When Mark Hurd took the CEO spot for Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) in 2005, the board wanted to put an end to the drama. After all, the company's former CEO, Carly Fiorina, was a magnet for controversy. Hurd, on the other hand, was a no-nonsense operator.

Well, over the past month, he appears much different. Of course, the trigger was the resignation over allegations of sexual harassment and false expense reports. Maybe Hurd is the Manchurian CEO?

Today was a down day that started in Europe with new fears that the stress tests for banks really offered nothing of consequence and the fears that the real exposure is not known. There was no economic data in the US after a long three-day weekend.

Here were the unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow Jones 10,340.69 -107.24 (-1.03%)
S&P 500 1,091.84 -12.67 (-1.15%)
Nasdaq 2,208.89 -24.86 (-1.11%)

Top Analyst Calls

"Since being unceremoniously tossed overboard by Hewlett Packard (HPQ), the company he resurrected, Mark Hurd was tarred and feathered by the media; now Hurd has accepted a position at Oracle (ORCL); we view this bullishly and recommend the stock," says Paul McWilliams.

The tech sector expert and editor of Next Inning explains, "The media was not only quick to condemn Hurd for his conduct with a female contract worker, for which no criminal charges have been filed, it also conjured reasons to suggest Hurd was an ineffective CEO for Hewlett-Packard. Of course, these media pile-ons were long on adjectives and short on nouns and verbs.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Mark Hurd, is in talks with enterprise software maker Oracle (ORCL) about becoming an executive there. Hurd left HP in early August following allegations of sexual harassment by a former contractor. An investigation failed to find any evidence of sexual misconduct by Hurd.

What position Hurd may take up is unknown; Oracle's founder and CEO, Larry Ellison, will not be stepping down from his position, according to people familiar with the matter. Ellison did criticize HP's board for ousting Hurd, telling the New York Times that the board had failed to act in the best interest of its shareholders, employees and customers.

The foolishness that goes on in the adult world sets a poor example for the next generation. The poor decisions, arrogance and even stupidity of the Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) board of directors and the equally unfit to lead NCAA is shameful. Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle (ORCL) is correct in calling out the board of HP for firing CEO Mark Hurd, understanding the harm and injustice done to the company and its shareholders.

I can think of no more hypocritical organization then the NCAA, which has also shown itself to lack a sense of fair play and justice, while holding itself aloof and making demands of others. Its out-of-touch judgments and penalties for rules infractions make no sense, and USC students with no culpability were on the receiving end of it.

Analyst Upgrades

• TD Newcrest upgraded Agrium (AGU) to action list buy from hold based on a higher valuation supported by BHP's (BHP) bid for Potash (POT). The firm raised its price target for Agrium to $95 from $76.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Weingarten Realty (WRI) to outperform from market perform, citing valuation and stronger retail occupancy.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Aegon (AEG) to buy from hold after the company won European Union approval for its recapitalization using state aid.
• HCP Inc. (HCP) was upgraded to buy from hold at Argus.
• MedAssets (MDAS) was upgraded to buy from accumulate at Madison Williams.
• BreitBurn Energy (BBEP) was upgraded to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.

"Investing in conservative stocks to build or rebuild the core of your portfolio makes sense right now; investors should buy companies that have a long history of steady earnings and dividend growth, through good times and tough times," says J. Royden Ward.

The editor of the specialty newsletter, Cabot Benjamin Graham Value Letter, explains, "The obvious benefit of adhering to a disciplined system of value investing like ours is that you build long-term profits and, ideally, financial independence.

About five years years ago, Oracel's (ORCL) Larry Ellison pushed an aggressive acquisition's strategy to boost the company's growth. Some of the major deals included the purchase of PeopleSoft, Siebel, Hyperion, BEA and Sun.

It was controversial strategy but it has shown results. Since 2005, the shares of Oracle have increased 76%. This compares to a 10% return for SAP (SAP) and a 0% performance from Microsoft (MSFT).

The mainstream media is overflowing with hyperventilating bears preaching about a depression. All fear-mongering aside, we see two very positive developments in the U.S. economy: retail and corporate spending.

1. Retail Spending

The International Council of Shopping Centers has announced that retail sales expanded at the highest pace since September 2006. Luxury retailers posted an eye-popping 8% rise in sales. Seems like consumption is our culture. Some people think the U.S. consumer has changed. Personally, I would never bet against the DNA of a tribe ... and ours is shopping. As my brother Derek said, "In the Great Depression we had bread lines. Now, there are Apple (AAPL) iPhone 4 lines." That is a mind-blowing distinction.

The shares of Oracle Corp. (ORCL), which I first wrote about on April 7, 2009 at a price of $18.54, have pulled-back recently, in-sync with the Dow's recent decline, but just view the dip as an opportunity to scoop-up shares at a decent price. Here's why:

Look for Oracle's 2010 revenue to rise 12-16%, and better than 10% in 2011, bolstered by an expanded product line, including 7-9% organic software license growth. Further, there's little to suggest that Oracle won't remain a leading provider of enterprise software, organized in two businesses: software and services.

Oracle Corporation (ORCL) was trading higher this afternoon with less than an hour to go before the market closed. Traders were placing their bids based on the fourth-quarter report released yesterday after the bell. At one point, a quote of $22.94 went by on my screen, good for a rise of over 3%. Volume is cooking.

The stock chart isn't too appealing, especially the action seen in the latter months. And the 52-week range is a tight one: the low is $19.79, while the high is $26.63. Basically, it's a trading vehicle.

Among the coming week's most prominent quarterly reports are those from Oracle Corp. (ORCL), Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY) and Nike Corp. (NKE). Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for healthy year-over-year earnings and revenue growth from each of them.

Analysts on average expect enterprise software giant Oracle to report that its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings rose 14.8% from a year ago to $0.54 per share. Revenue for the three months that ended in May is expected to have risen about 38.1% in the past year to $9.5 billion. Oracle's per-share earnings have not fallen short of consensus estimates in the past five quarters. The First Call recommendation of 37 analysts is to buy ORCL and has been for more than 90 days. Shares have retreated recently from the 52-week high of $26.63 and closed the week at $23.20.

Analyst Upgrades

• Baird upgraded C.H. Robinson (CHRW) to outperform from neutral and has a $67 target on the stock. The firm upgraded shares citing growth opportunities given the capacity constrained environment.
• UBS upgraded Navistar (NAV) to buy from neutral, citing improved trucker preferences towards the company's engine technology.
• KeyBanc upgraded Crane (CR) to buy from hold based on valuation stabilization and potential upside in aerospace, among other reasons. The firm has a $39 target on the stock.
• United Therapeutics (UTHR) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Equifax (EFX) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Stephens.
• Brown & Brown (BRO) was upgraded to buy from hold at Citigroup.
  

Stocks have fallen over the past month and certain stocks have fallen considerably. If you have lost equity recently and can find similarly positioned stocks, it may be wise to consider some lateral moves. Selling one stock and buying something comparable allows you to claim a loss while still remaining fully invested.

In this way you do not have to observe the 30-day rule where you cannot claim a loss in a stock sold today if you buy it back until after 30 days have past. In 30 days the market opportunity to repurchase the shares of the company you sold at good price may have also past.

The DJIA dropped almost 1,000 points just after 2.30 PM EST. The market briefly traded below 10,000 before quickly recovering by 400 points. Trading became so unsettled that Procter & Gamble (PG) lost 21% of its value in a matter of minutes and traded back to even after several more minutes had passed.

The market may have been driven down by rumors that Germany might leave the Eurozone or that Europe's banks had stopped extending credit. Some traders said there may have been a breakdown in software at the NYSE. The firm denied it.

The few minutes between 2.30 and 2.45 are ones most traders will never forget.

Todays closing bell numbers:

Dow 10,519.79 -348.33 (-3.21%)
S&P 500 1,128.11 -37.76 (-3.24%)
Nasdaq 2,319.64 -82.65 (-3.44%)