Ode To Capitalism

Barron’s: Oil and Gas Stocks Gushing Higher. The energy sector has regained its footing as investors revisit stocks shunned since the Gulf of Mexico spill.

BBC: BA boss questions airport checks.The chairman of British Airways has said some “completely redundant” airport security checks should be scrapped. Practices such as forcing passengers to take off their shoes should be abandoned, Martin Broughton said.

Bloomberg: Cameron’s Budget Gamble Pays Off as U.K. Economy Holds Firm. British Prime Minister David Cameron ’s once-in-a-generation budget gamble is paying off for now as the economy’s unexpected strength eases investors’ qualms over the risk of a renewed recession.

BusinessWeek: China Stock Rally ‘Has Legs,’ YCMNet Yoshikami Says. The Shanghai Composite Index has jumped 13 percent since the end of September, the most among 89 benchmark gauges tracked globally by Bloomberg.

CNBC: Cramer: This Market is Cheap Cheap Cheap. With the market continuing to push higher, as the Dow and S&P 500 finished in the green yet again, a certain segment of Wall Street is wondering how long it can last.

Forbes: Now Is The Time To Buy Stocks, Argues Merrill. Contrarian report says earnings yield gap, upcoming buybacks to boost equities.

MarketWatch: SAP, Heineken sip; Deutsche Bank gains after results. Corporate news was driving European stocks to a second day of losses, with software group SAP AG and beer giant Heineken falling sharply, while Deutsche Bank bucked the negative trend.

Reuters:  Stock futures point to lower open. Stock index futures pointed to a lower open for Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500, Dow Jones and Nasdaq down 0.3 to 0.6 percent by 0900.

The Business Insider: These Are The Only 5 Countries Whose Pension Systems Can Survive. Only five national pension systems earned a B-grade on Mercer’s 2010 global index, which was given to systems with “sound structure” and “room for improvement.”

The Financial Times: How the British prefer to register displeasure. Expressions of discontent differ internationally.

The Guardian:  Corruption index 2010: the most corrupt countries in the world.

The New York Times: Skill Shortage Clouds Prospects for British Energy. A lack of engineering and technical skills in Britain poses a serious threat to the country’s ability to expand its renewable energy industry.

The Telegraph: Venture capitalists optimistic. Stuart Nicol of Octopus is bullish about M&A in 2010.

The Wall Street Journal: EU Pushes China To Open Bidding. The EU is leading a push against China’s public procurement policies, which in effect keep many foreign companies from the bidding process.

Tags: Bachelor of Arts, BBC, Bloomberg Businessweek, British Airways, Business, CNBC, David Cameron, Financial capital, MarketWatch, Martin Broughton, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Shanghai Composite Index, SSE Composite Index, United States