C is the stock exchange symbol of Citigroup Inc, which is an international financial services giant. C stock trades in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

According to latest media reports, Goldman Sachs, an investment advisory and research firm, has put C stock on the "conviction buy list" on October end 2010. Goldman Sachs analyses various stocks for the value of their returns. Stocks thought to have good potential for returns by Goldman Sachs are put on a "conviction buy list" which means that it is beneficial to buy the stock in question at the moment.

Goldman cited some points, which favoured the positive upgradation of C stock. This was the relative low exposure of Citigroup to Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) as compared to others such as the Bank of America.

After the sub-prime lending crisis and subsequent global financial downturn in 2007, many organisations with exposure to mortgage-backed securities incurred losses. The exposure of Citigroup to such mortgage-backed securities is comparative less than other competitors. Citigroup has USD 95 billion investment in private label securities. Private label securities are mortgage-backed securities, which are not issued by government-related companies. While 95 billion dollars may seem to be a large amount, it is less compared to Bank of America's USD 910 billion investment in such securities. Goldman Sachs factored in this position while evaluating C stock.

Let's take a look at the impact of the inclusion of Citigroup stock in Goldman Sachs' conviction buy list.

Impact of Goldman's Buy Advice on C Stock

On October 25, 2010, C stock prices climbed 2.5% in response to the placement in Goldman Sachs conviction buy list. It opened at $4.22 on October 25, 2010 morning. On Friday, October 22, 2010, the stocks had closed at $4.11. Goldman Sachs has set a target of $5.50 for the stock. In the past 52 weeks, the price for Citigroup shares has ranged between $3.11 and $5.07.

Other analysts also recommended buying of Citigroup (C) stock for good returns.

C Stock News during the Global Financial Crisis

After incurring huge losses to the amount of $29.3 billion in the years 2008 and 2009, Citigroup has started to recover. In mid October 2010, Citigroup officials reported C stock news that they expect dividends to be raised in the years 2012. They also expect to start the buyback of shares in the same year.

Let's look at some important C stock news during the global financial crisis in the years 2008, 2009:

• The sub-prime lending crisis in the US impacted Citigroup in a big way. Sub-prime lending was made over a number of years in the US housing mortgage sector. This involved granting of housing loans to individuals who did not meet the usual eligibility requirements of borrowers. As loan defaults increased, house values collapsed and so did the revenues of companies who issued the sub-prime loans. The sub-prime loans packaged as mortgage-backed securities also ensured the losses of investors in such securities.
• On June 16, 2008, Citigroup recorded its largest quarterly loss in its history of 196 years. It reported a quarterly loss of $9.83 billion. Standard & Poor downgraded its rating. C stock quarterly dividends were also cut by 41%. The company had written off more than $18 billion in the form of bad housing loans.
• In the week of October 13 - 17, 2008, C stock news was worse. Citigroup shares had plunged 60% in that week alone.
• In November 24, 2008, Citigroup received a massive bailout package from the US government. The stock price rose 58% on that day, ending at $5.95 on the New York Stock Exchange.
• Market confidence in Citigroup stock still was low and as on Feb 28, 2009, the stock price fell to just $1.50 - the price of a soft drink, as one news report noted. The US government announced another bailout plan, which envisaged a shareholding stake in Citigroup.
• By September 2009, Citigroup, led by its CEO Vikram Pandit, reported plans to pay back 20 billion dollars to the US government as soon as it was possible.

From the bad times of 2008 and 2009, Citigroup has reported steady progress. Shares have gained around 26% in the last year. Officials reported three consecutive quarterly profits. In October 2010, Citigroup earnings were $2.2 billion for the third quarter. Goldman Sachs predicts that government stake in Citigroup would be sold off next year.

C Stock Quotes - C Stock Google Finance

Latest, real-time C stock quotes can be obtained from financial websites such as Google finance and Yahoo finance.

C stock Google Finance quotes provide information such as:

• 52-week range - the lowest and highest C stock price in 52 weeks. As of October 29, 2010, the 52 week range was 3.11 - 5.07
• Open - The stock opening price for the given trading day.
• Volume - The number of Citigroup shares traded in a given trading day
• Daily range - The lowest and highest share price in a single trading day. On October 29, 2010 the daily range of Citigroup shares was 4.15 - 4.18
• Comparative tables - C stock Google Finance quotes also provides tables comparing Citigroup stock with stocks of related companies such as Bank of America Corp, JP Morgan Chase & Co and Wells Fargo & Company. The table lists the daily stock prices of Citigroup and related companies, along with percentage changes and market capitalisation.

Both Google Finance and Yahoo Finance provide historical C stock quotes if information regarding past C stock prices is needed. They also have charts to portray changes in share prices. News and analyst opinions regarding Citigroup shares are included in stock quote information.