How About Some Beer Stocks with your Summer Picnics

Summer is upon us, and it's time for picnics and bar-b-ques. Beer seems to be the beverage of choice for many of these events. So what about beer stocks? According to a recent report at Academia, the beer market, which was $105 billion in 2010, is expected to reach $137.5 billion by 2015. It appears that beer companies may be worth taking a closer look.

According to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are over a dozen publicly traded beer stocks, and more than half of them pay dividends. For exampe, Molson Coors Brewing Company (TAP) pays one of the highest yields of the group at 2.3%. It trades at 17 times trailing earnings and 15 times forward earnings. In addition to the Coors and Molson brands, it also sells Heineken, Amstel Light, Miller Life, Corona, and many others. It distributes its beverages in the US, Canada, and Europe. Earnings jumped 473% for the latest quarter on flat revenues.

Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) is a major producer of beer, with such brands as Budweiser, Beck’s, Leffe, Bud Light, Michelob, Skol, Brahma, and Antarctica. It has a trailing price to earnings ratio of 13, a forward PE of 18. Earnings for the latest reported quarter were down 33% on a 16% rise in revenues. The stock pays a generous yield of 3.6%.

Maybe beer stocks can round out your summer. To access a free list of all the beer stocks, several of which pay dividends, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

How to Get 5% on Your Money From Comcast

Do you get your cable service through Comcast? How would you like to get some of your cable fee back in the form of a yield of 5%? I'm not talking about buying the common stock of Comcast (CMCSA), which only pays a 1.7% yield.

What I'm talking about are the Comcast 5% Notes (CCV), also known as minibonds, that are publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange with a current yield of 5.0%.  In case you missed the previous articles about minibonds, such as Goldman Sachs (GS) minibonds, or Banc of California minibonds, you should check them out.

The Comcast 5% Notes, have a maturity date of December 15, 2061, but is redeemable by Comcast on 12/15/17. The company pays interest of $0.3125 each quarter. These minibonds are currently trading at 25.00 per share.

Keep in mind the risks.  The distributions are interest and not dividends, so no dividend tax benefits. If interest rates go up, these will go down  in value. These are not like regular bonds, so there is no accrued interest between distribution dates. These have much lower liquidity than the common stock.

So what about the company that is backing these securities? The company reported strong earnings growth of 30.2% on a 13.7% rise in revenues for the latest quarter. The common stock trades at 19 times trailing earnings and 16 times forward earnings.

As long as you can accept the risks, especially the interest rate risk, you might want to consider these bank mini bonds, in order to help bring up your overall investment income. If you are interested in investments like this, your should check out the free stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the First Week of June

 

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, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

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 list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

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Avery Dennison	AVY	6/2	2.9%
Compuware Corporation	CPWR	6/2	5.0%
Cedar Fair L.P.	FUN	6/2	5.4%
Greenhill & Co.	GHL	6/2	3.6%
GameStop	GME	6/2	3.5%
Old Republic International Corp	ORI	6/2	4.3%
Pacific Coast Oil Trust	ROYT	6/2	12.8%
Atlas Resource Partners, L.P.	ARP	6/3	11.6%

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Gannett	GCI	6/4	2.9%
Genuine Parts	GPC	6/4	2.7%
HollyFrontier Corp	HFC	6/4	2.6%
Kimberly-Clark	KMB	6/4	3.0%
L Brands Inc.	LB	6/4	2.4%
Navient Corp	NAVI	6/4	3.8%

 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 some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 
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.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
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 at 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.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia
A Great Gift!

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

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Gasoline Cracks $5 a Gallon at the Pump in California

Over the weekend, I noticed that the price of gasoline at the pump has really skyrocketed in anticipation of the summer travel season. At one gas station I stopped at along Highway 5 near Bakersfield in California, the price of regular gas was $4.999 per gallon.

Since gas stations won't give you one-tenth of a cent in change, the price is essentially five dollars a gallon. And if you have to get high octane gas, you would have the pleasure of paying $5.20 a gallon.

Of course, this excludes the unusual gas situations in areas such as Catalina Island, which has very few cars to begin with. There you would be paying over seven dollars a gallon.

If you think oil and natural gas is a good area to invest in, you may want to consider the oil and gas Master Limited Partnerships, also known as MLPs. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has a selection of a dozen oil and gas MLPs, mst of which yield in excess of 8%.

A couple of examples are BreitBurn Energy Partners (BBEP) which has a yield of 9.5% and Mid-Con Energy Partners (MCEP) paying 9.2%. Also, Vanguard Natural Resources (VNR) is structured as an LLC as opposed to a limited partnership. It pays a yield of 8.2%.

Talk to your accountant before putting MLPs in your retirement plan, as their can be adverse tax consequences. But if you own them outside your retirement plan, they can provide you with a very decent income, subject to interest rate risks of course.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Top FREE Real Estate Investing Books

Here is a selection of free real estate investing books offered by Amazon in a Kindle format. Get them now if you are interested, as the free offer for these books may not last.


Real Estate: The Sustainable Investment


No BS Real Estate Investing - How I Quit My Job, Got Rich, & Found Freedom Flipping Houses ... And How You Can Too


BiggerPockets Presents: The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Investing


Real Estate Investing: How to Flip a House as a Real Estate Investor


Flipping Houses Exposed: 34 Weeks In The Life Of A Successful House Flipper

Top FREE Investing Books

The following investment books are available for free at Amazon (AMZN) in Kindle format. If you are interested in any of these, you should probably get them now, as these free book offers often don't last long, depending on the book.

925 Ideas to Help You Save Money, Get Out of Debt and Retire A Millionaire So You Can Leave Your Mark on the World

How to Get Started ETF Investing: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Starting an Investment Portfolio with Exchange Traded Funds

The ABCs of Money

Retirement Solutions: Financial Strategies for Today's Retirees

3 Stupid Simple Steps Towards Financial Freedom: There's something more important than money. Can you guess what?

What's Up with Gold: Plus, the Largest Crystalline Gold Nugget in the World

The Crown Jewel Gold Nugget

A couple weeks ago, I was at the Ironstone Vineyards in Murphys, California, where they have a gold rush museum. One of the highlights of the museum is 'The Crown Jewel', also known as the Kautz Crystalline Gold nugget, the largest crystalline gold nugget in the world, a very rare form of gold. This nugget weighs 44 pounds. If you are ever in the California Gold Country, you should certainly check it out.

So what has been happening with gold lately? Not much if you look at the price of gold over the twelve months. The SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) have dropped 6.16% over the last year, whereas the S&P 500 is up about 15% over the same time frame.

If you are a contrarian and think that now be the time to acquire some gold, you may want to consider gold mining stocks, as there are almost two dozen that pay dividends, according to the free list of high yield gold and silver stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Almost ten of these stocks have yields in excess of 2%.

Barrick Gold (ABX) trades at 14 times future earnings, and pays a yield of 1.2%. The company, based in Ontario, Canada, has mines in North America, South America, Africa, and Australia.

Newmont Mining (NEM) has mines in Australia, New Zealand, North and South America, and Africa. It trades at 16.5 times forward earnings and pays a dividend rate of 0.4%, payable quarterly.

Silver Wheaton (SLW) pays a yield of 1.3%, payable quarterly.

For a free list of high yield gold and silver stocks go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fifth Week of May

 

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, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

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 list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

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ACNB Corp. Com.	ACNB	5/28	3.9%
AFLAC Inc.	AFSD	5/28	5.7%
BGC Partners, Inc.	BGCA	5/28	7.5%
Bank of Hawaii	BOH	5/28	3.2%
Brookfield Canada Office Prop	BOXC	5/28	4.8%
Brookfield Properties	BPO	5/28	2.8%
Comcast Corporation	CCV	5/28	5.1%

-->

Trustmark Corp	TRMK	5/28	4.0%
Kellogg Co.	K	5/29	2.8%
Lockheed Martin	LMT	5/29	3.3%

 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 some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 
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.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
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 at 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.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia
A Great Gift!

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

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

California Chrome Just Won the Preakness: Time to Look at Horse Race Stocks

The second chapter of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, was one by California Chrome, after first winning the Kentucky Derby, the first race of the thee races of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. The last of the trio is the Belmont Stakes.

Instead of betting on the horses, you might want to consider investing in horse race stocks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has a free list of almost a dozen stocks in the horse racing industry, a couple of which pay dividends.

One example is Churchill Downs (CHDN), the host of the Kentucky Derby. This is the holding company of the Churchill Downs Racetrack that originally opened in 1875. It also owns Arlington Park, the Calder Race Course, the Fair Grounds Race Course, and the Trackside Off-Track-Betting Facilities. The stock trades at 29 times trailing earnings, 20 times forward earnings, and pays a yield of 1.0%.

 Another horse in the racehorse field is Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment (DDE), which owns Dover Downs Raceway, a harness racing track with pari-mutuel wagering. The company trades at 13 times forward earnings.  The company generated negative earnings for the latest reported quarter.

Penn National Gaming Inc. (PENN) owns racetracks and off-track wagering facilities in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ontario. The stock has a  forward PE of 30.

For a  list of horse racing stocks which you can download, sort and update, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Also, if you want a free horse race handicapping program, check out the one at horsetip.com.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

A Million Dollar Stamp

This isn't a forever stamp, but the owner of this stamp will be forever wealthy. This is the famous Inverted Jenny stamp which has an upside down airplane printed on it.

There are only five of these stamps in mint condition, known to exist. 

The stamp will be auctioned off in New York next week, and may sell for $500,000 to a million dollars.

Why not add it to your investment portfolio?

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fourth Week of May

 

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, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

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 list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

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Eastern Co. Com.	EML	5/19	2.6%
Target	TGT	5/19	2.8%

-->

LTC Properties	LTC	5/20	4.5%
Maxim Integrated Products	MXIM	5/20	3.3%

-->

Carnival Corp

CCL

5/21

2.6%

-->

Johnson & Johnson

JNJ

5/22

2.8%

 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 some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 
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.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
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 at 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.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia
A Great Gift!

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

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Amazon Expands into Wearable Technologies Products

Have you ever thought about getting a Samsung Gear Fit or a Samsung Gear 2 Smartwatch? You can't really call them a watch since it does so many things. (It would be like calling a smart phone a telephone.)

You can use them to make and receive calls, get notifications, take pictures, check your heart rate, and get the temperature. Of course, it will also give you the time of day.

Amazon (AMZN) has a whole new department, the Wearable Technology Electronics. Check it out. They also sell the Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity + Sleep Wristband, and even wearable cameras such as the GoPro HERO3+.

If you are looking for a great Father's Day gift (or a gift for yourself), check out the  wearable technology products.

Top Selling Real Estate Books

Are you thinking about investing in real estate? Or maybe you have been investing in real estate and need more advice and ideas? Here are the top selling real estate books at Amazon:


The Millionaire Real Estate Agent: It's Not About the Money...It's About Being the Best You Can Be! by Dave Jenks

Buy It, Rent It, Profit!: Make Money as a Landlord in ANY Real Estate Market by Bryan Chavis

The Book on Flipping Houses: How to Buy, Rehab, and Resell Residential Properties by Mr. J Scott

The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Dave Jenks

What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know About Cash Flow... And 36 Other Key Financial Measures by Frank Gallinelli

Five Top Selling Investment Books

Summer will be here shortly, and you may want to bring a couple books with you on your vacation. The following are the top selling investing related books on Amazon:

Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis

If You Can: How Millennials Can Get Rich Slowly William J Bernstein

Market Wizards, Updated: Interviews With Top Traders by Jack D. Schwager

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck

The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing. A Book of Practical Counsel (Revised Edition) by Benjamin Graham

Banc of California Will Pay You 7.3% On Your Savings - What will Your Bank Pay?

Have you checked with your bank recently abut the interest rates on their savings accounts or certificates of deposit? I did. On a big sign, it said 'Get 1.0% on a CD' but in small letters it said 'Rate payable on a 10 year CD; penalty for early withdrawal.' Of course, on savings accounts and money market accounts, the rate can be less than a tenth of a percent.

So if you want a high yield, where do you turn? How about a bank? The Banc of California (BANC) has minibonds that are publicly traded with a current yield of 7.29%.  In case you missed the previous article about Goldman Sachs (GS) minibonds, you should check it out.

The Banc of California 7.50% Senior Notes (BANCL), which trade on NASDAQ, have a maturity date of April 15, 2020, and pay interest quarterly. These minibonds recently closed at 25.70 per share. You could almost think of it as a six year CD.

However, there are several risks:

• These exchange traded notes are not protected by FDIC. They are solely based on the ability of the bank to pay the principal on interest in them.
• The distributions are considered interest and not dividends, which of course prevents the investor from taking advantage of individual or corporate dividend tax benefits.
• If interest rates go up, these will go down  in value.
  
• There is no accrued interest between distribution dates.
• Lack of liquidity. Not many shares trade on a daily basis.

So what are the advantages?

• If the bank goes out of business, these notes have priority over the common stock and any preferred stock of the company.
• Since there is a maturity date, there is some interest rate risk protection since at maturity,  they would be paid of at par value of $25.
• These notes have small denominations, so you can invest unusual amounts (e.g. $16,375), as opposed to multiples of $5,000.
• The payout is fixed and not subject to fluctuation, unlike the payouts on the common stock.

What about the underlying bank behind these securities? The bank recently reported an 88.1% boost in revenues; however, earnings dropped 18.5%. At least Banc of California is now flush with cash, as they just raised $50 million from the sale of common stock, and another $50 million from the sale of tangible equity units. Much of the proceeds will be used to purchase 20 California branches of Popular Community Bank. The bank has been in business since 1941 and has over 70 banking locations.

As long as you can accept the risks, you might want to consider these bank mini bonds, in order to help bring up your overall investment income. If you are interested in investments like this, your should check out the free stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Why Investing in Puerto Rico is a Good Idea and the Best Way to Invest

Back on February 5, I wrote about how Standard & Poor's reduced the rating on Puerto Rico to junk status, giving it a BB+ rating. I also mentioned that Puerto Rico might be a good contrarian play.

In the article, I discussed two stocks, OFG Bancorp Inc. (OFG),  a bank holding company, and Popular Inc. (BPOP), a financial holding company which owns Banco Popular de Puerto Rico.

At that time, OFG Bancorp was at 14.77. It is now trading at 17.77, an increase of over 20%.  Plus a dividend was paid during that time frame. The other stock, Popular, closed at 26.50 on February 5, and has risen to 30.33 today, a boost of greater than 14%. Not too shabby for a three month time frame.

But is the party over in Puerto Rico? Not quite. The governor of Puerto Rico has proposed a balanced budget, with $1.5 billion in spending cuts, plus reducing debt by $775 million, along with increasing revenues.

One way of participating in the Puerto Rico recovery is through stocks. But another way is through municipal bonds. You can buy the bonds directly, or you can invest in Puerto Rico municipal bond ETFs.

Of course, the biggest advantage of investing in Puerto Rico bonds is their exemption from state and Federal income taxes. Plus that tax benefit flows through to ETFs.

An example of an ETF you might consider is the PowerShares Insured New York Mini Bond ETF (PZT), currently yielding 3.93%. Don't be fooled by its name. Although you get the advantage of diversification with New York bonds in the portfolio, the ETF has several Puerto Rico bonds which make up a significant percentage. Over 5% of the fund's assets are in the Puerto Rico Commonwealth Aqueduct bonds with a coupon yield of 5.125%. The ETF also has over 4.2% of its funds in the Puerto Rico Commonwealth Highway & Transit  5.25% bonds.

So if you want income or growth or both, there are several ways to achieve these goals with the benefit of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. For a list of Puerto Rico stocks, which can be downloaded, sorted, and added to, check out WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Author does not own any of the above.

By Stockerblog.com

Some Californians May See Their Water Bills Triple: High Yield Water Utility Stocks

Because of the shortage of water in the state of California, almost two dozen water utilities in the state have implemented strict water rates, which may cause consumers to incur a water bill that could be two or three times normal. The use of water “budgeting” continues to increase by water utilities, where tiers are set based on the number of people in the family and other factors. There are a few publicly traded water utilities in California and several others throughout the United States, based on the list of high yield water utility stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

One example is American States Water (AWR), founded in 1929, which is a distributor of water in 75 communities in California. It trades at 19 times both trailing and forward earnings and pays a CD beating yield of 2.8%.

Aqua America (WTR), which distributes water to customers in Pennsylvania, Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Florida, Indiana, Virginia, Maine, and Georgia. The stock has a trailing price to earnings ratio of 20.2, a forward price to earnings ratio of 19.6, and yields 2.4%. The company has boosted  its dividend every year since 1988 and has had several stock splits during the last several years. 

Connecticut Water Service (CTWS) trades at 19 times current earnings and 18 times forward earnings. The company provides a yield of 3.1%. The company, which was founded in 1956, serves customers in over 50 towns in Connecticut.

For a free list of high yield water utility stocks, which can be downloaded, sorted, and added to, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.
 
By Stockerblog.com

Good Morning Vietnam Stocks

On Friday, the Market Vectors Vietnam ETF (VNM) was up 2.5% from the previous day. However, over the last couple years, this ETF was down 9.8% versus the S&P 500, which is up almost 40% over that same time frame. Is there an investment opportunity with Vietnam stocks?

Many American compan ies have had operations in Vietnam including Nike (NKE) and Intel (INTC). But there are several Vietnamese companies that trade in the US, according to the free list of Vietnamese stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Probably the best way to invest in Vietnam is through the Market Vectors Vietnam ETF. It trades at 14 times earnings and pays a dividend yield of 2.8%.

Vietnam Holding Ltd. (VNMHF) is a closed end investment fund managed by Vietnam Holding Asset Management Ltd., with offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. It  trades on both the Pink and the London Stock Exchange. They invest primarily in privatized State Owned Enterprises.

Another alternative is a bank in the United States that specializes in providing banking services to the Vietnamese business community in Southern California, called Saigon National Bank (SAGN).

Dot VN, Inc. (DTVI), the domain registrar for the Vietnam [.VN] country domain, is a San Diego company, which also has offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and has a deal with the Vietnam Internet Network Information Center to register and sell the Vietnam country code Top Level Domain, and works with numerous domain resellers. The company has been in business since 2001. It is a very low cap company.

To see all the Vietnamese stocks that trade in the United States, check out WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Author owns INTC. Many of the Vietnamese stocks described above are very low cap and should be considered very speculative.

By Stockerblog.com

Traveling This Summer? How Travel Insurance Can Protect You

After reading my posts about the top stocks of various countries, such as Spain, Mexico, Italy, India, and Russia, you may have the desire to do some traveling to check out what's happening in those countries. But just like you need to plan ahead when you make your long term investment decision, you need to plan ahead with your vacations. And with summer arriving before you know it, the time to start is now. One of the important items that should be on your planning list is travel insurance.

So why should you consider travel insurance? Years ago, after a Chicago / Los Angeles flight, my luggage never showed up.  It took the airline a month to track it down (it turned out the it had been misdirected to Japan!). Then when I finally opened up my suitcase, a lot of items were missing, such as my shoes and my camera. If I had had travel insurance, it would have really helped out.

Luggage Reimbursement

So lets look at one of the primary benefits of travel insurance, luggage reimbursement. This coverage can provide reimbursement for lost, damaged or stolen luggage, and can even help out with replacing passports and prescriptions.

Trip Cancellation

But luggage is only one of many benefits of travel insurance. Trip cancellation is probably the most important from a financial standpoint. If you pay$5,000 or $10,000 to go on a nice vacation with non-refundable tickets and hotel stays, your losses could be substantial if there is a death in the family or you get severely ill. Or how about if you break your leg just before the trip or even lose your job. You should also check out 'Cancel For Any Reason' coverage.

Emergency Medical Expenses

Other benefits of this insurance include reimbursement for emergency medical expenses, even evacuation to a hospital. So you don't have to worry about your own insurance covering you while you are out of the country.

Delays

Unexpected and unplanned travel expenses due to delays are covered. If a hurricane keeps you from visiting your vacation spot, you will be reimbursed. And the list goes on an on.

Protect Yourself

So where to you go to when you want to get travel insurance? Travelex is one of the largest travel service companies in the world, offering everything from foreign exchange services to prepaid cards for travelers. You have probably seen the Travelex stores at all major airports that you have been in. The company, which was founded 38 years ago, also has a major travel insurance division.

You can compare Travel Insurance plans by this leader in travel protection, Travelex Insurance.The company offers a variety of plans for leisure travelers, and even special coverages for business travelers. Just remember, plan ahead, get your travel insurance, and Bon Voyage!

Top Mother's Day Stocks

Mother's Day is in a few days. Have you shopped for your mother yet?  Investors looking for stocks that might be participating in the Mother's Day purchasing activity can find some companies on the chocolate and candy stock list at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

One example would be Hershey (HSY),  one of the largest candy companies in the world. The stock trades at 26 times earnings and pays a 2.0% yield.

Other Mother's Day related companies include 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. (FLWS), which is the the largest publicly traded flower seller, and also sells plants, cookies, cakes, candies, wine, gift baskets, and other gifts. The stock has a trailing price to earnings ratio of 36 and a forward PE ratio of 18.4. 

CSS Industries Inc. (CSS) markets gift wrap, gift bags, boxed greeting cards, gift tags, tissue paper, decorations, and decorative ribbons and bows. The stock has a PE of 13, and a yield of 2.4%.

If you like lists like this, such as the candy stock list, you should check out the various free stock databases, at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Third Week of May

  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, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

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 list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

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Wisconsin Energy	WEC	5/12	3.2%
Cousins Properties	CUZ	5/13	2.6%
DuPont	DD	5/13	2.7%
Enbridge Inc.	ENB	5/13	3.0%
Entergy Corp	ETR	5/13	4.6%

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Nordic American Tankers	NAT	5/13	10.8%
Provident Financial Services	PFS	5/13	3.5%

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Courier Corp	CRRC	5/14	5.8%
Diebold, Inc.	DBD	5/14	3.0%

 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 some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 
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.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
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 at 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.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia
A Great Gift!

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

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Top E-Cigarette Stocks

According to the May 2014 issue of Inc. Magazine, the electronic cigarette business is a $2 billion business, a fast growing part of the trillion dollar cigarette industry. As an example of how the demand for e-cigarettes are growing, in the United Kingdom, the use of the e-cigs since 2010 has tripled.

The reason for the demand is due to the belief that the e-cigs may be safer than regular cigarettes and the fact that there is no second hand smoke.

Now with the legalization of marijuana gradually expanding through the United States, a huge potential new market is on the horizon for these devices.

For investors looking to puff on the electronic cigarette stocks, there are almost ten to choose from according to the free list at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The stocks seem to be divided in two categories, the large cap tobacco companies, and the small cap companies that specialize in the manufacturing and marketing e-cigarettes.

Vype is the brand name of the electronic cigarette produced by British American Tobacco (BTI), the second largest cigarette company in the world by revenues. The stock trades at 17 times earnings with a forward price to earnings ratio of 15. This company pays one of the highest yields of the major cigarette companies, with a distribution rate of 5.7%, paid semi-annually.

Lorillard (LO) has the blu eCigs brand in the U.S., and six months ago, the company bought the British electronic cigarette manufacturer, SKYCIG. The stock trades at 19 times trailing earnings and 16 times forward earnings. The stock yields 4.2%, payable quarterly.

In regards to the small cap companies, mCig (MCIG) has one of the largest market caps at $135 million. The company makes the Lifetech AirWell System. The company's latest reported quarterly revenues increased by over 580%.

If you want a free list of e-cigarette stocks, which has financial data and brands, go to  WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Healthy Tea Stocks

Extensive Health Benefits of Tea

Research has shown that the consumption of tea has man health benefits, such as weight loss and reduction of abdominal fat,  prevention of strokes, and even help prevent skin cancer.

The Tea Stocks

Investors who want to take a sip of tea stocks have very limited options, as most of the tea related companies are privately held, such as Argo Tea and Bigelow Tea. Fortunately, WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has turned up a list of a few publicly traded companies involved in the production and sale of tea.

 Tazo Tea

Many of the stocks are non-US companies; however there are a few American companies in the tea business, such as Starbucks (SBUX) which owns Tazo Tea Company. Starbucks bought Tazo in 1999, and open the first Tazo tea shop in 2012. Starbucks also owns Teavana is a specialty tea and tea accessory retailer. The stock trades at 22.5 times forward earnings. It pays a dividend yield of 1.5%.

Celestial Seasonings

Another major player in the tea area is The Hain Celestial Group (HAIN), which owns the Celestial Seasonings tea company. The company sells green tea along with other types of tea and herbal teas, known as tisanes. The natural food company Hain Food Group took over Celestial in 2000. Hain trades at 30 times trailing earnings with a forward P/E of 23. Earnings for the last reported quarter were up an amazing 30% on a 17.5% bump up in revenues. The company's next earnings announcement will be held on May 8.

More Tea

There are several other tea companies that can be found on the free list of tea stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The list includes the stock ticker symbol, the P/E ratio, the forward P/E ratio, and the yield. Let's hope High Tea gives new meaning to your stock portfolio.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Second Week of May

  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, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

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 list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

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BCB Bancorp	BCBP	5/5	4.2%
BankFinancial	BFIN	5/5	3.5%
Comtech Telecommunications	CMTL	5/5	3.8%
Capital Product Partners L.P.	CPLP	5/5	8.8%
First Energy	FE	5/5	4.2%

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American Electric Power	AEP	5/7	3.8%
American Software	AMSWA	5/7	4.3%
Boston Private Financial	BPFH	5/7	2.6%
Brookline Bancorp	BRKL	5/7	3.8%
Cedar Shopping Centers	CDR	5/7	3.3%
Janus Capital Group	JNS	5/7	2.7%

 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 some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 
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.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
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 at 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.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia
A Great Gift!

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

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com