Featured FinancialWire™ News

Live Nation Sells UK Theater Unit

November 3, 2009 (FinancialWire) — Live Nation (NYSE: LYV) has closed the sale of its UK theatrical venues and operations to The Ambassador Theatre Group. The company has also closed on the sale of its one-third interest in the Dominion Theatre in London to The Nederlander Group.

The Ambassador Theatre Group is an owner and operator of regional theaters in the United Kingdom. The assets and operations it purchased includes two West End theaters, the Lyceum and Apollo Victoria, and 14 regional theaters located throughout the United Kingdom.

Live Nation said the total gross sales price for the entire portfolio, including Dominion, is around U.S. $160 million. The two sales represent a multiple of around 10.4 times estimated 2009 operating income, according to the company.
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Image Sensing Systems Files $15 Million Shelf

November 3, 2009 (FinancialWire) — Image Sensing Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISNS) said it has filed a shelf registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to allow the company to offer and sell up to around $15 million of common stock in one or more public offerings.

company CEO Ken Aubrey said, "This filing is intended to give us flexibility in the capital raising process and provide us the opportunity to move quickly into the capital markets now and in the intermediate term in support of our stated acquisition strategy."

Saint Paul, Minnesota-based Image Sensing Systems is a technology company focused in infrastructure productivity improvement through the development of software-based detection solutions for the "intelligent transportation systems sector and adjacent overlapping markets.
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Peterson Named CFO At Deluxe

November 3, 2009 (FinancialWire) — Deluxe Corp. (NYSE: DLX) has promoted Terry D. Peterson to the role of chief financial officer. He replaces Richard S. Greene, who has resigned from the company.

Peterson joined Deluxe in September 2004 as director of internal audit. Since March 2005, he has served as Deluxe's chief accounting officer and since October 2006, also as Deluxe's vice president of investor relations. He also served as chief financial officer on an interim basis from May to September 2006.

Prior to joining Deluxe, Peterson held positions with Ecolab, Provell, Jostens and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
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Featured FinancialWire™ Commentary & Insight

FirstAlert(tm) Daily 11/3: Manufacturing Recovery?

- Commentary -

November 3, 2009 (FinancialWire) (By Philip Holmes) – Stocks ended Monday's higher after a volatile trading session as investors weighed the lasting impact of the day's better-than-expected manufacturing data. As if to boost the bulls' case, Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) unexpectedly posted a third-quarter profit of $997 million.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed at 9,789.44, up by 76.71 points, while the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index gained 6.69 points on the day, to close at 1,042.88. The Nasdaq composite index rose 4.09 points, to finish at 2,049.20.

Early on, investors were cheered by favorable data on manufacturing and pending home sales. The U.S. ISM manufacturing index hit 55.7 in October, up from an appalling 38.7 a year ago. September pending home sales in the U.S. were up 6.1%, following 10 months of incremental gains.

But later in the day came word from President Obama that job losses would likely continue despite promising signs of recovery. There were also dark hints from the Fed about poor loan quality at U.S. banks.
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S&P 500 SPDR ETF Goes Nowhere, Says Dr. Joe Duarte

November 3, 2009 (FinancialWire) — Dr. Joe Duarte (http://www.joe-duarte.com) recently noted: The S&P SPDR ETF (NYSE: SPY) has taken it on the chin lately. And Monday's action was no improvement despite the bounce.

Duarte added: Our trading plan calls for daily chart watching, with special attention to key support and resistance levels such as the 20 and 50-day moving averages for important indexes and ETFs as well as individual stocks.

Last week, SPY fell below its 50-day moving average twice. Once on Wednesday, a break from which it rebounded on Thursday, and again on Friday, after Thursday's bounce, to the 20-day moving average, failed.

On Monday, the bulls were trying to move the major indexes back above the 50-day moving average. And they failed. And tomorrow things may fall apart again, or not.
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Dell Breaks Support, Says Market Timer Frank Kollar

November 3, 2009 (FinancialWire) (By Frank Kollar) — Shares of computer maker Dell Inc (NASDAQ: DELL) reached important support levels late last week and on Monday, November 2.

A week ago we wrote: "With the exception of one trading day's intra-day lows, the $14.80 level has held all declines since Dell rallied last August. This should be strong support if we continue to see market weakness in coming days."

Unfortunately for shareholders of Dell, support at the $14.80 level has been broken. The 50-day moving average has also been surpassed on the downside.

The next support level is the critical 61.8% support at $13.86, some 4% lower. If that level is also broken, share prices could tumble as low as $12.00 in coming weeks.
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More Commentary & Insight...

More FinancialWire™ News

Sonic Foundry To Reverse-Split One-for-Ten

November 3, 2009 (FinancialWire) — Sonic Foundry, Inc.'s (NASDAQ: SOFO) (Current Market Cap: US $23.07) board has authorized a one-for-ten reverse stock split of the company's common stock. The reverse split will be effective on November 16.

The reverse stock split affects all issued shares of the company's common stock. The number of shares reserved for issuance under Sonic Foundry's equity compensation plans will also be reduced proportionately.
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Holly Energy Partners To Offer 1.9 Million Common Units

November 3, 2009 (FinancialWire) — Holly Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: HEP) plans to offer 1.9 million common units in a public offering. Goldman, Sachs & Co. (NYSE: GS) and UBS Investment Bank (NYSE: UBS) are acting as joint book-running managers

The partnership plans to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 285,000 additional common units.
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Navios Maritime Sells $400 Million Of Notes

November 3, 2009 (FinancialWire) — Navios Maritime Holdings Inc. (NYSE: NM) and Navios Maritime Finance Inc. have completed the sale of $400 million of 8.875% first priority ship mortgage notes due 2017.

The notes were offered and sold in the United States to institutional buyers. They are guaranteed by all of the subsidiaries that provide a guarantee of Navios Holdings' 9.5% senior notes due 2014.
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Valeo Buys Out China JV Partner

November 3, 2009 (FinancialWire) — The Valeo Group (OTC: VLEEY) said it has increased to 100% its shareholding in an entity based in Changchun, China that develops and manufactures compressors. Valeo previously held a 60% stake, with joint venture partner Fawer holding the other 40%.

The new company, which employs 130 people and produces compressors for the Chinese and Asian markets, will be named Valeo Compressor Co., Ltd.

Valeo has been active in China for more than 15 years, with facilities in Shanghai, Wuhan, Nanjing, Guangzhou and Changchun. The group employs 3,995 people in six development centers, 15 production plants, and a distribution center.

The company projects its sales in China to exceed 400 million euros in 2009, an increase of 25% compared to 2008.

Valeo is also Fawer's partner in the FAW-Valeo Climate Control Systems Co., Ltd. joint venture, which produces heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

Paris-based Valeo is an industrial group that is focused on the design, production and sale of components, integrated systems and modules for cars and trucks.

FinancialWire(tm) is a fully independent, proprietary news wire service. FinancialWire(tm) is not a press release service, and receives no compensation for its news, opinions or distributions. Further disclosure is at the FinancialWire(tm) web site (http://www.financialwire.net/disclosures.php). Contact FinancialWire(tm) directly via inquiries@financialwire.net.

Free annual reports for companies mentioned in the news are available through the Free Annual Reports Service (http://investrend.ar.wilink.com/?level=279).




Peet's Coffee To Buy Diedrich Coffee

November 3, 2009 (FinancialWire) — Peet's Coffee & Tea, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEET) has agreed to acquire Diedrich Coffee, Inc. (NASDAQ: DDRX) in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at $26 per share or a total value of around $213 million.
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Granite Construction Wins $22 Million Arizona Contract

November 3, 2009 (FinancialWire) — Granite Construction Inc. (NYSE: GVA) said it has been awarded a $22 million contract by the Gila River Indian Community to construct the final phase of a new 8.5-mile canal around 40 miles southeast of Phoenix.
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