Amazon Battles It Out (NASDAQ: AMZN)

NEW YORK - Amazon the online retailer and the maker of the kindle fought through shaky after hours trading and pre-market trading and recorded a 8% gain in stock price on Wednesday. First quarter sales rose 38% to $9.86 Billion. Net income decreased 33% to $201 million compared with net income of $299 million in first quarter 2010.

The company also provided financial guidance for their next quarter; net sales are expected to grow between 35% and 47% however operating income is expected to be from $95 million and $245 million which is between a 65% decline and 9% decline compared to last year's quarter. The guidance includes $180 million in stock based compensation expense. Investors should be wondering why the range is so wide.

The company currently has a valuation of $88 billion making it nearly 1/4 the size of Apple despite 1/20th the profit and less growth. The company has also announced that earnings will decrease next year. Perhaps the valuation factors in that the modern day Amazon will be once again saved by the mythical Gargareans.

The Last Week Of The Year, SIRI, AMZN, F, INTC, BAC

The final trading week of 2010 is upon us, and what better time than to highlight a subset of the most interesting stocks of the year.

Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) has had a very strong year and is seen as a great turnaround story. Since the depths of the great recession, the stock is up 3100%. As the market for satellite radio grows, contrary to naysayer belief, Sirius may continue to thrive in the new year.

Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) has seen continued increased demand for its specialty of online retailing. The strength of the business along with its cloud business has been reflected in the stock price. Amazon is in rapid growth mode, and the popularity of its affordable EC2 Elastic Compute servers are just beginning to catch on. As more users see the benefits of online shopping, Amazon will continue to rise.

Ford (NYSE: F) has had a miraculous year with CEO Alan Mulally at the helm. This is the true turnaround story of the decade as America is once again believing in its own automobiles. With the IPO Of General Motors (NYSE: GM) the auto sector is in full drive.

To read the full Ford report click here.

Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) was beaten left and right this year even as its earnings far surpassed investor expectations. With the new wave of chips coming and Intel entering the mobile phone market, the new year will surely be entertaining. Intel's power-saving Atom processor is catching on for mobile and other low power applications. Only AMD (NYSE: AMD) stands in Intel's way for desktops and laptops. Intel will have a tough fight entering the mobile market, however the tech giant has a ton of experience. It is the competition for mobile chip makers.

To Read the full Intel report click here.

Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) was one of the worst performing banks of the year. The company earned over $3 billion dollars in the last quarter, however it was overshadowed by a $10 billion goodwill write down. With the economy improving and housing prices starting to rise again, the largest bank in the United States can once again reclaim its title. The current valuation at around one times book value will make this stock extremely attractive both fundamentally and historically in the new year.

To read the full Bank of America report click here.

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) in the Green on Down Day

The tech-heavy NASDAQ index soared today while the S&P500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average benchmarks lagged. Technology leaders Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), and Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) jumped 0.27%, 0.47%, and 0.71% respectively. Investors traded up these companies that showed strong earnings in their recent quarterly reports. Each of these fast growing technology names closed just a point or so below their 52-week highs, with Amazon hitting a fresh 52-week high today.

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) Throws More Kindling On The Fire

Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) shares have continued to rally showing incredible strength. The stock is up over 37% in the last 3 months, and closed today at $168.47, approximately 3 points away from its 52-week high. Amazon also trades above its key moving averages which continues to be a bullish sign for most technical investors. Amazon continues to grow its retail business, offering various departments including Sports & Outdoors, Grocery, Health & Beauty, and Downloads. The company's Kindle device continues to sell strongly as well. Amazon is also seen as a cloud computing play, as the company allows businesses and individuals to rent shared space on Amazon's servers. these users only pay for what they use, making it attractive to businesses and individuals looking to cut down on costs.

Amazon Goes Fishing (NASDAQ: AMZN)

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) announced today that it will be purchasing fashion and lifestyle company, BuyVIP.com. BuyVIP.com has over six million members in Spain, Germany, and Italy as well as other countries around the world. The online buying community offers its customers time-limited campaigns for top fashion brands and styles at inexpensive prices compared to the competition.

“We are excited about joining the Amazon family," said CEO of BuyVIP.com, Gustavo Garcia Brusilovsky, who believes the merger will allow his company to offer its members an even broader selection of high-quality products.

Amazon.com's stock has been a high-flier. The stock has pulled back from it's recent 52-week high, but still maintains a 64 PE ratio as the company expands at a rapid pace.

A Bet Against The Environment

The tech bubble is long gone but their are still tech bubbles and a bubble is bad for the environment. Amazon has surpassed a 70 billion dollar market cap which is similar to that of Ebay in 2005 when investors felt Ebay was the future. What happened was Ebay's business went into maturity and its stock has dropped over 60% despite improving profits. Amazon will need to prove a lot in the next few years to not go down the Ebay path.

Edwards recommended selling shares of Amazon. To see his full report Click Here