Skin Rejuvenating Gene Discovered

No more wrinkles. Scientists at Stanford University in California have discovered a type of protein that can affect the signs of aging in the skin of mice. The protein involved is called NF-kappa-B, and the technique has yet to be tested on humans.

$237,000 for a Bottle of Perfume, $52,000 for a Watch

If you are looking for a gift for your wife or girlfriend, you should check out the list of Top Holiday Gifts for that Special Woman list at BillionairesLife.com. The list includes handbags, earrings, necklaces, and more.

Google Maps on Phones provides GPS without GPS

Google (GOOG), which trades on NASDAQ, has come out with Google Maps with My Location for smartphones, which can give your location using data from mobile towers even if you don't have GPS in your phone.

Cause of Death: Cell Phone?

South Korean police are investigating why a man was found dead with a melted cell phone in his left chest pocket, chest burns, and fractured bones. He also had significant heart damage. An AP report said that the phone was made by LG Electronics (LGERF.PK), which occasionally trades on the Pink Sheets in the United States.

Earlier this year, a man in China purportedly died when an exploding cell phone blew up in his chest pocket, according to a Chinese news report. The phone was made by Motorola (MOT), which trades on the New York Stock Exchange.

In both cases, the companies denied that the phone caused the deaths.

Makes you think twice about keeping your cell phone in your pants pocket!

GPS Phones Required for Students

The New Jersey based Montclair State University is now requiring their students to carry GPS cell phones operated by Sprint (S), which trades on the New York Stock Exchange. The students' tuition is increased by $420 to cover the cost of the service. What a way to keep track of the location of their students.

Top Ethanol Related Stocks

Did you know that there are indications that the Neolithic people used ethanol as a beverage 9,000 years ago? Ethanol was first used as fuel in 1840 as lamp fuel. With the price of oil above $90 a barrel, fuel alternatives such as ethanol are receiving closer examination. For an Excel list of all the stocks related to ethanol in some way, with financial data such as PE ratios and yields, which can be sorted and changed, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The top ten ethanol related stocks ranked by P/E ratio, with market caps over $350 million, are listed below.

Freightcar America Inc ( RAIL ) manufactures railcars used for hauling ethanol and grains. The stock has a P/E of 5.4 and a yield of 0.70%.

Valero Energy Corp ( VLO ) Valero began supplementing their gasolines with ethanol in 2006. The stock has a P/E of 6.6 and a yield of 0.70.

Aventine Renewable ( AVR ) produces and sells ethanol. The stock has a P/E of 8.6.

Tesoro Corp ( TSO ) sells ethanol-blended gasoline. The stock has a P/E of 8.9 and a yield of 0.70%.

Archer Daniels Midland ( ADM ) involved in corn and oilseeds processing. The stock has a P/E of 10.7 and a yield of 1.20%.

Toyota Motor Corp ( TM ) developing ethanol-fueled vehicles The stock has a P/E of 11.

Dow Chemical Co ( DOW ) involved in partnership to use ethanol derived from sugar cane to produce ethylene. The stock has a P/E of 11.9 and a yield of 4.20%.

US BioEnergy ( USBE ) is a grain distiller and seller of ethanol. The stock has a P/E of 12.

The Andersons ( ANDE ) is involved in the management of ethanol production facilities and grain and ethanol trading. The stock has a P/E of 12.6 and a yield of 0.70%.

DuPont ( DD ) developed a measurement and reporting system to increase ethanol production. The stock has a P/E of 13 and a yield of 3.60.

A list of all the stocks related to ethanol in some way, in an Excel format, which can be added to and changed, can be found at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Author does not own any of the above.

By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com

Is Microsoft Reverting Back to XP from Vista?

Are the computer ads by Apple Inc. (AAPL), which trades on NASDAQ, correct? Is Microsoft (MSFT), which also trades on NASDAQ, now maintaining support for Windows XP, which it was formerly trying to wean people off of? Many businesses and consumers have decided not to upgrade, for compatibility purposes, for learning curve purposes, and for time and expense purposes. Apparently, Microsoft has decided that they will continue to support XP after all, and have even come out with a Service Pack 3, which makes the operating system run much faster.

What Does the American Sub-prime Market and Algeria Have in Common

Who would have thought that the sub-prime market could affect Algeria. The government of Algeria was planning to privatize the bank Credit Populaire d'Algerie, by selling off 51%, but decided to put the sale on the back-burner. Three of the six banks on the list of potential buyers, including Citicorp (C), dropped out of the bidding because of the problems with the housing, sub-prime and other financial problems.

Yet Another Way to Invest in Domain Names

There is an SEC reporting company, oldwebsites.com, which is in the business of operating an exchange for buying and selling old web sites and domain names. They currently have listed such domain names as rubber.com, at $6,000,000, fiberglass.com, at $3,200,00, and lisa.com, for sale at $2,400,000 (did you see my previous post about the Lisa Computer?). The company, although reporting, is not yet public, but plans to do so.

Is Google Going Wiki?

Google (GOOG), which trades on NASDAQ, has added a new feature to its Google Maps, a wiki-type feature which allows users to adjust and correct the address and business markers. It even has a way to deal with pranksters that might purposely move markers to the wrong locations.

Kevin Costner Starred in 'Ancient' Apple Computer Ad: Wall Street Video of the Week

Does any one remember what a Lisa Computer was? Has anyone ever touched one? (I did, for a couple hours many years ago.) This was one of the first follies of Steve Jobs. Talk about a clunky, unattractive computer. Anyway, when Apple (AAPL), which trades on NASDAQ, ran a Lisa television commercial long ago, guess who the star was? Kevin Costner, star of Field of Dreams, Dances With Wolves, Bull Durham, JFK, and many other movies.

Author owns AAPL.

Are Apparel and Clothing Stocks a Good Fit for your Portfolio?

If you think that there will be a strong holiday buying season, and if you think the retailers will do well, then maybe sales will carry through to the apparel and clothing manufacturers. All of the following companies have market capitalizations above $1 billion.

VF Corp. (VFC) makes and sells jeans, outdoor apparel, and sportswear. The brands include Wrangler, Lee, Riders, Rustler, The North Face, Vans, JanSport, Eastpak, Kipling, Napapijri, Reef, Eagle Creek, Red Kap, Bulwark, Lee Sport, NFL, MLB, and Harley-Davidson. The stock has a P/E of 16, a PEG of 1.41, and a yield of 3.1%.

Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. (RL) makes and distributes clothing and accessories for men, women, and children. The stock has a P/E of 18.4, a PEG of 1.2, and a yield of 0.3.

Gildan Activewear Inc. (GIL) is a Canadian manufacturer of activewear. The stock has a P/E of 45.3 and a PEG of 0.9.

Hanesbrands Inc. (HBI) makes and markets apparel and undergarments for men, women, and children. The stock has a P/E of 69 and a 1.0 PEG.

Liz Claiborne Inc. (LIZ) makes and sells apparel and accessories, under various brands including KATE SPADE, AXCESS, BORA BORA, C & C CALIFORNIA, INTUITIONS, JACK SPADE, J.H. COLLECTIBLES, JUICY COUTURE, KENSIE, LAUNDRY BY SHELLI SEGAL, LIZ CLAIBORNE, LUCKY BRAND JEANS, MAC & JAC, MAMBO, MARVELLA, MEXX, MONET, REALITIES, SIGRID OLSEN, SOUL, SPARK, VILLAGER, and YZZA. The stock has a P/E of 18.8, a PEG of 1.04, and a yield of 0.9%.

Under Armour, Inc. (UA) designs and sells synthetic microfiber apparel. The stock has a P/E of 50.5 and a PEG of 1.86.

Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. (PVH) designs and sells branded dress shirts, sportswear, and footwear. The stock has a P/E of 13.7, a PEG of 0.77, and a yield of 0.4%.

Columbia Sportswear Company (COLM) is a Portland, Oregon based company which designs and sells outdoor apparel, including outerwear, sportswear, and footwear. The stock has a P/E of 12.75, a PEG of 1.16, and a yield of 1.4%.

Warnaco Group Inc. (WRNC) makes and sells intimate apparel, sportswear, and swimwear, under various brands including Warner's, Olga, Calvin Klein, Speedo, Chaps, Nautica, Catalina, Anne Cole, and Lejaby. The stock has a P/E of 21.5 and a PEG of 0.79.

Quiksilver Inc. (ZQK) is a Huntington Beach, California based designer and distributor of apparel, footwear, and accessories. The stock has a P/E of 25.3, and a PEG of 1.22.

Bebe Stores, Inc. (BEBE) is a designer and marketer of women's apparel and accessories. The stock has a P/E of 16.4, a PEG of 0.87, and a yield of 1.6%.

lululemon athletica inc. (LULU) is a Canadian manufacturer of yoga-inspired athletic apparel. The stock has a P/E of 237.5.

Coach Inc. (COH) makes handbags, jackets, sweaters, gloves, hats, scarves, and other accessories. The stock has a P/E of 19.6, and a PEG of 0.9.

Nike Inc. (NKE) is a manufacturer and marketer of footwear, sports apparel and accessories. The stock has a P/E of 19.3, a PEG of 1.33, and a yield of 1.5%.

Author does not own any of the above.

By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com

A Few Ways to Invest in Pepsi

Earlier this year, I wrote an article about the seven different Coca Cola stocks. There are also more than one Pepsi Cola stocks, all of which pay a dividend.

Pepsico, Inc. (PEP) the $121 billion (market cap) company that is considered the primary Pepsi company. In addition to manufacturing and marketing beverage concentrates and syrups, they also have the Frito-Lay division which makes and markets snacks, the Quaker Foods North America division which distributes cereals and pasta, and the PepsiCo International division, which sells snacks and beverages. The stock has a P/E of 20.2 , a PEG of 2.03 , and a yield of 2% .

Pepsi Bottling Group Inc. (PBG) this Somers, New York based company distributes various Pepsi-Cola beverages including Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Lime, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, Aquafina, Tropicana, Mug Root Beer, Lipton, SoBe, Starbucks Frappuccino, Dole, 7UP, KAS, Aqua Minerale, Mirinda, Manzanita Sol, Dr Pepper, Squirt, Electropura, e-pura, and Garci Crespo. The stock has a P/E of 16.8 , a PEG of 1.85 , and a yield of 1.40% .

PepsiAmericas Inc. (PAS) this Minneapolis based company makes and distributes Pepsi beverage products in the United States, central Europe, and the Caribbean. The stock has a P/E of 21 , a PEG of 1.59 , and a yield of 1.60% .

Author does not own any of the above.

By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com

Sub-prime 10Q Chart: Wall Street Graph of the Week

This is an analysis of the number of times that 10-Q filings have reverenced the term 'sub-prime' during the last couple years, with the two years shown side by side. The year isn't even over yet, but the number of references to 'sub-prime' for has increased by over 541% over 2006!

Footnoted.org wrote a great article about how 'sub-prime' is referred to in the filings of numerous companies that are not in the bank, real estate, or mortgage business, such as Echostar (DISH) and Vonage (VG), companies that you would think wouldn't have anything to do with the mortgage mess.

By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com

Where to Find Foreclosed Real Estate

If you think now is the time to start to pick up bargains in real estate [I don't], then you may want to look at REO's. REO stands for Real Estate Owned, and is the real estate that is foreclosed on by banks, which is then put up for sale. The following is a list of several banks and their links to their REO sites.

Bank of America (BAC)

BB&T (BBT)

Downey Savings (DSL)

Fannie Mae (FNM)

Freddie Mac (FRE)

GMAC (GJM)

Sallie Mae

HSBC (HBC)

US Bank (USB)

Wells Fargo (WFC)

Zions Bank (ZION)

By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com

President Christopher Dodd Stock Index

These are the billionaire contributors to the Christopher Dodd campaign, and the companies they are connected with, with the assumption that major contributors to presidential candidates expect the businesses that they are connected with to benefit. It shows the wealthiest contributors, based on the Forbes 400 list, and the companies they own and/or run as possible investments, assuming the candidate they support wins. Previous presidential candidate indices that have already been covered are the President Hillary Clinton Stock Index, the President Barack Obama Stock Index, the President Rudy Giuliani Stock Index, the John McCain Stock Index, the President Joe Biden Stock Index, and the President Mitt Romney Stock Index. The following stocks are part of the President Christopher Dodd Stock Index.

American International Group (AIG), Eli Broad
Apollo Group (APOL), John Sperling, Peter Sperling
Charles Schwab (SCHW), Charles Schwab
Danaher (DHR), Mitchell Rales
Dreamworks Animation (DWA), David Geffen
General Dynamics (GD), Lester Crown
Marriott International (MAR), Richard Marriott
Vornado Realty Trust (VNO), Steven Roth

Author owns DWA.

By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com

Old Technology Still in Use: Wall Street Pictures of the Week

Check out these pictures at the BBC web site: the world's first laptop: an Epson (SEKEF.PK) HX-20 with 16K of RAM [that's K, not MB or GB], an Apple (AAPL) Mac Classic doorstop, and more.

eBay has Anne Frank Chestnut for Sale

An interesting item is up for sale on eBay (EBAY), which trades on NASDAQ. A man in Amsterdam has put up for sale a chestnut from the tree that Anne Frank looked out at when she was in hiding. Government officials are planning on removing the diseased tree in the next few days. The bidding is now up to $10,100.

The Perfect Investment Book Gift for the Person Who Already Knows How to Invest

If you haven't read 100 Minds That Made the Market by Ken Fisher, noted investment manager, long time Forbes columnist, and bestselling author, you should check it out and you should also consider giving it as a gift for a friend.

The book contains short biographies of all the major historical contributors to American finance, all of which are interesting, educational, and most importantly, entertaining.

The following is an excerpt from the book (reprinted with the permission of Fisher's publicist):

100 Minds That Made the Market
by Ken Fisher
Published by Wiley & Sons, Inc.; August 2007;$19.95US/$23.99CAN; 978-0-470-13951-6
Copyright © 2007 Ken Fisher

Charles Dow
His Last Name Says it All

Charles Dow is one of Wall Street's most significant legends for two very significant reasons -- he created our financial bible, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), as well as our first market barometer, the Dow Jones Averages. He is also the father of technical analysis. Ironically, Dow went relatively unnoticed for his achievements and died quietly at age 51 in his modest Brooklyn apartment in 1902 -- years before he was credited with revolutionizing the way we now talk about the stock market.

You could explain "his" theory and its technical applications, but during his lifetime, he never laid out a "Dow Theory," per se. When he first began compiling stock market averages in 1884 -- before the WSJ even existed -- he hadn't established much besides an index with an all-inclusive "index number" by which to measure the stock market. Later he added his intuitive opinions. In fact, the Dow Theory as we know it today was only named and extracted from his WSJ editorials twenty years after his death by other market technicians, like William P. Hamilton.

Standing over six feet tall, yet slightly stooped and weighing over 200 with dark eyes and brows, a jet-black beard, and walrus mustache, ultra-conservative Dow had a grave air about him, spoke with measured speech and was reminiscent of an overly serious college professor. He never raised his voice and often said it took him a full 24 hours to get angry, and once angry, he stayed angry. The professorial analogy is strengthened by the fact that, working during the end of the robber baron era, he never chose to play that game, never tried to make a market fortune for himself; he instead chose, to be a sidelines observer and commentator.

He was born on a Connecticut farm in 1851 and worked odd jobs as a kid. His father died when he was six. When he was old enough to choose his career, he chose to abandon farm life for the pen. Following a scant education, he apprenticed for six years with the influential Massachusetts newspaper, the Springfield Republican. Then he moved to a Providence , Rhode Island paper, where he found his niche in financial writing while covering the mining industry beat.

Having made a modest name for himself, Dow, at 31, next ventured to New York and in 1882, founded Dow, Jones & Company with fellow reporter Eddie Jones. They used second-hand office equipment and worked out of a tiny, one-room office in a ramshackle building at 15 Wall Street , building a profitable news agency. They provided daily financial news updates to subscribers, who were mostly typical Wall Street wags. Printed news was scarce on the Street, and there was a value to being plugged into news sources even if they were little more reliable than the gossip proliferating through the crowd. So, their service was cherished, and the firm grew rapidly within the year. Soon, they started publishing a two-page newspaper called the Customer's Afternoon Letter -- the WSJ's predecessor.

It was in the Letter that Dow first published his average, which he left unnamed. For example, on February 20, 1885, his average was compiled from 14 companies -- 12 railroads and two industrials -- whose closing prices totaled 892.92. Dividing this figure by 14, he came up with 63.78. Since the previous day's close was 64.73, the market was said to be down nearly a point for the day. A more precise observer might have been able to note that it was down 1.47 percent. The index was the first enduring attempt at precise market measurement. The index also gave birth to what would later evolve into the entire realm of "technical" analysis, wherein people forecast future price activity based on pricing history.

The Letter grew into the WSJ, in 1889. Costing $5 for a yearly subscription, 2 cents per copy and 20 cents per line for ads, the WSJ contained four pages of financial news and statistics, including bond and commodity quotes, active stocks, railroad earnings and bank and U.S. Treasury reports. At a time when there were about 35 major stocks and several hundred less widely followed names, an authoritative news source began to create, in effect, a standard by which reality was to be measured. We use the same standard today, published by the same firm. That function alone insures Dow a seat in the financial hall of fame.

Dow was a perfectionist. He worked quietly and intently, using his market averages to pursue his theory of market behavior in a series of editorials between 1899 and his death in 1902. Although he predicted the bull markets of the early I900s, Dow disciples believe the furthest thing from his mind was creating a system of buy and sell recommendations; they say he used his own theory to review market history, not predict future activity. Regardless, his efforts linking past and future pricing activity were the seeds of technical analysis, a field which today involves thousands of investment professionals and a major investment of time and money.

The theories Dow put forth in his succinct editorials are technically described in this book's biographies of William P. Hamilton, Dow's successor at the WSJ and major contributor to the Dow Theory; and Robert Rhea, who transformed Dow's and Hamilton's principles into a system.

It is impossible to think of how the Wall Street landscape would look today without Dow's influence. Whether because of his newspaper or technical analysis via his indexes, the name Dow cannot be separated from the market. Dow lived before the beginnings of "the information age." While no one would create an index today that operates in such a bizarre and inferior manner (coupling just a few stocks and price-weighting), nonetheless, it was a breakthrough for its time.

In a world of computers the Dow seems to be our worst major index, poorly conceived and non-reflective of the typical stock in America . But that is looking at it from our perspective today, on the back-end of an information and electronics explosion. Back then it was an easy-to-calculate index, and price-weighting made more sense because the data required to build market cap and unweighted indexes was not readily available and updatable. And the Dow Series was more complete then, because the few stocks they covered were a higher percentage of the relatively few big stocks traded.

Dow was an innovator, foreseeing what wasn't yet there. Several lessons can be extrapolated from Dow's life. First, is the importance of news and information. Second, the importance of perspective -- something this author feels is increasingly lost in a world that now sometimes seems too bombarded with news, opinions, and media. And finally -- the importance of foresight and the ability to see what wasn't yet in the market, and would be important to the future. If instead of being 100 Minds That Made The Market, this book were focus on only a dozen names, Dow would still be one of them.

Copyright © 2007 Ken Fisher

This book is easy to read with short chapters, and a perfect bedside, airplane, or travel companion during the upcoming holidays. 100 Minds That Made the Market is available at Amazon.com and all major booksellers.

Reviewed by Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com

President Mitt Romney Stock Index

These are the billionaire contributors to the Mitt Romney campaign, and the companies they are connected with, with the assumption that major contributors to presidential candidates expect the businesses that they are connected with to benefit. It shows the wealthiest contributors, based on the Forbes 400 list, and the companies they own and/or run as possible investments, assuming the candidate they support wins. Previous presidential candidate indices that have already been covered are the President Hillary Clinton Stock Index, the President Barack Obama Stock Index, the President Rudy Giuliani Stock Index, the John McCain Stock Index, and the President Joe Biden Stock Index. The following stocks are part of the President Mitt Romney Stock Index.

Boston Scientific (BSX) John Abele
Charles Schwab Corporation ( SCHW ) Charles Schwab
Chesapeake Energy ( CHK ) Aubrey McClendon
Comcast (CMCSA) Amos Hostetter
Home Depot (HD) Arthur Blank
Marriott International (MAR) Richard Marriott
Regal Entertainment Group (RGC) Philip Anschutz
Valhi ( VHI ) Harold Simmons
Wrigley Company (WWY) William Wrigley Jr.
Zions Bancorp (ZION) Robert McNair

Author has no positions in the above.

By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com

Huge Pay Increase Possible for Steve Jobs

Did you known that Steve Jobs, the head of Apple Computer (AAPL), is the lowest paid CEO in the world according to Guinness World Records? He has been paid a dollar a year for many years. Now, the board of directors is considering giving Jobs a boost in pay.

Warren Buffett helps Alex Rodriguez

The Wall Street Journal reported that Warren Buffett gave advice to third baseman Alex Rodriguez with regards to negotiating his contract with the New York Yankees, and reportedly told him to avoid using his agent when dealing with the Yankees. A-Rod ended up negotiating a $275 million contract, with the assistance of two Goldman Sachs higher-ups.

Cockroach Robots

Cockroach robots have been created by European scientists to act as a 'Cockroach Pied Piper' to encourage the cockroaches to follow them to specific locations. The next step might be robot cows to heard cattle?

Yacht Building Yard: Wall Street Pictures of the Week

Check out these pictures of the the Benetti boat-building yard in Italy, where the yacht building industry is growing at 10% per year, far outpacing the worldwide yacht building market growth of 5.7%.

Bargains in Multi-Millionaire Mansions?

If you think that now is the time to started looking at real estate bargains, maybe you should check out the houses for sale described at BillionairesLife.com. They all sell for between $100,000,000 and $200,000,000. The article even includes the street addresses for most of them so that you drive over to them and check them out.

President Joe Biden Stock Index

These are the billionaire contributors to the Joe Biden campaign, and the companies they are connected with, with the assumption that major contributors to presidential candidates expect the businesses that they are connected with to benefit. It shows the wealthiest contributors, based on the Forbes 400 list, and the companies they own and/or run as possible investments, assuming the candidate they support wins. Previous presidential candidate indices that have already been covered are the President Hillary Clinton Stock Index, the President Barack Obama Stock Index, the President Rudy Giuliani Stock Index, and the John McCain Stock Index. The following stocks are part of the President Joe Biden Stock Index.

Comcast (CMCSA) Amos Hostetter
Estee Lauder ( EL ) Leonard Lauder
Expedia Inc. (EXPE) Barry Diller
IAC/InterActiveCorp ( IACI ) Barry Diller
MGM Mirage (MGM) Kirk Kerkorian
Revlon (REV) Ronald Perelman
Scientific Games ( SGMS ) Ronald Perelman
Wynn Resorts Ltd (WYNN) Stephen Wynn

Author does not currently own any of the above.

By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com

Diamond Chess Set: Wall Street Gift of the Week

The BillionairesLife.com site, which covers numerous luxury items that are purchased by the rich and famous, such as Rolls Royces, exquisite jewelry, designer clothing, luxury yachts, and more, has discovered a great holiday gift, a diamond chess set made with almost 10,000 diamonds! Can you guess what the price is?

Have you heard of The Predatory Lending Association?

If you want to see an interesting website, check out the website for The Predatory Lending Association. Is this what you would call a "public service phishing site"?

Wal-Mart Sells Out of Linux PC's

Wal-Mart (WMT) has been selling the Everex gPC online for $199. It is a Linux based computer with an Intel (INTC) processor. Unfortunately, they ran out of these hot selling computers, however, they are planning to restock.

Mobile Banking with ATT

AT&T (T) has just come out with its mobile banking service, which is available for those who bank with Wachovia (WB), SunTrust (STI), Bancorp South, FirstBank (FBMI), Synovus (SNV), Regions Financial Corp. (RF), America First Credit Union, and Arvest Bank Group.

Author has positions in T and WB.

Ukraine Stocks

Some interesting trivia about Ukraine:

1. The Ukrainian stock market grew tenfold between 2000 and 2006
2. It is ranked 28th in GDP by purchasing power parity.
3. It has a low low Gini coefficient which means it has more equal income or wealth distribution than other countries.
4. It is ranked 53rd in the world for Nominal GDP.
5. It was the republic with the second largest economy when it was part of the Soviet Union.
6. In 2006, they had economic growth greater than 5%.
7. The average annual growth of salaries has been 20% for the last five years.
8. It is known for the production of all types of transportation vehicles including automobiles, trucks, buses, ships, airplanes, subway cars, rail cars, and spacecraft.

Here are some stocks which operate in Ukraine:

Mobile TeleSystems (MBT) provides cellular telecommunications services in Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. 25% of net income came from the Ukraine. The stock has a P/E of 22.9 and a PEG of 1.9.

Vimpel Communications (VIP) is a wireless telecommunications services company that operates in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The stock has a P/E of 27.6, a PEG of 0.96, and a yield of 0.9%.

Central European Media Enterprises Ltd. (CETV) operates television stations in central Europe including Studio 1+1, KINO, and CITI in Ukraine. The stock has a P/E of 107.

Ukrnafta (UKRNY.PK) is involved in the exploration and production of oil and gas. The 2006, the company's net profit margin was 28.79% and return on average equity was 32.85%.

Centrenergo (CTEUY.PK) is a wholesale electricity provider, with energy produced from geothermal wells.

Kontsern Stirol (SRLLY.PK) is a producer of ammonia, urea, liquid nitric fertilizers, and ammonium nitrate.

Ukraine Energy Acquisition (UEAC.PK) has been in the water distribution and water purification business in Ukraine.

For more information on other stocks around the world, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Author does not own any of the above.

By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com

Cows Run From McDonald's

The driver of a cattle truck pulled into a McDonald's (MCD) for a bite to eat. The cows broke out the back of the truck and made a run for it.

$888 Fine for 'Simpsons' Pirate

An $888 fine was issued to a 21 year old Australian man who pirated The Simpsons Movie with his cell phone in a movie theater and uploaded it to the Internet. The Simpsons is a Fox Broadcasting Company production, which is part of News Corp. (NWS) (NWSA), which trades on the New York Stock Exchange.

Al Gore Joining Kleiner Perkins

In case you haven't heard the news yet, former Vice President Al Gore is joining the venture capital/private equity firm, Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield and Byers. He will be involved in alternative energy investments specializing in companies involved in reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

Google Buying Sprint?: Wall Street Rumor of the Week

According to the VoIP Blog, there is a rumor going around that Google (GOOG), which trades on NASDAQ, is planning on buying Sprint Nextel (S), which trades on the New York Stock Exchange. He has provided a case for the need of Google to have a wireless network in order to better get into the mobile search market.

Google at the Gas Pumps

Google (GOOG) is now offering a new service at gas stations, Google maps with touchscreens at the pumps with important local areas identified, such as restaurants and hotels. Users of the service will even be able to print out a map. With the price of gas these days, it will be nice to have a free service being offered.

Virtual Stock Trade Program for Ethanol Stocks

The website UseCorn.com offers a virtual stock trading program which allows you try your hand at investing in ethanol related stocks without putting real money at risk. It is simple to set up the account, and simple to do the trades. They have over 45 different stocks to choose from, everything from Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) to Valero Energy Corp. (VLO), and everything in between including DuPont (DD), Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNI), Corn Products International Inc. (CPO), and Fuel-Tech, Inc. (FTEK). You can also check to see who the top ten 'investors' are.

Turkey Stocks

First, this is not a group of stocks that is a play on the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Second, this is not a group of bad stocks that uses the word 'turkey' as a negative connotation. This is a list of stocks of companies based in the country of Turkey. Most trade on the Pink Sheets, but a couple trade on the New York Stock Exchange. Here is some interesting trivia about Turkey:

1. It is one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
2. It is ranked 16th of all countries in GDP purchasing power parity.
3. It is a founding member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
4. GDP grew by 7.4% for 2005.
5. The service sector makes up 64.5% of GDP.
6. They received $18.2 billion in revenues from tourism in 2005.
7. Their inflation rate dropped to 8.2% in 2005.
8. They received $8.5 billion in foreign direct investment in 2005.
9. Their literacy rate is 95.3% for men and 79.6% for women.

Here are the stocks of Turkey that trade in the United States:

TURKISH INVESTMENT FUND (TKF) This is a closed end fund that invests in Turkish companies. The fund currently sells at a 12.4% discount to net asset value [corrected and updated].

AKBANK TURK ANO (AKBTY.PK) A commercial bank based in Turkey that provides corporate, commercial, retail and private banking services. Net profit margin is 36.28% and return on average equity is 16.79%.

ANADOLU EFES BIRACILIK VE MALT SANAYII AS (AEBZY.PK) A beer and non-alcoholic beverage manufacturer and bottler of beverages. Net profit margin is 17.83% and return on average equity is 36.73%.

BIM BIRLESIK (BMBSY.PK) They sell food and consumer goods through a chain of over 1500 discount stores. Net profit margin is 3.76% and return on average equity is 79.18%.

DENIZBANK SA (DZBKY.PK) It is a provider of retail banking, private banking, and business banking services. Net profit margin is 37.21% and return on average equity is 23.62%.

FINANSBANK AS (FNKXF.PK) It is a provider of retail banking, private banking, credit card, and small, medium, and large banking services. Net profit margin is 34.63% and return on average equity is 25.63%.

HACI OMER SABANCI HLDG. (HOMJF.PK) Is a conglomerate which owns businesses in the areas of banking, insurance, tires, automotive, retail, food, cement, chemicals, textiles and energy. Their profit margin is 19.13% and their return on average equity is 22.42%.

TOFAS TURK OTOMOBIL FABRIK (TTOBF.PK) It is a manufacturer of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, as well as enginesand auto parts. Their models include Palio, Albea, Marea and Doblo. The profit margin is 4.80% and return on average equity is 16.82%.

TURK EKONOMI BANKASI (TEKBF.PK) It is a provider of corporate, commercial, retail and private banking services. The profit margin is 18.11% and return on average equity is 19.56%.

TURKCELL ILETISIM HIZMETLERI AS (TKC) The company provides wireless telephone services, sports and news entertainment, Internet services, and other telecommunications services. The stock has a P/E of 20, a PEG of 0.98, and a yield of 2%.

TURKIYE GARANTI BANK (TKGBF.PK) It is a banking company with over 500 domestic branches. Net profit margin is 60.66% and return on average equity is 77.09%.

TURKIYE IS BANKASI (TYIBF.PK) It is a provider of retail and commercial banking services. Net profit margin is 21.59% and return on average equity is 16.8%.

YAPI VE KREDI BANKAS (YVKAF.PK) It is a provider of bank and financial services. Net profit margin is 24.47% and return on average equity is 25.68%.

For more information on other stocks around the world, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Author does not own any of the above.

By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com

Cryo-Cell Criticized for Setting Up Menstrual Blood Bank

British experts have criticized Cryo-Cell International Inc. (CCEL.OB) for being the first blood bank in the world to store menstrual blood. The company charges $499 per year for the storage of the stem cells from the menstrual blood. There are already several companies that store cord blood from umbilical cords, including Richard Branson's company, Virgin Health Bank. Cryo-Cell is a very low cap stock and should be considered very speculative.

Author does not own the above at this time.

The Muslim Car

The Malaysian automobile manufacturer, Proton Holdings BHD (POHDF.PK), which occasionally trades in the United States on the Pink Sheets, is developing an "Islamic car", which will have a compass that points to Mecca.

What I'm Reading Now

I have 27 non-fiction books stacked up on my 'to read' list. Plus, I have an unopened box of books from Amazon.com (AMZN), which I received a few weeks ago and forgot what I even ordered. I really enjoy reading about finance and investments, but lately, I've taken a break from financial non-fiction and delved into financial fiction. I'm reading a couple books right now (I generally read two or three books concurrently), which has helped to take my mind off my long positions in the stock market.

One of the books I am reading came out about ten years ago, The Set-Up by Paul Erdman, and even though it is dated (28 baud modems and Netscape browsers), it is also very timely with all the discussion about the Federal Reserve Board lowering interest rates. The book is about a retired chairman of the Fed who flies into Switzerland, and as he exits the plane, he is arrested for insider trading, supposedly making almost half a billion dollars. There is extensive discussion of global finance and how the changes in interest rates affect various markets. If you have limited economic understanding, you may have to stretch your brain a little to comprehend interest rate cause and effects, but if you are very familiar with worldwide money matters, you won't have any problem following the plot line. The book starts out as a mystery and morphs into a thriller. It provides the point-of-views of several different characters, so you know what is inside everyone's head. I recommend this as a great international finance page turner.

Another book I've been reading is The Day Trader by Stephen Frey, which is about a guy in his thirties who makes about $80,000 in his first stock trade while working at his dead end job, gets caught stock trading on the job by his boss, gets blackmailed by his boss, looses his job, gets word from his wife that she is divorcing him, and his wife is murdered the next day, all in the first couple chapters. An interesting mystery, with a lot of characters who may or may not be bad guys. The style is much different from Erdman's book (e.g. Frey writes in present tense instead of past tense), but just as captivating. Even though I'm only part way through the book, it looks like this will be a good one.

President John McCain Stock Index

This article covers billionaire contributors to John McCain, and the companies they are connected with, with the assumption that major contributors to presidential candidates expect the businesses that they are connected with to benefit. It should be worth reviewing the wealthiest contributors, based on the Forbes 400 list, and the companies they own and/or run as possible investments, assuming the candidate they support wins. Previous presidential candidate indices that have already been covered are the President Hillary Clinton Stock Index, the President Barack Obama Stock Index, and the President Rudy Giuliani Stock Index. The following stocks are part of the President John McCain Stock Index.

American International Group ( AIG ) Maurice Greenberg
Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK-A ) Charles Munger
Blackstone Group ( BX ) Hamilton James
Blackstone Group ( BX ) Stephen Schwarzman
Broadcom ( BRCM ) Henry Samueli
Cablevision Systems ( CVC ) Charles Dolan
Charles Schwab Corp. ( SCHW ) Charles Schwab
Clearwire ( CLWR ) Craig McCaw
Coca Cola ( KO ) Herbert Allen
Comcast ( CMCSA ) Amos Hostetter
Ensco International Inc. ( ESV ) Richard Rainwater
Enterprise GP Holdings ( EPE ) Dan Duncan
Estée Lauder Companies ( EL ) Leonard Lauder
Federal Express ( FDX ) Frederick Smith
Fortress Investment Group ( FIG ) Wesley Edens
Huntsman Corporation ( HUN ) Jon Huntsman
IAC/InterActiveCorp ( IACI ) Barry Diller
Liberty Media Capital ( LCAPA ) John Malone
Liberty Media Interactive ( LINTA ) John Malone
Shutterfly ( SFLY ) James Clark

Author owns FDX and KO.

By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com

'Elvis Is Alive' Museum Memorabilia Sells for $8,300

The owner of the 'Elvis Is Alive' Museum road attraction has sold off his collection of stuff on eBay (EBAY) for $8,300. The collection reportedly includes files from the FBI and replicas of Elvis's casket and gravestone.

eBay trades on NASDAQ.

This Real Estate is Really in the Toilet!

The South Korean politician, Sim Jae-duck, known as 'Mr. Toilet' because of his goal to clean up public restrooms, has built a 4,520-square-foot house shaped like a toilet! The house is expected to be completed today, just in time for the World Toilet Association meeting, with representatives from 60 countries.

The nicest feature of the house is a huge bathroom with glass walls that turn dark when you touch them. If you want to take a peek inside the house, it will only cost you a one dollar donation.

Top 50 Nanotechnology Stocks

Nanotechnology is the science of manufacturing and utilizing extremely small particles and devices. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter, or about 80,000 times thinner than an average human hair. Some nanomaterials include carbon nanotubes used in electronics and such products as body armor and cancer treatments, nanoclays which are used in composite materials, and nanoscale metals, alloys, and oxides, used in the power and renewable energy industries.

The following are the companies with the lowest price earnings to growth ratios and market capitalizations over $1 billion that are involved in nanotechnology in some way. The entire list of 50 nanotechnology stocks along with their PE ratios, PEG ratios and description of their connections to nanotechnology can be found at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The list is in the form of an Excel spreadsheet which can be changed, added to, deleted from, and sorted, and all the stocks on the list are $1 billion plus in market cap.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) manufactures microprocessors and microcontrollers. The stock has a P/E of 16.08, and a PEG of 0.73.

Amkor Technology Inc. (AMKR) Microelectromechanical systems, microelectronic assembly and testing. The stock has a P/E of 9.79, and a PEG of 0.74.

Coherent Inc. (COHR) develops lasers for micro-machining applications. The stock has a P/E of 26.69, and a PEG of 0.8.

Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT) provider of nanomanufacturing technology solutions for the electronics industry. The stock has a P/E of 15.48, and a PEG of 0.87.

Cabot Microelectronics Corp. (CCMP) develops proprietary Advanced Nanoscale Surface Technology is designed to deliver Angstrom level finishes. The stock has a P/E of 26.54, and a PEG of 0.99.

Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) produces nanofiltration elements. The stock has a P/E of 11.95, and a PEG of 0.99.

RF Micro Devices Inc. (RFMD) makes and sells radio frequency components and system solutions for the mobile communications industry. The stock has a P/E of 10.94, and a PEG of 1.

Cabot Corp. (CBT) produces specialized nanoscale particles of carbon, silica, and tantalum. The stock has a P/E of 17.02, and a PEG of 1.02.

Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) involved in nanotechnology and MEMS technology with their 3-axis accelerometer, a motion signal processing product, and consumer applications of nanotechnology. The stock has a P/E of 20.69, and a PEG of 1.18.

ABB (ABB) has a nanotechnology research relating to surface structures and material parameters. The stock has a P/E of 28.25, and a PEG of 1.19.

The rest of the nanotechnology stocks are available at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Author does not own any of the above stocks.

By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com

Exploding Piggy Bank: Talk About Forced Savings!

A Japanese company has developed an exploding piggy bank called a 'SavingsBonb', which explodes and throws coins all over if you haven't put any coins in it for a while. The banks are made by TOMY Co. (TOMYF.PK), which trades on the Pink Sheets occasionally in the United States.

Museum of American Finance Grand Opening January 11

For those of you who live and/or work in the New York City area, or if you are planning on visiting New York during the second week of January, you should check out the Grand Opening of the Museum of American Finance on January 11. There will be various celebration activities going on during the days of January 7 through January 10, with the opening to the public on the following day.

This 30,000 square foot museum is located at 48 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan. More information can be found at the museum's website, financialhistory.org.

Even the Federal Government is Dumping Real Estate

The United States Government is selling off many of its lighthouses, an unusual form of real estate, to be sure, but what a great getaway home a lighthouse would make. It could be an inexpensive way of getting your own private island since starting prices on the government auctions are as low as $10,000.

Nokia N95 versus Apple iPhone: Wall Street Video of the Week

If you haven't seen this video yet, check it out. It's a takeoff on the Apple (AAPL) versus the PC television ad. This video shows the Nokia (NOK) N95 versus Apple iPhone. Maybe this is why Apple was down about 11 points yesterday.

Author owns AAPL.

President Rudy Giuliani Stock Index

This article is a continuation of the assumption that major contributors to presidential candidates expect the businesses that they are connected with to benefit. It might be worth looking at the wealthiest contributors and the companies they own and/or run as possible investments, assuming the candidate they support wins. Previous presidential candidate indices that have already been covered are the President Hillary Clinton Stock Index and the President Barack Obama Stock Index. Today, the President Rudy Giuliani Stock Index is being presented.

Abraxis BioScience ( ABBI ) Patrick Soon-Shiong
American International Group ( AIG ) Maurice Greenberg
American Real Estate Partners ( ACP ) Carl Icahn
Aon Corporation ( AOC ) Patrick Ryan
Centerline Holding ( CHC ) Stephen Ross
Charles Schwab Corporation ( SCHW ) Charles Schwab
Chesapeake Energy ( CHK ) Aubrey McClendon
Devon Energy ( DVN ) George Mitchell
Enterprise GP Holdings ( EPE ) Dan Duncan
Estee Lauder ( EL ) Leonard Lauder
Home Depot ( HD ) Bernard Marcus
International Speedway Corp. A ( ISCA ) James France
Kinder Morgan ( KMI ) Richard Kinder
Las Vegas Sands Corp. ( LVS ) Sheldon Adelson
Loews Corporation ( LTR ) Wilma Tisch
Marriott International ( MAR ) John Marriott
News Corp ( NWSA ) Herbert Siegel
Trump Entertainment ( TRMP ) Donald Trump
Valhi ( VHI ) Harold Simmons
Zions Bancorp ( ZION ) Robert McNair

Author owns TRMP.

By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com

New China Stocks Update

China Railway Group Ltd., builder of railroad lines in China, division of the following company, IPO, November 20

China Railway Engineering, China's largest railroad contractor, IPO, November 12

AirMedia Group Inc. (AMVN), is in the air travel advertising business using digital television screens in airports and on airplanes. went public on November 6, trades on NASDAQ.

Alibaba.com, went public November 6, available to Americans in December, shares went up 192% on the Hong Kong stock exchange.

Greater China Precision Components, manufactures mobile phone components, subscription period ends Nov. 15, starts trading on Nov. 20 on the Frankfurt stock exchange.

Agria Corporation (GRO), agricultural products company in corn seeds and sheep breeding products, IPO, November 6, trades on the New York Stock Exchange

Value Partners Group Ltd., Hong Kong money manager, planning IPO

Metersbonwe Group, Chinese clothing company, planning IPO

China New Town Development, Hong Kong real estate company, IPO ends November 12

Sinotrans Shipping Ltd., shipping company, planning IPO

Eatware Global Corp., manufactures disposable food and drink containers, planning IPO

Author does not own any of the above.

For more information on other stocks around the world, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com

Oldest Stock Exchange in the U.S. Being Taken Over by NASDAQ

The Philadelphia Stock Exchange, which is the oldest stock exchange in the United States, is being taken over by Nasdaq Stock Market Inc. (NDAQ), which of course trades on NASDAQ. The Philadelphia Stock Exchange was founded in 1790, two years before the New York Stock Exchange (NYX).

T. Boone Pickens Buys Land Without Oil

T. Boone Pickens, the wealthy oil trader, recently acquired eight acres of land in Texas with no oil on it; however, it does has water rights and Pickens is using the land to set up a Water District and sell municipal bonds. He plans to build a 328-mile water pipeline from the Panhandle to San Antonio and Dallas.

I guess water has replaced oil as the latest liquid investment.

Supermodel Gisele Turns Down Dollars

Back in July, I created the Gisele Bundchen Stock Index. Since that time, the index has been written up in several Brazilian financial magazines.

It turns out that she is not only the wealthiest supermodel, but is also a very astute businesswoman. She told Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) that she wanted to be paid in Euros and not Dollars, for being the celebrity endorser for Pantene. The China Daily quoted her as saying 'I won't get out of bed for US dollars'.

By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com

Love Hotels Goes Public

One of the primary Japanese companies that operate love hotels, Japan Leisure Hotels, is going public with an IPO on the London Stock Exchange Aim Market. A 'love hotel' is a hotel which rents rooms for just a few hours instead of by the day.

The company currently owns five of these hotels and pays a yield of 8%. They plan non raising approximately $200 million.

Don't Post any Pictures of the Canadian Penny on your Website

Webmasters beware. The City of Toronto was hit with a $47,680 fee by the Royal Canadian Mint for using a picture of the Canadian penny, the words 'one cent' in its ads, and the letters 'onecent' in its email address, to promote a one cent increase in sales tax. The mint claims that they are registered trademarks.

President Barack Obama Stock Index

Continuing the series of connections between billionaire donors, their companies, and presidential candidates , Barack Obama is presented in this analysis. These are the wealthiest contributors, and the companies they own and/or run, that have supported Obama.

Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK-A ) Warren Buffett ~ CEO
BOK Financial Corporation ( BOKF ) George Kaiser ~ chairman
Expedia, Inc. ( EXPE ) Barry Diller ~ chairman
Fortress Investment Group ( FIG ) Michael Novogratz ~
Franklin Resources ( BEN ) Charles Johnson ~ chairman
General Growth ( GGP ) Matthew Bucksbaum ~ shareholder
Home Depot ( HD ) Arthur Blank ~ founder
IAC/InterActiveCorp ( IACI ) Barry Diller ~ chairman & CEO
Loews Corporation ( LTR ) Joan Tisch ~ major shareholder
Qualcomm ( QCOM ) Irwin Jacobs ~ founder, chairman
Shutterfly, Inc. ( SFLY ) James Clark ~ shareholder
Stryker Corporation ( SYK ) Pat Stryker ~ major shareholder
Viacom ( VIA ) ( VIAB ) David Geffen ~ Dreamworks principal
Viacom ( VIA ) ( VIAB ) Steven Spielberg ~ Dreamworks principal

Author does not own any of the above.

By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com

the little bank Declares Dividend Increase: An 'e.e.cummings Style' Company Name

You may have noticed that I like to find publicly traded companies with unusual names. Remember the write-up I did on Crazy Woman (CRZY.PK)?

It seems like it's the banks with the unusual names. I've found another one, and it's called, the little bank (LTLB.OB), which trades on the over-the-counter bulletin board. The way I've typed it is the correct name, with lower case letters, just like e. e. cummings. The name really does match the company, as it has a market cap of only $43 million, and should therefore be considered very speculative. The stock has a P/E of 18.8 and a yield of 0.7%. They just increased their dividend from $0.07 to $0.08 per share.

Anyone else know of interesting names of publicly traded stocks?

Author does not own either of the above at the time this is written.

President Hillary Clinton Stock Index

If you use the assumption that major contributors to presidential candidates expect something in return for the businesses they are connected with, then maybe it is worth looking at the wealthiest contributors and the companies they own and/or run as possible investments, assuming the candidate they support wins.

An outstanding article by Forbes covers the major candidates for president and the members of the Forbes 400 that have contributed to their campaigns. I have gone through the list of billionaire contributors to Hillary Clinton for her primary campaign and came up with the President Hillary Clinton Stock Index. All of the following stocks trade either on the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ. The list shows the companies, the contributors and their connections.

American International Group ( AIG ) Eli Broad ~ investor
American International Group ( AIG ) Louis Gonda ~ investor
Broadcom ( BRCM ) Henry Samueli ~ Co-founder, Chairman, CTO
Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK-A ) (BRK-B) Warren Buffett ~ chairman & CEO
CBS Corporation ( CBS ) ( CBSA ) Sumner Redstone ~ major shareholder
Chesapeake Energy ( CHK ) Aubrey McClendon ~ CEO, chairman, and co-founder
Charter Communications ( CHTR ) Paul Allen ~ chairman
Cablevision Systems ( CVC ) Charles Dolan ~ chairman
Estee Lauder ( EL ) Leonard Lauder ~ chairman
Expedia, Inc. ( EXPE ) Barry Diller ~ chairman
Home Depot ( HD ) Arthur Blank ~ founder
IAC/InterActiveCorp ( IACI ) Barry Diller ~ chairman & CEO
Loews Corporation ( LTR ) Joan Tisch ~ major shareholder
Microsoft ( MSFT ) Paul Allen ~ founder
Midway Games ( MWY ) Sumner Redstone ~ major shareholder
Qualcomm ( QCOM ) Irwin Jacobs ~ founder, chairman
Sun Microsystems ( JAVA ) Vinod Khosla ~ founder
Stryker Corporation ( SYK ) Pat Stryker ~ major shareholder
Trump Entertainment ( TRMP ) Donald Trump ~ chairman
Time Warner ( TWX ) Alan Gerry ~ investor
Viacom ( VIA ) ( VIAB ) Sumner Redstone ~ major shareholder
Viacom ( VIA ) ( VIAB ) Steven Spielberg ~ DreamWorks principal
Vornado Realty Trust ( VNO ) Steven Roth ~ major shareholder

Author owns CHTR, MSFT, JAVA, TRMP, and TWX.

By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com

Pope to File for Bankruptcy

The forest products and lumber company, Pope & Talbot Inc. (PTBT.PK), is planning on filing for bankruptcy after receiving permission from a Canadian court. The company has suffered severe financial setbacks due to the housing crisis.

You didn't think I was talking about the Pope at the Vatican did you?

Another Vietnam Stock: A Way to Invest in VN Domain Names

About a week ago, I wrote an article about the various ways to invest in Vietnam stocks and closed end funds. I just came across another company that is the domain registrar for the Vietnam [.VN] country domain. The company is called Dot VN, Inc. (DTVI.PK), and trades on the Pink Sheets. This San Diego company, which also has offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, has a deal with the Vietnam Internet Network Information Center to register and sell the Vietnam country code Top Level Domain, and works with numerous domain resellers, such as VeriSign Inc. (VRSN) and Melbourne IT Ltd. (MLBEF.PK). The company has been around since 2001.

Dot VN just appointed Mike Weller as Chief Information Officer. He was formerly the Senior Vice President of Technology for Citigroup. The company reported negative earnings for the latest reported quarter. The stock has a price sales ratio of 51. The stock has a very low market cap and should therefore be considered very speculative.

Author does not own any of the above. This is not a recommendation, either expressed or implied.

For more information on other stocks around the world, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com

Wall Street Photo of the Week: Google's New GPhone

Next week, Google (GOOG) is expected to announce its GPhone, according to the Wall Street Journal. The GPhone will combine the cellphone with Google applications.

Wall Street Quotation of the Week: George Soros

"My peculiarity is that I don't have a particular style of investing or, more exactly, I try to change my style to fit the conditions."

~ George Soros

Election Websites Popping Up

With the upcoming elections looming on the horizon, several new web sites are popping up to take advantage of all the interest in politics. For example, Polrate.com allows you to vote for your favorite political candidate, no matter what party, and see up to the second, how everyone else has voted. It also allows users to post comments about candidates.

Speaking of Apple: $15 billion in cash

Have you noticed that the debt free companies seem to be doing much better than debt laden businesses? Apple (AAPL) is the perfect example, and not only are they essentially debt free, they have $15.4 billion in cash. What will they do with all that money?

Hackers Going After Apple Now

In the past, Apple (AAPL) Macintoshes have been relatively immune from trojans and viruses. However, now trojan horses are popping up on Macs running OS X. This is primarily due to the increased number of Macintosh users, now up to 8.1% of the market,making the Apple machines ripe for hackers.

eBay is Selling a Town

The famous online venue, eBay (EBAY), has sold a lot of interesting stuff. Now just before the holidays, they are selling a town, Albert, Texas. The reserve price is $2.5 million, and includes a dance hall. eBay auctioned off a California town last year.