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CNNMoney reports that General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) is selling its appliance business. Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE: GS) is running the auction for this maker of refrigerators, microwaves and dishwashers and expects to receive between $5 billion and $8 billion for this $7 billion division of GE's $17.7 billion (2007 revenues) Industrial business unit.

I have been advocating that GE shed its ancillary businesses and this is one that makes sense to sell. I have taught several cases on the appliance industry and one of them highlights the many problems that GE's Appliance business suffered from in the 1990s thanks to the growing bargaining power of mass merchandisers, significant competition from Chinese manufacturers, and some internally inflicted wounds.

If GE Appliances was valued at the same Price/Sales ratio as Whirlpool (NYSE: WHR) -- 0.3 -- it would fetch $3.5 billion. The appliance industry average price/sales ratio is 0.7 -- which would yield GE $4.9 billion. So it looks like GE believes its appliance business is worth well more than the average appliance industry competitor. I applaud the idea of selling GE Appliances but the real gem of GE is its infrastructure business which is capitalizing on the growth of developing countries like China and India.

For the past year, Circuit City (NYSE: CC) has done a nice job short-circuiting its shareholders. But lately, there has been hope.

In fact, today the company essentially said it's "in play" for a sale. That is, it will allow Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) – which has expressed buyout interest – to check out the books.

Although, it helped that billionaire activist investor, Carl Icahn, has been pushing for a deal. In a letter to Circuit City, he said he'll write a check to buy the company if Blockbuster can't come up with sufficient financing.

Yet, the question lingers: does a combination makes sense? After all, both Circuit City and Blockbuster are ailing. So why would a merger of two duds turn into a great entity? I seriously doubt it's something that frightens the folks at Best Buy (NYSE: BBY).

Then again, Circuit City may really be allowing itself to be sold to another player. For example, the company put an end to its proxy fight with Wattles Capital Management, which got three board seat. Oh, and Circuit City has retained Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) to explore strategic alternatives.

Thus, for the most part, Icahn is playing his typical role as the instigator. Keep in mind that he can be pretty tough to negotiate with – especially when you're selling your company to him.

And, so far in today's trading, Circuit City's shares are up 8%.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

As if there were not plenty to worry about, Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) is forecasting oil prices to hit $150 to $200 in the next six months to two years. According to Bloomberg, a note from one the of the bank's analysts said:``The possibility of $150-$200 per barrel seems increasingly likely over the next six-24 months, though predicting the ultimate peak in oil prices as well as the remaining duration of the upcycle remains a major uncertainty."'

Observers do not need help from Goldman to make the case. Recent problems with production in Nigeria and political unrest in the Middle East have already moved oil above $120. That situations could continue and move into other unstable countries such as Venezuela.

The theory that a slowdown in the global economy would drop oil prices has not borne out. China, India, and other major developing nations continue to push demand higher. Even in the US where gas prices are now over $3.50, consumers have not cut back use enough to move pricing down.

Some new fields will come online. Brazil just made a major discovery off its Atlantic coast, but production will not be up and running there for several years. During that time, exports from large producers like Mexico and Russia will continue to fall due to aging of their fields.

Nuclear power looks better every day.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com and the author of the Ten Stocks Under $10 letter.

Thomas Montag, the new head of of global sales and trading at Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER), better be worth it. Everyone now knows about his pay package. In a government filing, documents show that he will be guaranteed $39.4 million in 2008. Beyond that Merrill is buying out his holdings in his former employer Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS). According to The Wall Journal, "one person close to Goldman estimated that the hodgepodge of stock-based holdings is worth at least $50 million."

The numbers look big and make nice headlines, but the fact of the matter is that Montag is probably worth it. Merrill's losses have knocked it out of the top tier of brokerages in the minds of many investors. At Goldman,Montag's people made money when most peers were losing buckets. The fact that he is willing to go to MER should calm some shareholders.

The compensation is unique because Montag has this double value to Merrill. He is a gifted trader and executive. And, coming to Merrill is a sign that the firm is not toast. Montag is no idiot.

But, Merrill's problems are not behind it, so Montag probably took his money up-front.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says they won't fail, but they can't be bought yet.

What do the words "we have enough capital" mean? It means get ready for an offering. Merrill (NYSE: MER) (Cramer's Take) last week said they had enough capital. So did Citigroup (NYSE: C) (Cramer's Take). Of course they left themselves some sort of out. Merrill said it had enough "equity" capital, so it did a huge preferred deal. Citigroup stressed that it had more than it needed, but they just made you look like a moron if you bought stock the other day at $27.

But if you did buy, I have no sympathy for you, none whatsoever. I have no sympathy for you because I have said over and over again that as bank stocks go up, they must issue equity until housing stops going down. Every uptick must be met by equity if the downcycle is elongated.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says they can't be profitable with this huge cost – it's time to move on.

Here's a revelation. The airline industry is disappearing right before our eyes. And it doesn't even matter. They can merge all they want, they can try to cut costs through synergy, but the business can't survive $120 oil. The variable cost is 35% of their expense. That's not tenable and it is going higher. Fares have to double to make it up. That's just not tenable. The Dreamliner's a nice savings, but this American industry won't get there in time to be saved by it.

Last week we saw the big give-up, the departure of even the longest-term investors. The stocks are signaling that most of them will have to restructure through bankruptcy. They have done it before, but this time it doesn't matter. The fare increases have to occur, and they are such that the airline structures can't be profitable. It is one of those industries that can't stay afloat without massive federal subsidies, and that can't happen.

I have hated the airline stocks ever since 1985 when I recommended Delta (NYSE: DAL) (Cramer's Take) and my clients promptly dropped 50%. I reiterate that after the tremendous declines these stocks have, they are still worth avoiding. Don't be tempted to pick up these stocks if oil "swoons" down to $115. The airlines will rally, but they will need to do every bit of financing possible if a rally occurs.

Back in 2000, Rackspace attempted an IPO. Of course, the dot-com implosion derailed those plans.

Well, now the company is back and its IPO prospects look much better.

Rackspace is a giant in the web hosting industry. While the company has a solid infrastructure, it also has an extreme focus on customer service. In fact, the company terms it "Fanatical Support" (which is trademarked).

By the end of 2007, Rackspace had more than 29,000 customers. Actually, over the past five years, revenues have soared from $56.6 million to $362 million,a 59% annual growth rate. The company also posted a $17.8 million profit last year.

What's more, the prospects for the global hosting market look bright. According to Tier1Research, the market is expected to grow 26% per year to $24.4 billion by 2010.

The lead underwriters on the IPO include Goldman, Sachs & Co. (NYSE: GS), Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS) and Merrill Lynch & Co. (NYSE: MER). You can find the prospectus at the SEC website.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook (www.mergerbook.com) and is also a principal in Averiware, which provides an ERP system to small and midsize businesses.

AP reports that Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE: GS) predicts that the price of a barrel of oil could climb from its current $120 to as high as $200. That's not too much of a stretch because since January 2001, that price has risen 400% from $24. A rise to $200 would be a mere 67% increase from the current price. Meanwhile gasoline is likely to hit $4 a gallon this summer -- and if oil hit $200 a barrel, that could drive the price to $6.67 a gallon -- up 319% from the $1.59 it cost back in January 2001.

Why is the price of oil going up so much? Experts don't seem to know and I'm not an expert. But it looks like simple supply and demand does not explain such a rapid price rise. Some cite rising energy demand -- from China and India -- combined with a reduction in supply -- e.g., production declines in Mexico, an unstable oil industry in Venezuela and possible shrinking production capacity in the Middle East -- as a partial explanation.

But then there are the other factors that seem hard to measure -- the potential decline in the dollar, political instability (such as the U.S. firing warning shots at two Iranian boats in the Persian Gulf this week), and so-called speculators. Of all these factors, the speculators explanation is the most interesting. These could be hedge funds and commodities traders who borrow huge amounts of money to bid up oil prices.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) closed at $188.44 Thursday.

GS May option implied volatility of 37 is below its 26-week average of 41 according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

NASDAQ 100-QQQQ overall implied volatility at 24; 26-week average is 28

Options Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

Investors don't seem to be losing their appetite for social networks -- at least for the top ones. The latest funding comes from Ning, which recently raised $60 million. Apparently, the valuation is a pre-money $500 million or so.

The company has lots of pedigree. That is, the co-founders include Marc Andreessen -- who is the mastermind of Netscape -- and Gina Bianchini, who is a former Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS) investment banker. They launched Ning back in October 2004. And it was good timing.

Basically, Ning allows users to easily create their own social networks, with blogs, videos, photos and so on. It has become a melting pot of creativity.

With Citigroup's (NYSE: C) quarterly report, many investors hoped that the bank had gotten most of its bad news out. It wrote off a great deal of its mortgaged-backed inventory and LBO-debt. The firm also said it would fire 9,000 people. That number will likely rise. Citi has pledged that it will cut nearly 20% of its total operating costs.

Some of the gloom around the stock lifted. It traded over $25. It was as low as $17.99 recently.

But, many still view the future of Citi as grim. In an odd way, the quarterly report showed the bank as weaker than investors thought. According to Bloomberg, "The writedowns burned through much of the $30 billion of capital Citigroup has raised since late last year, leaving it vulnerable to further charges and loan-loss provisions." In other words, the bank may have to raise more money, or sell one of its successful divisions. Smith Barney often comes up in that conversation.

Or, if matters get worse quickly and there is not ready capital to bail out the bank, it could still be dismantled in a fire sale. Whether the Fed would turn to JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM) or Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) to buy Citi and handle the decisions of which parts must go or whether the firm's board would do it, the alternatives would ruin one of the world's largest financial companies. But, it did get into the mess all on its own.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) shares are trading higher after Citigroup (NYSE: C) posted a first-quarter loss that managed to encourage investors. Though C lost $1.02 per share, below estimates of 95 cents per share, revenues came in ahead of targets and investors seemed to be relieved that C's report did not contain any bad surprises. This could mean that the worst effects of the credit crunch may be behind investment banks like GS and C. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on GS.

After hitting a one-year high of $250.70 in October, the stock hit a one-year low of $140.27 in March. GS opened this morning at $176.91. So far today the stock has hit a low of $176.91 and a high of $181.8. As of 12:00, GS is trading at $181.12, up $9.02 (5.2%). The chart for GS looks neutral and improving slightly, while S&P gives the stock a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy rating.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a July bull-put credit spread below the $130 range. A bull-put credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of put options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make a 4.2% return in just three months as long as GS is above $130 at July expiration. Evergreen would have to fall by more than 28% before we would start to lose money. Learn more about this type of trade here.

GS hasn't been below $140 at all in the past year and has shown support around $160 recently. This trade could be risky if the company's earnings (due out in early June) disappoint, but even if that happens, this position could be protected by the support the stock might find around $140, where it bottomed out in March.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer.

DISCLOSURE: Mr. Archer owns and/or controls diversified portfolios of long and short stock and option positions that may include holdings in companies he writes about. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in GS or C.

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Since I have been a shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A), I have enjoyed reading with great interest the musings of company chairman Warren Buffett as he gives almost a play-by-play review of the year in his letter to shareholders. He writes in a tone I would compare to Will Rogers, the writer, actor, comedian, cowboy and former mayor of Beverly Hills.

"My pal Warren" highlights both the triumphs and disasters of the year and his own perspective of the State of the Union and the economy like only he can. I strongly recommend investors take the time to read his letter(s).

One of the most often referred to items in Buffett's letters is regarding the quality of the management at each of the companies that Berkshire owns, or has major stock holdings in. There are many shrewd investors who will make a convincing argument that the quality of management is the highest priority.

He glowingly speaks of the wisdom, integrity and hard work of his management partners. He openly states that one reason that most of Berkshire acquisitions tend to work so well is the mutual appreciation of these character traits they all share. Unlike many companies that look to make money by shaking up the management structure, Buffett bases his investment strategy on keeping the strong management that built the enterprise in place.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) sure is a downer. I was starting to feel a little better about the market when it decided to say some bad things about the upcoming earnings season. Thanks a lot, Goldman! According to this Bloomberg article, Goldman believes that earnings for companies will be, overall, very bad, and that the broad market will be brought down by them. Already, reports by General Electric (NYSE: GE) and Alcoa (NYSE: AA) have rocked Wall Street -- and not in a good way, let me tell you. Goldman's David Kostin is, in fact, disagreeing with other analysts who believe that the quarter won't be so terrible; he also thinks the S&P 500 will be lower by the end of the year by perhaps 6%.

So, what does this tells us as investors? First of all, let me say that I think the guy has a point -- when you see GE miss like it did on 4/11, you've got to take notice and be on your guard. In other words, if you're planning on doing some cute buy-a-stock-just-before-it's-about-to-report trading, be extra careful! Now is not the time to take ridiculous chances with investment capital. If you are going to do it, make sure you do it with extra-safe stocks -- then again, if GE wasn't a worthwhile trade in the category I just described, what the heck qualifies for "extra-safe" this quarter? Probably not much. All of us have to realize that the recession is, most likely, real, and that stocks are going to be difficult equities to own.