BP Sets Up $20 Billion Fund, Suspends Dividend
June 16th, 2010
Just as I suspected in an earlier post (BP Stock) BP will put aside only one year’s income to pay for the damage in the Gulf.
Archive
Archive for the ‘Stocks’ Category
BP Stock - Oil Spill
May 26th, 2010
Despite a colossal oil spill that has the world glued to their televisions, British Petroleum stock looks like an excellent buy at this price. Now down 33% from its recent peak, more than twice the decline of Exxon Mobil during the same time, I’d be a net buyer on BP’s devalued stock. Read more…
NetFlix and Nintendo Wii Instant Streaming Movies
April 15th, 2010
There’s no way around it, Netflix (NFLX) is dominating in the new movie rental space. The company, which started as a rental service via mail, is now working its way into downloadable and streaming content, something that only improves upon the current business model. Read more…
The Importance of Stock Option Activity
April 10th, 2010
Stock options are for the big boys. Some use them to hedge, some use them for exotic bets, and some just use stock options as a way to rev up their portfolio’s performance. But no matter how stock options are used, you better take notice. There is possibly no better indicator than that of stock options activity. Read more…
Oil Prices Could Stifle Recovery
April 10th, 2010
The economic recovery remains young, as its only been a few months where the GDP has settled in positive territory. But as the rest of the world livens up, and trade begins again, higher oil prices could be the rain to our economic parade. Read more…
Toyota Recalls Could be Good For Investors
February 9th, 2010
If there is anything I’ve learned after years of trading the markets for myself its that you buy a company when its down. Toyota seems like the perfect name, having a strong history of quality cars despite recent problems with its accelerators and now brake problems with the Prius line. However, all this will soon pass and investors will be richer for it. Read more…
Fire Safe Cigarettes and the Industry (FSC) (carpet glue)
January 20th, 2010
Last year I wrote about the reasons for buying Phillip Morris International as a safe, anti-dollar investment. Well, after doing some more research into the cigarette industry, I’ve found that there is cause for concern. Fire safe cigarettes. (FSC) Read more…
Apple Tablet AAPL (iSlate)
January 18th, 2010
The blogosphere, and the news industry, has been all over Apple Computer’s supposed new product: an Apple branded tablet computer. Tablets, or computers that run on a touch screen system, were first tested in the early 2000s but never really caught on. I’ll examine Apple’s newest product, as well as the possibility this could be a hit product for Apple. Read more…
ETFs and Stock Lending Fees
January 14th, 2010
Stock lending fees are a crucial part of the business models for both exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds, which derive extra returns on their equity positions by “lending” shares to short sellers for a fee. Some companies, however, are more fair than others in how they distribute these earnings. Read more…
Oil Strikes $80 – A Sign for 2010?
December 31st, 2009
There isn’t single commodity that could touch the volatility of oil through 2009. Going into the year oil was coming off summer highs of $147 a barrel and had dipped as low as $37 as the global recession reached its peak. With 2010 on the horizion, it looks like we could have a repeat of 2008. Read more…
Investing Begins with Personal Finance
October 19th, 2009
Before delving into calculating alphas and betas, rooting through each and every line of quarterly report to find how businesses are spending R&D capital or drawing trendlines, there are a few things each and every investor should do. Number one priority is straightening out a budget. Read more…
Stock Option Collar Strategy
September 23rd, 2009
Whether you’re looking to smooth out dips in the market, or have just a few short years to retire, a sound investment strategy may include what is known as a “collar.” This simple strategy has been deployed by hedge funds, pensions, and other institutions with great success. In fact, a recent study found it to be more successful than buy-and-hold investing over the past 10 years.
Read more…
Bank of America - A Beautiful Short Sale
August 23rd, 2009
I was a fervent supporter of Bank of America after its bailout when, by process of government bailouts, was near immune to any further decline in its mortgage holdings. Today, however, I’d advocating the opposite play, this thing looks prime for a short bet. Read more…
Lithia Motors Stock
August 20th, 2009
To say we haven’t had any recovery in the automotive sector is a stretch. But as I have outlined previously, the fact of the matter is that any positive economic growth from cash for clunkers is the result of bringing tomorrow’s (the future’s) demand to today (this quarter). There’s no doubt about it, cars are hot right now, but who is to say they’re going to be hot when the government yanks cash for clunkers on Monday? Read more…
Goldman Sach’s High Frequency Trading Scam
July 27th, 2009
One of the biggest market newsmakers recently has been Goldman Sach’s high frequency trading program. The automated system is incredibly complex, using data obtained from the NASDAQ and NYSE markets to front run virtually every trade that happens on the exchange. Read more…
Financials Looking for Big 2Q Results
July 13th, 2009
As we know, stocks posted a hefty rebound today, fueled by speculation that 2Q bank earnings would improve over the quarter before. While we all know that Chase’s earnings will improve after raising minimum payments from 2% to 5%, the remaining banks don’t seem like they’re in such great shape. Read more…
Beware of 3Q and 4Q Banking and Credit Card Earnings – Manipulation of Earnings with Minimum Payment Scam
July 5th, 2009
In an effort to quickly raise cash to finance their operations, many large banking and consumer lending institutions are pulling some strings to get a little extra cash out of their clientele. The results may look great on paper, at least initially, but the signs point to further problems down the line. Read more…
Where Are All The IPOs? Private Stock Exchanges, Of Course
June 28th, 2009
This year has been undeniably slow for any investor looking for IPO activity. Just over a dozen companies have gone through a 2009 IPO, compared to 35 last year. The trend to inactivity hasn’t been stopped, despite rising stock prices. Oddly enough, IPOs are booming in private markets, where businesses aren’t burdened with costly regulations and accounting rules. Read more…
Stimulus package creates no economic effect - Four Months Later, Less than 6 Percent Spent
June 21st, 2009
The stimulus package wasn’t a small measure, and as such it has a very big influence on the wellbeing of the economy. It was just four months ago that the nation would face economic peril were the stimulus left unpassed. But today, only 6% of all funds released through the program have been spent, and most projects won’t even begin until 2010. Read more…
Going Back To Philip Morris
May 17th, 2009
My timing was off a bit with this stock, which I can surely acknowledge. However this is one company I think everyone needs to add to their portfolio, especially at this price. The fundamentals, and technicals, are right in line. Read more…
Options Say Short Retailers
April 3rd, 2009
Inflow and outflow data is king information on the market. You know how much money is flowing out, how much is pouring in and where the “big money” is tossing big money. As much as I hate exchange-traded funds for how they operate (don’t even get me started on commodity funds) I realize that they are an excellent indicator for forecasting the future. Read more…
Jim Cramer Admits to Manipulating Stock Market
March 11th, 2009
In my short life I had thought I had seen it all. I was a believer in that the stock market finds the best price of a stock pending all of the information that is presently known. Now I stand in disgust after listening to Jim Cramer explain how he, and many other hedge fund operators, move the market on a daily basis. There is a YouTube Video to follow! Read more…
Education Looks Hot With $2500 Obama Tax Credit - Refundable American Opportunity Tax Credit
February 21st, 2009
The stimulus package added all kinds of excellent benefits for people in the United States. Among those new tax credits is a $2500 tax break for going to college. Those who spend more than $4000 in a single year on their education will get a $2500 tax credit which is 40% refundable. (Up to $1000 cash back). Read more…
A pathetic and irrational stock market, what else is new?
February 7th, 2009
I could have never predicted Wall Street’s reaction to Friday’s unemployment report. The initial report came out that 598,000 more people lost their jobs in January making it the worst unemployment figures since this “crisis” began. The numbers were several percentage points higher than what the market was looking for but due to timely events in the Senate the market flew up the charts quickly to end up 217 points on the Dow. Read more…
I’m Buying China – Chinese stocks are cheap and for no good reason
January 31st, 2009
Emerging markets got smacked in the latest global slowdown. China, which had and is booming at record rates of 10% per year saw its stock markets lose a whole lot of value. I think the best place to be right now is in the emerging markets scene as turnarounds in developed areas will create even bigger booms in the growing economies of the world. Read more…
