Cautiously optimistic comments from two British banks this morning: HSBC earnings were better than expected and the tone of the report was upbeat, with bad loans down. Barclays said it expects loan losses to peak in the first quarter of 2010.    Read More

The day Michael Jackson fans from around the world have been waiting for is finally here. "This Is It" - the much debated, controversial and expensive concert-documentary film, compiled with footage of Jackson's final rehearsals - starts playing tonight, in 3500 theaters in the U.S. and simultaneous premiers in 16 cities across the globe.   Read More

At the end of September, we looked at analysts' price targets for the S&P 500 to see which stocks had the greatest expected gains in the months ahead.  So far, 3 out of the October 1 top 5 and 6 out of the top 10 are trading to the upside.   Here is the current list of 15 stocks expected to pop (and another 15 expected to drop).   Read More

Sometimes a stock is so cheap it's begging to be bought.   Read More

I'm in Scottsdale Arizona where Microsoft just unveiled its new retail concept, and it is a mob scene. Over a thousand people are in line to check out the colorful store, and hoping to get one of the gift bags Microsoft will hand out to early visitors. A few dozen of these Windows fanatics camped out over night.    Read More

On the heels of Yahoo!'s better than expected earnings after the bell Tuesday, the web giant will announce a partnership later today that represents a new focus on original content. I have the early scoop: Yahoo! is about to announce it's partnering with ad giant WPP's Group M Entertainment to together produce new branded webisodes, both companies bringing in advertisers, together developing concepts that will work for them.    Read More

The company's third quarter report Thursday was a blockbuster, and its guidance — yes, I know there wasn't any, but if you listen to CEO Eric Schmidt's comments, it certainly seems like he's talking about the future — was pretty stellar.    Read More

A handful of stocks including Goldman, Apple, and Flowserve have doubled this year. Should you stick with them or take the money and run?   Read More

The Lightning Round is extended in this CNBC.com exclusive feature.   Read More

A handful of stocks including Goldman, Apple, and JoyGlobal have doubled this year. Should you stick with them or take the money and run?   Read More