First Solar came in with wonderful (BIG!) numbers:
First Solar Profit Soars on Rising Solar-Panel Sales
First Solar sees 2008 revenue of $900 mln-$950 mln
On the conference call they confirmed that 1st half '08 numbers would be a bit light, this was a known known. We'll have a roundup of reactions by the close.
A couple weeks ago we had a post:
Gold loses its shine as high price hits Indian demand
Today the WSJ's MarketBeat blog hammered the point home with some updated numbers:
All the Gold in India
Enthusiastic investors in exchange-traded funds have helped fuel the dramatic increase in gold prices over the last few years. Of late, the price of gold has stalled at near-record levels, as the primary source of demand — jewelry — has declined due to what some see are exorbitant costs.This is particularly the case in India, which accounts about one-third of the world’s retail demand (either through investment in coins or bars, as well as jewelry). The World Gold Council said today that consumer demand in India rose just 7% in 2007, and fell off sharply in the fourth quarter, declining by 64%. Demand was also softer in the Middle East and U.S., two other regions where retail consumption is high....MORE
