Baker Hughes Earnings: What We?re Watching

In the North American region, which contributes to over half of the company's valuation, we expect revenues and margins to be strained due to a weak rig count and the company's heavy exposure to the pressure pumping market.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2012/10/18/oil-prices-should-help-baker-hughes-earnings/

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Markets Are Lower Everywhere After EU Summit

tightrope

After a week which saw huge rallies in Europe, markets are giving some back today.

It's nothing dramatic, but indices are lower after an EU Summit, which failed to come to germs with how Europe's rescue fund will be used to prop up failing banks.

Unlike past EU Summits, the stakes weren't huge either way in the immediate term, but this was perhaps a modest disappointment.

Spain is down 0.7%.

Germany is off 0.23%.

Italy is down 0.64%.

US futures are down just a hair.

There were also some weakish earnings after the bell yesterday, which are likely playing some kind of role in the negativity.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/c3nmXnKUYi4/morning-markets-october-19-2012-10

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GE?s Earnings Will Lean On Industrials As Europe Limps Along

The slowdown in Europe will continue to impact earnings in the third quarter. As Europe constitutes nearly 20% of GE?s top line, this impact will be significant. In addition, the shrinking balance sheet of GE Capital on account of the sale of its commercial real estate holdings is expected to impact its results.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2012/10/18/ges-earnings-will-lean-on-industrials-as-europe-limps-along/

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SMALL BUSINESS WORKERS: It's Your Boss' Fault You're Missing Health Insurance

small business

At the nearly 6 million U.S. businesses that have more than one person on the payroll, a lot of employees are unhappy about their health insurance. 

A study this year by insurance company Aflac found that employees of small businesses are less satisfied with health insurance and other benefits than employees of midsize and large companies are.

On top of that, employees at small businesses are more likely to think their benefits aren't up to snuff compared with benefits for workers at bigger companies.

Your employees don’t have to be down in the dumps about their insurance coverage, though. Here are seven mistakes to avoid when it comes to buying health insurance for your small business.

Not examining all the options.

For instance, do you pick a low-deductible plan to please employees or a high-deductible plan to save money 

“As with any other insurance, don’t make your decision on price alone. In insurance, you often get what you pay for, and that can be more expensive in the long run,” insurance consultant Dan Weedin says.

Not hiring an experienced broker.

Reach out to friends and business associates for referrals, experts say.

Aimee Elizabeth, an entrepreneur who wrote the book “Poverty Sucks! How to Become a Self-Made Millionaire,” says you should interview each broker you’re considering – and should not automatically hand your business to a broker 

“Explain what you need and why,” Elizabeth says. “See if he actually listens and understands, or if he rolls his eyes, interrupts you a lot and tries to shove his preconceived plan down your throat. You want the first guy, not the second. 

Not doing homework.

“If you do your research, you will know what you want and what it should cost you,” Elizabeth says. “So, you’ll have a leg up on your broker, and you’ll know if he’s trying to bamboozle you or not.”

Not sticking to a budget.

“Know your budget going in, and don’t waver,” Elizabeth says. “If you don’t know your budget, you can easily end up with buyer’s remorse when you wind up buying a package that leaves you penniless.”

Not shopping around.

Whether on your own or through a broker, get quotes from several health insurance companies, not just one.

“Make sure you don’t take the first option put in front of you. Once you have you looked at the major providers to ensure you have seen a full range of options regarding your health care options, then focus on making a clear decision,” says Pete Villemain, president of Employee Benefit Services Inc., a benefits administrator.

Not asking about tax-friendly accounts.

 Health savings accounts (HSAs), health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) and flexible savings accounts (FSAs) can give your business an edge when it comes to employees’ health insurance.

An HSA lets someone who’s covered by a high-deductible health insurance plan sock away money for medical expenses – without that money being taxed by Uncle Sam. An FSA allows someone to put pre-tax dollars toward out-of-pocket health care expenses, such as prescription drugs, that aren’t fully covered by insurance. An HRA is an employer-established health insurance plan that reimburses employees for eligible medical expenses.

 Whichever benefits an employer chooses, “communication and education to the employees are vital to make sure plans are understood and utilized to maximize benefits and have a healthy, productive workforce,” says Onofrio Cirianni, managing member of EisnerAmper Wealth Management & Corporate Benefits LLC, a financial planning company.

Not offering more than one health insurance option.

 In the workplace, one size does not fit all. If a company provides several plans, participants will be able to choose – based on their finances and medical needs – a lower-premium, higher-deductible option or a higher-premium, lower-deductible option, Cirianni says. The first option might be best for a young, healthy employee, she says, while the second might be right for an older, less healthy employee. 

Elizabeth says that from an employer’s vantage point, “while you don’t want to overpay, the cost of the insurance is not the most important factor – retaining your quality workers is.”

John Egan is managing editor of NetQuote.com, a website owned by Bankrate that allows people to shop for insurance and that provides information and advice about insurance. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnJEgan.

See Also: It's shocking what it costs to be a consumer today >

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/i5C6Ida1zvM/small-business-health-care-mistakes-2012-10

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The Drivers Behind Media Stocks Big Run This Year

The growing appetite for pay-TV services in emerging economies is presenting a tremendous opportunity for U.S. media giants to increase their international syndication as well as expand their own cable networks.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2012/10/18/the-drivers-behind-media-stocks-big-run-this-year/

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MILLIONAIRE TOY OF THE DAY: An ATV That Transforms Into A Watercraft

The latest in luxury toys for billionaires is the Quadski, an amped-up ATV from Gibbs Sports Amphibians Inc.

Hailed "The World's First Amphiquad" on the company website, the Quadski can reach speeds of 45 mph on both land and water, and can transition between the two in under five seconds.

The Quadski can race across land with 80 horsepower or, with the press of a button, its four wheels will effortlessly fold into the vehicle and the Quadski can speed across the water with 140 horsepower.

This is the first commercially available sports amphibian to exceed 10 mph and retail on the U.S. market. The all-terrain vehicle is 10.5 feet long, and weighs approximately 1,300 pounds.

The Quadski is built with a BMW Motorrad K-1300 engine that is coupled with the company's own patented water jet propulsion system. Its lower center of gravity is partly why it remains so balanced on land and water.

This incredible amphibious sports vehicle has a starting price of $40,000 for the first 1,000 production units, according to a report by Popular Mechanics.

Quadski

Quadski

See it in action below.

Don't Miss: A Proposed Trampoline Bridge Would Let Parisians Bounce Across The Seine

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/Wn1cah4S0zI/quadski-all-terrain-vehicle-2012-10

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This Is the Reason the S&P 500 Rose Decisively for a 3rd Straight Session

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With the U.S. presidential election less than three weeks away, everyone's attention is being turned to macroeconomic indicators and corporate earnings. Today, neither seemed to disappoint, with the broad-based S&P 500 (INDEX: ^GSPC  ) rising 5.99 points (0.41%) to end at 1,460.91.

The biggest boost came from U.S. housing starts, which rose an astonishing 15% in September to an annual rate of 872,000 --€" its highest rate since July 2008. A downtick in unemployment, historically low mortgage rates, and a huge uptick in building permits is giving credence that we may indeed have seen a bottom in the housing sector. PulteGroup (NYSE: PHM  ) led the sector higher within the S&P 500, advancing by better than 5%.

But, make no mistake about it -- today's movements were very much influenced by earnings and spinoff announcements. Let's quickly look at three companies that had a big impact on the S&P 500.

Dairy supplier Dean Foods (NYSE: DF  ) was the biggest winner within the S&P 500, rising 13% following the announcement of its expected pricing for its spinoff of WhiteWave-Alpro. While remaining the majority shareholder, Dean expects to raise around $300 million by pricing 20 million shares in a range of $14 to $16. The proceeds will be used to pay down Dean's exorbitant debt load of $3.5 billion. My Foolish colleague Jeremy Bowman isn't nearly as excited about the spinoff and thinks shareholders have more than priced the deal into Dean Foods' share price.

The disaster du jour was for-profit educator Apollo Group (Nasdaq: APOL  ) , which was sent to the principal's office following the release of its fourth-quarter earnings results. In a truly miserable report, Apollo Group noted that profits fell by 60%, it said student enrollment continued its unabated decline by falling 14%, it forecasted revenue well below Wall Street's consensus estimates in 2013, and it announced the closure of 115 of its smaller locations throughout the country. Battleship sunk! Apollo shares cratered 22% today.

IBM (NYSE: IBM  ) also had a rare off day, ending down $10.37, or 5%, after reporting disappointing third-quarter results. IBM's profit and revenue both fell shy of analysts' estimates, causing Big Blue to tumble. Not all hope is lost, however, as Fool John Maxfield suggests. As John noted in his three important takeaways from IBM's earnings report, gross margins expanded, emerging-market growth is driving new revenue pathways, and currency fluctuations seem to be one of the only true headwinds for IBM. In short, IBM looks to be just fine.

Dow but not out
Today's report from IBM may have scared traders back under the sheets, but for you long-term investors seeking sizable income from dividend-paying components of the Dow Jones, then click here to get your free copy of our latest report on three Dow dividends you need to have in your portfolio.

The Steve Jobs Betrayal
You may already know that in the final year of his life, Jobs revealed a stunning betrayal ? and told his biographer, "I will spend my last dying breath... and every penny of Apple's $40 billion in the bank to right this wrong." What was it that made Jobs so irate ? and why could it make a few in-the-know investors some major profits over the coming months and years?

Enter your email address below to find out what made Jobs so enraged!

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Source: http://feeds.fool.com/~r/usmf/foolwatch/~3/_qP2Cwaigq4/story01.htm

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Only Bad Things Can Happen When You Abandon Thousands Of Bottles Of Counterfeit Ketchup In A Warehouse

Taking huge, commercial-size bladders of Heinz Ketchup and repackaging it into smaller plastic bottles may not seem like that insidious of a scam, until you think about what else might be getting added to the sweet red goo — and what happens when you leave a few thousand bogus bottles of the stuff in a warehouse unattended.

The above photo … [More]

Source: http://consumerist.com/2012/10/18/only-bad-things-can-happen-when-you-abandon-thousands-of-bottles-of-counterfeit-ketchup-in-a-warehouse/

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Gap Should Probably Have Looked At Wikipedia Before Putting ?Manifest Destiny? On T-Shirt

To some people, like the designer of the Gap T-shirt seen here, the phrase “Manifest Destiny” is a vague memory from middle-school history and maybe had something to with the Louisiana Purchase or maybe not. In fact, it has a complicated history loaded with overtones of racial superiority and genocide. This is something the folks at the Gap could have … [More]

Source: http://consumerist.com/2012/10/17/gap-should-probably-have-looked-at-wikipedia-before-putting-manifest-destiny-on-t-shirt/

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