US Hot Stocks: CSCO, DNDN, KFT

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) dropped as much as 3% after Citigroup’s John Slack cut its price target on the company to $17.50 from $20. However, the analyst retained his Hold rating on the stock, arguing that the stock is in danger of becoming “a perpetual restructuring megacap tech story.”

Dendreon Corp. (NASDAQ: DNDN) slumped more than 66% on Thursday, a day after the biotechnology firm abandoned its 2011 revenue outlook and reported a bigger quarterly loss than estimated. The company also said that sales of its prostate-cancer drug Provenge are growing slower than expected.

Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) rallied more than 2% after the company announced that it is splitting in two, putting its global snacks and North American grocery businesses in separate baskets.

Full Disclosure: None.

US Hot Stocks: LVS, TEVA, SUNH, JAZZ

Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) rose as much as 2% after Macau government's statistics showed that the world's largest gambling market, posted a 48.4 percent rise in July gambling revenue to 24.2 billion patacas ($3.01 billion).

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ: TEVA) slumped more than 5% after the company announced that its Phase III clinical trial of its experimental multiple sclerosis pill Laquinimod failed to meet its primary endpoint.

Sun Healthcare Group Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNH) sank more than 53% Monday after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced on Friday an 11.1% cut in fiscal 2012 payments.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: JAZZ) rallied more than 3% after Jefferies upgraded its rating on the company to Buy from Hold to Buy. The firm also raised its price target on the stock to $52 from $29.

Full Disclosure: None.

US Focus Stocks: YHOO, GNW, NXPI

Shares of Yahoo Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) dropped more than 3% Friday slumped Friday as an agreement related to compensation for the transfer in ownership of Alibaba Group’s online payments service Alipay failed to impress Wall Street. Citigroup analyst Mark Mahaney contended that, while the agreement “removes some uncertainty, Yahoo appears to have become a forced seller of one of its key Asian assets.”

Genworth Financial Inc. (NYSE: GNW) rallied more than 5% after mortgage insurer said that it is taking steps to possibly split up the company, said its Chief Executive Michael Fraizer on a post-earnings conference call, sending its shares up 6 percent on Friday afternoon. Fraizer said it would make sense splitting the company into two, but added that its not a "strategy to execute in the near term."

NXP Semiconductor NV (NASDAQ: NXPI) slumped more than 3% after the company slashed its outlook for near-field communication chip shipments in 2011 as mobile-phone operators expand wireless payment systems more slowly than expected. NXP now expects NFC deliveries at the lower end or “perhaps even slightly below” an initially predicted range of 40 million to 100 million units, Chief Executive Officer Richard Clemmer stated.

Full Disclosure: None. 

Focus Stocks: RIMM, ETFC, YRCW, CSIQ

Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) announced that it will slash about 2,000 jobs, or 11 percent of it workforce. The company said that any one-time charges associated with the cost optimization program are not included in RIM's Q2 and full year outlook, but will be identified and disclosed on September 15, 2011. The BlackBerry maker also said its Chief Operating Officer Don Morrison is planning to retire and Thorsten Heins is taking on the expanded role of COO, product and sales.  

E*Trade Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: ETFC) rallied more than 5% in Monday's pre-market trading after the online brokerage said that it plans to hire Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) to explore a sale after its largest shareholder, Citadel LLC, said the company needed to take action to reverse “catastrophic losses” for investors. Meanwhile,  the Wall Street Journal reported Monday that  TD Ameritrade Holding's (NASDAQ: AMTD directors plan to discuss at a meeting Tuesday the possibility of trying to aquire E*Trade Financial Corp.

YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) late Friday announced that transportation industry veteran James L. Welch, a former President and CEO of Yellow Transportation, has been named as the company's new Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Welch was appointed CEO, effective immediately, by the new YRC Worldwide Board of Directors.

Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) said Monday that it expects second quarter shipments to be about 295 MW, above the high-end of its earlier shipments outlook of about 245-255 MW. However, the company said that it expects second-quarter gross margins at the lower end of its prior outlook range as the company bought more cells from outside to meet strong demand. Canadian Solar expects gross margins of 13-15 percent for the second quarter. The company also named Michael Potter as its new chief financial officer effective July 20, 2011. Potter will replace Andrew Chen, who will continue as a special adviser to the CEO till September 30, 2011.  

Full Disclosure: None.

US Hot Stocks: EK, ALU, ETFC, IDCC, CDTI

Below we highlight few companies whose shares are actively trading in Tuesday's session.

Eastman Kodak Co. (NYSE: EK) slumped more than 4% on Tuesday on growing concerns that the company will run out of cash. 

Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) surged more than 5% Tuesday after the company announced that it will increase the efficiency and reach of China Unicom's 3G network in the Chinese provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Fujian. In more than ten provinces, Alcatel-Lucent will also provide optimization activities, allowing China Unicom the ability to monitor, troubleshoot and optimise network efficiency as subscribers increase, using a range of reporting capabilities.

E*TRADE Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: ETFC) rallied more than 3% on speculation that billionaire investor Carl Ichan has made an investment in the company.  

InterDigital, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDCC) soared more than 23% after the company announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a process to explore and evaluate potential strategic alternatives for the company, which may include a sale or other transaction.The company has retained Evercore Partners and Barclays Capital as its financial advisors to assist with the strategic review process. 

Clean Diesel Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:CDTI), jumped more than 17% after the company announced today that it has been chosen as a catalyst supplier to Fisker Automotive, an American manufacturer of the first premium plug-in hybrid electric vehicles with extended range. Clean Diesel is supplying catalysts utilizing its patented mixed phase catalyst technology for the Karma, Fisker's new luxury sedan, which starts shipping to both European and U.S. retailers this month.

Full Disclosure: None. 

Focus Stocks: YRCW, CLX, HK, CHK, SGEN

Shares of YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) jumped as much as 10% Friday, a day after the struggling trucking company isclosed a rosy financial outlook for fiscal 2011. The company expects its fiscal 2011 revenue to rise by a whopping 14% to $4.93 billion compared with $4.33 billion in fiscal 2010. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and other charges will be around $209.8 million, a considerable increase of 184% from $73.9 million in fiscal 2010.

Clorox Corporation (NYSE: CLX) surged more than 6% after activist investor Carl Icahn disclosed making a $76.50 per share offer for household products maker.

Petrohawk Energy Corporation (NYSE: HK) soared more than 62% on Friay after it agreed to be acquire by BHP Billiton Ltd. (NYSE: BHP) in a deal worth more than US$15 billion. The definitive agreement will see BHP offer Petrohawk shareholders US$38.75 a share, an all-cash deal that represents an equity value of about $12.1 billion and, with debt, an enterprise value of $15.1 billion.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK) rallied more than 6% after Ticonderoga Securities LLC said that the natural-gas driller would be worth $58 a share should it be taken over based on the valuation of the Petrohawk acquisition.

Seattle Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ: SGEN) plunged more than 10% on concerns that the U.S. launch of its new oncology drug Adcentris might be delayed because of a regulatory snag. On Thursday, an advisory panel of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted to recommend conditional approval of the drug for the treatment of two types of lymphoma under the agency's acclerated approval program. The drug's final approval would be dependent on the satisfactory completion of certain clinical studies.

Full Disclosure: None.

US Hot Stocks: SUG, RTI, P, CLNE, JAZZ

Below we highlight few companies whose shares are actively trading in Thursday's session.

Southern Union Company (NYSE: SUG) rallied more than 4% after the company confirmed receipt of a revised proposal by The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE: WMB) to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Southern Union for $44.00 per share in cash. Southern Union will review the proposal, consistent with its fiduciary duties and its obligations under its revised merger agreement with Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (NYSE:ETE) announced July 5, 2011. At this time, the Board reaffirmed its recommendation of the existing ETE merger agreement

Shares of RTI International Metals, Inc. (NYSE: RTI) plunged more than 14% after Goldman Sachs downgraded its rating on the company to Sell from Neutral. The firm also lowered its price target on the stock to to $31 from $40 a share, citing margin concerns. In a research note to clients, the firm stated, "We are downgrading RTI to sell from neutral as we believe the market is underestimating the significant margin squeeze RTI may potentially face over the next couple of years due to its inability to pass through the expected increase in titanium sponge prices," 

Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE: P) dropped more than 5% as European rival potify made its long-awaited U.S. debut on Thursday. Earlier this week, Pandora said it reached 100 million registered users, and that it had 36 million active monthly users of its service. Spotify, which launched two years ago, has about 10 million registered users of its service, and 1.6 million paid subscribers. Pandora's shares have fluctuated wildly since the Oakland, Calif.-based company went public in June at $16 a share. 

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (NASDAQ: CLNE) slumped more than 8% after Raymond James downgraded its rating on the company to Outperform from Strong Buy.

Shares of Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAZZ) rallied more than 4% on Thursday after analysts at Piper Jaffray initiated coverage of the biotech group with an overweight rating. 

Full Disclosure: None.

Focus Stocks: MCP, COP, CNX

Molycorp Inc. (NYSE: MCP) dropped more than 2% on Thursday after China, the biggest supplier of rare earths, almost doubled its export quota for the second half less than two weeks after the World Trade Organization found that its limits on raw- material shipments broke global rules.

Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) surge more than 6% after the company announced that its board of directors has approved pursuing the separation of the company's Refining & Marketing and Exploration & Production businesses into two stand-alone, publicly traded corporations via a tax-free spin of the refining and marketing business to ConocoPhillips shareholders. Following the completion of the proposed separation, ConocoPhillips will be a large and geographically diverse pure-play exploration and production company with strong returns and investment opportunities. The company's strategy of enhancing returns on capital through developing new resources, growing reserves and production per share, continuing the asset sale program and increasing shareholder distributions will not change.

Consol Energy Inc. (NYSE: CNX) jumped more than 5% after the company lifted its outlook for total coal production this year, citing strong performance in a handful of its mines. The company has benefited with other coal producers from robust global demand even as it aggressively expands its natural-gas production in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale formation. For the full year, Consol now sees annual coal production between 62 million and 63 million tons, up from its prior expectation of 60 million to 62 million tons. For the current quarter, it expects production between 14.4 and 14.8 million tons, while in the quarter ended June 30, Consol expects total coal production of 15.4 million tons.

Full Disclosure: None.

Today's Top Movers: JOYG, TRH, NEWN, HRBN, CLNE

Shares of Joy Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: JOYG) rose as much as 2% on Wenesday after Bloomberg reported that the mining equipment maker is in talks to buy China's International Mining Machinery Holdings Ltd. a maker of coal-mining equipment. A deal could be announced this week, according to Bloomberg, which cited a person with knowledge of the matter. International Mining, controlled by private equity firm The Jordan Company LP, has a market value of about $1.09 billion.

Transatlantic Holdings Inc. (NYSE: TRH) jumped as much as 6% after Validus Holdings, Ltd. (NYSE: VR) delivered to the Board of Directors of Transatlantic Holdings a proposal to merge the businesses of the two company. Pursuant to the proposal, Transatlantic stockholders would receive 1.5564 Validus voting common shares in the merger and $8.00 in cashper share pursuant to a one-time special dividend from Transatlantic immediately prior to closing of the merger for each share of Transatlantic common stock they own.

New Energy Systems Group (AMEX: NEWN) jumpe more than 5% after the company announced that the company's senior management team has purchased approximately $300,000 of stock of the Company to date with personal funds.

Harbin Electric Inc. (NASDAQ: HRBN) rallied more than 2% after the Chinese maker of electric motors announced that it had agreed to go private in June, submitted a preliminary merger proxy statement Wednesday, bringing the company closer to a buyout. Harbin Electric Inc. was listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market through a reverse merger.

Clean Energy Fuel Corp. (NASDAQ: CLNE) soared more than 12 percent after the builder and operator of natural-gas fueling stations was boosted to “buy” from “underperform” at Bank of America Corp. after receiving a $150 million investment from Chesapeake Energy Corp. (CHK US).

Full Disclosure: None.

US Hot Stocks: AAPL, JASO, NWSA, SINA, TSPT

Citigroup on Wenesday raised its price target on Buy-rated Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) to $450 from $435 ahead of earnings on July 19th. In a research note to clients, the firm said that checks show that iPhone demand is surprisingly strong and they raised their estimates from 16 million units to 18 million, which is above the consensus of 16.5-17 million. The firm also sees iPad shipments of 8 million, which is above the consensus of 7.5 million.

Shares of JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO) rallied more than 4% after the company announced that Mr. Min Cao will succeed Ms. Anthea Chung as JA Solar's chief financial officer. Ms. Chung is resigning from her position to pursue other opportunities. She will remain with the company through August 19, 2011, to assist with the transition, and will participate in the company's second quarter earnings conference call.

News Corp. (NASDAQ: NWSA) rallied more than 3% after the company said it was dropping its bid to acquire the 60.1% of British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC that it doesn't already own, amid a political firestorm over alleged unethical reporting tactics at some of its British newspapers.

Sina Corp. (NASDAQ: SINA) surged more than 7% after the company announced that it will launch a virtual currency for its popular Weibo microblogging service in the third quarter of this year, the firm's first real push to monetise the platform, a source with direct knowledge of the plan said on Wednesday. Analysts said the move is significant for Sina as it seeks to monetise Weibo and expand it into a full-fledged social network to compete with Renren Inc and Tencent Holding's QQZone. Sina, which launched Weibo about two years ago, has more than 140 million users.

Shares of Transcept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASAQ: TSPT) sank more than 40% on Wednesday, a day after the specialty pharmaceutical company said it expects a second rejection letter from the U.S. health regulator regarding its sleep disorder drug. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had assigned an action date of July 14 for the drug, Intermezzo.

Full Disclosure: None.

Focus Stocks: LDK, ERTS, CTL, KCI

LDK Solar Co., Ltd. (NYSE: LDK) rallied more than 2% in Wenesday's pre-market trading after the company announced that it has signed contracts to supply solar modules to two leading electric power companies in China. The first sales contract is for 30 megawatts (MW) of solar modules in the Qinghai province to be delivered in August of 2011. The second contract is for 5 MW of solar modules in the Jilin province to be delivered in the first half of 2012.

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) on Wednesday announced an agreement to acquire PopCap Games, a leading provider of games for mobile phones, tablets, PCs and social network sites. With blockbuster titles like Plants vs. Zombies, Bejeweled, and Zuma, and a proven ability to create new hits, PopCap is a leader in the fast growing market for casual digital games.EA will pay approximately $650 million in cash and $100 million in shares of EA common stock to be issued to certain stockholders of PopCap. In addition, the PopCap sellers are entitled to additional variable cash consideration, contingent upon the achievement of certain non-GAAP earnings before interest and tax ("EBIT") performance milestones through December 2013, EA's third fiscal quarter end. EA also reaffirmed its oon-GAAP Q1 FY12 and full year FY12 financial guidance.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Wenesday approved the pending merger between CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) and Savvis, Inc. (NASDAQ: SVVS). The merger previously received an early termination notice under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act from the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade. 

Kinetic Concepts Inc. (NYSE: KCI) rallied more than 5% in Wednesday's pre-market trading after it agreed to be acquired by a group of investors led by private-equity fund Apax Partners in a deal valued at about $4.98 billion. he total value of the deal, including debt assumption, is estimated at $6.3 billion.

Full Disclosure: None.

Netflix Rallies On New Pricing Plan

Shares of Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) rose more than 1% on Tuesday after the company  it is separating its unlimited streaming and unlimited DVD plans in the U.S. to better reflect the costs of each and to give members a choice: a streaming-only plan, a DVD-only plan or the option to subscribe to both. The unlimited streaming plan will remain at $7.99 a month. The price for obtaining both unlimited streaming and unlimited DVDs will be $15.98 a month ($7.99 + $7.99). For new Netflix members, the changes will be effective immediately. For existing members, the new pricing will start for charges on or after September 1. Stay tuned for more.

Full Disclosure: None.

US Hot Stocks: TSL, GMCR, CLNE, MBI, ISR

Below we highlight few companies whose shares are actively trading in Tuesday's session.

Trina Solar Ltd. (NYSE: TSL) sank more than 14% after China-based solar power manufacturer, announced that Peter Mak, an independent director and chairman of the audit committee of the company, resigned effective July 10 to focus on other personal and professional pursuits. The company named Jerome Corcoran, an independent director, as chairman of the audit committee of the board to replace Mak.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) plunged more than 5% after research firm Stifel Nicolaus said that the company is losing K-Cup share to Folgers and Millstone K-Cup. Share loss could accelerate with the rollout of Dunkin' Donuts and SBUX K-Cups in Summer 2011 and Fall 2011, the firm notes.

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (NASDAQ: CLNE) surged more than 15% after Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE: CHK), the nation's second largest natural gas producer, agreed to invest $150 million in North America's largest provider of natural gas fuel for transportation. The investment is dedicated to help fund the development of approximately 150 LNG truck fueling stations at strategic truck-stop locations along major trucking corridors to form the backbone of "America's Natural Gas Highway."

MBIA Inc. (NYSE: MBI) surged as much as 8% on Tuesday after the bond insurer agreed to drop a lawsuit against Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) and Merrill Lynch over $5.7 billion in credit default protection the bond insurer underwrote for the bank's mortgage-backed securities.

IsoRay, Inc. (AMEX: ISR) surged more than 17% after the company announced another milestone, today, in the use of its proprietary Cesium-131 (Cs-131) brachytherapy seeds (internal radiation therapy) in mesh. Dr. Deepak Khuntia, known as one of the nation's leading thought leaders in lung and brain tumors, performed the world's first implant of Cesium-131 mesh brachytherapy in an early stage lung cancer patient using the da Vinci Surgical System. Dr. Khuntia and the surgical team performed the surgery at El Camino Hospital in California.

Full Disclosure: None.

Focus Stocks: CPB, SOL, MCHP, CVX, RADS

Campbell Soup Co., (NYSE: CPB) dropped more than 2% in Tuesday's pre-market trading after the company said that for fiscal 2011, adjusted earnings per share would rise 1%, adjusted earnings before interest and taxes would fall 2%, and net sales would be little changed from fiscal 2010. A survey of analysts by FactSet Research produced a consensus estimate of $2.45 a share of profit for fiscal 2011. Campbell earned $2.47 a share in fiscal 2010. In fiscal 2012 -- "a year of transition and investment," according to Denise Morrison, who becomes president and CEO on Aug. 1 -- Campbell sees adjusted profit per share down 4% to 6% as sales range from unchanged to up 2% compared with fiscal 2011. Longer term, Campbell expects adjusted EPS to grow 5% to 7% as sales rise 3% to 4%, the company said.

ReneSola Ltd (NYSE: SOL) slumped more than 11% after the company announced that it has revised its second quarter 2011 guidance primarily due to declines in wafer prices and a challenging solar module market. For the second quarter of 2011, the Company estimates its total solar wafer and module shipments to be in the range of 290 MW to 300 MW, compared to its previously guided range of 330 MW to 350 MW; revenues to be in the range of US$235 million to US$245 million, compared to its previously guided range of US$280 million to US$300 million; and gross profit margin to be in the range 17% to 19%, compared to its previously guided range of 25% to 27%.

Microchip Technology Incorporated (NASDAQ: MCHP) plunged more than 11% after the company announced that it expects its net sales for its first quarter of fiscal 2012 ending June 30, 2011 to be down about 1.5% sequentially. On May 5, 2011, Microchip provided guidance of net sales increasing 1% to 6% sequentially. Microchip also announced today that first quarter fiscal 2012 GAAP earnings per share is expected to be approximately 47 to 49 cents and non-GAAP earnings per share is expected to be approximately 53 to 55 cents. On May 5, 2011, Microchip provided guidance of GAAP EPS of 52 to 55 cents and non-GAAP EPS of 58 to 62 cents for the first quarter of fiscal 2012. "Our net sales activity in the June quarter did not progress as we originally expected," said Steve Sanghi, Microchip's President and CEO. "We are seeing broad-based weakness in our business due to a number of factors. In the June quarter, our automotive business was down significantly from the March 2011 quarter due to lower automotive production activities including supply issues from other manufacturers associated with the earthquake in Japan."

Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) on Monday said that its expects its second-quarter earnings will rise over the previous quarter as higher oil prices continue to lift its upstream business and its refining margins improve.

Radiant Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: RADS) surged more than 33% after it said that it has agreed to be acquired by NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) through a cash tender offer of $28.00 per Radiant Systems share. The equity purchase price of $1.2 billion has been approved by the boards of directors of each company. NCR and Radiant Systems currently anticipate the transaction will close during the third quarter of 2011, subject to regulatory approval.

Full Disclosure: None.

US Hot Stocks: CSCO, LOCM, PDLI, FN, KNDI

Shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) slipped more than 2% after research firm Gleacher & Co. said that a massive workforce reduction would be announced at the company in several weeks. More than 5,000 jobs, or 7% of Cisco's headcount, would be affected, according to the report. The move would follow a series of changes the embattled Cisco has already made in an effort to streamline its operations, including cutting much of its consumer unit and reshuffling management.

Local.com Corp. (NASDAQ: LOCM) soared more than 10% after the company announced the acquisition of Screamin’ Media Group, Inc., which operates Screamin’ Daily Deals.

PDL BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: PDLI) rallied more than 9% after the company announced a favorable ruling today, specifically, that on July 7, 2011, the Second Judicial District Court of Nevada ruled in favor of PDL on two motions to dismiss filed by Genentech and F. Hoffmann LaRoche, Ltd. in PDL's lawsuit related to the 2003 settlement agreement with Genentech. The court denied Genentech and Roche's motion to dismiss four of PDL's five claims for relief and, further, denied Roche's separate motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction. The court dismissed one of PDL's claims that Genentech committed a bad-faith breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing stating that, based on the current state of the pleadings, no "special relationship" had been established between Genentech and PDL as required under Nevada law.

Fabrinet (NASDAQ: FN) slumped more than 7% Monday after Oclaro Inc. (NASDAQ: 

OCLR) delivered a notice to the maker of optical telecommunications equipment to terminate a supply agreement, according to a regulatory filing.

Kandi Technologies, Corp. (NASDAQ: KNDI) surged more than 18% after the company announced the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement with Hangzhou Electric Vehicle Service Co., Ltd., effective July 5, 2011. Hangzhou Electric Vehicle Service Co., a professional service company affiliate of State Grid Corporation, is assisting the local municipal government in launching the 20,000 pure electric vehicle pilot program for Hangzhou consumers through the end of 2012. Hangzhou Electric Vehicle Service Co. also manages the local State Grid "Express Change" battery service network.

Full Disclosure: None.

Focus Stocks: SIRI, YRCW, MOS, MON, ARJ

Sirius XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) rallied more than 3% in Monday's pre-market trading after the company announce that it would join the Nasdaq-100 Index by the end of the week. The Nasdaq-100 Index is composed of the 100 largest non-financial stocks listed on Nasdaq and dates to January 1985. Sirius will be added to the index on Friday. The satellite radio station will also be included in the PowerShares QQQ exchange-traded fund, which seeks to replicate the Nasdaq-100 Index.

YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) surged more than 20% in pre-market trading after the struggling trucking company sai that it has obtained commitments for a three-year, $400 million asset-based loan (ABL) facility that will replace the company's existing asset-backed securitization (ABS) facility. "Replacing the ABS facility with this new facility should improve the company's liquidity," says John Lamar, chief restructuring officer and lead director of YRC Worldwide." YRC Worldwide said that it remains on track to close the restructuring later this month.

Mosaic Co. (NYSE: MOS) dropped more than 2% in Monday's pre-market trading after the company   today announced it will vigorously pursue all options, including appeals, to defend itself against an injunction entered Friday afternoon by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. This injunction prevents all mining activities on the Hardee County extension of Mosaic's South Fort Meade phosphate mine in Central Florida. As previously disclosed, the Company is defending a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club that seeks to prevent Mosaic from extending its mining permit into Hardee County. Mosaic believes it will be able to support planned finished phosphate fertilizer production levels through the end of fiscal 2012 through a combination of existing phosphate rock inventories, higher output from its other Florida mines, increasing shipments from the Company's Miski Mayo joint venture, and supplemental purchases of phosphate rock from third parties. Mosaic's initial analysis indicates that the combination of higher costs for purchased phosphate rock and unabsorbed fixed costs could increase fiscal 2012 pretax costs by approximately $200 million.

Monsanto Co. (NYSE: MON) and Sinochem Corp. and  are in talks to deepen their relationship, bolstering the growth story happening in China. According to the Wall Street Journal, Monsanto and Sinochem have been in discussions for months. Talks may include the possible sale of a minority stake by Monsanto or Sinochem taking on a larger marketing role of Monsanto products in China. Economic and political differences have made talks challenging, according to sources.

Arch Chemicals Inc. (NYSE: ARJ) surged more than 11% in Monday's pre market trading after it agreed to be acquired by Swiss chemicals company Lonza Group in a cash transaction valued at $1.4 billion. Terms call for Lonza to launch a $47-a-share tender offer.

Full Disclosure: None.

Focus Stocks: NVDA, YGE, LOCM, MWW

NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA) dropped nearly 1% on Friday following reports of a possible delay in two key launches. NVIDIA had originally planned to unveil its 28nm GPU architecture at the end of 2011 and 22/20nm sometime in 2013 but now sees these units shipping in 2012 and 2014, respectively.

Yingli Green Energy (NYSE: YGE) slumped more than 2% after Goldman Sachs downgraded the company to Sell from Neutral. The firm also slashd its price target on the stock to $8 from $11.90. In a research note to clients, the firm stated that while it likes Yingli's "management team's solid operation track record, we are concerned about the greater earnings vulnerability of YGE vs. its peers."

Local.com Corp. (NASDAQ: LOCM) jumped more than 20% after the company said that it has entered into a two-year agreement with Internet search giant Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) to implement "certain advertising and search services

Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: MWW) sank more than 5% after the Commerce Department reported that nonfarm payrolls rose by only 18,000 in June, well below the 125,000 gain expected by economists. The unemployment rate ticked higher to 9.2% in June from 9.1% in the previous month, reaching the highest level since December. Economists had expected the unemployment rate to remain steady.

Full Disclosure: None.

Focus Stocks: C, V, SBUX, STX, M

Citigroup (NYSE: C) rose more than 1% in Thursay's pre-market traing on reporte that it is planning to boost its presence in China by 50 percent in 2011. The bank will add about 15 to 20 new outlets in the country, bringing the total number of outlets to 45 to 50. Citi has been making strong moves to increase its presence in the country, boosting outlets from 13 in 2006 to 37 currently. Citi China's CEO Andrew Au said Citi is looking beyond cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, moving inland to tap the "dynamism of local economies and increasing affluence of the people there." Au believes China's market is underserved when it comes to lending. 

About 1,000 employees have already been added to Citi China's roster over the last 12 months to facilitate the expansion. According to Dow Jones: "Citigroup has stakes in two mid-sized Chinese banks: a 2.7 percent stake in Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Co. and a 19.9 percent stake in Guangfa Bank Co., which is planning a $5 billion initial public offering. Citigroup also plans to set up a joint-venture securities company with Shanghai-based Orient Securities Co. to grab a share of China's capital market."

In a regulatory filing Wednesday, Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) warned that its revenue and earnings growth will slow in 2012 due to the financial impact of newly adopted Federal Reserve rules restricting debit-card fees. Revenue for 2012 is pegged to grow at a percentage rate in a range from the high single digits to the low double digits, as opposed to top-line growth of 11% to 15% forecast for this year. Visa also said earnings per share are expected to show growth of more than 20% this year, followed by growth in “the middle-to-high teens” in 2012. Visa shares dropped more than 3% in Thursday's pre-market trading. 

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) dropped more than 1% in Thursday's pre-market trading after Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock to Neutral from Conviction Buy. 

Shares of Seagate Technology PLC (NYSE: STX) rallied more than 2% in Thursday's pre-market trading after JP Morgan upgraded its rating on the company to Overweight from Underweight based on HDD unit trends that appear to have bottomed and favorable pricing. The firm raised its price target to $23 from $16.

Macy's, Inc. (NYSE: M) rose more than 2% in pre-market trading after it reported total sales of $2.392 billion for the five weeks ended July 2, 2011, an increase of 7.5 percent compared with total sales of $2.226 billion in the five weeks ended July 3, 2010. On a same-store basis, Macy's, Inc. sales were up 6.7 percent in June.

Full Disclosure: None. 

US Hot Stocks: GM, NWSA, OVTI, MRGE

Shares of General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) rose more than 1% after Morgan Stanley said it is replacing Ford (NYSE: F) with General Motors as its "Top Pick" in the Autos sector. The firm feels GM has room for upside surprises on sales, mix and pricing this quarter. 

News Corp. (NASDAQ: NWSA) plunged more than 3% after British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday said that there should be an official inquiry into a phone-hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch's News International which has prompted national outrage.

OmniVision Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: OVTI) plunged more than 5% on speculation that the company may lose its status as lead socket supplier for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), FBR Capital analyst Craig Berger said in a note. OmniVision may have missed a commercial production deadline, possibly losing its lead supplier status to Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE), Berger said.

Merge Healthcare Inc. (NASDAQ: MRGE) rallied more than 3% on Wednesday on speculation that the company coul be a takeover target.

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Focus Stocks: C, AAPL, QCOM, IMAX, VRUS

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is part of a bidding group that includes Centerbridge Partners LP and Leucadia National Corp. engaged in exclusive talks to buy the consumer-lending business formerly known as CitiFinancial from Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C), the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The consortium plans to write a large equity check and borrow significant sums to finance the purchase, the Journal said.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has placed orders for key components to be used in a next-generation iPhone anticipated for launch during the third quarter, according to The Wall Street Journal. The new version would be thinner and lighter than the iPhone 4 and sport an 8-megapixel camera, and it’s expected to operate on wireless baseband chips suppled by Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM), the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the situation.

IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX) on Tuesday announced a joint revenue sharing agreement with ZON Lusomundo Cinemas to install three new digital IMAX(R) theatre systems in Portugal. The deal marks the first IMAX theatres to open in Portugal. Under the terms of the agreement, the systems will be installed in existing theatres in different parts of the country, with the first expected to open by the end of the year. All three locations are expected to open before the end of 2012.

Pharmasset, Inc. (NASAQ: VRUS) announced Tuesday that it has entered into a clinical collaboration agreement with Tibotec Pharmaceuticals to evaluate in a Phase 2 study the safety and efficacy of PSI-7977, Pharmasset's investigational nucleotide polymerase inhibitor, in combination with TMC435, Tibotec Pharmaceuticals' investigational protease inhibitor, for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus.

Full Disclosure: None.