Wall Street This Week: Time for Window Dressing
From Wall Street hoping to close out 2014 with a bang to the top dog in video streaming needing to prove that it's still magnetic to new subscribers, here are some of the things that will help shape the week that lies ahead on Wall Street.
Monday -- Let the Sun Shine In
The final trading week of the year is always the quietest, and that leaves China Sunergy (CSUN) as one of the few companies that will be making waves. The Chinese maker of solar cells and modules will host its annual shareholder meeting on Tuesday morning in its home market of Nanjing, but that translates into Monday night for stateside investors.
There's plenty riding on the meeting. China Sunergy will discuss proposed board changes. Given the steep losses that it's been reporting, it's not a surprise that the stock has cratered in 2014. It will have to restore confidence at its meeting.
Tuesday -- The Clock Is Ticking
The next-to-last trading day of 2014 will find money managers scrambling to pick up some of the year's biggest winners. It's an unfortunate practice called "window dressing" as fund managers try to make it seem as if they owned the top performers in their year-end reports.
It's a silly practice. After all, investors know that performance is everything. Dolling up a list of top portfolio holdings doesn't change where a fund ranks relative to its peers. Investors are smart enough to know that.
Wednesday -- Last Call for Subs
Wednesday will be a big day for Netflix (NFLX). The leading premium video service tumbled in October after falling short of its forecast for total streaming subscribers at the end of the third quarter. It can't afford to blow it again.
Netflix expects to tack on 4 million net new accounts during the final three months of the year, so it had better hope that it winds up with more than 57 million subscribers on its rolls by the end of Wednesday.
Thursday -- Auld Lang Syne
The market's closed in observance of New Year's Day on Thursday. It will be a clean slate for some of the stocks that were hit hard in 2014, but they will have to wait until Friday to begin trading on the road to redemption in 2015.
Friday -- "Black" Friday
The big movie opening this weekend will be "The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death." The original film raked in more than $54 million in domestic ticket sales two years ago. It will be a challenge to top that, especially since the sequel lacks the star power that Daniel Radcliffe brought on the original.
Motley Fool contributor Rick Munarriz owns shares of Netflix. The Motley Fool recommends and owns shares of Netflix. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. Is your portfolio ready for the new year? Check out The Motley Fool's free report for one great stock to buy for 2015 and beyond.
