• Ralph Lauren and Target: Two retailers on opposite sides of the consumer spectrum reporting earnings this week. Which has the better chart?

    Two retailers serving opposite ends of the consumer spectrum, but both with the same story: up to record highs. Ralph Lauren and Target both report tomorrow. If estimates are correct, things will look pretty rosy for the two of them.

    Retail has come a long way since its lows in 2008. In fact, since November of that year, the SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) ETF has nearly quadrupled. Estimates on retail sales from the US Census Bureau also point up. They have retail sales up over 3% for the first four months compared to the same time in 2012.

    Ralph Lauren and Target, of course, are different sort of retailers. Ralph Lauren made its reputation on selling a high-end lifestyle and the clothing to match. Target lets you buy a men’s suit while picking up a gallon of milk and Cheetos.

    Ralph Lauren’s products aren’t the only things more expensive than Target’s. The

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  • Is Apple’s Tim “Cook”-ed?

    By Lawrence Lewitinn | Talking Numbers – 13 hours ago

    With no major product offering, and now a growing tax scandal, is the clock running out on Apple's stock and its CEO Tim Cook?

    Apple CEO Tim Cook likely sings the “Friends” theme song to himself these days, particularly the part that goes, “It's like you're always stuck in second gear. Well, it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year.”

    Apple is getting grilled on Capitol Hill by the United States Senate. Yesterday, Senators John McCain and Carl Levin attacked the company for using two Irish subsidiaries to dodge $44 billion in US taxes. The company is already the largest US taxpayer, shelling out $7.2 billion to Uncle Sam last year alone. (That’s 27% more than the number two, Berkshire Hathaway and 140% more than Goldman Sachs).

    While the company has been up 11% this past month, it’s still down nearly 20% in 2013. And, there’s the long-term problem that critics hurl at the company: Since Steve Jobs passed away in October, 2011, the company’s innovation has

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  • Dr. Doom: US Rally Will End Really, Really Badly

    By Lawrence Lewitinn | Talking Numbers – 17 hours ago

    Marc Faber, Editor and Publisher of the Gloom, Boom & Doom Report, is one of the world’s most famous market contrarians. He’s been pretty good about predicting bubbles and collapses over the past couple of decades. In this, the third of a three-part interview, Faber explains that in market history, what goes up eventually comes down hard.

    Marc Faber believes history is a guide to how markets can behave. And he thinks the US markets have a history of behaving badly.

    The economist and fund manager known as “Dr. Doom” for his contrarian predictions during bull markets believes the stock market in the United States is overdue for “a correction”. In other words, it’s headed down. But, it won’t take the quick way down. The market may very well continue up. Well, for a little bit.

    “There’s a chance that this market could behave like 1987 where the market went up first 40% from January until August 25 [1987] and then collapsed by 41% in two months,” says Faber.

    That’s not the only example. He

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  • The hottest trade in the past year has been The Home Depot. It's been hotter than Apple or Google. The Dow component reported earnings this morning. But, with the stock at an all-time high, has it come too far, too fast?

    The Home Depot has been on a tear since August 2011. Its shares have more than doubled in less than two years. Now it’s at an all-time high. But is the home improvement retailer a house of bricks or is a house of straw waiting to collapse?

    The company released its numbers this morning. Analysts expected its earnings to be $0.77 per share and its revenues to be $18.69 billion for the quarter, nearly 5% more than this time last year.

    One guide for where the company is headed is by looking at housing starts in the US. According to the US Census Bureau, the first three months of 2013 saw 2.89 million new homes begun, compared to 2.14 million last year, a 35% jump.

    So far, good news for The Home Depot and its arch-rival Lowe’s, right?

    Maybe not, because all may not be so

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  • JPMorgan: A “Dimon” in The Rough?

    By Lawrence Lewitinn | Talking Numbers – Mon, May 20, 2013 1:50 PM EDT

    JPMorgan shareholders vote tomorrow on whether to let Dimon keep the title of both chairman and CEO. He says that if he has to give up one, he’s out of there. Is this uncertainty a buying opportunity?

    JPMorgan Chase’s shareholders will be meeting tomorrow to decide if Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon will keep both those titles. In reality, this is a referendum on the man himself as he’s threatened to quit should he have to give up one or the other.

    Shares of the company are now trading 1% above where they were when Dimon took the reins at the end of 2006. That’s not to say it’s been smooth sailing. By March 2009, share prices fell below $16. It has since rebounded 225%, making his tenure a wild ride indeed.

    Proponents of splitting the roles cite corporate governance best practices. Dual roles are generally considered one of many warning signs when looking at a company, according to the curriculum for the CFA Institute, the best-known analysts’ organization.

    On the other hand, many

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About Talking Numbers

TALKING NUMBERS is a fully integrated media experience, hosted by CNBC and Yahoo! Finance, that takes a 360° approach to trading-highlighting the best investment opportunities by analyzing stocks both a technical and a fundamental point of view. But TALKING NUMBERS will do more than just tell investors what to buy; it will show them HOW to buy. Our goal: teach viewers how to harness both technical and fundamental data points so they can become better investors.