Broker upgrades for April 8: Pier 1 (PIR) : Credit Suisse raised its price target on the stock to $13, while BB&T upgraded the stock to Buy from Hold. The stock is trading down 1.1%. Southwest Airlines (LUV) : EVA Dimensions, LLC upgraded the stock to Buy from Overweight. Stock is trading down 0.5%. Bristol Myers Squib (BMY) : EVA Dimensions, LLC upgraded the stock to Buy from Overweight. Stock is trading up ...

Home furnishing retailer Pier 1 Imports (PIR) is trading slightly higher today ahead of tomorrow's fourth quarter earnings report. With hopes building that the economic recovery is on solid footing, Wall Street will be looking for Pier 1 earnings as an indicator of just how much money people are putting back into their homes. For the quarter, analysts have forecast Pier 1 to report earnings of $0.31 per share. During the same ...

The markets are trading in the red today, being pulled down by investor concern over the most recent data regarding the housing market. According to the Commerce Department this morning, September sales of new homes dropped by 3.6%. September's annual rate was 402,000 units, which was below the expected 440,000 annual units. The average price for a new home was also lower, falling 9.1 percent on a year-over-year basis to $204,800. On ...

The DOW closed at its highest in a year, as the market had its best week in the past 2 months, and snapping a two week losing streak. For the week, the DOW was up 4%, with the Nasdaq and S&P both up an impressive 4.5%. We got a couple pieces of good news today. The Commerce Department noted that the trade deficit fell by 3.6%, and we also got news that ...