UTi (UTIW) (VALE) (WLL) (DB) (DRI) (EQY) Downgraded

UTi Worldwide (NASDAQ: UTIW), Vale (NASDAQ: VALE), Whiting Petroleum (NYSE: WLL), Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB), Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI) and Equity One (NYSE: EQY) were downgraded by analysts.

UTi Worldwide (UTIW) was downgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a “Neutral” rating to an “Underperform” rating.

Vale (VALE) was downgraded by HSBC (NYSE:HBC) to a “Neutral” rating.

Whiting Petroleum (WLL) was downgraded by Susquehanna from a “Positive” rating to a “Neutral” rating. They have a price target of $56.00 on the company, down from $58.00.

Deutsche Bank (DB) was downgraded by Macquarie from an “Outperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Darden Restaurants (DRI) was downgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a “Neutral” rating to an “Underperform” rating. They have a price target of $40.00 on the company.

Equity One (EQY) was downgraded by Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Vale (VALE) (UTIW) (RDK) (REGN) (RMTI) (RSTI) Ratings, Price Targets

Vale (NASDAQ: VALE), UTi Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: UTIW), Ruddick Corporation (NYSE: RDK), Regeneron Pharma (NASDAQ: REGN), Rockwell Medical (NASDAQ: RMTI) and Rofin-Sinar Technologies (NASDAQ: RSTI) ratings and price targets.

UTi Worldwide Inc. (UTIW) was downgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating.

Vale (VALE) was downgraded by HSBC (NYSE:HBC) to a “neutral” rating.

Ruddick Corporation (RDK) was upgraded by Zacks Investment Research from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating.

Regeneron Pharma (REGN) was upgraded by Robert W. Baird from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating. They have a price target of $81.00 on the firm, up from $56.00.

Rockwell Medical (RMTI) was upgraded by Zacks Investment Research from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating.

Rofin-Sinar Technologies (RSTI) was upgraded by Zacks Investment Research from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating.

Vale (VALE) (UMPQ) (LRCX) (WBS) (ALNY) (GPRO) Ratings, Price Targets

Vale (NASDAQ: VALE), Umpqua Holdings Co. (NASDAQ: UMPQ), Lam Research Co. (NASDAQ: LRCX), Webster Financial Corp. (NYSE: WBS), Alnylam Pharma (NASDAQ: ALNY) and Gen-Probe Incorporated (NASDAQ: GPRO) ratings and price targets.

Umpqua Holdings Co. (UMPQ) was downgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Vale (VALE) was downgraded by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Lam Research Co. (LRCX) was upgraded by Credit Agricole to a “Buy” rating.

Webster Financial Corp. (WBS) is now covered by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB). They placed a “Buy” rating on the company.

Alnylam Pharma (ALNY) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Needham & Company.

Gen-Probe Incorporated (GPRO) is now covered by ThinkEquity. They placed a “Buy” rating on the company.

Tetra (TTI) (UMPQ) (VALE) (BLK) (BOH) (CBRL) Downgraded

Tetra Technologies Incorporated (NYSE: TTI), Umpqua Holdings Co. (NASDAQ: UMPQ), Vale (NASDAQ: VALE), BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK), Bank of Hawaii Co. (NYSE: BOH) and Cracker Barrel (NASDAQ: CBRL) were downgraded by analysts.

Tetra Technologies Incorporated (TTI) was downgraded by Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) from a “Strong Buy” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Umpqua Holdings Co. (UMPQ) was downgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Vale (VALE) was downgraded by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

BlackRock, Inc. (BLK) was downgraded by Sterne Agee from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Bank of Hawaii Co. (BOH) was downgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Cracker Barrel (CBRL) was downgraded by Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

VIVUS (VVUS) (ZUMZ) (UMPQ) (VALE) (VOLC) (NSC) Ratings, Price Targets

VIVUS, Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS), Zumiez (NASDAQ: ZUMZ), Umpqua Holdings Co. (NASDAQ: UMPQ), Vale (NASDAQ: VALE), Volcano (NASDAQ: VOLC) and Norfolk Southern Corp. (NYSE: NSC) ratings and price targets.

VIVUS, Inc. (VVUS) is now covered by Rodman & Renshaw. They have a “market perform” rating on the firm.

Zumiez (ZUMZ) had its price target raised by Oppenheimer from $29.00 to $32.00. They have an “outperform” rating on the firm.

Umpqua Holdings Co. (UMPQ) was downgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating.

Vale (VALE) was downgraded by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating.

Volcano (VOLC) was downgraded by BMO Capital Markets from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating.

Norfolk Southern Corp. (NSC) was upgraded by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating.

Lincare (LNCR) (BZH) (CORT) (CHH) (VALE) (FCFS) Ratings, Price Targets

Lincare (NASDAQ:LNCR), Beazer Homes (NYSE:BZH), Corcept Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CORT), Choice Hotels (NYSE:CHH), Companhia Vale do Rio (NYSE:VALE) and First Cash Financial Services (NASDAQ:FCFS) ratings and price targets.

Imperial Capital initiated coverage on Beazer Homes (BZH). They have an "In-Line" rating and price target of $3.00 on the firm.

BioLogic Equity Research initiated coverage on Corcept Therapeutics (CORT). They have a "Sell" rating on the firm.

Choice Hotels (CHH) was downgraded by Robert W. Baird from a "Neutral" rating to an "Outperform" rating. They have a price target of $34.00 on the firm.

Lincare (LNCR) was downgraded by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Companhia Vale do Rio (VALE was downgraded by "UBS" from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

First Cash Financial Services (FCFS) was upgraded by Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF) from a "Hold" rating to a "Buy" rating.

Vale (VALE) (TSN) (URBN) (AMZN) (AXS) (CNO) Ratings, Price Targets

Vale (VALE), Tyson Foods, Inc. (TSN), Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN), Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN), Axis Capital (AXS) and CNO Financial Group, Inc. (CNO) ratings and price targets.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) reiterated its “Buy” rating on Vale (VALE).

Zacks Investment Research reiterated its “Neutral” rating on Tyson Foods, Inc. (TSN). They have a price target of $21.00 on the company.

Sterne Agee reiterated its “Neutral” rating on Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN).

Morgan Keegan initiated coverage on Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN). They placed an “Outperform” rating and a price target of $210.00 on the company.

Zacks Investment Research reiterated its “Neutral” rating on Axis Capital (AXS). They have a price target of $31.00 on the company.

Zacks Investment Research reiterated its “Neutral” on CNO Financial Group, Inc. (CNO). They have a price target of $6.25 on the company.

Vale (VALE) (AKAM) (TWC) (URBN) (AET) (AGP) Price Targets Changed

Vale (NASDAQ: VALE), Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ: AKAM), Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC), Urban Outfitters, Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN), Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET) and AMERIGROUP Co. (NYSE: AGP) had price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Vale (VALE) had its price target lowered by Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)to $29.00. They have an “Equal Weight” rating on the company.

Akamai Technologies (AKAM) had its price target raised by Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) to $22.50. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Time Warner Cable (TWC) had its price target lowered by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) to $80.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) had its price target lowered by Wedbush to $19.00.

Aetna Inc. (AET) had its price target raised by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) to $53.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

AMERIGROUP Co. (AGP) had its price target raised by Oppenheimer to $66.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Vale (VALE) (HAIN) (HGSI) (HTLD) (VOCS) (WAT) Price Targets Changed

Vale (NYSE: VALE), The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAIN), Human Genome Sciences (NASDAQ: HGSI), Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ: HTLD), Vocus, Inc. (NASDAQ: VOCS) and Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT) had price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Vale (VALE) had its price target lowered by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) to $33.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (HAIN) had its price target raised by Barclays Capital from $35.00 to $37.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the company.

Human Genome Sciences (HGSI) had its price target lowered by RBC Capital from $25.00 to $15.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Heartland Express, Inc. (HTLD) had its price target lowered by RBC Capital from $16.00 to $14.00. They have an “Underperform” rating on the company.

Vocus, Inc. (VOCS) had its price target lowered by FBR Capital from $28.00 to $21.00. They have a “Market Perform” rating on the company.

Waters Corporation (WAT) had its price target lowered by Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) to $94.00. They have a “Hold” rating on the company.

Vale (VALE) (F) (NTAP) (AXL) (DE) (JCI) Price Targets Changed

Vale (NASDAQ: VALE), Ford (NYSE: F), NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP), American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc (NYSE: AXL), Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) and Johnson Controls, Inc. (NYSE: JCI) price targets adjusted by analysts.

NetApp Inc. (NTAP) had its price target lowered by Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) to $50.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Ford (NYSE: F) had its price target lowered by analysts at Barclays Capital from $20.00 to $15.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the company.

Vale (VALE) had its price target lowered by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) to $38.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. (AXL) had its price target lowered by Barclays Capital from $14.00 to $12.00. They have an “Equal Weight” rating on the company.

Deere & Company (DE) had its price target lowered by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) from $115.00 to $110.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Johnson Controls, Inc. (JCI) had its price target lowered by Barclays Capital from $49.00 to $43.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the company.

Vale (VALE) (DELL) (EXR) (IHS) (OFC) (SVN) (TJX) (DKS) Price Targets Changed

Vale (NASDAQ: VALE), Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL), Extra Space Storage (NYSE: EXR), IHS (NYSE: IHS), Corporate Office Properties (NYSE: OFC), 7 Days Group Holdings Ltd (NYSE: SVN), TJX Companies Inc (NYSE: TJX) and Dick’s Sporting Goods (NYSE: DKS) price targets adjusted by analysts.

Vale (VALE) had its price target lowered by Citigroup (NYSE:C) to $40.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Dell Inc. (DELL) had its price target lowered by RBC Capital from $20.00 to $17.00. They have a “Sector Perform” rating on the company.

Extra Space Storage (EXR) had its price target raised by RBC Capital from $21.00 to $24.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

IHS (IHS) had its price target lowered by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) to $85.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Corporate Office Properties (OFC) had its price target lowered by FBR Capital from $32.00 to $29.00. They have a “Market Perform” rating on the company.

7 Days Group Holdings Ltd (SVN) had its price target raised by Brean Murray from $27.00 to $30.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

TJX Companies Inc. (TJX) had its price target raised by RBC Capital from $62.00 to $64.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS) had its price target lowered by FBR Capital from $44.00 to $40.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Vale (VALE) (HUM) (SM) (OSG) (NVMI) (INTU) Price Targets Changed

Vale (NASDAQ: VALE), Humana (NYSE: HUM), SM Energy (NYSE: SM), Overseas Shipholding Group Inc. (NYSE: OSG), Nova Measuring Instruments Ltd. (NASDAQ: NVMI) and Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ: INTU) price targets adjusted by analysts.

Humana (HUM) had its price target raised by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) to $100.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Intuit Inc. (INTU) had its price target lowered by Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) to $53.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

SM Energy (SM) had its price target raised by Stifel Nicolaus from $95.00 to $100.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Overseas Shipholding Group Inc. (OSG) had its price target lowered by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) from $27.00 to $22.00. They have a “Hold” rating on the company.

Nova Measuring Instruments Ltd. (NVMI) had its price target lowered by Needham & Company from $16.00 to $14.00. They have a “Strong Buy” rating on the company.

Vale (VALE) had its price target lowered by Dahlman Rose from $45.00 to $43.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Miners (FCX) (RIO) (VALE) (TCK) Trade Mixed

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX), Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO), Vale (NYSE:VALE) and Teck Resources (NYSE:TCK) traded mixed on Thursday as commodity prices were pressured down.

Gold for June delivery closed down $3.40, or 0.2 percent, at $1,492.40 a troy ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The ICE Futures' dollar index was down 0.5 percent at 75.106. The U.S. dollar was down against most of its major peers at the end of trading Thursday.

Silver prices ended the session down. July delivery for silver fell 16.5 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $34.932 a troy ounce.

Extremely bad news on Obama's economy pressured the commodity sector.

July contracts had copper falling 5.25 cents to settle at $4.0525 a pound and platinum dropped $10.90 to $1,769 an ounce. June palladium settled down $9.05 at $728.15 an ounce.

Questions as to the sustainability of iron ore prices over the long term are a question for the diversified miners, although in the short term that won't be an issue. That comes from expectations China's demand for steel will slow down and more iron ore coming into the market.

Housing sales and manufacturing data revealed an ongoing weak and fragile American economy.

Rio Tinto closed Thursday at $67.41, dropping $0.81, or 1.19 percent. Vale ended the session at $30.45, gaining $0.13, or 0.43 percent. Teck Resources closed at $49.96, falling $0.24, or 0.48 percent. Freeport-McMoRan closed at $47.97, down $0.65, or 1.34 percent.

Miners Vale (VALE) (FCX) (RIO) (TCK) Trade Up

Shares of diversified miners Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX), Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO), Teck Resources (NYSE:TCK) and Vale (NYSE:VALE) all traded up on Wednesday as gold, silver and most other commodity prices climbed on the day.

June gold climbed $15.80 to $1,495.80 per troy ounce, a 1.1 percent gain on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The less traded May contract was up $15.80, or 1.1 percent, to $1,495.60 a troy ounce.

The silver contract for May delivery gained $1.61, or 4.8 percent, to $35.10 a troy ounce.

A weaker dollar was the major catalyst for gold and silver specifically, and commodities in general on Wednesday.

Benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude for June delivery was up $3.19, or 3.3 percent, to settle at $100.10 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Brent crude rose $2.31 in London, or 2.1 percent, to settle at $112.30 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

The U.S. dollar index, which measures the dollar against a basket of six currencies, traded at 75.438, down a little from 75.441 late Tuesday. That was also a factor in gold and silver prices going up.

July platinum was $18.90 higher to end at $1,779.90 per troy ounce, while June palladium jumped $22.95 to $737.20 per troy ounce.

For base metals, July copper rose 11 cents to $4.11 per pound in New York trade, while three-month contracts for the metal were $262 higher to $9,061 per ton on the London Metal Exchange.

Aluminium inventories increased in LME warehouses, adding 1,325 tons to a new record high of 4.71 million tons. Even so, three-month contracts for aluminium still were up $55 to $2,556 per ton.

Zinc was up $97 to $2,188 per ton in London and lead was $136 higher to $2,445 per ton.

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) closed Wednesday at $48.62, gaining $1.79, or 3.82 percent. Vale closed at $30.32, up $0.46, or 1.54 percent. Rio Tinto ended the session at $68.22, rising $0.83, or 1.23 percent. Teck Resources closed at $50.20, jumping $2.08, or 4.32 percent.

Diversified Miners (RIO) (TCK) (VALE) (BHP) Close Down as Base Metals Drop

Base metals dropped in Monday trading putting pressure on diversified mining giants Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO), BHP Billiton (NYSE:BHP), Vale SA (NYSE:VALE) and Teck Resources, (NYSE:TCK), which all closed down.

Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange dropped to $9,207 a ton, its lowest since March 17. It closed at $9,225 a ton from Friday's close at $9,450.

Stocks of copper in LME warehouses last rose 1,350 tons to 451,775 tons, their highest since June 2010.

Also weighing on metals, the U.S. dollar was stronger against a basket of major currencies, weakening metals demand from non-U.S. investors. European equities were down on increased talk that Greece will be forced to restructure its debt and uncertainty over a bailout for Portugal which dampened risk appetite.

Aluminium closed $2,674 from $2,690 a ton.

Zinc ended at $2,325 from $2,398 a ton. Stocks of the metal rose 50 tons to a seven-year high of 764,300 tons.

Battery material lead was down close to five percent to its lowest in over a month at $2,520 a ton. It closed at $2,528 from $2,651 a ton, while tin finished at $32,350 from $33,100 a ton and nickel ended at $25,500 a ton from $26,155.

Platinum was lower by 0.2 percent at $1,779.99 an ounce, while palladium fell 3.3 percent to $735.22.

BHP closed Monday at $97.98, falling $1.82, or 1.82 percent. Rio Tinto closed at $69.09, down $1.82, or 2.57 percent. Teck Resources ended the session at $50.68, losing $1.26, or 2.43 percent. Vale closed at $32.05, dropping $0.73, or 2.23 percent.

Diversifieds BHP (BHP) (VALE) (RIO) (TCK) (FCX) Trade Mixed

Shares of diversified miners such as BHP Billiton (NYSE:BHP), Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO), Vale SA (NYSE:VALE), Teck Resources (NYSE:TCK) and Freeport-McMoran (NYSE:FCX) were trading mixed Thursday, metals prices moved in various directions.

In base metals trading, May copper dropped 1.05 cents to settle at $4.284 a pound, July platinum increased $18.40 to $1,795.60 an ounce and June palladium was up $8.95 to $774.25 an ounce. May copper fell 1.05 cents to settle at $4.284 a pound.

Iron ore demand is expected to remain tight over the medium term, and over the long term should jump in response to the rebuilding needs coming from the consequences of the earthquake in Japan.

Gold for June delivery rose $16.80 to settle at $1,472.40 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Spot gold was up 1.4 percent to $1,474.30 an ounce, closing in on its record $1,476.21 set on Monday. Silver rose $1.427, or 3.6 percent, to $41.66 an ounce.

The collapsing U.S. dollar, tightening in China, sovereign debt crisis in Europe, unrest in the Middle East, increasing inflation and consequences of the Japanese earthquake are just some of the negative catalysts affecting the price movements.

The U.S. dollar was close to session lows, resulting in a further impetus to gold. The U.S. currency traded as low as 74.617, its lowest level since December 2009.

Teck Resources closed Thursday at $52.30, falling $0.59, or 1.12 percent. Rio Tinto closed at $71.70, up $0.04, or 0.06 percent. Vale SA ended the day at $32.65, up $0.64, or 2.01 percent. BHP Billiton closed at $100.42, rising $0.17, or 0.17 percent. Freeport-McMoran closed at $51.93, dropping $0.38, or 0.73 percent.

Teck (TCK) (FCX) (VALE) (RIO) Fall as Base Metals Drop

Even though Gold and silver prices were up moderately Wednesday, diversified miners like Teck Resources Limited (NYSE:TCK), Freeport-McMoran (NYSE:FCX), Vale (NYSE:VALE) and Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO), closed down on the day, as most base metals fell in price.

July platinum added $2.90 to $1,777.20 a troy ounce, but June palladium fell $4.80 to $765.30 a troy ounce.

Among base metals, May copper was down 9 cents to $4.30 a pound in New York trade, while three-month contracts were $115 lower to $9,515 a ton on the London Metal Exchange after stockpiles in LME-monitored warehouses added another 3,225 tons throughout the day.

Tin was also down in London trade, falling $300 to $32,250 a ton, while nickel dropped $450 to $26,250 a ton.

On Wednesday gold prices closed at $1455.60 an ounce. The Silver price for the May contract was higher by .43 percent at 40.24 an ounce.

The collapsing U.S. dollar continues to be a big factor, although it gained in strength near the end of trading Wednesday. Other factors are tightening in China, sovereign debt crisis in Europe, unrest in the Middle East, deepening food and fuel inflation and the consequences of the Japanese earthquake in the auto and tech sectors, among others.

Rio Tinto closed Wednesday at $71.66, dropping $0.47, or 0.65 percent. Teck Resources Limited closed at $52.89, down $1.03, or 1.91 percent. Freeport-McMoran closed at $52.31, falling $1.14, or 2.13 percent. Vale closed at $32.39, declining $0.58, or 1.76 percent.

Gerdau (GGB) (VALE) (PBR) Pressured on Currency Strength

Shares of giant Brazilian companies like Gerdau (NYSE:GGB), Vale (NYSE:VALE) and Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) were all down in trading Wednesday as the government of Brazil attempts to battle the long-term currency appreciation which threatens its economy.

The Bovespa, the equity index of Brazil (XX:BVSP), closed down 1.2 percent to 69,036.91 with all sectors tracking being in the red.

Brazil’s currency (USDBRL) fell against the U.S. dollar Wednesday dropping to 1.612 reals from 1.607 reals on Tuesday. The real has soared over 35 percent against the dollar since 2009.

Danske Research said for the next three-, six- and 12-month period for USD/BRL, they changed their outlook from 1.65, 1.68 and 1.70 to 1.55, 1.56 and 1.59.

Other companies from Brazil closing down in New York were Gafisa (NYSE:GFA), Banco Bradesco (NYSE:BBD), Banco Santander (NYSE:BSBR) and Itau Unibanco (NYSE:ITUB)

Recently Brazil's real has traded at its highest level against the U.S. dollar since August 2008.

All of this is important because of the heavy reliance of commodities in Brazil, which when its currency rises against the U.S. dollar, it undermines the profits.

Vale (VALE) Forced to Appoint Murilo Ferreira as CEO

The government Brazil has forced the removal of Vale (NYSE:VALE) CEO Roger Agnelli and inserted in his place Murilo Ferreira, according to newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo.

In an outrageous attempt to use Vale as its personal piggy bank for its pet projects and socialist agenda, the Brazilian government has been looking for ways to have Agnelli removed so they could put a puppet in his place to do whatever they want him to do with the company; especially projects they want done in the country.

Agnelli was attempting to run a solid business which would bring value to shareholders and operate like it was in a free market to some degree.

That facade is now over, and foreign shareholders will have to watch carefully to see how their money is being spent and if it's at the expense of the company, which it no doubt will be. Probably time to get out of this stock while you can.

The government of Brazil used to run the company, although it continues to have a majority share. There's no doubt this is now a state-run company, whatever labels may want to be applied, and the projects and direction the company will go is largely only good for what the government wants for Brazil, and no longer as an independent company.

This is being spun as core shareholders in Vale having voted to put Ferreira in place.

Vale closed at $33.88, gaining $0.44, or 1.32 percent.

New Vale (VALE) CEO May Be Tito Martins Says Local Media

Local Brazilian newspaper, Folha de S.Paulo, reported Vale (NYSE:VALE) will have a new CEO named by Friday, with the name Tito Botelho Martins being identified as the person getting the job.

The newspaper didn't reveal the source they received the information from.

Removing Agnelli could actually be a disaster for the company, as he has helped the company grow exponentially during his tenure, and is only be pressured to be removed because of the socialist Brazilian government which is attempting to tell him how to use the capital of the company.

The government of Brazil has been attempting to remove Agnelli for years, alleging he isn't doing enough for the economic development in Brazil. They want him to use company money to invest in steel mills and infrastructure.

Brazil's government formerly ran Vale as a state-owned business, and apparently still considers itself such, even though they are supposed to be out of the picture.

This will create doubt in investors' minds as to whether they can trust investing in the company if the government is allowed to remove a highly successful leader like Agnelli because he does what's best for the company, its shareholders and its workers.

Vale closed in New York at $32.92, falling $0.05, or 0.15 percent.