*Stocks in Asia were broadly higher. The Nikkei led the way with a gain of one and a half percent, the Hang Seng was up 0.4% and Shanghai added a quarter percent, but Australia was a rare exception with a decline of a half percent. European indexes are generally a bit lower. The Dax is currently down by a third of a percent and the Footsie is essentially unchanged. US stock futures are fractionally higher as I write.

*The final revision of Japan’s Q2 GDP showed that their economy grew faster than previously thought. The annualized rate of growth in the second quarter is now said to be +1.5%, well above the +0.4% growth rate initially reported.

*China reports that in August they had their third straight trade surplus in excess of $20 billion, but at $20.3 billion it was almost seven billion less than forecast. In August China’s Exports were up 34.4% on a year over year basis, close to the expectation but their Imports were up 35.2% versus last year and that was about eight percent more than forecast.

*For some reason China is releasing several economic statistics on Saturday, among the data due out tomorrow are: PPI, CPI, Retail Sales and Industrial Production.

*The August reading of the UK Producer Price Index was unchanged on a monthly basis and the annualized cost of goods at the factory gate was 4.7%, the slowest year on year rate in six months.

*The July reading of Wholesale Inventories is due out at 9:00am CDT, it is expected to increase 0.4% on a monthly basis.

For more information visit  http://www.worldmarketmedia.com/779/section.aspx/2360/post/what-to-know-before-trading-today

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Driven by an increasing awareness of the need to protect sensitive information in transit as well as an evolving regulatory landscape that has stepped up enforcement, email encryption is becoming an important piece of the larger slice of the security budget and given its unique technology and market leadership, Zix is well-positioned to capitalize on this opportunity.

With a recent competitive displacement win at a Blue Cross & Blue Shield organization, the company, clearly demonstrated its unique combination of both hosted key management technology as well as filtering capability. With industry consolidation having greatly reduced the competitive landscape, we believe that Zix’s expanded functionality in email encryption has put it “ahead of the pack” and into a solid position to continue to gain market share.

Acceleration in NFYO underscores opportunity for secular growth. We also note that from January 2007 to September 2009 the company saw annual new first year orders of $1.37M (quarterly average). From September 2009 through the last quarter this figure increased by 63% to $2.2M. This acceleration (which we believe will continue) is indicative of the growing opportunity around hosted email encryption.

Recent CFO departure does not present major issues. After a recent conversation with the CEO, we do not believe that the recent departure of CFO Susan Conner presents any larger issues around fundamentals. We are comfortable with the company’s current plan to conduct a CFO search over the next six months.

Divestiture of e-prescribing business ahead of schedule. Management commented that the company is currently ahead of plan in its wind-down of the e-prescription business having successfully renegotiated all outstanding contracts.

For more information visit  http://www.worldmarketmedia.com/779/section.aspx/2355/post/zix-nasdaqzixiprotecting-transit-info

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Stocks were generally higher in Asian trade. Australia led the way with a two percent gain, the Nikkei added more than one percent and the Hang Seng was up 0.4%. Bucking the trend was Shanghai which lost 0.6% on the session. European indexes are broadly higher, with the Footsie currently higher by almost 1.4% and the Dax up a bit more than one percent. US stock futures are higher by about one percent as I write.

*The Q2 reading of Australia’s GDP was the best in three years with quarter on quarter growth of 1.2%, better than the 0.9% forecast.

*The August reading of China’s manufacturing sector Purchasing Managers Index was up a half point on the month to 51.7, a couple tenths better than forecast.

*The July reading of Germany’s Retail Sales was -0.3%, well below the gain of 0.5% that was expected. That is the second month in a row in which Sales fell 0.3% and the fourth month in five that showed a decline.

*The final August reading of Germany’s manufacturing sector PMI was unrevised at 58.2; the index was 61.2 in July.

*The August reading of Switzerland’s manufacturing sector PMI was down 5.5 points on the month to 61.4, far short of the estimate of 65.8.

*The August reading of the UK’s manufacturing PMI was down 2.6 points on the month to 54.3. It had been expected to fall only a fraction to 57.0.

*US mortgage applications were up 2.7% in the week ended August 27. Applications for purchase were up 1.8% and those for Refi rose 2.8%.

*The Challenger Groups says that in August there were 34,768 job cut announcements, that is down 55% from last August. Announced job cuts last month were the fewest since June 2000.

For more information visit  http://www.worldmarketmedia.com/779/section.aspx/2311/post/financial-news-to-know-before-trading-today

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Stocks had mixed results in Asia overnight. The Nikkei was up almost one percent, while Australia and Shanghai were higher by about 0.3%, but the Hang Seng lost a small fraction. European indexes are generally little changed at the moment, with both the Footsie and the Dax up a fraction. US stock futures are up by about one third of a percent.

*The July reading of Japan’s Jobless Rate was down one tenth on the month to 5.2%, a steady reading was the forecast. Overall Household Spending was +1.1% on a year over year basis, up from June but below the estimate of +1.5%.

*The July reading of Japan’s Consumer Price Index, ex-fresh food, is -1.1% on a year over year basis, matching the forecast. The August reading of that same inflation measure for Tokyo is also -1.1% year over year, less deflationary than the expected -1.2%.

*The July reading of Germany’s Import Price Index -0.2% on a month on month basis, a decline of -0.4% was the forecast.

*German states have been releasing the August reading of their Consumer Price Index this morning, some of the results include: Saxony 0.0% month on month and +1.1% year on year, Hesse +0.1% and +0.7%, Bavaria +0.1% and +1.1% and North Rhine Westphalia +0.2% and +1.0%. The national CPI is due out later this morning, it is expected to be +0.1% on a month over month basis and the estimate for the annualized rate is +1.1%.

*The August reading of the KOF Swiss Leading Indicator is 2.18, that is down from 2.22 in July and the second small decline in a row.

For more information visit http://www.worldmarketmedia.com/779/section.aspx/2296/post/3-things-to-know-before-market-open

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Starting in 1954 they named Carol and Hazel and thru the 50′s there was Audrey and in the 1960′s you had Carla, Hattie, Flora and Edna.  In the 70′s there were Carmen, Fifi and Anita.  In the 1980′s they started using both men and women’s names to describe Hurricanes so there was Fredrick and Allen, Gloria and Gilbert. Then the real trouble started as we rolled into the 90′s with Diana, Klaus, Bob and Andrew.  Dont forget Luis, Marilyn, Opal, Roxanne and Cesar. 

My personal favorite name is Hortense, but you also had Mitch, Floyd and Lenny to round out the end of the millenium.  2000 started with Kieth, Allison, Iris and Michelle, while Lili, Fabian and Isabel were the early names for the new century.  But the only hurricane that has ever mattered was on the horizon as we rolled through Juan, Charley,Frances and Ivan, because Jeanne and Dennis were mere step children to Katrina, which made us forget about Stan, Wilma,Dean, Felix, Noel and Gustav, Ike and Paloma.

Hurricane Danielle has become a Category 4 storm far out over the Atlantic. Danielle’s maximum sustained winds increased Friday to near 135 mph (215 kph) with some additional strengthening possible.

Danielle is located about 545 miles (875 kilometers) southeast of Bermuda. The hurricane is forecast to pass east of Bermuda on Saturday night.

Also in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Earl is moving west with maximum sustained winds near 45 mph (75 kph). And in the Pacific, Hurricane Frank has weakened slightly off Mexico’s coast. Further weakening is expected over the next couple days as the hurricane moves over cooler waters.

For more information visit http://www.worldmarketmedia.com/779/section.aspx/2295/post/hurricane-danielle-cat-4-storm-memories-of-katrina - About the Author: WorldMarketMedia.com (The Global Online Investment Community) is a high traffic stock market, news data website providing cutting edge new media products and services to publicly traded companies worldwide. Our Editor’s Desk authors insightful real-time coverage on the economy, the capital markets and their listed companies. Article Source

Stocks were mixed in Asian trade. Australia was among the best with a gain of 0.8%, the Nikkei added 0.7% and Shanghai was up a quarter percent, but the Hang Seng fell a fraction on the session. European indexes are modestly higher, with the Footsie currently up about 0.6% and the Dax higher by a quarter percent. US stock futures are fractionally higher.

*In the second quarter Australian business investment unexpectedly fell 4.0%, this had been forecast to expand by 2.3%. Additionally the previous quarter was revised down to -1.0% from -0.2%.

*The Q2 reading of Switzerland’s Employment level was up 0.6% to 3.968 million; both results were a touch shy of the forecast.

*The weekly report on Initial Jobless Claims is due out at 7:30am CDT, it is expected to be 490k.

*The Mortgage Bankers Association is scheduled to release some data on Q2 mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures at 9:00am CDT.

*The Fed is expected to buy Treasuries again today, maturities ranging from February 15, 2021 to August 15, 2040; the results should be out just after 10:00am CDT.

*The weekly report on inventories of Natural Gas is due to be released at 9:30am CDT, it is expected to show an increase of 38 bcf.

*The August reading of the Kansas City Fed Production Index is due out at 10:00am CDT. Usually nobody pays attention to this report but because of the recent weakness in these regional Fed reports it might get more notice than it normally does.

*The Treasury plans to sell $29 billion 7 Year Notes today, the results will be announced just after noon CDT.

*FedHeads begin gathering in Jackson Hole today for the annual weekend long fest. Bernanke is scheduled to speak at 9:00am CDT on Friday.

For more information visit  http://www.worldmarketmedia.com/779/section.aspx/2289/post/3-things-you-need-to-know-before-trading

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Smart phone applications have revolutionized the ways in which users access documents and information and conduct day-to-day business tasks. The apps have revolutionized the ways in which we communicate – both in our personal and corporate channels – and technology is at our fingertips more than ever.

But the real story lies here: the facts, figures, and numbers. For the first six months of 2010 alone, the smart phone application market has in fact grown to $2.2 billion already. Total mobile application downloads has reached 3.8 billion. Now, compare that to 3.1 billion downloads in aggregate 2009, and it’s easy to process the coming estimates for the near future: expansion to a $15 billion market by 2013. Other less conservative estimates that have been released: a $17.5 billion estimate from an independent study by a company called GetJar. The exponential growth is a culmination of developing technologies from Apple and their proprietary iTunes store, the Android Market by Google, and other mobile app stores that include Blackberry’s App World by Research in Motion. But these are massive companies that have already enjoyed reaping the benefits from the growth of the app market. At WMM, we discover the little guys. We uncover and then cover companies with small market caps who are on the forefront of some explosive industry fulfilling some voided niche with powerful technology. GTX Corporatione companies. GTX develops and integrates 2 way GPS people finding technologies which seamlessly integrate with consumer products and enterprise applications. LociMobile, a GPS tracking application for iPhone, Samsung, and Blackberry smart phone devices, hit #2 on the iTunes top grossing chart with 600k downloads in 84 countries. For more information visit http://www.worldmarketmedia.com/779/section.aspx/2287/post/smartphone-app-market-to-be-worth-15b

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Vu1 Corporation (OTCBB:VUOC) Up 15% On The Day

VU1 Corporation symbol VUOC manufactures mercury free, energy efficient lighting technology. The company’s R30 ESL bulb is meant to replace the 65W incandescent flood bulb. Using accelerated electrons to stimulate phosphor, the surface of the blub glows. Energy efficient, environmentally friendly bulbs are a way that many businesses are becoming more cost efficient.

As the economy comes back and a further focus is put on green technology, companies in the space could see some rapidly increasing demand if they can become cost competitive. VU1 corporation is trading up $.05 or 15% at $.38. Most recently, the company has been busy tweaking upper level management and solidifying patents. On July 27th it was announced a new election to the board of advisors, Gregory Owens, a portfolio manager at SAM Advisors. On July 15th the company was issued a patent for its cathodoluminescent lighting, relating  to the method of operation to create light via phosphor and a cathode, a key component of Vu1′s unique Electron Stimulated Luminescence (ESL™) clean, energy efficient lighting technology. For 2010 the company plans to become certified with Underwriters Laboratories and further research and development. The sales and marketing team continues to search for further channels of distribution in an effort to gain product and brand awareness. In a delicate economy it will be important for small cap companies to hang on until the worst is over.

For more information visit http://www.worldmarketmedia.com/779/section.aspx/2269/post/vu1-corporation-otcbbvuoc-up-15-on-the-day

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After posting second quarter results yesterday, Rocky Brands (Nasdaq: RCKY) shares were up 9% to $8.00 on heavy volume. Posting profits and blowing away analysts estimates tend to have a positive effect on companies’ share price. Analysts actually projected a loss of ($0.10) per share, where RCKY posted a profit of $0.08 per share.

For the second quarter of 2010, net sales increased 7.9% to $55.2 million versus net sales of $51.2 million in the second quarter of 2009. The Company reported net income of $0.5 million, or $0.08 per diluted share versus a net loss of $1.4 million, or ($0.25) per diluted share a year ago.

Excluding one-time charges of $0.6 million, net of tax, associated with the early repayment of a portion of the Company’s senior term loan, second quarter 2010 net income improved to $1.1 million, or $0.17 per diluted share.

Mike Brooks, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented in a press release, “There were several highlights from the second quarter, most notably the dramatic improvement in our bottom line. We paid off the majority of our high interest, senior term loan using proceeds from our successful equity offering and availability under our existing credit facility. We are very pleased with the progress we have made towards building a more efficient organization and we look forward to taking advantage of our improved position to better capitalize on the growth opportunities that are ahead.”

Rocky Brands is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of premium quality footwear and apparel marketed under a portfolio of well recognized brand names including Rocky, Georgia Boot, Durango, Lehigh, and the licensed brands Dickies, Michelin and Mossy Oak.

For more information visit http://www.worldmarketmedia.com/779/section.aspx/2104/post/rocky-brands-nasdaq-rcky-up-after-posting-second-quarter-profit

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Shares of Industrial Services of America (Nasdaq: IDSA) hit a new 52-week high yesterday before closing up over 13% at $16.71 per share on very heavy volume. Shares took a while to respond to the company’s news last week raising guidance numbers for the upcoming release of second quarter results.

For the second quarter ending June 30, 2010, ISA expects earnings to be in the range of $0.33 to $0.38 per share on revenues in the range of $91 – $95 million. That compares with second quarter 2009 earnings of $0.17 per share on revenues of $39.1 million. Sales guidance for the quarter ending June 30, 2010 will exceed the high end of previous guidance. This was due to a stronger than expected final week of the quarter.

In a press release, Harry Kletter, CEO and founder of ISA states, “We have been very successful in our business expansion during the past two years and we will continue to look for new opportunities. While some economic indicators are suggesting a moderate slowdown in the economic recovery, we believe that the long term prognosis is still very promising.”

The recently announced specialty alloys division is now fully operational in its 150,000-square foot building which is on adjoining property to the stainless and non-ferrous operations.

ISA’s core business is buying, processing and marketing scrap metals and recyclable materials for domestic users and export markets. Additionally, ISA offers commercial, industrial and business customers a variety of programs and equipment to efficiently manage waste.

For more information on this visit http://www.worldmarketmedia.com/779/section.aspx/2096/post/industrial-services-of-american-nasdaq-idsa-hits-new-52-week-high-on-updated-guidance

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