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Archer Daniels Midland Co. (NYSE: ADM), the Decatur, Ill.-based grain processor and crop transporter, is scheduled to discuss its fiscal first-quarter 2010 financial results in a conference call Tuesday at 9:00 AM ET. You can catch the live webcast of the call and accompanying slide presentation on the company's website.

During the three months that ended in September, ADM saw management changes and declared a quarterly dividend. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect ADM to report that earnings plunged 65.2% from a year ago to $0.56 per share. Revenue for the quarter is expected to be 18.6% lower to $17.2 billion.

When Americans go to the ball park to watch the World Series, we eat hot dogs. It's a tradition. It is also representative of a developed economy to eat lots of protein.

China is a developing economy with 22% of the world's population. And 1.3 billion Chinese people are developing an appetite for more protein, just as the people of almost all industrialized countries have. To make meat, you need grain. What China doesn't have is a lot of land and water for growing grain.

Analyst upgrades:

• Target (NYSE: TGT) was upgraded two ratings to Buy from Sell at Citigroup, and it raised its price estimate on shares to $61 from $44. The firm sees significant earnings upside as the company's same-store sales improve and finds the valuation attractive at current levels.
• Motorola (NYSE: MOT) was upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital citing valuation, new product launches, and expectations that the Mobile Devices division will be profitable. The price target is $11.
• AK Steel (NYSE: AKS) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Citigroup as it believes the company's Q3 results were solid and the China steel market is stabilizing. The firm raised its target to $21 from $17.
• Ceradyne (NASDAQ: CRDN) was upgraded at Wells Fargo to Market Perform from Underperform. The firm thinks that earnings expectations for the company have now reached more reasonable levels, limiting risk.
• FormFactor (NASDAQ: FORM) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at FBR Capital ahead of the company's Q3 results due to valuation as it views the risk/reward on shares compelling. The firm raised its price target to $25 from $19.
• Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) was upgraded at Goldman to Buy from Neutral, citing 2H10 margin expansion and analog share gains. Target was raised to $29 from $27.
• Barrett Business Services (NASDAQ: BBSI) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Roth Capital as the firm thinks the company will benefit from a labor market recovery next year. Roth notes that the stock's valuation has lagged behind most of its peers in recent months and it set an $18 target.

Uncertain economic times lead to uncertain corporate performances, which places a premium on demonstrated business models, and that's why I'm reiterating my Buy rating for Archer Daniels Midland (NYSE: ADM), first recommended on March 25, 2009, at a price of $28.78.

Archer has not appreciated as much as expected since March, but the Buy call remains; look for FY2009 revenue to increase 2-3%, reflecting seven, new agribusiness plants.

U.S. stock futures declined Tuesday morning as it seems bulls were content to rest up and take some profit after reaching certain levels the day before.

Monday was the first trading day in August and following some very positive news regarding manufacturing from around the globe, carmakers reported a strong July thanks to the cash-for-clunkers program. Not tired from the recent gains in July spurred by a generally better-than-expected earnings season, investors continued to push stocks higher with the S&P 500 index reaching a level above 1,000 for the first time since last November, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq closing above 2,000 for a 1.5% gain for both.

Archer Daniels Midland Co. (NYSE: ADM), one of the largest grain processors and crop transportation networks in the world, is scheduled to discuss its fiscal fourth quarter 2009 results tomorrow morning in a conference call at 9:00 AM ET, with an accompanying slide presentation. See the company's website for information on listening in on the call or the live webcast.

For the quarter in which ADM declared its 310th consecutive quarterly dividend and completed the acquisition of a German chocolate manufacturer, analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect the Decatur, Ill.-based agri-giant to report that earnings fell 22.4% from a year ago to $0.45 per share, though that is up from $0.34 per share in the third quarter. Revenue for the fourth quarter is expected to be 30.1% lower to $15.2 billion. Earnings beat estimates in three of the five past quarters, missing by 15 cents per share in the third quarter.

Where on earth can you buy things on sale for less than bargain prices?

Imagine that you were shopping for a nice shirt, or watch, or bicycle and you have been tracking the prices all year (or ten) and the thing finally goes on sale. You drive to the store and while you are in transit, unknown to you, the store manager puts a half price sticker on the item. You would be overjoyed with glee! To buy something at half the price you already thought was a bargain -- that would be amazing!

The fact is that this year the stock market has provided that opportunity. This year for the first time in most of our lives, you were able to do that to a degree that we have not witnessed before and have only read about.

If you missed the earlier entry point for Archer Daniels Midland, you're in luck: the stock has been testing $30 resistance for about six months. But that resistance won't hold forever.

Hence, I'm Reiterating my Buy rating for Archer Daniels Midland (NYSE: ADM), first recommended on March 25, 2009 at a price of $28.78.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) Q1 results beat expectations and raised its guidance.
• Alpha Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: ANR) shares surged after the it reported strong Q1 earnings.
• Archer Daniels Midland Co. (NYSE: ADM) just missed swinging to a loss due to to hefty investment losses.
• CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS) surprised with a net loss in Q1 as revenue and cash flow declined.
• Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK) shares fell after it reported disappointing results for the quarter.

Agricultural issue Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) is sharply lower in today's trading after falling short of Wall Street's earnings expectations. The company confessed to a 98% slide in third-quarter net income, thanks to hefty investment losses and a weak pricing environment.

ADM reported a profit of $8 million, or 1 penny per share, compared to its year-ago results of $517 million, or 80 cents per share. Investment losses for the period totaled 36 cents per share. Revenue for the quarter tumbled 21% to $14.8 billion, impacted by strength in the U.S. dollar and softer commodity prices. As a result, gross margin contracted from 6.2% to 4.4%.

It goes without saying that you'd call this a selective market: select the wrong stock, and there's a 30-40% haircut up ahead; select the correct stock, and you're positioned for the recovery with modest downside exposure. And with the aforementioned in mind, Archer Daniels Midland Co. (NYSE: ADM) is worth a review.

The global recession decreased demand for ADM's products, and the company is likely to face challenging conditions for at least the next two quarters.

Analyst upgrades:

• Citigroup upgraded shares of Liberty Property Trust (NYSE:LRY) to Hold from Sell to reflect the company's capital raises and progress on leasing over the past quarter. The firm raised their target price to $21 from $16.
  
• UBS upgraded shares of Lonmin (Other OTC:LNMIY) to Neutral from Sell as they believe Xstrata may make an offer for the company.
  
• Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded RadiSys (NASDAQ:RSYS) to Buy from Hold after the company reported better-than-expected Q4 results and provided Q1 guidance which the firm believes indicates that fiscal 2009 results will be better than expected. The firm set a target of $8.50.
• Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) and PG & E (NYSE:PCG) were raised to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital.
  
• Techne (NASDAQ:TECH) was upgraded at Baird to Outperform from Neutral.

Archer Daniels Midland Co. (NYSE: ADM) is scheduled to discuss fiscal second-quarter 2009 results tomorrow, February 3, in a conference call at 9:00 AM ET. To listen in to the call, dial 800-561-2601 or 617-614-3518; the access code is 81365958. Or catch the live webcast on the company's website.

For the quarter that saw lower commodities prices, analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect the Atlanta-based company to report earnings of $0.68 per share, down from $0.75 per share in the same period of the previous year. Revenue for the quarter is expected to have risen 2.9% from last year to $17.0 billion. ADM's earnings have topped estimates in the most recent quarters, more than doubling the EPS forecast in its record first quarter.

If there was any doubt whether the rally at the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009 was anything but a bear market rally, this week put these doubts to rest. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is already down 8.3% year-to-date; it sank 6.2% this week alone (notwithstanding Friday).

This week the financial crisis once again took center stage as Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) and Citigroup (NYSE: C) received a second round of bailout money and more guarantees. BAC is finding hard to digest its two acquisitions, while Citi is splitting itself and is no longer a financial supermarket.

But this wasn't all that happened this week. The fourth-quarter earnings season kicked off Monday; Alcoa (NYSE: AA) reported dismal numbers, all the rest followed suit. Even if there were a few surprises to the upside that exceeded expectations, the expectations themselves were already quite low.

With banking stocks getting crushed in the first few trading days of 2009, is there anywhere to hide?

For those looking to buy stocks, I provided a list of Top 10 Stocks for 2009. You won't find any financial stocks on the list.

Instead, I targeted a few themes that I believed would do well for varying reasons. One theme that I am particularly keen on is agriculture.

In a world that is full of fraud, bank collapses and historically low interest rates, I want to have some defense in any long recommendation.

The thing that makes agriculture so attractive is that the hedge fund maniacs turned this once boring space into the thrill ride of a lifetime. After a roller-coaster year, many great names in the space can be had for cheap prices.

One of the names on the list just got a whole lot cheaper.