Investing

Tough Market Cannibalizes Prices Of Weakest Companies (SIRI)(GRMN)(MOT)(DELL

No rest for the weak in a market which even punishes mediocrity.

Several widely traded companies made new lows.

Firms with heavy debt and poor operating profit prospects were hit particularly hard. Sirius (NASDAQ: SIRI), which is still awaiting approval of its deal with XM Satellite (NASDAQ: XMSR), bottomed. So did Motorola (NYSE: MOT), which appears to be doing worse each quarter in core handset business. Journal Register (NYSE: JRC), the most troubled of the newspaper companies, spent part of the weak under $.20 and will be delisted this week.

Several stocks which are leaders in sectors which appear to be weakening also hit lows. Gannett (NYSE: GCI), part of the newspaper industry, found a new bottom as did PC market No. 2 player Dell (NYSE: DELL).

Stocks in some fields which had been hot up, up until recently, are beginning to be hurt, showing how fast a sector can disintegrate.  GPS company Garmin (NASDAQ: GRMN) hit a 52-week low of $44.51 after being at $125.68 in late October of last year. Wall St. is worried that consumer electronics sales could be hurt by the recession and a number of cellphone companies are adding GPS functions to their products.

Douglas A. McIntyre

Travel Cards Are Getting Too Good To Ignore

Credit card companies are pulling out all the stops, with the issuers are offering insane travel rewards and perks.

We’re talking huge sign-up bonuses, points on every purchase, and benefits like lounge access, travel credits, and free hotel nights. For travelers, these rewards can add up to thousands of dollars in flights, upgrades, and luxury experiences every year.

It’s like getting paid to travel — and it’s available to qualified borrowers who know where to look.

We’ve rounded up some of the best travel credit cards on the market. Click here to see the list. Don’t miss these offers — they won’t be this good forever.

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