Stockerblog - The Stock Market Blog

Investing in Valentine's Day

2012-01-31T20:36:00.000-08:00

Have you shopped for your Valentine yet? If not, you only have a couple weeks; it is February 14. Companies involved in the business of chocolate, jewelry, flowers, greeting cards, and gift wrap may benefit from this celebration.

Planning to give flowers to your loved one? 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. (FLWS) could see a rise in sales. It is the largest publicly traded flower seller, but it also sells plants, gourmet foods, cookies, cakes, candies, wine, gift baskets, and other gifts. The stock trades at 14 times forward earnings. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 23% on a revenue rise of 1.9%.

Another beneficiary may be Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Inc. (RMCF), based in Durango, Colorado. The company makes and markets caramels, creams, mints, and truffles. It was founded in 1981, has over 300 franchise locations in 40 states, and a couple of foreign countries. The forward price to earnings ratio ratio is 12, and the yield is a an amazing 4.6%.

Jewelry makes a nice gift. Tiffany & Co. (TIF), founded in 1837, is one of the top jewelry companies in the world, with over 60 U.S. stores and over 100 international locations. A great gift would be the 128-carat Fancy Yellow Tiffany Diamond available at the New York City flagship store. The stock has a forward PE of 16, and a yield of 1.8%.

Don't forget to buy a gift card. American Greetings Corp. (AM), founded in 1906 and based in Cleveland, Ohio, is the largest publicly-traded greeting card company in the world. The stock has a PE of 7 and a decent yield of 4.1%.

CSS Industries Inc. (CSS) markets gift wrap, gift bags, boxed greeting cards, gift tags, tissue paper, decorations, and decorative ribbons and bows. The stock trades at 9 times forward earnings, and a yield of 2.8%.

For more stocks that could increase sales from the Valentine experience, such as candy and chocolate stocks, check out the free lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The lists can be downloaded, sorted, and updated.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Acts of God and Man: Ruminations on Risk and Insurance

2012-01-31T18:54:00.000-08:00

Michael R. Powers on Risk
By Michael R. Powers,
Author of Acts of God and Man: Ruminations on Risk and Insurance
In his book, Acts of God and Man: Ruminations on Risk and Insurance, Michael R. Powers discusses how risk impacts our lives, health, and possessions and proceeds to introduce the statistical techniques necessary for analyzing these uncertainties.

In the excerpt from the chapter The Alpha and the Omega of Risk: The Significance of Mortality, Powers discusses the morbidity principle:

In today's business world, professional risk managers often construct extensive lists of pure and speculative risks, including every imaginable type of uncertainty to which individuals and firms are exposed. Among pure risks, one finds traditional "insurance" perils such as fire, wind, theft, disease, and professional negligence, along with more complex hazards such as substandard construction, inadequate security, technological obsolescence, and political instability. Speculative risks include real estate, common financial securities (stocks, bonds, commodities, etc.), and interest and currency-derivative products, as well as market- specific changes in the prices of raw materials, human capital, and end-of-line goods and services.

Fortunately, a remarkable simplicity underlies these myriad risks. Despite the great number of individual sources of risk, there are only a very few exposures subject to risk. These fundamental exposures are life, health, and possessions.

One then might ask: Why should we be concerned about the quality of life? I would argue that the following two principles provide the answer:

* The Morbidity Principle. An individual/corporation/society whose quality of life is damaged will have a greater chance of imminent death.

* The Lost-Gratification Principle. An individual/corporation/society whose quality of life is damaged may not have the opportunity to enjoy recovery of health or restitution of possessions before death occurs (i.e., "a good quality of life today is worth more than a good quality of life tomorrow").

In short, the life exposure underlies all other types of exposures. For individuals and societies, the morbidity principle would have been particularly evident in the Old Stone Age, when human beings had developed useful tools, but were still primarily hunter- gatherers. At that time, quality-of-life exposures, although they existed, could not be separated easily from the life exposure because the loss of health (through injury or illness) or possessions (clothing, shelter, or hunting implements) would increase significantly the chance of death in the near future. Hence, in many cases loss of quality of life would be tantamount to loss of life.

The morbidity principle continues to apply to individuals and societies today, but not as dramatically. Despite the various "safety nets" that modern governments provide for their more vulnerable citizens, it is still an empirical fact that the injured and ill, as well as the economically poor, die at faster rates than others. This is also true for societies at large, as can be seen in the declines of certain populations in Eastern Europe since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. With regard to corporations, reductions in revenue, market share, and/or profitability are in many cases harbingers of bankruptcy. Although a cursory review of today's financial products might give the impression that quality-of-life exposures actually overshadow the life exposure -- after all, the only financial product that specifically addresses mortality is life insurance -- the lost-gratification principle belies such a conclusion. If anything, the role of mortality is difficult to discern because it is so prevalent that we tend to overlook it.

The life exposure underlies all traditional insurance policies, whether held by individuals or commercial enterprises. This is because the policies are designed to provide reasonably quick medical attention or restitution of property, presumably before the policyholder's life terminates. In addition, the life exposure is fundamental to all financial transaction risks. Lenders, whether they be individuals, corporations, or government bodies, must be compensated for the possibility that they will cease to exist before their loans are repaid; and the early death of a borrower can transform this possibility into a certainty. In other words, mortality is the essential reason, even in an economy with no expected change in either income or prices, "a dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow," and thus the reason the nominal risk- free rate of return (oft en taken to be the nominal return on a U.S. Treasury bill) must be strictly greater than 0.

Originally posted on Columbia University Press Blog.

© 2012 Michael R. Powers ~ Reprinted with permission of the publicist

Author Bio
Michael R. Powers, author of Acts of God and Man: Ruminations on Risk and Insurance, is professor of risk management and insurance at Temple University's Fox School of Business, and distinguished visiting professor of finance at Tsinghua University's School of Economics and Management. He serves as chief editor of the Journal of Risk Finance and the Asia-Pacific Journal of Risk and Insurance.

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the First Week of February 2012

2012-01-30T21:06:00.000-08:00

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, you have to be extremely careful, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

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 during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

First Potomac Realty Trust (FPO) market cap: $754.9M ex div date: 2/1/2012 yield: 5.4%

Itau Unibanco Holding SA ADR (ITUB) market cap: $46.2B ex div date: 2/1/2012 yield: 3.7%

Natural Resource Partners LP (NRP) market cap: $3.0B ex div date: 2/1/2012 yield: 7.8%

Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. (PAA) market cap: $12.0B ex div date: 2/1/2012 yield: 5.4%

Meridian Bioscience, Inc. (VIVO) market cap: $748.6M ex div date: 2/1/2012 yield: 4.1%

Global Partners LP (GLP) market cap: $507.8M ex div date: 2/1/2012 yield: 8.7%

Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P (CLMT) market cap: $1.2B ex div date: 2/1/2012 yield: 9.3%

IDACORP Inc (IDA) market cap: $2.1B ex div date: 2/2/2012 yield: 3.1%

The Southern Company (SO) market cap: $39.1B ex div date: 2/2/2012 yield: 4.2%

Tompkins Financial Corporation (TMP) market cap: $444.7M ex div date: 2/2/2012 yield: 3.5%

FirstEnergy Corp. (FE) market cap: $17.9B ex div date: 2/3/2012 yield: 5.2%

Intel Corporation (INTC) market cap: $136.2B ex div date: 2/3/2012 yield: 3.1%

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.

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 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.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Book Review: Mystery+Humor+Court Drama+Dogs

2012-01-30T20:33:00.000-08:00

What do you get when you mix mystery, humor, court drama, and dogs? You get the book by David Rosenfelt called New Tricks. I enjoy mysteries and I enjoy reading humor but it is rare to find books that combine both. In addition, I am a dog lover, so if a book includes dogs in the equation, then I have a great book.

The book involves big inheritance disputes, big business disputes, and big family disputes. In regards to the courtroom drama, the attorney's 'client' is a a Bernese mountain puppy. For some reason, people are either killed or almost killed who are in the proximity of the dog. Find out why and find out who ends up owning the dog. Dog lovers will love New Tricks. By the way, I listened to the New Tricks Audio CD version of the book.

Warren Buffett Stocks on the Top Dividend Increasers List

2012-01-27T19:41:00.000-08:00

Warren Buffet, head of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B), is considered the world's best stock investor and one of the three richest people in the world. Numerous books have been written about Buffett and many investors have tried to determine what his technique is for achieving investing success. Does he look for value, for growth, for dividends, for leading industries?

A review of the list of stocks that Buffett owns, available at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, shows that 84% of the holdings are dividend payers. But just because a stock pays a dividend doesn't make it a good stock. There is another factor at play.

Take a look at the list of the top dividend increasing stocks, a list of stocks that have increased their dividends every year for at least 30 years, also available at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. One of the things that stand out is that several Buffett stocks are on the list. So not only does Warren Buffett just like dividend stocks, he is especially fond of stocks that have a very long track record of raising dividends on a regular basis.

As an example, Berkshire Hathaway has Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) as part of its portfolio. The company makes everything from Band-Aids to Tylenol to Neutrogena to Acuvue contact lenses. Then of course there is the popular Johnson's Baby Shampoo. The stock trades at 12 times forward earnings, and provides a favorable yield of 3.5%. Last year, the dividend was boosted by 5.6%. Dividends have been raised 48 years in a row.

Johnson & Johnson's fourth-quarter revenues rose by 3.9% from the same period last year. However, earnings suffered. Recalls, plant shutdown, and litigation caused net earnings per share to drop to $0.08 versus $0.70 for the prior year. Earnings were $1.13 per share excluding special items.

Procter & Gamble (PG) is another stock that shows up on both lists. This consumer goods company trades at 14 times forward earnings. For 54 years in a row, the company has bumped up it dividend, and now provides a 3.2% yield.

The company just reported earnings.Net profits tanked by 49% with earnings per share for the quarter at $0.57 versus $1.11 in the same quarter last year. The drop was due to goodwill write-downs, the economy, and increased competition. Although, quarterly sales grew by 4%.

To see the other Warren Buffett stocks that are also long term dividend increasers, you can check out both lists for free at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The lists can be downloaded, updated, and sorted.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Coffee Prevents Diabetes: Look at Coffee Stocks

2012-01-24T22:03:00.000-08:00

According to a study in a recent issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Chinese researchers at Wuhan University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology determined that compounds in coffee inhibit human islet amyloid polypeptide, which is a substance linked to diabetes. Previous studies have shown that drinking four or more cups of coffee a day can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 50 percent.

It is not just diabetes that coffee can be used to help prevent. It may also reduce depression in women. Another study showed that men who drank six or more cups of coffee per day were found to have a 20% reduction in developing prostate cancer.

Fortunately for investors, plenty of coffee stocks are available to choose from. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has recently updated its list of publicly traded companies in the coffee business, many that pay dividends.

Peet's Coffee & Tea, Inc. (PEET) is the specialty coffee roaster, marketer, and retailer founded in 1966 in Berkeley, California. The stock trades at 33 times forward earnings. Revenues for the latest quarter were up 13.7%, but earnings tanked by about 60%. The company does not pay a dividend.

Starbucks (SBUX) is the largest coffeehouse retailer in the world, with outlets in 50 countries and over 17,000 shops worldwide. The stock trades at 21 times forward earnings and pays a yield of 1.4%. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 28.5% on an 6.8% increase in revenues.

The J. M. Smucker Co. (SJM) sells the Folgers brand of coffee, along with spreads, toppings, and beverages. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 14.5 and a decent yield of 2.4%. earnings dropped 15% on an 18% rise in sales.

On the non-retail side, there is Coffee Holding Co. (JVA), a roaster of wholesale coffee which markets wholesale green coffee, private label coffee, and branded coffee in the US and Canada. The stock trades at 9 times forward earnings and has a small dividend yield of 1.3%. Unfortunately, earnings for the latest reported quarter dropped by 60% on an 88% increase in revenues.

For a list of all of the coffee stocks, including more than half a dozen that pay dividends, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The list can be downloaded, sorted, and updated.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Orangutans Using Apple iPads

2012-01-22T21:49:00.000-08:00

Orangutans are using Apple (AAPL) iPads at the Milwaukee County Zoo. The following video shows MJ and Mahal drawing on an iPad.

Kim Dotcom Arrested: Police 'Cut' Into His House

2012-01-21T18:08:00.000-08:00

The head of Megaupload, who's real name is Kim Dotcom (yes, he legally changed it to that name), was arrested in New Zealand for copyright infringement. They had to cut into his house to get to him in his saferoom. Numerous cars were confiscated including a pink Cadillac and a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. Check out the video below.

Weird Business News

2012-01-20T20:30:00.000-08:00

Glued Meat: Check out this video
Straight from Australia. The next time that you are at the grocery store go to the pre-packaged meat coolers and look closely at the list of the countries on the label of any of the packaged meats (which is a mandatory FDA law) that shows where that meat came from. The video starts after the short ad.

Great News for Marijuana Dispensaries
New study shows that that moderate marijuana use is not linked with lung damage.

Los Angeles requires condoms in porn films
The porn industry is upset about this new law

Clay iPad 2's Sold in Canada
Watch out for fakes

British Olympic athlete sold himself on eBay (EBAY)
Unfortunately, the high bidder was a hoax. Fortunately, there was a happy ending

Donald Trump's Charity Donations According to The Smoking Gun
According to The Smoking Gun web site, he donated nothing to his foundation

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fifth Week of January 2012

2012-01-19T23:01:00.000-08:00

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, you have to be extremely careful, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

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 during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Bank of Montreal (BMO) market cap: $34.6B ex div date: 1/30/2012 yield: 5.1%

Donegal Group Inc. (DGICA) market cap: $295.0M ex div date: 1/30/2012 yield: 3.3%

Hasbro, Inc. (HAS) market cap: $4.1B ex div date: 1/30/2012 yield: 3.6%

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.

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 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.

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

By Stockerblog.com

MC Hammer Shows Up for SOPA Protest in SF

2012-01-19T22:18:00.000-08:00

Rapper MC Hammer showed up and spoke at a SOPA protest rally in front of City Hall in San Francisco yesterday during the noon hour. Hundreds of supporters of the protest were in attendance. If you aren't familiar with SOPA, it is the Stop Online Piracy Act proposed law to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property. Numerous large web sites protested yesterday by having a blackout for their sites. Protesters believe that the law is too heavy handed and that it impede the growth of Internet businesses and Internet start-ups. The company and organization protesters, most of which had blackouts, included Google (GOOG), Yahoo! (YHOO), YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, AOL, LinkedIn, eBay (EBAY), Mozilla, Roblox, Reddit, Wikipedia, Reporters Without Borders, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the ACLU, and Human Rights Watch.

MC Hammer speaking to the crowd

I was Blind But Now I See

2012-01-17T21:41:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for an unusual and interesting read, check out the book, I Was Blind But Now I See: Time to Be Happy by James Altucher. The book is about how to succeed and be happy but he has some pretty wild and radical ideas.

Just take a look at some of the chapters:

* Politics is a scam - Why I will Never Vote Again
* Abolish the Presidency
* You Need to Quit Your Job Right Now!
* Why I Would Rather Shoot Myself In the Head Than Own a Home
* Why Kids Should Not Go to College

Altucher weaves in a lot of his personal opinions, and how his opinions relate to happiness. He also talks a lot about his personal experiences. He has been a multi-millionaire and subsequently lost it all. He has run a hedge fund and had his own TV show on HBO. Learn from his failures, of which he has had a lot, and learn from his successes.

I highly recommend I Was Blind But Now I See: Time to Be Happy. Great to read on a plane, a train, or just at home on the weekend.

Why Brazil Stocks?

2012-01-16T19:59:00.000-08:00

Last week, the rating agency, Standard & Poor's, downgraded the credit ratings for nine countries, France, Austria, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia. Yet just a couple months ago, S&P raised Brazil's foreign currency rating with little fanfare. According to John Chambers, S&P Managing Director Sovereign Ratings, "the upgrade of Brazil was supported by the current administration's growing track record of prudent macroeconomic policies, including fairly consistent primary surpluses of close to 3% of GDP."

From an economic standpoint, Brazil is the seventh largest country in the world based on GDP. The country is the world leader in renewable source energy, especially ethanol which it generates from sugarcane.

Fortunately for investors, there are plenty of Brazilian stocks that trade on the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. Based on the free list of Brazil stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, twenty-five Brazilian stocks are available to US investors and almost all of them pay dividends.

One example is Braskem S.A. (BAK), the largest chemical company in South America. It makes and markets petrochemical and thermoplastic products. The stock trades at 15 times forward earnings and sports a very generous yield of 7.0%. Revenues for the latest reported quarter were up over 15%.

In the area of beverages, Companhia de Bebidas das Americas (ABV), also known as Ambev, makes and sells beer, soft drinks, malt, and other non-alcoholic and non-carbonated products. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 20, and a yield of 4.3%. Revenues were up 6.6% for the latest quarter, although earnings were down 7%.

Gerdau S.A. (GGB), founded in 1901, manufactures and markets steel products. The stock trades at eight times forward earnings and offers investors a 2.9% yield. Latest quarter revenues were up 9.5%, with earnings up 31.9%.

Telefonica Brasil, S.A. ADS (VIV) is a fixed-line telecommunications company with a forward PE of 10, a yield of 1.4%. Quarterly earnings were up 105% on a 108% rise in revenues.

To see other dividend paying Brazil stocks, you can access a free list of Brazil stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, which can be downloaded, updated, and sorted.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fourth Week of January 2012

2012-01-15T23:03:00.000-08:00

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, you have to be extremely careful, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

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 during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

The Clorox Company (CLX) market cap: $8.7B ex div date: 1/24/2012 yield: 3.7%

Royal Bank of Canada (RY) market cap: $71.7B ex div date: 1/24/2012 yield: 4.4%

QR Energy LP (QRE) market cap: $714.6M ex div date: 1/26/2012 yield: 9.7%

ConAgra Foods, Inc. (CAG) market cap: $10.9B ex div date: 1/27/2012 yield: 3.6%

DNP Select Income Fund Inc. (DNP) market cap: $2.6B ex div date: 1/27/2012 yield: 7.1%

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.

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 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.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Be Careful What You Do In Front of your Computer: Your Web Cam Can be Hacked

2012-01-15T18:12:00.000-08:00

GQ Magazine just published an article about a girl at the University of California at Irvine, who didn't realize that someone had hacked into her computer and activated her web cam. But she soon found out when she received a strange instant message that described her dorm room in graphic detail, then followed up with a picture of her in bed with her boyfriend.

The hacker didn't stop there, another student received a video attached to the IM. The Los Angeles office of the FBI got involved through their Cyber Program. The FBI eventually turned up numerous victims.

The hacker turned out to be a wheelchair-bound 30 year old Latino named Luis Mijangos, who lived in Orange County, California, near Disneyland.

Kate Middleton Stock Index Outperforms the Dow Jones Industrial Average

2012-01-15T00:31:00.000-08:00

Her Royal Highness Princess William, Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn, Baroness Carrickfergus is the official name of Catherine 'Kate' Middleton, the wife of Prince William. Ever since their engagement was announced on November 16, 2010, news on the couple, and more specifically Kate, has been constant: what she's wearing, where she's going, what she's doing. The marriage has been a boon to the press, especially the British publications, such as The Times and The Sun, published by News Corporation (NWS) (NWSA).

It is not just the newspapers that are benefiting from all the publicity surrounding Kate. Look what has happened with the clothing retailers whenever Kate buys another dress. Web site hits have skyrocketed and inventory was cleaned out at many dress stores. As a matter of fact, when Kate wore a dress from Reiss to meet President and Mrs. Obama, the company website crashed due to the influx of orders.

Reiss is a privately held company, but there are several publicly companies that have benefited from the 'Kate Effect'. When Kate wore a beige trenchcoat from Burberry (BRBY.L) on her trip to Belfast in March, sales spiked and the trenchcoat sold out. Burberry, which also makes perfume and accessories in addition to clothing, has been around since 1856. The stock is part of the FTSE 100 Index.

Kate has also worn lots of French Connection (FCCN.L) clothing, including tops and dresses. French Connection, also known as FCUK, was founded in 1972 and trades on the London Stock Exchange.

Alexander McQueen dresses designed by Sarah Burton on Kate are a common site. The company is a luxury fashion house founded by designer Alexander McQueen, and is a Subsidiary of PPR (PP.PA), a French holding company that specializing in retail shops and luxury brands. The company was started in 1963 and the stock trades on Euronext Paris and is a part of the CAC 40 index.

Even entrepreneurs are taking advantage of the Royal Wedding through eBay (EBAY). If you do a search on eBay for Kate Middleton, you will find a couple thousand items, everything from magazines to photographs to jewelry to dolls! eBay trades on NASDAQ and trades at 13 times forward earnings. Speaking of entrepreneurs, Kate's parents started their own party supply company, called Party Pieces, back in 1987. Since the wedding news, company sales have grown enormously. Sorry, you can't buy stock in it, it's a private company.

Show business is getting in on the act. Two movies have been made about the wedding. The first was a Lifetime movie called William & Kate. Lifetime is owned by A&E Television Networks, which is owned partially by Disney (DIS). Disney trades at 11.5 times forward earnings and yields 1.6%.

The second movie was William & Catherine: A Royal Romance, which was distributed by the Hallmark Channel. Hallmark is owned by the California based media production company, Crown Media Holdings, Inc. (CRWN). [Crown Media? That's an interesting coincidence.]

Many celebrities have an effect on companies that they are connected with in some way, whether the celebrity is a supermodel, such as Gisele Bunchen, an actress like Angelina Jolie, or just a celebrity for unknown reasons, such as Paris Hilton. Examining all the companies that Kate is connected with, an analysis can be made showing how the Kate stocks compare to stock indexes. If you look at the chart below, you will see the one-year time frame from the date of her engagement announcement. The Kate Index is the blue line on top.

As you can see, the Kate Middleton Stock Index has greatly outperformed the Dow Jones Industrial Average. During those twelve months, the Kate Index was up 18.1% versus the Dow, which was up only 10.9%.

To see a free list of the stocks in the Kate Middleton Stock Index, which includes some financial information on the companies, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The list can be downloaded, sorted, and updated.

Disclosure: Author owned DIS and EBAY at the time the article was written.

Copyright-free picture courtesy of Wikipedia. No celebrity endorsement, expressed or implied.

By Fred Fuld III at Stockerblog.com

Satisfy Your Stomach and Your Portfolio with Chocolate

2012-01-13T13:37:00.000-08:00

Most people love chocolate, and not just for its taste. Some eat chocolate to help reduce wrinkles. It is now being used in cough medicines. Many students eat chocolate before taking a test, due to the fact that chocolate has been found by researchers to improve brain function. Even Warren Buffett likes chocolate, as his company, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B), owns See's Candies.

With Valentine's Day coming up next month, investors are wondering if they should nibble on chocolate and sugar stocks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com just updated its free list of several chocolate stocks that may be worth feasting on. Here are a few that may satisfy your portfolio.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (RMCF), based in Durango, Colorado, makes and markets caramels, creams, mints, and truffles. The company, founded in 1981, has over 300 franchise locations in 40 states, plus Canada and the United Arab Emirates. The stock trades at 12.5 times forward earnings, and the company pays a mouth-watering yield of 4.6%. The company just announced its third quarter operating results. For the latest quarter, total revenues increased 4.6 percent to approximately $8.3 million, factory sales rose by 5.6 percent, mostly due to a 29.4 percent increase in sales to customers outside the Company's network of franchise retail stores.

However, earnings dropped 17.0 percent, mostly due to increased operating costs related to the Company's Aspen Leaf Yogurt division, an increase in uncollectable accounts reserves, and a drop in the franchise fees.

Then there is the classic company known for its chocolate bars, Hershey (HSY), that was founded in 1894. It is the largest manufacturer of chocolate in North America and one of the largest chocolate and candy companies in the world. It is famous for its Hershey's Kisses which were invented in 1901 and the chocolate chips that were brought out in 1928. The stock has forward price to earnings ratio of 19.7, with a scrumptious yield of 2.3%.

There is also the world-famous Nestle (NSRGY.PK), which sports a forward P/E of 14.8 and yields 3.7%. This Swiss chocolate manufacturer was founded in 1867.

If you want to see a free list of all the publicly traded chocolate and candy stocks, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The list, which includes five companies that pay dividends, can be downloaded, updated, and sorted.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Woman Named Beer was Banned from Beer Making Competition - Plus Top Beer Stocks

2012-01-12T22:13:00.000-08:00

A woman named Rachel Beer was banned from a brewing competition in Queensland, New Zealand. And is wasn't because she was named 'Beer'. It was because she wasn't a man. Apparently the rules of the home brewing competition require that the entrants be male. She complained but the contest official didn't give in. She was told to suggest a 'mixed' competition for next year.

At least she can invest in beer stocks in the mean time. According to a free recently updated list at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are over ten publicly traded breweries and beer retailers. In addition, half a dozen of the beer stocks pay dividends, ranging up to almost 3%.

One example is Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD), which has the memorable stock symbol representing its popular Budweiser brand. It also sells Stella Artois, Beck's, Leffe, Bud Light, Skol, Brahma, Quilmes, Michelob, and many other brands. The stock has a current price to earnings ratio of 20, a forward PE of 14, and a 1.44 PEG. The stock sports a yield of 1.6%.

Another dividend paying brewery is Molson Coors Brewing Company (TAP), a Canadian based company that markets the Coors Light, Molson, Carling, Pilsner, Keystone Light, and Granville Island brands. The stock trades at 14 times current earnings and 12 times forward earnings, with a reasonable price to earnings growth ratio of 2.29. In addition, the company pays a decent CD beating yield of 2.9%.

Heineken NV (HINKY.PK) pays a yield of 2.4% and trades at 13 times forward earnings.

If you are looking for more beer stock ideas, check out the free list at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, which can be updated, sorted, and downloaded.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Start the New Year with Tax Free Income

2012-01-10T17:46:00.000-08:00

What better way to start the new year than with tax free income. Now is a great time to look at your portfolio and consider moving some of the funds you have in a regular bank account (making less than 1% interest, fully taxable) to either municipal bonds or 'tax free stocks'.

Tax free stocks are technically closed end funds or CEFs that own municipal bonds which pay tax free interest. There are risks of course like any investment, such as the potential increase in interest rates, which would cause the price of the shares to drop. In addition, many CEFs use leverage to obtain higher yields.

But there are many advantages besides the tax free income feature. Almost all of these CEFs pay dividends monthly, whereas, if you by an individual bond, the interest is paid semi-annually. CEFs have no minimum investment, whereas bonds are sold in $5,000 denominations and many brokers have minimum purchases ranging from $15,000 to $25,000. You also have better liquidity with CEFs as prices are quoted real time and quotes are immediately available on the Internet. CEFs provide diversification through a group of bonds in the portfolio.

Municipal bonds pay interest that is exempt from Federal taxes and may be exempt from state taxes if issued in the state you live in or issued by one of the US territories, such as Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, or Guam. Munis are generally issued by states, counties, cities, and other governmental entities such as school districts, sewer districts, bridges, and water and power departments.WallStreetNewsNetwork.com just recently updated over 150 of these tax-free income CEFs, and more than 100 providing yields in excess of 5%.

One example, appropriate for New York residents, is Nuveen New York Investment Quality Municipal Fund Inc. (NQN) which seeks to provide current income exempt from regular Federal and New York State and City income tax, and pays a fairly high yield of 6.2%. However, it does use leverage, to the tune of 38%, to achieve its high yield. The fund trades at about a 3% discount to net asset value, also referred to NAV, at the time of writing. The management fee of 0.68% is below the overall average of all tax free CEFs. It has been paying dividends since 1990. Slightly less than 10% of the bonds in the portfolio are subject to the alternative minimum tax, also referred to as AMT.

California residents might want to take a look at the Nuveen California Municipal Value Fund Inc. (NCA), which doesn't use any leverage to achieve its 5.0% yield, free of Federal and state income taxes. It currently trades at an 8.3% discount to NAV, and carries a reasonable 0.57% management fee. The CEF, which has been around since 1987, has about 8.5% of its portfolio in AMT bonds.

For a CEF that is diversified nationwide, there is the Federated Premier Intermediate Municipal Income Fund (FPT), which seeks to provide current income exempt from federal income tax, including AMT. The fund yields 5.6% and has no AMT bonds in the portfolio. It is trading at a 1.9% discount to net asset value. Leverage is quite high at 40% but the management fee is a reasonable 0.46%. Income has been paid since 2002.

Another option is the Western Asset Municipal Partners Fund Inc. (MNP), yielding 5.2%, and trading at a 5.6% discount to NAV. Leverage is at 37%, and the CEF carries a management fee of 0.82%, slightly above the average. The CEF has been around since 1992.

The issues to watch out for with tax free CEFs:
* high leverage
* high management fees
* trading at a premium to NAV
* bonds in the portfolio that may be subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax
* quality of bonds in the portfolio

For a list of tax free income closed end funds, which includes yields, discounts and premiums, leverage, management fees, date founded, and other information, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Fire Laser Beams from Your Eyes

2012-01-08T21:37:00.000-08:00

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have been working on making a human cell behave like a laser. And although people could eventually get light beans from their eyes to act as flashlights, the current intent is to create a living laser that could be used to activate cancer-treating drugs.

Stem Cell Stocks

2012-01-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

On Sunday evening, 60 Minutes broadcast an extensive report on stem cell scams. It reported on companies around the world that make outrageous claims with regards to the treatment and cures that stem cells can provide. Numerous people who have incurable diseases are desperately looking for cures, and are being taking advantage of by charlatans purporting to solve all their medical issues.

However, stem cells are being used currently for medical treatments. Look at bone marrow transplants that are used to treat leukemia utilizing adult stem cells. Scientists are actively looking at stem cells to treat diseases such as cancer, Parkinson's disease, and spinal cord injuries.

There are actually many publicly traded companies involved in stem cell research. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has turned up over 20 stem cell stocks, half of which are currently profitable.

Integra Lifesciences Holdings (IART) is a New Jersey based company that develops, manufactures, and sells medical devices, implants, biomaterials, and instruments to the stem cell, surgery, and soft tissue repair markets. The stock trades at 17 times current earnings, and 7.5 times forward earnings. However, earnings for the latest quarter were down 31.8%.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals (ALXN) is a Connecticut based company with an $13.7 billion market capitalization that is involved in the development of biologic therapeutic products for the treatment of hematologic and cardiovascular disorders, auto-immune diseases, and cancer. The company licenses porcine embryonic stem cells for transgenic animals. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 92 and a forward PE of 45. Earnings for the latest quarter were up an amazing 135.2% on a 44% rise in revenues.

Cellgene (CELG) is a $29.8 billion market cap company involved in the discovery and production of therapies designed to treat cancer and immune-inflammatory-related diseases. One of the company's main products is Thalomid, which is used for the treatment of erythema nodosum leprosum, a complication of leprosy. They also received a patent on placental stem cell recovery. The stock sports a PE ratio of 28 and a forward PE of 15. Quarterly earnings were up 32.7% on a 37% revenue increase.

For a free list of over twenty stem cell stocks which you can download, sort, and update, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

3D Printers Can Create Stuff Smaller than a Speck of Dust: 3D Printer Stocks?

2012-01-08T00:13:00.000-08:00

The following video is about the latest technology in small scale three dimensional printing. It is about ten minutes long and the lecture starts about 40 seconds into the video.

If you are wondering if there are any publicly traded companies that are involved in 3D printing, there are actually a couple to choose from. 3D Systems Corporation (DDD), a Rock Hill, South Carolina based company, makes and sells 3D printers and related products. The company just announced that it is unveiling its Cubify.com 3D @home experience, which allows sharing printable content and has intuitive apps to modify and print creations. In addition, a new Kinect-to-print app powered by Geomagic and many tablet-to-print content creation and manipulation apps are being showcased.

3D Systems, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange, has been around since 1986. In the last three months, analysts have given the stock a Strong Buy. The stock trades at 22 times current earnings and 20 times forward earnings. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 34.50% and a 38.6% rise in revenues. The company has $72 million in cash and less than $8 million in total debt.

Another 3D printer business is Stratasys, Inc. (SSYS), which produces three-dimensional printers, rapid prototyping systems, and related consumable materials. This Minnesota based company was founded in 1989. In September, Dougherty & Company upgraded the company from Neutral to a Buy, but Needham reduced it from Buy to Hold.

Latest quarterly earnings were up an amazing 84.40% on a 31.2% increase in revenues. The company is debt free and has $18 million in cash. The stock trades at 30 times forward earnings.

On the software side, there is Autodesk, Inc. (ADSK), which makes 3D software for many different industries, everything from entertainment to architecture to manufacturing. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 15, is debt free, and has over a billion dollars in the bank.

Dentists are already putting this technology to make crowns in their offices. You will be able to make your own hearing aid, designed exactly for your ear. Small businesses are using this equipment to make models and prototypes. This will be one of the next major trends.

Disclosure: Author owns DDD.

By Stockerblog.com

Home Almost Foreclosed Due to 80 Cent Error

2012-01-07T10:05:00.000-08:00

A man made an 80 cent error on his home mortgage payment and almost lost his house to foreclosure, according to a report by NBC news.

<a href='http://www.bing.com/videos/browse?mkt=en-us&vid=78c307d2-fa50-40f0-9cb6-ba58e22f681c&from=&src=v5:embed::' target='_new' title='80-cent mistake nearly costs home'>Video: 80-cent mistake nearly costs home</a>

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Third Week of January 2012

2012-01-06T20:39:00.000-08:00

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, you have to be extremely careful, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

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 during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Comtech Telecomm. Corp. (CMTL) market cap: $594.2M ex div date: 1/18/2012 yield: 3.8%

Western Asset High Income Fund II Inc. (HIX) market cap: $808.5M ex div date: 1/18/2012 yield: 10.5%

Imperial Tobacco Group PLC (ITYBY) market cap: $37.4B ex div date: 1/18/2012 yield: 4.1%

Main Street Capital Corporation (MAIN) market cap: $539.8M ex div date: 1/18/2012 yield: 8.0%

Putnam Municipal Opportunities Trust (PMO) market cap: $516.2M ex div date: 1/20/2012 yield: 6.6%

Putnam Premier Income Trust (PPT) market cap: $740.1M ex div date: 1/20/2012 yield: 7.0%

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 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.

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 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.

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

By Stockerblog.com

What Do Ron Paul, Amazon, and Kelly Clarkson Have in Common

2012-01-03T20:10:00.000-08:00

Apparently, if a celebrity supports the right political candidate, the celebrity's popularity will skyrocket. Last Thursday, pop singer Kelly Clarkson tweeted that she supports libertarian/Republican candidate Ron Paul. Back in 2007, Paul was the second most searched person on the Internet, after Paris Hilton.

Although many tweeters criticized her at the time, she apparently garnered a lot of new fans. Clarkson's album sales skyrocketed by 442% on Amazon (AMZN) in just one day, causing the Stronger album to move to seventh place, up from #38. Many new buyers said that they had never heard of her until her Ron Paul support became publicized.

In case you haven't heard of Clarkson, she was the winner of the first season of the American Idol television series in 2002 and later, the runner-up in World Idol in 2003, and is now considered the most successful Idol contestant worldwide. Her first single, "A Moment Like This", broke The Beatles' record for the biggest jump to the number one position, from 52, in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.

Now let's think this through. If Charlie Sheen supports Ron Paul, will he get a career boost and be asked back to Two and a Half Men?

Copyright-free image courtesy of Wikipedia. No celebrity endorsement is expressed or implied.
Author owns AMZN.

Another Use for Gold: Rub It on Your Face

2012-01-03T20:00:00.000-08:00

A spa in Thailand has come up with another use for gold. The spa is offering gold facials. People are taking advantage of it because they believe the gold removes toxins from the skin. At the Princess Beauty spa in Bangkok, demand for gold facials has increased at the price of gold has risen.

What Does Warren Buffett have in Common with Vice?

2012-01-02T22:28:00.000-08:00

There is a mutual fund called the Vice Fund (VICEX), which invests in what it calls 'vice' oriented company that are in the business of either aerospace and defense, gambling, tobacco and alcoholic beverages. According to the company's web site, the fund says that "these industries tend to thrive regardless of the economy as a whole. In fact, they may have the potential to perform better when times are uncertain, leading many to view investment in 'Vice' industries as a solid strategy during recessionary periods." As of the end of November, the fund was up an amazing 9.62% year-to-date, while the S&P 500 generated a slightly above break-even return of only 1.08% during the same period.

It is interesting to note that many of the stocks in the Vice Fund have high yields, partially due to what I call the 'bad company discount'. Since many institutions and individual investors avoid these types of stocks, the buying arena is smaller than other stocks, causing the discount in price compared to other income stocks. This is especially true with tobacco and cigarette stocks, such as Altria Group Inc. (MO) which yields 5.5%, Lorillard, Inc. (LO) yielding 4.5%, and Philip Morris International, Inc. (PM) at a 3.9% yield, all of which are owned by Vice.

The alcohol stocks have yields but not as high as tobacco. Brown-Forman Corporation (BF-B), producer of Jack Daniel's and Southern Comfort, provides investors with a yield of 1.7%. Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD), maker of Budweiser, yields 1.6%.

So getting back to the big question, what is the 'vice' stock that Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B) owns? The stock is General Dynamics Corp. (GD), which makes combat vehicles, weapons systems, munitions, and military ships. The stock trades at nine times forward earnings, and yields 2.8%. The company generated a very slight profit increase of 0.30% for the latest quarter, on a 2% revenue increase.

To see free lists of these stocks, WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has lists of Beer Stocks, Wine and Liquor Stocks, and Warren Buffett Berkshire Hathaway Stocks, which can be downloaded, sorted, and updated.

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

Dragon Flyers in China: An Incredible Video

2011-12-31T10:03:00.000-08:00

What a way to end the year with an amazing video about the Dragon Flyers in China. These guys make sky divers, bungee jumpers, mountain climbers, and hang gliders look like merry-go-round riders. The action starts one minute and twenty seconds into the video, so watch at least the first couple minutes to see what the dragon flyers are.

Chinese Scenes from BASE-Book - Matt Gerdes on Vimeo.

Obviously, the video has nothing to do with stocks, bonds, or investments, but I thought you would enjoy it.

Stocks Liked by both Warren Buffett and Renaissance Technologies

2011-12-30T20:48:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows who Warren Buffett is, top investor and trader and either the richest, second richest, or third richest man in the world, depending on what day of the year it is. One technique that investors use is piggybacking on Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B) portfolio. Yet Buffett owns over thirty stocks in the portfolio of Berkshire Hathaway, according to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. So what is an investor to do?

Investors can look at what top hedge funds are investing in, and compare that list to Buffett's stocks. One of the top hedge funds is Renaissance Technologies, founded in 1982 and run by James Simons. Renaissance's Medallion fund was the most profitable hedge fund with profits of over $1 billion in 2009. Also, the Medallion Fund has had an average annual return after fees of 35% since 1989. Renaissance charges the highest fees in the industry with a management fee of 5% and a profit participation of 44%.

Now lets look at the stocks that are preferred by both Berkshire Hathaway and Renaissance Technologies. Both own Intel (INTC), the world's largest semiconductor chip maker by revenues. The stock trades at ten times forward earnings and pays a decent yield of 3.5%. Latest quarterly earnings were up 17.4% on a 28.2% rise in revenues.

Another stock in common is Procter & Gamble Co. (PG), known for such brands as Head & Shoulders, Olay, Gillette, Mach3, Crest, Oral-B, Iams, Pringles, Dawn, Downy, Duracell, Gain, Tide, Bounty, Charmin, and Pampers. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 14.6 and provides investors with a yield of 3.2%. Revenues for the latest quarter were up 8.9%, but earnings were down 1.9%.

Buffett and Simons also own Costco (COST), the third largest retailer in the United States. The stock trades at 19 times forward earnings and yields 1.1%. Latest quarterly earnings were up 2.6% on a 12.4% increase.

One more stock owned by both: General Dynamics Corp. (GD). The stock has a favorable forward PE of 9 and pays a yield of 2.9%.

And of course, Renaissance Technologies owns shares of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B).

If you want to see a free list of the stocks owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Huge Titanic Artifact Auction

2011-12-30T11:17:00.000-08:00

The publicly traded company, Premier Exhibitions Inc. (PRXI), will be auctioning off the 5,000 artifacts salvaged from the Titanic, the famous ship that sank on April 15 one hundred years ago. Guernsey's, based in New York, will be auctioning off the items. The latest appraisal from a few years ago, was set at $189 million.

Disclosure: Author owns PRXI. PRXI is a very low cap stock and should be considered very speculative.

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Second Week of January 2012

2011-12-29T20:35:00.000-08:00

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, you have to be extremely careful, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

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 during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) market cap: $86.7B ex div date: 1/11/2012 yield: 3.5%

Empresa Nacional de Electricidad (EOC) market cap: $12.0B ex div date: 1/11/2012 yield: 7.5%

Harsco Corporation (HSC) market cap: $1.7B ex div date: 1/11/2012 yield: 4.0%

Methode Electronics Inc. (MEI) market cap: $311.3M ex div date: 1/11/2012 yield: 3.3%

Shaw Communications Inc. (SJR) market cap: $8.2B ex div date: 1/11/2012 yield: 4.7%

Consolidated Communications Holdings Inc (CNSL) market cap: $570.8M ex div date: 1/11/2012 yield: 8.0%

Saul Centers, Inc. (BFS) market cap: $701.0M ex div date: 1/12/2012 yield: 4.0%

Camden National Corporation (CAC) market cap: $253.8M ex div date: 1/12/2012 yield: 3.1%

Corus Entertainment Inc. (CJREF) market cap: $1.6B ex div date: 1/12/2012 yield: 4.3%

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 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.

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 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.

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

By Stockerblog.com

The Water Business is an Old Business: Water Stocks with Long Histories

2011-12-28T19:37:00.000-08:00

American Water (AWK) is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. Actually, the transportation of water is an extremely old business. The Assyrians built a 50 mile long limestone aqueduct in the 7th century BC, which carried water through a valley to Nineveh, their capital. It measured about 30 feet high and almost 1000 feet wide.

American Water is a New Jersey based company that provides drinking water and wastewater services to 30 states and 2 Canadian provinces. The stock trades at 17 times forward earnings and pays a yield of about 3%. The current annual dividend rate is 92 cents per share, up from 68 cents per share for the previous year, a 35% increase. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 10.7% on a 2.3% increase in revenues.

Middlesex Water Co. (MSEX) is another water utility that has been around for over a century, as it was founded in 1897. The company primarily serves New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 19, which is a bit on the high side, however, it pays a generous yield of 4%. The company just raised its dividend on November 10. Earnings were down over 10% for the latest quarter.

WallStreetNewsNetwork.com just updated its free list of dividend paying water utility stocks, which shows the PE, the forward PE, the price to earnings growth ratio, and the yield.

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 January 2012

2011-12-22T15:26:00.000-08:00

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, you have to be extremely careful, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

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 during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Brandywine Realty Trust (BDN) market cap: $1.3B ex div date: 1/3/2012 yield: 6.5%

Mack-Cali Realty Corp. (CLI) market cap: $2.4B ex div date: 1/3/2012 yield: 6.8%

Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) market cap: $66.0B ex div date: 1/3/2012 yield: 3.7%

Village Super Market, Inc. (VLGEA) market cap: $404.2M ex div date: 1/3/2012 yield: 3.5%

CubeSmart (CUBE) market cap: $1.3B ex div date: 1/3/2012 yield: 3.1%

Cellcom Israel Ltd. (CEL) market cap: $1.7B ex div date: 1/3/2012 yield: 17.0%

Superior Industries International Inc. (SUP) market cap: $447.6M ex div date: 1/4/2012 yield: 3.9%

SYSCO Corporation (SYY) market cap: $17.1B ex div date: 1/4/2012 yield: 3.7%

Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI) market cap: $5.9B ex div date: 1/6/2012 yield: 3.9%

General Mills, Inc. (GIS) market cap: $26.0B ex div date: 1/6/2012 yield: 3.0%

Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) market cap: $111.2B ex div date: 1/6/2012 yield: 5.1%

WGL Holdings, Inc. (WGL) market cap: $2.3B ex div date: 1/6/2012 yield: 3.6%

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.

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 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.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Thinking About Year End Tax Issues? How About Tax Free CEFs?

2011-12-22T10:11:00.000-08:00

Tax free stocks are technically closed end funds or CEFs that own municipal bonds which pay tax free interest. There are risks of course like any investment, such as a potential (or in my opinion certain) rise in interest rates, which would cause the price of the shares to drop. Plus many CEFs use leverage to obtain higher yields.

But there are many advantages besides that tax free income feature. Almost all of these CEFs pay dividends monthly, whereas, if you by an individual bond, the interest is paid semi-annually. CEFs have no minimum investment, whereas bonds are sold in $5,000 denominations and many brokers have minimum purchases ranging from $15,000 to $25,000. You also have better liquidity with CEFs as prices are quoted real time and quotes are immediately available on the Internet. CEFs provide diversification through a group of bonds in the portfolio.

Municipal bonds pay interest that is exempt from Federal taxes and may be exempt from state taxes if issued in the state you live in or issued by one of the US territories, such as Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, or Guam. Munis are generally issued by states, counties, cities, and other governmental entities such as school districts, sewer districts, bridges, and water and power departments.WallStreetNewsNetwork.com just recently updated over 150 of these tax-free income CEFs, and more than 100 providing yields in excess of 5%.

One example, appropriate for New York residents, is Nuveen New York Investment Quality Municipal Fund Inc. (NQN) which seeks to provide current income exempt from regular Federal and New York State and City income tax, and pays a fairly high yield of 6.2%. However, it does use leverage, to the tune of 38%, to achieve its high yield. The fund trades at about a 3% discount to net asset value, also referred to NAV, at the time of writing. The management fee of 0.68% is below the overall average of all tax free CEFs. It has been paying dividends since 1990. Slightly less than 10% of the bonds in the portfolio are subject to the alternative minimum tax, also referred to as AMT.

California residents might want to take a look at the Nuveen California Municipal Value Fund Inc. (NCA), which doesn't use any leverage to achieve its 5.0% yield, free of Federal and state income taxes. It currently trades at an 8.3% discount to NAV, and carries a reasonable 0.57% management fee. The CEF, which has been around since 1987, has about 8.5% of its portfolio in AMT bonds.

For a CEF that is diversified nationwide, there is the Federated Premier Intermediate Municipal Income Fund (FPT), which seeks to provide current income exempt from federal income tax, including AMT. The fund yields 5.6% and has no AMT bonds in the portfolio. It is trading at a 1.9% discount to net asset value. Leverage is quite high at 40% but the management fee is a reasonable 0.46%. Income has been paid since 2002.

Another option is the Western Asset Municipal Partners Fund Inc. (MNP), yielding 5.2%, and trading at a 5.6% discount to NAV. Leverage is at 37%, and the CEF carries a management fee of 0.82%, slightly above the average. The CEF has been around since 1992.

The issues to watch out for with tax free CEFs:
* high leverage
* high management fees
* trading at a premium to NAV
* bonds in the portfolio that may be subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax
* quality of bonds in the portfolio

For a list of tax free income closed end funds, which includes yields, discounts and premiums, leverage, management fees, date founded, and other information, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Natural Gas Fueling Stations Popping Up Around the Country: Check Out Gas Stocks

2011-12-18T12:46:00.000-08:00

It had to happen sooner or later. Natural gas is considered a much cleaner fuel than petroleum. Now a company called NCI is building natural gas fueling stations in Lee County, Florida for the general public and businesses. The fist will be a service station near Southwest Florida International Airport. Earlier this year, the city of North Little Rock built its first condensed natural gas fueling station, which is open to the public. Consumers, businesses, and governments are gradually making the shift, which should increase demand for natural gas.

There are many publicly traded companies involved in the distribution of natural gas, to both homes and businesses, and over 15 over them have yields in excess of 3%. For example, Atmos Energy Corporation (ATO) is involved in the distribution, transmission, and storage of natural gas. This Dallas, Texas based company, which was founded in 1906, trades at 13 times forward earnings and pays out a very favorable yield of 4.2%. Dividends on an annual basis increased from 1.37 to 1.38 per share. Earnings for the latest quarter were up an incredible 27.6% on a 1.4% revenue increase.

Another high yielder is Spectra Energy (SE) transports and stores natural gas for customers in various regions of the northeastern and southeastern United States, plus the Maritime Provinces and the Western Provinces in Canada. The company, based in Houston, trades at 16 times forward earnings and boasts a yield of 3.8%. Latest quarterly earnings were up an amazing 28.9% on a 10.2% rise in sales.

Other natural gas companies worth taking a closer look at include Northwest Natural Gas (NWN) at a 3.8% yield, WGL Holdings Inc (WGL) paying 3.7%, and Sempra Energy (SRE) at 3.6%. You can access a free list of over 25 natural gas companies, along with their financial data, at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Electric Utility Dividend Increasers

2011-12-17T20:56:00.000-08:00

Some of the electric utilities have been declaring dividend increases this month. A couple examples are Oklahoma City based OGE Energy Corp. (OGE) boosted its annual dividend by 4.7% and Edison International (EIX), which serves southern California, recently bumped up its quarterly dividend by 1.56%

OGE provides electrical generation to Oklahoma and western Arkansas. It also owns over 5,900 miles of intrastate natural gas gathering pipelines. The stock trades at 16 times current earnings and 15 times future earnings, and provides a yield of 3.0% based on its increased payout. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 9.6% on a 7.7% increase in revenues. The company is currently subject to a proposed rate increase hearing by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission's Public Utility Division. The company is asking to raise its rates by about $73 million.

Edison International has a price to earnings ratio of 13 and a forward PE of 15. Based in the dividend increase, the stock yields 3.3%. Revenues grew by 5.1% for the latest quarter, however earnings dropped 16.5%. In September of this year, FBR Capital initiated coverage of the company giving it and Outperform rating and Wunderlich upgraded the stock from a Hold to a Buy. This Rosemead, California company has 700 distribution substations located throughout California. It has four wind projects under construction totaling 480 megawatts of net generating capacity.

Top features of electric utilities include the fact that they can generally provide relative security, safety, and stability compared to stocks in many other sectors, due to the payment of fairly high dividends. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com just updated its free list of electric utility stocks and there are more than 20 with yields greater than 3%.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fifth Week of December

2011-12-17T09:33:00.000-08:00

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, you have to be extremely careful, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

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 during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AJG) market cap: $3.3B ex div date: 12/28/2011 yield: 4.5%

AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (AVB) market cap: $11.2B ex div date: 12/28/2011 yield: 3.0%

BancFirst Corporation (BANF) market cap: $500.2M ex div date: 12/28/2011 yield: 3.3%

Boardwalk REIT (BOWFF) market cap: $2.3B ex div date: 12/28/2011 yield: 3.6%

General Growth Properties, Inc (GGP) market cap: $12.2B ex div date: 12/28/2011 yield: 3.1%

Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW) market cap: $20.6B ex div date: 12/28/2011 yield: 3.4%

National HealthCare Corporation (NHC) market cap: $488.4M ex div date: 12/28/2011 yield: 3.4%

TransCanada Corporation (TRP) market cap: $27.3B ex div date: 12/28/2011 yield: 4.1%

B&G Foods, Inc. (BGS) market cap: $983.6M ex div date: 12/28/2011 yield: 4.5%

Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. (APD) market cap: $16.2B ex div date: 12/29/2011 yield: 3.0%

Raytheon Company (RTN) market cap: $14.9B ex div date: 12/30/2011 yield: 4.0%

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 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.

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 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.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Greatest Card Trick Ever

2011-12-16T23:58:00.000-08:00

Funny Corporate Mergers for the Christmas Season

2011-12-16T23:35:00.000-08:00

Harken Energy (HKN) + Herald National Bank (HNB) + Fallen Angels Income Fund (FAINX) + Singapore Fund (SGF) = Hark, Herald, Angels, Sing

Deckers Outdoor Corp. (DECK) + The 9 Limited (NCTY) + Hallmark Financial Services (HALL) = Deck, The, Hall

Little Bank Inc. (LTLB.OB) + Towne Bank (TOWN) + Bethlehem Steel = Little, Towne, Bethlehem

Joy Global (JOY) + Two Harbors Investment Corp. (TWO) +
The World Series of Golf, Inc. (WSGF.PK) = Joy, Two, The World

For more stock market jokes, go to InvestmentTrivia.com.

Farm Your Tax Losses Time

2011-12-16T22:52:00.000-08:00

If you have lots of capital gains this year (and if you do, you must be doing pretty well), and need to reduce your tax exposure, consider liquidating the stocks you are holding at a loss, especially if you don't think they will be rising soon. Don't forget the Wash Sale Rule:

A wash sale occurs when you sell or otherwise dispose of stock or securities (including a contract or option to acquire or sell stock or securities) at a loss and, within 30 days before or after the sale or disposition, you:

Buy substantially identical stock or securities,

Acquire substantially identical stock or securities in a fully taxable trade, or

Enter into a contract or option to acquire substantially identical stock or securities.

You cannot deduct losses from wash sales unless the loss was incurred in the ordinary course of your business as a dealer in stock or securities

Just remember: You need to talk to your accountant or tax advisor about any tax issues and questions before doing any tax selling.

How to Pan for Gold on the Streets of New York City

2011-12-16T19:49:00.000-08:00

This video is pretty incredible. It shows how one guy makes a living by prospecting for gold on the sidewalks of New York. This guy is hundred percent genuine.

New Book by Timothy Ferriss Available for Pre-Order

2011-12-16T10:12:00.000-08:00

Timothy Ferriss, author of the books The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich and The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman is coming out with a new book, that can be pre-ordered now through Amazon. The book is a follow-on to the 4-Hour series, and is called The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life.

Ferriss's books have been extremely popular and number one best sellers. Last year, I wrote a very extensive review of the 4-Hour Workweek book. It first came out in 2007, yet it is still in the top 500 of all books, and the number one best seller in the category of 'job hunting and careers - guides'. Over 85% of the reviewers gave the book four or five stars.

I really enjoyed both of his books and am looking forward to the The 4-Hour Chef

Stock Stocking Stuffers

2011-12-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

Remember the Magic 8 Ball? Now there is one for investors.
Wall Street Guru Ball

Something to rest on top of your stock certificates:
Executive Gift Stock Market Wall Street Bull and Bear Silver Plated Sculpture Figurines Paperweights

Something to hang on your wall.
Wallmonkeys Peel and Stick Wall Decals - Stock Market Quotes

A great way of keeping track of your appointments. (This is one of my favorites.)
Stock Trader's Almanac 2012

Many Cord Blood Companies Experiencing Double Digit Growth

2011-12-15T20:39:00.000-08:00

A report called 'Capitalizing on Opportunities in Cord Blood Industry Growth' was just released by MarketResearch.com, which describes how a certain sector of blood banks are experiencing a very fast growth rate, ranging from 17% per year to 25% per year. The 201 page report is available for download for $3,995. This industry has got the attention of billionaires, such as Richard Branson, of Virgin Records and Virgin Atlantic Airways fame. He created Virgin Health, a cord blood bank.

So what is cord blood? Cord blood is blood that comes from the umbilical cords of babies, and contains a significant amount of hematopoietic stem cells. Specialized cord blood banks store this blood. Cord blood stem cells are considered far superior to stem cells from bone marrow. Cord blood of a baby is preserved in the event it may be needed at some point in the future for treatment of the cancer or genetic disease of the child or the child's siblings. Many diseases have been treated with cord blood. Information on cord blood and how it is collected, stored, and used, is available at CordBloodStocks.com.

Investors have two options when investing in this industry. They can own the stocks of the cord blood banks or own the companies that use cord blood to develop cures and produce extraction and storage products. One that falls into the second category is PerkinElmer, Inc. (PKI), which owns ViaCell, a Cambridge, Massachusetts company which sells ViaCord, a product which is used to preserve baby's umbilical cord blood. They also research and other therapeutic uses of umbilical cord blood-derived and adult-derived stem cells. The stock trades at 10 times forward earnings and pays a decent yield of 1.5%.

Baxter International Inc. (BAX) makes blood collection bags for umbilical cord blood and develop adult stem-cell therapies. They also own a patent for assembling and methods to process cord blood in a sterile fashion to avoid exposure to bacterial contamination and to disburse the introduction of cryopreservation solution into cord blood at a desired rate, thereby avoiding damage or trauma to the cord blood cells. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 10 and sports a yield of 2.7%.

Celgene (CELG) is a New Jersey company that is involved in the discovery, production, and marketing of therapies designed to treat cancer and immune-inflammatory-related diseases. They own LifeBank USA, a cord blood bank. The stock has a forward PE of 14.

Amgen Inc. (AMGN) is also funding research into cord blood extraction, preservation, and storage. The stock has a forward PE of 10 and carries a yield of 2.0%.

China Cord Blood Corporation (CO) provides cord blood collection, and stem cell storage services. The company is based in Beijing, China. The stock trades at 9 times earnings.

For a free list of cord blood and stem cell stocks, which can be downloaded, updated, and sorted, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Top Selling Real Estate Books

2011-12-14T22:50:00.000-08:00

Investing in Real Estate

The Real Book of Real Estate: Real Experts. Real Stories. Real Life.

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

Top Books in the Investment Category

2011-12-14T22:35:00.000-08:00

The following are the top selling books in the Investing category at Amazon (AMZN).

EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches

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

Liar's Poker

Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money - That The Poor And Middle Class Do Not!

Markets Never Forget (But People Do): How Your Memory Is Costing You Money-and Why This Time Isn't Different

Endgame: The End of the Debt Supercycle and How It Changes Everything

How to Get Monthly Income from Convertible Bonds

2011-12-14T21:42:00.000-08:00

With the exception of a few micro-bonds that trade like stocks and pay interest quarterly, most bonds pay interest semi-annually. Convertible bonds are investments which can be converted into a specified number of shares of stocks. So if the company stock rises, the investor can convert the bond to stock and sell the shares. If the stock doesn't go up, the investor still receives regular income. If the company goes out of business, bonds are paid off first before the stockholders, so the convertible bonds provide additional security plus capital appreciation potential.

Bonds generally trade with minimum denominations of $5,000, and most bond brokers have minimum investments per trade of $10,000 to $25,000. So what's an investor do to if they want to put their money into convertibles, and want diversification with monthly income? Convertible bond closed end funds or CEFs are an option.

One convertible CEF example listed at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com is the Advent Claymore Convertible Securities & Income Fund (AVK), which yields 6.6%. The fund trades at an 11.4% discount to net asset value, and incurs a 0.92% management fee. Advent has been paying dividends since 2003.

The Calamos Convertible & High Income Fund (CHY) which generates a high yield of 8.8%. It can also be purchased at a discount, currently about 6.5%. The management fee is a bit on the high side at 1.13%. The Calamos CEF has also been paying since 2003.

For other monthly dividend CEFs, including convertible closed end funds, check out the list at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, which can be downloaded, sorted and updated.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Check Out the Carlson School of Management Holiday Flash Mob

2011-12-14T21:04:00.000-08:00

If you don't know what a flash mob is, you should check out this video. If you do know what a flash mob is, you should enjoy this Happy Holidays Flash Mob from the Carlson School of Management of the University of Minnesota. Nothing to do with investments, but it is from a business school.

The video is about four and a half minutes long, but worth it. You should watch until at least the middle of the video when the security guard walks in.

3 Great Gift Ideas for the Investor

2011-12-11T12:33:00.000-08:00

The book Steve Jobs has been a best seller before it was even released. As a matter of fact, this book, written by Walter Isaacson,is the number one best seller at Amazon (AMZN) at the time this article is being written.

The Amazon review says it all: 'But the initial sadness in starting the book is soon replaced by something else, which is the intensity of the read--mirroring the intensity of Jobs’s focus and vision for his products. Few in history have transformed their time like Steve Jobs, and one could argue that he stands with the Fords, Edisons, and Gutenbergs of the world. This is a timely and complete portrait that pulls no punches and gives insight into a man whose contradictions were in many ways his greatest strength."

At 656 pages, Steve Jobs will keep you plenty occupied during the holidays.

* * *

The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley Ph.D. and William D. Danko Ph.D., is a fascinating look into the lives of millionaires, reviewing the traits and tips of the wealthy, how they deal with risk, and how they live their lives. There are seven rules to becoming a millionaire, all spelled out in an easy-to-read format. The book has a thousand customer reviews, with more than 70% giving it a 4 star or 5 star rating.

* * *

The classic investing book, The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, has been updated to today's stock market situation by Jason Zweig, with Warren Buffett as Collaborator. Check out these reviews:

~ “By far the best book on investing ever written.” (Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway)

~ “If you read just one book on investing during your lifetime, make it this one” (Fortune)

~ “The wider Mr. Graham’s gospel spreads, the more fairly the market will deal with its public.” (Barron's)

If you don't own a copy of The Intelligent Investor, then you should. It is ranked number seven out of all investing books.

Monthly Dividends Can Reduce Volatility and Increase Compounding

2011-12-10T23:11:00.001-08:00

Monthly dividend investments can return your capital faster, and can provide faster compounding. The monthly payments can also reduce volatility. Fortunately, there are over 150 different stocks that pay dividends monthly. Actually, even though these investments are often referred to as stocks, they are technically closed end bond funds, real estate investment trusts, oil income trusts, and closed end income stock funds, which pay dividends every month.

These monthly dividend investments can be found at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, which lists almost 200 different companies that pay dividends monthly, over 60 of which have high yields in excess of 7%.

One example is Gas Natural Inc. (EGAS), previously called Energy, Inc., It is a distributor of natural gas in Montana, Wyoming, North Carolina, and Maine. It was founded in 1909. The stock pays a yield of 4.9% and sports a price to earnings ratio of 13.5.

The MFS Multimarket Income Trust (MMT) pays a yield of 9.5%. It invests in fixed in fixed income investments throughout the world. The stock trades at a 5.2% discount to net asset value. The company, which has been around since 1987, has a management fee of 0.82%.

The Advent Claymore Convertible Securities & Income Fund (AVK) sports a yield of 6.6%, sells at about a 11.4% discount to net asset value, and carries a 0.92% management fee. This closed end fund, founded in 2003, invests approximately 60% of its portfolio in convertible securities and 40% in lower-grade non-convertible income securities.

LMP Real Estate Income Fund Inc. (RIT) is a way of investing in real estate and receive monthly inocme. It is an exchange traded fund that invests in real estate related companies including real estate investment trusts. It carries a yield of 4.5%, and has paid dividends since 2002. It is trading at a slight discount to net asset value. The management fee is 1.02%.

Pengrowth Energy Trust (PGH) is a Canadian oil royalty income trust that yields 7.6%. The company was founded in 1988. The company explores, develops, and produces oil and natural gas reserves in western Canada.

Realty Income Corp. (O), one of the few stocks with a single letter stock ticker symbol, yields 5.1%. This real estate investment trust which specializes in commercial retail real estate, has been around since 1969. The stock trades at 16.2 times forward earnings.

When looking for monthly dividend investments investors should avoid investments with high management fees, limited liquidity, ones that trade at a premium to net asset value, and the ones using excessive leverage. The municipal bond closed end funds may trigger the Alternative Minimum Tax

To see the list of almost a couple hundred monthly dividend stocks, including many that have yields of 6% or more, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Keep in mind that very high yields may not be sustainable.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Investors in Coffee Machine Scam got Roasted - Stick with Coffee Stocks

2011-12-10T14:40:00.000-08:00

The Federal government was recently involved in the prosecution of a company that was perpetrating a scam relating to the ownership of coffee vending machines which would be located in high-class areas. Some victims lost close to $200,000 each. Several investors never even received their coffee vending machines. The head of the swindle was sentenced to 10 years in jail plus $1.1 million in restitution.

Fortunately, there is an easier, safer, and better way to invest in coffee. The better option is through investing in stocks of companies involved in the coffee business. According to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are half a dozen coffee companies with price to earnings ratios below 25, and even more coffee companies that pay dividends.

First, you can be a wholesaler of coffee through the ownership of stock in Coffee Holding Co. (JVA), a roaster of wholesale coffee that markets wholesale green coffee, private label coffee, and branded coffee in the United States and Canada. The stock trades at 16 times current earnings, 10 times forward earnings and provides a dividend yield that can outperform your money market yield, at 1.3%. Revenues rose 88% for the latest reported quarter, but earnings dropped 60%.

Why buy a coffee shop franchise when you can much more easily buy a part of the largest coffeehouse retailer in the world? Starbucks (SBUX) has outlets in 50 countries and over 17,000 shops worldwide. The stock trades at 27 times earnings and enjoys a yield of 1.6%. Earnings for the latest quarter were up an incredible 28.5% on an 6.8% boost in revenues.

For a list of all of the coffee stocks, including the ones that pay dividends, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The list can be downloaded, sorted, and updated.

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

By Stockerblog.com

What Stocks Have These Tickers: CHUX, SEED, CAKE, TAP, FACE, XRAY

2011-12-09T22:33:00.000-08:00

O'Charley's Inc. (CHUX) owns and operates restaurants.

Origin Agritech Limited (SEED), which is involved in research, development, and distribution of hybrid crop seeds in China.

Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (CAKE) which operates 116 upscale, casual dining restaurants.

Molson Coors Brewing Company (TAP), which produces and sells beers including Coors, Carling, Grolsch and Molson.

Physicians Formula Holdings Inc. (FACE), which produces and markets cosmetic products including face powders, bronzers, concealers, blushes, foundations, eye shadows, eye liners, and mascaras.

Dentsply International, Inc. (XRAY), which manufactures and sells products for the dental market.

Time to Harvest Your Stock Losses

2011-12-09T22:13:00.000-08:00

This is the last month to take short and long term capital losses on your stocks for the year 2011. The IRS bases the date of the transaction on the trade date, not the settlement date (however, there are special rules for short sales and for professional traders).

Also, keep in mind the special rules for wash sales:

You cannot deduct losses from sales or trades of stock or securities in a wash sale. A wash sale occurs when you sell or trade stock or securities at a loss and within 30 days before or after the sale you:
*Buy substantially identical stock or securities,
*Acquire substantially identical stock or securities in a fully taxable trade, or
*Acquire a contract or option to buy substantially identical stock or securities.

If you sell stock and your spouse or a corporation you control buys substantially identical stock, you also have a wash sale. If your loss was disallowed because of the wash sale rules, add the disallowed loss to the cost of the new stock or securities. The result is your basis in the new stock or securities. This adjustment postpones the loss deduction until the disposition of the new stock or securities. Your holding period for the new stock or securities begins on the same day as the holding period of the stock or securities sold. Special rules apply to options, futures, and warrants.

This article should not be considered tax or accounting advice. As always, talk to your CPA or tax advisor before taking any action involving tax consequences.

Wall Street Quotation for the Season

2011-12-09T22:06:00.000-08:00

"The most valuable things in life are not measured in monetary terms. The really important things are not houses and lands, stocks and bonds, automobiles and real state, but friendships, trust, confidence, empathy, mercy, love and faith."
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) philosopher & mathematician

What Google Searchers are Now Saying about the Stock Market

2011-12-09T21:53:00.000-08:00

If you go to Google (GOOG) and type in 'The Stock Market Is,' you will see the following:

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fourth Week of December

2011-12-09T21:39:00.000-08:00

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, you have to be extremely careful, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

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 during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

H.J. Heinz Company (HNZ) market cap: $16.0B ex div date: 12/20/2011 yield: 3.8%

Inter Pipeline Fund (IPPLF) market cap: $3.4B ex div date: 12/20/2011 yield: 5.5%

LTC Properties, Inc. (LTC) market cap: $815.6M ex div date: 12/20/2011 yield: 6.3%

Campbell Soup Company (CPB) market cap: $10.2B ex div date: 12/22/2011 yield: 3.6%

Portland General Electric Company (POR) market cap: $1.8B ex div date: 12/22/2011 yield: 4.5%

PennantPark Investment Corp. (PNNT) market cap: $437.0M ex div date: 12/21/2011 yield: 11.7%

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 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.

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 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.

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 December

2011-12-05T22:36:00.000-08:00

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, you have to be extremely careful, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

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 during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

H&R Real Estate Investment Trust (HRUFF) market cap: $2.8B ex div date: 12/12/2011 yield: 4.7%

Renasant Corp. (RNST) market cap: $325.8M ex div date: 12/12/2011 yield: 5.2%

Public Storage (PSA) market cap: $20.9B ex div date: 12/12/2011 yield: 3.1%

PS Business Parks, Inc. (PSB) market cap: $1.2B ex div date: 12/12/2011 yield: 3.6%

Triangle Capital Corporation (TCAP) market cap: $381.2M ex div date: 12/12/2011 yield: 11.2%

GATX Corporation (GMT) market cap: $1.7B ex div date: 12/13/2011 yield: 3.1%

Garmin Ltd. (GRMN) market cap: $6.7B ex div date: 12/13/2011 yield: 4.6%

Getty Realty Corp. (GTY) market cap: $505.9M ex div date: 12/13/2011 yield: 6.6%

Mercury General Corporation (MCY) market cap: $2.3B ex div date: 12/13/2011 yield: 5.9%

Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) market cap: $101.1B ex div date: 12/13/2011 yield: 5.1%

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.

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 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.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Odd Lots December 2011: Financial News Snippets

2011-12-04T23:06:00.000-08:00

Stockerblog was recently in the Top 10 Investment Blogs on the Kindle
Stockerblog Subscription

Weird Real Estate: The Home at the Top of a Volcano

Free classes for the public at Stanford University including Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

Free Charitable Donation Calculator

Woman Sold Her Husband on Craigslist

Stocks that Congressmen Own

Broken Window Fallacy

Smart Phone App Tracks Everything You Do Without You Knowing It

A Bed that Floats in the Air

Investing in Pennies

Raffle for a Marin County, California House

Balance the Federal Budget Game

Stocks With Lots of Cash

2011-12-03T21:04:00.000-08:00

Lots of cash is great, whether you are an individual or a company. One key statistic that value investors examine who look at value stocks is the cash per share. The cash per share is determined by taking all the cash on the company's book divided by all the shares that are outstanding. If the price of the stock is below the cash per share, and assuming the company has little or no debt, then it may be a great value investment.

There are plenty of stocks that sell below the cash per share, but you may want to avoid certain ones because they carry huge amounts of debt. A few airlines fall into that category, such as US Airways Group (LCC) and United Continental (UAL), both of which trade way below the cash per share but have debt in the billions.

Fortunately, investors can still find stocks trading below cash with little or no debt. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com just updated its list of stocks selling below cash, which also includes data on the forward price to earnings ratio, the market capitalization, the cash per share, and the total debt.

One example is the Livermore, California based FormFactor, Inc. (FORM), which makes and markets precision and high performance advanced semiconductor wafer probe cards used for testing chips and other devices. The company should continue to benefit from the appetite for microprocessors. This debt-free stock has over $6.25 in cash per share yet closed at only $5.71, a 9% discount. The stock is also selling at a big discount to its book value of 7.48. The stock trades at 1.61 times sales. The company reported a net loss of 1.17 per share for the latest quarter, but generated a 10% increase in revenues.

Another example is Digital River Inc. (DRIV), a Minnesota based outsourcer of e-commerce solutions, primarily online sales channel capability. The stock trades at 15.43 trading at a 13% discount to its cash per share of 17.79 and its book value of 17.74. The stock trades at 12.7 times forward earnings, and 1.51 times sales, with revenues rising 123%. The does have some debt in the mount of $354 million.

For a list of stocks trading below cash per share, which you can update and sort, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Stock Owned by both T. Boone Pickens and Warren Buffett

2011-12-03T15:05:00.000-08:00

T. Boone Pickens, is chairman the hedge fund BP Capital Management. He was formerly involved in takeovers and was considered a corporate raider during the 1980s. He is ranked by Forbes as one of the 400 richest people in America. Born in Oklahoma, his first job was as a paperboy. After graduating from college, he started working for Phillips Petroleum, then became a wildcatter. He has recently been a supporter of windfarms.

Berkshire Hathaway's (BRK-A) (BRK-B) Warren Buffett is considered to be the top investor in the world and the world's third richest person. He started his career as a child selling various items door-to-door, running a paper route like Pickens, detailing cars, and selling golf balls. According to the latest list of Warren Buffett Berkshire Hathaway stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there is one stock that Buffett and Pickens agree on.

Pickens has decided to follow in the footsteps of Buffett by recently buying one of Berkshire's holdings, ExxonMobil (XOM). The stock trades at 9.5 times forward earnings and pays a favorable yield of 2.4%. In May of this year, the company raised its dividend by 6.8%. Regular quarterly dividends have been paid for over 40 years.

Earnings for the latest quarter were up 40.5% on a revenue increase of 31.5%. Selling at slightly less than $80 per share at the time this article was written, the stock has a mean price target by analysts of $90 per share. ExxonMobil currently holds over $11 billion in cash.

For a free list of stocks that Warren Buffett owns, which can be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Owned by Both Warren Buffett and George Soros

2011-12-02T23:48:00.001-08:00

The two top investors are Berkshire Hathaway's (BRK-A) (BRK-B) Warren Buffett and George Soros. Both of these billionaires have been investing in stocks for years, with very successful track records. Soros has reportedly returned 20% per year for his investors and Buffett's Berkshire averaged an annual growth in book value of 20.3% for the last 44 years. According to the latest list of Warren Buffett Berkshire Hathaway stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are two stock that they agree on. As a matter of fact, they have been copying each other.

Soros is copying Buffett by recently buying one of Berkshire's holdings, Sanofi Aventis ADR (SNY), the Paris, France based health care company which produces prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, generics, vaccines, and animal health products. The stock trades at 8 times forward earnings and pays a decent yield of 3.8%. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 26.2% on a revenue increase of 11.1%.

Buffett has done the same thing. Soros has owned IBM (IBM) for a while and Buffett decided last quarter to jump on the bandwagon and buy some. IBM has a forward price to earnings ratio of 13 and provides a dividend of 1.6%. Quarterly earnings rose by 7% on a 7.1% rise in revenues.

For a free list of stocks that Warren Buffett owns, which can be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Are You a Billionaire or Billionaire Wannabe? Here is Your Christmas List

2011-12-01T23:50:00.000-08:00

If you are a billionaire, or a millionaire, or even just aspiring wealth, there is a list for you of items that you need to add to your Christmas list. The BillionairesLife.com 2011 Christmas List includes such items as the Sky Moon Tourbillon 5002 P watch, a dunhill of London Biometric Wallet, an island, and a solid gold car. There is even a bed that floats in the air.

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Second Week of December

2011-11-30T22:40:00.000-08:00

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, you have to be extremely careful, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

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 during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Ameren Corporation (AEE) market cap: $7.6B ex div date: 12/5/2011 yield: 5.1%

Avery Dennison Corporation (AVY) market cap: $2.6B ex div date: 12/5/2011 yield: 4.1%

Cousins Properties Inc (CUZ) market cap: $560.1M ex div date: 12/5/2011 yield: 3.3%

Greenhill & Co., Inc. (GHL) market cap: $1.0B ex div date: 12/5/2011 yield: 5.2%

Regal Entertainment Group (RGC) market cap: $2.1B ex div date: 12/5/2011 yield: 6.2%

Gannett Co., Inc. (GCI) market cap: $2.5B ex div date: 12/7/2011 yield: 3.1%

Genuine Parts Company (GPC) market cap: $8.4B ex div date: 12/7/2011 yield: 3.3%

Kimberly Clark Corp (KMB) market cap: $27.1B ex div date: 12/7/2011 yield: 4.1%

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.

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 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.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Harmonica at Carnegie Hall

2011-11-30T20:47:00.000-08:00

This video has nothing to do with stocks, bonds or investments, but I thought you would find it of interest, if you have any interest in music at all. See why there is a standing ovation at the end.

Steve Jobs and Apple

2011-11-27T14:34:00.000-08:00

Now that Steve Jobs, founder of Apple (AAPL) has passed away, several books about him have been published recently. If you are looking for some to put on your Christmas list, check out the following:

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

I, Steve: Steve Jobs in His Own Words by George Beahm

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience by Carmine Gallo

Time Steve Jobs: The Genius Who Changed Our World by the Editors of TIME

The Steve Jobs Way: iLeadership for a New Generation by William L. Simon

And for books about Apple:

Apple Confidential 2.0: The Definitive History of the World's Most Colorful Company by Owen W. Linzmayer

Return to the Little Kingdom: How Apple and Steve Jobs Changed the World by Michael Moritz

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the First Week of December

2011-11-27T14:22:00.000-08:00

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, you have to be extremely careful, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

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 during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

BlackRock, Inc. (BLK) market cap: $27.1B ex div date: 12/1/2011 yield: 3.6%

Cedar Fair, L.P. (FUN) market cap: $1.2B ex div date: 12/1/2011 yield: 12.5%

Hancock Holding Company (HBHC) market cap: $2.3B ex div date: 12/1/2011 yield: 3.5%

Itau Unibanco Holding SA ADR (ITUB) market cap: $35.0B ex div date: 12/1/2011 yield: 3.9%

Old Republic International Corporation (ORI) market cap: $1.9B ex div date: 12/1/2011 yield: 9.6%

Computer Modelling Group Ltd. (CMDXF) market cap: $322.9M ex div date: 12/2/2011 yield: 3.2%

CenturyLink, Inc. (CTL) market cap: $22.0B ex div date: 12/2/2011 yield: 8.1%

EarthLink, Inc. (ELNK) market cap: $636.9M ex div date: 12/2/2011 yield: 3.4%

Royce Value Trust Inc (RVT) market cap: $764.1M ex div date: 12/2/2011 yield: 7.0%

NV Energy, Inc. (NVE) market cap: $3.4B ex div date: 12/2/2011 yield: 3.6%

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.

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 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.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Top Yielding British Stocks

2011-11-26T18:00:00.000-08:00

Investors have heard a lot this year about the financial trials and tribulations of European countries, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain. There are even some grumblings about France and Germany. But one country you don't hear much about, at least in terms of debt problems, is the United Kingdom.

The UK has a AAA rating from Standard & Poor's with a stable outlook, whereas S&P gave the United States a AA+ rating with a Negative outlook. Moody's and Fitch also gave the UK their top rating with a Stable outlook. Maybe it is time for investors to take a closer look at the stocks of the country that has the world's sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP.

Many British stocks pay decent dividends; according to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are over 15 British stocks with yields of 2.5% or more. One example is Aviva plc (AV), which pays one of the highest yields for British stocks, at 7.4%. The stock trades at 18 times earnings. Aviva is a provider of insurance, savings, and investment products in the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, and the Asia Pacific.

Another example, Intercontinental Hotels Group plc (IHG), based in Denham, UK, operates numerous hotels including 64 in the London area. The stock trades at 12 times forward earnings and pays a yield of 1.9%.

Diageo plc (DEO) makes Johnnie Walker scotch, Smirnoff vodka, Baileys Original Irish Cream, Captain Morgan rum, Jose Cuervo tequila, Tanqueray gin, Guinness stout, and various wine products including Blossom Hill, Sterling Vineyards, Beaulieu Vineyard, and Chalone Vineyard. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 13 and sports a CD beating yield of 3.9%.

In the oil and gas arena, there is BP plc (BP), which seemed to survive the oil spill fiasco and is trading at 6 times forward earnings and yielding 4.2%.

To see a list of all the top yielding British stocks, that can be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

How the Carlsberg Brewery Promotes Its Beer

2011-11-26T14:25:00.000-08:00

Carlsberg (CABJF.PK), a Danish brewing company, is the 4th largest brewery group in the world with about 45,000 employees. It trades on the Swedish-Finnish stock exchange, OMX AB, which is part of the NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (NDAQ). Check out this video to see how the company promotes its Carlsberg Beer.

Why I Don't Like to Shop: Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T20:37:00.000-08:00

I really don't like shopping (except for shopping online). Apparently, a lot of people are the opposite of me; they love shopping. And they shop to the extreme. Take a look at this short compiled video about Black Friday shopping stampedes.

Holiday Gift Ideas for Investors

2011-11-23T21:09:00.000-08:00

Books

Top selling books in the category of Investing at Amazon:

Liar's Poker

EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches

How To Win Friends and Influence People

Endgame: The End of the Debt Supercycle and How It Changes Everything

Markets Never Forget (But People Do): How Your Memory Is Costing You Money-and Why This Time Isn't Different

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

Millionaire Teacher: The Nine Rules of Wealth You Should Have Learned in School

The Great Crash Ahead: Strategies for a World Turned Upside Down

Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money - That The Poor And Middle Class Do Not!

The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy

DVDs

Wall Street Collector's Two-Pack (Wall Street / Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps)

Boiler Room

Inside Job

Biography - J. Pierpont Morgan: Emperor of Wall Street

Barbarians at the Gate

Other

Bling Jewelry Sterling Silver Wall Street Bull and Bear Cufflinks

Vintage Wall Street Cufflinks - Famous Signs Themed Formal Wear - Cufflinks

Desk Top Bull and Bear Paperweight - Wall Street - Genuine Marble and Brass- Magnificent !!

Executive Gift Stock Market Wall Street Bull and Bear Silver Plated Sculpture Figurines Paperweights

Wall Street Bull and Bear Duel Statue

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fifth Week of November

2011-11-23T19:36:00.000-08:00

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, you 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 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 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Supervalu Inc. (SVU) market cap: $1.7B ex div date: 11/29/2011 yield: 4.4%

Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) market cap: $26.1B ex div date: 11/29/2011 yield: 5.2%

Briggs & Stratton Corporation (BGG) market cap: $749.2M ex div date: 11/29/2011 yield: 3.0%

Dominion Resources, Inc. (D) market cap: $29.8B ex div date: 11/30/2011 yield: 3.8%

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company (CTB) market cap: $893.4M ex div date: 11/30/2011 yield: 3.1%

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.

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 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.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Highest Yielding Canada Stocks

2011-11-19T15:17:00.000-08:00

In spite of the fact that Standard & Poor's has lowered the rating on United States debt, Canada seems to be in good shape as Moody's has reaffirmed Canada's rating of AAA a few months ago. Probably because the banking crisis and housing crisis hasn't affected Canada as much as the US. For income investors looking for diversification, Canada has over a dozen stocks with yields in excess of 3% according the recently updated free list of top yielding Canadian stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI), a Toronto based communications and media company, yields 3.9% and trades at 11 times forward earnings. The company has increased dividends every quarter since 2008.

Canadian National Railway Company (CNI) has a network of about 20,600 miles of track that spans Canada and middle America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico. It sports a yield of 1.7% and trades at 14 times forward earnings.

TransCanada Corp. (TRP) is a Calgary based oil and gas pipeline company which yields 4.2%. The stock trades at 17 times forward earnings.

In the financial sector, Royal Bank of Canada (RY) is one of Canada's major banks, based in Toronto, Ontario and provides a favorable yield of 5%. The stock trades at 9 times forward earnings.

For a list of over fifteen high yield Canada stocks, which can be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Odd Lots November 2011: Financial News Snippets

2011-11-19T12:27:00.000-08:00

HEDGE FUNDS

Hedge Funds are Underperforming the S&P 500

Hedge Funds are Investing in Apple (AAPL)

PHARMACEUTICAL STOCKS

Is the birth control pill causing prostate cancer?

Study links Parkinson's disease to industrial solvent

SCAMS

SEC Disciplined Over Madoff

Hedge Fund Involved in Fake Shares of Facebook

FUN STUFF

Own your own spacecraft

Empire Avenue - The Social Stock Market is an online stock market that revolves around influence. On the site, you can buy shares in your favorite brands, stars and personalities and begin climbing the ranks.

Turn your friends into trillionaires

TOILETS

The Silicon Valley of Toilets

$6400 toilet

Top Yielding Brazil Utility Stocks

2011-11-17T09:09:00.000-08:00

Brazil is a very wealthy country, based on its commodity resources, its financial stability, and its people. Speaking of Brazilian people, did you happen to see how wealthy the Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bunchen is and her effect on the companies that she endorses? As a matter of fact, three of the top five wealthiest supermodels in the world, Gisele, Adriana Lima, and Alessandra Ambrosio, are all from Brazil. What is it about Brazil?

Is it because this country, the fifth largest in the world by both area and population, is ranked number seven out of all countries in terms of Gross Domestic Product? Is it because a substantial portion of its energy comes from renewable sources, primarily hydroelectricity and ethanol? Is it due to the huge oil reserves off its coast? Or maybe it is the jump in the literacy rate since 1980 from 75% to 90%? Maybe it is all of the above.

Brazilian utility stocks may be one option for investors looking for growth, income, and stability in terms of Brazilian investments. According to the free list of Brazil stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are half a dozen Brazilian utilities to choose from.

CPFL Energia S.A. (CPL) is the largest provider of electric generation and distribution in Brazil. It is also Brazil's third largest utility. The company, headquartered in Campinas, Sao Paulo, is composed of CPFL Brasil, CPFL Pirantininga, CPFL Paulista, CPFL Geracao and SEMESA.

The company has an installed generating capacity of over 2,300 megawatts. The consumer group revenues were approximately 31.4 percent from industrial customers, 19.6 percent from commercial customers, 37.3 percent from residential customers and 3.3 percent from rural customers, along with 8.4 percent from other customers.

The company also owns a couple dozen small hydroelectric generation facilities and one thermoelectric power plant. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 10.1 and a hefty yield of 6.4%. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 7.1% on a 6.2% increase in revenues.

Companhia Energetica de Minas Gerais [CEMIG] (CIG) is one of the largest generator and distributor of power in Brazil. Also known as CEMIG, it has over 50 power plants in operation, with a generating capacity of 6,000 megawatts. The company also owns cable television and Internet and telecommunications services. Over half of the stock in CEMIG is owned by Minas Gerais, which his traded on the Bovespa and the New York Stock Exchange.

The power generation of the company is produced through 59 hydroelectric plants, three thermoelectric plants and four wind farms. Eight of the hydroelectric plants account for about 83 percent of the installed electric capacity of the company. The company also has over 30 substations, with around 100 transformers that have a transformation capacity of approximately 15,000 megavolts.

The company transmits both its own energy, and the energy that is purchased from Itaipu. The company has a dozen industrial consumers, who accounted for nearly 20 percent of the total volume of electricity the company sold. electricity to approximately 7.1 million end-consumers. The stock trades at 11.3 times forward earnings and pays a yield of 6.3%. Earnings for the latest quarter ending June 30 were up an outstanding 28.5% on an 11.3% revenue rise.

Companhia Paranaense de Energia [COPEL] (ELP), also known as COPEL, is an electric power company that specializes in the business of transmission, distribution and generation of electric power in Brazil’s Parana state. The company also provides telecommunication and information technology services through services it has developed with various partnerships. The company has over 17 hydroelectric plants and one thermoelectric plant.

The company is made up of five subsidiaries, Copel Geracao, Copel Transmissao, Copel Distribuicao, Copel Telecomunicacacaes and Copel Participacaes. The system relies on 12 substations, several of which are remote-operated. The stock has a forward P/E ratio of 8.7 and a yield of 1%.

To see other high yield Brazilian utilities and other dividend paying Brazil stocks, you can access a free list of Brazil stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, which can be downloaded, updated, and sorted.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Here is How Nestle Gets Women to Exercise

2011-11-16T21:27:00.000-08:00

Nestle (NSRGY.PK), which trades on the Swiss Stock Exchange and the Pink Sheets in the United States, is the largest food and nutrition company in the world. The company, which sells Häagen-Dazs and Dreyer's ice cream, has come up with a way for women who have eaten too much of their ice cream to keep the weight off.

Check out this video for Contrex, the mineral water brand owned by Nestle.

High Yield Business Development Corporation Stocks Paying Over 9%

2011-11-16T20:12:00.000-08:00

Income investors who are looking for a little speculation are taking a closer look at private equity firms and business development corporations. Private equity firms invest in the equity and often the debt of private companies. Usually private equity firms are not available to the general public. Yet based on the list of Private Equity Firms at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are over 20 that are publicly traded on the NYSE or NASDAQ, with yields ranging from 3% to 14%. Several of these companies are registered as Business Development Corporations.

A Business Development Corporation, also known as a Business Development Company or BDC, is a publicly traded private equity fund. Many private equity companies are registered as BDCs for tax advantages, generally paying no corporate income tax because at least 90 percent of their income, profits, and capital gains are paid out as taxable dividends to investors.

TICC Capital (TICC) is a BDC that has been paying dividends quarterly since 2004, and yields 12%. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 7 and a similar forward PE. The company invests in secured and unsecured senior debt, subordinated debt, junior subordinated debt, preferred stock, and common stock of both private and public companies, specializing in technology, media, telecommunications, and medical equipment. The company's investments include NetQuote, Inc., the web-based portal for insurance companies and consumers, and StayOnline, Inc. a provider of wireless high-speed Internet access solutions for the lodging industry, and Ai Squared, a manufacturer of assistive technology software which makes the screen magnification program ZoomText.

PennantPark Investment (PNNT) is a business development company that yields 10.4%, and has been paying quarterly dividends since June of 2007. The company invests between $10 million and $50 million in each of its portfolio companies, holding mezzanine debt, senior secured loans, and equity investments. The stock trades at 8.3 times current earnings and has a forward price to earnings ratio of 8.2. PennantPark invests in such companies as the hot tub and spa manufacturer Jacuzzi Brands Corp., Learning Care Group, Inc. which is owner of one of the largest early education and child care providers La Petite Academy, and VPSI, the world's largest vanpool service provider.

To see a list of over 20 high yield business development companies and private equity firms, which can be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Several of these companies pay dividends monthly and more than a dozen have yields above 8%.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fourth Week of November

2011-11-16T19:16:00.000-08:00

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, you 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 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 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Alpine Total Dynamic Dividend Fund (AOD) market cap: $1.1B ex div date: 11/21/2011 yield: 14.0%

Park National Corporation (PRK) market cap: $957.8M ex div date: 11/21/2011 yield: 6.2%

Maxim Integrated Products Inc. (MXIM) market cap: $7.6B ex div date: 11/21/2011 yield: 3.5%

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE) market cap: $23.7B ex div date: 11/22/2011 yield: 3.9%

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) market cap: $175.7B ex div date: 11/25/2011 yield: 3.6%

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.

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 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.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Warren Buffett Invested $10.7 Billion in IBM

2011-11-14T21:30:00.000-08:00

Warren Buffett just announced that Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B) has purchased 64 million shares of International Business Machines (IBM) for a total of $10.7 billion. Buffett started buying in March and now owns 5.5 percent of IBM.

IBM trades at 15 times current earnings and 13 times forward earnings. The dividend, which was raised by15% in May, provides a decent yield of 1.2%. For the latest quarter ending September 30, earnings rose by 7% on a 7.8% growth in revenues. Two research firms initiated coverage on IBM on October 14. Macquarie gave the company a Buy rating and ISI Group gave it a Hold.

In the past, Buffett has shied away from tech stocks although he has owned a couple companies involved in technology in some way, according to the free list of Warren Buffett stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. For example, Berkshire Hathaway has owned Ingersoll-Rand Plc (IR), which makes temperature control products, electronic locks, portable security systems, remote home management products, and electronic and biometric access control systems and software. The stock has a current price to earnings ratio of 35 and a forward PE of 10. In June, the company raised its dividend by an amazing 71%, from 7 cents a quarter to 12 cents a quarter, giving a current yield of 1.5%.

Berkshire also owns Verisk Analytics, Inc. (VRSK), a provider of proprietary data, analytics methods, and embedded decision support solutions, It trades at 24 times current earnings and 20 times forward earnings, nd dos not pay a dividend.

To see other stocks owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com for a free list that can be downloaded and sorted.

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 November

2011-11-12T09:35:00.000-08:00

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, you 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 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 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Consolidated Edison, Inc. (ED) market cap: $17.4B ex div date: 11/14/2011 yield: 4.0%

Wells Fargo Adv Inc Opport Fund (EAD) market cap: $681.8M ex div date: 11/14/2011 yield: 10.5%

Aqua America, Inc. (WTR) market cap: $3.1B ex div date: 11/15/2011 yield: 3.0%

Thomson Reuters Corporation (TRI) market cap: $24.1B ex div date: 11/15/2011 yield: 4.3%

Whirlpool Corporation (WHR) market cap: $4.5B ex div date: 11/16/2011 yield: 3.5%

Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (TRK) market cap: $542.1M ex div date: 11/16/2011 yield: 3.2%

Sonoco Products Company (SON) market cap: $3.1B ex div date: 11/16/2011 yield: 3.9%

Diebold Incorporated (DBD) market cap: $2.0B ex div date: 11/16/2011 yield: 3.7%

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 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.

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 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.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Supermodel Gisele Outperforms the Dow

2011-11-11T23:37:00.000-08:00

Did you happen to see the Victoria's Secret fashion show on TV the other night? Supermodel Miranda Kerr wore a $2.5 million diamond-studded bra. Who can afford such apparel? Well, Gisele Bündchen, the richest supermodel in the world, for one.

Gisele, the wife of football star Tom Brady, is still in first place in terms of supermodel earnings, making approximately $45 million per year. Heidi Klum is in second place at $20 million, with Kate Moss in third place at $13.5 million. In fourth place is Adriana Lima at $8 million and Alessandra Ambrosio with $5 million per year according to Forbes.

Gisele, who receives most of her income in euros and Brazilian reals, is a celebrity endorser and spokesperson for numerous products of many publicly traded companies. If you look at these companies and build them into the form of a stock index, you can see how Gisele's stocks compare to stocks in general.

Tracking the stocks she is connected with from January of 2007, the Gisele Bundchen Stock Index has substantially outperformed the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

A selection of the stocks in her index include:

Volkswagon (VLKAY.PK) TV commercial spokesperson

Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. (RL) Advertising campaign face for Ralph Lauren, owned by Polo Ralph Lauren Corp.

Vivo Participacoes (VIV) Celebrity endorsement - largest mobile phone service provider in Brazil and in South America

News Corp. (NWSA) Starred in the comedy, Taxi, in her movie debut, and The Devil Wears Prada, both produced by 20th Century Fox, a division of News Corp.

Procter & Gamble (PG) Celebrity endorsement, increased Pantene's sale in Brazil by 40%.

Disney (DIS) Celebrity endorsement - appeared in the 'Year of a Million Dreams' celebration photoshoot

The Gisele Index is UP 41% since January 2007 versus the Dow which was DOWN 4% during the same period. Since January 2008, Gisele was up 39% versus a drop of 4% for the Dow. And since January 2009, Gisele rose 67%. You can access a free list of stocks in the Gisele Index at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Apple (AAPL) used to be part of the index because Gisele Bundchen appeared on the 'Get a Mac' advertisements to promote the new line of Macintosh's a few years ago. If Apple was still in the index, her return would be significantly higher.

Other celebrity stock indexes you may be interested in include the Heidi Klum Stock Index, the Eva Longoria Stock Index, the Angelina Jolie Stock Index, the Jessica Alba Stock Index, the Nicole Kidman Stock Index, the Freida Pinto Stock Index, and the Supermodels Stock Indices.

Assumptions:
The Gisele Index is a price-weighted index, similar to the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It includes reinvested dividends.

Disclosure: Author owned DIS, NWSA, and AAPL at the time the article was written. No celebrity endorsement expressed or implied.

By Stockerblog.com

No Debt High Yield Stocks

2011-11-09T20:26:00.000-08:00

If a company has debt, it can be beneficial if the company can earn far more than the interest expense. But there are drawbacks to incurring debt. When times get tough, earnings drop, and the business can't afford the debt service, then the viability of the company is at risk. Many strong companies are debt free, such as Apple (AAPL) and Amazon (AMZN). If you put the debt free trait with a high yield, you should end up with a successful investment.

There are a selection of over ten stocks on the latest No Debt High Yield Stocks List at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, which have yields ranging from 2% to above 9%, all of which are free of debt.

One example is Paychex, Inc. (PAYX), which provides human resource, payroll, and benefits outsourcing solutions to primarily small and medium size businesses. This debt free company pays a yield of 4.3%, and has been paying quarterly dividends since 1994. It trades at 17 times earnings. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 12.9%, on a 8.6% increase in revenues.

Another example is Erie Indemnity Co. (ERIE), an insurance company based in Erie, Pennsylvania, which also has no debt. The stock sports a yield of 2.6%, and a forward price to earnings ratio of 25. Net income per diluted share for the latest quarter was up 6.1% year over year, on a revenue increase of 35.9%.

Several of the stocks on the list are royalty trusts such as the Sabine Royalty Trust (SBR) which is debt free and yields 7.8%.

To see a free list of many other companies that have no debt and pay high yields, half a dozen of which pay more than 6%, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The list can be downloaded, sorted, and updated.

Disclosure: Author owns AAPL and AMZN.

By Stockerblog.com

Warren Buffett Invested $23.9 Billion for the Latest Quarter

2011-11-07T21:45:00.000-08:00

Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B) and the third richest man in the world, at least this week, invested $23.9 billion during the third quarter. Apparently, Buffett is now very bullish as this is the most he has spent in a quarter in the last 15 years. According to the Berkshire's latest report, stocks identified as “commercial, industrial and other” increased by a substantial 62 percent for the latest quarter.

There is no denying that Warren Buffett is an outstanding investor, and he knows what he is doing. Much has been written about Buffett, which gives advice about how to invest by following in his footsteps. But one of the easiest and best ways to invest like Buffett is by buying what he is buying. Over a dozen of the Warren Buffett Berkshire Hathaway stocks pay dividend yields in excess of 2%, according to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Buffett has a fairly diversified portfolio. He owns large oil companies, ConocoPhillips (COP) yielding 3.5% and Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) which pays a yield of 2.1%. He also owns food and beverage companies, including Kraft Foods Inc (KFT) paying 3.8% and Coca Cola Co (KO) which pays 2.7%. Buffett is also bullish on financial stocks, considering the number of companies he owns, such as M&T Bank Corp (MTB) yielding 3.1%, American Express Co (AXP) 1.6%, Bank of New York Mellon (BK) 1.2%, US Bancorp (USB) 0.7%, and Wells Fargo & Co (WFC) 0.6%.

The health care related stocks owned by Buffett include GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK) which yields 6.4%, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 3.6%, and Sanofi Aventis (SNY) 3.2%.

You can access a free list of two dozen of the stocks owned by Warren Buffett at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, which shows the PE ratio, the forward PE, the EG, and the yield.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Are Recreational Vehicle Stocks a Recession Play?

2011-11-07T20:18:00.000-08:00

Why do people buy RV's? Travelers don't have to pay for airline fares or hotel fees or car rental expenses. Large families can travel together for far less than what it would cost to travel by plane. Yes, the price of gasoline is much higher than it was a couple years ago, the price seems to have stabilized. Also, with interest rates the lowest they have been in years, the cost to purchase a motor home, camper, or trailer is favorable.

There are several companies in the business of manufacturing RVs, several of which pay dividends according to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. An example is Thor Industries, Inc. (THO), the world's largest manufacturer of recreation vehicles which just announced its preliminary sales report. RV sales were up 11% year over year for the three months ended October 31, 2011. The company's brands include Airstream International, Classic, Flying Cloud, and Bambi travel trailers, along with Interstate and Avenue Class B motorhomes. Thor trades at 11 times forward earnings and pays a decent yield of 2.4%.

Another way to play this market is through the stocks of companies that manufacture components for recreational vehicles, such as Drew Industries Inc. (DW). The company produces such products as towable RV steel chassis, axles, and suspensions, thermoformed bath, kitchen, and other products, patio doors, manual, electric, and hydraulic stabilizer and lifting systems, windows and screens, chassis components, and furniture and mattresses for RVs. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 13. Unfortunately, earnings for the latest quarter tanks by 30% over the same quarter last year, on a revenue increase of 13.6%.

A free list of other companies in the recreational industry can be found at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, which can be downloaded, updated and sorted.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Buffettology: The Previously Unexplained Techniques That Have Made Warren Buffett The Worlds Most Famous Investor

2011-11-05T18:23:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a lot of traveling by car recently, and started to listen to audio books to utilize my time better. I have been listening to the audiobook of Buffettology: The Previously Unexplained Techniques That Have Made Warren Buffett The Worlds by Mary Buffett and David Clark. This book, which originally came out in 1999, is a great read for beginning investors and many intermediate investors.

The book covers how Warren Buffett researches and chooses stocks, and how he was originally able to build Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B) into a top investment. The books shows the types of companies that Buffett likes and doesn't like, giving specific examples.

It describes how he looks for companies with competitive advantages and advantages that are durable, in other words, maintaining the competitive advantages without spending significant amounts of money. The authors go into detail about finding companies with consistent products, that provide higher earnings, which can be used to expand the companies' market.

Get yourself, or a friend, or relative a gift of Buffettology: The Previously Unexplained Techniques That Have Made Warren Buffett The Worlds.

Books About Warren Buffett and Stock Trading

2011-11-04T22:08:00.000-07:00

There are many books written about Warren Buffett, including general biographies, essay books, and books with just pictures of Warren Buffett. However, if you are looking for books on Buffett's investing and trading techniques, here are some of the top sellers:

Trade Like Warren Buffett

How to Pick Stocks Like Warren Buffett: Profiting from the Bargain Hunting Strategies of the World's Greatest Value Investor

The Buffettology Workbook: Value Investing The Warren Buffett Way

J. K. Lasser's Pick Stocks Like Warren Buffett

The Warren Buffett Portfolio: Mastering the Power of the Focus Investment Strategy

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Second Week of November

2011-11-04T21:52:00.000-07:00

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, you 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 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 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Weyerhaeuser Company (WY) market cap: $9.3B ex div date: 11/8/2011 yield: 3.5%

Belo Corp. (BLC) market cap: $606.3M ex div date: 11/8/2011 yield: 3.2%

Wisconsin Energy Corporation (WEC) market cap: $7.7B ex div date: 11/9/2011 yield: 3.2%

Shaw Communications Inc. (SJR) market cap: $8.3B ex div date: 11/10/2011 yield: 4.5%

Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) market cap: $44.1B ex div date: 11/10/2011 yield: 5.2%

ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. (ARR) market cap: $843.9M ex div date: ex div date: 11/10/2011 yield: 19.5%

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company (DD) market cap: $42.6B ex div date: 11/10/2011 yield: 3.6%

Astoria Financial Corporation (AF) market cap: $763.7M ex div date: 11/10/2011 yield: 6.7%

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 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.

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 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.

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

By Stockerblog.com

How to Invest in Halloween

2011-10-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

Have you bought your candy yet? Halloween is practically here. Do you think Halloween related stocks may be tricks or treats? There are several stocks that may benefit from the holiday.

Watching scary movies is one of the popular activities of teenagers (and adults too) on Halloween, either in a theater or renting a DVD. Netflix (NFLX) took a huge dump after reporting earnings. That was scarier than watching Halloween I, Halloween II, and Halloween III. If you think the stock has hit bottom, you may want to take a closer look. The company has a substantial number of horror movies in its collection of titles. The stock currently trades at 14 times current earnings.

Lions Gate Entertainment (LGF), one of the top studios that produces scary movies, has made such films as American Psycho, Ginger Snaps, Route 666, The Devil's Rejects, House of the Dead 2, Saw VI, See No Evil, Hostel: Part II, My Bloody Valentine 3D and more. The company has a forward price to earnings ratio of 24.

The big beneficiaries of Halloween are the candy companies. Hershey Foods (HSY) is the large chocolate and confectionery company which is known for its Hershey Bars. The stock has a forward P/E of 18, and a yield of 2.4%.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (RMCF) is a very low cap Colorado based company which makes and markets chocolate and candy. The stock has a forward P/E of 12 and pays a generous yield of 4.5%.

Tootsie Roll Industries (TR) makes all kinds of candy for trick-or-treaters including Tootsie Rolls, Tootsie Roll Pops, Caramel Apple Pops, Charms, Blow-Pops, Blue Razz, Zip-A-Dee Pops, Cella's, Mason Dots, Mason Crows, Junior Mint, Charleston Chew, Sugar Daddys, and Sugar Babies. The stock has a forward P/E of 26 and a yield of 1.2%.

Halloween costumes and decorations are available at discount retailers such as Target (TGT) which has a forward P/E of 13, and a yield of 2.2%. Wal-Mart (WMT) is another major Halloween retailer. It has a forward P/E of 12, and a yield of 2.5%.

If you like interesting sectors of stocks, such as casino stocks, cloud computing stocks, birth control stocks, coffee stocks, and China stocks, check out WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

By Stockerblog.com

How the Sub Prime Mortgage Crisis Really Happened

2011-10-29T21:35:00.000-07:00

This 30 second commercial from Raiffeisen Bank in Hungary that came out in 2007 is a perfect example of how banks around the world gave out loans like Halloween candy. The banks in the United States weren't this blatant with their ads, but maybe the Hungarians were more honest about the fact that banks couldn't care less about whether people could pay their mortgages.

Take a Bite Out of High Yield Food Stocks

2011-10-29T14:34:00.000-07:00

No matter how bad the economic downturn and the recession is, people still need to eat. Which makes food stocks pretty much recession-proof. Now to boost sales, food companies are looking at innovative ways of increasing sales. For example, H. J. Heinz Company (HNZ), known for its famous Heinz Ketchup, has now turned to Facebook to market its special edition ketchup which utilizes balsamic vinegar instead of white vinegar.

Heinz is one of the high yielders that appears on the free list of food stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, as it pays a generous 3.6%. The stock trades at 15 times forward earnings. Revenues for the latest quarter ending July 27 were up 14.9%, however, earnings dropped 6%.

Kraft Foods Inc. (KFT), the third largest food and beverage company by revenues, is another high yielding food company, which offers its shareholders a decent yield, paying 3.3%. Company brands include Cadbury, Kraft, Maxwell House, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 14. Earnings for the last quarter were up 4.2% on a 13.3% rise in revenues. The company reports latest quater earnings on November 2.

To see the entire free list of food stocks, which can be downloaded and sorted, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

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

Are You Financially Literate?

2011-10-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

Are You Financially Literate? A Checklist for Managers
Guest Article By Richard A. Lambert,
Author of Wharton Executive Education Finance & Accounting Essentials

Managers must constantly evaluate their firms' strategies to assess how their decisions have been performing, modify these strategies as conditions change, and devise new strategies to boost performance in the future. Which activities should we devote more resources to and which should we cut back on? Which resources are not being used effectively? Should we outsource an activity or continue to perform it ourselves? Business decisions like these need to be based on information, and financial statements are a major source of this information.

But many managers don't have a background in accounting and finance, so they don't have the tools they need to answer these questions. They don't understand the reports they are given to help them make these decisions. They either ignore the information completely, they misinterpret what the numbers mean, or they aren't even aware of what isn't in the numbers at all. All of these behaviors are dangerous to your firm's financial health. They are like trying to fly a plane with no instruments and with the windshield fogged up.

Does this mean managers should run out and memorize a bunch of rules and regulations or hone the art of compiling financials? No, leave that to the accounting and finance teams. What managers and business owners should be concerned with is how to use the financial statements that are provided to them to better assess company performance and pinpoint opportunities.

As a business decision-maker who wants to evaluate investment strategies and make better business decisions for long-term profit, the following areas of knowledge are critical. To get a better sense of your financial literacy, check off the items you know how to do:

* Read and interpret balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements.
* Dissect an income statement and balance sheet to understand the drivers of profitability.
* Understand financial reporting concepts, such as revenue recognition, inventory costing, depreciation, and taxes.
* Recognize how capital structure -- the mix of debt and equity used to finance assets -- influences profits and risk.
* Identify the relevant costs for decisions and calculate break-even points.
* Evaluate investment strategies and conduct discounted cash flow analysis.
* Put all of this together to develop a coherent business strategy.

If you have some open spots on the checklist, then there is still great untapped potential to put financial statements to work for you. Interpreting data and mastering financial statements can help you make better decisions and increase one's value to a firm whether you are an experienced manager, executive, or leader at a large or small public or private company.

Another important reason for you to learn accounting and finance skills is to help you become a more valuable participant in discussions of corporate strategy and to be more effective in championing your ideas in the boardroom.

Gaining a better grasp of financials helps you know what questions to ask and what to focus on, determine what's most important, and know what to avoid and to what to pay attention. It's the synergies that arise from merging managerial experience with finance and accounting skills that can generate the most value to you and to your organization. Hence, boosting your financial knowledge makes good business sense.

© 2011 Richard A. Lambert, author of Wharton Executive Education Finance & Accounting Essentials

Author Bio
Richard A. Lambert, author of Wharton Executive Education Finance & Accounting Essentials, is Miller-Sherrerd Professor of Accounting at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches finance and accounting in the MBA and Executive Education programs, as well as seminars in the doctoral program. The recipient of several teaching awards, his articles have appeared in The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting Research, Journal of Accounting and Economics, Rand Journal of Economics, and Strategic Management Journal.

The Government's Response to the Ongoing Financial Crisis and the Practices that Led to It

2011-10-29T13:51:00.000-07:00

Upcoming lecture at the Museum of American Finance:

'The Government's Response to the Ongoing Financial Crisis and the Practices that Led to It'

Thursday, November 10, 2011
5:30 - 7:30 pm

Museum of American Finance
48 Wall Street
New York City

Peter Schiff Defends Capitalism at Occupy Wall Street

2011-10-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

Reason.tv taped this interview of investment guru and radio show host, Peter Schiff while he spent 3 hours at the Occupy Wall Street protest in Manhattan's Zuccotti Park in the Wall Street area. The video is 18 minutes but very interesting.

The Big Short

2011-10-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

Michael Lewis was the author of Liar's Poker, The Blind Side, and Moneyball, the last two of which were made into motion pictures.

His latest book, The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, is a look at the sub-prime mortgage fiasco and financial crisis that ensued during 2008. However, he has taken a completely different approach on the subject; he looks at the crisis from the eyes of those who predicted what was going to happen early on, shorted the market, and made billions.

Lewis delves deep into the personalities of the people who saw what was happening and the trials and tribulations they went through before their windfalls came in. One track in the book was couple of guys who started a hedge fund with just $110,000 of their own money and built that money up to $135 million, buy buying credit default swaps.

By the way, if you never knew what a credit default swap is or a collateralized debt obligation is, you will by the first quarter of the book. Lewis makes the financial terminology very easy to understand, and what actually happened during the crisis.

It is amazing that this nonfiction book on recent financial history is a page-turner. If you are looking for some fascinating reading during the Thanksgiving hliday, get The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine.