UBS (UBS) was one of the hardest hit from the financial crisis, but the company is showing signs of stabilization. In the latest quarterly report, the firm posted profits of $1.3 billion. Actually, it was the first reported profit in a year.

Of course, the cost-cutting was a big help (roughly 16% of the workforce). But there was also a nice tax credit during the quarter.

The company's new CEO, Oswald Grübel, definitely understands how to turnaround financial institutions. After all, he had considerable success at Credit Suisse (CS).

Coventry Health Care (CVH - option chain) shares are rising Tuesday after the company reported a fourth-quarter profit of $109.08 million, or 74 cents per share, on revenue of $3.42 billion. Analysts had forecast a profit of 56 cents per share on revenue of $3.49 billion. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on CVH.

CVH opened this morning at $23.81. So far today the stock has hit a low of $22.83 and a high of $23.99. As of 11:40, CVH is trading at $23.22 up 78 cents (3.5%). The chart for CVH looks bullish bullish and S&P gives CVH a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

Taiwan's Acer Inc. hasn't become the world's second-largest personal computer manufacturer for nothing. In its most recent quarter, the company announced that it attained its highest profit in almost three years, mostly at the expense of the company it recently displaced from the number two spot, Dell (DELL). It is still behind global computer leader Hewlett-Packard (HPQ).

At the same time it has grown shipments, it has kept an eye on profits, which is impressive. In general, rapid market share gains means margin cuts, but not here. Acer, which just four years ago seemed in disarray as it tried to find out why it was being beaten in the PC game, has apparently figured it out.

Google (GOOG) is accustomed to being in the top spot. It leads search and virtually owns the online ad space. Its Google News portal is among the top sites for directing traffic to media outlets. But, the behemoth is starting to feel the feet from social media sensation Facebook.

Not only is the rather young platform stealing market share from Google News, it's now encroaching on its e-mail turf ... a situation that Google isn't taking lightly. To compete more effectively with Facebook, Google is upgrading its Gmail capabilities to include more social media tools reminiscent of those found on its competitor.

Best Buy (BBY) has done great things in recent years, even amid the economic downturn and a crunch in consumer spending. It has basically pushed Circuit City out of the market forever, held its own against the likes of Walmart (WMT) in flat-panel televisions and consumer electronics, and has launched various initiatives for the future.

Why keep itself to the consumer electronics space, then? At some point, could the largest consumer electronics retailer in the U.S. carry electric vehicles alongside those LCD televisions? Best Buy's recent push into individual "green" transportation indicates that the passenger vehicle of the future may not be something you visit a traditional automobile dealer for.

Analyst Upgrades

• B. Riley upgraded Prosperity Bancshares (PRSP) to buy from neutral after the company acquired 19 Texas branches of Missouri-based First Bank. The firm has a $45 price target on shares.
• JPMorgan upgraded Fortinet (FTNT) to overweight from neutral on valuation following the recent pullback in shares. The firm has a $20 price target on the stock.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Lamar Advertising (LAMR) to outperform from market perform. The firm believes the stock's risk/reward ratio is compelling, as its checks indicate that advertising continues to accelerate in Q1.
• Caterpillar (CAT) was upgraded to overweight from underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• SAP AG (SAP) was upgraded to market perform from underperform at FBR Capital.
• BioMarin (BMRN) was raised to buy from hold at Roth Capital.

During a crisis, never mind what the media or government officials are saying, follow the money.

The Mercantile Exchange (CME) posts open contracts for each currency traded -- both long and short positions. By subtracting them you can get a sense of whether traders are net long or short. In the case of the euro, traders are net short 40,000 contracts or nearly $8 billion.

Meanwhile, officials of struggling countries, Greece, Spain and Portugal are telling the media that they have things under control. Elena Salgado, Spanish finance minister and Jose Manuel Campo, her deputy flew to London to meet with bondholders, the Financial Times reports. They want to reassure promises to cut Spain's budget deficit by 3% of GDP by 2013. But then the treasury wants to raise 116.7 billion euros.

If you were to calculate a headlines/efficacy ratio for government and corporate leaders, executive pay czar Kenneth Feinberg would have to rank pretty high on the "most press for least accomplished" list.

Now that Bank of America (BAC) and Citigroup (C) are out from the somewhat watchful eye of Mr. Feinberg, he has only American International Group (AIG), the car companies, and GMAC to meddle with at little benefit to anyone.

So what does he do to keep himself occupied? He chats on the phone with Goldman Sachs (GS) CEO Lloyd Blankfein about how that company can better align pay for its executives, even though he has no authority over -- or interest in -- that company's policies.

Late Monday, the Board of Directors at CIT Group (CIT) announced that it plans to repay $750 million of what it terms "high-cost" debt. The first part of this payment will be made Tuesday, totaling $750 million of its $7.5 billion first lien credit facility.

The repayment will come on a pro rata basis among the outstanding tranches, and it will be subject to a 2% payment premium. The company will prepay this debt from its available company cash, which is more than $5 billion.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank below 10,000 Monday, closing at 9,908.39. So what? In market analysis, round numbers like 10,000 often trigger a change in market sentiment.

For example, when the Dow first pushed through 10,000 on the upside in 1999, investors and traders took this as a sign of strength. Conversely, when it crashed through 10,000 on its way down to 6,400, panic gripped Wall Street. Then, in 2009, we had a bounce back through 10,000 on the upside in November. Again, investors and traders saw this as a sign of strength.

We all knew News Corp.'s (NWS) Avatar would cede the top spot to some film someday. To be honest, I didn't think Sony's (SNE) Dear John would be the one to do it.

According to Box Office Mojo, John grossed roughly $32 million at domestic theaters. That was more than enough to put the sci-fi flick in second place. However, no one should feel sad for News Corp.; Avatar's worldwide haul now stands at over $2.2 billion.

Google (GOOG) has generated most of its income from the Ad Words program. When using it, you choose a group of words that you think will come up in an online search. You agree to pay from 1 cent upwards each time your words are clicked upon. Google uses a bidding war technique with its Ad Words program. The highest bidder per word gets to place its website on the top ten of a search page. That program has been fantastic for Google.

At the same time Yahoo! (YHOO) has taken a different road. It chose to offer display ads on search pages. The ads component added to its revenue stream in 2009, making it number one.

Walgreens (WAG), the drug superstore chain that has found renewed competition with mass retailers Walmart (WMT) and Target (TGT), will enter the fresh food and prepared meal market in some of its stores. The reason: Walgreens wants to cater to "time starved" shoppers. This must be the type of shopper who doesn't want to slog through acres of a big-box store only to stand in a checkout line for 10 minutes, right?

The Audit Bureau of Circulations reported today that newstand circulation for magazines fell 9.1% in the second half of 2009. Overall circulation -- including subscriptions -- fell too, but newstand circulation is a better indicator of the health of the industry because it is a more timely reactor to economics changes, and many magazines have kept their circulation up with deep subscription discounting. For instance, a one-year subscription to Glamour is being offered for just $7 on Amazon.com. Interestingly, the two-year rate is $14.97, a reversal of the usual "commit to 2-years and get a lower per-issue price" deal that publishers offer. That may be a sign of optimism on the part of the industry, suggesting a belief that greater pricing power will return as the economy improves.

Hasbro (HAS - option chain) shares are rising today after the company reported earnings this morning, posting a fourth-quarter profit of $165.56 million, or $1.09 per share, on revenue of $1.38 billion. Analysts had forecast a profit of 81 cents per share on revenue of $1.34 billion. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on HAS.

HAS opened this morning at $33.65. So far today the stock has hit a low of $33.53 and a high of $35.19. As of 11:40, HAS is trading at $34.99 up $4.18 (13.6%). The chart for HAS looks bullish and S&P gives HAS a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.