Blog Posts by Rebecca Stropoli

The Ruckus Wireless (RKUS) web site on Friday features the statement, "Who Let the Dogs Out? The New York Stock Exchange, That's Who." This declaration is likely a bit more apt than the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based wi-fi equipment maker would like because, after pricing at the high end of its $13-$15 range on Thursday, the company (whose logo is an illustration of a barking canine) had what some would call a dog of a debut as it ventured into the public realm.

Shares of Ruckus ended down 18% from their $15 offering in the midst of a post-election market rout that has seen several other companies withdrawing their initial public offering (IPO) deals (and at least two of them, Radius Health Inc. and Silvercrest Asset Management Group Inc., citing "market conditions" as the reason).

Goldman Sachs (GS), Morgan Stanley (MS) and Deutsche Bank AG's (DB) Deutsche Bank Securities were the lead underwriters in the Ruckus IPO; the company sold  8.4 million shares in a deal initially valued at $126

Update: Monster Beverage stock is sinking as much as 11% after its earnings and revenue missed analyst estimates in a release after the bell. The company reported earnings per share of 47 cents, which fell below consensus of 55 cents, while revenue of $542 million missed expectations of around $578 million. As expenses jumped, gross margin shrank -- from 52.7% to 50.5%.

In a statement, CEO Rodney C. Saks said, "While the Company achieved less robust growth in sales dollars than in previous quarters, gross sales for the Company in October 2012 increased by approximately 28 percent over the same month last year."

Monster Beverage (MNST) stock has been less-than-energized in the past few months, as scrutiny into the safety of its energy-drink products has intensified.

Back in August we took a look at the stock just as The Wall Street Journal reported New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued subpoenas to Monster and fellow energy-drink manufacturers PepsiCo (PEP) and

UPDATE: On Friday evening, it was confirmed by NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg that the marathon for Sunday, November 4, would indeed be canceled. "While holding the race would not require diverting resources from the recovery effort, it is clear that it has become the source of controversy and division," he said in a statement.

The New York City Marathon is typically an inspirational event featuring thousands of runners and millions of spectators cheering along a vibrant autumnal landscape. But this year finds Marathon Sunday a topic of heated debate, as it is set to occur less than a week after the city was crippled by Superstorm Sandy, which has caused billions of dollars in damage. Some in a Sandy-weary metropolis struggling to recover amid continuing power outages, escalating gas shortages, rising death toll numbers and increasingly empty grocery store shelves say the time couldn't be worse for this race across the five boroughs. Others, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg, cite not

As tech titan Apple's (AAPL) ipad unveiling was happening in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, employees of another, very different, tech company were receiving pink slips. Zynga (ZNGA) yesterday cut 5% of its workforce -- or 15o people -- in a move that was hardly surprising for the beleaguered social gaming company, especially following the slashing of its 2012 outlook earlier this month. The cuts came ahead of Zynga's 3Q earnings release, which is scheduled for after the bell Wednesday.

The San Francisco-based company will also be putting 13 older games to rest and will pull back on its investment in its latest game "The Ville"; it also shut its Boston office and may also be looking toward shuttering its operations in Japan and the UK (the company outright owns its San Francisco headquarters, having purchased the building for $220 million earlier this year). This speaks to a much different strategy for Zynga than what they came out of the gate with -- expansion,

Just a few weeks after hedge fund manager David Einhorn said Mexican eatery chain Chipotle (CMG) would be a tasty short candidate, the stock is hitting one-year lows on heavy volume following Thursday's after-the-bell earnings report. In midday trade on Friday, shares are down a whopping 14%, at $245 and change. The stock closed at $302.96 on Oct. 2, the day Einhorn made his call (shedding $17 from the open). That puts shares down more than 17% from that time today.

Chipotle's 3Q profit came in at $72.3 million, or $2.27 a share, which was up from EPS of $1.90 at this time last year, while revenue was up 18% from last year to $700.5 million. This was down from a 20% year-over-year revenue gain reported in 2Q, which also sorely disappointed investors expecting even more. Analyst consensus for the third quarter was $2.30 EPS on revenue of $702.

Same-store sales were up 4.8%, which was below consensus estimates of around 5.4% and far from the double-digit same-store sales growth they

The dogs of the Dow are one thing -- now investors are about to welcome a new pooch to the S&P 500: major pet supply retailer PetSmart Inc. (PETM).

After market close Oct. 4, PetSmart, the largest U.S. retailer to cater strictly to the animal population, will find a new home with the index, replacing oil and gas company Sunoco Inc., (SUN), which will be acquired by Energy Transfer Partners L.P. (ETP) on that same day. PetSmart will be moving on up from its place in the S&P Midcap 400 index; it'll be replaced there by hunting and outdoor goods supplier Cabela's (CAB). The move was announced Monday.

We Love Our Pets

We all know Americans love their pets -- some of them obsessively. The latest statistics from The Humane Society state that at least 39%  of U.S. households own at least one dog, while 33% have at least one cat. And let's not forget the hamsters, birds, rabbits, fish, guinea pigs, etc. According to a recent article in the Financial Times, the $67 billion-a-year market for

Freddie Mac's mortgage rates report put the capper on another week that's been heavy with housing data, at a time when a pressing, perpetually posed question has been: "Has the housing market finally bottomed?"

To no one's great surprise, we saw more record lows last week. Rates slid to an average 3.40% for the 30-year mortgage, down from the previous week's 3.49%. For perspective: Last year at this time, the average 30-year was at 4.01%. The 15-year was down last week to an average 2.73% from the previous week's 2.77%. A year ago, the 15-year averaged 3.28%.

[Click here to find mortgage rates in your area.]

As we noted last week, the Fed's move on Sept. 13 into QE-infinity territory has helped power the rate decline, and so far -- for borrowers -- it is a gift that keeps on giving. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association's report for the week ending Sept. 21, mortgage applications rose 2.8% from the previous week, while the Market Composite Index, which measures mortgage

In the war of the K-cups, who will emerge with the strongest brew?

Coffee giant Starbucks (SBUX) on Thursday announced it has  begun selling its single-serve coffee maker, dubbed Verismo, on its web site, with placement in its physical stores and other major retailers to come in October. The machine will price at $199 for the basic version and $399 for the larger, more upscale model, which will boast temperature controls and self-cleaning. This is in comparison to Green Mountain's (GMCR) Keurig machine, which is priced at around $250 for its new Vue brewer, and Nestle's (NESN.VX) Nespresso, which sees most of its sales in Europe (but is looking to expand in the U.S.) and prices from as low as $130 to as much as $700.

[Related: Starbucks Goes Into the Bakery Business]

Along with the ability to create coffee concoctions, the Starbucks machine will also allow caffeine fans to brew single shots of espresso and lattes. Green Mountain is currently working on its own espresso option with