Stocks ended in positive territory yesterday and finished the week off overall
on the plus side of break-even. Last session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average
closed out green by 1.21 percent at 11,284.54. The Nasdaq finished higher by
2.49 percent at 2,479.85 and the S&P 500 closed out on the positive side of
break even by 1.51 percent at 1,176.80. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke
spoke yesterday and it appeared that his words were going to push stocks into
the red for the day, but positive trends prevailed. Some were not happy that
direct language was not used to initiate additional stimulus for the U.S.
economy. Bernanke stopped short of QE3, but did say that the central bank would
further review the economic situation in the U.S. and consider what more it
could do decrease the unemployment rate and get the economy back on track. The
week ended positively as the DJIA finished ahead by 4.3 percent. The Nasdaq
closed ahead for the week by 5.9 percent and the S&P 500 closed the week higher
by 4.7 percent. Individual stocks and funds bumped up with the indices. USAUX
Aggressive growth mutual fund closed out last session higher by 2.45 percent at
30.92. Previous close for USAA aggressive growth fund was 30.18 according to MSN
money quotes. Frank Matto
Friday, August 26, 2011
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3 Reasons Cruise Line Stocks Might Be Starting to Sink
To hear the Cruise Lines International Association tell it, the industry never
has had smoother sailing. In a recent survey, the industry's main marketing
group found that 36.1 million Americans plan to take a cruise in the next three
years up from 33 million in 2008. And cruise line passengers fall into the
prized "upscale" demographic: middle-aged college graduates with a median
household income of $97,000. Add to that solid second-quarter earnings for
Carnival Corp . (NYSE: CCL ), Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL ) and Norwegian Cruise
Lines, which last month filed an IPO for the second time in nine months and
hopes to trade as NCLH on the Nasdaq later this year. All three cruise lines
have benefited from increased capacity, higher ticket revenue and a boost in
passengers' shipboard spending. But despite these trends, investors are
reluctant to raise anchor on cruise line stocks. Carnival shares set a new
52-week low of $28.96 on Aug. 19. At $30.88, CCL is trading more than 35% below
its 52-week high of $48.14 in January. Royal Caribbean also set a new 52-week
low last week of $22.30. At $23.26, RCL is trading nearly 54% below its 52-week
high of $49.99 in January. The two stocks have several things in common some
positive, some not. Both companies boast low price/earnings-to-growth ratios
CCL is 0.93 and RCL is 0.61, indicators that both stocks are undervalued. They
also pay dividends: Carnival has a dividend yield of 3.4%; Royal Caribbean is a
more modest 0.4%. But both cruise lines also carry a lot of debt: Carnival has
total cash of $557 million compared to total debt of $9.84 billion; Royal
Caribbean has total cash of $551.46 million and total debt of $8.60 billion.
That's a challenge common to the industry. Paying down debt is one big reason
Norwegian Cruise Lines is taking another run at an IPO it hopes to raise at
least $250 million. Here are three reasons that cruise line stocks might be
starting to sink: Regional Disruptions Cruise line earnings are dependent on a
wide variety of factors beyond a company's control foremost among them
political turmoil and bad weather. Revenues from Mediterranean cruises already
have been clobbered due to conflicts in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt. With Hurricane
Irene bearing down on the U.S. Eastern seaboard, more than a dozen ships have
been forced to change or delay itineraries. And CCL is still feeling the pain
from the March 11 disaster in Japan. Fuel Price Volatility While the price of
oil continues to slip, cruise lines still face the scourge of fuel price
volatility. Norwegian Cruise Lines' fuel costs were more the 17% higher in the
second quarter than they were a year ago. Fuel accounted for a bigger share of
RCL and CCL expenses as well. Sluggish Economy Since cruise lines' target
demographic is the affluent consumer, they should take comfort that luxury
shoppers are driving growth in high-end retail stocks. After all, those same
shoppers should boost cruise line profits. But here's the thing: That same
group also is heavily invested in the stock market and well aware of its recent
roller coaster ride. While affluent buyers made nervous by the market's fits
and starts still might plunk down $800 for an irresistible pair of Manolo pumps,
they might pass on that 12-day Mediterranean voyage from Barcelona. As of this
writing, Susan J. Aluise did not hold a position in any of the stocks named
here.
has had smoother sailing. In a recent survey, the industry's main marketing
group found that 36.1 million Americans plan to take a cruise in the next three
years up from 33 million in 2008. And cruise line passengers fall into the
prized "upscale" demographic: middle-aged college graduates with a median
household income of $97,000. Add to that solid second-quarter earnings for
Carnival Corp . (NYSE: CCL ), Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL ) and Norwegian Cruise
Lines, which last month filed an IPO for the second time in nine months and
hopes to trade as NCLH on the Nasdaq later this year. All three cruise lines
have benefited from increased capacity, higher ticket revenue and a boost in
passengers' shipboard spending. But despite these trends, investors are
reluctant to raise anchor on cruise line stocks. Carnival shares set a new
52-week low of $28.96 on Aug. 19. At $30.88, CCL is trading more than 35% below
its 52-week high of $48.14 in January. Royal Caribbean also set a new 52-week
low last week of $22.30. At $23.26, RCL is trading nearly 54% below its 52-week
high of $49.99 in January. The two stocks have several things in common some
positive, some not. Both companies boast low price/earnings-to-growth ratios
CCL is 0.93 and RCL is 0.61, indicators that both stocks are undervalued. They
also pay dividends: Carnival has a dividend yield of 3.4%; Royal Caribbean is a
more modest 0.4%. But both cruise lines also carry a lot of debt: Carnival has
total cash of $557 million compared to total debt of $9.84 billion; Royal
Caribbean has total cash of $551.46 million and total debt of $8.60 billion.
That's a challenge common to the industry. Paying down debt is one big reason
Norwegian Cruise Lines is taking another run at an IPO it hopes to raise at
least $250 million. Here are three reasons that cruise line stocks might be
starting to sink: Regional Disruptions Cruise line earnings are dependent on a
wide variety of factors beyond a company's control foremost among them
political turmoil and bad weather. Revenues from Mediterranean cruises already
have been clobbered due to conflicts in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt. With Hurricane
Irene bearing down on the U.S. Eastern seaboard, more than a dozen ships have
been forced to change or delay itineraries. And CCL is still feeling the pain
from the March 11 disaster in Japan. Fuel Price Volatility While the price of
oil continues to slip, cruise lines still face the scourge of fuel price
volatility. Norwegian Cruise Lines' fuel costs were more the 17% higher in the
second quarter than they were a year ago. Fuel accounted for a bigger share of
RCL and CCL expenses as well. Sluggish Economy Since cruise lines' target
demographic is the affluent consumer, they should take comfort that luxury
shoppers are driving growth in high-end retail stocks. After all, those same
shoppers should boost cruise line profits. But here's the thing: That same
group also is heavily invested in the stock market and well aware of its recent
roller coaster ride. While affluent buyers made nervous by the market's fits
and starts still might plunk down $800 for an irresistible pair of Manolo pumps,
they might pass on that 12-day Mediterranean voyage from Barcelona. As of this
writing, Susan J. Aluise did not hold a position in any of the stocks named
here.
Gold Futures Snap 7-Week Win Streak Despite Friday’s Gains
XCSFDHG46767FHJHJF
DG365FD46564GFH654FU898 Gold futures rallied Friday, with the COMEX December contract settling higher by $34.10, or 1.9%, at $1,797.30 per ounce. However, the yellow metal extended its gains significantly in electronic trading later this afternoon, by $68.80 to $1,832.00 per ounce. Despite today’s rally, COMEX gold futures posted a weekly decline of $54.90, or 3.0%.
Both Silver and Gold Prices Will Rally Further
XCSFDHG46767FHJHJF
DG365FD46564GFH654FU898 Gold Price Close Today : 1,794.10 Gold Price Close 19-Aug : 1,848.90 Change : -54.80 or -3.0% Silver Price Close Today : 4095.2 Silver Price Close 19-Aug : 4242.8 Change : -147.60 or -3.5% Gold Silver Ratio Today : 43.810 Gold Silver Ratio 19-Aug : 43.577 Change : 0.23 or 0.5% Silver Gold Ratio : 0.02283 Silver Gold Ratio 19-Aug : 0.02295 Change : -0.00012 or -0.5% Dow in Gold Dollars : $ 130.02 Dow in Gold Dollars 19-Aug : $ 120.95 Change : $ 9.07 or 7.5% Dow in Gold Ounces : 6.290 Dow in Gold Ounces 19-Aug : 5.851 Change : 0.44 or 7.5% Dow in Silver Ounces : 275.56 Dow in Silver Ounces 19-Aug : 254.96 Change : 20.59 or 8.1% Dow Industrial : 11,284.54 Dow Industrial 19-Aug : 10,817.65 Change : 466.89 or 4.3% S&P 500 : 1,176.80 S&P 500 19-Aug : 1,123.53 Change : 53.27 or 4.7% US Dollar Index : 73.710 US Dollar Index 19-Aug : 73.993 Change : -0.283 or -0.4% Platinum Price Close Today : 1,832.70 Platinum Price Close 19-Aug : 1,876.00 Change : -43.30 or -2.3% Palladium Price Close Today : 762.00 Palladium Price Close 19-Aug : 750.00 Change : 12.00 or 1.6% I have never before seen a market make TWO (2) Key reversals in four days, but that is what the GOLD PRICE did. Now you ought to understand that normally, a key reversal will change a markets direction for a little while. Key Reversals occur in two parts. A downward Key Reversal happens when (1) a market trades into new high territory intraday but closes lower that day than the day before, then (2) the market closes lower still next day. An upward Key Reversal happens when (1) a market trades into new LOW territory intraday but closes HIGHER that day, and then (2) closes higher still next day. Monday and Tuesday made a downward Key Reversal. Wednesday and Thursday GOLD made an Upward Key Reversal. To ice that donut, the GOLD PRICE today rose $34.30 to close comex at $1,794.10, then rose another $30 in the aftermarket! Looking at the way GOLD bounced off $1,712 on Thursday, then closed ABOVE $1,750 support/resistance, the only safe path is to buy gold. Next week may prove me wrong, but this week’s action shouts that gold’s rally has not near-about ended. SILVER’s low for the week came at 3905c, which I count as establishing 3900c as strong resistance now. SILVER made a sort of double-bottom there on Wedensday and Thursday. Thursday it gained an astounding 158.3c. Our confusion will be cleared up when the SILVER PRICE closes above the last high at 4428c, or drops below 3875c. Right now, you have to say that silver is trending upward in a series of higher lows and higher highs. Wednesday’s plunge did NOT break the uptrend line. The slow-burn panic continues driving investors into silver and gold. SILVER continues to gain status alongside gold. Unless SILVER and GOLD PRICES weaken off terribly on Monday (below $1,700 and 3900c), I am buying. Both SILVER and GOLD PRICES will rally further. Big correction has not struck yet. It lieth ahead somewhere. Remember that Our Bosses in government, central bank, and Wall Street have only two weapons in their arsenal of panic control: inflation and blarney. Inflation adds liquidity to ease the panic, blarney calms the affrighted herd. I don’t care how many “tools” they claim to have, they all boil down to inflation and blarney. As far back as 1895 or 1907, the arch-banker John Pierpont Morgan was shooting his Blarney Cannon: “The man who is a bear on the future of the United States will always go broke.” Ahhh, who could doubt one of our Big Bosses? We know from yesterday’s events that Our Bosses are terrified, because they loaded the mouth of their biggest Blarney Cannon and fired it: Warren Buffett. Banks US and European are puking sick dogs, and Bank of America sickest amongst ‘em. How, O, How will we gull the public into buying bank stocks? We’ll get Warren Buffett to announce he’s buying $5 billion of preferred stock in BoA. Now Warren ain’t operating a charity, so the great humanitarian will not lose a dime on this deal. The preferred stock pays a 6% dividend and has the primary claim on BoA’s assets, even before bondholders. Blarn! Blarn! Hear the Blarney Cannon! Didn’t work. Dow sank 170.81, after the early morning Buffet Blarney Barrage. Then today Our Bosses fired another gun in their Blarney Battery: the Bernanke Blarney Blaster. Bernancubus gave a speech which everyone hoped would explain how he would save the world. Alas, the Bernanke Blarney Blaster mis-fired. Not even enough powder to blow the ball out of the tube. Beside confirming his utterly incurable cluelessness, the Bernancubus blustered like some cheap, shabby magician that he has Tools You Know Not Of. Mmmmm, ’bout time to dig them tools out, Ben, and put ‘em to work! Result of this was something only rarely seen every millennium, back to back Key Reversals in the gold market, which says to me — and I am nothing but a natural born fool from Tennessee and have never even drawn nigh to them high-falutin’ Harvards and Yales where Our Bosses are educated and made Perfect to Decide Our Pissant Destinies — that not a single shot of the blarney cannons hit anything, and investors remain terrorized by the banks’ condition. Proof? The crowds flee still gold- and silverward. Boom! Boom! Say the Blarney Cannon. Bust! Bust! Says the people. Uh – oh. What’s that other sound I hear? Is that snickering at the back of the room?? Surely you disrespectful scoundrels are not LAUGHING at Our Bosses? STOCKS burned up immense amounts of buying power ammunition this week for a small gain. But the Nice Government Men did pull stocks back from disappearing into the abyss. Only succeeded though in lifting the Dow to 11,300 resistance. Dow today closed up 134.72 or 1.21%, while the S&P50 close up 17.53 (1.51%) at 1,176.80. Dow finally touched it 20 DMA (11,290) but missed closing above it. Upside the Dow must now close above 11,530 to prove an uptrend. 200 DMA, likely target of countertrend rally, stands at 11,987, as far as the sky above the earth. A close below 10,600, still to come I trow, sends the Dow spinning out of control on its next leg earthward. Buy stocks, because it will be a vote of confidence in the ability of the Federal Reserve and US government to direct the economy. That’ll show all those gold-and-silver-buying croakers AND it will earn you a bed at the I-40 Under-The-Culvert Retirement Home. The Nice Government Men managed to keep the US DOLLAR INDEX in its 75.5 – 73.5 range again this week. Today, likely on the strength of the Bernanke Blarney Blanster’s speech, the dollar index fell 56.9 basis points to 73.71. As long as the dollar index stays above 72.70, my opinon remains that the dollar is meditating a rally. The euro on “mysterious” strength rallied today to 1.4498, up 0.82% and bumping on the top of its 1.4530 range. If it broke out above that it would signal a rally, and it would signal that the world is even more lunatic than I already surmise. The Japanese yet closed today at 130.45c/Y100 (Y76.66/$). It remains at the top of its range, with a new all time high 5 days ago, and momentum continues upward. WARNING AND DISCLAIMER . Be advised and warned: Do NOT use these commentaries to trade futures contracts. I don’t intend them for that or write them with that short term trading outlook. I write them for long-term investors in physical metals. Take them as entertainment, but not as a timing service for futures. NOR do I recommend investing in gold or silver Exchange Trade Funds (ETFs). Those are NOT physical metal & I fear one day one or another may go up in smoke. Unless you can breathe smoke, stay away. Call me paranoid, but the surviving rabbit is wary of traps. NOR do I recommend trading futures options or other leveraged paper gold and silver products. These are not for the inexperienced. NOR do I recommend buying gold & silver on margin or with debt. What DO I recommend? Physical gold and silver coins & bars in your own hands. One final warning: NEVER insert a 747 Jumbo Jet up your nose. Y’all enjoy your weekend. Argentum et aurum comparenda sunt — – Gold and silver must be bought. – Franklin Sanders, The Moneychanger The-MoneyChanger.com © 2011, The Moneychanger. May not be republished in any form, including electronically, without our express permission. To avoid confusion, please remember that the comments above have a very short time horizon. Always invest with the primary trend. Gold’s primary trend is up, targeting at least $3,130.00; silver’s primary is up targeting 16:1 gold/silver ratio or $195.66; stocks’ primary trend is down, targeting Dow under 2,900 and worth only one ounce of gold; US$ or US$-denominated assets, primary trend down; real estate in a bubble, primary trend way down. Whenever I write “Stay out of stocks” readers inevitably ask, “Do you mean precious metals mining stocks, too?” No, I don’t.
Gold & silver ended the week on a positive note – August 26
XCSFDHG46767FHJHJF
DG365FD46564GFH654FU898 Gold and silver prices continued their rally back from the free gall they had endured on Tuesday and Wednesday. Bernanke gave a speech in Jackson Hall about the short and long term economic outlook of US; he didn’t refer to any stimulus program, but also kept the door open for future steps by the Fed.
5 Stocks Buffett Wouldn’t Touch No Matter What Price
XCSFDHG46767FHJHJF
tdp2664 InvestorPlace Do you think Warren Buffett was a Lone Ranger fan? I bet he was, because he sure seems to like riding that white horse to the rescue. Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE: BRK.A ) announced $5 billion investment in Bank of America puts him back in the role of hero. It is said he only recently thought of making the investment while sitting in his tub this week. He probably secretly donned the mask, waved his loofah and yelled, "Hi ho Silver, away!" For the second time since the financial collapse of 2008, Buffett is bringing his substantial war chest of capital to the financial services industry under the auspices of providing confidence and support to the economy and the United States of America. Make no mistake: He is doing this deal to make big money. Buffett knows a bargain when he sees one, and given that he is one of few capable of making an investment of any meaningful size, he gets to dictate terms. In this go-around he gets a 6% coupon plus warrants to buy common shares of Bank of America at very depressed levels. Given how he fared on his deal with Goldman Sachs, I'm sure he will do similarly well here. More importantly, the deal fuels his ego for being the investment god and savior that he is. My only question: Why doesn't he do more of this bottom feeding? Given the selling in the market, there certainly are plenty of candidates for him to come riding in to save the day. Stocks are lower across the board. Perhaps he is already actively buying below the radar screen and we have yet to hear about it. One thing I do know is there are many beaten-down stocks he wouldn't touch no matter the price. Buffett's dossier is well known. There is no way he changes his stripes now. If you are holding one of these five beaten-down stocks waiting for Buffett or some other angel to come to the rescue, don't hold your breath. Hewlett-Packard Like Bank of America, Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ ) shares have sold off hard during the recent market correction. The technology company has seen its stock sink 32% since July 22. Fueling that decline were dramatic moves by management amid a gloomy forecast for the future. One thing Buffett does not buy is technology. He claims to not understand these stocks like he does insurance, banks and other basic industrial concerns, and he readily admits to missing out on several opportunities to buy low over the years. Hewlett-Packard might or might not be attractive at these prices, but there is no Warren Buffett waiting in the wings to show support for this wounded technology company. Research In Motion Despite Buffett's reticence to own technology companies, he does buy things that he uses or places where he shops. He loved See's Candy, so he bought the company. He did the same thing with Dairy Queen. But because Buffett does not own a cell phone, it is unlikely he will come to the rescue of falling personal phone and data device maker Research In Motion ( NASDAQ : RIMM ). RIM has seen its fortunes change dramatically. Apple has effectively destroyed the company. Since earlier this year, the company has seen its stock value plummet by 60%. At currently depressed levels, the only buying here is on speculation that someone will come to the rescue. It won't be Buffett.
Sell Payless, Stride Rite Parent PSS as it Closes 475 Retail Stores
You'd think that in this brutal economic environment, cheap shoes would be
appealing above expensive brand names. But that just isn't the case at
Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE: PSS ), parent of Payless ShoeSource and Stride
Rite shoe stores. The company posted an ugly $35 million loss in its most recent
earnings report. The stock is off 43% so far in 2011. And after posting numbers,
the company announced plans to close hundreds of stores. So is this the
beginning of the end for Payless and Stride Rite? Well, the good news for fans
of the chains is its not likely Collective Brands will disappear. The loss was
due to a mammoth $83.6 million one-time charge tied to the declining value of
its stores a simple accounting adjustment showing that its assets now are worth
much less than they were a few years ago. That's a harsh reality many normal
Americans have had to deal with, too. The company actually has paid down a bit
of its long-term debt, has decent cash on hand and has posted annual profits in
both fiscal 2010 and fiscal 2011 after a rough 2009. But the bad news is 475
Collective Brands locations will close, almost 10% of its current count of over
4,800 stores mostly under the Payless nameplate. Worse for investors is the
Payless store closures will result in charges of $19 million related to the
restructuring in the current quarter. Future charges for the closings could add
up to $25 million to $35 million, according to industry estimates. In short,
Collective Brands is suffering from a decline in its brand name, a decline in
its footprint (pardon the pun) and an uptick in expenses to reflect the new
reality. Not encouraging signs for investors in PSS stock. Furthermore,
consumers appear to be willing to pony up more cash for quality. Take Steve
Madden (NASDAQ: SHOO ), which has seen its shares rise more than 20%
year-to-date in 2011 thanks to robust sales. Or Deckers Outdoor (NASDAQ: DECK ),
maker of Ugg boots, which has posted a small gain since Jan. 1 despite a decline
for the broader stock market. If investors want to play apparel and retail, they
have other options. Shares rebounded from a brutal 52-week low of $9.11 earlier
in the week but remain off almost 50% from a peak earlier in 2011. And if this
ugly earnings report is any indication, Payless parent Collective Brands is in
store for further declines or at best, a bumpy future as it muddles through the
next several months. Jeff Reeves is editor of InvestorPlace.com. As of this
writing, he did not own a position in any of the stocks named here. Follow him
on Twitter via @JeffReevesIP and become a fan of InvestorPlace on Facebook .
appealing above expensive brand names. But that just isn't the case at
Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE: PSS ), parent of Payless ShoeSource and Stride
Rite shoe stores. The company posted an ugly $35 million loss in its most recent
earnings report. The stock is off 43% so far in 2011. And after posting numbers,
the company announced plans to close hundreds of stores. So is this the
beginning of the end for Payless and Stride Rite? Well, the good news for fans
of the chains is its not likely Collective Brands will disappear. The loss was
due to a mammoth $83.6 million one-time charge tied to the declining value of
its stores a simple accounting adjustment showing that its assets now are worth
much less than they were a few years ago. That's a harsh reality many normal
Americans have had to deal with, too. The company actually has paid down a bit
of its long-term debt, has decent cash on hand and has posted annual profits in
both fiscal 2010 and fiscal 2011 after a rough 2009. But the bad news is 475
Collective Brands locations will close, almost 10% of its current count of over
4,800 stores mostly under the Payless nameplate. Worse for investors is the
Payless store closures will result in charges of $19 million related to the
restructuring in the current quarter. Future charges for the closings could add
up to $25 million to $35 million, according to industry estimates. In short,
Collective Brands is suffering from a decline in its brand name, a decline in
its footprint (pardon the pun) and an uptick in expenses to reflect the new
reality. Not encouraging signs for investors in PSS stock. Furthermore,
consumers appear to be willing to pony up more cash for quality. Take Steve
Madden (NASDAQ: SHOO ), which has seen its shares rise more than 20%
year-to-date in 2011 thanks to robust sales. Or Deckers Outdoor (NASDAQ: DECK ),
maker of Ugg boots, which has posted a small gain since Jan. 1 despite a decline
for the broader stock market. If investors want to play apparel and retail, they
have other options. Shares rebounded from a brutal 52-week low of $9.11 earlier
in the week but remain off almost 50% from a peak earlier in 2011. And if this
ugly earnings report is any indication, Payless parent Collective Brands is in
store for further declines or at best, a bumpy future as it muddles through the
next several months. Jeff Reeves is editor of InvestorPlace.com. As of this
writing, he did not own a position in any of the stocks named here. Follow him
on Twitter via @JeffReevesIP and become a fan of InvestorPlace on Facebook .
Top 10 U.S.-Listed Chinese Stocks with Highest Return on Equity: VALV, SFUN, GPRC, CEA, SCEI, BIDU, SPRD, DQ, CCDM, JKS (Aug 26, 2011)
Below are the top 10 U.S.-listed Chinese stocks with highest Return on Equity
(ROE) ratio for the last 12 months. ROE shows a companys efficiency in making
profits from shareholders equity. It is equal to net profits divided by
shareholders equity. Shengkai Innovations, Inc. (NASDAQ:VALV) has the 1st
highest Return on Equity in this segment of the market. Its ROE was 134.64% for
the last 12 months. Its net profit margin was 69.42% for the same period. SouFun
Holdings Limited (ADR) (NYSE:SFUN) has the 2nd highest Return on Equity in this
segment of the market. Its ROE was 85.73% for the last 12 months. Its net profit
margin was 31.16% for the same period. Guanwei Recycling Corp. (NASDAQ:GPRC) has
the 3rd highest Return on Equity in this segment of the market. Its ROE was
63.43% for the last 12 months. Its net profit margin was 20.77% for the same
period. China Eastern Airlines Corp. Ltd. (ADR) (NYSE:CEA) has the 4th highest
Return on Equity in this segment of the market. Its ROE was 60.08% for the last
12 months. Its net profit margin was 7.16% for the same period. Sino Clean
Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:SCEI) has the 5th highest Return on Equity in this segment
of the market. Its ROE was 59.57% for the last 12 months. Its net profit margin
was 37.93% for the same period. Baidu.com, Inc. (ADR) (NASDAQ:BIDU) has the 6th
highest Return on Equity in this segment of the market. Its ROE was 56.76% for
the last 12 months. Its net profit margin was 46.51% for the same period.
Spreadtrum Communications, Inc (ADR) (NASDAQ:SPRD) has the 7th highest Return on
Equity in this segment of the market. Its ROE was 56.67% for the last 12 months.
Its net profit margin was 21.15% for the same period. Daqo New Energy Corp.
(NYSE:DQ) has the 8th highest Return on Equity in this segment of the market.
Its ROE was 52.97% for the last 12 months. Its net profit margin was 34.41% for
the same period. China Century Dragon Media, Inc. (NYSE:CCDM) has the 9th
highest Return on Equity in this segment of the market. Its ROE was 50.59% for
the last 12 months. Its net profit margin was 10.18% for the same period.
JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (NYSE:JKS) has the 10th highest Return on Equity in
this segment of the market. Its ROE was 49.72% for the last 12 months. Its net
profit margin was 15.76% for the same period.
(ROE) ratio for the last 12 months. ROE shows a companys efficiency in making
profits from shareholders equity. It is equal to net profits divided by
shareholders equity. Shengkai Innovations, Inc. (NASDAQ:VALV) has the 1st
highest Return on Equity in this segment of the market. Its ROE was 134.64% for
the last 12 months. Its net profit margin was 69.42% for the same period. SouFun
Holdings Limited (ADR) (NYSE:SFUN) has the 2nd highest Return on Equity in this
segment of the market. Its ROE was 85.73% for the last 12 months. Its net profit
margin was 31.16% for the same period. Guanwei Recycling Corp. (NASDAQ:GPRC) has
the 3rd highest Return on Equity in this segment of the market. Its ROE was
63.43% for the last 12 months. Its net profit margin was 20.77% for the same
period. China Eastern Airlines Corp. Ltd. (ADR) (NYSE:CEA) has the 4th highest
Return on Equity in this segment of the market. Its ROE was 60.08% for the last
12 months. Its net profit margin was 7.16% for the same period. Sino Clean
Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:SCEI) has the 5th highest Return on Equity in this segment
of the market. Its ROE was 59.57% for the last 12 months. Its net profit margin
was 37.93% for the same period. Baidu.com, Inc. (ADR) (NASDAQ:BIDU) has the 6th
highest Return on Equity in this segment of the market. Its ROE was 56.76% for
the last 12 months. Its net profit margin was 46.51% for the same period.
Spreadtrum Communications, Inc (ADR) (NASDAQ:SPRD) has the 7th highest Return on
Equity in this segment of the market. Its ROE was 56.67% for the last 12 months.
Its net profit margin was 21.15% for the same period. Daqo New Energy Corp.
(NYSE:DQ) has the 8th highest Return on Equity in this segment of the market.
Its ROE was 52.97% for the last 12 months. Its net profit margin was 34.41% for
the same period. China Century Dragon Media, Inc. (NYSE:CCDM) has the 9th
highest Return on Equity in this segment of the market. Its ROE was 50.59% for
the last 12 months. Its net profit margin was 10.18% for the same period.
JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (NYSE:JKS) has the 10th highest Return on Equity in
this segment of the market. Its ROE was 49.72% for the last 12 months. Its net
profit margin was 15.76% for the same period.
Both Silver and Gold Prices Will Rally Further
Gold Price Close Today : 1,794.10 Gold Price Close 19-Aug : 1,848.90 Change :
-54.80 or -3.0% Silver Price Close Today : 4095.2 Silver Price Close 19-Aug :
4242.8 Change : -147.60 or -3.5% Gold Silver Ratio Today : 43.810 Gold Silver
Ratio 19-Aug : 43.577 Change : 0.23 or 0.5% Silver Gold Ratio : 0.02283 Silver
Gold Ratio 19-Aug : 0.02295 Change : -0.00012 or -0.5% Dow in Gold Dollars : $
130.02 Dow in Gold Dollars 19-Aug : $ 120.95 Change : $ 9.07 or 7.5% Dow in Gold
Ounces : 6.290 Dow in Gold Ounces 19-Aug : 5.851 Change : 0.44 or 7.5% Dow in
Silver Ounces : 275.56 Dow in Silver Ounces 19-Aug : 254.96 Change : 20.59 or
8.1% Dow Industrial : 11,284.54 Dow Industrial 19-Aug : 10,817.65 Change :
466.89 or 4.3% S&P 500 : 1,176.80 S&P 500 19-Aug : 1,123.53 Change : 53.27 or
4.7% US Dollar Index : 73.710 US Dollar Index 19-Aug : 73.993 Change : -0.283 or
-0.4% Platinum Price Close Today : 1,832.70 Platinum Price Close 19-Aug :
1,876.00 Change : -43.30 or -2.3% Palladium Price Close Today : 762.00 Palladium
Price Close 19-Aug : 750.00 Change : 12.00 or 1.6% I have never before seen a
market make TWO (2) Key reversals in four days, but that is what the GOLD PRICE
did. Now you ought to understand that normally, a key reversal will change a
markets direction for a little while. Key Reversals occur in two parts. A
downward Key Reversal happens when (1) a market trades into new high territory
intraday but closes lower that day than the day before, then (2) the market
closes lower still next day. An upward Key Reversal happens when (1) a market
trades into new LOW territory intraday but closes HIGHER that day, and then (2)
closes higher still next day. Monday and Tuesday made a downward Key Reversal.
Wednesday and Thursday GOLD made an Upward Key Reversal. To ice that donut, the
GOLD PRICE today rose $34.30 to close comex at $1,794.10, then rose another $30
in the aftermarket! Looking at the way GOLD bounced off $1,712 on Thursday, then
closed ABOVE $1,750 support/resistance, the only safe path is to buy gold. Next
week may prove me wrong, but this week's action shouts that gold's rally has not
near-about ended. SILVER's low for the week came at 3905c, which I count as
establishing 3900c as strong resistance now. SILVER made a sort of double-bottom
there on Wedensday and Thursday. Thursday it gained an astounding 158.3c. Our
confusion will be cleared up when the SILVER PRICE closes above the last high at
4428c, or drops below 3875c. Right now, you have to say that silver is trending
upward in a series of higher lows and higher highs. Wednesday's plunge did NOT
break the uptrend line. The slow-burn panic continues driving investors into
silver and gold. SILVER continues to gain status alongside gold. Unless SILVER
and GOLD PRICES weaken off terribly on Monday (below $1,700 and 3900c), I am
buying. Both SILVER and GOLD PRICES will rally further. Big correction has not
struck yet. It lieth ahead somewhere. Remember that Our Bosses in government,
central bank, and Wall Street have only two weapons in their arsenal of panic
control: inflation and blarney. Inflation adds liquidity to ease the panic,
blarney calms the affrighted herd. I don't care how many "tools" they claim to
have, they all boil down to inflation and blarney. As far back as 1895 or 1907,
the arch-banker John Pierpont Morgan was shooting his Blarney Cannon: "The man
who is a bear on the future of the United States will always go broke." Ahhh,
who could doubt one of our Big Bosses? We know from yesterday's events that Our
Bosses are terrified, because they loaded the mouth of their biggest Blarney
Cannon and fired it: Warren Buffett. Banks US and European are puking sick dogs,
and Bank of America sickest amongst 'em. How, O, How will we gull the public
into buying bank stocks? We'll get Warren Buffett to announce he's buying $5
billion of preferred stock in BoA. Now Warren ain't operating a charity, so the
great humanitarian will not lose a dime on this deal. The preferred stock pays a
6% dividend and has the primary claim on BoA's assets, even before bondholders.
Blarn! Blarn! Hear the Blarney Cannon! Didn't work. Dow sank 170.81, after the
early morning Buffet Blarney Barrage. Then today Our Bosses fired another gun in
their Blarney Battery: the Bernanke Blarney Blaster. Bernancubus gave a speech
which everyone hoped would explain how he would save the world. Alas, the
Bernanke Blarney Blaster mis-fired. Not even enough powder to blow the ball out
of the tube. Beside confirming his utterly incurable cluelessness, the
Bernancubus blustered like some cheap, shabby magician that he has Tools You
Know Not Of. Mmmmm, 'bout time to dig them tools out, Ben, and put 'em to work!
Result of this was something only rarely seen every millennium, back to back Key
Reversals in the gold market, which says to me -- and I am nothing but a natural
born fool from Tennessee and have never even drawn nigh to them high-falutin'
Harvards and Yales where Our Bosses are educated and made Perfect to Decide Our
Pissant Destinies -- that not a single shot of the blarney cannons hit anything,
and investors remain terrorized by the banks' condition. Proof? The crowds flee
still gold- and silverward. Boom! Boom! Say the Blarney Cannon. Bust! Bust! Says
the people. Uh - oh. What's that other sound I hear? Is that snickering at the
back of the room?? Surely you disrespectful scoundrels are not LAUGHING at Our
Bosses? STOCKS burned up immense amounts of buying power ammunition this week
for a small gain. But the Nice Government Men did pull stocks back from
disappearing into the abyss. Only succeeded though in lifting the Dow to 11,300
resistance. Dow today closed up 134.72 or 1.21%, while the S&P50 close up 17.53
(1.51%) at 1,176.80. Dow finally touched it 20 DMA (11,290) but missed closing
above it. Upside the Dow must now close above 11,530 to prove an uptrend. 200
DMA, likely target of countertrend rally, stands at 11,987, as far as the sky
above the earth. A close below 10,600, still to come I trow, sends the Dow
spinning out of control on its next leg earthward. Buy stocks, because it will
be a vote of confidence in the ability of the Federal Reserve and US government
to direct the economy. That'll show all those gold-and-silver-buying croakers
AND it will earn you a bed at the I-40 Under-The-Culvert Retirement Home. The
Nice Government Men managed to keep the US DOLLAR INDEX in its 75.5 - 73.5 range
again this week. Today, likely on the strength of the Bernanke Blarney
Blanster's speech, the dollar index fell 56.9 basis points to 73.71. As long as
the dollar index stays above 72.70, my opinon remains that the dollar is
meditating a rally. The euro on "mysterious" strength rallied today to 1.4498,
up 0.82% and bumping on the top of its 1.4530 range. If it broke out above that
it would signal a rally, and it would signal that the world is even more lunatic
than I already surmise. The Japanese yet closed today at 130.45c/Y100
(Y76.66/$). It remains at the top of its range, with a new all time high 5 days
ago, and momentum continues upward. WARNING AND DISCLAIMER . Be advised and
warned: Do NOT use these commentaries to trade futures contracts. I don't intend
them for that or write them with that short term trading outlook. I write them
for long-term investors in physical metals. Take them as entertainment, but not
as a timing service for futures. NOR do I recommend investing in gold or silver
Exchange Trade Funds (ETFs). Those are NOT physical metal & I fear one day one
or another may go up in smoke. Unless you can breathe smoke, stay away. Call me
paranoid, but the surviving rabbit is wary of traps. NOR do I recommend trading
futures options or other leveraged paper gold and silver products. These are not
for the inexperienced. NOR do I recommend buying gold & silver on margin or with
debt. What DO I recommend? Physical gold and silver coins & bars in your own
hands. One final warning: NEVER insert a 747 Jumbo Jet up your nose. Y'all enjoy
your weekend. Argentum et aurum comparenda sunt -- -- Gold and silver must be
bought. - Franklin Sanders, The Moneychanger The-MoneyChanger.com © 2011, The
Moneychanger. May not be republished in any form, including electronically,
without our express permission. To avoid confusion, please remember that the
comments above have a very short time horizon. Always invest with the primary
trend. Gold's primary trend is up, targeting at least $3,130.00; silver's
primary is up targeting 16:1 gold/silver ratio or $195.66; stocks' primary trend
is down, targeting Dow under 2,900 and worth only one ounce of gold; US$ or
US$-denominated assets, primary trend down; real estate in a bubble, primary
trend way down. Whenever I write "Stay out of stocks" readers inevitably ask,
"Do you mean precious metals mining stocks, too?" No, I don't.
-54.80 or -3.0% Silver Price Close Today : 4095.2 Silver Price Close 19-Aug :
4242.8 Change : -147.60 or -3.5% Gold Silver Ratio Today : 43.810 Gold Silver
Ratio 19-Aug : 43.577 Change : 0.23 or 0.5% Silver Gold Ratio : 0.02283 Silver
Gold Ratio 19-Aug : 0.02295 Change : -0.00012 or -0.5% Dow in Gold Dollars : $
130.02 Dow in Gold Dollars 19-Aug : $ 120.95 Change : $ 9.07 or 7.5% Dow in Gold
Ounces : 6.290 Dow in Gold Ounces 19-Aug : 5.851 Change : 0.44 or 7.5% Dow in
Silver Ounces : 275.56 Dow in Silver Ounces 19-Aug : 254.96 Change : 20.59 or
8.1% Dow Industrial : 11,284.54 Dow Industrial 19-Aug : 10,817.65 Change :
466.89 or 4.3% S&P 500 : 1,176.80 S&P 500 19-Aug : 1,123.53 Change : 53.27 or
4.7% US Dollar Index : 73.710 US Dollar Index 19-Aug : 73.993 Change : -0.283 or
-0.4% Platinum Price Close Today : 1,832.70 Platinum Price Close 19-Aug :
1,876.00 Change : -43.30 or -2.3% Palladium Price Close Today : 762.00 Palladium
Price Close 19-Aug : 750.00 Change : 12.00 or 1.6% I have never before seen a
market make TWO (2) Key reversals in four days, but that is what the GOLD PRICE
did. Now you ought to understand that normally, a key reversal will change a
markets direction for a little while. Key Reversals occur in two parts. A
downward Key Reversal happens when (1) a market trades into new high territory
intraday but closes lower that day than the day before, then (2) the market
closes lower still next day. An upward Key Reversal happens when (1) a market
trades into new LOW territory intraday but closes HIGHER that day, and then (2)
closes higher still next day. Monday and Tuesday made a downward Key Reversal.
Wednesday and Thursday GOLD made an Upward Key Reversal. To ice that donut, the
GOLD PRICE today rose $34.30 to close comex at $1,794.10, then rose another $30
in the aftermarket! Looking at the way GOLD bounced off $1,712 on Thursday, then
closed ABOVE $1,750 support/resistance, the only safe path is to buy gold. Next
week may prove me wrong, but this week's action shouts that gold's rally has not
near-about ended. SILVER's low for the week came at 3905c, which I count as
establishing 3900c as strong resistance now. SILVER made a sort of double-bottom
there on Wedensday and Thursday. Thursday it gained an astounding 158.3c. Our
confusion will be cleared up when the SILVER PRICE closes above the last high at
4428c, or drops below 3875c. Right now, you have to say that silver is trending
upward in a series of higher lows and higher highs. Wednesday's plunge did NOT
break the uptrend line. The slow-burn panic continues driving investors into
silver and gold. SILVER continues to gain status alongside gold. Unless SILVER
and GOLD PRICES weaken off terribly on Monday (below $1,700 and 3900c), I am
buying. Both SILVER and GOLD PRICES will rally further. Big correction has not
struck yet. It lieth ahead somewhere. Remember that Our Bosses in government,
central bank, and Wall Street have only two weapons in their arsenal of panic
control: inflation and blarney. Inflation adds liquidity to ease the panic,
blarney calms the affrighted herd. I don't care how many "tools" they claim to
have, they all boil down to inflation and blarney. As far back as 1895 or 1907,
the arch-banker John Pierpont Morgan was shooting his Blarney Cannon: "The man
who is a bear on the future of the United States will always go broke." Ahhh,
who could doubt one of our Big Bosses? We know from yesterday's events that Our
Bosses are terrified, because they loaded the mouth of their biggest Blarney
Cannon and fired it: Warren Buffett. Banks US and European are puking sick dogs,
and Bank of America sickest amongst 'em. How, O, How will we gull the public
into buying bank stocks? We'll get Warren Buffett to announce he's buying $5
billion of preferred stock in BoA. Now Warren ain't operating a charity, so the
great humanitarian will not lose a dime on this deal. The preferred stock pays a
6% dividend and has the primary claim on BoA's assets, even before bondholders.
Blarn! Blarn! Hear the Blarney Cannon! Didn't work. Dow sank 170.81, after the
early morning Buffet Blarney Barrage. Then today Our Bosses fired another gun in
their Blarney Battery: the Bernanke Blarney Blaster. Bernancubus gave a speech
which everyone hoped would explain how he would save the world. Alas, the
Bernanke Blarney Blaster mis-fired. Not even enough powder to blow the ball out
of the tube. Beside confirming his utterly incurable cluelessness, the
Bernancubus blustered like some cheap, shabby magician that he has Tools You
Know Not Of. Mmmmm, 'bout time to dig them tools out, Ben, and put 'em to work!
Result of this was something only rarely seen every millennium, back to back Key
Reversals in the gold market, which says to me -- and I am nothing but a natural
born fool from Tennessee and have never even drawn nigh to them high-falutin'
Harvards and Yales where Our Bosses are educated and made Perfect to Decide Our
Pissant Destinies -- that not a single shot of the blarney cannons hit anything,
and investors remain terrorized by the banks' condition. Proof? The crowds flee
still gold- and silverward. Boom! Boom! Say the Blarney Cannon. Bust! Bust! Says
the people. Uh - oh. What's that other sound I hear? Is that snickering at the
back of the room?? Surely you disrespectful scoundrels are not LAUGHING at Our
Bosses? STOCKS burned up immense amounts of buying power ammunition this week
for a small gain. But the Nice Government Men did pull stocks back from
disappearing into the abyss. Only succeeded though in lifting the Dow to 11,300
resistance. Dow today closed up 134.72 or 1.21%, while the S&P50 close up 17.53
(1.51%) at 1,176.80. Dow finally touched it 20 DMA (11,290) but missed closing
above it. Upside the Dow must now close above 11,530 to prove an uptrend. 200
DMA, likely target of countertrend rally, stands at 11,987, as far as the sky
above the earth. A close below 10,600, still to come I trow, sends the Dow
spinning out of control on its next leg earthward. Buy stocks, because it will
be a vote of confidence in the ability of the Federal Reserve and US government
to direct the economy. That'll show all those gold-and-silver-buying croakers
AND it will earn you a bed at the I-40 Under-The-Culvert Retirement Home. The
Nice Government Men managed to keep the US DOLLAR INDEX in its 75.5 - 73.5 range
again this week. Today, likely on the strength of the Bernanke Blarney
Blanster's speech, the dollar index fell 56.9 basis points to 73.71. As long as
the dollar index stays above 72.70, my opinon remains that the dollar is
meditating a rally. The euro on "mysterious" strength rallied today to 1.4498,
up 0.82% and bumping on the top of its 1.4530 range. If it broke out above that
it would signal a rally, and it would signal that the world is even more lunatic
than I already surmise. The Japanese yet closed today at 130.45c/Y100
(Y76.66/$). It remains at the top of its range, with a new all time high 5 days
ago, and momentum continues upward. WARNING AND DISCLAIMER . Be advised and
warned: Do NOT use these commentaries to trade futures contracts. I don't intend
them for that or write them with that short term trading outlook. I write them
for long-term investors in physical metals. Take them as entertainment, but not
as a timing service for futures. NOR do I recommend investing in gold or silver
Exchange Trade Funds (ETFs). Those are NOT physical metal & I fear one day one
or another may go up in smoke. Unless you can breathe smoke, stay away. Call me
paranoid, but the surviving rabbit is wary of traps. NOR do I recommend trading
futures options or other leveraged paper gold and silver products. These are not
for the inexperienced. NOR do I recommend buying gold & silver on margin or with
debt. What DO I recommend? Physical gold and silver coins & bars in your own
hands. One final warning: NEVER insert a 747 Jumbo Jet up your nose. Y'all enjoy
your weekend. Argentum et aurum comparenda sunt -- -- Gold and silver must be
bought. - Franklin Sanders, The Moneychanger The-MoneyChanger.com © 2011, The
Moneychanger. May not be republished in any form, including electronically,
without our express permission. To avoid confusion, please remember that the
comments above have a very short time horizon. Always invest with the primary
trend. Gold's primary trend is up, targeting at least $3,130.00; silver's
primary is up targeting 16:1 gold/silver ratio or $195.66; stocks' primary trend
is down, targeting Dow under 2,900 and worth only one ounce of gold; US$ or
US$-denominated assets, primary trend down; real estate in a bubble, primary
trend way down. Whenever I write "Stay out of stocks" readers inevitably ask,
"Do you mean precious metals mining stocks, too?" No, I don't.
Amgen: The Don’t-Bother Biotech
Sometimes a company can have a lot going for it but its stock simply does not
respond. Thats been the case for Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN ). I was an investor in the
stocks best days of the late 1990s, when it ran from $16 to over $60. I check in
every now and then to see whats happening with the company and the stock, but
ever since it hit its peak in 2005, the stock never saw those highs again and
has struggled ever since. Amgen is a biotech company and always has something in
development. Its latest drug is Xgeva used to prevent bone fractures in cancer
patients on track for annual sales of about $300 million. Yet despite this
drug, as well as the others Amgen is developing, the market isnt loving the
stock. Maybe thats because revenues and earnings have stagnated. Analysts
project revenue growth of only 2.3% this year and 3.7% next year. Earnings are
expected to be flat this year and grow about 8% next year, with five-year
annualized projected growth of 7.35%. This is really on the low end of what I
like to see in what Peter Lynch called a stalwart. It also is lower than I like
to see in a biotech company. But are other metrics strong enough to convince
this investor to buy? There are lots of compelling numbers for Amgen. Its
trailing 12-month net profit margin is an amazing 29.72%. Its return on equity
is 18.67%. That says Amgens products are extraordinarily profitable, and its
efficiency in generating those profits is very high. The company sits on $17.4
billion in cash, offset by $10.9 billion in debt, so the balance sheet is
fabulous. Even better, that debt is only being carried at about a 5% interest
rate. Finally, the company routinely throws off free cash flow of between $5
billion and $6 billion annually. In other words, Amgen is a cash cow, but it
isnt growing . If this were any other type of company, Id tell management to
start paying out all that excess cash as a dividend. Right now, Amgen does
indeed pay a 2.1% dividend. However, the Faustian bargain of biotech is that
these companies must constantly reinvest cash into R&D to keep finding those new
discoveries to generate more cash, rather than pay it to shareholders. So Amgen
ends up with a dividend that is not enticing enough for retirees, and it is so
mature that it isnt growing. When you look at all this information and see that
Amgen stock hasnt gone anywhere in the past decade I say its either a sell or a
suggestion to not bother buying. Disclosure: Lawrence Meyers does not own shares
of Amgen.
respond. Thats been the case for Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN ). I was an investor in the
stocks best days of the late 1990s, when it ran from $16 to over $60. I check in
every now and then to see whats happening with the company and the stock, but
ever since it hit its peak in 2005, the stock never saw those highs again and
has struggled ever since. Amgen is a biotech company and always has something in
development. Its latest drug is Xgeva used to prevent bone fractures in cancer
patients on track for annual sales of about $300 million. Yet despite this
drug, as well as the others Amgen is developing, the market isnt loving the
stock. Maybe thats because revenues and earnings have stagnated. Analysts
project revenue growth of only 2.3% this year and 3.7% next year. Earnings are
expected to be flat this year and grow about 8% next year, with five-year
annualized projected growth of 7.35%. This is really on the low end of what I
like to see in what Peter Lynch called a stalwart. It also is lower than I like
to see in a biotech company. But are other metrics strong enough to convince
this investor to buy? There are lots of compelling numbers for Amgen. Its
trailing 12-month net profit margin is an amazing 29.72%. Its return on equity
is 18.67%. That says Amgens products are extraordinarily profitable, and its
efficiency in generating those profits is very high. The company sits on $17.4
billion in cash, offset by $10.9 billion in debt, so the balance sheet is
fabulous. Even better, that debt is only being carried at about a 5% interest
rate. Finally, the company routinely throws off free cash flow of between $5
billion and $6 billion annually. In other words, Amgen is a cash cow, but it
isnt growing . If this were any other type of company, Id tell management to
start paying out all that excess cash as a dividend. Right now, Amgen does
indeed pay a 2.1% dividend. However, the Faustian bargain of biotech is that
these companies must constantly reinvest cash into R&D to keep finding those new
discoveries to generate more cash, rather than pay it to shareholders. So Amgen
ends up with a dividend that is not enticing enough for retirees, and it is so
mature that it isnt growing. When you look at all this information and see that
Amgen stock hasnt gone anywhere in the past decade I say its either a sell or a
suggestion to not bother buying. Disclosure: Lawrence Meyers does not own shares
of Amgen.
Gold & silver plummeted; erased all of last week’s gains –August 24
Gold and silver prices fell very sharply yesterday and thus erased all their
gains from the past week and a half; these falls were the sharpest for gold
price in 2011 and the steepest for silver price since May 5th 2010; crude oil
prices didn't change much with WTI slightly falling and Brent oil price
slightly rising; natural gas spot price (Henry Hub) inclined again. Here is a
summary of the price movements of precious metals and energy commodities for
August 24th: Precious Metals prices: Gold price sharply declined yesterday by
5.59% to $1,757 – a similar price it was at back in August 15th; Silver price
also sharply fell by 7.39% to $39.20. During August, gold prices increased by
7.7%, but silver price fell by 2.3%. The EURO to US Dollar exchange rate
continues to zigzag as it moderately declined yesterday by 0.19% i.e. the USD
appreciated against the EURO. During August, the EURO to US Dollar slightly rose
by 0.11%. Oil and Gas prices: WTI Spot oil price declined by 0.34%; it settled
at $84.98 per barrel; during August, the WTI spot oil price declined by 11.2%.
Brent spot price on the other hand rose by 0.26%
gains from the past week and a half; these falls were the sharpest for gold
price in 2011 and the steepest for silver price since May 5th 2010; crude oil
prices didn't change much with WTI slightly falling and Brent oil price
slightly rising; natural gas spot price (Henry Hub) inclined again. Here is a
summary of the price movements of precious metals and energy commodities for
August 24th: Precious Metals prices: Gold price sharply declined yesterday by
5.59% to $1,757 – a similar price it was at back in August 15th; Silver price
also sharply fell by 7.39% to $39.20. During August, gold prices increased by
7.7%, but silver price fell by 2.3%. The EURO to US Dollar exchange rate
continues to zigzag as it moderately declined yesterday by 0.19% i.e. the USD
appreciated against the EURO. During August, the EURO to US Dollar slightly rose
by 0.11%. Oil and Gas prices: WTI Spot oil price declined by 0.34%; it settled
at $84.98 per barrel; during August, the WTI spot oil price declined by 11.2%.
Brent spot price on the other hand rose by 0.26%
Gold Futures Snap 7-Week Win Streak Despite Friday’s Gains
Gold futures rallied Friday, with the COMEX December contract settling higher
by $34.10, or 1.9%, at $1,797.30 per ounce. However, the yellow metal extended
its gains significantly in electronic trading later this afternoon, by $68.80 to
$1,832.00 per ounce. Despite todays rally, COMEX gold futures posted a weekly
decline of $54.90, or 3.0%.
by $34.10, or 1.9%, at $1,797.30 per ounce. However, the yellow metal extended
its gains significantly in electronic trading later this afternoon, by $68.80 to
$1,832.00 per ounce. Despite todays rally, COMEX gold futures posted a weekly
decline of $54.90, or 3.0%.
Gold & silver bounced back from sharp falls –August 25
Gold and silver prices gained back yesterday some of their value after they had
fallen very sharply the day before; crude oil prices continue to moderately
change and slightly inclined; natural gas spot price (Henry Hub) changed
direction and declined. Here is a summary of the price movements of precious
metals and energy commodities for August 25th: Precious Metals prices: Gold
price bounced back and slightly inclined yesterday by 0.34% to $1,763; Silver
price also inclined by 4.06% to $40.79. During August, gold prices increased by
8.1%, and silver price by 1.7%. The EURO to US Dollar exchange rate moderately
declined again by 0.25% i.e. the USD appreciated against the EURO. During
August, the EURO to US Dollar slightly fell by 0.14%. Oil and Gas prices: WTI
Spot oil price inclined by 0.26%; it settled at $85.20 per barrel; during
August, the WTI spot oil price declined by 11.0%. Brent spot price also rose by
0.48% to $111.12 per barrel. Due to these changes, the difference between Brent
and WTI inclined to $25.92/bbl. Natural gas Henry Hub future price (September
delivery) increased by 0.26% to $3.93/mmbtu. The Henry Hub spot price fell by
1.96% to $4.01/mmbtu; the gap between
fallen very sharply the day before; crude oil prices continue to moderately
change and slightly inclined; natural gas spot price (Henry Hub) changed
direction and declined. Here is a summary of the price movements of precious
metals and energy commodities for August 25th: Precious Metals prices: Gold
price bounced back and slightly inclined yesterday by 0.34% to $1,763; Silver
price also inclined by 4.06% to $40.79. During August, gold prices increased by
8.1%, and silver price by 1.7%. The EURO to US Dollar exchange rate moderately
declined again by 0.25% i.e. the USD appreciated against the EURO. During
August, the EURO to US Dollar slightly fell by 0.14%. Oil and Gas prices: WTI
Spot oil price inclined by 0.26%; it settled at $85.20 per barrel; during
August, the WTI spot oil price declined by 11.0%. Brent spot price also rose by
0.48% to $111.12 per barrel. Due to these changes, the difference between Brent
and WTI inclined to $25.92/bbl. Natural gas Henry Hub future price (September
delivery) increased by 0.26% to $3.93/mmbtu. The Henry Hub spot price fell by
1.96% to $4.01/mmbtu; the gap between
Gold & Silver Prices – Daily Outlook August 26
Gold and silver prices inclined yesterday and gained back some of the losses
they had endured in the past couple of days that were stem, in part, by the
recent CME margin hike on gold trading. Currently, gold and silver prices are
traded with moderate changes. Today, the US GDP second quarter report for
2011will be published; Euro Area monetary development; and more importantly
Bernanke will give a speech in Jackson Hall. Lets examine the precious metals
market for today, August 26th: Gold and silver prices –August Gold and silver
prices changed direction and rose yesterday: Gold price rose on Thursday by
0.34% to $1,763; silver price also sharply inclined by 4.06% to $40.79. During
August, gold price increased by 8.1%, and silver price by 1.7%. The chart below
shows the normalized gold and silver prices (July 29th 2011=100). The ratio
between gold and silver prices continues to remain around the 43-45 mark, but
has a moderate downward trend in recent days; on Thursday, August 25th it
reached 43.22. During August, gold price has outperformed silver price as the
ratio inclined by 10.2%. Bens speech There are many who speculate what will be
today on the agenda of
they had endured in the past couple of days that were stem, in part, by the
recent CME margin hike on gold trading. Currently, gold and silver prices are
traded with moderate changes. Today, the US GDP second quarter report for
2011will be published; Euro Area monetary development; and more importantly
Bernanke will give a speech in Jackson Hall. Lets examine the precious metals
market for today, August 26th: Gold and silver prices –August Gold and silver
prices changed direction and rose yesterday: Gold price rose on Thursday by
0.34% to $1,763; silver price also sharply inclined by 4.06% to $40.79. During
August, gold price increased by 8.1%, and silver price by 1.7%. The chart below
shows the normalized gold and silver prices (July 29th 2011=100). The ratio
between gold and silver prices continues to remain around the 43-45 mark, but
has a moderate downward trend in recent days; on Thursday, August 25th it
reached 43.22. During August, gold price has outperformed silver price as the
ratio inclined by 10.2%. Bens speech There are many who speculate what will be
today on the agenda of
Gold & silver ended the week on a positive note – August 26
Gold and silver prices continued their rally back from the free gall they had
endured on Tuesday and Wednesday. Bernanke gave a speech in Jackson Hall about
the short and long term economic outlook of US; he didnt refer to any stimulus
program, but also kept the door open for future steps by the Fed.
endured on Tuesday and Wednesday. Bernanke gave a speech in Jackson Hall about
the short and long term economic outlook of US; he didnt refer to any stimulus
program, but also kept the door open for future steps by the Fed.
The Modern-Day Gold Rush
Every time an asset class goes parabolic it captures my attention and gets my
contrarian juices going. Most recently, this asset class is gold. It seems that
gold has cracked; the question is whether this is a lasting peak and where the
next support can be found. What the media says about a soaring asset class is as
fascinating as what the chart says (first the media, than the chart). Here are a
few headlines from Aug. 22, when gold closed at $1,901. Gold at $1,870 is being
seen as a haven Forbes Gold price poised to go parabolic to $2,100 Beacon
Equity Research Gold Shines On and On and On The Wall Street Journal Gold in
portfolio is mandatory MoneyControl.com Is $5,000/ounce the new target in golds
run? Barrons The media speaks, investors listen. Also on Monday, The Wall
Street Journal reported that the SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD ) is now bigger than
the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSE: SPY ). Sure enough, the medias relentless hype has
fueled the modern-day gold rush. 170 years ago, investors armed themselves with
picks, pans and shovels to get their hands on the precious yellow metal. Today,
investors can buy unlimited amounts of gold sitting in their underwear in front
of a computer or with their cell phone while driving. This kind of trading
flexibility causes irrational price spikes like what weve seen in gold over the
last couple of weeks. What Melts Up, Will Melt Down The chart below shows the
performance of gold since July 1. The two yellow lines are trend lines that go
back as far as 2006. The push above the first trend line on July 12 was bullish.
The push above the second trend line on Aug. 8 also was bullish. There was no
reason to bet against the up trend as long as gold remained above the trend
line. In addition to the rise above the trend line, percentR (a measure of
relative strength) triggered a low-risk bullish entry on Friday, Aug. 12. As
long as gold remains above the Aug. 12 low at $1,726.30, the trend was up.
Within the next few days, however, gold turned irrational and shot from $1,726
to over $1,900. When it comes to trading irrational markets, investors would do
well to be cautious. At $1,900, the upside for gold seemed very limited, and on
Sunday, I thought, I dont know how much higher gold will spike but Im pretty
sure it will melt down faster than its melting up. This weeks r1 is at 1,915, r2
is at $1,975. A failed daily low-risk entry would be a good time to go short. In
case you are wondering, r1 and r2 are pivot-based support/resistance levels I
use to identify potential turning points. Gold peaked at $1,915 and has dropped
over 150 points (nearly 10%) since. My thoughts on Tuesday (Aug. 23) were the
following about a key level for gold: A daily close below $1,826 would be
bearish. As long as gold remains above $1,826 the trend is up. Tuesdays big red
candle engulfs Mondays green candle, generally a bearish sign. If gold falls
below $1,826 it may coincide with rising stock prices. Aggressive investors may
short gold if it drops below $1,826 with a stop-loss just above. The
corresponding price for GLD is $177.50. PercentR provided an early warning
signal when silver (NYSE: SLV ) cracked in late April and allowed me to capture
a 30%-plus move. Now percentR has done the same thing for gold. Since it moved
below $1,826, gold has been in a free fall, currently at $1,754 (GLD is at
$170.50). Where is the Support? The most immediate support is this weeks s1 at
$1,763 and where the Aug. 12, low-risk entry was triggered, at $1,726.30. Next
support is the upper trend line at $1,710. The most important support and quite
possibly the target for this correction is a moving average that has provided
support for gold on no less than seven different occasions since 2009. How will
the mini melt down in gold affect stocks? In late April, the meltdown in silver
came a few days before the S&P, Dow Jones and Nasdaq peaked. Is this a repeat of
late April? Its too early to tell, but based on our analysis, new lows for the
major stock indexes are likely.
contrarian juices going. Most recently, this asset class is gold. It seems that
gold has cracked; the question is whether this is a lasting peak and where the
next support can be found. What the media says about a soaring asset class is as
fascinating as what the chart says (first the media, than the chart). Here are a
few headlines from Aug. 22, when gold closed at $1,901. Gold at $1,870 is being
seen as a haven Forbes Gold price poised to go parabolic to $2,100 Beacon
Equity Research Gold Shines On and On and On The Wall Street Journal Gold in
portfolio is mandatory MoneyControl.com Is $5,000/ounce the new target in golds
run? Barrons The media speaks, investors listen. Also on Monday, The Wall
Street Journal reported that the SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD ) is now bigger than
the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSE: SPY ). Sure enough, the medias relentless hype has
fueled the modern-day gold rush. 170 years ago, investors armed themselves with
picks, pans and shovels to get their hands on the precious yellow metal. Today,
investors can buy unlimited amounts of gold sitting in their underwear in front
of a computer or with their cell phone while driving. This kind of trading
flexibility causes irrational price spikes like what weve seen in gold over the
last couple of weeks. What Melts Up, Will Melt Down The chart below shows the
performance of gold since July 1. The two yellow lines are trend lines that go
back as far as 2006. The push above the first trend line on July 12 was bullish.
The push above the second trend line on Aug. 8 also was bullish. There was no
reason to bet against the up trend as long as gold remained above the trend
line. In addition to the rise above the trend line, percentR (a measure of
relative strength) triggered a low-risk bullish entry on Friday, Aug. 12. As
long as gold remains above the Aug. 12 low at $1,726.30, the trend was up.
Within the next few days, however, gold turned irrational and shot from $1,726
to over $1,900. When it comes to trading irrational markets, investors would do
well to be cautious. At $1,900, the upside for gold seemed very limited, and on
Sunday, I thought, I dont know how much higher gold will spike but Im pretty
sure it will melt down faster than its melting up. This weeks r1 is at 1,915, r2
is at $1,975. A failed daily low-risk entry would be a good time to go short. In
case you are wondering, r1 and r2 are pivot-based support/resistance levels I
use to identify potential turning points. Gold peaked at $1,915 and has dropped
over 150 points (nearly 10%) since. My thoughts on Tuesday (Aug. 23) were the
following about a key level for gold: A daily close below $1,826 would be
bearish. As long as gold remains above $1,826 the trend is up. Tuesdays big red
candle engulfs Mondays green candle, generally a bearish sign. If gold falls
below $1,826 it may coincide with rising stock prices. Aggressive investors may
short gold if it drops below $1,826 with a stop-loss just above. The
corresponding price for GLD is $177.50. PercentR provided an early warning
signal when silver (NYSE: SLV ) cracked in late April and allowed me to capture
a 30%-plus move. Now percentR has done the same thing for gold. Since it moved
below $1,826, gold has been in a free fall, currently at $1,754 (GLD is at
$170.50). Where is the Support? The most immediate support is this weeks s1 at
$1,763 and where the Aug. 12, low-risk entry was triggered, at $1,726.30. Next
support is the upper trend line at $1,710. The most important support and quite
possibly the target for this correction is a moving average that has provided
support for gold on no less than seven different occasions since 2009. How will
the mini melt down in gold affect stocks? In late April, the meltdown in silver
came a few days before the S&P, Dow Jones and Nasdaq peaked. Is this a repeat of
late April? Its too early to tell, but based on our analysis, new lows for the
major stock indexes are likely.
Top 10 Focus Stocks of The Day: YRCW, ENER, GURE, PSS, PANL, PHM, RDN, GAME, AGO, CRD.B (Aug 26, 2011)
Below are todays top 10 focus stocks. These momentum stocks are attracting a
lot of interest from traders. Two Chinese companies (GURE, GAME) are on the
list. YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ:YRCW) is todays 1st best focus stock. Its daily
price change was 26.8% in the previous trading session. Its upside potential is
-40% based on brokerage analysts average target price of $0 on the stock. It is
rated positively by 0% of the 13 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual
earnings growth is 15% based on analysts average estimate. Energy Conversion
Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENER) is todays 2nd best focus stock. Its daily price
change was 25.8% in the previous trading session. Its upside potential is 121%
based on brokerage analysts average target price of $2 on the stock. It is rated
positively by 0% of the 12 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings
growth is -33% based on analysts average estimate. Gulf Resources, Inc.
(NASDAQ:GURE) is todays 3rd best focus stock. Its daily price change was 20.8%
in the previous trading session. Its upside potential is 594% based on brokerage
analysts average target price of $15 on the stock. It is rated positively by
100% of the 1 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is
19% based on analysts average estimate. Collective Brands Inc. (NYSE:PSS) is
todays 4th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 18.6% in the previous
trading session. Its upside potential is 18% based on brokerage analysts average
target price of $14 on the stock. It is rated positively by 40% of the 10
analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 11% based on
analysts average estimate. Universal Display Corporation (NASDAQ:PANL) is todays
5th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 15.6% in the previous trading
session. Its upside potential is -7% based on brokerage analysts average target
price of $44 on the stock. It is rated positively by 64% of the 11 analyst(s)
covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 25% based on analysts
average estimate. PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) is todays 6th best focus stock.
Its daily price change was 12.8% in the previous trading session. Its upside
potential is 89% based on brokerage analysts average target price of $8 on the
stock. It is rated positively by 33% of the 21 analyst(s) covering it. Its
long-term annual earnings growth is 10% based on analysts average estimate.
Radian Group Inc. (NYSE:RDN) is todays 7th best focus stock. Its daily price
change was 12.0% in the previous trading session. Its upside potential is 175%
based on brokerage analysts average target price of $7 on the stock. It is rated
positively by 60% of the 10 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual
earnings growth is 9% based on analysts average estimate. Shanda Games
Limited(ADR) (NASDAQ:GAME) is todays 8th best focus stock. Its daily price
change was 11.0% in the previous trading session. Its upside potential is 33%
based on brokerage analysts average target price of $7 on the stock. It is rated
positively by 61% of the 18 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual
earnings growth is 14% based on analysts average estimate. Assured Guaranty Ltd.
(NYSE:AGO) is todays 9th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 10.8% in
the previous trading session. Its upside potential is 78% based on brokerage
analysts average target price of $24 on the stock. It is rated positively by 63%
of the 8 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 7%
based on analysts average estimate. Crawford & Company (NYSE:CRD.B) is todays
10th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 10.7% in the previous trading
session. Its upside potential is 53% based on brokerage analysts average target
price of $11 on the stock. It is rated positively by 100% of the 1 analyst(s)
covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 15% based on analysts
average estimate.
lot of interest from traders. Two Chinese companies (GURE, GAME) are on the
list. YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ:YRCW) is todays 1st best focus stock. Its daily
price change was 26.8% in the previous trading session. Its upside potential is
-40% based on brokerage analysts average target price of $0 on the stock. It is
rated positively by 0% of the 13 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual
earnings growth is 15% based on analysts average estimate. Energy Conversion
Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENER) is todays 2nd best focus stock. Its daily price
change was 25.8% in the previous trading session. Its upside potential is 121%
based on brokerage analysts average target price of $2 on the stock. It is rated
positively by 0% of the 12 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings
growth is -33% based on analysts average estimate. Gulf Resources, Inc.
(NASDAQ:GURE) is todays 3rd best focus stock. Its daily price change was 20.8%
in the previous trading session. Its upside potential is 594% based on brokerage
analysts average target price of $15 on the stock. It is rated positively by
100% of the 1 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is
19% based on analysts average estimate. Collective Brands Inc. (NYSE:PSS) is
todays 4th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 18.6% in the previous
trading session. Its upside potential is 18% based on brokerage analysts average
target price of $14 on the stock. It is rated positively by 40% of the 10
analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 11% based on
analysts average estimate. Universal Display Corporation (NASDAQ:PANL) is todays
5th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 15.6% in the previous trading
session. Its upside potential is -7% based on brokerage analysts average target
price of $44 on the stock. It is rated positively by 64% of the 11 analyst(s)
covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 25% based on analysts
average estimate. PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE:PHM) is todays 6th best focus stock.
Its daily price change was 12.8% in the previous trading session. Its upside
potential is 89% based on brokerage analysts average target price of $8 on the
stock. It is rated positively by 33% of the 21 analyst(s) covering it. Its
long-term annual earnings growth is 10% based on analysts average estimate.
Radian Group Inc. (NYSE:RDN) is todays 7th best focus stock. Its daily price
change was 12.0% in the previous trading session. Its upside potential is 175%
based on brokerage analysts average target price of $7 on the stock. It is rated
positively by 60% of the 10 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual
earnings growth is 9% based on analysts average estimate. Shanda Games
Limited(ADR) (NASDAQ:GAME) is todays 8th best focus stock. Its daily price
change was 11.0% in the previous trading session. Its upside potential is 33%
based on brokerage analysts average target price of $7 on the stock. It is rated
positively by 61% of the 18 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual
earnings growth is 14% based on analysts average estimate. Assured Guaranty Ltd.
(NYSE:AGO) is todays 9th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 10.8% in
the previous trading session. Its upside potential is 78% based on brokerage
analysts average target price of $24 on the stock. It is rated positively by 63%
of the 8 analyst(s) covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 7%
based on analysts average estimate. Crawford & Company (NYSE:CRD.B) is todays
10th best focus stock. Its daily price change was 10.7% in the previous trading
session. Its upside potential is 53% based on brokerage analysts average target
price of $11 on the stock. It is rated positively by 100% of the 1 analyst(s)
covering it. Its long-term annual earnings growth is 15% based on analysts
average estimate.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Founder Salutes Apple Boss
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Co-founder Paul Allen has praised Apple's
Steve Jobs. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Founder Salutes Apple Boss Paul
Allen, the man who co-founded the software giant, said in a statement that Steve
Jobs, the ex-CEO of Apple, was one of the world's greatest innovators. "I
wish Steve the best as he faces his health challenges. He is one of one of the
greatest innovators of our industry," he said. Allen was also a victim of
health issues and he left Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) for the same
reason. Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) shares were at 24.57 at the end of the
last days trading. Theres been a 2.9% movement in the stock price over the past
3 months. Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Analyst Advice Consensus Opinion:
Moderate Buy Mean recommendation: 1.88 (1=Strong Buy, 5=Strong Sell) 3 Months
Ago: 1.81 Zacks Rank: 26 out of 90 in the industry
Steve Jobs. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Founder Salutes Apple Boss Paul
Allen, the man who co-founded the software giant, said in a statement that Steve
Jobs, the ex-CEO of Apple, was one of the world's greatest innovators. "I
wish Steve the best as he faces his health challenges. He is one of one of the
greatest innovators of our industry," he said. Allen was also a victim of
health issues and he left Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) for the same
reason. Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) shares were at 24.57 at the end of the
last days trading. Theres been a 2.9% movement in the stock price over the past
3 months. Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Analyst Advice Consensus Opinion:
Moderate Buy Mean recommendation: 1.88 (1=Strong Buy, 5=Strong Sell) 3 Months
Ago: 1.81 Zacks Rank: 26 out of 90 in the industry
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Steve Jobs Lights Tech World On Fire
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)'s retired CEO has become the hottest topic the tech
world has seen in recent memory. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Steve Jobs Lights Tech
World On Fire Steve Jobs, the recently-ex Chief Executive Office of Apple Inc.
(NASDAQ:AAPL), has become the hottest topic in the tech world. The revolutionary
leader has been saluted by a wide range of personalities and business figures
for his contribution to the field of technology. Although many believe that
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will continue its growth, some tech lovers and analysts
think that the performance of the company could be affected with the absence of
Jobs at the helm. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares were at 373.72 at the end of
the last days trading. Theres been a 11.7% change in the stock price over the
past 3 months. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Analyst Advice Consensus Opinion:
Moderate Buy Mean recommendation: 1.22 (1=Strong Buy, 5=Strong Sell) 3 Months
Ago: 1.22 Zacks Rank: 1 out of 2 in the industry
world has seen in recent memory. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Steve Jobs Lights Tech
World On Fire Steve Jobs, the recently-ex Chief Executive Office of Apple Inc.
(NASDAQ:AAPL), has become the hottest topic in the tech world. The revolutionary
leader has been saluted by a wide range of personalities and business figures
for his contribution to the field of technology. Although many believe that
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will continue its growth, some tech lovers and analysts
think that the performance of the company could be affected with the absence of
Jobs at the helm. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares were at 373.72 at the end of
the last days trading. Theres been a 11.7% change in the stock price over the
past 3 months. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Analyst Advice Consensus Opinion:
Moderate Buy Mean recommendation: 1.22 (1=Strong Buy, 5=Strong Sell) 3 Months
Ago: 1.22 Zacks Rank: 1 out of 2 in the industry
Gold Rallies Back Above $1,800, HUI Climbs 1.1%
XCSFDHG46767FHJHJF
DG365FD46564GFH654FU898 Gold reclaimed the $1,800 per ounce level Friday afternoon as the majority of the commodities complex rebounded from earlier weakness. COMEX gold futures, per the December contract, initially slid toward $1,765 following release of Ben Bernanke’s speech after the Fed Chairman did not make any mention of QE3. However, gold quickly bounced back, reaching an intra-day high of $1,812.60 per ounce at approximately 2:30pm ET and holding onto the majority of its gains later this afternoon. Gold equities followed the yellow metal higher, with the AMEX Gold Bugs Index (HUI) reversing its earlier decline to advance 1.1% to 588.74. Strength in gold coincided with weakness in the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY), which relinquished its earlier gains to trade lower by 0.6% at 73.81 against a basket of foreign currencies. View article: Gold Rallies Back Above $1,800, HUI Climbs 1.1%
Randgold Resources (GOLD) Down 0.3% Despite Rising Gold Prices
XCSFDHG46767FHJHJF
gol2664 Negocioenlinea Randgold Resources ( GOLD ) Down 0.3% Despite Rising Gold Prices Market Intelligence Center – 1 hour ago Randgold Resources ( NASDAQ : GOLD ) opened at $104.78. So far today, the stock has hit a low of $101.52 and a high of $104.88. GOLD is now trading at $103.92, down $0.35 (-0.34%). The stock hit its …
Todays Dow Jones Average DJIA index DJX DJI, Todays Stock Market Close Review, Gold Price Per Ounce Silver Price Per Ounce Investing News
XCSFDHG46767FHJHJF
dow2664 All three primary stock indices ended the week on a positive note and reached positive ground for the week as a whole. Federal Reserve Chairman said today in Jackson Hole that the Feds will do all they can do to help support the fledgling U.S. economy. Many investors on Wall Street were hoping for a bit more from the Chairman and were not completely satisfied to hear that no specific QE3 was scheduled. Sentiment overall however was positive enough to lift the indices to positive ground for the session. Specifically, the chairman reported that “the Federal Reserve will do all that it can to restore high rates of growth and employment, for the U.S. economy. Indices dropped a bit initially due to the ambiguity of the statement but made their way back to green by day’s end. Bernanke stated that more time and further discussion would need to happen so that the government could comprehensively attack the issues and get the economy moving forward at an acceptable pace again. The dollar dropped lower to the euro, Japanese yen and British pound today. Oil per barrel fell back and gold futures moved higher. As close was finalizing in the market today, the DJIA was green by 1.21 percent closing at 11,284.54. Gold for December delivery moved higher by 1.93 percent to 1,797.30 per troy ounce. Silver moved higher by .51 percent to 40.95 per troy ounce. The Nasdaq was green by 2.49 percent at 2,480 and the S&P 500 was green by 1.51 percent at 1,177. Frank Matto
Gold, Silver Range-Bound Early Friday
Gold has been trading in a relatively tight range around $1,780 early Friday,
as the Commerce Department revised its Q2 GDP estimate downward to 1% from its
original 1.3% estimate. One non-event was followed by another as comments from
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke in Jackson Hole, Wyo., did not cause any sharp moves
in either direction. The Commerce Department also reported after-tax corporate
profits rose at the fastest rate in a year. Though fundamentally good news for
shareholders, the figure is backwards-looking, and it does little to bolster
confidence that jobs and income growth in the U.S. will rebound in the near
future. Spot gold was trading at $1,779.30 Bid, $1,780.30 Ask early Friday,
having hit a high of $1,791.80 and a low of $1,763.10. The London p.m. fix was
set at $1,788. Spot silver was bid at $40.45 with a $40.55 Ask, having hit a
high of $41.21 and a low of $40.03. Spot silver was fixed at $41.06 in the
London a.m., according to Kitco market data . On the exchanges, gold trusts were
higher and the iShares Silver Trust was lower. The SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD )
was moving higher, up more than 0.8%. The iShares Gold Trust (NYSE: IAU ) was up
0.86%. The iShares Silver Trust (NYSE: SLV ) was down more than 1%. Gold miners
ETFs were mixed, and the silver miners ETF was lower. The Market Vectors Gold
Miners ETF (NYSE: GDX ) was around 0.7% lower. The Market Vector Junior Gold
Miners ETF (NYSE: GDXJ ) was up 0.15%. The Global X Silver Miners ETF (NYSE: SIL
) was around 0.1% lower. Shares of gold miners were broadly lower, with NovaGold
Resources the exception, up more than 3.5%. Agnico Eagle Mines (USA) (NYSE: AEM
) was around 0.9% lower. Barrick Gold Corp. (NYSE: ABX ) was down more than
0.6%. Goldcorp (NYSE: GG ) was around 0.2% lower. Newmont Mining Corp. (NYSE:
NEM ) was down 1%. NovaGold Resources (USA) (AMEX: NG ) was up more than 3.8%.
Silver mining shares were moving lower, with the exception of Hecla Mining.
Coeur DAlene Mines Corp. (NYSE: CDE ) was 0.15% lower. Hecla Mining (NYSE: HL )
was around 1.5% higher. Pan American Silver Corp. (USA) (NASDAQ: PAAS ) was down
around 1%. Silver Wheaton Corp. (USA) (NYSE: SLW ) was 0.75% lower. Silver
Standard Resources Inc. (USA) (NASDAQ: SSRI ) was more than 0.5% lower. The
author does not hold positions in any of the above-mentioned investments.
as the Commerce Department revised its Q2 GDP estimate downward to 1% from its
original 1.3% estimate. One non-event was followed by another as comments from
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke in Jackson Hole, Wyo., did not cause any sharp moves
in either direction. The Commerce Department also reported after-tax corporate
profits rose at the fastest rate in a year. Though fundamentally good news for
shareholders, the figure is backwards-looking, and it does little to bolster
confidence that jobs and income growth in the U.S. will rebound in the near
future. Spot gold was trading at $1,779.30 Bid, $1,780.30 Ask early Friday,
having hit a high of $1,791.80 and a low of $1,763.10. The London p.m. fix was
set at $1,788. Spot silver was bid at $40.45 with a $40.55 Ask, having hit a
high of $41.21 and a low of $40.03. Spot silver was fixed at $41.06 in the
London a.m., according to Kitco market data . On the exchanges, gold trusts were
higher and the iShares Silver Trust was lower. The SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD )
was moving higher, up more than 0.8%. The iShares Gold Trust (NYSE: IAU ) was up
0.86%. The iShares Silver Trust (NYSE: SLV ) was down more than 1%. Gold miners
ETFs were mixed, and the silver miners ETF was lower. The Market Vectors Gold
Miners ETF (NYSE: GDX ) was around 0.7% lower. The Market Vector Junior Gold
Miners ETF (NYSE: GDXJ ) was up 0.15%. The Global X Silver Miners ETF (NYSE: SIL
) was around 0.1% lower. Shares of gold miners were broadly lower, with NovaGold
Resources the exception, up more than 3.5%. Agnico Eagle Mines (USA) (NYSE: AEM
) was around 0.9% lower. Barrick Gold Corp. (NYSE: ABX ) was down more than
0.6%. Goldcorp (NYSE: GG ) was around 0.2% lower. Newmont Mining Corp. (NYSE:
NEM ) was down 1%. NovaGold Resources (USA) (AMEX: NG ) was up more than 3.8%.
Silver mining shares were moving lower, with the exception of Hecla Mining.
Coeur DAlene Mines Corp. (NYSE: CDE ) was 0.15% lower. Hecla Mining (NYSE: HL )
was around 1.5% higher. Pan American Silver Corp. (USA) (NASDAQ: PAAS ) was down
around 1%. Silver Wheaton Corp. (USA) (NYSE: SLW ) was 0.75% lower. Silver
Standard Resources Inc. (USA) (NASDAQ: SSRI ) was more than 0.5% lower. The
author does not hold positions in any of the above-mentioned investments.
Analysts Predict Oracle Will Fall
Business software and hardware maker Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL ) has had a pretty
good run since in 1986 IPO its stock is up about 40,000% from the
split-adjusted eight cents it traded at back then. Does it still have further to
run? One things for sure investors are increasing their bets that Oracle stock
is going to fall. How so? As of Aug. 15, Oracle stock ranked fourth on the list
of top 50 increases in short interest on the Nasdaq from the previous two weeks.
Specifically, short interest in Oracle stock is up 57% to 34.6 million shares
from the period ending July 29. In its second quarter, Oracle beat expectations.
It reported 75 cents per share four cents ahead of expectations . But its
revenues of $10.8 billion only met expectations, and its hardware sales from
its purchase of Sun Microsystems fell 6%. Although those sales make up only
about 10% of its total revenues, Oracle stock fell 6% in after-hours trading on
the earnings announcement. Is the rise in Oracle short interest related to
expected bad news on hardware sales when it reports its third-quarter results
next month? Does this mean you should avoid the stock? Here are three reasons to
consider buying it: Good quarterly earnings. Oracle has been able to surpass
analysts' expectations in
good run since in 1986 IPO its stock is up about 40,000% from the
split-adjusted eight cents it traded at back then. Does it still have further to
run? One things for sure investors are increasing their bets that Oracle stock
is going to fall. How so? As of Aug. 15, Oracle stock ranked fourth on the list
of top 50 increases in short interest on the Nasdaq from the previous two weeks.
Specifically, short interest in Oracle stock is up 57% to 34.6 million shares
from the period ending July 29. In its second quarter, Oracle beat expectations.
It reported 75 cents per share four cents ahead of expectations . But its
revenues of $10.8 billion only met expectations, and its hardware sales from
its purchase of Sun Microsystems fell 6%. Although those sales make up only
about 10% of its total revenues, Oracle stock fell 6% in after-hours trading on
the earnings announcement. Is the rise in Oracle short interest related to
expected bad news on hardware sales when it reports its third-quarter results
next month? Does this mean you should avoid the stock? Here are three reasons to
consider buying it: Good quarterly earnings. Oracle has been able to surpass
analysts' expectations in
Todays Dow Jones Average DJIA index DJX DJI, Todays Stock Market Close Review, Gold Price Per Ounce Silver Price Per Ounce Investing News
All three primary stock indices ended the week on a positive note and reached
positive ground for the week as a whole. Federal Reserve Chairman said today in
Jackson Hole that the Feds will do all they can do to help support the fledgling
U.S. economy. Many investors on Wall Street were hoping for a bit more from the
Chairman and were not completely satisfied to hear that no specific QE3 was
scheduled. Sentiment overall however was positive enough to lift the indices to
positive ground for the session. Specifically, the chairman reported that the
Federal Reserve will do all that it can to restore high rates of growth and
employment, for the U.S. economy. Indices dropped a bit initially due to the
ambiguity of the statement but made their way back to green by days end.
Bernanke stated that more time and further discussion would need to happen so
that the government could comprehensively attack the issues and get the economy
moving forward at an acceptable pace again. The dollar dropped lower to the
euro, Japanese yen and British pound today. Oil per barrel fell back and gold
futures moved higher. As close was finalizing in the market today, the DJIA was
green by 1.21 percent closing at 11,284.54. Gold for December delivery moved
higher by 1.93 percent to 1,797.30 per troy ounce. Silver moved higher by .51
percent to 40.95 per troy ounce. The Nasdaq was green by 2.49 percent at 2,480
and the S&P 500 was green by 1.51 percent at 1,177. Frank Matto
positive ground for the week as a whole. Federal Reserve Chairman said today in
Jackson Hole that the Feds will do all they can do to help support the fledgling
U.S. economy. Many investors on Wall Street were hoping for a bit more from the
Chairman and were not completely satisfied to hear that no specific QE3 was
scheduled. Sentiment overall however was positive enough to lift the indices to
positive ground for the session. Specifically, the chairman reported that the
Federal Reserve will do all that it can to restore high rates of growth and
employment, for the U.S. economy. Indices dropped a bit initially due to the
ambiguity of the statement but made their way back to green by days end.
Bernanke stated that more time and further discussion would need to happen so
that the government could comprehensively attack the issues and get the economy
moving forward at an acceptable pace again. The dollar dropped lower to the
euro, Japanese yen and British pound today. Oil per barrel fell back and gold
futures moved higher. As close was finalizing in the market today, the DJIA was
green by 1.21 percent closing at 11,284.54. Gold for December delivery moved
higher by 1.93 percent to 1,797.30 per troy ounce. Silver moved higher by .51
percent to 40.95 per troy ounce. The Nasdaq was green by 2.49 percent at 2,480
and the S&P 500 was green by 1.51 percent at 1,177. Frank Matto
Top 10 Best-Performing Personal Services Stocks Year-to-Date: ATAI, CLUB, HLF, WTW, NLCI, RDEN, DTG, REV, NUS, NFLX (Aug 26, 2011)
Below are the top 10 best-performing Personal Services stocks year-to-date. One
Chinese company (ATAI) is on the list. ATA Inc.(ADR) (NASDAQ:ATAI) is the 1st
best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen
132.88% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was
198.25% for the last 52 weeks. Town Sports International Holdings, Inc.
(NASDAQ:CLUB) is the 2nd best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of
the market. It has risen 75.12% since the beginning of this year. Its price
percentage change was 171.37% for the last 52 weeks. Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF)
is the 3rd best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It
has risen 55.65% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change
was 96.82% for the last 52 weeks. Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE:WTW)
is the 4th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It
has risen 55.13% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change
was 101.94% for the last 52 weeks. Nobel Learning Communities, Inc.
(NASDAQ:NLCI) is the 5th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of
the market. It has risen 54.47% since the beginning of this year. Its price
percentage change was 57.46% for the last 52 weeks. Elizabeth Arden, Inc.
(NASDAQ:RDEN) is the 6th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of
the market. It has risen 33.85% since the beginning of this year. Its price
percentage change was 82.90% for the last 52 weeks. Dollar Thrifty Automotive
Group, Inc. (NYSE:DTG) is the 7th best-performing stock year-to-date in this
segment of the market. It has risen 33.37% since the beginning of this year. Its
price percentage change was 31.50% for the last 52 weeks. Revlon, Inc.
(NYSE:REV) is the 8th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the
market. It has risen 32.22% since the beginning of this year. Its price
percentage change was 16.58% for the last 52 weeks. Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc.
(NYSE:NUS) is the 9th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the
market. It has risen 24.59% since the beginning of this year. Its price
percentage change was 41.25% for the last 52 weeks. Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX)
is the 10th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It
has risen 22.84% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change
was 73.71% for the last 52 weeks.
Chinese company (ATAI) is on the list. ATA Inc.(ADR) (NASDAQ:ATAI) is the 1st
best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen
132.88% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was
198.25% for the last 52 weeks. Town Sports International Holdings, Inc.
(NASDAQ:CLUB) is the 2nd best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of
the market. It has risen 75.12% since the beginning of this year. Its price
percentage change was 171.37% for the last 52 weeks. Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF)
is the 3rd best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It
has risen 55.65% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change
was 96.82% for the last 52 weeks. Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE:WTW)
is the 4th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It
has risen 55.13% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change
was 101.94% for the last 52 weeks. Nobel Learning Communities, Inc.
(NASDAQ:NLCI) is the 5th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of
the market. It has risen 54.47% since the beginning of this year. Its price
percentage change was 57.46% for the last 52 weeks. Elizabeth Arden, Inc.
(NASDAQ:RDEN) is the 6th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of
the market. It has risen 33.85% since the beginning of this year. Its price
percentage change was 82.90% for the last 52 weeks. Dollar Thrifty Automotive
Group, Inc. (NYSE:DTG) is the 7th best-performing stock year-to-date in this
segment of the market. It has risen 33.37% since the beginning of this year. Its
price percentage change was 31.50% for the last 52 weeks. Revlon, Inc.
(NYSE:REV) is the 8th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the
market. It has risen 32.22% since the beginning of this year. Its price
percentage change was 16.58% for the last 52 weeks. Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc.
(NYSE:NUS) is the 9th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the
market. It has risen 24.59% since the beginning of this year. Its price
percentage change was 41.25% for the last 52 weeks. Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX)
is the 10th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It
has risen 22.84% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change
was 73.71% for the last 52 weeks.
Gold Rallies Back Above $1,800, HUI Climbs 1.1%
Gold reclaimed the $1,800 per ounce level Friday afternoon as the majority of
the commodities complex rebounded from earlier weakness. COMEX gold futures, per
the December contract, initially slid toward $1,765 following release of Ben
Bernankes speech after the Fed Chairman did not make any mention of QE3.
However, gold quickly bounced back, reaching an intra-day high of $1,812.60 per
ounce at approximately 2:30pm ET and holding onto the majority of its gains
later this afternoon. Gold equities followed the yellow metal higher, with the
AMEX Gold Bugs Index (HUI) reversing its earlier decline to advance 1.1% to
588.74. Strength in gold coincided with weakness in the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY),
which relinquished its earlier gains to trade lower by 0.6% at 73.81 against a
basket of foreign currencies.
the commodities complex rebounded from earlier weakness. COMEX gold futures, per
the December contract, initially slid toward $1,765 following release of Ben
Bernankes speech after the Fed Chairman did not make any mention of QE3.
However, gold quickly bounced back, reaching an intra-day high of $1,812.60 per
ounce at approximately 2:30pm ET and holding onto the majority of its gains
later this afternoon. Gold equities followed the yellow metal higher, with the
AMEX Gold Bugs Index (HUI) reversing its earlier decline to advance 1.1% to
588.74. Strength in gold coincided with weakness in the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY),
which relinquished its earlier gains to trade lower by 0.6% at 73.81 against a
basket of foreign currencies.
5 Stocks Buffett Wouldn’t Touch No Matter What Price
Do you think Warren Buffett was a Lone Ranger fan? I bet he was, because he
sure seems to like riding that white horse to the rescue. Berkshire Hathaway's
(NYSE: BRK.A ) announced $5 billion investment in Bank of America puts him back
in the role of hero. It is said he only recently thought of making the
investment while sitting in his tub this week. He probably secretly donned the
mask, waved his loofah and yelled, "Hi ho Silver, away!" For the second time
since the financial collapse of 2008, Buffett is bringing his substantial war
chest of capital to the financial services industry under the auspices of
providing confidence and support to the economy and the United States of
America. Make no mistake: He is doing this deal to make big money. Buffett knows
a bargain when he sees one, and given that he is one of few capable of making an
investment of any meaningful size, he gets to dictate terms. In this go-around
he gets a 6% coupon plus warrants to buy common shares of Bank of America at
very depressed levels. Given how he fared on his deal with Goldman Sachs, I'm
sure he will do similarly well here. More importantly, the deal fuels his ego
for being the investment god and savior that he is. My only question: Why
doesn't he do more of this bottom feeding? Given the selling in the market,
there certainly are plenty of candidates for him to come riding in to save the
day. Stocks are lower across the board. Perhaps he is already actively buying
below the radar screen and we have yet to hear about it. One thing I do know is
there are many beaten-down stocks he wouldn't touch no matter the price.
Buffett's dossier is well known. There is no way he changes his stripes now.
If you are holding one of these five beaten-down stocks waiting for Buffett or
some other angel to come to the rescue, don't hold your breath.
Hewlett-Packard Like Bank of America, Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ ) shares have
sold off hard during the recent market correction. The technology company has
seen its stock sink 32% since July 22. Fueling that decline were dramatic moves
by management amid a gloomy forecast for the future. One thing Buffett does not
buy is technology. He claims to not understand these stocks like he does
insurance, banks and other basic industrial concerns, and he readily admits to
missing out on several opportunities to buy low over the years. Hewlett-Packard
might or might not be attractive at these prices, but there is no Warren Buffett
waiting in the wings to show support for this wounded technology company.
Research In Motion Despite Buffett's reticence to own technology companies, he
does buy things that he uses or places where he shops. He loved See's Candy,
so he bought the company. He did the same thing with Dairy Queen. But because
Buffett does not own a cell phone, it is unlikely he will come to the rescue of
falling personal phone and data device maker Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM ).
RIM has seen its fortunes change dramatically. Apple has effectively destroyed
the company. Since earlier this year, the company has seen its stock value
plummet by 60%. At currently depressed levels, the only buying here is on
speculation that someone will come to the rescue. It won't be Buffett.
sure seems to like riding that white horse to the rescue. Berkshire Hathaway's
(NYSE: BRK.A ) announced $5 billion investment in Bank of America puts him back
in the role of hero. It is said he only recently thought of making the
investment while sitting in his tub this week. He probably secretly donned the
mask, waved his loofah and yelled, "Hi ho Silver, away!" For the second time
since the financial collapse of 2008, Buffett is bringing his substantial war
chest of capital to the financial services industry under the auspices of
providing confidence and support to the economy and the United States of
America. Make no mistake: He is doing this deal to make big money. Buffett knows
a bargain when he sees one, and given that he is one of few capable of making an
investment of any meaningful size, he gets to dictate terms. In this go-around
he gets a 6% coupon plus warrants to buy common shares of Bank of America at
very depressed levels. Given how he fared on his deal with Goldman Sachs, I'm
sure he will do similarly well here. More importantly, the deal fuels his ego
for being the investment god and savior that he is. My only question: Why
doesn't he do more of this bottom feeding? Given the selling in the market,
there certainly are plenty of candidates for him to come riding in to save the
day. Stocks are lower across the board. Perhaps he is already actively buying
below the radar screen and we have yet to hear about it. One thing I do know is
there are many beaten-down stocks he wouldn't touch no matter the price.
Buffett's dossier is well known. There is no way he changes his stripes now.
If you are holding one of these five beaten-down stocks waiting for Buffett or
some other angel to come to the rescue, don't hold your breath.
Hewlett-Packard Like Bank of America, Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ ) shares have
sold off hard during the recent market correction. The technology company has
seen its stock sink 32% since July 22. Fueling that decline were dramatic moves
by management amid a gloomy forecast for the future. One thing Buffett does not
buy is technology. He claims to not understand these stocks like he does
insurance, banks and other basic industrial concerns, and he readily admits to
missing out on several opportunities to buy low over the years. Hewlett-Packard
might or might not be attractive at these prices, but there is no Warren Buffett
waiting in the wings to show support for this wounded technology company.
Research In Motion Despite Buffett's reticence to own technology companies, he
does buy things that he uses or places where he shops. He loved See's Candy,
so he bought the company. He did the same thing with Dairy Queen. But because
Buffett does not own a cell phone, it is unlikely he will come to the rescue of
falling personal phone and data device maker Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM ).
RIM has seen its fortunes change dramatically. Apple has effectively destroyed
the company. Since earlier this year, the company has seen its stock value
plummet by 60%. At currently depressed levels, the only buying here is on
speculation that someone will come to the rescue. It won't be Buffett.
Dow Recovers Early From Opening Tumble
The Dow Jones Industrial Average opened sharply lower, then recovered to rise
more than 30 points to over 11,180, about 0.27% higher. Traders were losing hope
for economic help after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernankes speech in Jackson
Hole, Wyo. Insurance stocks were off as the East Coast braced for Hurricane
Irene. Financials were giving back yesterdays gains made from Thursdays
announcement of Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaways (NYSE: BRK.A ) investment
of $5 billion in Bank of America (NYSE: BAC ). For the year, the Dow is down
more than 5.2%. Over the past five trading days, it is up more than 1.4%. After
leading the market yesterday as a gainer, Bank of America was off more than 1.5%
to under $7.50 per share, losing more than 12 cents. Bank of America is the
worst-performing stock on the Dow for 2011. It is up more than 9% for the week
on Buffetts investment. Chevron (NYSE: CVX ) was down about $2 and 2% to around
$94. The falling price of oil has Big Oil and the energy sector falling. For the
month, Chevron is down about 8%. Big Pharma also was being battered this
morning, with Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ ) lower by about 2.25% to under $63 a
share, a loss of more $1.50. Johnson & Johnson is up more than 2% for the week
and 6% for the year. Intel (NASDAQ: INTC ) was up more than 1.3% to almost
$19.70, gaining around 1.35% as the tech sector rallied in the morning session.
Intel is up almost 11% for the year and is picking up support as an income
stock, with a dividend yield over 4.3%. Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT ) was higher by
about 16 cents, or 6.5%, to around $24.75 in early morning buying and selling.
Merger activity in the tech sector is reaching record levels, with over $323.3
billion in deals already for 2011. Microsoft is up almost 6% for the year.
Joining the other techs in moving up on the Dow this morning was Cisco (NASDAQ:
CSCO ), jumping more than 1.25% to over $15.25, a gain of about 20 cents. Cisco
recently was upgraded by Wunderlich, and its announced cost-cutting measures
have pleased Wall Street. Jonathan Yates does not own any of the stocks
mentioned in this article.
more than 30 points to over 11,180, about 0.27% higher. Traders were losing hope
for economic help after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernankes speech in Jackson
Hole, Wyo. Insurance stocks were off as the East Coast braced for Hurricane
Irene. Financials were giving back yesterdays gains made from Thursdays
announcement of Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaways (NYSE: BRK.A ) investment
of $5 billion in Bank of America (NYSE: BAC ). For the year, the Dow is down
more than 5.2%. Over the past five trading days, it is up more than 1.4%. After
leading the market yesterday as a gainer, Bank of America was off more than 1.5%
to under $7.50 per share, losing more than 12 cents. Bank of America is the
worst-performing stock on the Dow for 2011. It is up more than 9% for the week
on Buffetts investment. Chevron (NYSE: CVX ) was down about $2 and 2% to around
$94. The falling price of oil has Big Oil and the energy sector falling. For the
month, Chevron is down about 8%. Big Pharma also was being battered this
morning, with Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ ) lower by about 2.25% to under $63 a
share, a loss of more $1.50. Johnson & Johnson is up more than 2% for the week
and 6% for the year. Intel (NASDAQ: INTC ) was up more than 1.3% to almost
$19.70, gaining around 1.35% as the tech sector rallied in the morning session.
Intel is up almost 11% for the year and is picking up support as an income
stock, with a dividend yield over 4.3%. Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT ) was higher by
about 16 cents, or 6.5%, to around $24.75 in early morning buying and selling.
Merger activity in the tech sector is reaching record levels, with over $323.3
billion in deals already for 2011. Microsoft is up almost 6% for the year.
Joining the other techs in moving up on the Dow this morning was Cisco (NASDAQ:
CSCO ), jumping more than 1.25% to over $15.25, a gain of about 20 cents. Cisco
recently was upgraded by Wunderlich, and its announced cost-cutting measures
have pleased Wall Street. Jonathan Yates does not own any of the stocks
mentioned in this article.
Top 10 Best-Performing Leisure Products Stocks Year-to-Date: COOL, RGR, GLUU, SFLY, PII, ADGF, ERTS, CYOU, JOUT, LVB (Aug 26, 2011)
Below are the top 10 best-performing Leisure Products stocks year-to-date. One
Chinese company (CYOU) is on the list. Majesco Entertainment Co. (NASDAQ:COOL)
is the 1st best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It
has risen 185.75% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change
was 308.16% for the last 52 weeks. Sturm, Ruger & Company (NYSE:RGR) is the 2nd
best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen
104.19% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was
132.29% for the last 52 weeks. Glu Mobile Inc. (NASDAQ:GLUU) is the 3rd
best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen
35.75% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 144.35%
for the last 52 weeks. Shutterfly, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFLY) is the 4th best-performing
stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 31.70% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 101.54% for the last 52
weeks. Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE:PII) is the 5th best-performing stock
year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 27.54% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 82.09% for the last 52
weeks. Adams Golf, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADGF) is the 6th best-performing stock
year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 26.41% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 41.33% for the last 52
weeks. Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) is the 7th best-performing stock
year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 24.54% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 33.33% for the last 52
weeks. Changyou.com Limited(ADR) (NASDAQ:CYOU) is the 8th best-performing stock
year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 23.96% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 32.56% for the last 52
weeks. Johnson Outdoors Inc. (NASDAQ:JOUT) is the 9th best-performing stock
year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 21.73% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 45.84% for the last 52
weeks. Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. (NYSE:LVB) is the 10th best-performing
stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 18.89% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 56.39% for the last 52
weeks.
Chinese company (CYOU) is on the list. Majesco Entertainment Co. (NASDAQ:COOL)
is the 1st best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It
has risen 185.75% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change
was 308.16% for the last 52 weeks. Sturm, Ruger & Company (NYSE:RGR) is the 2nd
best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen
104.19% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was
132.29% for the last 52 weeks. Glu Mobile Inc. (NASDAQ:GLUU) is the 3rd
best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen
35.75% since the beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 144.35%
for the last 52 weeks. Shutterfly, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFLY) is the 4th best-performing
stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 31.70% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 101.54% for the last 52
weeks. Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE:PII) is the 5th best-performing stock
year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 27.54% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 82.09% for the last 52
weeks. Adams Golf, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADGF) is the 6th best-performing stock
year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 26.41% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 41.33% for the last 52
weeks. Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) is the 7th best-performing stock
year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 24.54% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 33.33% for the last 52
weeks. Changyou.com Limited(ADR) (NASDAQ:CYOU) is the 8th best-performing stock
year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 23.96% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 32.56% for the last 52
weeks. Johnson Outdoors Inc. (NASDAQ:JOUT) is the 9th best-performing stock
year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 21.73% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 45.84% for the last 52
weeks. Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. (NYSE:LVB) is the 10th best-performing
stock year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 18.89% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 56.39% for the last 52
weeks.
Mid Cap Stocks: GOLD, FMCN, FRT
Mid Cap Stocks: GOLD, FMCN, FRT Rapid News Network - Aug 24, 2011 Randgold
Resources Ltd. (ADR) (Public, NASDAQ:GOLD). Last Market Price: 104, Change:
-0.27, % Change: (-0.26%). Shares trade in the range of 101.36 – 104.88
dollars. It has a market capitalization ...
Resources Ltd. (ADR) (Public, NASDAQ:GOLD). Last Market Price: 104, Change:
-0.27, % Change: (-0.26%). Shares trade in the range of 101.36 – 104.88
dollars. It has a market capitalization ...
Randgold Resources (GOLD) Down 0.3% Despite Rising Gold Prices
Randgold Resources (GOLD) Down 0.3% Despite Rising Gold Prices Market
Intelligence Center - 1 hour ago Randgold Resources (NASDAQ: GOLD) opened at
$104.78. So far today, the stock has hit a low of $101.52 and a high of $104.88.
GOLD is now trading at $103.92, down $0.35 (-0.34%). The stock hit its ...
Intelligence Center - 1 hour ago Randgold Resources (NASDAQ: GOLD) opened at
$104.78. So far today, the stock has hit a low of $101.52 and a high of $104.88.
GOLD is now trading at $103.92, down $0.35 (-0.34%). The stock hit its ...
S&P 500 Scratches out Slight Gains
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tdp2664 InvestorPlace Positive earnings reports fended off a tumultuous market Friday, helping the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index eke out a gain of six points, or about a half-percent, to reach 1,165 in early trading. Advancing stocks outnumbered those declining by better than a 3-to-2 margin. The S&P 500 is up more than 1.5% for the week but down more than 9.3% for the year. Retailers continued to rise on strong earnings, with Tiffany’s (NYSE: TIF ) up more than 5%, or more than $3 a share, to around $66.30. Profits for the second quarter increased by 33% thanks to soaring sales for the upscale retailer. Tiffany’s is up almost 7% for the week and more than 50% for the year. Electronic Arts ( NASDAQ : ERTS ) was higher by more than 3% to over $21, a gain of more than 60 cents per share. The tech sector is up this morning thanks to deal activity, which is running at a record clip. F5 Networks ( NASDAQ : FFIV ), another tech company, was enjoying gains of about $2.20 per share, or more than 3%, to around $73.90. F5 Networks also was upgraded by Stifel Nicolaus and McAdams Wright Ragen. Off about 3.5% was Sealed Air Corp. (NYSE: SEE ) to under $16.50, a loss of about 60 cents per share. Sealed Air is down about 3% for the week, 20% for the month and 30% for the quarter. Doubts about economic growth are dragging down the share prices of the packaging and container corporation. Starwood Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: HOT ) was lower by more than 30 cents, or about 7%, to drop beneath $40.40 per share. Morgan Stanley downgraded Starwood this morning. Up about 1% for the week, Starwood is down more than 33% year-to-date. Tenet Healthcare (NYSE: THC ) was down to about $5 per share, losing a couple cents for a 0.4% drop. Tenet is up more than 7% for the week and 27% for the year. Jonathan Yates does not own any of the stocks mentioned in this article.
Analyst Actions on Chinese Stocks: AMBO, AOB, BIDU, BONA, CCSC, CDCS, CEO, CHA … (Aug 26, 2011)
XCSFDHG46767FHJHJF
tdp2664 China Analyst Below are today's
Why Bank of America Stock is a Buy Under $8
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tdp2664 InvestorPlace A big item of discussion in the market this week
Fed Chairman Bernanke Says Everything Is OK; Market Disagrees
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tdp2664 InvestorPlace “It is clear the recovery from the crisis has been much less robust than we had hoped,” Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said at early this morning at a banking conference in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Bernanke also admitted that financials and housing remain brutalized in the wake of the subprime mortgage crisis. But in prepared remarks, he also made the claim that he is not concerned about the pace of economic recovery. Bernanke spent considerable time on "positive developments" in the economy, including a 15% uptick in manufacturing and the fact that "households also have made some progress in repairing their balance sheets." You can read the full text of the speech from the Fed chairman on the Federal Reserve's website. But the gist is that while the short term remains rocky, Ben Bernanke thinks things still are improving and there is no cause for alarm. But the so-called "restorative forces" that Bernanke cited don't appear to be convincing investors that things are sunshine and roses. The market gapped down sharply after the speech was released and Ben Bernanke took the podium in Jackson Hole. Perhaps it was his admission that some problems in the American economy are just beyond the superhero powers of the Federal Reserve. Consider his admission that "most of the economic policies that support robust economic growth in the long run are outside the province of the central bank." Or maybe it was the fact that even as he tried to signal the "all clear," he painted a rather gloomy picture. For instance, with opening lines like these (and bold for emphasis added): "As I mentioned earlier, the recent data have indicated that economic growth during the first half of this year was considerably slower than the Federal Open Market Committee had been expecting, and that temporary factors can account for only a portion of the economic weakness that we have observed. Consequently, although we expect a moderate recovery to continue and indeed to strengthen over time, the Committee has marked down its outlook for the likely pace of growth over coming quarters ." It also could be that some folks were hoping for something — anything — to prove Bernanke was taking the sluggish economic recovery seriously and looking to correct the recent sharp decline in equity prices. However, the speech also included no commitment to further quantitative easing, or a so-called "QE3." There were vague allusions that "the Federal Reserve will certainly do all that it can to help restore high rates of growth and employment," but little details on how to achieve those difficult goals. The market often is a bit too harsh on Bernanke, in my opinion, considering the challenging task he faces. The dual missions of keeping inflation low and employment high are a difficult mandate — and perhaps even more so because many people are conflicted on whether inflation or deflation poses a bigger risk. But the market was looking for something of substance from the Fed chairman today and got next to nothing. There were a lot of platitudes about short-term weakness and prospect of a long-term recovery, but all in all, the Jackson Hole speech amounted to Bernanke sticking to the script and reinforcing his faith in the status quo. Unfortunately for investors, the status quo hasn't been very pleasant for the last several weeks. And that might not change anytime soon. Jeff Reeves
Traders Remain Mixed on Gold’s Short-Term Prospects
The latest Bloomberg gold sentiment survey revealed that traders remain mixed
on the short-term prospects for the price of the yellow metal.
on the short-term prospects for the price of the yellow metal.
S&P 500 Scratches out Slight Gains
Positive earnings reports fended off a tumultuous market Friday, helping the
Standard & Poors 500 Index eke out a gain of six points, or about a
half-percent, to reach 1,165 in early trading. Advancing stocks outnumbered
those declining by better than a 3-to-2 margin. The S&P 500 is up more than 1.5%
for the week but down more than 9.3% for the year. Retailers continued to rise
on strong earnings, with Tiffanys (NYSE: TIF ) up more than 5%, or more than $3
a share, to around $66.30. Profits for the second quarter increased by 33%
thanks to soaring sales for the upscale retailer. Tiffanys is up almost 7% for
the week and more than 50% for the year. Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS ) was
higher by more than 3% to over $21, a gain of more than 60 cents per share. The
tech sector is up this morning thanks to deal activity, which is running at a
record clip. F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV ), another tech company, was enjoying
gains of about $2.20 per share, or more than 3%, to around $73.90. F5 Networks
also was upgraded by Stifel Nicolaus and McAdams Wright Ragen. Off about 3.5%
was Sealed Air Corp. (NYSE: SEE ) to under $16.50, a loss of about 60 cents per
share. Sealed Air is down about 3% for the week, 20% for the month and 30% for
the quarter. Doubts about economic growth are dragging down the share prices of
the packaging and container corporation. Starwood Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: HOT )
was lower by more than 30 cents, or about 7%, to drop beneath $40.40 per share.
Morgan Stanley downgraded Starwood this morning. Up about 1% for the week,
Starwood is down more than 33% year-to-date. Tenet Healthcare (NYSE: THC ) was
down to about $5 per share, losing a couple cents for a 0.4% drop. Tenet is up
more than 7% for the week and 27% for the year. Jonathan Yates does not own any
of the stocks mentioned in this article.
Standard & Poors 500 Index eke out a gain of six points, or about a
half-percent, to reach 1,165 in early trading. Advancing stocks outnumbered
those declining by better than a 3-to-2 margin. The S&P 500 is up more than 1.5%
for the week but down more than 9.3% for the year. Retailers continued to rise
on strong earnings, with Tiffanys (NYSE: TIF ) up more than 5%, or more than $3
a share, to around $66.30. Profits for the second quarter increased by 33%
thanks to soaring sales for the upscale retailer. Tiffanys is up almost 7% for
the week and more than 50% for the year. Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS ) was
higher by more than 3% to over $21, a gain of more than 60 cents per share. The
tech sector is up this morning thanks to deal activity, which is running at a
record clip. F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV ), another tech company, was enjoying
gains of about $2.20 per share, or more than 3%, to around $73.90. F5 Networks
also was upgraded by Stifel Nicolaus and McAdams Wright Ragen. Off about 3.5%
was Sealed Air Corp. (NYSE: SEE ) to under $16.50, a loss of about 60 cents per
share. Sealed Air is down about 3% for the week, 20% for the month and 30% for
the quarter. Doubts about economic growth are dragging down the share prices of
the packaging and container corporation. Starwood Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: HOT )
was lower by more than 30 cents, or about 7%, to drop beneath $40.40 per share.
Morgan Stanley downgraded Starwood this morning. Up about 1% for the week,
Starwood is down more than 33% year-to-date. Tenet Healthcare (NYSE: THC ) was
down to about $5 per share, losing a couple cents for a 0.4% drop. Tenet is up
more than 7% for the week and 27% for the year. Jonathan Yates does not own any
of the stocks mentioned in this article.
Gold Stocks (GDX) Turn Lower, but Remain “Quite Attractive”
GOLD STOCKS NEWS – Gold stocks turned lower Friday as the Market Vectors Gold
Miners ETF (GDX) fell 0.7% to $60.64 per share.
Miners ETF (GDX) fell 0.7% to $60.64 per share.
Angie’s List IPO Won’t Come Highly Recommended
In the mid-1990s, Angie Hicks' co-founder had lots of trouble finding good
contractors in Columbus, Ohio. So why not create a website that allows for
trusted reviews? Of course, the result was Angie's List. It definitely was a
good move. Now the company has filed to go public. Angies List covers more than
550 categories, such as plumbing, roof repair, remodeling and auto repair. As
for the ratings, they are based only on member feedback and comments. There are
no anonymous reviews. And the audience is highly engaged. It generates roughly
40,000 reviews per month (the total is 2.2 million). OK, so how does the company
make money? The main source is from memberships. In all, there are about
820,000. And it is an attractive group. The average member is between 35 and 65
years old, is married and has an annual household income of at least $100,000.
Yet it has not been cheap to build the customer base, which has required an
expensive nationwide advertising push. The marketing expenses came to $29.2
million in the first half of 2011. Keep in mind that the amount was $30.2
million for all of 2010. Unfortunately, revenues have not been increasing as
fast. During the first six months of 2011, the top line rose by 40% to $38.5
million and the net loss was $25.8 million. The accumulated losses are a
whopping $143.2 million. Actually, the top line might face some headwinds.
Perhaps the most important one is the weakening economy. How many people will
want to plunk down cash for a membership? A better alternative might be to go to
one of the many rivals. They include Google (NASDAQ: GOOG ), Microsoft (NASDAQ:
MSFT ), Yelp, Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO ), Groupon and even Facebook. Finally, the
IPO market suddenly has turned sour because of the recent plunge in the equities
markets. For example, there has been deterioration in stocks like Pandora (NYSE:
P ) and LinkedIn (NASDAQ: LNKD ). What's more, there are many concerns about
the upcoming Groupon deal, which might see a markdown in its valuation. In other
words, with big-time losses, Angies List could have a tough time getting its IPO
off the ground at least in 2011. Tom Taulli is the author of various books,
including "All About Commodities." He does not own a position in any of the
stocks named here.
contractors in Columbus, Ohio. So why not create a website that allows for
trusted reviews? Of course, the result was Angie's List. It definitely was a
good move. Now the company has filed to go public. Angies List covers more than
550 categories, such as plumbing, roof repair, remodeling and auto repair. As
for the ratings, they are based only on member feedback and comments. There are
no anonymous reviews. And the audience is highly engaged. It generates roughly
40,000 reviews per month (the total is 2.2 million). OK, so how does the company
make money? The main source is from memberships. In all, there are about
820,000. And it is an attractive group. The average member is between 35 and 65
years old, is married and has an annual household income of at least $100,000.
Yet it has not been cheap to build the customer base, which has required an
expensive nationwide advertising push. The marketing expenses came to $29.2
million in the first half of 2011. Keep in mind that the amount was $30.2
million for all of 2010. Unfortunately, revenues have not been increasing as
fast. During the first six months of 2011, the top line rose by 40% to $38.5
million and the net loss was $25.8 million. The accumulated losses are a
whopping $143.2 million. Actually, the top line might face some headwinds.
Perhaps the most important one is the weakening economy. How many people will
want to plunk down cash for a membership? A better alternative might be to go to
one of the many rivals. They include Google (NASDAQ: GOOG ), Microsoft (NASDAQ:
MSFT ), Yelp, Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO ), Groupon and even Facebook. Finally, the
IPO market suddenly has turned sour because of the recent plunge in the equities
markets. For example, there has been deterioration in stocks like Pandora (NYSE:
P ) and LinkedIn (NASDAQ: LNKD ). What's more, there are many concerns about
the upcoming Groupon deal, which might see a markdown in its valuation. In other
words, with big-time losses, Angies List could have a tough time getting its IPO
off the ground at least in 2011. Tom Taulli is the author of various books,
including "All About Commodities." He does not own a position in any of the
stocks named here.
Alacer Gold Reaches 100,000 Ounces of Production at Çöpler
Alacer Gold (ASR.TSX) announced that the Companys Çöpler Gold Mine in Turkey
poured its 100,000th ounce of gold on August 24, 2011.
poured its 100,000th ounce of gold on August 24, 2011.
Volatility in Gold Escalates as Bernanke’s Speech is Released
Volatility in the gold market escalated following release of Fed Chairman Ben
Bernakes prepared remarks from his speech in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. There, the
Fed Chairman did not specifically refer to a third round of quantitative easing
(QE3), despite noting that the U.S. economy has slowed considerably in recent
months. Gold futures per the COMEX December 2011 contract initially tumbled
from $1,794 to $1,767 upon the release of Bernankes speech, but quickly
rebounded to an intra-day high of $1,800.00. The yellow metal then pared its
gains, but remained higher by $28.30, or 1.6%, at $1,791.50 as of 10:30am ET.
While gold held firm, the broader markets initially extended their decline but
then quickly pared their losses.
Bernakes prepared remarks from his speech in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. There, the
Fed Chairman did not specifically refer to a third round of quantitative easing
(QE3), despite noting that the U.S. economy has slowed considerably in recent
months. Gold futures per the COMEX December 2011 contract initially tumbled
from $1,794 to $1,767 upon the release of Bernankes speech, but quickly
rebounded to an intra-day high of $1,800.00. The yellow metal then pared its
gains, but remained higher by $28.30, or 1.6%, at $1,791.50 as of 10:30am ET.
While gold held firm, the broader markets initially extended their decline but
then quickly pared their losses.
Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights: New Gold, Randgold Resources, Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners and Deutsche Bank AG Double Gold
Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights: New Gold, Randgold Resources, Market
Vectors Junior Gold Miners and Deutsche Bank AG Double Gold PR Newswire - 17
hours ago CHICAGO, Aug. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Zacks Investment Ideas
feature highlights Features: New Gold, Inc. (AMEX: NGD), Randgold Resources Ltd
(Nasdaq: GOLD), Market Vectors Junior Gold ...
Vectors Junior Gold Miners and Deutsche Bank AG Double Gold PR Newswire - 17
hours ago CHICAGO, Aug. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Zacks Investment Ideas
feature highlights Features: New Gold, Inc. (AMEX: NGD), Randgold Resources Ltd
(Nasdaq: GOLD), Market Vectors Junior Gold ...
Todays Gold Price per ounce, Spot gold price per gram; Spot silver price per ounce; DJIA Dow Jones DJX DJI Review Mid-Day
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke spoke today and promised support for the
U.S. economy, but he also tempered his words by adding that there were
limitations to what the Feds could provide. Stock indices dropped lower after
this news spread. The Dow Jones, as well as the Nasdaq and S&P 50,0 were moving
in negative territory as the halfway point in todays trading session approached.
Gold and silver continued to attract attention in light of the current economic
news posting today and the climate that this news created. Investors on Wall
Street were hoping to hear more direct and substantial words from Bernanke today
regarding a QE3. When this did not occur, anxieties about economic progress in
the U.S. pushed higher and so did interest in the precious yellow metal. The
DJIA is currently red by over 140 points at 11,009.81. Gold contract for
December delivery is currently trending higher by 1.41 percent or 24.80 at 1788
per troy ounce. The one month change for gold is positive by 10.37 percent. Spot
gold and spot silver are also moving in a positive direction currently. Spot
gold price per gram is green by .89 at 57.50 and spot silver price per ounce is
green by .05 at 40.80. Camillo Zucari
U.S. economy, but he also tempered his words by adding that there were
limitations to what the Feds could provide. Stock indices dropped lower after
this news spread. The Dow Jones, as well as the Nasdaq and S&P 50,0 were moving
in negative territory as the halfway point in todays trading session approached.
Gold and silver continued to attract attention in light of the current economic
news posting today and the climate that this news created. Investors on Wall
Street were hoping to hear more direct and substantial words from Bernanke today
regarding a QE3. When this did not occur, anxieties about economic progress in
the U.S. pushed higher and so did interest in the precious yellow metal. The
DJIA is currently red by over 140 points at 11,009.81. Gold contract for
December delivery is currently trending higher by 1.41 percent or 24.80 at 1788
per troy ounce. The one month change for gold is positive by 10.37 percent. Spot
gold and spot silver are also moving in a positive direction currently. Spot
gold price per gram is green by .89 at 57.50 and spot silver price per ounce is
green by .05 at 40.80. Camillo Zucari
Top 10 Best-Performing Home Building/Services Stocks Year-to-Date: BSET, BTH, SCSS, TPX, TUP, ARCI, BNSO, IRBT, STLY, HELE (Aug 26, 2011)
Below are the top 10 best-performing Home Building/Services stocks
year-to-date. One Chinese company (BNSO) is on the list. Bassett Furniture
Industries Inc. (NASDAQ:BSET) is the 1st best-performing stock year-to-date in
this segment of the market. It has risen 78.57% since the beginning of this
year. Its price percentage change was 57.89% for the last 52 weeks. Blyth, Inc.
(NYSE:BTH) is the 2nd best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the
market. It has risen 56.12% since the beginning of this year. Its price
percentage change was 36.42% for the last 52 weeks. Select Comfort Corp.
(NASDAQ:SCSS) is the 3rd best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of
the market. It has risen 55.09% since the beginning of this year. Its price
percentage change was 176.56% for the last 52 weeks. Tempur-Pedic International
Inc. (NYSE:TPX) is the 4th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of
the market. It has risen 32.93% since the beginning of this year. Its price
percentage change was 93.99% for the last 52 weeks. Tupperware Brands
Corporation (NYSE:TUP) is the 5th best-performing stock year-to-date in this
segment of the market. It has risen 31.86% since the beginning of this year. Its
price percentage change was 59.50% for the last 52 weeks. Appliance Recycling
Centers of America (NASDAQ:ARCI) is the 6th best-performing stock year-to-date
in this segment of the market. It has risen 25.88% since the beginning of this
year. Its price percentage change was 82.91% for the last 52 weeks. Bonso
Electronics International Inc. (NASDAQ:BNSO) is the 7th best-performing stock
year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 10.14% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 58.33% for the last 52
weeks. iRobot Corporation (NASDAQ:IRBT) is the 8th best-performing stock
year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen -0.08% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 39.82% for the last 52
weeks. Stanley Furniture Co. (NASDAQ:STLY) is the 9th best-performing stock
year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen -2.89% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was -6.04% for the last 52
weeks. Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE) is the 10th best-performing stock
year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen -4.27% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 22.35% for the last 52
weeks.
year-to-date. One Chinese company (BNSO) is on the list. Bassett Furniture
Industries Inc. (NASDAQ:BSET) is the 1st best-performing stock year-to-date in
this segment of the market. It has risen 78.57% since the beginning of this
year. Its price percentage change was 57.89% for the last 52 weeks. Blyth, Inc.
(NYSE:BTH) is the 2nd best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of the
market. It has risen 56.12% since the beginning of this year. Its price
percentage change was 36.42% for the last 52 weeks. Select Comfort Corp.
(NASDAQ:SCSS) is the 3rd best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of
the market. It has risen 55.09% since the beginning of this year. Its price
percentage change was 176.56% for the last 52 weeks. Tempur-Pedic International
Inc. (NYSE:TPX) is the 4th best-performing stock year-to-date in this segment of
the market. It has risen 32.93% since the beginning of this year. Its price
percentage change was 93.99% for the last 52 weeks. Tupperware Brands
Corporation (NYSE:TUP) is the 5th best-performing stock year-to-date in this
segment of the market. It has risen 31.86% since the beginning of this year. Its
price percentage change was 59.50% for the last 52 weeks. Appliance Recycling
Centers of America (NASDAQ:ARCI) is the 6th best-performing stock year-to-date
in this segment of the market. It has risen 25.88% since the beginning of this
year. Its price percentage change was 82.91% for the last 52 weeks. Bonso
Electronics International Inc. (NASDAQ:BNSO) is the 7th best-performing stock
year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen 10.14% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 58.33% for the last 52
weeks. iRobot Corporation (NASDAQ:IRBT) is the 8th best-performing stock
year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen -0.08% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 39.82% for the last 52
weeks. Stanley Furniture Co. (NASDAQ:STLY) is the 9th best-performing stock
year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen -2.89% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was -6.04% for the last 52
weeks. Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ:HELE) is the 10th best-performing stock
year-to-date in this segment of the market. It has risen -4.27% since the
beginning of this year. Its price percentage change was 22.35% for the last 52
weeks.
6 Cheap Tech Stocks to Avoid
It's time we add a new subsector to technology. Along with hardware, software
and chips, the latest category could well be "Victims of Apple and Google."
As the two monsters of innovation grow more dominant, many other companies are
seeing their products and services marginalized. The result has been an
expanding roster of stocks that investors need to avoid despite their tempting,
single-digit P/E ratios. These companies, while very different in terms of their
individual business, are similar in that their inability to adapt leaves little
room for significant near-term appreciation in their stock prices. Cheap stocks
that need to be put on investors' "don't buy" list are: That these
companies represent such a broad swath of the technology sector illustrates the
reach and dominance of Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG ). Below
is a brief comment on each of the six companies: PC Components "The tablet
effect is real," Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ ) CEO Leo Apotheker said last
week, but that isn't news to makers of PC components. On Monday, NPD reported
that PC sales grew just 4% year-over-year in the quarter ended July, while Mac
sales rose 26% in the same period. The Taiwan-based PC manufacturer Acer just
reported the first quarterly loss in the company's history, and Applied
Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT ) cited a significant downturn in July PC sales in
offering up a gloomy outlook in its post-earnings call Wednesday night. This
news isn't particularly surprising given the growth in tablets and
smartphones. UBS raised its estimates for total tablet sales to 60 million in
2011 and 84.1 million in 2012, with Apple holding a dominant 63% share of the
market in both periods. Meanwhile, the market research firm IMS Research
estimates that global smartphone sales will rise to 1 billion units by 2016.
These trends have put the pressure on the makers of hard-disk drive and DRAM
chips, as evidenced by the year-to-date returns of Seagate (NASDAQ: STX , -27%)
and Micron (NASDAQ: MU , -34%). Both of these stocks look cheap, but their
shares are likely to remain weak as long as PC sales continue to be affected by
tablet and smartphone sales. For now, the best bet is to avoid stocks whose
fortunes are tied to the PC industry due to the competitive pressures posed by
smartphones and tablets. Instead, consider stocks that can benefit from the
growth in these areas, such as Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM ) and ARM Holdings
(NASDAQ: ARMH ). At a difficult time for the tech sector as a whole , investors
should have a laser-like focus on the winners rather than hoping for a miracle
in the sector's most beaten-down names. Mobile Phone Producers The downturn in
the fortunes of Nokia (NYSE: NOK ) and Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM ) are
well documented. The most important takeaway from the endless discussion about
these two stocks is their falling market share. RIMM, for example, has seen its
U.S. market share fall from 33% to 12% in the past year. Nokia's European
market share has fallen from 55% to 11% in just two years, and Samsung (PINK:
SSNLF ) is rapidly closing the gap in the low-end market. It's possible that
RIMM's recently announced plan to make its newest products compatible with the
Android OS will help stem its market share losses in the year ahead. Still, it
is highly unlikely that either stock will embark on a sustainable recovery until
there is actual evidence that they are gaining back market share from Apple and
Google. Even with their exceptionally low valuations, neither stock should be
considered a buy until and if this occurs. Hardware Hewlett-Packard appears to
be an attractive value here, but what else is new? Its P/E has been in the
single digits for more than a year. The company, which last week announced it is
spinning off its PC business and mothballing its TouchPad, is now embarking on
an ambitious path to refocus its business on the services side. To be a buyer
here, you have to have faith that the company is on the right path, will execute
the transition effectively and will be able to compete effectively against IBM.
Not least, it will have to accomplish all of this under adverse economic
conditions. Keep in mind, this is the same company that in 2010 bought Palm for
$1.2 billion largely for its operating system WebOS, only to throw in the towel
a year later rather than compete against Apple's iOS and Google's Android.
Perhaps someday HP will be a buy as a turnaround story, but there needs to be
hard evidence that the company is gaining traction before its valuation moves
back into the double digits. Apotheker himself termed the transition process a
"multi-quarter journey." Based on the company's recent track record,
investors can be forgiven for not wanting to go along for the ride. Internet
Search Shares of Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO ) often are cited as a value on the basis
of a sum-of-the-parts analysis, but at a P/E of 14.95, investors still are being
forced to pay up to own a stock that has had its lunch eaten by Google in recent
years. Yahoo continues to deliver poor results, and it is showing little of the
vision needed to turn its business around. It's possible that one day the
stock will see a bounce on news of a break-up. However, CEO Carol Bartz's
track record raises the question of whether such a move can be executed quickly
and effectively enough to make an investment in Yahoo worth the risk even with
the stock down 29% from its high for the year. While the outlook is dim for the
companies on the victims' list, these are not stocks that investors should
short. The combination of beaten-down expectations, low P/Es and the possibility
of takeover activity makes these stocks dangerous to bet against. Still, the
possibility of takeover activity is offset by the much greater likelihood that
these stocks will remain value traps for some time to come. With so many
growing, innovative technology companies now offering compelling values in the
wake of the market's recent sell-off including, perhaps, Apple and Google
themselves there is no reason to tie up capital in any of the sector's
also-rans.
and chips, the latest category could well be "Victims of Apple and Google."
As the two monsters of innovation grow more dominant, many other companies are
seeing their products and services marginalized. The result has been an
expanding roster of stocks that investors need to avoid despite their tempting,
single-digit P/E ratios. These companies, while very different in terms of their
individual business, are similar in that their inability to adapt leaves little
room for significant near-term appreciation in their stock prices. Cheap stocks
that need to be put on investors' "don't buy" list are: That these
companies represent such a broad swath of the technology sector illustrates the
reach and dominance of Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG ). Below
is a brief comment on each of the six companies: PC Components "The tablet
effect is real," Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ ) CEO Leo Apotheker said last
week, but that isn't news to makers of PC components. On Monday, NPD reported
that PC sales grew just 4% year-over-year in the quarter ended July, while Mac
sales rose 26% in the same period. The Taiwan-based PC manufacturer Acer just
reported the first quarterly loss in the company's history, and Applied
Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT ) cited a significant downturn in July PC sales in
offering up a gloomy outlook in its post-earnings call Wednesday night. This
news isn't particularly surprising given the growth in tablets and
smartphones. UBS raised its estimates for total tablet sales to 60 million in
2011 and 84.1 million in 2012, with Apple holding a dominant 63% share of the
market in both periods. Meanwhile, the market research firm IMS Research
estimates that global smartphone sales will rise to 1 billion units by 2016.
These trends have put the pressure on the makers of hard-disk drive and DRAM
chips, as evidenced by the year-to-date returns of Seagate (NASDAQ: STX , -27%)
and Micron (NASDAQ: MU , -34%). Both of these stocks look cheap, but their
shares are likely to remain weak as long as PC sales continue to be affected by
tablet and smartphone sales. For now, the best bet is to avoid stocks whose
fortunes are tied to the PC industry due to the competitive pressures posed by
smartphones and tablets. Instead, consider stocks that can benefit from the
growth in these areas, such as Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM ) and ARM Holdings
(NASDAQ: ARMH ). At a difficult time for the tech sector as a whole , investors
should have a laser-like focus on the winners rather than hoping for a miracle
in the sector's most beaten-down names. Mobile Phone Producers The downturn in
the fortunes of Nokia (NYSE: NOK ) and Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM ) are
well documented. The most important takeaway from the endless discussion about
these two stocks is their falling market share. RIMM, for example, has seen its
U.S. market share fall from 33% to 12% in the past year. Nokia's European
market share has fallen from 55% to 11% in just two years, and Samsung (PINK:
SSNLF ) is rapidly closing the gap in the low-end market. It's possible that
RIMM's recently announced plan to make its newest products compatible with the
Android OS will help stem its market share losses in the year ahead. Still, it
is highly unlikely that either stock will embark on a sustainable recovery until
there is actual evidence that they are gaining back market share from Apple and
Google. Even with their exceptionally low valuations, neither stock should be
considered a buy until and if this occurs. Hardware Hewlett-Packard appears to
be an attractive value here, but what else is new? Its P/E has been in the
single digits for more than a year. The company, which last week announced it is
spinning off its PC business and mothballing its TouchPad, is now embarking on
an ambitious path to refocus its business on the services side. To be a buyer
here, you have to have faith that the company is on the right path, will execute
the transition effectively and will be able to compete effectively against IBM.
Not least, it will have to accomplish all of this under adverse economic
conditions. Keep in mind, this is the same company that in 2010 bought Palm for
$1.2 billion largely for its operating system WebOS, only to throw in the towel
a year later rather than compete against Apple's iOS and Google's Android.
Perhaps someday HP will be a buy as a turnaround story, but there needs to be
hard evidence that the company is gaining traction before its valuation moves
back into the double digits. Apotheker himself termed the transition process a
"multi-quarter journey." Based on the company's recent track record,
investors can be forgiven for not wanting to go along for the ride. Internet
Search Shares of Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO ) often are cited as a value on the basis
of a sum-of-the-parts analysis, but at a P/E of 14.95, investors still are being
forced to pay up to own a stock that has had its lunch eaten by Google in recent
years. Yahoo continues to deliver poor results, and it is showing little of the
vision needed to turn its business around. It's possible that one day the
stock will see a bounce on news of a break-up. However, CEO Carol Bartz's
track record raises the question of whether such a move can be executed quickly
and effectively enough to make an investment in Yahoo worth the risk even with
the stock down 29% from its high for the year. While the outlook is dim for the
companies on the victims' list, these are not stocks that investors should
short. The combination of beaten-down expectations, low P/Es and the possibility
of takeover activity makes these stocks dangerous to bet against. Still, the
possibility of takeover activity is offset by the much greater likelihood that
these stocks will remain value traps for some time to come. With so many
growing, innovative technology companies now offering compelling values in the
wake of the market's recent sell-off including, perhaps, Apple and Google
themselves there is no reason to tie up capital in any of the sector's
also-rans.
Gold Price Steady Ahead of Bernanke’s Speech
GOLD PRICE NEWS – The gold price advanced Friday morning, gaining $3.00 to
trade at $1,778 per ounce ahead of a widely anticipated speech from Federal
Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke at a central bank symposium in Jackson Hole,
Wyoming.
trade at $1,778 per ounce ahead of a widely anticipated speech from Federal
Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke at a central bank symposium in Jackson Hole,
Wyoming.
Canaco Hits Again at Handeni Gold Discovery
Canaco Resources (CAN.TSXV) announced new assay results from diamond drilling
at the Magambazi gold discovery on the Companys Handeni Project in the United
Republic of Tanzania.
at the Magambazi gold discovery on the Companys Handeni Project in the United
Republic of Tanzania.
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