Ford Promoting its 'Banking' Business: Offering 1.10% Interest

In a recent flyer I received from Ford (F), I read about a promotion from Ford Credit offering 'An investment opportunity' called Ford Interest Advantage, of 1.10% interest for over $50,000, 1.05% over $15,000, and 1.00% for lower amounts, with a minimum investment of $1,000.

According to the letter, the investments are redeemable at any time, plus ther is unlimited checking. The small print says that these are unsecured debt obligations of Ford Motor Credit, and not guaranteed by Ford. These are not FDIC insured bank accounts.

The prospectus is available at fordcredit.com/FIA

Stocks Reporting Earnings Tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan 29

Stocks reporting earnings tomorrow, Tuesday, January 29.

AK Steel Holding (AKS)

Amazon.com (AMZN)

Broadcom Corp. (BRCM)

Corning Inc. (GLW)

Crane Co. (CR)

DR Horton (DHI)

Dolby Laboratories (DLB)

Ford Motor Company (F)

Harley-Davidson (HOG)

International Paper (IP)

Illinois Tool Works (ITW)

Peabody Energy (BTU)

Pentair (PNR)

Pfizer Inc. (PFE)

If you like lists like this, check out the many free stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

The Mitt Romney Stock Portfolio

Now that the presidential election campaigns are in full swing, some investors are looking at the investment portfolios of the candidates. Candidates are required to file OGE Form 278, Executive Branch Personnel Public Financial Disclosure Form, which provides insight into the stocks and bonds that they own. These forms can be found at the OpenSecrets website.

So let's start with the Republican candidate, Mitt Romney. According to publicly files records, he owns the following along with the estimated values of the holdings.

Gold between $250,000 to $500,000

Goldman Sachs Inflation Protected Securities Fund (GSAPX) between $250,000 to $500,000

Ford (F) between $250,000 to $500,000

Goldman Sachs Small Cap Value Fund (GSSMX) between $500,000 to $1,000,000

iShares S&P Europe 350 Index (IEV) between $1,000,000 to $5,000,000

iShares S&P Latin America 40 Index (ILF) between $500,000 to $1,000,000

SPDR S&P Emerging Europe (GUR) between $500,000 to $1,000,000

SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) between $1,000,000 to $5,000,000

Marriott International, Inc. (MAR) between $100,000 to $250,000

In addition, he owns numerous other investments including bonds, limited partnerships, currencies, and bank accounts.

If you like interesting stock lists like this, check out the various stock lists, most of which are free, at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author owns F.

By Stockerblog.com

Stock ticker symbols for the funds assume A shares, as type of shares not specified in the OGE Form 278.

One Letter Companies: Domain Names and Stock Ticker Symbols

Do you realize that there are only six one letter domains that are owned by companies, and five of the five companies are publicly traded?

These companies were lucky enough to register them before December 1, 1993 (or buy them from someone who registered them by that date), as the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority put a restriction on single character domains at that time.

o.co and o.info are both owned by Overstock.com (OSTK).

q.com is owned by CenturyLink (CTL). If you go to q.com, it takes you right to CenturyLink's web site.

x.com is owned by x.commerce, which is owned by eBay (EBAY). When you go to the x.com website, it takes you to the x.commerce website.

z.com is owned by Nissan North America Inc., which is owned by Nissan Motor (NSANY), which trades on NASDAQ. However, the website is currently inactive.

i.net is owned by Future Media Architects, a privately held company.

u.tv is owned by UTV Media (UTV.L), a broadcasting and New Media company based in Belfast in Northern Ireland. The company trades on the London Stock Exchange.

Want to know all the companies that have one letter stock ticker symbols? Here they are:

Agilent Technologies Inc. (A)

Barnes Group Inc. (B)

Citigroup, Inc. (C) formerly the symbol for Chrysler

Dominion Resources, Inc. (D)

Eni SpA (E)

Ford Motor Co. (F)

Genpact Ltd. (G) formerly the symbol for Gillette

Hyatt Hotels (H)

Kellogg Company (K)

Loews Corporation (L)

Macy's, Inc. (M)

NetSuite, Inc. (N)

Realty Income Corp. (O)

Pandora Media (P)

Ryder System, Inc. (R)

Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) formerly the symbol for Sears Roebuck

AT&T, Inc. (T)

Visa, Inc. (V)

United States Steel Corp. (X)

Alleghany Corp. (Y)

Zillow (Z) formerly the symbol for Woolworth, now known as Foot Locker (FL)

Before US Airways Group was delisted, it used to have the stock symbol U.

Stockerblog.com

Nanotechnology is Big Business

The mathematical definition of 'nano' is one billionth; so for example, a nanosecond is one billionth of a second. Nanotechnology is the science of manufacturing and utilizing extremely small particles and devices, sometimes as small as single atoms and molecules. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter, which is approximately 80,000 times thinner than a human hair. Nanomaterials include carbon nanotubes used in electronics, body armor and cancer treatments, nanoclays which are used in composite materials, and nanoscale metals, alloys, and oxides, used in the energy and renewable energy industries.

WallStreetNewsNetwork.com just updated its list of over 40 different stocks that are involved in thenanotechnology field. They range from the microcaps (maybe these should be called nanocaps?) to the large multi-billion dollar corporations. For some of these companies, nanotech may represent only a small part of the business, such as Dow Chemical Co. (DOW), Eastman Kodak Co. (EK), EI DuPont de Nemours & Co. (DD), Ford (F), General Electric (GE), General Motors (GM), and Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ). Here are a few examples of companies involved in this fast growing field.

Amkor Technology Inc. (AMKR) is in the business of microelectromechanical systems, microelectronic assembly, and testing. The stock trades at 6.5 times forward earnings and has a very favorable PEG of 0.86.

ABB (ABB) has a nanotechnology research division relating to surface structures and material parameters. The stock has a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 15.9. The company also pays a yield of 2.0%.

Another dividend payer is Eaton Corp. (ETN) makes micro and nano connectors. The stock has a forward PE of 12.8 and a yield of 2.5%.

Cabot Microelectronics Corp. (CCMP) develops proprietary Advanced Nanoscale Surface Technology is designed to deliver Angstrom level finishes. The stock has a forward PE of 15.8.

An Excel list of over 40 nanotechnology stocks along with a description of their connections to nanotechnology, which can be downloaded, sorted, updated, and added to can be found at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author owned F at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Top Super Bowl Stocks

The Big Football Game is this Sunday, February 6, 2011, between the AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the NFC champion Green Bay Packers, held for the first time at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The event involves sports and fans and celebration, but beyond that, it involves money and in a big way. I'm not just talking about the $135,000 seats still available in the Hall of Fame Suites at the stadium, I mean the amount of advertising dollars generated. It can cost a few million dollars for a 30 second ad.

Most of the companies that have chosen to advertise during the Super Bowl XLV broadcast are publicly traded stocks, so if you think these companies will benefit from this advertising, now is the time to pick out a few good ones and jump on the bandwagon. Here is a list of the advertisers along with their stock ticker symbols.

Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD)
Best Buy Co. Inc. (BBY)
Bridgestone Corp. (BRDCY.PK)
CarMax Inc. (KMX)
Coca Cola (KO)
Disney (DIS) Pirates of the Caribbean
E*TRADE Financial Corporation (ETFC)
Ford (F)
General Motors (GM) Silverado, Cruze, Volt
Hyundai Motor Co. (HYMTF.PK)
Kraft (KFT) Planters Nuts. Wheat Thins, Chips Ahoy
Motorola (MOT)
PepsiCo (PEP) Doritos
Salesforce.com (CRM)
Skechers USA Inc. (SKX)
Sony (SNE) Just Go With It, Battle: Los Angeles, Priest
Viacom (VIA) Paramount Pictures: Kung Fu Panda 2
Volkswagen AG (VLKAY.PK)

If you like interesting stock lists like this, don't forget to check out the other lists available at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author owns DIS and F at the time the article was written.

Super Bowl is a registered trademark of the NFL.

By Stockerblog.com

The History of Ford: The Company that Didn't Take Taxpayer Bailouts

An interesting history of the original Ford (F) automobile. I found the last part of the video most interesting, the Model T driving through snow, sand, and water. Remember, this was the company that didn't take taxpayer bailouts, unlike General Motors (GM) and Chrysler.


Disclosure: I own Ford stock and I drive a Ford.

Review of the San Francisco Money Show: Recommended Stocks

I was privileged to give a couple of presentations at the San Francisco Money Show on the stock trading technique of 'buying dividends' during the last couple days, and had a very good turnout and much positive feedback.

The show was held at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis Hotel on August 19th through August 21. The keynote speaker was Steve Forbes, Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Magazine, who spoke very candidly about his opinion of the current administration and its policies adversely affecting the economy and the stock market. However, he was positive about the future and expects many favorable changes to take place over the next couple of years. He went into detail about how capitalism and the free market can save the economy, even with health care, Social Security, and Medicare. His latest book has recently been published, How Capitalism Will Save Us: Why Free People and Free Markets Are the Best Answer in Today's Economy.

The Opening Ceremonies panel discussion was on Nanotech, with four panelists discussing the various aspects of this fast growing industry, and how nanotechnology is used in heathcare, technology, batteries, transportation (boats with nanotech hulls), and many other areas.

Some of the stocks that were mentioned in this industry include Harris and Harris Group (TINY), the stock with the great stock ticker symbol, a venture capital company which specializes in early stage nanotechnology companies. Other companies mentioned were Nanosphere (NSPH), Starpharma (SPHRY.PK), A123 Systems (AONE), Cree (CREE), First Solar (FSLR), and SunPower (SPWRA).

There were 55 seminars to choose from on Thursday, 99 on Friday, and 24 on Saturday, covering everything from options, to ADR's, to ETF's, to dividends, to low priced stocks, to China stocks, to numerous other topics.

One interesting one was called The Top Ten ETFs and Stocks You Should Buy Now, with Mark Skousen and Doug Fabian. Skousen mentioned Enterprise Products Partners (EPD) due to its rising dividend, currently yielding 6%, and insider buying. He also recommended Ford (F), due to the fact that sales are rising substantially, the early paydown of debt, and a forward PE of 10.

Fabian recommended iShares S&P Global Telecom ETF (IXP) due to its 4.8% yield, paid quarterly. He also likes PowerShares CEF Income Composite (PCEF), which invests in master limited partnerships but doesn't issue K-1s. It pays an 8.5% yield.

Another informative speaker was Michael Murphy who's presentation was called 'Best Tech and Biotech Stocks for the Next Ten Years.' In the Content on Demand sector, he likes TowerStream Corporation (TWER), a company that puts wireless towers on buildings and offers broadband services to businesses. The company has already signed up eleven cities. Insiders own 30% of the company.

In the biotech arena, one of the stock he recommends is Rochester Medical Corp. (ROCM), which makes catheters made of silicone instead of latex, to avoid the latex allergies for some patients. This also allows the use of anti-fungals in the catheters.

One stock he favors in the energy sector is Connacher Oil (CLL.TO), a Canadian company that is in the oil sands industry. Murphy also likes the geothermal industry due to the very favorable government tax credits and loans available to developing projects.

If you missed the MoneyShow in San Francisco, you can check out other upcoming MoneyShows at MoneyShow.com. And if you want to find more information on buying dividends, check out our recent article on stocks going ex dividend.

Author owns F.

By Stockerblog.com

Electric Car Stocks

The alternative fuel automobiles use electric motors for propulsion, instead of the internal combustion engine. All the major car companies have been jumping on the hybrid and electric car bandwagon, including Ford (F), General Motors, and Toyota (TM). But electric cars are not something new.

Electric automobiles were very common in Europe during the late 1800's. In 1897, the Electric Carriage and Wagon Company of Philadelphia produced a fleet of electric taxis for New York City. In France, in 1899, the 100 kilometers per hour speed barrier was broken by an electric car.

Electric cars are far less expensive than gasoline powered cars, many with a cost advantage of four to one. In addition, electric cars have the advantage of the regenerative braking systems, which recapture the kinetic energy of the vehicle that is used to recharge the batteries when brakes are applied. Plus, the cost to service an electric car is much lower.

Obviously, the key to the production of electric cars is the battery, and lithium ion batteries are currently the most widely used in electric cars.

The major automobile companies, including Honda (HMC), Toyota (TM), and Ford (F), are involved in electric car production of course, but it is still a small portion of their business. Tesla Motors Inc., one of the leading manufacturers of electric cars, is unfortunately currently unavailable to the general public. However, they have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that they are planning an IPO (Initial Public Offering), but haven't announced a date of the offering at the time of this writing.

However, there is an indirect way of investing in Tesla. Investors can buy shares of Daimler AG (DAI), which owns a small portion, less than ten percent, of Tesla.

Here is a list of companies involved in the production of electric vehicle and lithium ion batteries.

Kandi Technologies, Corp (KNDI), which is based in Jinhua, China, has a strategic alliance with Tianneng Power International and China Potevio/CNOOC New Energy and Power, Ltd. to develop totally electric vehicles. The company also manufactures all-terrain vehicles, go-karts, golf carts, motorcycles, and mini-cars. This is a very low capitalization stock.

Magna International, Inc. (MGA) is an Ontario, Canada based company, which has a division, Magna E-Car Systems, that provides integration of components and systems, as well as the development and production of innovative complete-vehicle solutions, from engineering to turnkey systems, for all hybrid and electric vehicle programs around the world. Magna also manufactures other automotive systems, assemblies, modules, and products.

A123 Systems, Inc. (AONE), is a Watertown, Massachusetts based company, which makes and markets rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and battery systems. The company is involved in a joint venture with SAIC Motor Co. Ltd. to produce complete vehicle traction battery systems used in hybrid electric and pure electric passenger vehicles.

Advanced Battery Technologies, Inc. (ABAT) through its subsidiary, Heilongjiang ZhongQiang Power-Tech Co., Ltd., makes and sells rechargeable polymer lithium-ion batteries in China. The company is based in New York City.

Altair Nanotechnologies, Inc. (ALTI), based in Reno, Nevada, develops and manufactures nano lithium titanate battery cells, batteries, and battery packs. This is a very low cap stock.

China BAK Battery, Inc. (CBAK) makes and sells various standard and customized lithium ion rechargeable batteries. The batteries are used in light electric vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicles, along with other products.

Chemical & Mining Co. of Chile Inc. [Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile] (SQM), based in Santiago, produces lithium carbonate for use in various applications, including batteries lithium hydroxide as a raw material in the battery industry, and lithium metal for use for the production of aluminum-lithium alloys and lithium primary batteries.

Ener1, Inc. (HEV), based in New York City, develops, makes and markets rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and battery systems. The company's lithium-ion batteries are used in hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric vehicles, buses, and trucks.

Polypore International, Inc. (PPO) provides polypropylene and polyethylene monolayer and multilayer membrane separators for lithium batteries for the use in personal electronic devices, hybrid electric vehicles, and other electric vehicles.

Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide Inc. (QTWW), based in Irvine, California, produces propulsion systems, energy storage technologies, and alternative fuel vehicles. The company's products include lithium-ion battery systems, electronic controls, hybrid electric drive and control systems, and hydrogen storage and metering systems. This is a very low cap stocks.

UQM Technologies Inc. (UQM), based in Frederick, Colorado, develops and makes permanent magnet electric motors and electronic controllers, generators, power electronic controllers, and related products for electric, hybrid electric, and fuel cell electric vehicles. The company products also include electric and hybrid electric propulsion systems, higher power engine generators, electric auxiliaries, vehicle auxiliary actuator motors, electric auxiliary motors, wind turbine power generators, solar panels, and stationary fuel cell power generators. This is a low cap stock.

Valence Technology Inc. (VLNC), based in Austin, Texas, makes and markets its U-Charge energy storage system, which is a suite of products based on proprietary lithium iron magnesium phosphate technology. This is a low cap stock.

ZAP (ZAAP.OB), which is based in Santa Rosa, California, develops electric vehicles and electric vehicle power systems, and has products which include personal transporters and off road vehicles. This is an extremely low cap stock.

Lists of other stocks in green industries, such as ethanol stocks and cloud computing stocks, can be found at at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Author owns F, AONE, ALTI, and DAI.

By Stockerblog.com

Hugo Chavez Threatening Auto Manufactuers

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has told Toyota (TM), Ford (F), General Motors and Fiat (FIATY.PK) that the auto companies have to leave if they don't share more of their technology and produce the types of vehicles that he wants.