“I’m Not Dead Yet”: Name This Company!

It’s earnings season on Wall Street, and that means plenty of conference calls for we here at NotMakingThisUp.

And while plenty of calls have focused on the fact that business seems to be ‘not dead yet’—despite the stock market’s recent attempt to send the economy off to the undertaker—the most remarkable piece of news came from the place the average investor would least expect to hear it.

Now, we all know the news from FedEx, UPS, railroads and truckers—anyone who moves, to use the technical term, stuff, around the country—has been gangbusters.

Closer to the consumer, it gets a little more variable, depending on whether the company sells something everybody seems to want (Apple) or not (Gap).

But there is a sector of the economy long left for dead that seems to be reviving, and quickly. Last night one of the larger traffickers in this particular sector reported strong earnings and delivered the kind of commentary lately reserved for iPads:

“Our financial performance continued to strengthen across most business lines globally, and we have good momentum entering the year’s second half,” said —–, chief executive officer of —–. “In the U.S., we saw a very strong pick up in —– and —–, reflecting recovering market conditions. Europe produced robust growth, fueled by the recovery of the —– market in the larger economies, such as the U.K., Germany and France. Asia Pacific also sustained the strong top-line growth that first became evident there late last year.”

Name the company and the line of business: you’ll win nothing more than your name in virtual lights here at NotMakingThisUp.

Jeff Matthews
I Am Not Making This Up

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The content contained in this blog represents only the opinions of Mr. Matthews, who also acts as an advisor: clients advised by Mr. Matthews may hold either long or short positions in securities of various companies discussed in the blog based upon Mr. Matthews’ recommendations. This commentary in no way constitutes investment advice, and should never be relied on in making an investment decision, ever. Also, this blog is not a solicitation of business: all inquiries will be ignored. The content herein is intended solely for the entertainment of the reader, and the author.