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Jay Leno is almost as famous for his expansive car collection as he is for his late-night TV appearances — at least in the gearhead circles. In addition to owning numerous rare and hugely expensive vehicles, Leno will often bring in guests — usually in the four-wheeled form — where he explores, pokes, prods, and discusses whatever vehicle is gracing his domain. The results of these “interviews” are filmed and aired in episodes of Jay Leno’s Garage. NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW! One of the greatest perks of being Jay Leno must be having access to cars that have not yet even been put into production yet. That was the case recently, when the Cadillac (NYSE:GM) ELR paid Leno a visit along with Frank Saucedo, the Director of Advanced Design at GM. With its sleek lines, aggressive stance, and a crisp, modern look, the Cadillac ELR points to the future design strategy at Cadillac. More surprisingly, the attractive outside appearance belies the fact that the ELR is indeed a hybrid vehicle, running a similar drivetrain to Chevrolet’s Volt extended range vehicle. In the past, hybrid vehicles have established a reputation for being dull, boring, and mediocre drives, with superior fuel economy as their sole selling point. True enough, cars like the Volt and Toyota’s (NYSE:TM) Prius can stretch a gallon of fuel better than most. However, the sleepy, dull characteristics tend to be translated to the exterior as well — it’s safe to say that the Prius won’t be winning any prestigious design awards any time soon. The ELR on the other hand, just might. Actually, it did. Cadillac has taken the fuel-sipping nature of the Volt and wrapped it in a package that is not only pleasant to look at, but swaddles the driver in all the leather, wood, and carbon fiber bits that one would expect from a luxury car. It also takes notes from Cadillac’s long design history, including the vertical headlights and tail lamps — a Cadillac tradition since ’48, according to Saucedo. NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW! In the clip, Leno addresses one of the more controversial points of the ELR — the solid grill that is essentially not a grill. Instead, the ELR pulls air in from underneath, according the Saucedo, and by filling in the traditional grill space, the car sports a drag coefficient of 0.305. The new Caddy will hit retail in early 2014, according to the company’s website. It features a 1.4-litre engine, good for about 84 horsepower, but remember that the gasoline engine is not the one responsible for moving the car alone — that job is left primarily to the electric motor and the 295 pound-feet of torque that it provides. While the ELR won’t be beating the CTS-V, from which it takes several cues, in a race anytime soon, what it does do is make a significant step forward for the future of hybrid technology, and crucially, show the world that hybrids can, in fact, be fun, attractive, and comfortable vehicles. Check out the whole episode of Jay Leno’s Garage below: Don’t Miss: Too Savvy, Too Soon? Ford Returns to Old-School Tech. Read the original article from Wall St. Cheat Sheet

The waiting is the hardest part. But soon financial markets may know a little bit more about Fed monetary policy than they know right now. At 2pm eastern time, the Fed will release its latest statement on policy followed by its latest forecast for the economy. Then Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will host a news [...]

The Fed has made its bed; now it must lay in it. (click to enlarge) For over almost five years the Fed has engaged in an experimental policy of quantitative monetary easing that has been unprecedented in scale. Now, the Fed is faced with the daunting task of engineering a climb-down of the US financial system and economy from atop the dizzying heights of a towering mountain of excess liquidity.This is not going to be easy, at all.On the one hand, the real economy is still exhibiting extraordinary weakness, and the Fed risks derailing the tepid recovery if the withdrawal of monetary accommodation were to destabilize financial conditions and asset prices.On the other hand, many Fed officials are cognizant of the risk of repeating the policy errors of 2003-2007. This was a period in which the Fed, which was at that time also dealing with a relatively

The US dollar is trading quietly, largely within yesterday's ranges ahead of the much anticipated FOMC meeting. Even more broadly, the capital markets are relatively quiet. Asia-Pacific equities were mostly lower, except for Japan, Thailand and Australia. Of note, Chinese shares edged lower to new six month lows amid the rising money market rates and talk that officials may begin granting approvals for new initial public offerings. European shares are narrowly mixed and the Dow Jones Stoxx 600 is off marginally, but of note the financials are the weakest sector.There are three parts to the Fed story today: the FOMC statement, the forecasts and Bernanke's press conference. The statement itself is likely to be the least important. The general assessment of the economy is unlikely to change significantly. The description of price pressures and the labor market may be tweaked to recognize the lower core inflation and continued modest

Penn Virginia (PVA) stock has gained 16% since the company announced its acquisition of Magnum Hunter's (MHR) Eagle Ford properties and highly successful $775 million debt refinancing (the stock closed at $4.64 on June 17, up $0.64 from the closing price of $4.00 on April 9). However, the move translates to only a small change in the company's enterprise value (less than 3%), leaving the stock's risk/reward profile and valuation thesis largely intact.(click to enlarge)(Source: Yahoo Finance)The Magnum Hunter transaction was indeed a transformational - and very daring - strategic move by Penn Virginia that redefined the company's operational complexion and valuation. Penn Virginia has emerged as a focused Eagle Ford pure play with a high-quality, concentrated acreage position in what increasingly appears to be the continuation of the core area of the volatile oil window in Gonzales and Lavaca Counties. Despite the company's extreme

"The more things change the more they stay the same". That old French saying seems to succinctly sum up the outlook for Apple (AAPL) these days. The company continues to dominate the financial news cycle with each new analyst report, each new rumor, and each new take on what the future for Apple holds. To some extent this level of infatuation is warranted given Apple's standing as one of the largest companies in the world whose products millions of consumers use on a daily basis. My question is at what point in time does it become counterproductive for investors to be so infatuated with a single company that they miss out on other opportunities to generate returns in the market? It is my belief that this is now the case with Apple and that investors need to come to grips that this company may have already morphed into a nice

On June 28, Russell Investments will be completing its annual index reshuffling. This may not sound like exciting news, but this event will produce some big winners (and losers) as it pertains to its Russell 2000 index. This is because dozens of portfolio managers are required to own the Russell 2000 members. They are also required to sell any stock that gets deleted. This will spur millions of dollars of buying (or selling) for the winners (or losers), all on one day.Back in March we offered picks that we claimed would beat the market by 15% before July. As reported in our latest update, those picks have returned an average of 25% to investors. The next two weeks offer the opportunity for further gains. On Friday, Russell Investments released its preliminary list of stocks to be added (and deleted). Each of our selections

A new report from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis confirms that the United States is seeing continued widespread economic growth. Of the country’s 50 states, 49, along with the District of Columbia, showed an increase in real gross domestic product in 2012, and durable-goods manufacturing, finance and insurance, and wholesale trade were among the main contributors cited. While the country’s GDP by state saw a 1.6 growth from 2011, this figure increased in 2012 when it posted a 2.5-percent growth. The BEA divides the nation into eight regions — New England, Mideast, Great Lakes, Plains, Southeast, Southwest, Rocky Mountain, and Far West. Although the Southwest grew the fastest, as you will see from our list, the states with the largest increase in growth come from a variety of regions. Here’s a look at the 10 states that have seen the maximum fruits of economic growth lately: NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW! 10. West Virginia http://www.flickr.com/photos/24842486@N07/ NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW! Country roads take us home to West Virginia, the state which posts the 10th highest percent change in GDP at 3.3 percent in 2012. That increase ties it with Tennessee for the highest growth out of all other states in the Southeast region, and the others fail to come close. West Virginia has demonstrated continued expansion ever since its rebound from 2009 — posting a similar 3.3-percent growth figure in 2010. It managed to stay above water in 2009 — with 0.6 percent growth — at a time when most states fell into the negatives, and also posted an impressive 1.9-percent increase in 2011. 9. Tennessee http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakohl/ NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW! Next, we have the aforementioned state also grouped in the Southwest region. Tennessee, too, posts a 3.3-percent GDP growth in 2012, a significant increase from previously when it grew 2.5 and 2.3 percent in 2010 and 2011, respectively. It had earlier fallen 3.9 percent in 2009 in the midst of the financial crisis. Tennessee’s GDP is especially affected by durable-goods manufacturing, demonstrated by the sector’s 1.08 percent contribution to its overall GDP change. 8. Indiana http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmsilva64/ NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW! The crossroads of America takes the next spot on the list, posting a 3.3-percent GDP growth and representing the Great Lakes region. And it’s a good thing Indiana does so, because its neighbors aren’t anywhere close to making the list. Michigan and Ohio come in at 2.2 percent – more than a full percentage point lower than that of Indiana. The state saw its highest GDP growth in 2010 when it grew a whopping 6.4 percent, a considerably different figure than the 6.0 percent it fell in 2009. Like Tennessee, durable-goods manufacturing accounts for the majority of Indiana’s GDP growth. 7. Utah http://www.flickr.com/photos/iborrego/ NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW! Utah is up next — the Rocky Mountain region’s sole representative — with an impressive 3.4-percent GDP growth. Its growth far surpasses any of its neighbors’ in the region, and the state posts a steady GDP increase ever since 2009 when it fell 1 percent. Since then, it saw a 2.3-percent rise in GDP in 2010, and then a 2.8-percent increase in 2011. Like the aforementioned states, durable-goods manufacturing accounts for much of Utah’s growth, but management of companies also takes up a sign

The two major gaming players, Microsoft (MSFT) and Sony (SNE), are releasing their new consoles, Xbox One and PS4 respectively, in time for the start of the 2013 holiday shopping season. Demand is already high and Amazon (AMZN) is sold out on pre-orders of the launch edition. The early pre-order data shows that the PS4 is outselling the Xbox One by approximately 2:1.A Wedbush Securities analyst expects Sony will sell 12-15 million PS4s in its first year, while Microsoft will sell 9-10 million Xbox Ones, approximately 25% less. Also of note, the PS4 is priced at $399, $100 cheaper than its rival which is selling for $499. The price differential is slightly misleading because the Xbox One is already equipped with the Kinect sensor, whereas the PS4 motion sensor called the PS4 Eye Camera has to be bought separately for $59.99. The PS4 will allow users to use

'Breaking news' implicated BlackBerry in the Edward Snowden affair which involves claims that British Intelligence illegally monitored foreign government communications during the 2009 G20 meeting in London.BBRY closed down 0.97% on Monday following the release of the news. Although share value recovered on Tuesday, expect further volatility as more details are released.The leaked documents state: ... during G20 meetings in April and September 2009 GCHQ used what one document calls "ground-breaking intelligence capabilities" to intercept the communications of visiting delegations. This included: •?Setting up internet cafes where they used an email interception programme and key-logging software to spy on delegates' use of computers; •?Penetrating the security on delegates' BlackBerrys to monitor their email messages and phone calls; and: New converged events capabilities against BlackBerry provided advance copies of G20 briefings to ministers … Diplomatic targets from all nations have an MO of using smartphones. Exploited