Mayor’s Picks - October 2007

It’s the middle of earnings season. Companies have started to publish their third quarter results and so far most news has been good. Intel and Yahoo have surprised on the positive side but IBM and United Technologies have disappointed. So are the ways in a market worried about the mortgage market. Some companies are sure to be hit hard and other will shrug off recent problems to post great quarters.

My hesitation this quarter rests on the long term real estate, mortgage market and an international slowdown. Real estate will take a while to settle down and in case you haven’t accepted it yet, home values aren’t rising any time soon. This will be a hit for some consumers and will probably hurt industries like auto manufacturing. International is another story. Growth has been so strong the past few years that countries like China and areas like UAE and India are due