The Financials Review
For the week of December 19, 2011

By Frank LaMantia

Stocks are up in the premarket due to European officials discussing a draft of a new fiscal policy which could be applied in January. Europe also agreed to put up over $150 million euros to the IMF to give more support to the Euro zone.

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, Saudi Prince, has placed a $300 million stake in Twitter which some feel is better than the recent IPOs. Also in the news today BI-LO , private operator of supermarkets, agreed to purchase Winn-Dixie Stores for over $560 million in cash. This is not much of a surprise because of the rise in food prices over the past few years. Obviously gas prices rising created transportation costs to rise and goods followed. This caused consumers to not buy as many groceries and to pick staple foods or those good that would last longer on the shelves.

In focus this week: What would happen if the Eurozone broke up? Some feel inflation could ensue and that economic pain may still be an issue. Others feel that a depression may set in causing a train reaction around the globe. Who knows, maybe a depression and large inflation occurs because the Eurozone is trying to throw billions at the problem without actually fixing the problem. The one thing that traders are likely worried about this morning is the death of North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong Il.(1) (2)

1) http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stock-index-futures-signal-early-100935032.html
2) http://www.cnbc.com/id/45722282

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