Cypress Semiconductor EXTENDS Bid for Ramtron and 4 Hot Stocks Turning Heads

Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC):  According to the Wall Street Journal, US stocks are near their highest level in about five years, but instead of enthusiasm, market participants have reacted with skepticism, pointing to economic concerns and doubts about whether expectations for new monetary stimulus are well-founded. Shares of Bank of America Corporation are trading at 1.63% higher today.

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Cypress Semiconductor (NASDAQ:CY):  Cypress Semiconductor Corp. has extended the deadline from August 17 to August 24 on their offer to buy Ramtron International Corp. for the third time, continuing a hostile bid that began last year. In June, after the semiconductor maker rejected a prior bid of $88 million saying it didn’t reflect their intrinsic value, Cypress took their boosted $95 million cash offer to the shareholders. The most recent bid offered to investors was $2.68 a share, up 20 cents from the previous offer.  They didn’t disclose the number of shares that have been tendered.

Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM):  Government aid this year has helped Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM) and Honda Motor (NYSE:TM) sales grow faster in Japan than any other major market. There was about a 53% growth through July.  Analysts at BNP Paribas SA and IHS Automotive, however, anticipate that these subsidies will soon run out and during the next quarter, Japanese vehicle sales will fall about 20%. Shares of Toyota Motor Corporation are trading at 1.07% lower today.

Priceline(NASDAQ:PCLN):  William Shatner’s Priceline Negotiator isn’t a goner after all.  He just went surfing. Seven months after a commercial showed him plunging off a cliff and into apparent oblivion, the company resurrected him with a new 30 second TV and online spot.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL):  According to The New York Times, Jurors this week are expected to deliberate in order to reach a verdict in the Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung patent case. If Apple wins, rival companies will likely make smartphones and tablets that look very different from those of Apple.  A Samsung win could mean that Apple’s competitors will keep making products that look similar to the iPhone and iPad. Shares of Apple Inc. are trading at 1.97% higher today.

Don’t Miss: Apple and Samsung Agree To Disagree.

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