Five Stocks You Can’t Turn Your Back on Yet
on Oct 28, 2009 in Portfolio Management Sectors Stock Picks ROP vz WINN WYNN X The economy may well be in recovery mode, but it isn’t taking all stocks along for the ride. Earnings results are going to remain erratic simply because we’re still shaking of a recession. For a few companies though, the problems may be bigge...

Upcoming IPOs - Addus, Vitamin Shoppe, AEI
on Oct 21, 2009 in Stock Picks Addus AEI Vitamin Shoppe Since time is of the essence, today we’re going to offer a profile and a few thoughts on some upcoming initial public offerings you may have been mulling. That’s not to say our comments are the whole story, but they’ll at least get you thinking...

Will Holiday Sales Prove to be Better Than Expected?
on Oct 19, 2009 in Economy Sectors nrf retail sales We’re about to find out how healthy the average U.S. consumer truly is. If retail sales are up this season (November and December), it may well be the strongest sign yet the recession is over. Heart of the Matter: For the first time in at least...

Water Utilities Still Above Plausible Benchmark Values
on Oct 12, 2009 in Sectors American Water Works Corp. Aqua America SJW Corp Southwest Water Co. It’s a tad ironic, given that it’s probably the only truly recession-proof business in the world. Above all else (except oxygen), humans need water to survive. Yet, water utility company stocks are second only to banks and long-distance c...

Sector Rotation Is On
on Oct 1, 2009 in Sectors Stock Picks Take a look at the nearby chart. It compares the percentage gains for each major sector since the March low. There’s nothing really surprising about it - financials led the way, while utilities and telecom were dragging the bottom. I think we a...

Utilities Set to Pale in Comparison
on Sep 25, 2009 in Sectors forecast PGN progress energy SO souther company utilities utility stocks Though utilities stocks are far from being in dire straits, their relative underperformance is likely to continue as long as the bigger-picture economic recovery continues to take root. In simplest terms, even the very best utilities providers ha...

Technology Stocks Are Turning The Corner
on Sep 25, 2009 in Economy Sectors Stock Picks aapl apple dell palm PER perot sector outlook technology stocks texas instruments txn Though their performance could only be described as mediocre (at best) since the market’s recovery in March, consumer and corporate spending on technology may finally be strong enough to spur tech stocks higher again. Not As Bad As Thought: Not...

Consumers Still Focused on ‘Needs’ More Than ‘Wants’
on Sep 20, 2009 in Economy Sectors Stock Picks 99C Only Stores bby best buy BIG Big Lots consumer discretionary consumer spending dltr Dollar Tree Inc ndn outlook talbots tlb Though it’s safe to say grocery stores and gas stations have survived the recession - now that we’re coming out of it - it may be a little soon to expect a crowd clamoring for the newest big-screen TVs down at the local electronics store. As...

Oil, Energy Stocks Back in Their Sweet Spot
on Sep 17, 2009 in Economy Sectors Stock Picks bp chevron energy exxonmobil oil outlook After a record-breaking rally between 2003 and 2007, followed by a disastrous 2008, crude oil prices appear to have finally settled down in a comfortable middle ground around $70 per barrel. That’s good news for oil companies. Why? Though they...

2010’s Projected Earnings…. Seriously?
on Sep 10, 2009 in Market Cap Style cap earnings Don’t look now, but the market’s overvalued. That’s probably not earth-shattering to anyone - what else would an investor expect here in the shadow of the worst recession in decades? On the other hand, one would expect those investo...