Financial News

The last three trading days have been huge for Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) shares gaining back 45%, to quote Robert Denrio from Casino (1995): In the casino, the cardinal rule is to keep them playing and to keep them coming back. The longer they play, the more they lose, and in the end, we get it all.

The Food and Drug Administration accepted an application for Savient Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s gout drug pegloticase and will give the drug candidate a priority six-month review, Savient said Monday.

Savient said the FDA is aiming to complete its review of pegloticase by April 30, 2009. The intravenous drug is intended to treat cases of gout that have not responded to other therapies. The FDA accepted Savient's biologics license application based on a pair of late stage clinical studies.

The first trading day of 2009 started off with a bang today, everything is in the green. Don't get too excited though, check out this article from CNN money on the expected volatility in 2009:

Stocks are expected to start the recovery process in 2009, but volatility will remain with a big question mark hanging over corporate health.

Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares gained 6% as everything non-financial rallied today.  Wendy Abramowitz from Argus Research does not believe Apple CEO Steve Jobs’s health is deteriorating.  Off shares went to the races.

As 2008 comes to and end, let's take a look back at some of the Master's greatest hits for 2008. Enjoy:

January 

Best Stocks for 2008: Bargain shopping at The Men's Wearhouse (MW)
http://thestockmasters.com/mens-wearhouse.html

February 

Is Priceline (PCLN) a ticking Time Bomb?

Come on already, enough is enough. Gizmodo.com reported a "rumor" that Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AAPL) Steve Jobs's health was declining. AAPL shares lost a few bucks after the news was released, dropping from $88 to $84, then finishing the day at $86.29.  Maybe Apple should just replace Jobs with a Lego version, then if he breaks, you just order a new Lego Steve Jobs.

Nanosphere, Inc. (Public, NASDAQ:NSPH) on Monday, fell -$2.53 or -37% on double the average volume. The downward move came with no news from the company or investment community.

NSPH 1 Year Chart

Kirk Kerkorian had as much as 6% of the outstanding float in Ford Motor (NYSE:F), more than 1.3 million shares.  Today the Kirkster said he's done with Ford, he's sold it all.  The tally?  Facing a loss of some $475 million, but it could be even worse than that.

If you're looking to beef up your healthcare portfolio, these are worth a look, courtesy of Barrons Online: AS WE LOOK TO 2009, WE ARE highlighting our research-coverage universe and those names that we believe should have a place in health-care portfolios based on a mix of promising drugs, partners, cash reserves, and strong management. Get your fix, we all want a new drug, but one that can make you money.

The Dollar is in trouble, pretty soon, it will take a garbage can full of U.S. Currency to buy a loaf of bread.  Okay, that's a bit much, but its time to start looking at how to play the falling dollar and how to make money while we are all losing more money on a daily basis.