503 bcf of gas currently in storage, 17% less than last year, industry officials are expected to report this week withdrawals of 145-160 bcf, compared with a pulldown of 73 bcf during the same period in 1999, Morris said. The January contract for gas finished the week at a record $8.58/Mcf Friday on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up 21.1¢ for the day, to wipe out Thursday's 11.2¢ decline from the previous record of $8.49/Mcf on Wednesday. International oil futures prices declined last week as Iraq seemed about to end its weeklong ban of oil exports, however. The January contract for benchmark US light, sweet crudes fell 91¢ to $28.44/bbl Friday on the NYMEX, while the February contract lost 92¢ to $28.09/bbl. Both contracts moved up in after-hours electronic trading Monday to $28.78/bbl and $28.37/bbl, respectively. Over the weekend, United Nations officials approved prices for Iraq's December oil shipments, which should allow that country to resume its oil-for-food exports. That could put additional pressure on international oil prices this week, Morris said. The January contract for home heating oil dropped 4.87¢ to 94.42¢/gal Friday on the NYMEX, while unleaded gasoline for the same month fell 3.01¢ to 73.66¢/gal. In London, the January contract for North Sea Brent fell through key support at the $27/bbl level to close at $26.56/bbl Friday, down 91¢ for the day on the International Petroleum Exchange. Analysts said Brent crude is still seeking a stable floor in that market. The January contract for natural gas lost 10¢ to the equivalent of $4.08/Mcf on the IPE. On the Singapore exchange, North Sea Brent crude oil for January delivery fell 91¢ to $26.56/bbl. The February position fell 78¢ to $26.65. The average price for the Organization of Exporting Countries' basket of seven crudes plunged by $1.41 to $24.79/bbl Friday. But for the full week, OPEC's basket price averaged $27.25/bbl, down from an average $30.92/bbl the previous week. That basket price has averaged $27.87/bbl so far this year, up sharply from annual averages of $17.47/bbl in 1999 and $12.28/bbl in 1998.