The Market Losers: Firms that Fail

If you follow stock market news, you'll occasionally see some companies get creamed. It is similar to watching the popping of a party balloon: News comes out, euphoria is broken, and the stock implodes. Even familiar and long-standing firms eat shit sometimes, but hey, you never know what will happen next month, right?
Here are some tickers that I have been keeping track of that have slid into the very depths of hell. Don't worry tho, it's nothing serious. Remember, for every investor that lost money here, someone else out there made an equivalent amount.

FORD MOTOR CO

My, how the mighty have fallen. There was once a time when The American People wanted to drive trucks because they resembled rocks, but then Asian cars came and did it so much better. Well...that's what happens when your revenue/share is -$4.00.

VONAGE CORP

This company never got a break. Since their 2006 IPO open at $17, their shares have done nothing but slide. As I write this, VG is at a measly $2.13. What do they make, anyway? Voice-over IP? Scam.
Not only is VG muddled in lawsuits, but the Vonage pyramid scheme shows up on campus from time to time, using flashy presentations and advertising glamor to say: You too can make money off VoIP...for a modest investment of around $500...in cash.

GENELABS TECHNOLOGIES

Genelabs or whatever this company is called, produces....uhhh....hmmmmmmm
This is a perfect example of a "hype company" that gained investment popularity because they have a mysterious name and an exciting sounding product. Not helping is the 1999-2000 bubble that resulted in the large price spike at $53. That spike shows up in lots of price charts, but Genelabs in particular, was lifted high and then got dropped hard.

WASHINGTON MUTUAL

Among the banks to take a dive during the recent credit crisis is Washington Mutual, which for some reason, has become particularly unfavorable with shareholders. Nobody likes WM right now. Nobody. Maybe it has something to do with Cramer going berzerk on Mad Money and insulting the yield on Washing Mutual.

HALLIBURTON CORP

They're actually doing quite well. On the other hand, liberals claim that this company is pilfering Iraq. Take a look for yourself: The vertical blue line marks the start date of the war, and 5 years later, the current price is about $40. Not bad, but it's nothing special. This also happens to be the company formerly run by VP Dick Cheney so you can pretty much assume it's full of lies and slimy financial manipulation.
What would happen to HAL if the war suddenly ended and everyone went home? Probably something shady and imperialist, at best.