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Posted
Sep 17 2009, 11:57 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
This article is written by Minyanville's Andrew Jeffery
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke may have kept his job for another four years, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be any easier than the last four.
With pundits, politicians, and regulators sounding the trumpets that our latest bout with recession is likely behind us, central banks and Treasury Departments around the world are looking forward at the daunting task of removing the various forms of stimulus -- which, in the estimation of former Merrill Lynch economist David Rosenberg, have contributed 100% of global economic growth this year. See "Staying Neutral on Inflation vs. Deflation."
European Central Bank Chief Jean-Claude Trichet even took out space in the Financial Times to lay out his vision for the eventual withdrawal of “enhanced credit support,” which helped prop up local, and indeed global, financial markets.
Here at home, Bernanke’s much maligned predecessor, Alan Greenspan, is voicing concern that Congress could complicate the Fed’s already delicate task of keeping the economy grinding ahead without waking the sleeping giant of inflation.
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Posted
Oct 24 2008, 01:38 PM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
This just in: Alan Greenspan isn't infallible, and the banking industry's hard-headed self-interest doesn't count for much when unleavened by a smidgeon of insight.
Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve Chairman, told a Congressional hearing that the credit crunch exceeded anything he had imagined; he goofed in thinking that banks would act intelligently to protect themselves from risky mortgages.
Democratic Representative Henry Waxman of California and chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said that the Federal Reserve, the US Treasury and the Securities and Exchange Commission pushed "the prevailing attitude in Washington…that the market always knows best."
Please, people: We're facing a serious mess, and turning things around requires more than artful butt-covering in the final days before November 4th's presidential election.
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Posted
Mar 19 2009, 10:41 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
It’s starting to make economic sense to go green.
Last summer, with gas prices topping $4 per gallon and commodities of all kinds becoming more expensive, renewable energy advocates thought their day in sun -- so to speak -- had finally arrived.
Investors flocked to industry leaders like First Solar (FSLR) and SunPower (SPWRA), whose stocks leapt to new highs. On July 8, 2008, renowned investor T. Boone Pickens announced an ambitious plan to wean America off its dependence on foreign oil. Later that week, crude touched an all-time high of $147.02 per barrel.
Since then, oil -- along the rest of the commodity complex -- has plunged, dashing hopes that renewable energy would soon be as cheap, if not cheaper, than traditional, dirty fossil fuels. But now, with the economy in free fall and Washington scrambling to boost productivity, renewable energy has been taken off life support.
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Posted
Aug 05 2009, 09:42 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
This article was written by Minyanville's Josh Lipton The first publicly known cyberspace attack came in the 1980’s, when the KGB hired West German hackers to penetrate U.S. military and research networks. In the years since, cybersecurity attacks against both military and civilian installations have become more sophisticated and well publicized. In 2007, the departments of Defense, State, Homeland Security, and Commerce and NASA all suffered major intrusions by unknown foreign entities, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Perhaps not surprisingly, then, President Barack Obama has made cybersecurity a priority of his administration. “[I]t’s now clear this cyber threat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation,” he said in a speech in May. And on Monday, the White House’s acting cybersecurity czar announced her resignation. So, for now, the White House cybersecurity post is still unfilled. (See also: Seven Addictions to Replace Your Hacked iPhone)
However, the threat from foreign enemies and rogue hackers continues, threatening both public and private sector cyber infrastructure. It also presents potential money making profits for companies developing technologies to beat back the cyber threat, and for nimble investors thinking about market opportunities.
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Posted
Aug 20 2009, 06:25 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
This article was written by Minyanville's Quint Tatro Like many other traders, I had a great idea in the back of my mind, just waiting to be researched and put into action. I knew that swine flu hysteria would cause certain stocks to jump -- even if they were only remotely attached to the actual pandemic at hand. With the World Health Organization ramping up the media coverage and exposure of the current outbreak, I decided it was time to anticipate this fall’s flu season. While I trade only the technicals, I also knew that the panic of the general public would manifest itself in time in the charts. Bing: More on Swine Flu
What started out as an article investigating swine flu-related stocks ended up a mixed bag of pharma stocks that were worthy of a second look as they continue to shape good patterns. (See also, "Four Oil and Gas Stocks Powering Ahead.") I have also thrown in a couple of highly speculative (and I do mean speculative) charts that closely relate to the H1N1 issue at hand. Today’s review isn't so much a look at stocks from which to make money when swine flu is back, front and center in the U.S., but more a look at some possible trades that could set up in the next few weeks to months. Make your list, and keep your powder dry.
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Posted
Apr 30 2009, 08:32 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Greetings from New York, where my obsession with Sandy (Las Vegas Sands (LVS)) shows no sign of abating. I sell some, jump back in and vow to hold, then get mornings such as this, where the stock is up over 10%, the calls (as my boy Ryan Krueger observed) are selling huge, and I’m right back on the swing set at the drive-in theater, pining for the shares I’ve sold.
And, fine, Danny broke up with Sandy because of peer pressure, and I’ve just been taking profits. Stop hassling my metaphors, and let me focus on the note I have to hit at the end of this song. Love and discipline hurt, that’s all I’m saying, okay?
Wait, I’m also saying that I’m selling, but still long, Sandy, Wynn Resorts (WYNN) despite staying quick on the trigger by taking profits in the gaps higher and ruing the shares I sold before this morning. Shorting here seems loonier than a Joe Biden screed, but maybe that’s just me. The objective ugliness of all these “better-than-expected” earnings reports suggests that today is more about squeezing the guts out of those betting against the 870-875 resistance than a fundamental bottom here.
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Posted
May 01 2009, 11:50 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
This article was written by Minyanville's Kevin Depew
1. Chrysler gets a “new lease on life”
President Barack Obama on Thursday pledged to give Chrysler LLC "a new lease on life," by which he meant ushering the automaker into a bankruptcy reorganization that essentially puts Italy's Fiat SpA in charge.
It was a classic case of government coercion and arm-twisting. And here’s what really happened: The lenders with Chrysler exposure who have received Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) money -- lenders the government now basically controls as a result of their agreeing to accept that money -- all agreed to essentially give up their rights as secured lenders to allow the “surgical bankruptcy” to proceed.
What does that mean for the other lenders? Independent lenders, mostly institutions and hedge fends, however, did not agree to allow this to happen, and so this “bankruptcy” will most likely wind up in court and drag on for years and years.
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Posted
Jun 08 2009, 07:29 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
In a perfect world, all energy would come from electricity and hydrogen. Wind, solar, tidal, geothermal, and other renewable energy sources would provide enough electricity to power everything except air transportation. The “conventional” answer to transportation in the future was the hydrogen fuel cell. It doesn’t get any better than that. The fuel cell burns hydrogen and powers cars, trucks, and any other transportation vehicle. The hydrogen combines with oxygen to form water vapor. No other gases or pollutants are released.
The hydrogen fuel cell is an efficient generator of electricity, but it has one major problem: It needs hydrogen. So where does it get it? Therein lies the hydrogen myth. On Earth, there's no hydrogen to mine. You have to make it, and that requires wasting energy. You could conceivably mine hydrogen from the sun or Jupiter, but even Al Gore would probably agree that that would be tough to accomplish.
Last month, the Department of Energy (DOE) finally conceded that hydrogen won't be a part of the near-term solution to global warming, the peak oil crisis, or anything else you can think of. They're cutting back funding dramatically on hydrogen research. This is a triumph of physics over policy. In the long run, physics will always win, but we have way too many policy wonks in Washington without a clue about how the physical world works.
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Posted
Mar 23 2009, 08:42 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Has anyone else noticed that there's still a lot of hand-wringing going on -- mostly about General Electric's (GE) GE Capital unit?
Over the weekend, a BernsteinResearch analyst trimmed his earnings estimate for 2009 from $1.18 to $0.81. In addition, Deutsche Bank lowered its estimate for the year from $1.20 to $0.97. Obviously, I don’t think that's good news - especially since we're not talking about a couple of bucks here. But am I the only guy who sees value here and thinks the bad-mouthing the company's been receiving is overdone? To wit:
1. These guys trade under $10, or at least closed there on Friday.
2. Insiders have been buying the shares, and -- even if it pays a quarterly dividend of $0.10 -- its forward yield (based on Friday’s closing price) would still be north of 4%, by my math.
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Posted
Oct 07 2009, 11:48 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
This article is written by Minyanville's Mike Schuster
Gourmands, harried fiancées, and dentist office waiting rooms were struck a blow on Monday when publishing giant Condé Nast announced the closure of four of its popular magazines after severe drops in ad revenue.
Elegant Bride and Modern Bride will be ceasing publication as well as the soccer mom handbook Cookie. Gourmet will be shuttered at the release of its November 2009 issue, but will live on with TV programming and online recipes.
See also, Who Needs Newspapers Anyway?
The closures see roughly 180 employees laid off and a collective circulation of more than four million issues stripped from shelves and mailboxes.
Despite the dedicated readership each magazine held, the publications were at the mercy of a three-month study by the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company. After its analysis, McKinsey advised several Condé magazines to cut 25% from their budgets, but no amount of cost-cutting initiatives was able to save the aforementioned few.
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