STARmeter Ratings for Buffett, Soros, Cramer

IMDB.com, also known as Internet Movie Database, publishes STARmeter ratings of anyone who has ever had anything to do with show business. The STARmeter shows what people are interested in, based on the actual behavior of millions of IMDb users, showing if there is a high level of public awareness and/or interest in the person. Here is a list of several noted traders, investors, and other well-known individuals in the financial field, along with their STARrating change from last week.

George Soros +511%
Warren Buffett +24%
Jim Cramer +14%
Suze Orman +3%
Al Gore 0%
Robert Kiyosaki -1%
Bill Gates -2%
Maria Bartiromo -4%
Erin Burnett -36%
T. Boone Pickens -42%
Carl Icahn -94%
Stockerblog -8%

How to Buy a Marin County Mansion for $150

Maybe you haven't made enough profits in the stock market to pay cash for a $2 million Marin County home with four bedrooms and 4 1/2 baths with pool and spa, plus a fantastic view. But there is another way; you might get lucky and get the home free and clear for just $150, through a raffle where the proceeds go towards a Marin based charitable organization.

The raffle is offered through Dream House Raffle.

Top Selling Hedge Fund Books

You don't hear much about hedge funds these days, other than some going out of business and a few reporting a drop in returns. If you still have the money, and still want to take a chance in investing in one of these funds, you need to do your homework. Check out some of the top hedge fund selling books.

More Money Than God: Hedge Funds and the Making of a New Elite

Guide to Hedge Funds: What They Are, What They Do, Their Risks, Their Advantages (The Economist)

All About Hedge Funds : The Easy Way to Get Started

The Fundamentals of Hedge Fund Management: How to Successfully Launch and Operate a Hedge Fund (Wiley Finance)

Hedge Funds For Dummies

Hedge Funds: An Analytic Perspective (New Edition) (Advances in Financial Engineering)

The Hedge Fund Book: A Training Manual for Professionals and Capital-Raising Executives

Investment Strategies of Hedge Funds (The Wiley Finance Series)

Handbook of Hedge Funds (The Wiley Finance Series)

Trade Like a Hedge Fund: 20 Successful Uncorrelated Strategies & Techniques to Winning Profits (Wiley Trading)

Top British Companies That Trade On the New York Stock Exchange

Number 11 Wall Street is home to the world’s largest stock exchange. The New York Stock Exchange (NYX) dominates all other foreign markets as it sees an average daily trading volume in excess of $150 billion. There are many countries that have companies that are represented on the Exchange and Great Britain is one of those.

Some interesting facts about Great Britain and it’s economy:

1. The UK is ranked as the sixth largest economy in Europe.
2. The industrial revolution kick-started the UK’s economic ascent, with a heavy focus on the manufacture of steel, shipbuilding, coal mining and textiles.
3. Manufacturing to this day still plays a significant part in contributing to Great Britain’s economic stature.
4. The service sector continues to boom and makes up 73% of the country's GDP.
5. The UK's capital, London, has the largest group of foreign bank branches, more than anywhere in the world.
6. Great Britain is ranked as the sixth most popular tourist destination in the world, having over 27 million visitors per year.
7. London is the most visited city in the world, ahead of Bangkok in second place and Paris in third.
8. The country has over 400 million tons of proven coal reserves.
9. Last year, government debt was at 56.8% of GDP.
10. According to the UK government, the country was officially in a recession for the first time since 1991, as of the final quarter of 2008

The New York Stock Exchange has a number of various UK companies trading on its floor, many of which are traded through American Depositary Receipts, also known as ADRs. AVIVA Plc (AV) is an insurance company based in London. They are the fifth largest insurance company in the world with a total of 53 million customers in over 25 different countries. Within the UK, AVIVA continues to dominate the market in general insurance, life insurance and pensions operating in Europe, Asia and North America. The company trades at 7.4 times earnings and has a yield of 5.1%.

Another British company that trades on the New York Stock Exchange is Diageo (DEO). They are the biggest wine, spirits, and beer company in the world. Some of he company' noted brands include Smirnoff vodka and Johnnie Walker scotch. The stock has a 17.4 price to earnings ratio and a yield of 2.7%.

The pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) manufactures biologics, vaccines and pharmaceuticals. They are ranked as the third largest pharmaceutical company based on revenues, just after Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and Pfizer (PFE). They also produce a range of health care products including health drinks, nutritional products and medicine that can be purchased over-the-counter. Some of the company's more well-known products include Sensodyne, Advair, Beano, Boniva, Geritol, Levitra, Nicorette, Tums, and Valtrex. Glaxo has a PE ratio of 9.7, with a 4.9% yield.

For more information on British companies that trade on the New York Stock Exchange, visit WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The site provides a free downloadable list, which can be sorted and added to.

Author owns PFE.

By Stockerblog.com

High Volume Resistance Plagues Precious Metals, Oil & S&P 500

Guest Article

Monday Aug 30th, 2010

Last week was a relatively strong week for stocks and commodities. Although the S&P500 closed slightly lower on the week the price action Friday was strong. The recent pop in commodities has everyone feeling good and bullish again and we all know how the market works… When everyone is feeling good the market has a way of shaking things up.

Below are a few charts showing heavy volume resistance levels that will most likely cause the broad market & commodities to pullback or trade sideways for a few days as buyers and sellers play tug-o-war.

SLV – Silver Bullion ETF Trading

Silver had a very nice pop last week but if you step back and look the recent price action you can see that it’s still trading below the previous major bounce from back in June. It looks as though silver is a little over extended as large percentage moves tend to give back 25-50% of the mover shortly after.

Take a look at the price by volume bar. It shows there has been heavy volume traded at that $19.00 level and the previous time it was reached sellers stepped back in pulling silver down.

to see the rest of the article, click HERE

By Chris Vermeulen

Microsoft Founder Paul Allen Suing a Bunch of Tech Companies

Paul Allen, one of the co-founders of Microsoft (MSFT), is suing Google (GOOG), Apple (AAPL), Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo (YHOO), eBay (EBAY), Netflix (NFLX), AOL (AOL), Office Depot (ODP), OfficeMax (OMX), and Staples (SPLS). He is claiming that the companies are infringing on the patents held by Interval Licensing LLC, another company he founded.

Tax Free Bonds versus Tax Free CEFs

A very choppy stock market, along with potential future tax increases, have driven a significant amount of money into tax free bonds (also known as municipal bonds), either directly or indirectly, through tax free income closed end funds. When making a determination of which way to invest, it is helpful to know the advantages and disadvantages of the bonds versus the closed end funds, commonly referred to as CEFs.

Municipal bonds have always been a favorite of high income taxpayer, as they provide income that is tax free from Federal income taxes, and if the bond is issued from the state in which the taxpayer resides or from one of the territories of the US such as Puerto Rico, then the income is also exempt from state taxes. Munis are generally issued by states, counties, cities, and other governmental entities such as school districts, sewer districts, and departments of water and power.

Municipal Bonds

Advantages:

1. You can pick and choose what governmental agency you want to loan money to. Maybe you want to stick with the bonds from the cities and counties near you that you are familiar with.

2. Bonds have a maturity date. This means that no matter how high interest rates go, and no matter how low the bonds drop in value, at maturity, the bonds are paid off at par.

3. What your bond is worth is what your bond is worth; in other words, the trading price of CEFs may be far higher or lower than the net asset value of the fund.

Disadvantages:

1. Higher minimum investment. Although munis are issued in $5,000 denominations, a round lot is generally considered by many firms to be $100,000.

2. Less diversification. Because of the higher minimum, investors can't own as many diverse bonds as they could with a CEF.

3. Interest payments only twice a year.

4. No professional management or monitoring.

5. Illiquidity. Munis are not traded on an exchange, and estimated prices given on brokerage statements can be way off from what brokers will actually offer you if you want to sell (speaking from personal experience).

Municipal Bond Closed End Funds

Advantages:

1. No minimum investment. You could technically buy one share.

2. Monthly income.

3. With the monthly income, you receive you capital back faster, and you can do quicker compounding of your income.

4. Very liquid; traded on major exchanges.

Disadvantages:

1. You pay a management fee and other administrative fees.

2. Some CEFs use leverage. You should beware that this increases the risks to the investor.

3. Some CEFs may be trading at a premium to net asset value. You want to look for those trading at a discount.

4. No maturity date (other than a few target funds). If rates go up and continue to rise during your lifetime, you may never get your principal back.

As you can see, there are benefits to both municipal bonds and municipal bond closed end funds. Just make sure that you are familiar with the risks and costs of each.

By Stockerblog.com

Birth Control Stocks: A Recession Play

The birth rate in the United States has fallen to its lowest level in 2009, the lowest in a century, due to what many economists fear is a reaction to the recessionary economy. Last year, the birth rate dropped by over 2.5% on an increase in population. For many families, children are their biggest expense, and holding off on having a first or another can appear to be a significant cost savings to a parent. Based on this concern, investors turning to companies that are involved in contraception and birth control products. Here are a selection of birth control stocks. Obviously for some, contraception makes up a small part of their business.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA) produces various pharmaceuticals including women's health care products, oral contraceptives, and intrauterine contraception. The company owns Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which owns Duramed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which makes the ParaGard T-380A, a copper-T IUD, the only copper-containing intrauterine device approved for use in the U.S. The stock trades at 9.8 times forward earnings and pays a yield of 1.3%. The price earnings growth ratio is a very favorable 0.78.

Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (CHD), producer of household, personal care, and specialty products, is probably most known for it Arm & Hammer baking soda product. The company makes and markets the Trojan brands of prophylactics. In addition to condoms, it also produces hme pregnancy kits. The stock sports a forward price to earnings ratio of 14, with a 1.1% yield. The PEG ratio is 1.27.

Pfizer Incorporated (PFE) makes Depo-Provera Contraceptive Injection which is injected every 3 months. The company also market birth control pills. The stock carries a high 4.5% yield with a forward PE of 7.0.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) owns Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, which makes Diaphragms, and the combined oral contraceptive pill brands Ortho Tri-cyclen and Ortho-Evra. It trades at 11.5 forward earnings and provides a yield of 3.7%.

Merck (MRK) is the manufacturer of the NuvaRing, a combined hormonal contraceptive vaginal ring available by prescription and Implanon, a single-rod long acting reversible hormonal contraceptive birth control subdermal implant that is inserted just under the skin of the upper arm. The stock has a nice yield of 4.4%, and a forward PE of 9.2.

To see all the companies involved in the production of contraception and birth control, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Author owns PFE.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Second Week of September

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets. In flat or choppy markets, your have to be extremely careful.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable Excel list of the stocks going ex dividend during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 3%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Ameren Corporation (AEE) market cap: $6.7B ex div date: 9/7/2010 yield: 5.6%

H&R Block, Inc. (HRB) market cap: $4.4B ex div date: 9/8/2010 yield: 4.4%

Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB) market cap: $26.6B ex div date: 9/8/2010 yield: 4.1%

The Laclede Group, Inc. (LG) market cap: $735.3M ex div date: 9/8/2010 yield: 4.8%

Reynolds American, Inc. (RAI) market cap: $16.4B ex div date: 9/8/2010 yield: 6.4%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out the high yield utility stocks and the Monthly Dividend Stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Author does not own any of the above.

By Stockerblog.com

Fall in Unemployment Benefit Claims in the US

In the present week, the US economy saw a steady decline in the number of claims for unemployment benefits. In view of this decline, Thursday morning showed stocks at relatively higher prices, bringing some respite to the market’s worries about the slowing economic growth. For instance, the industrial average for Dow Jones, increased by 19 points during the morning. There was an increase, in general, in the broader indexes as well.

This news however did little to bring optimism back in the market. The total number of unemployment benefit claims remained at a high level. There is a predominant worry among the investors regarding the constantly high unemployment rate of 9.5%. The reluctance among employers to hire workers is also a cause for vexation in the market. Even though the claims have come down by a certain percentage in comparison to the staggering numbers in the previous week, they still seem to be at overwhelming levels.

The first-time claims for unemployment benefits dropped to 473,000 last week for the first time last week after crossing the 500,000 mark for the first time since November, in the week preceding the week in question. According to Thomson Reuters, the drop that was anticipated was at a modest 490,000.

In a strong economic condition, the weekly claims are usually less than 400,000. However, the latest statistics in job claims reveal that hiring in the economy has been weak. In March 2009, when the recession was at its peak, the claims were as high as 651,000 per week.

Nevertheless, on the positive side, this week saw a noticeable decline after three consecutive weeks of increasing claims. The report also slightly allayed fears of the economy falling into a recession for a second time, considering that there were numerous economic indicators that implied a very slow growth rate in the near future.

The biggest hurdle that is keeping the economy from a faster recovery is the fact that unemployment rates are still high. People fearing the loss of jobs in the near future are holding back expenditures, which implies an overall low spending level in the economy. Companies have slowed the hiring process, due to the upcoming financial regulations and various health care reform costs, and because of the uncertainty surrounding taxation. Consumer demand is another worry.

For every two stocks that fell on the New York Stock Exchange, three stocks rose, bringing the volume up to 120 million shares for the day. Bond prices however didn’t waver much, showing clearly that there was still a great section of the economy that would take time to get comfortable and become positive about the latest report, and would still want to rely on government debt for security. The yield on the ten year treasury notes, which helps in setting interest rates on various consumer loans including mortgages, showed a slight increase from 2.54 per cent to 2.55 per cent towards the end of Wednesday. Long-term bond yields remain at almost the same levels, though at levels which haven’t been recorded since the first quarter of 2009 when stocks hit their lowest of more than a decade. Even though lower interest rates are supposed to stimulate spending in the economy, it is not happening in the US right now as people are fearing a possible loss of their jobs, so are saving instead.

So what is an investor to do? Investing in quality high yield stocks is a way of dipping your foot in the investment waters. Not just electric or gas utilities, but other industries, which pay CD beating yields. Lists of these investments, including dividend increasing stocks, can be found at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.