On Oct. 16, UnitedHealth Group Inc. reported results for the third quarter of 2012.

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On Oct. 18, Blackstone Group reported third quarter earnings of 55 cents per share, outpacing the ZacksConsensus Estimate by 31.0% and reversing the year-ago loss of 34 cents.

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Virgin Group CEO Richard Branson turned in his first such post Oct. 2.

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Metals prices ended mixed during the reporting window of Oct.9, with gold, silver and copper prices down and platinum group metals higher.

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On Oct. 23, 2011, I wrote in this space that either Microsoft or Alibaba Group Holding, a Chinese major Internet company, will end up winning Yahoo.

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During the past month, MKM Partners and ISI Group have initiated coverage on CSCO with Buy ratings (on Nov. 1 and Oct. 14, respectively), while UBS upgraded the stock to Buy from Neutral on Oct. 27.

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