Dollars versus Euros, British Pounds versus Euros

If you think that the dollar has dropped substantially against the Euro, check out the above chart, which shows the U. S. Dollar (blue line) versus the Euro, and the British Pound (pink line) versus the Euro. As you can see, from the beginning of 2007, the British Pound has also taken a pretty significant hit.

By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com

Amazon Releases Top 10 Investing Editors' Picks

Amazon.com (AMZN) has just released its Editors' Picks for the year, for all book categories. Here are the top 10 books for Finance and Investing.

The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns (Little Book Big Profits)

Invest Like a Shark: How a Deaf Guy with No Job and Limited Capital Made a Fortune Investing in the Stock Market

Wise Investing Made Simple: Larry Swedroe's Tales to Enrich Your Future (Focused Investor)

Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich

Hedge Hunters: Hedge Fund Masters on the Rewards, the Risk, and the Reckoning

Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets: Surviving the Public Spectacle in Finance and Politics (Agora Series)

Bonds: The Unbeaten Path to Secure Investment Growth

Crash Proof: How to Profit From the Coming Economic Collapse (Lynn Sonberg Books)

A Demon of Our Own Design: Markets, Hedge Funds, and the Perils of Financial Innovation

The Science of Getting Rich

Get Your Message Out in Times Square

You can now get your message printed on a piece of confetti and have it float down on the New Years Eve celebrants, along with a ton of all the other confetti. There are two ways to get your message out there. The first is by going to the Times Square Information Center. The second is by using the Internet: go to the "Wishing Wall Online" ( http://tinyurl.com/2c5efd )

Bond and Mortgage Insurers

With Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) getting into the municipal bond insurance business, maybe it's time to take a closer look at the bond and mortgage insurers. Is Buffett getting in because he thinks the industry has hit bottom, or does he think that now is a good time to take advantage of the competition? Time will tell. All of the following have market caps over $1 billion.

MBIA Inc. (MBI) provides financial guarantees for municipal bonds, asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities, and other types of bonds and pools of assets. The stock has a P/E of 4.5 , a PEG of 0.44 , and a yield of 6.10%.

Ambac Financial Group, Inc. (ABK) provides financial guarantee insurance and credit enhancement products. The stock has a P/E of 11.5, a PEG of 0.28, and a yield of 2.9%.

MGIC Investment Corp. (MTG) is a provider of private mortgage insurance for home mortgages. Although the company has been generating negative earnings, the stock pays a yield of 0.40%.

PMI Group Inc. (PMI) is a provider of residential mortgage insurance and structured finance products in the U.S. and in several countries around the world. The stock has a P/E of 6, a PEG of 2.84, and a yield of 1.50%.

Old Republic International Corp. (ORI) insures first mortgage loans on residential properties. It also provides general insurance and title insurance services. The stock has a P/E of 10 , a PEG of 1.52 , and a yield of 4.10%.

Author has no positions in any of the above.

By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com