Watch the balloon...

Watch the balloon... it was highly overinflated before 911, and it is reinflating. Whenever there is a high spike, beware of the coming bust... Whenever a bust occurs, massive money shifts ownership... where is it going?

Something that W was talking about?


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Merrill Lynch & Co. (NYSE:MER - news) on Tuesday reported a 50 percent rise in third-quarter profit, notching its second-best quarterly earnings ever, powered by strength in key areas such as bond trading and sales of securities to investors.


New York-based Merrill, the biggest U.S. brokerage, reported third-quarter net income of $1.04 billion, or $1.04 per share. That compared with earnings of $693 million, or 73 cents per share, in the same period last year.

The results blew past Wall Street estimates. Analysts polled by Reuters Research, a unit of Reuters Group Plc, on average expected Merrill to earn 86 cents per share for the period.

story.news.yahoo.com.../nm/20031014/bs_nm/financial_merrill_earns_dc

The balloon grows... frighteningly fast...

Bank of America's earnings up 30 percent

By PAUL NOWELL
AP BUSINESS WRITER

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Bank of America Corp. said Tuesday that its profits rose more than 30 percent in the third quarter, driven by across-the-board gains in the bank's major businesses.

Net income totaled $2.92 billion, or $1.92 per share, in the July-September period, up from $2.24 billion, or $1.45 per share, in the third quarter of 2002.

The gains exceeded Wall Street's expectations. Analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call projected the bank's profit at $1.69 a share.

In midmorning trading, shares changed hands at $82.29, up 55 cents, on the New York Stock Exchange.

seattlepi.nwsource.com...


W said something about watching the money... what about watching people right about now?

It is my understanding that it is not good for a company to way above it's earnings. It has the same effect as a company not making it's earnings. It shows instability in the companany that they are not aware of the loss and gains especially gains. If they are going to make 50% percent in profits it would be up to the companany to specify that with it's shareholders.

I also agree that it is not good for a company to all of a sudden make a huge profit. It usually means they know something that other investors didn't see - which is usually a cover-up of some sort.

More inflation... its all leading to something...

SAN FRANCISCO � Intel Corp. (INTC), the world's largest maker of semiconductors (search), Tuesday beat analysts estimates with sharply higher quarterly profit and revenue driven by record shipments of microprocessors and other chips.

Intel's third-quarter revenue outpaced its own forecast for $7.6 billion. Analysts had on average had expected Intel to post revenue of $7.7 billion and earnings per share of 23 cents, according to Reuters Research.

www.foxnews.com...

Continuing to inflate... wonder how big the bust will be?


NEW YORK � Stocks rose to fresh 2003 highs Tuesday in a late rally as companies like Johnson & Johnson reported solid profits, but worries that robust earnings are already factored into the market kept a lid on gains.

The tech-packed Nasdaq Composite Index (search) rose 9.66 points, or 0.50 percent, to 1,943.19, hitting its highest close since Jan. 28, 2002. The blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average (search) advanced 48.60 points, or 0.50 percent, to 9,812.98, its highest close since May 31, 2002. The broad Standard & Poor's 500 (search) was up 4.13 points, or 0.40 percent, at 1,049.48, ending at its best level since June 5, 2002.

www.foxnews.com...