Friday, December 30, 2011

The Gold Price Rose 9.2% in 2011 Bull Market in Gold and Silver Has Not Ended

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DG365FD46564GFH654FU898 Gold Price Close Today : 1,565.80 Gold Price Close 23-Dec : 1,604.70 Change Day: -38.90 or -2.4% Change Year: 144.70 or 9.2% Silver Price Close Today : 2787.5 Silver Price Close 23-Dec : 2904.6 Change Day: -117.10 or -4.0% Change Year: -303.5 or -10.9% Gold Silver Ratio Today : 56.172 Gold Silver Ratio 23-Dec : 55.247 Change Day: 0.93 or 1.7% Change Year: 10.197 or 18.2% Silver Gold Ratio : 0.01780 Silver Gold Ratio 23-Dec : 0.01810 Change Day: -0.00030 or -1.6% Change Year: -0.00395 or -22.2% Dow in Gold Dollars : $ 161.30 Dow in Gold Dollars 23-Dec : $ 158.37 Change Day: $ 2.93 or 1.8% Change Year: $-7.05 or -4.4% Dow in Gold Ounces : 7.803 Dow in Gold Ounces 23-Dec : 7.661 Change Day: 0.14 or 1.8% Change Year: -0.341 or -4.4% Dow in Silver Ounces : 438.30 Dow in Silver Ounces 23-Dec : 423.26 Change Day: 15.04 or 3.6% Change Year: 63.88 or 14.6% Dow Industrial : 12,217.56 Dow Industrial 23-Dec : 12,294.00 Change Day: -76.44 or -0.6% Change Year: 644.14 or 5.3% S&P 500 : 1,257.60 S&P 500 23-Dec : 1,265.33 Change Day: -7.73 or -0.6% Change Year: 0.08 or 0.0% US Dollar Index : 80.205 US Dollar Index 23-Dec : 79.999 Change Day: 0.206 or 0.3% Change Year: 1.032 or 1.3% Platinum Price Close Today : 1,393.30 Platinum Price Close 23-Dec : 1,424.10 Change : -30.80 or -2.2% Palladium Price Close Today : 649.50 Palladium Price Close 23-Dec : 662.60 Change : -13.10 or -2.0% Gold Price Performance Percentage Annual Change for the Past 10 Years Silver Price Performance Percentage Annual Change for the Past 10 Years *These tables are both available on the front page of goldprice.org and update daily The GOLD PRICE and SILVER PRICE staged a rally today all out of proportion to the US dollar’s meager drop. Gold gained $25.90 to close Comex at $1,565.80 while silver added 60.1c to close 2787.5c. Sure, maybe that jump arose out of folks closing out short position before the long weekend, but maybe not. Remember that silver closed higher yesterday while the GOLD PRICE fell. It’s way to early to say definitively, but we may have seen gold’s bottom at $1,522 (intraday) yesterday. Silver might continue to struggle. For the new year, silver and gold may move sideways in frustration until mid-February, or at worst, late May. I’m basing this on their behaviour when they previously crossed below their 300 and 200 DMAs in correction. This much I am sure of. Unless the European bank solvency crisis breaks out into a delirium and frenzy (daily a possibility), I was wrong to wax so bearish on metals at mid-December. We will NOT see huge drops in silver and gold unless a financial panic breaks out in Europe. But panic or not, silver and gold will be higher this time next year than they are now, because THEIR BULL MARKET IS NOT OVER. Look at 10 year charts of silver or gold to prove it to yourself. And neither in price nor in time have they fulfilled their bull market promise yet. What would signal trouble? SILVER PRICE breaking below 2600c and gold below $1,500. Only way I know to deal with this is to buy and keep on buying as they step down, or if they step down. For this special year end edition I have added two columns to show the end-2010 close and % change from 2010 to 2011. By the way, y’all print out a copy of today’s commentary and keep it so you can calculate what your silver and gold portfolio was worth at end-2011. Looking at the 2010-2011 results, this was not a year for commodities. Platinum and Palladium, down 26.9% and 23.5%, took the biggest hits this year, and silver lost 10.9%. Yet in the teeth of all that, gold rose 9.2%. Hmmmm. The GOLD SILVER RATIO gained 18.2% in 2011, so we made the right move selling the ratio (swapping silver into gold) early last year. We have now come in the last two days to within a gnat’s eyebrow of our 57.5 trigger point to swap back from GOLD into SILVER , but market has not hit that yet. If it ever comes, it ought to come very soon. In the Potemkin economy, stocks finished the year blowing hot and cold out of both sides of their mouth. Dow gained 5.3%, but the Dow comprises only 30 giant stocks. The broader S&P500 gained — nothing. Virtually identically flat, from 1,2547.52 to 1,257.60. Nasdaq lost 1.8% for the year; Nasdaq 100 gained 2.7%, while the very, very broad Wilshire 5000 lost 1.3%. Banner year, huh? ‘Twasn’t really a year for the US dollar, either, which gained a meager 1.3%. However, the dollar is now rallying. If it can penetrate 80.50, it will run very hard in the first quarter for 83.50, maybe much higher (88.50). One thing you must keep foremost in your mind: THE BULL MARKET IN SILVER and GOLD HAS NOT ENDED. It will run another three to ten years. No harbinger flits above the horizon signaling that the economy will get better next year, or that governments and central banks have yet learned their lessons, namely, they cannot efficiently control the economy or the money supply, and that inflating the currency will not cure a depression caused by inflating the currency and government economic interference. In other words, they are all dead as do-do birds, along with their system, but they refuse to recognize it, lie down, and die without torturing the rest of the world several more years. Eventually they will be abolished, but how many more tears and years will be needed? Today the Dollar lost a meaningless 13.6 basis points (0.17%) to 80.361. It remains in its uptrend. However, the Japanese yen flashed out its sword and cut my head off. Just about the time I thought it was going nowhere, it jumped 0.96% to 130.06c/Y100 (Y76.89/$1). The yen has vaulted over its 20 day moving average (128.49) and its 50 DMA (129.08). Unless the yen backs off immediately, it has its eye on 131 or higher. On 30 December 1861 the US government and banks stopped paying out gold for gold obligations. Not much new, is there? They’ve been cheating us for centuries, banks and governments. God bless you all in 2012 and always! 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 bubble has burst, primary trend down. 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 and 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 and silver on margin or with debt. What DO I recommend? Physical gold and silver coins and bars in your own hands. One final warning: NEVER insert a 747 Jumbo Jet up your nose.



Todays Dow DJIA Jones Industrial Average; Nasdaq Index , S&P 500; Today’s Current Stock Market News; Dow Up Nasdaq Down S&P Flat

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dow2664 Todays Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq, S&P 500: Trading volume remained well below average for the last trading session in the U.S. of 2011. Many investors had already closed their books on the year and the last session was generally unremarkable. The indices fluctuated around break-even and eventually staggered across the finish line. As this past week opened, the three primary indices had a chance to close out the year in the black, but the choppy and negatively skewed trending this past week ultimately prevented this outcome. Officially for the last trading session of the year 2011, the primary indices in the U.S. closed out red. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed out the day negative by .57 percent at 12,217.56. The Nasdaq finished the session lower by .33 percent at 2,605.15 and the S&P 500 finished the last session lower by .43 percent at 1,257.60. Dow Jones, Nasdaq, S&P 500 2011 Finish: It was an up and down year for the primary indices in the U.S. Many variables pushed and pulled on the trajectory of the primary stock composites, but significant influence stemmed from the eurozone marketplace and the associated ongoing debt crisis. Although investors will be happy to close the books on 2011 and move into 2012, influences that caused some turbulent market trending still remain. Ultimately, 2011 was not as positive for the indices as gains observed during the years just after the recession period in 2007 and 2008. For the year 2011, the primary indices ended mixed. The Dow finished the year with gains. The S&P 500 finished almost exactly flat-lined and the Nasdaq finished the year negative overall. The DJIA closed out 2011 gaining about 5.5 percent. The Nasdaq was down about 1.8 percent over this course of time and the S&P 500 finished the year lower by about four one-hundredths of a point. Frank Matto



Todays Light Sweet Crude Oil Price per barrel; Oil Exxon Mobile; Oil Stock BP; Current Oil Price Trends Today

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dow2664 Oil Price: Light Crude contract for February delivery finished the last trading session of 2012 in the red. Floor price close for Light Crude closed lower by .82 percent, negative .82, at 98.83 per barrel. Primary oil and gas close marks were generally red across the board last session. Oil price closed out in the red last session and oil price trend-line has been negatively skewed over the last several weeks. Oil price per barrel Short Term review: According to one month change analysis, oil price trend-line is negative over this course of time by approximately .44 percent. Although recent trends have skewed negative, light sweet crude price trend-line is positive over the course of the year by approximately 10.55 percent. Oil Company Stocks: Exxon Mobil Corp stock finished the last trading session in the red. The stock was down for the day by .60 percent and closed at 84.76. Although the stock closed out in the red last session, YTD change for Exxon Mobil is positive by approximately 15.9 percent. BP PLC stock closed out the last session in the green. The stock was higher last session by .26 percent at 42.74. Although the stock closed out in the green last session, BP PLC is negative according to YTD stats by approximately 3.2 percent. Frank Matto



Today’s Gold Price per ounce Spot gold price per gram; Todays Spot Silver price per ounce; Gold Silver Price Close Current

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dow2664 Gold Silver Price Close: The dollar dropped lower to the British pound and the Japanese yen but strengthened once again versus the euro. Ultimately though, gold contract prices closed the last trading session of 2011 in the green. Silver finished on the positive side of break-even as well. Gold Price: Contract gold for February delivery finished the last session higher by 1.68 percent, positive 25.90, to close out the day green by 1566.80. After last session close, spot gold price per gram price trends were positive by .75 at 50.29 and spot gold price per kilo was higher by 749.76 at 5029.84. Although gold price finished on top last session, one month change analysis reveals that gold price trend-line is negative by about 8.7 percent. Silver Price: Contract silver for March delivery finished the last session higher by 2.20 percent, .60 positive, to close out at 27.92 per troy ounce. Spot silver price trends were posting positive after last session close. Spot silver price per gram was higher by .47 at 27.78 and spot silver price per kilo was higher by 15.08 at 893.28. Although silver price closed out higher last session, one month change analysis for silver price trend-line is negative by about 12.9 percent. Camillo Zucari



Stocks Liked by both Warren Buffett and Renaissance Technologies

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dow2664 Everyone knows who Warren Buffett is, top investor and trader and either the richest, second richest, or third richest man in the world, depending on what day of the year it is. One technique that investors use is piggybacking on Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B) portfolio. Yet Buffett owns over thirty stocks in the portfolio of Berkshire Hathaway , according to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. So what is an investor to do? Investors can look at what top hedge funds are investing in, and compare that list to Buffett’s stocks. One of the top hedge funds is Renaissance Technologies, founded in 1982 and run by James Simons. Renaissance’s Medallion fund was the most profitable hedge fund with profits of over $1 billion in 2009. Also, the Medallion Fund has had an average annual return after fees of 35% since 1989. Renaissance charges the highest fees in the industry with a management fee of 5% and a profit participation of 44%. Now lets look at the stocks that are preferred by both Berkshire Hathaway and Renaissance Technologies. Both own Intel (INTC), the world’s largest semiconductor chip maker by revenues. The stock trades at ten times forward earnings and pays a decent yield of 3.5%. Latest quarterly earnings were up 17.4% on a 28.2% rise in revenues. Another stock in common is Procter & Gamble Co. (PG), known for such brands as Head & Shoulders, Olay, Gillette, Mach3, Crest, Oral-B, Iams, Pringles, Dawn, Downy, Duracell, Gain, Tide, Bounty, Charmin, and Pampers. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 14.6 and provides investors with a yield of 3.2%. Revenues for the latest quarter were up 8.9%, but earnings were down 1.9%. Buffett and Simons also own Costco (COST), the third largest retailer in the United States. The stock trades at 19 times forward earnings and yields 1.1%. Latest quarterly earnings were up 2.6% on a 12.4% increase. One more stock owned by both: General Dynamics Corp. (GD). The stock has a favorable forward PE of 9 and pays a yield of 2.9%. And of course, Renaissance Technologies owns shares of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B). If you want to see a free list of the stocks owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway , go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Disclosure: Author didn’t own any of the above at the time the article was written. By Stockerblog.com



Today’s Gold Price per ounce Spot gold price per gram; Todays Spot Silver price per ounce; Gold Silver Price Close Current

Gold Silver Price Close: The dollar dropped lower to the British pound and the
Japanese yen but strengthened once again versus the euro. Ultimately though,
gold contract prices closed the last trading session of 2011 in the green.
Silver finished on the positive side of break-even as well. Gold Price: Contract
gold for February delivery finished the last session higher by 1.68 percent,
positive 25.90, to close out the day green by 1566.80. After last session close,
spot gold price per gram price trends were positive by .75 at 50.29 and spot
gold price per kilo was higher by 749.76 at 5029.84. Although gold price
finished on top last session, one month change analysis reveals that gold price
trend-line is negative by about 8.7 percent. Silver Price: Contract silver for
March delivery finished the last session higher by 2.20 percent, .60 positive,
to close out at 27.92 per troy ounce. Spot silver price trends were posting
positive after last session close. Spot silver price per gram was higher by .47
at 27.78 and spot silver price per kilo was higher by 15.08 at 893.28. Although
silver price closed out higher last session, one month change analysis for
silver price trend-line is negative by about 12.9 percent. Camillo Zucari

Todays Dow DJIA Jones Industrial Average; Nasdaq Index , S&P 500; Today’s Current Stock Market News; Dow Up Nasdaq Down S&P Flat

Todays Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq, S&P 500: Trading volume remained
well below average for the last trading session in the U.S. of 2011. Many
investors had already closed their books on the year and the last session was
generally unremarkable. The indices fluctuated around break-even and eventually
staggered across the finish line. As this past week opened, the three primary
indices had a chance to close out the year in the black, but the choppy and
negatively skewed trending this past week ultimately prevented this outcome.
Officially for the last trading session of the year 2011, the primary indices in
the U.S. closed out red. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed out the day
negative by .57 percent at 12,217.56. The Nasdaq finished the session lower by
.33 percent at 2,605.15 and the S&P 500 finished the last session lower by .43
percent at 1,257.60. Dow Jones, Nasdaq, S&P 500 2011 Finish: It was an up and
down year for the primary indices in the U.S. Many variables pushed and pulled
on the trajectory of the primary stock composites, but significant influence
stemmed from the eurozone marketplace and the associated ongoing debt crisis.
Although investors will be happy to close the books on 2011 and move into 2012,
influences that caused some turbulent market trending still remain. Ultimately,
2011 was not as positive for the indices as gains observed during the years just
after the recession period in 2007 and 2008. For the year 2011, the primary
indices ended mixed. The Dow finished the year with gains. The S&P 500 finished
almost exactly flat-lined and the Nasdaq finished the year negative overall. The
DJIA closed out 2011 gaining about 5.5 percent. The Nasdaq was down about 1.8
percent over this course of time and the S&P 500 finished the year lower by
about four one-hundredths of a point. Frank Matto

3 Vanguard Funds to Buy for 2012

The final numbers on third-quarter GDP showed growth was slower than originally
estimated in the prior quarter, but with the fourth quarter almost over and
signs that economic activity picked up during the past few months, investors
looked past the data last week and focused more on another positive jobs report
showing new claims for unemployment falling yet again. We had a busy week, with
lots of distributions on Vanguards funds, plus of course the big rally on
Tuesday. The rally was borne on the backs of two distinctly different, yet
encouraging reports. The first was that Spain was able to once again sell bonds
at a very attractive rate (for them), essentially completing their needed
refinancings for the year. The beleaguered country was able to sell three-month
bills at 1.74%, compared to 5.11% just a month ago, and six-month bills at 2.44%
rather than the 5.227% offered in the last auction. I dont want to throw cold
water on this, but lets not forget that these bonds only extend out for three
and six months. This isnt a long-term fix, but it does give Spain breathing
room. Here at home, housing starts numbers jumped to a 19-month high in
November. Issuance of permits also rose sharply. Its been said that for every
100,000 new units of housing that are built, 250,000 jobs are created. That
would be a welcome gain for workers here. The overall housing market remains
deeply troubled, and more so after revisions to data from many years past showed
that the crunch was even worse than originally reported. While inventories are
down, which augurs higher prices as demand picks up, a big backlog of
yet-to-be-foreclosed properties, and those which sellers have been reticent to
list, is hanging over the market. Still, the bright side is that the housing
market is in recovery mode, albeit a slow one. With the Dow jumping 2.9%, or
more than 337 points, last Tuesday, this once again put the index above its
200-day moving average. Many technicians look at the 200-day average as a
signpost, and the Dow was solidly above this marker for a year until dipping in
early August. Since then its made brief appearances above water, with this weeks
rally putting it there again. Last Tuesdays gain wiped out all the ups, and
mainly downs, since Dec. 9. The pundits are out in force, as you might expect
given that its the end of the year. I thought you might be amused by this little
find of mine concerning inflation. Investors have been asking, Will we see
global inflation in 2012 or massive deflation? Barrons , in back-to-back stories
this week, has experts in one story claiming well see face-ripping inflation in
2012 as government printing presses begin operating overtime, while another duo
predict global deflation on the backs of loan defaults, asset write-downs and a
huge contraction in spending by consumers, businesses and governments. Remember
this: Both cant be right but both could be wrong. Heading forward, the trades
Im recommending are the sale of Vanguard International Explorer (MUTF: VINEX )
and Vanguard FTSE All World ex-US SmallCap ETF (NYSE: VSS ). In both their
places, Im recommending you take half of the proceeds and purchase either
Vanguard Emerging Markets Index (MUTF: VEIEX ) or the Vanguard MSCI Emerging
Markets ETF (NYSE: VWO ) . While Ill be buying the fund to stay consistent with
the models focus on open-end funds, you dont need to be that consistent, and I
recommend the ETF shares, which come without front-end and back-end loads. The
other half of the money will be added to Vanguard Dividend Growth (MUTF: VDIGX )
and Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (NYSE: VIG ). First, most of us will be
taking a loss in International Explorer and World ex-US SmallCap ETF, which are
currently down 20.6% and 20% for the year. Those losses are worth something, as
they can be used to offset gains in other parts of our portfolios, or to offset
gains paid by other funds we own. Were also buying into Emerging Markets Index
after it has fallen 19%. Im not promising that the emerging markets wont
continue to give investors more pain in the near term. But in the long term, I
think they offer great growth opportunities and, at current prices, were buying
in near the lows of the past year-and-a-half. This article first appeared on
MoneyShow.

The Best and Worst Dow Jones CEOs of 2011

There's no doubt about it: It's a jungle out there on Wall Street, and a
lot of chief executives are under fire these days. It was easy to justify that
big bonus and corner office when times were good and everyone was rolling in
profits but now that the economy is very challenging and even good stocks have
trouble getting ahead, the bar is significantly higher for company leadership.
The worst CEOs tend to make themselves pretty obvious as their company struggles
and shares plummet. That's not a knock on anyone's character Carol Bartz
might be a great host for bridge, but you'd be hard-pressed to find someone
who thinks the former Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO ) CEO was unfairly fired after her big
plans to revitalize the struggling media giant failed rather painfully . In
business, results matter. And if you don't get results in this market, you
probably don't deserve to be CEO. The best CEOs are harder to pin down because
good ideas can take time to develop and often can't be attributed to just one
guy behind a desk at a mammoth corporations. Besides, some of the best-run
companies on Wall Street make succession plans a long-term process look at IBM
(NYSE: IBM ) with its very deliberate passing of the torch to company insider
Virginia Rometty, or Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) planning for years to accommodate
Steve Jobs' departure and Tim Cook's elevation to CEO. That said, it's
hard to believe the person in charge at the company is just sleeping under her
desk while the stock price goes up and sales continue to improve. So who are the
best and worst CEOs in the Dow across 2011? Let's take a look using the simple
proxy of share price, earnings per share and revenue gains as an indication of
their performance this year: Best Dow CEO: James Skinner, McDonald's The easy
winner for best Dow CEO in 2011 is McDonald's (NYSE: MCD ) leader James
Skinner. Skinner has presided over a 31% rise in share price for MCD stock this
year, the best in the entire Dow Jones Industrial average. McDonald's also has
enjoyed what is projected to be a 12% jump in fiscal 2011 earnings over last
year and an EPS gain of 14% over 2010 numbers. This comes as just the latest in
a long line of gains for McDonald's the stock is up more than 300% since
Skinner took over in 2004, compared with just 15% gains for the broader market.
Honorable Mention : Francis Blake, Home Depot Although the long-term performance
hasn't been as dramatic, Home Depot (NYSE: HD ) CEO Francis Blake deserves
credit for a 20% gain in share price this year and continued growth in revenue
and profits (at least compared with 2010 numbers). HD obviously has systemic
challenges created by a battered housing market, but Blake has kept Home Depot
in good standing with investors. Home Depot also has managed to boost its
dividend 22% since 2010, showing that it's happy to share its wealth with
shareholders.

The Gold Price Rose 9.2% in 2011 Bull Market in Gold and Silver Has Not Ended

Gold Price Close Today : 1,565.80 Gold Price Close 23-Dec : 1,604.70 Change
Day: -38.90 or -2.4% Change Year: 144.70 or 9.2% Silver Price Close Today :
2787.5 Silver Price Close 23-Dec : 2904.6 Change Day: -117.10 or -4.0% Change
Year: -303.5 or -10.9% Gold Silver Ratio Today : 56.172 Gold Silver Ratio 23-Dec
: 55.247 Change Day: 0.93 or 1.7% Change Year: 10.197 or 18.2% Silver Gold Ratio
: 0.01780 Silver Gold Ratio 23-Dec : 0.01810 Change Day: -0.00030 or -1.6%
Change Year: -0.00395 or -22.2% Dow in Gold Dollars : $ 161.30 Dow in Gold
Dollars 23-Dec : $ 158.37 Change Day: $ 2.93 or 1.8% Change Year: $-7.05 or
-4.4% Dow in Gold Ounces : 7.803 Dow in Gold Ounces 23-Dec : 7.661 Change Day:
0.14 or 1.8% Change Year: -0.341 or -4.4% Dow in Silver Ounces : 438.30 Dow in
Silver Ounces 23-Dec : 423.26 Change Day: 15.04 or 3.6% Change Year: 63.88 or
14.6% Dow Industrial : 12,217.56 Dow Industrial 23-Dec : 12,294.00 Change Day:
-76.44 or -0.6% Change Year: 644.14 or 5.3% S&P 500 : 1,257.60 S&P 500 23-Dec :
1,265.33 Change Day: -7.73 or -0.6% Change Year: 0.08 or 0.0% US Dollar Index :
80.205 US Dollar Index 23-Dec : 79.999 Change Day: 0.206 or 0.3% Change Year:
1.032 or 1.3% Platinum Price Close Today : 1,393.30 Platinum Price Close 23-Dec
: 1,424.10 Change : -30.80 or -2.2% Palladium Price Close Today : 649.50
Palladium Price Close 23-Dec : 662.60 Change : -13.10 or -2.0% Gold Price
Performance Percentage Annual Change for the Past 10 Years Silver Price
Performance Percentage Annual Change for the Past 10 Years *These tables are
both available on the front page of goldprice.org and update daily The GOLD
PRICE and SILVER PRICE staged a rally today all out of proportion to the US
dollar's meager drop. Gold gained $25.90 to close Comex at $1,565.80 while
silver added 60.1c to close 2787.5c. Sure, maybe that jump arose out of folks
closing out short position before the long weekend, but maybe not. Remember that
silver closed higher yesterday while the GOLD PRICE fell. It's way to early to
say definitively, but we may have seen gold's bottom at $1,522 (intraday)
yesterday. Silver might continue to struggle. For the new year, silver and gold
may move sideways in frustration until mid-February, or at worst, late May. I'm
basing this on their behaviour when they previously crossed below their 300 and
200 DMAs in correction. This much I am sure of. Unless the European bank
solvency crisis breaks out into a delirium and frenzy (daily a possibility), I
was wrong to wax so bearish on metals at mid-December. We will NOT see huge
drops in silver and gold unless a financial panic breaks out in Europe. But
panic or not, silver and gold will be higher this time next year than they are
now, because THEIR BULL MARKET IS NOT OVER. Look at 10 year charts of silver or
gold to prove it to yourself. And neither in price nor in time have they
fulfilled their bull market promise yet. What would signal trouble? SILVER PRICE
breaking below 2600c and gold below $1,500. Only way I know to deal with this is
to buy and keep on buying as they step down, or if they step down. For this
special year end edition I have added two columns to show the end-2010 close and
% change from 2010 to 2011. By the way, y'all print out a copy of today's
commentary and keep it so you can calculate what your silver and gold portfolio
was worth at end-2011. Looking at the 2010-2011 results, this was not a year for
commodities. Platinum and Palladium, down 26.9% and 23.5%, took the biggest hits
this year, and silver lost 10.9%. Yet in the teeth of all that, gold rose 9.2%.
Hmmmm. The GOLD SILVER RATIO gained 18.2% in 2011, so we made the right move
selling the ratio (swapping silver into gold) early last year. We have now come
in the last two days to within a gnat's eyebrow of our 57.5 trigger point to
swap back from GOLD into SILVER , but market has not hit that yet. If it ever
comes, it ought to come very soon. In the Potemkin economy, stocks finished the
year blowing hot and cold out of both sides of their mouth. Dow gained 5.3%, but
the Dow comprises only 30 giant stocks. The broader S&P500 gained -- nothing.
Virtually identically flat, from 1,2547.52 to 1,257.60. Nasdaq lost 1.8% for the
year; Nasdaq 100 gained 2.7%, while the very, very broad Wilshire 5000 lost
1.3%. Banner year, huh? 'Twasn't really a year for the US dollar, either, which
gained a meager 1.3%. However, the dollar is now rallying. If it can penetrate
80.50, it will run very hard in the first quarter for 83.50, maybe much higher
(88.50). One thing you must keep foremost in your mind: THE BULL MARKET IN
SILVER and GOLD HAS NOT ENDED. It will run another three to ten years. No
harbinger flits above the horizon signaling that the economy will get better
next year, or that governments and central banks have yet learned their lessons,
namely, they cannot efficiently control the economy or the money supply, and
that inflating the currency will not cure a depression caused by inflating the
currency and government economic interference. In other words, they are all dead
as do-do birds, along with their system, but they refuse to recognize it, lie
down, and die without torturing the rest of the world several more years.
Eventually they will be abolished, but how many more tears and years will be
needed? Today the Dollar lost a meaningless 13.6 basis points (0.17%) to 80.361.
It remains in its uptrend. However, the Japanese yen flashed out its sword and
cut my head off. Just about the time I thought it was going nowhere, it jumped
0.96% to 130.06c/Y100 (Y76.89/$1). The yen has vaulted over its 20 day moving
average (128.49) and its 50 DMA (129.08). Unless the yen backs off immediately,
it has its eye on 131 or higher. On 30 December 1861 the US government and banks
stopped paying out gold for gold obligations. Not much new, is there? They've
been cheating us for centuries, banks and governments. God bless you all in 2012
and always! 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 bubble has burst,
primary trend down. 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 and 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 and silver on margin or
with debt. What DO I recommend? Physical gold and silver coins and bars in your
own hands. One final warning: NEVER insert a 747 Jumbo Jet up your nose.

Top-Performing U.S.-Listed Chinese Stocks (Dec 30, 2011)

Below are the latest top-performing U.S.-listed Chinese stocks. Renren Inc
(NYSE:RENN) is the best-performing U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was
up 7.6% on the day. RENNs upside potential is 114.6% based on brokerage analysts
average target price of $7.62. It is trading at 14.8% of its 52-week high of
$24.00, and 10.6% above its 52-week low of $3.21. Simcere Pharmaceutical Group
(ADR) (NYSE:SCR) is the second best-performing U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec.
30. It was up 5.9% on the day. SCRs upside potential is 6.2% based on brokerage
analysts average target price of $9.98. It is trading at 68.4% of its 52-week
high of $13.75, and 32.0% above its 52-week low of $7.12. E Commerce China
Dangdang Inc (ADR) (NYSE:DANG) is the third best-performing U.S.-listed Chinese
stock on Dec. 30. It was up 4.5% on the day. DANGs upside potential is 123.4%
based on brokerage analysts average target price of $9.83. It is trading at
12.1% of its 52-week high of $36.40, and 7.1% above its 52-week low of $4.11.
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (ADR) (NYSE:STP) is the fourth best-performing
U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was up 4.2% on the day. STPs upside
potential is 100.5% based on brokerage analysts average target price of $4.43.
It is trading at 20.4% of its 52-week high of $10.83, and 30.0% above its
52-week low of $1.70. iSoftStone Holdings Ltd (ADR) (NYSE:ISS) is the fifth
best-performing U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was up 4.2% on the day.
ISSs upside potential is 96.6% based on brokerage analysts average target price
of $17.20. It is trading at 38.7% of its 52-week high of $22.63, and 54.6% above
its 52-week low of $5.66. China Lodging Group, Ltd (ADR) (NASDAQ:HTHT) is the
sixth best-performing U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was up 2.9% on
the day. HTHTs upside potential is 53.6% based on brokerage analysts average
target price of $21.82. It is trading at 58.0% of its 52-week high of $24.47,
and 18.3% above its 52-week low of $12.00. Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd (ADR)
(NASDAQ:MPEL) is the seventh best-performing U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec.
30. It was up 2.8% on the day. MPELs upside potential is 59.8% based on
brokerage analysts average target price of $15.37. It is trading at 59.6% of its
52-week high of $16.15, and 54.7% above its 52-week low of $6.22. NetEase.com,
Inc. (ADR) (NASDAQ:NTES) is the eighth best-performing U.S.-listed Chinese stock
on Dec. 30. It was up 2.7% on the day. NTESs upside potential is 26.3% based on
brokerage analysts average target price of $56.66. It is trading at 81.5% of its
52-week high of $55.00, and 25.5% above its 52-week low of $35.74. Country Syl
Ckng Restaurant Chain Co Ltd (NYSE:CCSC) is the ninth best-performing
U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was up 2.4% on the day. CCSCs upside
potential is 64.5% based on brokerage analysts average target price of $12.12.
It is trading at 28.9% of its 52-week high of $25.54, and 11.7% above its
52-week low of $6.60. Shanda Games Limited(ADR) (NASDAQ:GAME) is the 10th
best-performing U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was up 2.1% on the day.
GAMEs upside potential is 70.2% based on brokerage analysts average target price
of $6.65. It is trading at 50.8% of its 52-week high of $7.70, and 13.0% above
its 52-week low of $3.46. CNinsure Inc. (ADR) (NASDAQ:CISG) is the 11th
best-performing U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was up 1.9% on the day.
CISGs upside potential is 194.2% based on brokerage analysts average target
price of $20.36. It is trading at 33.1% of its 52-week high of $20.88, and 31.1%
above its 52-week low of $5.28. Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc. (ADR)
(NASDAQ:HMIN) is the 12th best-performing U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30.
It was up 1.7% on the day. HMINs upside potential is 84.8% based on brokerage
analysts average target price of $47.69. It is trading at 57.5% of its 52-week
high of $44.86, and 16.8% above its 52-week low of $22.09. E-House (China)
Holdings Limited (ADR) (NYSE:EJ) is the 13th best-performing U.S.-listed Chinese
stock on Dec. 30. It was up 1.7% on the day. EJs upside potential is 157.0%
based on brokerage analysts average target price of $10.97. It is trading at
26.3% of its 52-week high of $16.25, and 6.2% above its 52-week low of $4.02.
Spreadtrum Communications, Inc (ADR) (NASDAQ:SPRD) is the 14th best-performing
U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was up 1.6% on the day. SPRDs upside
potential is 46.5% based on brokerage analysts average target price of $30.58.
It is trading at 69.6% of its 52-week high of $29.98, and 143.1% above its
52-week low of $8.59. Baidu.com, Inc. (ADR) (NASDAQ:BIDU) is the 15th
best-performing U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was up 1.5% on the day.
BIDUs upside potential is 57.9% based on brokerage analysts average target price
of $183.86. It is trading at 70.2% of its 52-week high of $165.96, and 20.7%
above its 52-week low of $96.53. Ambow Education Holding Ltd (ADR) (NYSE:AMBO)
is the 16th best-performing U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was up 1.4%
on the day. AMBOs upside potential is 12.6% based on brokerage analysts average
target price of $8.00. It is trading at 49.3% of its 52-week high of $14.40, and
55.7% above its 52-week low of $4.56. Changyou.com Limited(ADR) (NASDAQ:CYOU) is
the 17th best-performing U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was up 1.4% on
the day. CYOUs upside potential is 86.0% based on brokerage analysts average
target price of $42.88. It is trading at 44.3% of its 52-week high of $52.00,
and 11.3% above its 52-week low of $20.71. New Oriental Education & Tech Grp
(ADR) (NYSE:EDU) is the 18th best-performing U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec.
30. It was up 1.3% on the day. EDUs upside potential is 46.8% based on brokerage
analysts average target price of $35.30. It is trading at 69.2% of its 52-week
high of $34.77, and 16.7% above its 52-week low of $20.61. Giant Interactive
Group Inc (ADR) (NYSE:GA) is the 19th best-performing U.S.-listed Chinese stock
on Dec. 30. It was up 1.2% on the day. GAs upside potential is 71.0% based on
brokerage analysts average target price of $6.98. It is trading at 43.2% of its
52-week high of $9.45, and 35.1% above its 52-week low of $3.02. Phoenix New
Media Ltd ADR (NYSE:FENG) is the 20th best-performing U.S.-listed Chinese stock
on Dec. 30. It was up 0.9% on the day. FENGs upside potential is 89.5% based on
brokerage analysts average target price of $10.67. It is trading at 37.3% of its
52-week high of $15.09, and 34.0% above its 52-week low of $4.20.

8 Materials Stocks to Shuck Off

Basic materials and precious metals have been on the decline as of late . But
its not just companies that dig for shiny objects that are seeing their stocks
dwindle. Forestry, container and packaging producers are also on a downward
tear. I watch more than 5,000 publicly traded companies with my Portfolio Grader
tool, ranking companies by a number of fundamental and quantitative measures.
And this week, Ive spotted eight materials stocks to sell. Here they are, in
alphabetical order. Each one of these stocks gets a "D" or "F" according
to my research, meaning it is a "sell" or "strong sell." Alcoa (NYSE: AA
) is involved with aluminum through the processes of mining, refining, smelting,
fabricating and recycling. Year-to-date, AA stock has lost nearly 44%, compared
to a gain of 6% for the Dow Jones. AA gets an "F" for earnings momentum, an
"F" for its ability to exceed the consensus earnings estimates on Wall
Street and an "F" for the magnitude in which earnings projections have
increased over the past month in my Portfolio Grader tool. For more information,
view my complete analysis of AA stock. Cemex (NYSE: CX ) is a Mexican cement
manufacturer. Since the start of 2011, CX stock has fallen 47%. It gets an
"F" for sales growth, an "F" for the magnitude in which earnings
projections have increased over the past month, an "F" for cash flow and an
"F" for return on equity in my Portfolio Grader tool. For more information,
view my complete analysis of CX stock . Fibria Celulose (NYSE: FBR ) is a
Brazil-based company involved in the renewable forest business. FBR is down more
than 53% in 2011. FBR gets an "F" for sales growth, an "F" for operating
margin growth, an "F" for earnings growth, an "F" for earnings momentum,
an "F" for the magnitude in which earnings projections have increased over
the past month, an "F" for cash flow and an "F" for return on equity in
my Portfolio Grader tool. For more information, view my complete analysis of FBR
stock. Mechel (NYSE: MTL ) is a Russia-based integrated mining and steel company
that has posted incredible losses of 71% in 2011. MTL stock gets a "D" for
operating margin growth, a "D" for earnings momentum, an "F" for the
magnitude in which earnings projections have increased over the past month and
an "F" for cash flow in my Portfolio Grader tool. For more information, view
my complete analysis of MTL stock . NovaGold Resources (NYSE: NG ) explores and
develops mineral properties in Alaska and British Columbia. NG stock is down 41%
year-to-date. It gets an "F" for sales growth, a "D" for cash flow and
an "F" for return on equity in my Portfolio Grader tool. For more
information, view my complete analysis of NG stock. Owens-Illinois (NYSE: OI )
manufactures glass containers in 21 countries. In the last year, shareholders
have watched OI's stock value diminish 38%. OI gets a "D" for operating
margin growth and an "F" for earnings momentum in my Portfolio Grader tool.
For more information, view my complete analysis of OI stock . Sealed Air (NYSE:
SEE ) manufactures packaging products for use in food, industrial, medical and
consumer applications. Year-to-date, SEE stock has dropped34%. SEE gets a
"D" for operating margin growth, a "D" for its ability to exceed the
consensus earnings estimates on Wall Street and a "D" for the magnitude in
which earnings projections have increased over the past month in my Portfolio
Grader tool. For more information, view my complete analysis of SEE stock .
Walter Energy (NYSE: WLT )

2011′s Stock Gainers and Groaners from InvestorPlace’s Will Ashworth

As 2011 winds down, we at InvestorPlace thought it would be a good idea to
reflect on our good and bad calls this past year. Its important that investment
writers and anyone else in the media making recommendations, predictions or
prognostications about investments keep themselves accountable, as investors
sometimes act upon our collective words of wisdom. Because Ive only been
contributing to InvestorPlace since the beginning of August, I think it makes
more sense to discuss my best and worst calls from that month, providing a
longer duration of time and a more accurately reflection of the quality or lack
thereof of my calls. Let me start with my most interesting call, Petrohawk
Energy , which no longer trades on the New York Stock Exchange after an Aug. 25
acquisition by BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP ) for $15 billion. What makes it so
interesting is that I was merely recommending existing shareholders immediately
dump their stock, as a white knight wasnt coming to the rescue. Class-action
lawyers were simply revving up the billing machine at the expense of
shareholders. I made 17 sell recommendations in August and, on average, theyre
down 3% through late December, while the S&P 500 is slightly up. Here are a few
of my winners and losers: The biggest mover in either direction is Green
Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR ), down 56%. I reasoned that the presence
of momentum investor Richard Driehaus atop its major shareholder list was an
indication its stock was overbought. My worst call is Rackspace Hosting (NYSE:
RAX ), up 28%. My opinion at the time was that RAX stock was trading at fair
value given the competition in cloud computing. However, I did point out the
existence of safer growth alternatives like Red Hat (NYSE: RHT ), which is up
17% in the same time frame. My second sell recommendation that came through in
August is Melco Crown Entertainment (NASDAQ: MPEL ), an operator of casinos in
Macau. With growth in China slowing, Macaus dependence on the mainland is going
to come back to haunt it both economically and politically. It seems Chinese
government officials are resorting to theft to cover gambling debts, and this
has led to greater casino oversight from Beijing. MPEL is down 22% since my
call. My second-worst sell recommendation is American Tower (NYSE: AMT ), the
largest owner of cell towers anywhere. Its stock is up 19% since the articles
appearance in August thanks to a number of acquisitions, including paying $500
million for 2,500 towers in Mexico. My biggest concern with American Tower is
its debt, and that hasnt changed. AMT can only grow by piling on the debt, and
that will come back to haunt it. Despite the move up, Im unrepentant.
Accountability at InvestorPlace.com From InvestorPlace Editor Jeff Reeves ,
whose own review of 2011s hits and misses can be found here : In the new year, I
hope to continue some regular disclosures from all our InvestorPlace columnists
as a way to show that we are giving recommendations in good faith and that we
are not afraid to own up to our mistakes. If you have any comments to share with
our writers or have ideas on how we can best achieve some form of transparency,
please send your thoughts to me at editor@investorplace.com . We are a site run
by investors, for investors, and we are in this together. It's very important
to me that all readers can trust our commentary so please don't hesitate to
drop us a line. As of this writing, Will Ashworth did not hold a position in any
of the aforementioned securities.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Turns On New Cloud Service

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) has launched a new cloud based service called
OnPlus. Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Turns On New Cloud Service As a part of the
move to help its small business partners to provide improved network assessment,
management and advisory services , the US based networking giant Cisco Systems
(NASDAQ:CSCO) has introduced a new cloud based service called OnPlus. Cisco
Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Vice President Andrew Sage said that "OnPlus shows Cisco
is reinforcing our commitment to small-business partners by enabling them to
quickly create and expand their offerings in network management and advisory
services." Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) shares were at 18.25 at the end of
the last days trading. Theres been a 15.1% change in the stock price over the
past 3 months. Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) Analyst Advice Consensus
Opinion: Hold Mean recommendation: 2.09 (1=Strong Buy, 5=Strong Sell) 3 Months
Ago: 2.42 Zacks Rank: 3 out of 23 in the industry

6 Bank and Mortgage Finance Stocks to Foreclose

Like I told you last month , the understatement of the century is that the
mortgage crisis has been hard on banks the implosions of Lehman Brothers and
Bank of America (NYSE: BAC ) are prime examples of this. Its not getting any
easier for these troubled thrifts because some of the same companies that I told
you about in November are still on my list of stocks to get rid of in December.
I watch more than 5,000 publicly traded companies with my Portfolio Grader tool,
ranking companies by a number of fundamental and quantitative measures. And this
week, I have six thrifts and mortgage finance stocks to sell. Here they are, in
alphabetical order. Each one of these stocks gets a "D" or "F" according
to my research, meaning it is a "sell" or "strong sell." Astoria
Financial (NYSE: AF ) is a unitary savings and loan association. AF stock has
dipped 38% year-to-date, compared to a gain of almost 6% for the Dow Jones in
the same period. AF gets an "F" for sales growth, a "D" for earnings
growth, an "F" for earnings momentum, an "F" for its ability to exceed
the consensus earnings estimates on Wall Street and a "D" for the magnitude
in which earnings projections have increased over the past month in my Portfolio
Grader tool. For more information, view my complete analysis of AF stock. First
Niagara Financial Group (NASDAQ: FNFG ) is a provider of numerous retail and
commercial banking and other financial services. Year-to-date, FNFG tock has
slid nearly 38%. FNFG stock gets a "D" for operating margin growth, a
"D" for earnings growth, a "D" for earnings momentum, a "D" for its
ability to exceed the consensus earnings estimates on Wall Street, a "D" for
the magnitude in which earnings projections have increased over the past month
and a "D" for cash flow in my Portfolio Grader tool. For more information,
view my complete analysis of FNFG stock. Hudson City Bancorp (NASDAQ: HCBK ) is
a holding company for its principal subsidiary, Hudson City Savings Bank. Since
the start of 2011, HCBK stock has slid 51%. HCBK stock gets an "F" for sales
growth, an "F" for operating margin growth, a "D" for earnings growth,
an "F" for its ability to exceed the consensus earnings estimates on Wall
Street, an "F" for the magnitude in which earnings projections have
increased over the past month and an "F" for sales growth in my Portfolio
Grader tool. For more information, view my complete analysis of HCBK stock .
MGIC Investment (NYSE: MTG ) is a provider of private mortgage insurance.
MTG's 2011 performance has been abysmal, down 65% in the last 12 months. MTG
stock gets an "F" for sales growth, an "F" for earnings momentum, an
"F" for the magnitude in which earnings projections have increased over the
past month, an "F" for cash flow and an "F" for return on equity in my
Portfolio Grader tool. For more information, view my complete analysis of MTG
stock . New York Community Bancorp (NYSE: NYB ) is a bank holding company that
makes multifamily mortgage loans. Since Jan. 1, NYB stock has slipped 34%. NYB
gets an "F" for sales growth, a "D" for operating margin growth, a
"D" for earnings growth and a "D" for its ability to exceed the
consensus earnings estimates on Wall Street in my Portfolio Grader tool. For
more information, view my complete analysis of NYB stock . Radian Group (NYSE:
RDN ) is a credit enhancement company and is the biggest loser on this list. RDN
stock is down an astonishing 72% year-to-date. RDN stock gets an "F" for
sales growth, an "F" for cash flow and an "F" for return on equity in my
Portfolio Grader tool. For more information, view my complete analysis of RDN
stock . Get more analysis of these picks and other publicly traded stocks with
Louis Navellier's Portfolio Grader tool, a 100% free stock rating tool that
measures both quantitative buying pressure and eight fundamental factors.

Top Oversold U.S.-Listed Chinese Stocks (Dec 30, 2011)

Below are the latest oversold U.S.-listed Chinese stocks. LDK Solar Co., Ltd
(ADR) (NYSE:LDK) is the most oversold U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It
was down 6.7% on the day. LDKs upside potential is 6.9% based on brokerage
analysts average target price of $4.48. It is trading at 28.0% of its 52-week
high of $14.97, and 64.3% above its 52-week low of $2.55. Qihoo 360 Technology
Co Ltd (NYSE:QIHU) is the second most oversold U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec.
30. It was down 5.0% on the day. QIHUs upside potential is 117.2% based on
brokerage analysts average target price of $34.07. It is trading at 43.3% of its
52-week high of $36.21, and 9.7% above its 52-week low of $14.30. Jiayuan.com
International Ltd (NASDAQ:DATE) is the third most oversold U.S.-listed Chinese
stock on Dec. 30. It was down 2.2% on the day. DATEs upside potential is 160.5%
based on brokerage analysts average target price of $15.22. It is trading at
36.2% of its 52-week high of $16.12, and 6.2% above its 52-week low of $5.50.
SINA Corporation (USA) (NASDAQ:SINA) is the fourth most oversold U.S.-listed
Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was down 2.2% on the day. SINAs upside potential is
102.6% based on brokerage analysts average target price of $105.37. It is
trading at 35.3% of its 52-week high of $147.12, and 11.0% above its 52-week low
of $46.86. ReneSola Ltd. (ADR) (NYSE:SOL) is the fifth most oversold U.S.-listed
Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was down 1.9% on the day. SOLs upside potential is
87.0% based on brokerage analysts average target price of $2.86. It is trading
at 11.5% of its 52-week high of $13.25, and 5.5% above its 52-week low of $1.45.
Trina Solar Limited (ADR) (NYSE:TSL) is the sixth most oversold U.S.-listed
Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was down 1.9% on the day. TSLs upside potential is
95.6% based on brokerage analysts average target price of $13.07. It is trading
at 21.5% of its 52-week high of $31.08, and 26.5% above its 52-week low of
$5.28. China Kanghui Holdings (ADR) (NYSE:KH) is the seventh most oversold
U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was down 1.7% on the day. KHs upside
potential is 67.9% based on brokerage analysts average target price of $24.75.
It is trading at 55.6% of its 52-week high of $26.50, and 14.1% above its
52-week low of $12.92. 51job, Inc. (ADR) (NASDAQ:JOBS) is the eighth most
oversold U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was down 1.6% on the day.
JOBSs upside potential is 53.8% based on brokerage analysts average target price
of $64.50. It is trading at 60.1% of its 52-week high of $69.80, and 14.5% above
its 52-week low of $36.62. Youku.com Inc (ADR) (NYSE:YOKU) is the ninth most
oversold U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was down 1.6% on the day.
YOKUs upside potential is 86.0% based on brokerage analysts average target price
of $29.14. It is trading at 22.4% of its 52-week high of $69.95, and 13.9% above
its 52-week low of $13.76. JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. (ADR) (NASDAQ:JASO) is
the 10th most oversold U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was down 1.5% on
the day. JASOs upside potential is 134.6% based on brokerage analysts average
target price of $3.14. It is trading at 15.6% of its 52-week high of $8.57, and
10.7% above its 52-week low of $1.21. Mindray Medical International Ltd (ADR)
(NYSE:MR) is the 11th most oversold U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was
down 1.4% on the day. MRs upside potential is 21.4% based on brokerage analysts
average target price of $31.13. It is trading at 82.2% of its 52-week high of
$31.21, and 20.7% above its 52-week low of $21.25. Hollysys Automation
Technologies Ltd (NASDAQ:HOLI) is the 12th most oversold U.S.-listed Chinese
stock on Dec. 30. It was down 1.2% on the day. HOLIs upside potential is 57.8%
based on brokerage analysts average target price of $13.13. It is trading at
45.8% of its 52-week high of $18.15, and 83.3% above its 52-week low of $4.54.
Focus Media Holding Limited (ADR) (NASDAQ:FMCN) is the 13th most oversold
U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was down 1.1% on the day. FMCNs upside
potential is 106.4% based on brokerage analysts average target price of $40.23.
It is trading at 51.9% of its 52-week high of $37.58, and 121.7% above its
52-week low of $8.79. Yingli Green Energy Hold. Co. Ltd. (ADR) (NYSE:YGE) is the
14th most oversold U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was down 1.0% on the
day. YGEs upside potential is 39.1% based on brokerage analysts average target
price of $5.29. It is trading at 28.0% of its 52-week high of $13.59, and 38.2%
above its 52-week low of $2.75. AsiaInfo-Linkage, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASIA) is the 15th
most oversold U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was down 1.0% on the day.
ASIAs upside potential is 125.0% based on brokerage analysts average target
price of $17.44. It is trading at 33.8% of its 52-week high of $22.91, and 24.8%
above its 52-week low of $6.21. Perfect World Co., Ltd. (ADR) (NASDAQ:PWRD) is
the 16th most oversold U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was down 1.0% on
the day. PWRDs upside potential is 129.2% based on brokerage analysts average
target price of $24.00. It is trading at 36.0% of its 52-week high of $29.10,
and 16.3% above its 52-week low of $9.00. 7 DAYS GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED(ADR)
(NYSE:SVN) is the 17th most oversold U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It
was down 0.9% on the day. SVNs upside potential is 115.5% based on brokerage
analysts average target price of $24.03. It is trading at 46.5% of its 52-week
high of $24.00, and 2.5% above its 52-week low of $10.88. VanceInfo Technologies
Inc.(ADR) (NYSE:VIT) is the 18th most oversold U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec.
30. It was down 0.4% on the day. VITs upside potential is 101.1% based on
brokerage analysts average target price of $18.24. It is trading at 23.9% of its
52-week high of $37.99, and 46.5% above its 52-week low of $6.19. Huaneng Power
International, Inc. (ADR) (NYSE:HNP) is the 19th most oversold U.S.-listed
Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was down 0.4% on the day. HNPs upside potential is
10.9% based on brokerage analysts average target price of $23.32. It is trading
at 87.8% of its 52-week high of $23.94, and 36.1% above its 52-week low of
$15.45. PetroChina Company Limited (ADR) (NYSE:PTR) is the 20th most oversold
U.S.-listed Chinese stock on Dec. 30. It was down 0.2% on the day. PTRs upside
potential is 21.2% based on brokerage analysts average target price of $150.67.
It is trading at 78.3% of its 52-week high of $158.83, and 11.7% above its
52-week low of $111.29.

“We look for a pick up in M&A activity” in 2012

XCSFDHG46767FHJHJF

DG365FD46564GFH654FU898 With gold shares on pace to finish the year firmly in negative territory – despite a near 10% rise in the price of gold – the latest firm to discuss the sector’s outlook for 2012 was Rodman & Renshaw. In a note to clients published this week, Senior Metals and Mining Analyst Wayne Atwell attributed the underperformance of gold stocks to six key factors: “1) gold ETFs provide a viable alternative to the gold shares, 2) it has become difficult to identify new attractive gold deposits, 3) Barrick Gold (ABX) spooked the market by buying a copper company earlier this year, 4) several foreign governments are raising taxes on mining profits, 5) a reversal of a strong outperformance by the shares last year, and 6) some investors believed the gold price has peaked." Atwell went on to discuss small-cap gold stocks in particular, stating that “The junior gold shares have materially underperformed so far this year. Investors turned nervous about the outlook for the group and it has been very difficult to raise capital for junior gold companies. This has made it quite difficult for the juniors to sustain their business model, as they have to return to the equity market frequently to continue to finance their drilling programs as most have no cash flow.” However, going forward the Rodman & Renshaw analyst had a much more upbeat forecast.



Gold Futures Rise 10.0% in 2011, Silver Falls 9.8%

XCSFDHG46767FHJHJF

DG365FD46564GFH654FU898 Gold futures capped off their 11th consecutive year of gains on a positive note, with the COMEX February 2012 contract settling higher on Friday by $25.90, or 1.7%, at $1,566.80 per ounce. In doing so, COMEX gold futures – based on the most actively-traded contract –



Huge Titanic Artifact Auction

XCSFDHG46767FHJHJF

dow2664 The publicly traded company, Premier Exhibitions Inc. (PRXI), will be auctioning off the 5,000 artifacts salvaged from the Titanic, the famous ship that sank on April 15 one hundred years ago. Guernsey’s, based in New York, will be auctioning off the items. The latest appraisal from a few years ago, was set at $189 million . Disclosure: Author owns PRXI. PRXI is a very low cap stock and should be considered very speculative.



Stock Investors Bid Up Shares of Randgold Resources, Up 2.3%

XCSFDHG46767FHJHJF

gol2664 Negocioenlinea Stock Investors Bid Up Shares of Randgold Resources, Up 2.3% Financial News Network Online – 45 minutes ago One of today's notable stocks on the rise is Randgold Resources (NASDAQ:GOLD), up 2.3% to $103.57. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is now trading fractionally lower to 12,267 and the S&P is …



Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) Upping Startup Financing

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) is set to continue its support for startups in
Israel. Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) Upping Startup Financing Google Inc.
(NASDAQ:GOOG) has agreed to continue helping technology startups in Israel amid
a decline in local financing. The company has agreed to provide financial
backing to entrepreneurs and has started a funding program. This investment will
hopefully provide a new source of innovation to the company. Google Inc.
(NASDAQ:GOOG)'s merger and acquisitions chief David Lawee said, "I've met
about 100 Israeli companies in two days and that's, like, super-efficient.
When you make a connection with an entrepreneur who's really excited, whether
you do a deal with him or not, that's kind of the juice of the job". Google
Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) company shares are currently standing at 642.4. Price History
Last Price: 642.4 52 Week Low / High: 473.02 / 645 50 Day Moving Average: 606.48
6 Month Price Change %: 26.9% 12 Month Price Change %: 6.9%

Gold Futures Rise 10.0% in 2011, Silver Falls 9.8%

Gold futures capped off their 11th consecutive year of gains on a positive
note, with the COMEX February 2012 contract settling higher on Friday by $25.90,
or 1.7%, at $1,566.80 per ounce. In doing so, COMEX gold futures based on the
most actively-traded contract -

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Aiming At Low-End Smartphone Market?

Microsoft has scheduled the launch of Tango with low-end smartphones. Microsoft
Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Aiming At Low-End Smartphone Market? It has been
rumored that Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is going to release a new
Windows Phone, codenamed Tango, which is set to appear in the second half of
2012 with another version called Apollo due towards the end of next year.
According to some reports the Tango version of Windows Phone will target
smartphones with the best price, as Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) seeks to
compete with the high volume entry level smartphone market currently dominated
by Android. The Apollo update is aimed at high-end super phones. Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ:MSFT) shares were at 26.02 at the end of the last days trading. Theres
been a 2.2% change in the stock price over the past 3 months. Microsoft Corp.
(NASDAQ:MSFT) Analyst Advice Consensus Opinion: Moderate Buy Mean
recommendation: 1.95 (1=Strong Buy, 5=Strong Sell) 3 Months Ago: 1.77 Zacks
Rank: 72 out of 89 in the industry

2012′s 5 Biggest Non-Apple Tech Releases

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL )! Who cares about its $355 billion market cap or its
all-encompassing influence on the PC industry thanks to the iPads monumental
popularity? No one, thats who! There are 499 other companies on Fortune s annual
list, and a large number of them are competing with Apple in a variety of
segments in the technology industry. Those companies are gunning for Apple in
2012. At the beginning of 2011, plenty of companies were planning to do the
same. Motorola Mobility (NYSE: MMI ), Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM ) and
many others were planning to hit hard with their own tablets, but the Xoom and
PlayBook were all but ignored by consumers when they came out earlier this year.
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC ), looking to compete with the slim MacBook Air laptop line,
pushed its new Ultrabook laptop architecture, but so far, early-adopting
manufacturers such as Asus have found little success. In these closing weeks,
though, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN ) has made some headway against the Cupertino,
Calif.-based giant thanks to the early success of the Kindle Fire tablet. Apple
is not impregnable, it turns out. So whats being released in 2012 that can
further rattle Tim Cooks house? Read on:

Year-End Zigzag Reflects Confused Sentiment

Off 140 points Wednesday and up 136 points the very next day? Does the poor old
Dow have any idea where its headed? The fact is, the market indexes, with their
flailing and floundering, are simply reflecting how most investors feel these
days: confused. The confusion, of course, stems from the news flow. Some of the
information were receiving looks fairly encouraging. Corporate America will post
record profits yep, an all-time high in 2011. Fewer people are signing up for
unemployment insurance. (The four-week count of first-time claims for jobless
aid just fell to its lowest reading since June 2008.) So we can infer that the
economys job engine is revving up a bit. And yet, Europe continues to send out
distress signals. Italys latest bond auction yesterday produced mediocre
results, pushing the yield on the benchmark 10-year Italian bond back above the
SOS level of 7%. Moreover, it appears that the European Central Banks
money-pumping efforts this month havent done much to cool investor fears about
the solvency of the continents banks. Two-year euro swap spreads , which measure
the difference in yields between bank and government debt, have soared in recent
weeks to the highest level since November 2008. In other words, the risk of a
Lehman-type event in Europe, with repercussions around the world, is getting
uncomfortably high. Perhaps turning over a new calendar leaf will ease some of
the tensions on the other side of the Atlantic. However, I wouldnt bet my bottom
dollar (or euro) on it. Hope for the best, but prepare for a range of possible
outcomes. Yesterdays mid-session turnaround for gold and the mining shares is a
favorable omen for the broader precious-metals complex. Below $1,530 an ounce ,
gold drew bargain hunters out of the woodwork much as the S&P did in early
October when it briefly dipped below 1100. I cant promise you that the Midas
metal wont revisit yesterdays lows again, or perhaps even penetrate them by a
modest amount. It appears, though, that gold is finding good support in this
neighborhood. So, make sure to stock up on Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX ) below and
Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM ) before they go any higher. In one of Thursdays
sillier developments, homebuilder stocks jumped on a report from the National
Association of Realtors that pending home sales rose 7.3% in November. Recall,
this is the same trade organization that just last week revised (downward) its
estimate of existing-home sales for 2007 to 2010 by a massive 740,000 units.
Given the widespread weakness in home prices, I would be skeptical of this
latest NAR number. It, too, may be reduced significantly in the months ahead.
Speculators can look to short homebuilders Lennar (NYSE: LEN ) and, especially,
Pulte Group (NYSE: PHM ). Of the two, Pulte clearly has the weaker balance sheet
and thus, probably, the greater downside potential. Set a stop 15% above your
entry point. A happy and prosperous New Year to you and those you love!

Building a 2012 Watch List

XCSFDHG46767FHJHJF

gol2664 Negocioenlinea Building a 2012 Watch List TheStreet.com – 1 hour ago Jim Cramer and chief strategist Stephanie Link actively manage a real money portfolio for his charitable trust — revealing all their money management tactics and hidden profit opportunities …



7 Best InvestorPlace Columns of 2011

XCSFDHG46767FHJHJF

tdp2664 InvestorPlace The past year has been a rather dramatic one of the market, but also a very formative year for InvestorPlace.com . We ramped up our content output, launched a host of new features and managed to forge some great partnerships. Oh yeah, and I got to grill the president in June . Not a bad year. We assuredly have made our share of boneheaded calls. In the interest of full disclosure, I have tried to air my track record here — and will make a concerted effort to own up to my mistakes in the new year. Because trust me, mistakes will be made. But before we turn the page on the calendar and start grading InvestorPlace.com on its calls in 2012, I'd like to take a moment to recap some of our very best work from the past year. Here are what I consider the seven best examples of the kind of work we provide here, and the quality of work I hope we can replicate in the new year: #7: 5 Stocks Doomed to Disappear in 2012 This is a bit of an unfair metric, but judging by clicks alone, the most popular story of 2011 was the very recent article about stocks that might not make it in 2012. InvestorPlace has grown by leaps and bounds in recent months, so it doesn't surprise me that a recent pick would be at the head of the pack when measured by clicks — some 330,000 and counting in just the past week alone! #6: A Modest Proposal to Fix the Debt Ceiling: Strategic Default Styled after Jonathan Swift's sarcastic satire, I wrote: " America, it is time we just walk away ." The heck with taxes, the military and government in general … who needs ‘em! #5: Is the Gold Bubble Reaching Its Climax? Charles Sizemore is one of the smartest contributors we have, and he showed it in this article on Aug. 22 , with a headline that proved to be right on the money — in both substance and timing. His bubble call came just days before gold peaked over $1,900 per ounce. Charles reiterated his call in this article on Sept. 20 . Gold is at $1,570 right now. #4: This Week's Market Movement a Historically Bullish Sign Daniel Putnam is one of our most shrewd technical analysts and does a great job of making sense of the charts. Case in point: A call in the first week of October that the bulls were back. The Dow is up 12% since then and tallied the best October in a quarter of a century. #3: Don't Panic: The U.S. Credit Downgrade Changes Nothing I am particularly proud of this column . I asserted that the downgrade changed little — it wouldn't change the debate in Washington, it wouldn't affect the economy and it wouldn't affect Treasury rates. When the market opened down 500-plus points on Monday, some folks thought I was crazy. But time, it seems, has proven me right. #2 : Hewlett-Packard Embodies What's Worst in Corporate America My reasons cited in August : Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ ) is characterized by stupidity, a lack of innovation, bloated operations and no leadership. Judging by the comments on IP.com and reprinting of the column on MarketWatch and Huffington Post , among others, many of you agree with my rant. #1: Netflix Coverage At InvestorPlace.com , we strive to offer a variety of points of view. Though sometimes this can create contradictions between articles, I strong believe individual investors benefit from the breadth of ideas we offer — since, let’s be honest, no one person can be right all the time. On one of the biggest stories of the year, however, our many disparate contributors all managed to be saying the same thing. Namely, that Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX ) was doomed. Netflix stock closed the year around $70 — an ugly 77% flop from its 2011 peak above $300 per share. Here are just a few of our articles warning investors to sell, short or avoid NFLX. Tyler Craig on Sept. 7, Netflix at $216.00. Sam Collins , also on Sept. 7, Netflix at $216.00 Will Ashworth on Sept. 27, Netflix at $127.49 Jamie Dlugosch on Oct. 17, Netflix at $117.33 Charles Sizemore on Oct. 26, Netflix at $79.40 Lawrence Meyers on Nov. 3, Netflix at $92.29 Tyler and Sam were first in line after the August volatility — but all of our writers deserve credit for sticking with this story and making sure investors continued to know the score. Jeff Reeves is the editor of InvestorPlace.com. Write him at editor@investorplace.com , follow him on Twitter via @JeffReevesIP and become a fan of InvestorPlace on Facebook . Jeff Reeves holds a position in Alcoa, but no other publicly traded stocks.



Shares of Royal Gold Receive a Boost, Up 1.7%

XCSFDHG46767FHJHJF

gol2664 Negocioenlinea Shares of Royal Gold Receive a Boost, Up 1.7% Financial News Network Online – 34 minutes ago One of today's stocks on the move is Royal Gold (NASDAQ:RGLD), up 1.7% to $68.12. The Dow is trading fractionally lower to 12,267 and the S&P is currently trading fractionally lower to 1,262 …



Hewlett-Packard’s Scarlet Letter Unsealed

XCSFDHG46767FHJHJF

tdp2664 InvestorPlace As part of a shareholder lawsuit against Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ ), the Delaware Supreme Court ruled Thursday that HPQ must release a letter written to its former CEO, Mark Hurd. The letter, which made allegations of sexual harassment, led to Hurd’s downfall and eventual resignation. Celebrity attorney Gloria Allred penned the letter on behalf of her client, Jodie Fisher, who worked as an event hostess for HPQ during Hurd's reign. The language was meant for maximum impact — that is, in terms of getting a nice settlement! The letter accuses Hurd of having an obsession with Fisher and trying to get her to have sex with him. The letter said Hurd tried to impress Fisher with his dealmaking capabilities, such as his $14 billion transaction for Electronic Data Systems. It also said Hurd showed Jodie an ATM slip that noted a balance of more than $1 million. Apparently, Fisher wasn’t impressed and rejected the advances. Now, keep in mind that Fisher herself ultimately said the letter had "many inaccuracies." Hewlett-Packard also found no evidence of sexual harassment, though Hurd eventually resigned amid the scandal. However, the company did believe Hurd did not properly account for funds he spent on dinners. In the end, Hurd still landed a nice gig as the co-president of Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL ). He also picked up a nice $40 million severance package. As is typical in such things, we likely never will know what really happened. Both Hurd and Fisher entered a confidential settlement, so their lips are sealed. This is just as well. Hewlett-Packard’s new CEO, Meg Whitman, already has a big challenge in putting together a turnaround , so the company certainly doesn’t need a distraction. And it’s probably a good bet Whitman will be focused on getting things done — not fooling around. Tom Taulli runs the InvestorPlace blog IPOPlaybook , a site dedicated to the hottest news and rumors about initial public offerings. He also is the author of "All About Short Selling" and "All About Commodities." Follow him on Twitter at @ttaulli . As of this writing, he did not own a position in any of the aforementioned securities.



Gold, Silver Shares Climb as Precious Metals Rebound

XCSFDHG46767FHJHJF

DG365FD46564GFH654FU898 Gold and silver shares rose for the second consecutive session as precious metals rebounded on Friday.



Gold, Silver Shares Climb as Precious Metals Rebound

Gold and silver shares rose for the second consecutive session as precious
metals rebounded on Friday.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Banned In Argentina?

It has been reported that Argentina Government has prohibited the sale of Apple
Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) products. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Banned In Argentina? As a
result of the countrys latest policy of banning brands those don't have
factories or partners in Argentina, the government has put a temporary ban on
the sale of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) products. According to reports, the ban has
been imposed by the government to improve the countrys deteriorating economy.
The affected companies like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) were instructed to set up
plants within the country as a route to the resumption of the sales of their
products. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stocks are currently standing at 405.12.
Price History Last Price: 405.12 52 Week Low / High: 310.5 / 426.7 50 Day Moving
Average: 390.66 6 Month Price Change %: 20.7% 12 Month Price Change %: 24.5%

Top 10 NASDAQ-100 Stocks with Highest Return on Equity: LLTC, NFLX, SIRI, BIDU, ESRX, PCLN, DELL, GILD, ROST, MSFT (Dec 30, 2011)

Below are the top 10 stocks in the NASDAQ-100 index

7 Best InvestorPlace Columns of 2011

The past year has been a rather dramatic one of the market, but also a very
formative year for InvestorPlace.com . We ramped up our content output, launched
a host of new features and managed to forge some great partnerships. Oh yeah,
and I got to grill the president in June . Not a bad year. We assuredly have
made our share of boneheaded calls. In the interest of full disclosure, I have
tried to air my track record here and will make a concerted effort to own up to
my mistakes in the new year. Because trust me, mistakes will be made. But before
we turn the page on the calendar and start grading InvestorPlace.com on its
calls in 2012, I'd like to take a moment to recap some of our very best work
from the past year. Here are what I consider the seven best examples of the kind
of work we provide here, and the quality of work I hope we can replicate in the
new year: #7: 5 Stocks Doomed to Disappear in 2012 This is a bit of an unfair
metric, but judging by clicks alone, the most popular story of 2011 was the very
recent article about stocks that might not make it in 2012. InvestorPlace has
grown by leaps and bounds in recent months, so it doesn't surprise me that a
recent pick would be at the head of the pack when measured by clicks some
330,000 and counting in just the past week alone! #6: A Modest Proposal to Fix
the Debt Ceiling: Strategic Default Styled after Jonathan Swift's sarcastic
satire, I wrote: " America, it is time we just walk away ." The heck with
taxes, the military and government in general who needs em! #5: Is the Gold
Bubble Reaching Its Climax? Charles Sizemore is one of the smartest contributors
we have, and he showed it in this article on Aug. 22 , with a headline that
proved to be right on the money in both substance and timing. His bubble call
came just days before gold peaked over $1,900 per ounce. Charles reiterated his
call in this article on Sept. 20 . Gold is at $1,570 right now. #4: This
Week's Market Movement a Historically Bullish Sign Daniel Putnam is one of our
most shrewd technical analysts and does a great job of making sense of the
charts. Case in point: A call in the first week of October that the bulls were
back. The Dow is up 12% since then and tallied the best October in a quarter of
a century. #3: Don't Panic: The U.S. Credit Downgrade Changes Nothing I am
particularly proud of this column . I asserted that the downgrade changed little
it wouldn't change the debate in Washington, it wouldn't affect the economy
and it wouldn't affect Treasury rates. When the market opened down 500-plus
points on Monday, some folks thought I was crazy. But time, it seems, has proven
me right. #2 : Hewlett-Packard Embodies What's Worst in Corporate America My
reasons cited in August : Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ ) is characterized by
stupidity, a lack of innovation, bloated operations and no leadership. Judging
by the comments on IP.com and reprinting of the column on MarketWatch and
Huffington Post , among others, many of you agree with my rant. #1: Netflix
Coverage At InvestorPlace.com , we strive to offer a variety of points of view.
Though sometimes this can create contradictions between articles, I strong
believe individual investors benefit from the breadth of ideas we offer since,
lets be honest, no one person can be right all the time. On one of the biggest
stories of the year, however, our many disparate contributors all managed to be
saying the same thing. Namely, that Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX ) was doomed. Netflix
stock closed the year around $70 an ugly 77% flop from its 2011 peak above $300
per share. Here are just a few of our articles warning investors to sell, short
or avoid NFLX. Tyler Craig on Sept. 7, Netflix at $216.00. Sam Collins , also on
Sept. 7, Netflix at $216.00 Will Ashworth on Sept. 27, Netflix at $127.49 Jamie
Dlugosch on Oct. 17, Netflix at $117.33 Charles Sizemore on Oct. 26, Netflix at
$79.40 Lawrence Meyers on Nov. 3, Netflix at $92.29 Tyler and Sam were first in
line after the August volatility but all of our writers deserve credit for
sticking with this story and making sure investors continued to know the score.
Jeff Reeves is the editor of InvestorPlace.com. Write him at
editor@investorplace.com , follow him on Twitter via @JeffReevesIP and become a
fan of InvestorPlace on Facebook . Jeff Reeves holds a position in Alcoa, but no
other publicly traded stocks.

“We look for a pick up in M&A activity” in 2012

With gold shares on pace to finish the year firmly in negative territory
despite a near 10% rise in the price of gold the latest firm to discuss the
sectors outlook for 2012 was Rodman & Renshaw. In a note to clients published
this week, Senior Metals and Mining Analyst Wayne Atwell attributed the
underperformance of gold stocks to six key factors: 1) gold ETFs provide a
viable alternative to the gold shares, 2) it has become difficult to identify
new attractive gold deposits, 3) Barrick Gold (ABX) spooked the market by buying
a copper company earlier this year, 4) several foreign governments are raising
taxes on mining profits, 5) a reversal of a strong outperformance by the shares
last year, and 6) some investors believed the gold price has peaked." Atwell
went on to discuss small-cap gold stocks in particular, stating that The junior
gold shares have materially underperformed so far this year. Investors turned
nervous about the outlook for the group and it has been very difficult to raise
capital for junior gold companies. This has made it quite difficult for the
juniors to sustain their business model, as they have to return to the equity
market frequently to continue to finance their drilling programs as most have no
cash flow. However, going forward the Rodman & Renshaw analyst had a much more
upbeat forecast.

Verizon Shows a Dangerous Tone Deafness

It's been a good year for Verizon's (NYSE: VZ ) shareholders, with the
stock price up a sizzling 17%. It certainly helps that the company pays a juicy
5% dividend. Consider that Verizon had to foresight to make substantial
long-term investments in its network as well as new products. For example, the
company created a smartphone franchise with its Droid offering. And of course,
Verizon is now benefiting from its distribution deal with Apple's (NASDAQ:
AAPL ) iPhone. Yet, despite all the success, some risks are rising. And they go
to the core of the company's differentiation as a solid service provider. In
December, Verizon had three outages of its wireless data service for its 4G
network (based on the so-called LTE system). The latest one came on Wednesday.
So what's the problem? Verizon has provided vague details, saying that its
having "growing pains." But one thing is clear: Customers should not expect
any compensation. The episode is reminiscent of Research-In-Motion's (NASDAQ:
RIMM ) earlier outage of its entire BlackBerry platform. Although, in that case,
it lasted a grueling three days. Let's face it, were becoming a
"connected" culture, and even a small outage can be a big deal. At the same
time, customers have many ways to buzz about their discontent, such as with
Twitter and Facebook. That means it doesnt take long for a good reputation to go
negative just ask Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX ). This is why companies need to be
proactive with bad news. It's critical. After all, it's a good bet that more
and more people are thinking twice about paying a premium for a Verizon 4G
service. But if this weren't enough, the company appears to be setting itself
up for another PR disaster. Verizon plans to charge its customers a $2 fee for
every one-time Verizon bill payment that's done online or over the phone (it
starts on Jan. 15). To avoid this, you can either pay your bill via an autopay
program or an old-fashioned check! Verizon's Orwellian term for this? It's a
"convenience fee." Isnt Verizon paying any attention to recent disasters,
such as Bank of America's (NYSE: BAC ) ill-fated attempt to charge a monthly
$5 debit card fee? As we've seen this year, great companies can easily fall
apart when they fail to understand their customers. While Verizon doesnt appear
to be in the same kind of danger, the recent flubs are definitely a concern and
could provide a way for competitors like AT&T (NYSE: T ) to make some inroads.
Tom Taulli runs the InvestorPlace blog " IPOPlaybook ," a site dedicated to
the hottest news and rumors about initial public offerings. He is also the
author of "All About Short Selling" and "All About Commodities." Follow
him on Twitter at @ttaulli . As of this writing, he did not own a position in
any of the aforementioned stocks.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) To Launch Instant Payment Tech

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) has decided to launch NFC technology in UK in 2012.
Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) To Launch Instant Payment Tech The search engine
Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) will launch its Near Field Communication Technology
(NFC) in the UK in 2012. This technology will allow users to pay for goods by
just tapping their smartphones against an NFC sensor. It will also debut its
Google Wallet service in time for London Olympics. Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)
said in a blog, "Google Wallet is a key part of our ongoing effort to improve
shopping for both businesses and consumers. It's aimed at making it easier for
you to pay for and save on the goods you want, while giving merchants more ways
to offer coupons and loyalty programs to customers, as well as bridging the gap
between online and offline commerce". Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) shares were at
642.4 at the end of the last days trading. Theres been a 21.8% movement in the
stock price over the past 3 months. Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) Analyst Advice
Consensus Opinion: Moderate Buy Mean recommendation: 1.17 (1=Strong Buy,
5=Strong Sell) 3 Months Ago: 1.1 Zacks Rank: 9 out of 29 in the industry

Hewlett-Packard’s Scarlet Letter Unsealed

As part of a shareholder lawsuit against Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ ), the
Delaware Supreme Court ruled Thursday that HPQ must release a letter written to
its former CEO, Mark Hurd. The letter, which made allegations of sexual
harassment, led to Hurds downfall and eventual resignation. Celebrity attorney
Gloria Allred penned the letter on behalf of her client, Jodie Fisher, who
worked as an event hostess for HPQ during Hurd's reign. The language was meant
for maximum impact that is, in terms of getting a nice settlement! The letter
accuses Hurd of having an obsession with Fisher and trying to get her to have
sex with him. The letter said Hurd tried to impress Fisher with his dealmaking
capabilities, such as his $14 billion transaction for Electronic Data Systems.
It also said Hurd showed Jodie an ATM slip that noted a balance of more than $1
million. Apparently, Fisher wasnt impressed and rejected the advances. Now, keep
in mind that Fisher herself ultimately said the letter had "many
inaccuracies." Hewlett-Packard also found no evidence of sexual harassment,
though Hurd eventually resigned amid the scandal. However, the company did
believe Hurd did not properly account for funds he spent on dinners. In the end,
Hurd still landed a nice gig as the co-president of Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL ). He
also picked up a nice $40 million severance package. As is typical in such
things, we likely never will know what really happened. Both Hurd and Fisher
entered a confidential settlement, so their lips are sealed. This is just as
well. Hewlett-Packards new CEO, Meg Whitman, already has a big challenge in
putting together a turnaround , so the company certainly doesnt need a
distraction. And its probably a good bet Whitman will be focused on getting
things done not fooling around. Tom Taulli runs the InvestorPlace blog
IPOPlaybook , a site dedicated to the hottest news and rumors about initial
public offerings. He also is the author of "All About Short Selling" and
"All About Commodities." Follow him on Twitter at @ttaulli . As of this
writing, he did not own a position in any of the aforementioned securities.

Shares of Royal Gold Receive a Boost, Up 1.7%

Shares of Royal Gold Receive a Boost, Up 1.7% Financial News Network Online -
34 minutes ago One of todays stocks on the move is Royal Gold (NASDAQ:RGLD), up
1.7% to $68.12. The Dow is trading fractionally lower to 12,267 and the S&P is
currently trading fractionally lower to 1,262 ...

Top 10 U.S.-Listed Chinese Stocks with Highest Return on Equity: SFUN, SPRD, BIDU, CYOU, CEA, RDA, YZC, CEO, GAME, ZNH (Dec 30, 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. SouFun Holdings Limited (ADR) (NYSE:SFUN) has the 1st
highest Return on Equity in this segment of the market. Its ROE was 107.09% for
the last 12 months. Its net profit margin was 33.83% for the same period.
Spreadtrum Communications, Inc (ADR) (NASDAQ:SPRD) has the 2nd highest Return on
Equity in this segment of the market. Its ROE was 58.82% for the last 12 months.
Its net profit margin was 21.42% for the same period. Baidu.com, Inc. (ADR)
(NASDAQ:BIDU) has the 3rd highest Return on Equity in this segment of the
market. Its ROE was 56.47% for the last 12 months. Its net profit margin was
46.00% for the same period. Changyou.com Limited(ADR) (NASDAQ:CYOU) has the 4th
highest Return on Equity in this segment of the market. Its ROE was 43.33% for
the last 12 months. Its net profit margin was 50.66% for the same period. China
Eastern Airlines Corp. Ltd. (ADR) (NYSE:CEA) has the 5th highest Return on
Equity in this segment of the market. Its ROE was 40.12% for the last 12 months.
Its net profit margin was 7.25% for the same period. Rda Microelectronics Inc
(ADR) (NASDAQ:RDA) has the 6th highest Return on Equity in this segment of the
market. Its ROE was 39.47% for the last 12 months. Its net profit margin was
14.23% for the same period. Yanzhou Coal Mining Co. (ADR) (NYSE:YZC) has the 7th
highest Return on Equity in this segment of the market. Its ROE was 33.39% for
the last 12 months. Its net profit margin was 30.21% for the same period. CNOOC
Limited (ADR) (NYSE:CEO) has the 8th highest Return on Equity in this segment of
the market. Its ROE was 31.02% for the last 12 months. Its net profit margin was
30.19% for the same period. Shanda Games Limited(ADR) (NASDAQ:GAME) has the 9th
highest Return on Equity in this segment of the market. Its ROE was 30.86% for
the last 12 months. Its net profit margin was 26.56% for the same period. China
Southern Airlines Limited (ADR) (NYSE:ZNH) has the 10th highest Return on Equity
in this segment of the market. Its ROE was 30.79% for the last 12 months. Its
net profit margin was 8.74% for the same period.

Stock Investors Bid Up Shares of Randgold Resources, Up 2.3%

Stock Investors Bid Up Shares of Randgold Resources, Up 2.3% Financial News
Network Online - 45 minutes ago One of todays notable stocks on the rise is
Randgold Resources (NASDAQ:GOLD), up 2.3% to $103.57. The Dow Jones Industrial
Average is now trading fractionally lower to 12,267 and the S&P is ...

Stock Futures Rise; Gold Gains, China Still Contracting

Stock Futures Rise; Gold Gains, China Still Contracting Investor's Business
Daily - 2 hours ago By ALAN R. ELLIOTT, INVESTORS BUSINESS DAILY Posted 09:07 AM
ET After a buck-and-rumble 2011, the market appeared set to tip-toe into the New
Year with stock futures edging up ahead of Fridays ...

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