Best Stocks Broker For 2013, Top Stocks Broker In 2013: October 2012

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

MF Global: Financial Loser

MF Global (MF) was the loser among U.S. financials on Wednesday, with shares dropping 9% to close at $1.70, after reporting a $191.6 million third-quarter loss.

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The Wall Street Journal reported that MF Global -- led by former New Jersey governor and former Goldman Sachs CEO Jon Corzine - was exploring "strategic options," including a sale of the company.Goldman Sachs (GS) was the winner among large U.S. financial stocks on a very strong day for the sector, with shares rising 6% to close at $106.33.

See if (C) is traded within the Action Alerts PLUS portfolio by Cramer and Link

Rochdale Securities analyst Richard Bove said in a note on Wednesday that Goldman Sachs could benefit from the plight of MF Global, with the analyst saying that both Goldman and Citigroup (C) were "logical buyers" for the trading outfit, which is led by former Goldman Sachs CEO Jon Corzine.Citi's shares rose 1% to close at $31.16.In other Goldman-related news, former board member Rajat Gupta was charged with five counts of securities fraud and one count of conspiracy, for allegedly supplying inside information to Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam, who was sentenced early this month to 11 in years in prison for insider trading.Thomas Gorman -- a partner at the international law firm Dorsey & Whitney's Washington D.C. office. -- said that Gupta's fate might differ from that of Rajaratnam, because "the evidence to date suggests that Gupta did not trade or profit from any trading. Under those circumstances this might give him a defense that although he told Raji about the information it was done so in trust and confidence and not to be used for trading," and that "Gupta could claim it was misappropriated from him."The Dow Jones Industrial average rose 162 points after the German parliament passed a resolution approving a proposal to leverage the European bailout fund, although an overall deal among European leaders to expand the eurozone emergency rescue fund may be delayed until the end of November.The Economics and Statistics Administration on Wednesday said that U.S. sales of new single-family homes in September were 313,000, at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, which was a 5.7% increase from the revised August level, but were down 0.9% from a year earlier.

The KBW Bank Index (I:BKX) rose 2% to close at 39.58, with all 24 index components seeing gains.

Shares KeyCorp (KEY) rose 5% to close at 7.29

See if (C) is traded within the Action Alerts PLUS portfolio by Cramer and Link

Large banks seeing 4% gains on Wednesday included Comerica (CMA), which closed at $25.22, and First Niagara Financial Group (FNFG), closing at $8.88.Big banking names seeing shares rise 3% included Capital One (COF), closing at $44.60; Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB), at $11.99; Huntington Bancshares (HBAN), at $5.18; Regions Financial (RF), at $3.83; SunTrust (STI), at $19.39, and U.S. Bancorp (USB), closing at $25.48.Shares of MetLife (MET) rose 1% to close at $33.15, even though the company announced that the Federal Reserve had rejected its proposal to increase its annual dividend and resume share buybacks. RELATED STORIES: 10 Banks Making Business Loans in a Bad Economy >MetLife's Bank Makes the Stock a Dog (Sorry Snoopy) >Corzine's New MF Global Plan: Stock Slide, Fire Sale >Gupta Surrenders to FBI: Report >10 Bank Stocks with Up to 102% Upside >Obama's Refinance Plan is a Lifeline Everyone Should Grab >-- To contact the writer, click here: Philip van Doorn.To follow the writer on Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/PhilipvanDoorn.

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Groupon Falls 13%: Q4 Rev Beats, Q1 View Tops Estimates

Online coupon distributor Groupon (GRPN), in its first report since going public, this afternoon reported Q4 revenue ahead of analysts’ expectations but reported a surprise net loss instead of the expected profit.

Revenue in the three months ended in December rose to $506 million, yielding a net loss of 2 cents a share.

Analysts on average had been modeling $473 million and 3 cents a share in profit.

For the current quarter, the company forecast $510 million to $550 million in revenue, ahead of the $501 million average estimate.

Groupon CEO Andrew Mason remarked that the quarter was “strong” and said the company intends to continue “to invest in new services and tools” for merchants.

Management will host a conference call with analysts at 4:30 pm, Eastern time, and you can catch the webcast of it here.

Groupon shares are down almost 11%, at $21.95 $3.28, or almsot 13% at $21.30 in late trading.

Planning for College: Help Making Wise Investments for Your Child’s Education

We’re taught from an early age to begin saving for retirement as soon as possible. But what about saving for your child’s education? Should you put money towards their education instead?

The short answer is no. You should only put money aside for your child’s education when you are confident that you are on the right track with your retirement planning and investments. That said, most people choose to put away money for their children’s education.

The most common vehicle for college savings is the 529 plan, but it’s seen a bit of a bruising in the financial crisis. Currently contributions to the plan are down compared to the last few years, and less parents are jumping to open the college savings plan if they don’t already have one in their child’s name.

Why? Parents are looking to make safer investments. Because most college plans are opened well before the child is of university age, parents have the ability to open a CD or other high-yield savings plan. Because rates are so low, remember: you’ll need to put away much more to get the same results as a well-managed stock plan. Though the returns are lower through savings plans, they are guaranteed in a way stocks are not. That’s not to say people aren’t still using traditional 529 plans: about 300,000 new ones were opened this year.

Many 529 plan administrators are reacting by offering more savings plans than investments with the money, so it is possible to have a low-risk 529 the way you can have a low-risk mutual fund portfolio. To talk about making changes to your 529 plan or the benefits and risks of opening a new one, speak with a financial planner in your area.

Whether looking for a college financial planner for the well-being of your children or simply a wealth manager to take control of your assets, having a conversation with a financial advisor is recommended before you make any changes to your stock portfolio.

Bypass the ‘Bear’ Trap

In the midst of every major correction, experienced traders always look for telling signs of possible bottoms — events that signal pivot points for the market. One such development is the sale of the Prudent Bear Fund (BEARX) to Federated Funds (FII).

When Wall Street’s most vocal short-sale mutual fund manager, David Tice, decides it’s time to sell assets tied to the bearish case for stocks, one has to wonder whether he sees the easy downside money already made and the landscape for shorting stocks more difficult down the road after such a sharp pullback in the major averages.

Just as venture capital firms Fortress Capital and Blackstone (BX) went public last year right before the market topped out, let’s hope this sale of the Prudent Bear Fund will prove to be a contrarian indicator that signals a true bottom.

STOP BUYING STOCKS … FOR NOW, ANYWAY

I’ll tell you how you’re not going to make money in this market, and that’s by buying stocks.

I say this as a professional trader with almost 25 years’ experience in the game, and a swing trader at heart. Nothing makes me happier than putting on a quick trade and banking big gains in the space of a couple of weeks. Moving from one position to the next, riding on the success of your last great trade, is exhilarating and, let’s face it, downright addicting.

But in today’s market, it’s impossible to even go on vacation for a couple of days without coming back to find your positions in the red — you’ve got to be on top of your trading account even when the rest of your family is beckoning from the beach.

But if you play your cards right, you can afford to take another vacation to make up for the one you had to spend the whole time behind your laptop!

HERE ARE YOUR CHOICES

There are two things you can do to thrive in today’s market:

1. You can stay in the big names that are paying regular dividends — the companies that might be feeling the pinch from the current market conditions, but the ones that are going to come through it with flying colors.

2. Or, you can trade options and simply simulate the gains you might normally enjoy from owning stocks but without the long-term time commitment.

It seems like everyone on Wall Street and certainly in the financial press wants to say that the bottom is here and that it’s time to start picking up stocks on the cheap. But they’ve been calling for the end to the pain for many, many months now and yet we’re still waiting.

If you’re sitting on the sidelines in cash, you might have saved some dough, but you haven’t really made any, either. That’s no fun. In fact, that shouldn’t even be a consideration when there are so many ways you can be padding your trading account with fat profits … if you only know where to look.

FOLLOW THE MONEY FLOW

Forget the markets, the economic reports and the people on TV who get paid to make predictions that invariably never come to pass.

This summer’s trading action has felt like death by a thousand cuts. The markets are slowly, and painfully, grinding higher — only to be set back by fear, malaise or the wind blowing in the wrong direction, it seems.

If I can teach you anything today, it’s that you should become a student of sector rotation. That is, there’s still plenty of money flowing in the markets, and while it’s leaving the troubled industries like housing and the financials, it’s still there and it’s pouring into high-demand areas like commodities and healthcare.

I do this in my Tactical Trader trading service, and you can do it, too. Simply start by cherry-picking the top-performing sectors, and then take a look at the companies that are doing well — your mission is to find the best of the best names, and to buy call options on them.

So, where do you start? …

BUILD YOUR OWN ETF

Sure, you can buy Exchange-Traded Funds, which represent a group of stocks in a particular sector. You can even buy ETF options. But I encourage you to look very carefully at the specific names within an ETF, and how they are weighted. Some components might be doing well, but if there’s a big loser on the list, it’s going to drag down your trade.

I like to simulate owning an ETF simply by casting a net over the top three to five names. My criteria are simple: I want to see big-volume trading in companies that had a stellar last quarter (i.e., they beat estimates, raised forward guidance and maintained/raised their dividend, if they have one), and are confident that they can up the good work.

Even better for us, it’s earnings season, so the time is now to get a clear picture of how they did during some very tough months and how they’re planning to do, three months from now.

PICK GOOD STORY STOCKS, BUT AVOID THE FAIRYTALES

For the most part, companies try to be forthcoming with where they see their businesses heading in the coming quarters. Remember, Wall Street is also making its own bets on their performance, so even if a company has a spectacular quarter but it falls short of analysts’ estimates by a penny or two, it can sink the stock.

So, sure, a company can make any old projections that it wants to (case in point, many of the banks that still haven’t fully reported how big their losses and subsequent write-downs will be). But for the most part, if a company says it’s going to do well — barring any major disasters, of course — chances are, it will or, at least come very close.

SEPARATING THE WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF

The best part of doing your homework and picking the names with the best potential — other than making money on your own terms, in the time frame you designate because that’s what options trading is all about — is that, if any of them don’t live up to your expectations, you can cut them loose. Plain and simple.

So, if you’re holding on to some winning names and you bank profits in them … and maybe even go back to the well a couple more times because there’s nothing wrong with going back and betting on your winning horses … keep in mind that they might be names you want to own.

Buying call options gives you the right to buy stock at the option’s strike price. And that’s why I like to buy deep in-the-money calls. If you’re riding a stock and it shoots up 10 or 20 points while you’re in your options trade, you can exercise your right to own the stock at any time during the life of your options contract � at the price you agreed to pay (the strike, or exercise price).

However, it’s no secret that stocks oftentimes pause on their way up, or even retrace their steps a bit. If you see the stock running up, up up and then it either stands still or pulls back, that’s a good time to cash out of your option trade. Enjoy the profits and hold on to your original investment dollars to get back on the horse again.

GO ‘BACK’ TO YOUR BEST PICKS, AGAIN AND AGAIN

Stocks don’t just shoot up in a straight line — they do what’s called backing-and-filling, which basically means they build support areas from which they can take off and run to new highs. These temporary dips are great for picking up your favorite names at decent prices before the ride takes off again.

Sure, you might have missed out on some great trades if you were trying to avoid being caught in the “bear” trap that the overall market has turned into. But there are plenty of profits out there for you to capture. So, start looking at earnings reports, trading volume, money flow and performance expectations to pick out some stars of your own to add to your portfolio today!

Equity Funds Off 6% in ’11: Lipper Reports

The last few months of 2011 entailed sovereign-debt issues in Europe, partisan gridlock and other tough scenarios, but the average equity fund still rose 8.73% in the fourth quarter, according to Lipper. Unfortunately, these funds ended the year down 6%.

“Despite a strong Q3 earnings reporting season, with 70% of the S&P 500 constituents reporting earnings above analyst expectations, investors remained rattled by the on-again/off-again resolutions of European authorities and the relatively high U.S. unemployment rate,” said Tom Roseen (left), head of research services for Lipper in Denver, in his latest performance report, released Wednesday.

Though equity funds ended 2011 with negative results for the full year, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was able to post a 5.53% return, Roseen notes, after a good fourth quarter. “However, with lowered government spending in the cards, corporations sitting on a pile of cash, continued accommodations by the Fed, and advances in technology, investors had a reason to cheer toward year-end,” he explained.

According to Lipper’s preliminary fund-flows data, equity mutual-fund investors were net redeemers last year, pulling out an estimated $74.0 billion from the conventional funds business (excluding ETFs). It’s worth noting, though, that with the flight to safety of the last six months of 2011, investors injected $128.6 billion into taxable fixed-income funds for the year, though they redeemed a net $17.4 billion from the muni-bond fund group and $145.3 billion from money-market funds.

The equity-funds universe suffered downside performance in seven of the last eight months of 2011, with only October posting a plus-side return (+11.32%), Roseen shares. In November, the average equity fund slumped 1.32% and then handed back 0.88% for December.

In the fourth quarter, 79 of Lipper’s 86 equity and mixed-equity fund classifications posted positive returns. U.S. diversified-equity funds rose 10.77%, sector-equity funds ticked up 7.44%, and mixed-asset funds improved +5.65%.

The notable laggards for the quarter included precious-metals funds, which declined 5.71% as gold lost 3.37% to end the quarter at $1,565.80 an ounce. Nonetheless, gold was still in positive territory for the one-year period, with a gain of 10.18% for 2011.

In the fourth quarter, the mixed-equity funds macro-group improved 5.65%; this group comprises primarily life-cycle or target-date and target-allocation funds. Over the past few years, this group was the largest attractor of investor assets in the equity universe, Lipper says.

Through Nov. 30, 2011, the macro-group gained $58.6 billion in assets, more than doubling the inflows of the world-equity funds group. Quarterly returns for mixed-equity funds ranged from 0.73% for absolute-return funds to 8.68% for mixed-asset target 2045. The macro-group, though, suffered a one-year decline of 1.34%.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Robert Shiller on Animal Spirits, Optimism, and Why the Economy Is Slow

If you're interested in bubbles, you probably know who Robert Shiller is. The Yale economist (and name behind the S&P Case-Shiller home price index) rose to fame pointing out the dot-com stock bubble in the late 1990s, and the more recent housing bubble long before most saw trouble brewing.

Some of Shiller's most interesting work has been on the psychology of how people interpret what's going on in the economy -- our confidence, pessimism, expectations, and outlooks. He calls them animal spirits.

I sat down with Professor Shiller recently for a wide-ranging talk about investments and the economy. I asked him why the economy is so slow, which eventually moved into a conversation about the psychological forces affecting us today. Have a look:

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What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Top Stocks For 7/29/2012-17

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts!

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FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com

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Friday April 2, 2010

DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

The Directors of Parafin Corporation (Pinksheets:PFNO) reported that Parafin Corporation and a Private Equity Firm have both signed a Term Sheet whereby the Private Equity Firm, based out of Wilmington, DE, will commit to purchase up to $6M USD of shares of common stock of Parafin. The investor is a private equity firm that invests capital into companies in the emerging markets. They have invested in over 100 public and private companies in various sectors including oil and gas, communication, arts and entertainment, services and medical sectors. Once the final Agreements have been executed, Parafin plans to immediately begin the 3-D re-processing of all existing seismic data. The Directors of ParaFin Corporation have approved a development program for the approximately 6.6 million acre hydrocarbon Farmout Concession in the Republic of Paraguay based on the geophysical report of Byron Ayme, consulting geophysicist, dated January 1, 2010. The geophysical report indicates the Alto Parana Region�s Reserves have a very high probability of approximately 2,000,000,000 (Two Billion) Barrels of Crude. ParaFin has concluded that the region also has potential for substantial gas reserves.

Energy-efficient, intelligent building controls from Home Touch Limited (OTCBB:HMTO) will be exclusively featured in the first of four houses within Hong Kong�s premier Headland Road Project, on the island�s southern coast overlooking Repulse Bay. The homes are offered by Henderson Land Development Company. The 11,000 sq. ft. luxury Show House is near completion and will be priced at around $64 million USD ($500 million Hong Kong Dollars). Completion of all four homes is highly anticipated by the luxury real estate market. Home Touch�s green, intelligent design system efficiently controls multiple home functions � everything from lighting and temperature control, to security and entertainment systems � all integrated under the Home Touch Green and Intelligent Building System. Additional intelligent design features include European Industry Bus system, video door phone and intercom, multiple Wi-Fi networks + home control and remote site access. The Home Touch contract for system design and installation, valued at around $100,000 USD ($800,000 HKD), is due for completion in May, 2010.

iGATE Corporation, (Nasdaq:IGTE), an integrated technology and operations (iTOPS) company, has scheduled its Earnings Conference Call on Wednesday, April 14, 2010 to discuss the results of its first quarter ended March 31, 2010. Senior management of the company will discuss the financial performance of the company and answer participants’ questions during the call.

TASER International, Inc. (Nasdaq:TASR) today announced that on March 31, 2010, the United States District Court for the District of Arizona entered an order for TASER International in the patent infringement lawsuit filed against Stinger Systems entitled TASER International, Inc. v. Stinger Systems, Inc. granting TASER’s motion for summary judgment against Stinger for literal patent infringement of TASER’s U.S. Patent 6,999,295 (”295 Patent”).

Homeowners Choice, Inc. (Nasdaq:HCII), a Florida-based provider of homeowners’ insurance, today announced that it will hold its Annual Meeting of Shareholders on May 20, 2010 at Safety Harbor Resort and Spa in Safety Harbor, Fla. at 3:00 p.m. Shareholders will be admitted beginning at 2:30 p.m. The record date for the meeting has been set as Tuesday, April 6, 2010. Shareholders of record at the close of business on the record date will be entitled to vote in the meeting. The meeting agenda includes election of directors, ratification of the company’s outside auditors and a presentation by the company’s management.

Kaiser Aluminum Corporation (Nasdaq:KALU) today announced the filing of a shelf registration statement covering the possible sale from time to time by a voluntary employees’ beneficiary association (VEBA) trust of up to 4,392,265 shares of Kaiser Aluminum’s common stock. The shares being registered were distributed by Kaiser Aluminum to the VEBA trust when the Company emerged from chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2006. The filing of the registration statement by Kaiser Aluminum was made in response to a demand by the VEBA trust under a registration rights agreement entered into by Kaiser Aluminum and the VEBA trust in July 2006.

Gomez, the Web performance division of Compuware Corporation (Nasdaq:CPWR), today announced that it would host a Target Marketing Group webinar with Eric Peterson, author of “Web Analytics Demystified.” This webinar debunks the five most common myths about web analytics and details how marketers can combine Web analytics and Web performance measurements to increase revenue, improve customer experience, and drive loyalty.

10 Inflation-Resistant Income Stocks

Inflation is one of the major risks that retirees face when living off their nest eggs. The general increase of prices over time would leave retirees on fixed incomes scrambling to make ends meet in the decades since they left the work force. Dividend growth stocks are one of the few asset classes available to investors to provide a stream of income that generally grows over time. For example, between 1920 and 2005, the dividends paid by the companies included in the Dow Jones increased by 5.6% per year, which was more than the 3% annual inflation rate during the period.

During the past week, 10 reliable dividend stocks kept the tradition of rewarding their shareholders with higher inflation-adjusted stream of income. The companies include:

Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) operates as a diversified manufacturing and technology company. The company engages in appliance solutions, climate technologies, industrial automation, motor technology, network power, process management, professional tools and storage solutions businesses. This dividend aristocrat raised quarterly distributions by 15.9% to 40 cents per share. This marked the 55th consecutive annual dividend increase for the company. Only 10 companies in the world have managed to raise dividends for more than five decades. Yield: 3.3% (analysis)

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM) procures, transports, stores, processes and merchandises agricultural commodities and products in the United States and internationally. This dividend aristocrat raised quarterly distributions by 9.4% to 17.5 cents per share. This marked the 37th consecutive annual dividend increase for the company. Yield: 2.4% (analysis)

Questar Corporation (NYSE:STR) operates as an integrated natural gas holding company. This dividend aristocrat raised quarterly distributions by 6.6% to 16.25 cents per share. This marked the 33rd consecutive annual dividend increase for the company. Yield: 3.5%

Mercury General Corporation (NYSE:MCY), together with its subsidiaries, engages in writing private passenger and commercial automobile insurance in the United States. This dividend achiever raised quarterly distributions by 1.7% to 61 cents per share. This marked the 25th consecutive annual dividend increase for the company. Yield: 5.8%

Microchip Technology Incorporated (NASDAQ:MCHP) engages in the design, development, manufacture and market of semiconductor products for embedded control applications. This dividend achiever raised quarterly distributions to 34.8 cents per share. This marked the 10th consecutive annual dividend increase for the company. Yield: 3.9%

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO), through its subsidiaries, manufactures welding and cutting products worldwide. This dividend achiever raised quarterly distributions by 9.7% to 17 cents per share. This marked the 17th consecutive annual dividend increase for the company. Yield: 1.8%

DeVry Inc. (NYSE:DV), together with its subsidiaries, provides educational services worldwide. This dividend stock raised quarterly distributions by 9.4% to 17.5 cents per share. This marked the sixth consecutive annual dividend increase for the company. Yield: 0.8%

Aaron�s, Inc. (NYSE:AAN) operates as a specialty retailer of consumer electronics, computers, residential furniture, household appliances and accessories in the United States and Canada. This dividend stock raised quarterly distributions by 15.4% to 1.5 cents per share. This marked the seventh consecutive annual dividend increase for the company. Yield: 0.2%

Exterran Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ:EXLP) provides natural gas contract operations services to customers in the United States. This master limited partnership raised quarterly distributions to 48.75 cents per share. Exterran Partners has raised distributions for five years in a row. Yield: 7.9%

Noble Corporation (NYSE:NE) operates as an offshore drilling contractor for the oil and gas industry worldwide. This dividend stock raised quarterly distributions by 16.9% to 15.2 cents per share. This marked the eighth consecutive annual dividend increase for the company. Yield: 1.7%

The dividend increases of these companies beat the pension raises that Social Security has provided during the past few years.

Full disclosure: Long EMR, ADM

Should You Love This Dow Stock?: Hewlett-Packard

The following video is part of our "Motley Fool Conversations" series, in which technology editor/analyst Andrew Tonner and industrials editor/analyst Brendan Byrnes discuss topics across the investing world.

In today's edition of the Fool's series "Should You Love This Dow Stock?" Andrew and Brendan look at tech heavyweight Hewlett-Packard. The company in many ways remains rudderless, having no clear path to keep it a viable innovator in the years to come. However, new CEO Meg Whitman has pledged to right the ship and return this once-iconic company to its former glory. However, that will take plenty of innovation, and it remains unclear how the company plans to achieve this in the big picture. With effectively zero presence in mobile, HP needs to make serious inroads into the major growth areas in order to avoid its slide into irrelevance. Watch to see if HP has what it takes in this video article.

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Big tech names might gather a lot of investor attention, but the truth is that they're playing second fiddle to an even larger revolution in technology. To better prepare investors for this new revolution, The Motley Fool has just released a free report on mobile named "The Next Trillion Dollar Revolution" that details a hidden component play inside mobile phones that also is a market leader in the exploding Chinese market. Inside the report, we not only describe why the mobile revolution will dwarf any other technology revolution seen before it, but we also name the company at the forefront of the trend. Hundreds of thousands have requested access to previous reports, and you can access this new report today by clicking here -- it's free.

GLG Partners (GLG) acquired by Man Group for US$1.6 billion

By Michael Bogan

GLG Partners Inc. (NYSE: GLG) announced an agreement to be acquired by London-based Man Group plc. The acquisition by the 226-year-old hedge fund firm represents a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately US$1.6 billion. Combined assets will total approximately US$63 billion.

Man�s swap of its ordinary shares for GLG common shares at a 1.0856 exchange ratio equates to US$3.50 per GLG shares, a 20 per cent premium above Friday�s US$2.91 closing price.

Additional terms of the agreement include a cash purchase of outstanding warrants at Friday�s closing price of US$0.129 per warrant. Following the completion of the merger, warrants will become fully excersizable at the price of the merger consideration.

�This is a transformational step for GLG,� said Noam Gottesman, Chairman and Co-CEO of GLG. �We have known Man for many years and can be certain that our two businesses are highly complementary, both focused on delivering long-term performance but each with differing client bases and uncorrelated investment strategies. The combination of Man’s outstanding distribution and structuring capabilities together with our industry leading investment teams will benefit all stakeholders, particularly investors in our funds whose interests will be exceptionally well served from within the combined group. The independent committee of our Board has unanimously recommended acceptance of the cash merger to our shareholders, and as a management team we are looking forward to working with our new colleagues at Man following the close of this transaction.�

The deal comes amid growing concerns among investors and the hedge fund community of asset value volatility during an historic time of unwinding decades-long global debt and currency imbalances between the major economies of the United States, Japan, UK and EC nations and their major emerging competitors of China, India, Brazil and Russia.

Dramatic redemptions in the hedge fund industry has closed many firms, with consolidations and mergers expected by industry analysts in wake of steep losses reported since the fall of Bear Stearns in 2008.

Man said it intends to �expand its business across a broad range of hedge fund styles� in an effort to appeal to a wider range of investors. Since 1984, Man has expanded its alternative investment business to thirteen countries through investments made in world-class hedge fund subsidiaries located in the United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland.

The hedge fund industry is estimated to be worth US$1 trillion worldwide.

About BeaconEquity.com

BeaconEquity.com is committed to producing the highest-quality insight and analysis of small cap stocks, emerging technology stocks,hot penny stocks and helping investors make informed decisions. Our focus is primarily on the underserved OTC stocks market, or �penny stock� market, which has traditionally been shunned by Wall Street. We have particular expertise with renewable energy stocks, biotech stocks, oil stocks, green energy stocks and internet stocks. There are many hot penny stock opportunities present in the OTC market everyday and we seek to exploit these hot stock gains for our members before the average daytrader is aware of them.

‘Too Much Change’ for Procter & Gamble?

Change is stressful, and never more so when it involves laundry detergent.

RBC Capital Market analyst Jason Gere doesn’t like some of the changes that consumer products giant Procter & Gamble (PG) is making to try to jumpstart earnings growth. The company is making large cost cuts and focusing on its 40 largest and most profitable brands.

“Too much change going on leaves us with less conviction that PG can execute on plan,” Gere wrote.

P&G lowered its guidance for the current quarter last week, sending shares lower. Clearly, P&G is in a tough spot now, as it tries to sell higher-priced products to cash-strapped consumers in developed economies. But its attempts to deal with that challenge in the past two years haven’t panned out, and Gere isn’t willing to “give management the benefit of the doubt.”

Consumers are trading down, and the company may have to lower prices to grab market share back.

“With a portfolio skewed towards the premium tier, the macro environment (and FX headwinds) will continue to weigh on PG�s ability to grow the top line, especially while also taking action to “ensure competitive pricing across price tiers� to prevent lost share due to price gaps. Though PG will begin to have cost savings at its back, we fear the focus is shifting towards price investment, which has the potential to considerably dip into the anticipated margin flexibility generated by savings initiatives.”

Gere lowered his rating to Sector Perform from Outperform. He took his price target down to $64 from $70.

Retirement Strategy For Those 50 And Older

For those over the age of 50 it is starting to get down to crunch time in terms of coming up with a solid retirement plan. The questions so many in this age bracket ask themselves are: 1) How much money do I need to retire comfortably? 2) When will my money run out in retirement? 3) What can I possibly invest in given how low interest rates are today?

Let's first look at the overall money issue. How much money does a typical 50 year old couple really need if they retire at age 65? I took a look using our retirement planning application. I started with these assumptions: A 50 year old couple with $400,000 in investments. They are 50% in equities and 50% in fixed income. Equities return 5% per year and fixed income returns 2% per year. Inflation is 2% and their expenses in retirement will be $45,000 per year. They will receive a total of $25,000 (in today's dollars) in social security payments per year starting at age 65. Here is what I found:

Investment Value at Retirement	$593,000
Age When Funds Run Out	89

With the assumptions we used, this couple is projected to run out of money when they are 89 years old. Is this a disastrous situation? No. Is it still stressful for them? Probably. It is best to have a very large buffer in terms of when your funds are projected to run out in retirement. For most people they should make sure their money lasts at least until age 95. So how much money would this couple need at retirement to ensure that their funds will be there until age 95? After running a few scenarios, I found that this number is $677,000.

The question is how can they get to this number by the time they are 65? The most direct way is to try and save more money before retirement. They can also postpone when they retire. I found that if they both postpone their retirement age by 2 years they will achieve the goal of not running out of money until age 95.

Another option for those who fear that they won't have enough money in retirement is to move some funds out of low yielding fixed-income and into strong dividend paying stocks. With interest rates so low, the days of using bonds to throw off enough income to support a couple in retirement are pretty much over for most people. That leaves the option of dividend paying stocks for a solid income stream.

Solid dividend paying stocks- Still a good option

The core of my retirement portfolio is a foundation of dividend paying stocks that have had consistent dividend growth over time as well as low payout ratios and low debt. Five of the companies that make up this part of the portfolio are Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Procter & Gamble (PG), Coca-Cola (KO), Exxon (XOM), and Sysco (SYY).

Company	Div Yield	1 Yr Div Growth Rate	5 Yr Div Growth Rate	Payout Ratio	Debt/Equity
JNJ	3.5%	9.3%	10.6%	54.0%	29.8%
PG	3.3%	9.3%	11.4%	51.0%	51.5%
KO	2.8%	7.3%	9.5%	34.0%	87.0%
XOM	2.2%	4.8%	8.8%	22.0%	10.3%
SYY	3.6%	4.0%	9.3%	40.0%	55.8%

Besides having in common their relatively strong dividend yields and growth rates, these companies have also shown a commitment over long periods of time to keep growing their dividends. Over time, consistent dividend growth will lead to solid total returns even if stock prices fall during the investing period. To show this I ran an example using our publicly available calculator called Total Returns- Dividends vs. Price Appreciation. I took 1,000 shares of Johnson & Johnson at today's price and assumed a growth rate of dividends of 10%. Over 20 years we see the following:

Even if the stock price doesn't budge over the 20 year time frame, we would see a 313% total return (7.3% annual return). Like I said before, the movements in the stock price over a time period this long become nearly meaningless to those collecting the dividends.

Let's also take a look at how this couple would fair if they moved half of their fixed income holding into to dividend payers that return 5% per year.

	Before Moving Funds	After Moving Funds
Investment Value at Retirement	$593,000	$645,861
Age When Funds Run Out	89	95

By simply generating a return that is 3.5% higher than before on a portion of their portfolio, this couple has extended their funds in retirement by six years.

Before thinking about strategies on how to extend your money in retirement and retire comfortably, all those in this age bracket first need to figure out their situation today. They need to be able to project the amount of money they will have when they retire and how long that money will last. Only then can they start thinking about the different options in terms of how they will change their retirement situation.

Disclosure: I am long JNJ, KO, XOM, PG.

Sacramento Roof Covering Companies

Nearly all roofing restorations are a challenge, but Sacramento roof covering companies are ready for those challenges. These companies have numerous years of committed experience in providing the very best roof coverings.

They are very aware of how important your property is to you and your family and will treat your home accordingly. The value of your home is probably the best reason that you should consider using a Sacramento roof covering company for all of your roofing needs. These roof covering companies in Sacramento won’t let you down.

Here are some of the reasons why you should use these roof covering companies in Sacramento for all of your roofing needs:

These companies only use functions that have been tested and tried. They have recovered countless roofs and have as much or more experience covering roof as anyone else in the business. Most of these companies have teams that have been trained in the latest improvements to roofs. You should know that they will always use the most effective and efficient methods to replace or repair your homes roof. They also always follow the rules of the crewmembers. These crewmembers are the most effective roofers that were hired from a pool of experienced, hard working, individuals to make sure that your home’s roof will be covered properly. The will also always arranged the operations. All of their executives hire the best teams of professional roofers. These roofers will ensure that you will be completely satisfied with your roofing job. They also carry complete insurance policies. Their customers and their customer’s how will be completely protected in the case of unexpected accident.

They will monitor every phase of your roof covering or repair. These companies are very aware that some customers have a particular style of roof covering that that want and the roof covering companies in Sacramento can numerous style of roof coverings. This is precisely the reason that they ensure that the customer is continuously informed about what is going on with their roof covering job so that there won’t be any surprises and the end of the job. The will keep in close contact with their customers to make sure that there are no misunderstandings.

The folks at these Sacramento roof covering companies are straight talking people who won’t try to confuse you with any mumbo jumbo. They only want to do a great job covering your roof for a reasonable price. They are absolutely the best in Sacramento or anywhere else in the world for that matter. So if your home needs a new roof or needs a roof repaired, you should consider hiring a Sacramento roof covering company.

Click here for more information about Sacramento roof and Sacramento fence.

New Year’s Prediction #5: S&P Will Close at Over 1,420

I hope you enjoyed my other four New Year’s predictions, including New Year’s Prediction #4: Retail, The Hottest Sector of 2012. But my final prediction may be my boldest yet:

I predict that we’ll end 2012 with the S&P — our key benchmark — closing at over 1,420. From late December�s 1,200 level, that would represent a solid 20% rise. That same percentage jump in the other indexes would put the Dow over 14,200 and the NASDAQ north of 3,000.

Surprised?� On the surface, these may seem like lofty numbers. But let me put it into context for you.� Let�s flash back to 1980. �It was an election year, like 2012, and the S&P rallied 25.8% from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. It wasn�t a straight ride north for the market, but it was a very profitable year.

Today, unlike in 1980, a wide disparity exists between reported earnings and stock prices. Although earnings experienced double-digit growth in every quarter in 2011, stock prices didn’t move in lockstep to reflect that growth. The reckoning of this disparity will come to pass in 2012 as earnings continue to rise, as the crisis of confidence that has plagued the market is lifted and as investors get excited about the U.S. economic recovery. That�s why we could very well see the 2012 market meet or beat its 1980 gains.

Best of all, I’m going to see my blue-chip stocks leading the market higher. I expect these stocks, which includes heavy-hitters such as McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) and Reynolds American (NYSE:RAI), to outpace their expected market gains.

My blue-chip portfolio will be fueled by strong earnings and powerful buying pressure that should bring double the profits of what I could make by parking my money in a generic index fund. And remember, investing in blue-chip stocks means you’re likely to have solid dividend yields, which means you get the added safety of steady income.

The bottom line is that 2012 is shaping up to be a very good year for investors who can see what�s coming and know how to pick the right stocks for maximum profits.

Know The Industry Secrets Of Currency Trading

The abbreviation FX, refers to forex trading, a process of trading stock on the foreign exchange market. Basically, it refers to the activity of making use of the various categories of currencies that exist to trade.

You must be well acquainted with the principles of forex trading to properly execute the process. The exchange quote demands proper reading because it has the tendency to throw you of balance at first. With that trait adequately mastered, the investor can proceed to other areas of trading 24 hours of everyday.

In a much as your entry into the world of forex trading can be as smooth as possible, it is advisable to engage in thorough investigations, in order to select the appropriate website and determine if trading is right for you. You can be privy to websites specially created to aid you learn forex trading online by simply searching for them on the Internet using search engines.

The snazzy investor has at his or her disposal, a plethora of information that includes day-by-day commentary and live streaming information. In addition, many of these sites also provide a platform for the investor who is a newcomer by making available to him/her courses made to broaden their knowledge base.

Operating on a 24 hours basis, forex trading enables investors invest according to the changing conditions of political, social and economic world events. It starts everyday in Sydney. It then proceeds to New York, London and Tokyo and ends up again at Sydney in preparation for the next day.

Forex is quite unlike the trading carried out on NYSE, Dow or S&P 500. Ensure that your knowledge of the market is formidable enough before making sizeable investments.

The major world currencies have values that are relative to each other. What folks who do currency trading thus do is take advantage of the shifts in the relative values to make profits.

In the currency trading market, people are permitted to buy and sell currencies. Doing business in the currency trading market is fairly easy.

The mechanics of it can be very similar to what obtains in other markets; and this is why it is said that people can easily transit from other markets into it. All you have to do is seek out a currency that will increase in relative value against another currency. If you do, then the second currency can easily be exchanged for the first.

You can easily make a nice profit when you trade in the opposite, albeit if everything go as planned. There was a time when there was no room for small investors in the currency trading market. Big bankers and large multinationals made up the numbers way back.

Technology has really helped, especially during the last few years and has opened a lot of business frontiers to investors. The market is simply too lucrative to be dismissed by anyone. Traders will most often make more profits and at low risks.

If you need to create a bit more ready money on the side, you will want to understand more about the forex auto pilot system. Forex trading is a fantastic way to earn additional money.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Treasury Yields Update Following the U.S. Debt Downgrade

I've updated the charts below through April 18. Yesterday's treasury rally, as suggested by the decline in yields, was an orderly process despite the somewhat dramatic initial market response to Standard & Poor's downgrade of U.S. sovereign debt to negative from stable (read S&P's report). The most striking excerpt in the report was this observation by Standard & Poor's credit analyst Nikola G. Swann:

"Our negative outlook on our rating on the U.S. sovereign signals that we believe there is at least a one-in-three likelihood that we could lower our long-term rating on the U.S. within two years," Mr. Swann said. "The outlook reflects our view of the increased risk that the political negotiations over when and how to address both the medium- and long-term fiscal challenges will persist until at least after national elections in 2012."

The behavior of Treasuries is an area of special interest in light of the Fed's second round of quantitative easing, which was formally announced on November 3. The first chart shows the percent change for a basket of eight Treasuries since November 4.

[Click all to enlarge]

The next chart shows the daily performance of several Treasuries and the Fed Funds Rate (FFR) since 2007. The source for the yields is the Daily Treasury Yield Curve Rates from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the New York Fed's website for the FFR.

Efficiency is Important

Training cannot be over emphasized as far as its importance when it comes to owning a business and doing it well. You must have extensive training as part of a comprehensive program to be efficient and for worker development. You cannot throw the worker in to the job and in to the situation with “just enough” training. You cannot leave it up to them to improve and to get it on their own.

Your staff must be well trained. This is not just an important thing for the employee, it is also not fair to do otherwise. In addition to getting a well trained and motivated employee, you get parody in the way that they are all doing the job. When you train the employees to complete a task, you can teach them the way you want it done. That means that the employees will follow a process that will be the same regardless of who completes the task, or where they are carrying out this task.

The last thing that you want is the same job being done by multiple people in multiple places being done multiple ways. You want it to be done the same way every time it is done. Now it is your job to figure out the best way for the task to be done, but one that process is decided upon, it should always be done that way. That way there is never any question on what was done and what equipment was used and what supplies are needed.

It can be standardized and that is an important step in becoming more efficient. And becoming more efficient is the goal of any project that is looking to standardize and clean up the process. You want to get the job to the bare essentials. You want the least amount of man hours used in the process, but you are not trying to skimp out on what needs to be done.

You are not looking to cut corners and to take out essential steps. You just want those steps to be as few as possible and to be as efficient as possible. The same goes for the materials used in the process. You do not want to skimp on the materials because the customer can tell when they are getting less or a cheaper made product. But you do want to limit waste of materials in the process.

lean six sigma is a top ranking tool in the company world. Visit mbajournal.org to learn more about six sigma certification and how it will help your company.

BBBY Headed Well Beyond $70

Bed Bath & Beyond (NASDAQ:BBBY) � This retailer�s sales and earnings have risen steadily during the recession with earnings at $1.64 in 2009, $2.30 in 2010, and $3.07 in 2011. S&P estimates earnings of $3.93 in 2012 and $4.58 in 2013.

The company also operates stores under the names of Christmas Tree Shops, Harmon and buybuy BABY. And it plans to open 10 new Christmas Tree Shops and 15-20 new buybuy BABY stores this year.

At just 13 times 2013 earnings, the stock is expected to expand its P/E to 16 times with a target price of $72.

Technically BBBY is in a powerful bull market channel supported regularly by its 200-day moving average and bullish support line (red dash and solid red lines). The $72 target seems modest and the stock could even go to the high $70s by summer.

Stock Rally Gets Back on Track

Following a week that saw the S&P 500 fall for the first time in eight weeks, the�move higher in stocks returned on Monday to�its norm�– up, up, up — of�the past four-and-a-half months.

�Closing at their highs of the day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 109 points to 11,981, the Nasdaq jumped 28 points, or 1%, to 2718, while the S&P 500 moved 7 points higher to 1291.

For investors who love big, round numbers, the Dow nearly delivered, coming within 17 points of 12,000 for the first time since the middle of 2008 � when, of course, stocks were beginning a rollover � then plunge � that took the Dow below 7000 at one point.

While it seems likely that the Dow will at least touch that level this week, what is more important for bulls is that the run higher in stocks since early September keeps on rolling.

Industrials and agricultural names were among the strongest of the day –� Dow components Alcoa (NYSE:AA), Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT), and United Technologies (NYSE:UTX) all had strong trading sessions.

Tech stocks rebounded on Monday after their underperformance of last week: Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO)�and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)�all had strong days, as did current semiconductor wunderkind Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), which has to be close to some kind of record for one-month performance by a large-cap stock, soaring 60% in January alone.

And it was a day that, the Dow aside, saw small-caps outperforming the larger-cap names, in a reversal that marks either an aberration or a return to form.

Not doing so well, were old-school energy sectors like natural gas and oil � crude fell under $88 a barrel � or gold and silver miners, with the precious-metals trade largely taking a day off.

In all, today�s market offered much proof that in the absence of multiple negative hard data points that just can�t be ignored, the trend is up for now. Not even a tepid overseas market performance or an apparent terrorist bombing in Moscow were enough to derail investors who didn�t have much else in the way of economic data or earnings reports to weigh.

On the other hand, for bears this climb toward the most extreme bullishness � supported by investor sentiment surveys and recent stock fund inflow numbers � could be a sign that possibly-late-to-the-game retail investors are showing a near-term top in stocks.

However, that top doesn�t look imminent from Monday�s market performance.

4 Dividend Stocks Showing You the Money

Dividend checks continue to get fatter in Corporate America, as more companies jack up their distribution rates.

Readers of the Income Investor newsletter can certainly appreciate that kind of thinking. Let's take a closer look at some of the companies that inched their payouts higher this past week.

Let's start with Disney (NYSE: DIS ) .

The House of Mouse is boosting its annual dividend by 50% to $0.60 a share. It's a bold move for the family entertainment giant that's clearly at the mercy of economic trends. Folks don't go to its theme parks or cruise ships -- and advertisers don't bid up ad blocks on ABC -- if the economy is sputtering.

Ecolab (NYSE: ECL ) is also cleaning up nicely. The provider of water, hygiene, and energy technologies and services is raising its quarterly rate by 14% to $0.20 a share. Ecolab investors should be used to this by now, as the company has now upped its yield for 20 consecutive years.

Toro (NYSE: TTC ) helps keep lawns neat with its mowers and vegetation growing with its irrigation systems. Sprinkling a little fertilizer on its quarterly disbursements -- up 10% to $0.22 a share -- can only help the overall landscape.

Finally we have Wisconsin Energy (NYSE: WEC ) . The Milwaukee-based utility provider of electricity and natural gas is hoping to keep its payouts competitive, targeting a return of 60% of its profits to its shareholders. Last week's move in that direction involved raising its quarterly distributions by 15% to $0.30 a share.

These companies join fluid manager Graco (NYSE: GGG ) and Oklahoma City utility OGE Energy (NYSE: OGE ) in recently jacking up their yields.

Subscribers to the Income Investor newsletter can appreciate the companies sending more and more money to their investors. The newsletter singles out companies that are committed to growing their distributions with market-thumping results.

Want to see what is being recommended these days? Go ahead and give the newsletter service a shot with a 30-day trial subscription. Who knows? Maybe the next thing that will get hiked will be your interest.

If you want to track these stocks to see if and when they hike their payouts again, consider adding them to MyWatchlist.

Add Wisconsin�Energy to My Watchlist.
Add Toro to My Watchlist.
Add OGE�Energy to My Watchlist.
Add Graco to My Watchlist.
Add Ecolab to My Watchlist.
Add Walt�Disney to My Watchlist.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Weekend Catch-Up: Times Parses AIG Bailout; CNBC Critiques FIG

Herewith, some things you may have missed this weekend:

New York Times columnist Gretchen Morgenson writes in Saturday’s paper that the inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) takes the U.S. Federal Reserve to task for its bailout of American International Group (AIG). The report states the Fed failed to demand concessions from AIG’s trading partners, rescuing AIG’s counterparts form massive losses had AIG gone bankrupt.

CNBC reports investment funds specializing in distressed debt, including Fortress Investment Group (FIG) are buying up mortgages and flipping them to agencies such as Ginnie Mae and making a profit when homeowners refinance the loans. CNBC raises the ethical question of FIG and others pimping off homeowners’ desparation at the expense of the Federal Housing Authority and the national deficit.

Talking up the speculation of a bidding war between Hershey (HSY) and Kraft Foods (KFT) for Cadbury PLC (CBY), the Financial Times yesterday cites sources close to Cadbury as saying the firm is amenable to a bid from Hershey. �These are people who know each other. I don�t think anyone doubts the logic of it,” the FT quotes the source. Bloomberg notes this morning that Switzerland’s Nestle SA (NSRGY) is rumored to be interested in making a bid. Cadbury shares are up $1.32, or 2.5%, at $54.12.

Micron CEO Dies in Crash

Steven R. Appleton, chairman and chief executive of Micron Technology Inc. and one of the most prominent figures in the semiconductor industry, died Friday when the high-performance airplane he was piloting crashed at Boise, Idaho's airport.

The death of the 51-year-old stunned Micron, the well-known maker of memory chips based in the same city, and comes at a time of rapid change for the company and its industry.

Enlarge Image

Close Associated Press

Steve Appleton, in a 2005 photo, built Micron into a top competitor in a brutally competitive industry.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident, which happened soon after Mr. Appleton took off alone in a single-engine Lancair. The plane, from a maker of aircraft kits, had taken off and landed once and was leaving a second time when it crashed.

The plane was between 100 feet and 200 feet above the runway when, according to NTSB officials, it banked, potentially stalled and then rolled into the ground. Mr. Appleton was ejected from the plane and the aircraft caught fire, likely once it hit the ground, the officials said.

The plane's maker, Lancair International Inc., has sold about 2,100 aircraft over more than two decades. Its kit planes are known for their sleek designs, extensive use of composite materials and speed. Some models have flown in excess of 350 miles per hour.

Mr. Appleton was a stunt-plane flier who had survived a previous crash and also raced motorcycles, cars and off-road vehicles. He cut a maverick figure in the industry, guiding Micron through a turbulent battle against much larger Asian competitors in the boom-and-bust market for memory chips.

Micron is the last remaining U.S. competitor in an industry that American companies once dominated, showing a knack for endurance that earned Mr. Appleton the semiconductor industry's highest award in November.

Enlarge Image

Close Idaho Statesman/Zuma Press

The high-performance plane crashed next to a runway at Boise Airport.

Unlike most semiconductor executives, who often start in engineering or technology marketing, Mr. Appleton began at Micron as a production worker in 1983. He rose through the corporate ranks to become president and chief operating officer in 1991, holding those titles for about a year before taking the helm of a Micron subsidiary. He was named CEO, president and chairman of the parent company in 1994.

He also endured a boardroom battle in 1996 that caused him to abruptly resign, only to return the same month, an incident later linked to a dispute with one director.

"We had kind of a lunatic board back them," said Mr. Appleton during a speech at an industry event in November on accepting the Semiconductor Industry Association's Robert N. Noyce award."I'm obviously an aggressive person," Mr. Appleton told The Wall Street Journal in 2006. "It is kind of a cliché, but I'd rather die living than die dying."

Mr. Appleton was a qualified stunt pilot whose many planes included a bright red Hawker Hunter fighter jet he bought from the Republic of Singapore Air Force in the 1990s. He sometimes flew it so low that the afterburners set fire to grass.He flew at air shows, performing loops, rolls, and inverted stalls at altitudes below 100 feet. He joked that the memory-chip business was more hazardous than flying.

In 2004, Mr. Appleton crashed a stunt plane in the Idaho desert after he performed a loop for a corporate video. His injuries included a broken back, a collapsed lung, torn cartilage throughout his sternum and a two-inch laceration on his forehead. But it wasn't long before he was back in action.

Mr. Appleton, who leaves his wife, Dalynn, and four children, credited his love of high-velocity sporting with helping him make snap business decisions.

"For me it is something like the movie 'The Matrix.' The DRAM [memory] business is like in slow motion in comparison to all the other things I do," he told the Business Times of Singapore in 2011.

He also was known for martial arts and tennis, which allowed him to attend Boise State University on a scholarship.

His death comes during a tough time for companies in the memory chip industry. Weak demand and cut prices and triggered losses at Micron and other companies.Most recently, stiff competition and the rising cost of improving chips has made it even harder for surviving makers of dynamic random-access memory, the chips known as DRAMs that are used to store data in personal computers and server systems. Mr. Appleton recently predicted that mergers and other consolidation in the industry were inevitable.

Micron has been working to diversify its operations, with more of its operations focusing on producing a type of memory used in smartphones and tablets, which are growing much faster than PCs. The company was planning to host an analyst conference next week to update investors on its strategy and current market conditions.

Friday's tragedy comes after President and Chief Operating Officer D. Mark Durcan last week said he will retire at the end of August, allowing Mark W. Adams, sales vice president, to succeed him. The company said Mr. Durcan became acting CEO on Friday. Its board of directors is due to meet over the weekend, a spokesman added.

Some analysts said Mr. Appleton's death is unlikely to slow the company's transformation. Wedbush Securities Inc. analyst Betsy Van Hees said Micron has a deep bench of capable managers. "Because of the strong organization Steve has built over the years, the company will be fine and will continue to prosper," Ms. Van Hees said.

Trading in its shares was halted at mid-day after rising 3% on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The stock was off 28 cents at $7.67 in after-hours trading on Friday.

While not expected to change Micron's strategy, analysts said Appleton's death could slow consolidation in its industry. There have been recent reports that struggling Japanese memory makerElpida Memory Inc. is seeking to team up with Micron and others. Micron has declined to comment on the matter.

"DRAM consolidation is likely still going to move ahead, but the loss of a key man in negotiations would slow it down," MKM Partners analyst Daniel Berenbaum said.

—Stephen Miller and Andy Pasztor contributed to this article.

Write to Shara Tibken at shara.tibken@dowjones.com and Don Clark at don.clark@wsj.com

Corrections & Amplifications Steve Appleton became CEO, president and chairman of a Micron subsidiary in 1992, serving in that role until being named CEO, president and chairman of the parent company in 1994. An earlier version of this story failed to mention his stint at the subsidiary.

Yum Brands Beats, Raises Guidance; China Margins Fall

Yum Brands (YUM) fell about 1% after hours even after beating earnings expectations and raising its full-year guidance.

The owner of KFC and Taco Bell posted 76 cents in EPS, 3 cents ahead of expectations. Revenue of $2.7 billion was in line with expectations. Worldwide operating profit jumped 15%, including 14% in China. Same store sales grew 5% in the U.S. and 14% in China. Overall restaurant margins grew to 18.6%, up 120 basis points. But Chinese margins fell 150 basis points to 23.6%.

“Restaurant margin decreased 1.5 percentage points to 23.6%, driven primarily by wage rate inflation of 17%. Commodity inflation was 10%.”

Earnings should grow at least 12% for the year, the company added.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

The Curious Case of the iShares Italy ETF

The sovereign debt crisis in Europe that spanned much of 2010–and looks to carry over into 2011 as well–put a variety of European economies under the spotlight. Both major economies, such as Spain, and minor nations such as Ireland felt the heat from investors, citizens, and foreign governments alike, who were all growing increasingly concerned over how programs would be paid for and which would have to be cut in order to maintain solvency. Issues are also starting to crop up for Italy as well, but few investors are likely to have noticed given the apathy that most have shown towards the nation’s ETFs. According to our Country Exposure Tool, 53 different funds offer exposure to Italian securities and yet just four offer exposure exceeding 10% of their total assets to the country. In fact, only one fund offers near universal exposure to the country despite the massive size of the Italian economy. This main ETF tracking the Italian markets, the iShares MSCI Italy Index Fund (EWI) amazingly has less than $100 million in assets under management, even though it tracks the economy of one of the 10 biggest economic powers in the world [see all the ETFs in the European Equities ETFdb Category].

This is in sharp contrast to other comparable-sized economies that have amassed a great deal more in assets in their most popular ETFs. The main fund tracking the UK currently has over $1 billion in assets, while Brazil’s main ETF has close to $12 billion, even though both of the nations have roughly the same level of GDP as Italy. Even tiny Malaysia– a country that most Americans probably couldn’t find on a map– has its ETF, EWM, possess more than ten times the assets of EWI.

While it is hard to explain why investors have completely abandoned ETF investing in Italy, a couple of possible reasons come to mind. First off, Italy is a very mature market with low growth prospects; the country has a very low birth rate and seems poised to shrink population-wise heading into the next few decades. Political turmoil and budget issues haven’t helped matters either as investors have had to deal with a constantly changing regulatory environment and fears over the government being forced to pull the plug on expensive social programs in the near future in order to keep the economy moving at all.

However, with that being said, the nation has a wealth of dynamic assets to its credit as well. Tourism in the country remains strong while pockets of manufacturing across the nation continue to flourish and remain in demand across the world. In fact, the nation is the world’s 7th largest exporter, outpacing well-known exporters such as South Korea in the process. Furthermore, the nation has relatively solid relationships with a number of countries in key locations, such as emerging nations in North Africa and even Russia. These deals could make the nation better able to fight through any crises than some of its more developed market-focused peers such as the UK.

As a result of this complete oversight by investors, we have decided to take a closer look at the main fund tracking the Italian markets, in order to give investors a better idea of a fund that they probably have overlooked.

EWI tracks the MSCI Italy Index which measures the performance of the Italian equity market by investing in 32 Italian securities. It is heavily weighted towards three sectors; financials (32.2%), energy (27.2%), and utilities (17.1%) while offering minimal allocations to consumer staples and telecommunication firms. Its top individual holdings include oil giant ENI SpA (E) (18.7%), electricity and gas provider Enel SpA (10.5%), and banking firm Unicredit SpA (9.4%).

Although the fund has been rocked by the sovereign debt crisis over the past year, posting a loss of 15.3% in 2010, EWI does pay a relatively high dividend yield of 2.5% and has a PE ratio of 13.2. This suggests that for those seeking European investments in beaten down countries, EWI could make for an intriguing choice given its relatively overlooked status by investors and its exposure to securities most investors probably do not have a lot of exposure to in their current portfolios.

Disclosure: Author is long EWM and EWZ.

Disclaimer: ETF Database is not an investment advisor, and any content published by ETF Database does not constitute individual investment advice. The opinions offered herein are not personalized recommendations to buy, sell or hold securities. From time to time, issuers of exchange-traded products mentioned herein may place paid advertisements with ETF Database. All content on ETF Database is produced independently of any advertising relationships.

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A Little About Stocks and Stock Markets

A stock in general is the capital that a founder initially invests in his business. It is not the asset or the property of the company because these are variables that often fluctuate. Stock is more of a fixed amount. When a business comes to existence, the stock is equally divided into different shares. Shares are simply different quotas of ownership in the business. The board of directors are usually shareholders of a company. If they have more shares than the rest, they own the company more than others.

Now another important thing to know is that there are many different kinds of stocks. A business ownership usually deals with common stocks or preferred stocks. These stocks can get you voting rights. There are penny stocks that have interested a lot of people around the world. Penny stocks deal with trading of stocks that are below $1. Even this amount can bring a huge difference in the stock market.

Usually sales and different other methods can transfer shares from a particular shareholder to different companies. There are laws and rules that keep a watch over these transfers and this is all called stock trading. Then there is phenomenon called stock exchange. Through stock exchange, people trade their shares in different companies. Different companies list their shares and whoever wants to invest in shares can do so, this will earn them the ownership of different companies when they have won over certain shares.

You can also buy stocks and the right way to do it is via the stock broker. A stock broker arranges meetings between sellers and buyers of the stock market. Usually owners that do not want to suffer any more loss at the hands of their company sell their loss.

If you plan to make a position in a business like this one you need to be very careful. There are a lot of risks involved in this market. The best thing to do would be to weigh your advantages and disadvantages. Also, keep yourself updated with all the recent stock market trends. You need to study different financial structures of companies and look into them thoroughly before you reach decisions.

This business might look very risky in the beginning but once you get the hang of it, you will know that all it requires is some practice like all other jobs. You can thoroughly research subjects offline or online. Different websites can help you stay updated with stock and share news.

You can follow the link to find out what penny stocks really are.

Top Stocks For 2012-2-9-8

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) a leader in global payments, and The Pantry, Inc., the leading independently-operated convenience store chain in the southeastern U.S., announced an agreement to offer the Western Union goCASH service, an in-lane money-transfer service from Western Union.

The Western Union Company is a leader in global payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Western Union Business Solutions branded payment services, Western Union provides consumers and businesses with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around the world, to send payments and to purchase money orders.

Biomass is one of the most abundant and well-utilized sources of renewable energy in the world. Broadly speaking, it is organic material produced by the photosynthesis of light. The chemical materials (organic compounds of carbons) are stored and can then be used to generate energy. The most common biomass used for energy is wood from trees. Wood has been used by humans for producing energy for heating and cooking for a very long time.

Cleantech Transit Inc. (�Cleantech�) (OTC.BB:CLNO) was founded to capitalize on technology advances and manufacturing opportunities in the growing clean energy public transportation sector. Cleantech Transit Inc has expanded its focus to invest directly in specific green projects that could maximize shareholder value. Recognizing the many economic and operational advances of converting wood waste into renewable sources of energy, Cleantech Transit Inc. has selected to invest in Phoenix Energy (www.phoenixenergy.net). This project could benefit the Company�s manufacturing clients worldwide.

With parallel operation, your business seamlessly integrates with the grid. Producing more power than you need? Spin your meter backwards and have the power company pay you! Need more power than you are generating, supplement by taking part of the power from your Phoenix Energy power plant, and part from the local utility.

Cleantech Transit, Inc. is pleased to announce it has met its funding requirement to secure the Company�s ability to earn in 25% of the 500KW Merced Project.

The Company is in the final stages of closing its initial interest in the Merced Project and is currently working on completing the necessary documentation and expects closing the transaction soon. As previously announced Cleantech has the option to earn up to 40% of the Merced Project and the Company plans to continue to work towards increasing its interest in the Merced Project as they move ahead.

To discover more about CLNO, Please visit: http://www.cleantechtransitinc.com/

UDR, Inc. (NYSE:UDR) a leading multifamily real estate investment trust, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Dwell95, a 507-home apartment community in New York City�s Financial District, for $325.0 million. It is anticipated that the purchase price will be funded through the issuance of approximately $50 million of operating partnership units (with a floor price of $25 per unit) and $275 million in cash, partially funded through the proceeds from the disposition of communities that no longer fit the long term growth profile of the Company.

UDR, Inc. an S&P 400 company, is a leading multifamily real estate investment trust with a demonstrated performance history of delivering superior and dependable returns by successfully managing, buying, selling, developing and redeveloping attractive real estate properties in targeted U.S. markets.

EnergySolutions, Inc. (NYSE:ES) a leading provider of specialized, technology-based nuclear services to government and commercial customers, announced financial results for the Company’s second quarter ended June 30, 2011. Revenue for the second quarter of 2011 totaled $403.7 million, compared with $398.3 million in the second quarter of 2010. Gross profit for the second quarter of 2011 was $32.7 million, compared with $44.9 million for the second quarter of 2010. Selling, general, & administrative expenses decreased to $27.9 million, from $31.2 million in the second quarter of 2010 as a result of ongoing cost reduction efforts.

EnergySolutions offers customers a full range of integrated services and solutions, including nuclear operations, characterization, decommissioning, decontamination, site closure, transportation, nuclear materials management, the safe, secure disposition of nuclear waste, and research and engineering services across the fuel cycle.

Top Stocks For 6/26/2012-10

American Video Teleconferencing Corp. (AVOT)

American Video Teleconferencing Corp. believes the rare earths industry is where it wants to maintain a very strong focus and is looking to expand its holdings.

In many applications, Rare Earths metals are advantageous because of their relatively low toxicity. For example, the most common types of rechargeable batteries contain either cadmium (Cd) or lead. Rechargeable lanthanum-nickel-hydride (La-Ni-H) batteries are gradually replacing Ni-Cd batteries in computer and communications applications and could eventually replace lead-acid batteries in automobiles.
Although more expensive, La-Ni-H batteries offer greater energy density, better charge-discharge characteristics, and fewer environmental problems upon disposal or recycling. As another example, red and red-orange pigments made with La or Ce are superseding traditional commercial pigments containing Cd or other toxic heavy metals.

American Video Teleconferencing Corp. is normally known for its business and efforts of exploration in Rare Earth Elements. According to the Company, it aggressively continues to search world-wide for opportunities in Precious, Base and Rare Earths metal projects in its future strategies.

American Video Teleconferencing Corp.’s shares are publicly traded on the OTC under the ticker symbol AVOT.PK.

American Video Teleconferencing Corp. announced that Wayne Lockhart, BSc. Geology, has joined the company as special geological advisor to AVOT for advancing the company’s exploration programs on its newly acquired rare earth property in Quebec. Mr. Lockhart has over 35 years experience in the mining business having worked for Falconbridge and Phelps Dodge in eastern Canada, Anglo American Corp. (DeBeers) in Africa and Benguet Cons. in the Philippines.

Mr. Lockhart in addition to being a lecturer at the University of New Brunswick in Geology has developed programs for the United Nations (UNDP). Mr. Lockhart is an Honorary Director of the Prospector and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), a founding and former member of the Association of Exploration Geochemists and a Member of the Society of Economic Geologists.

Orofino Gold Corp. (ORFG)

Orofino Gold Corp. has several Gold development properties in Colombia, a current hot spot of gold production in the world markets. Orofino Gold Corp. is a Colombia based gold producer founded as a private company in 2009 by former executives with over 50 cumulative years in mining exploration, finance, and development expertise.

Today, the gold mining industry plays an important role in the global economy because this precious metal is used in a number of quickly developing technologies. This includes gold coated electrical connectors used in computers and home appliances, weather satellites with gold plated shields, laser technology that uses gold coatings. It is also important in modern medicine, which uses gold in different procedures that include the treatment of cancer, viruses, bacterial diseases and even allergies.

Orofino’s corporate objective is to continue to build shareholder value through the exploration and development of Senderos de Oro and additional accretive acquisitions, capitalizing on the extensive experience and relationships that management has developed over the past 25 years.
Orofino Gold Corp.’s shares are publicly traded on the OTC under the ticker symbol ORFG.

Orofino Gold Corp. recently announced an expanding involvement of renowned academic Dr. Hans J. Bocker as Orofino continues to increase its activities in preparation for major development on its Colombian mining concessions.

Dr. Hans J. Bocker is an internationally recognized academic advisor. His expertise encompasses fundamental organizational and operational logistics including production and operations management, purchasing and procurement, safety, loss control, quality management, international management, cross-cultural management, transportation and traffic logistics, and leadership training for executives.

For more information about Orofino Gold Corp. visit its website www.orofinogoldcorp.com

Monsanto Co. (NYSE:MON) and Atlas Venture, an early-stage venture capital firm based in Cambridge, Mass., announced an agreement to enter a multi-year collaboration to explore investment opportunities in early-stage life sciences technology companies. Under the agreement, Monsanto will work with Atlas to identify strategic investments in a number of technology focus areas within agriculture to support and complement Monsanto’s interests and potential growth areas, including genomics, informatics and biology. For Atlas, this collaboration provides access to technology capabilities and insight that bring a unique perspective to its investment process.

Monsanto Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides agricultural products for farmers in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Seeds and Genomics, and Agricultural Productivity. The Seeds and Genomics segment produces corn, soybean, canola, and cotton seeds, as well as vegetable seeds, including tomato, pepper, eggplant, melon, cucumber, pumpkin, squash, beans, broccoli, onions, and lettuce seeds.

Encana Corporation (NYSE:ECA) will release its first quarter 2011 results on Wednesday, April 20, 2011. The news release will provide consolidated first quarter operating and financial information. Financial statements will be available on the company’s website. A conference call and webcast to discuss the results will be held for the investment community the same day beginning at 10:00 a.m. MT (12:00 p.m. ET). To participate, please dial (888) 231-8191 (toll-free in North America) or (647) 427-7450 approximately 10 minutes prior to the conference call. An archived recording of the call will be available from approximately 3:00 p.m. ET on April 20 until midnight April 27, 2011 by dialing (800) 642-1687 or (416) 849-0833 and entering passcode 27940894. A live audio webcast of the conference call will also be available via Encana’s website, www.encana.com, under Investors/Presentations & events. The webcast will be archived for approximately 90 days.

Encana Corporation engages in the exploration for, development, production, and marketing of natural gas, crude oil, and natural gas liquids primarily in Canada and the United States. The company owns interests in Canadian natural gas resource plays that primarily include the Greater Sierra, Cutbank Ridge, Bighorn, and Coalbed Methane resource plays located in British Columbia and Alberta.

First Majestic Silver Corp. (NYSE:AG) is pleased to announce that production in the first quarter of 2011 reached 1,825,366 equivalent ounces of silver, representing a 13% increase over the 1,619,403 equivalent ounces of silver produced in the first quarter of 2010. Production during the quarter consisted of 1,769,209 ounces of silver, making First Majestic’s first quarter production 97% pure silver, the highest in the silver mining industry. Silver production in the first quarter of 2011 represents a 25% increase compared to the first quarter of the prior year, and a 1% increase over the 1,757,332 silver ounces produced in the fourth quarter of 2010. In addition to the 1,769,209 ounces of pure silver, the Company produced 1,187,912 pounds of lead, representing a 53% decrease from the first quarter of the previous year, and 351 ounces of gold, representing a decrease of 59% compared to the first quarter of 2010.

First Majestic Silver Corp. engages in the production, development, exploration, and acquisition of mineral properties with a focus on silver in Mexico.

Tech Stocks Start May With A Bang, Apple Climbs, RIMM Tumbles

The Nasdaqwas up 0.8% in recent afternoon trading, as tech stocks bounced back from yesterday’s doldrums.

Apple (AAPL), which lost more than 3% yesterday, traded up as much as 2.2% in morning trading before giving up some ground; it’s currently up about 1%. The company defendedits tax practices after they were highlightedby the New York Times; however, it was overtakenby�Samsung�(005930KS)�in the world smartphone market (it now sits at No. 2 in the global rankings) and a long-time insider sold nearly $39 million in stock on Friday, recent filings showed.

Recently both Intel (INTC) and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) were both up more than 2%, among the top performers in the Dow.

Elsewhere, ADP (ADP) was falling in recent trading despite making headway earlier on a solid earnings report. Expedia (EXPE) was tumbling on an analyst downgrade that noted the stock could take a 20% haircut.

Research In Motion (RIMM) was another name going against the bullish tide, sagging 4.3% �as it kicked off its BlackBerry World conference in Florida.

Project IPOVille: Michael Kors! Zynga!

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Groupon, LinkedIn and Pandora may have all plunged from the prices they hit on their first day of trading.

But that hasn't stopped other high-tech firms in trendy industries from rushing to go public before the end of the year. Cloud computing company Jive Software (JIVE) went public Tuesday and gained 25% on its first day.

Meanwhile, investors are eagerly awaiting the debut of Zynga (ZNGA), the gaming company behind the popular FarmVille and Mafia Wars franchises as well as Alec Baldwin's favorite game, Words With Friends. It should price its offering Thursday and start trading Friday.

But it's not just tech firms joining the IPO parade. Eleven companies may wind up going public this week.

Investors (and fashionistas) will be paying close attention to the IPO of Michael Kors Holdings (KORS), the clothing house run by the snarkiest of "Project Runway" judges. Let's hope the offering, slated to price Wednesday and debut Thursday, is not a hot mess.

Other brand-name companies, including luxury travel bag maker Tumi, organic macaroni and cheese seller Annie's and local reviews site Yelp, have all filed to go public in recent weeks. That should put them on track to hit the markets sometime in early 2012.

But don't get too excited about an IPO boom: The window is open, but investors are clearly becoming more discerning.

The companies going public this week may be trying to make it out before the holiday break. Volume will slow to a near halt in the next two weeks as investors begin to close the books on 2011.

How 2011's Web IPOs fared

Two companies in less exciting industries than tech and apparel retailing started trading Wednesday and were relative duds.

Oil and natural gas producer Sanchez Energy (SN) priced below its expected range and then fell from its offering price. Israel-based supermarket owner Gazit-Global (GZT) also debuted Wednesday and traded lower.

And the collapse in the stock prices of the likes of Groupon (GRPN), LinkedIn (LNKD), Pandora (P) and other dot-coms is a clear sign that investors want to see more than just promise and hope. Actual earnings help.

"Deals are getting done, but attention doesn't always translate into returns," said Kathleen Smith, principal with Renaissance Capital, a Greenwich, Conn.-based research and investment firm that runs the Global IPO Plus Aftermarket fund.

In a market as rocky as this one, the IPO euphoria has been short-lived even for profitable companies with true brand-name recognition.

Shares of Dunkin' Brands (DNKN), while still up from their offering price, are trading 12% (mmm ....a dozen Munchkins) lower than their first-day closing price. Hospital owner HCA (HCA, Fortune 500), which was taken private by investment firms in 2006 and returned to the public markets this March, is trading about 33% below its offering price.

There's a difference between hype and success. To be fair, though, the problem may not be with the companies that have gone public. It's the broader market.

With daily stock moves causing many traders (and market reporters) to reach for the Pepto-Bismol, is it any wonder that the newest offerings -- which began trading back when the markets were calmer -- would be suffering the most now?

"Risk was summarily re-priced after August. The volatility has crippled the market," said David Menlow, president of IPOfinancial.com, an independent research firm based in Millburn, N.J.

5 reasons Facebook should go Dutch

Menlow thinks that 2012 will be a better year for the IPO market.

Smith is hopeful too. She said that Tumi could be a hit. So could Carlyle Group, the private equity firm that filed for an IPO earlier this year.

And then there's a certain social networking firm that is widely expected to start trading in 2012. I think it rhymes with Basehook? And someone may have made a movie about it?

"Investors are chasing companies with a unique business model and robust growth. A strong brand name like Facebook may be able to defy the economy," Smith said.

But Facebook's IPO success may hinge on whether or not investment bankers drive its market cap into the stratosphere.

Keep in mind that for all the complaints back in 2004 about how rich a price Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) was going public at, Google's market value on its first day was only $27 billion. People are speculating that Facebook could start trading at a market value nearly 4 times that -- one that may not be warranted.

"I'm worried about Facebook's valuation," Menlow said. "If Facebook goes out as a $100 billion company, I'd be very concerned about the market's approach to the stock."

Best of StockTwits: Research in Motion (RIMM) may need to change its name to Research in Slow Motion. Or Research in Downward Motion. The BlackBerry maker reports earnings Thursday after the closing bell. It lowered guidance earlier this month and many traders still think the worst is not over.

Dostoevsky: $RIMM total collapse

Hey. Aren't you the guy that wrote "Crime and Punishment?" The story of RIMM is awfully similar to a depressing Russian novel.

bobbarlow: Once $RIMM breaks $15 it will go down a lot faster, since many placed stop loss sell orders if it goes below 15.

For what it's worth, RIMM hit a new 52-week low of $14.87 earlier Wednesday but it has bounced back above $15 since then. But it's anybody's bet how low the stock could go if earnings are a disaster.

graubart: Or very drunk on a plane... RT @FLYiR: $RIMM earnings tomorrow at 4:30. You'll want to be on @stocktwits stream for this.

Hilarious. If you tied up a trader and threatened to buy RIMM stock for their portfolio, they just might chew through those restraints to stop you.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Paul R. La Monica. Other than Time Warner, the parent of CNNMoney, and Abbott Laboratories, La Monica does not own positions in any individual stocks.