January 2012, Issue #55

Looking at Europe and Beyond

There was a time when "the economy" and the overall health of the market was a much simpler concept to understand. In the world we live in today, the boom and busts of the stock market are the direct results of more factors than ever before. For the better part of last year, the focus has been on Europe's sovereign debt crisis. Many down-days were attributed to "worries about the debt levels", and many up-days were reported as the result of progress in instituting "austerity measures to rein in public debt". Undoubtedly, the events around the crisis will continue to unfold well into the future, but so far the news in 2012 has been more upbeat. Recent sales of government debt in many troubled European countries have seen interest rates fall to more sustainable levels.

What does that mean for the folks in the states? It seems that after months of worrying about macro-economic events around the world, the focus has once again returned to the domestic economy, and the unemployment rate. In an election year, this will be a heated topic in many debates.

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On the Roadmap
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Firstrade's Favorites
Check out the stocks held by the largest number of Firstrade accounts currently. This list does not take into consideration the number of shares or the share price.

1. C - Citigroup Inc.
2. GE - General Electric Co.
3. BAC - Bank of America Corp.
4. AAPL - Apple Inc.
5. F - Ford Motor Company (up from 6)
6. MSFT - Microsoft Corp. (up from 7)
7. CSCO - Cisco Systems Inc. (down from 5)
8. INTC - Intel Corporation
9. SIRI - Sirius XM Radio Inc.
10. VWO - Vanguard MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (still the first, and only ETF on the list)

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A Quick Look @ Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF)
In every issue we take a quick look at a stock that has been in the news. Feel free to make suggestions as to what stock you would like to see covered next by sending an email to editor@firstrade.com, or the editor will pull a random symbol out of a hat.

In this issue, we are going to take a look at Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF). Known for its iconic blue color (which is trademarked) Tiffany & Co. is a New York staple that dates back over a century. In addition to being known for its high-end jewelry, the company also designed and produced some of the most famous sports trophies including the NFL's Vince Lombardi Trophy and the NBA's Larry O'Brien Trophy. With stores all over the world, and some of the highest revenues per square foot in the retail industry, lets take a look at how the company's stock has performed in its long history:

Key Events:

1. 1837 - Charles L. Tiffany and John B. Young opened a "Stationery and Fancy Goods" store Tiffany & Young.
2. 1851 - Tiffany & Young became the first American firm to use the 0.925 silver standard, which was adopted by the U.S. Congress as the American sterling silver standard.
3. 1878 - Tiffany acquired the world's largest yellow diamond at 128.54 carats after the cut. The diamond is designated the Tiffany Diamond.
4. 1886 - The famous Tiffany Setting was introduced.
5. 1926 - The United States adopts Tiffany's standard of purity for platinum.
6. 1961 - Audrey Hepburn starred in the timeless film Breakfast at Tiffany's.
7. 1967 - Tiffany created the famous Vince Lombardi Trophy for the NFL Super Bowl Championship.
8. 1987 - Tiffany & Co. had its IPO at the price of $23.00 per share. (under $2 per share adjusted for the subsequent stock splits)
9. 1988 - Tiffany expanded into Asia with stores in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
10. 2001 - Tiffany launched its first Latin American store in Brazil.
11. 2004 - Tiffany & Co. sued eBay claiming it was profiting from sales of counterfeit Tiffany products. Tiffany lost the trial and on appeal.
12. 2004 - Tiffany launched Iridesse, a pearl-focused jewelry brand. Shuttered in 2009 due to losses.
13. 2008 - Tiffany expanded into eyewear through a deal with Luxottica Group.
14. 2010 - Tiffany opened 4th retail store in Shanghai at the IFC Mall.
15. 2012 - Tiffany set to expand in United Arab Emirates through strategic joint venture with Damas Jewellery.