Starbucks ( SBUX | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating)
was in-line; same store sales rose 4% in July, less than expected. The company
also announced an additional 25 million share buyback.



Ingersoll Rand ( IR | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) raised its dividend 12.5% and said it would
accelerate its share buyback program.

Leapfrog ( LF | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating)
missed by $0.16.

WellCare Group
( WCG | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) beat by $0.07.

Traders are talking about
Cuba, and what happens when the country eventually becomes a
free, market based economy.

Some themes to watch longer-term:

Hotels: Take a look at
Hilton ( HLT | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating), which rallied yesterday and today. Tourism from
the U.S. could expand greatly.

Sugar:  Processor
Imperial Sugar Company ( IPSU | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) rallied today. Cuba was once the
world's largest exporter of sugar but since the Soviet Union collapsed in
1990, harvests have been a fraction of what they used to be.

Cruise lines: Royal
Caribbean ( RCL | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating).

And don't
forget about oil--which was discovered in the North Cuba Basin, and the
Varadero Oil Field currently supplies about 40% of Cuba's needs.

Keep in mind, though, that the U.S. has had a
trade embargo with Cuba since 1961, and just yesterday White Houses spokesman
Tony Snow said that "there are no plans to reach out'' to Cuba now.

Brice Wightman

PowerRatings are courtesy of

PowerRatings.Net