Mediaboss Marketing

By Corrie Driebusch and Drew FitzGerald

Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Wednesdays session are J.C. Penney Co. (JCP), Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ANF) and General Motors Co. (GM).

J.C. Penney Co. (JCP) swung to a loss in its fiscal first quarter as restructuring expenses and other charges weighed on the retailers bottom-line results and revenue, and margins weakened. Shares fell 15% to $28.20 premarket.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ANF) posted a sharp drop in fiscal first-quarter earnings as the teen-apparel retailers same-store sales declined amid weak European sales. Shares were 5.7% lower at $42.80 in premarket trading as its sales grew slower than expected.

Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRKA, BRKB) went long on autos, revealing a 10 million-share stake in GM in a securities filing Tuesday. Shares of the auto maker rose 3.7% to $22.21 premarket.

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on Tuesday asked the agency to allow an HIV test kit to be sold in retail stores so consumers dont have to go to a health facility to get tested for the virus. The mouth-swab test, made by OraSure Technologies Inc. (OSUR) is already sold commercially to health-care professionals. If approved by the FDA, test results could be obtained in the home like tests for pregnancy and blood sugar. Shares of OraSure jumped 36% to $12.37 premarket.

GE Capital Corp. will resume dividend payments to its parent, General Electric Co. (GE), after a three-year suspension as it continues to strengthen from the financial crisis. GE Capitals board declared a $475 million quarterly dividend and plans to payout 30% of its total 2012 earnings. The company also plans to pay GE a $4.5 billion special dividend this year. Shares of GE rose 3.2% to $18.99 premarket.

Sina Corp. (SINA) swung to a first-quarter loss as the Chinese Internet company posted significantly higher expenses, though revenue improved and the loss wasnt as heavy as expected. Shares jumped 9.5% to $56.60 premarket.

Target Corp.s (TGT) fiscal first-quarter earnings edged up 1.2%, helped by a stronger-than-expected top line, though costs tied to the retail giants plans for expansion in Canada weighed on results. Shares were up 2.2% to $56.30 in premarket trade as the nations second-largest retailer by sales behind Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) raised its earnings outlook for the year.

Staples Inc.s (SPLS) fiscal first-quarter earnings fell 5.6% as the office-supply giant grappled with weaknesses in international operations, particularly Europe. Shares slipped 2.4% to $14.39 premarket.

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Stocks to Watch: J.C. Penney, Abercrombie & Fitch, General Motors

By Leon Lazaroff - Tue May 15 21:48:27 GMT 2012

March 20 (Bloomberg) -- Conor Yang, chief financial officer at E-Commerce China Dangdang Inc., Chinas biggest Internet-based book retailer, talks about the company's business strategy and the industry. He speaks in Hong Kong with Susan Li on Bloomberg Television's "First Up." (Source: Bloomberg)

May 15 (Bloomberg) -- Alicia Yap, head of China Internet research at Barclays in Hong Kong, talks about the outlook for Chinese Internet companies and investment strategy. She speaks with Susan Li on Bloomberg Television's "First Up." (Source: Bloomberg)

Chinese Internet stocks gained in New York, on prospects Facebook Inc. (FB)s increased offering price will spur demand for industry assets while Yanzhou Coal Mining Co. (YZC)s discount swelled as coal prices fell.

Renren Inc. (RENN), a social networking website, climbed the most in a month, and Internet bookstore E-Commerce China Dangdang Inc. (DANG) posted the steepest advance in three weeks. American depositary receipts of Yanzhou traded at the biggest discount to the shares in Hong Kong since December as coal prices fell for the first time in three years. The Bloomberg China-US Equity Index (CH55BN) of the most-traded Chinese shares in the U.S. extended its nine-day slump to 9.2 percent.

Chinas Internet stocks benefited from Facebooks decision to increase the price range on its IPO to as much as $38 a share from $35, implying a market value of as much as $104.2 billion. That would make Facebook worth more than Citigroup Inc. (C) and McDonalds Corp. Beijing-based Renren reported yesterday a first-quarter loss of 3 cents a share, below the median forecast for 4 cents a share by eight analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

All the talk on the street about Facebook is driving retail investors in particular to look for stocks that might gain on social media in China, Echo He, a New York-based analyst who covers Chinese Internet stocks for Maxim Group LLC, said in a phone interview. Renrens second-quarter outlook is weak because advertising is weak, but investors are hoping it can do as well as Facebook.

The iShares FTSE China 25 Index Fund, the biggest Chinese exchange-traded fund in the U.S., was little changed at $34.72 while the Standard & Poors 500 Index slid 0.6 percent to 1,330.66.

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Dangdang Gains as Yanzhou Coal Discount Widens: China Overnight

COLUMBIA, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

National Asset Services (NAS), one of the nations leading real estate asset management companies with management responsibility for 14 student housing properties in six states, was recently named asset management company for Gateway at Columbia, a Class-A, student housing property in Columbia, MO, located less than two miles from the University of Missouri Campus.

Built in 2006, the 138 unit, 450 bed student housing property is a tenant-in-common property with 23 co-owners and is comprised of 177,054 square feet of net rentable area. Located at 3904 South Providence Road, the property is situated on 918 acres and consists of 9 three-story residential buildings and a single-story central clubhouse. The property has an onsite leasing office as well as management and maintenance staffs.

Each student apartment unit is fully-furnished with a plasma TV, washer and dryer and a complete kitchen appliance package. Common areas feature a resort-style swimming pool and Jacuzzi, tanning salon, pool table/game room, sand volleyball court, BBQ areas, 24/7 fitness center, Internet cafe, computer lab and reserved carports.

The propertys co-owners have recognized NAS successful track record of maximizing property value through an unbiased, objective and transparent approach to managing commercial real estate, commented Karen E. Kennedy, President and Founder of National Asset Services. The addition to our portfolio of this Class-A student housing property located near such a prestigious university is the direct result of our asset management teams nationwide reputation for producing the best possible outcomes and maximum returns for investors.

About National Asset Services (NAS)

Headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, NAS is a nationwide real estate firm specializing in tenant-in-common property management with a $2 billion portfolio of more than 80 properties in 19 states. NAS managed property portfolio includes Retail, Multifamily, Student Housing, Office and Industrial Flex. NAS has vast experience in all facets of the real estate industry. The company manages both sole and multi-owner properties and offers a wide range of asset management services including:Real estate strategy analyses; long-range business planning; monitoring changing market conditions; investor relations; real estate and investor accounting; receiver and real estate owned services; loan modification and workout solutions; exit and hold strategies; leasing plans; tenant retention plans; research studies; site selections; feasibility studies; insurance risk management; capital improvement planning and tracking; property tax appeal services and cost segregation services.

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National Asset Services Named Asset Management Company for Student Housing Property

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Digital Domain Media Group (NYSE: DDMG - News) today reported revenue of $31.1 million and a GAAP net loss attributable to common stockholders of $14.8 million, or $0.37 per basic share, for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012. For clarification purposes, the companys results exceeded consensus analyst estimates of $26.5 million in revenues and a consensus expected GAAP net loss of $17.1 million, or $0.40 per basic share.

We are continuing to build our company beyond the traditional work-for-hire VFX business, said John Textor, Chairman and CEO of Digital Domain Media Group. In the first quarter, we made significant progress as we opened Tradition Studios, our original-content family feature animation studio, began classroom instruction at the Digital Domain Institute and started filming on our first feature film co-production, the highly anticipated and globally recognized Enders Game. More recently, the first product of our Virtual Performance business, a virtual Tupac Shakur who performed at the Coachella Music festival, launched an entirely new form of entertainment.

Business developments since the beginning of the first quarter include:

With a long list of transformational accomplishments in the first quarter, Textor continued, we are pleased to remain on plan as we grow our business. As we continue to deliver on the promises that we have made to both taxpayers and shareholders, we look forward to our continued migration to a content ownership business model and the expected near-term impact of exciting new forms of entertainment, such as our virtual performance business.

Business Model and Profitability Outlook

As we report our financial results, with a combination of established business segments and new expansion initiatives, we feel it is important to provide a reminder of the logic of our business model and the metrics that are critical to our goal of achieving a level of positive operating cash flow in 2012, Textor commented. As we leverage our visual effects work-for-hire business as a platform to engage in other, more lucrative business opportunities, we have also used substantial grant funding from government relationships to mitigate the risk of our business expansion and associated launch expenses.

The following unaudited table presents an analysis of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, revealing the impact of new business launch expenses, such as unutilized labor in the Visual Effects segment, the deferred margin impact of Enders Game in the Visual Effects Co-Production segment, and heavy Florida overhead in the new business Corporate segment.

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DDMG Beats Revenue and Earnings Estimates, Reporting 1st Quarter Revenues of $31.1 Million and EPS Loss of $0.37 per ...

14-05-2012 20:23 At the request of many frontliners, Mitchell finally pops Dark Souls back into his PS3 and gives New Game+ a shot. Note that the character being used is the same as the one used in the original Dark Souls walkthrough, found right here:

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Dark Souls NG+ With Mitch - PT. 9 - You DARE to Invade Me! - Video