Niger Delta Attacks Underscore the Peril of the World Oil Supply
Big Oil gets our oil supply mainly from areas of high volatility. Are big returns from Big Oil worth the cost of investing in the world's regions most unfriendly to the U.S.?
WFR – What Happens When Investors Bid Up Shares on Best Case Scenarios
Photo: i.say, Creative Commons, Flickr After disappointing earnings result on April 27, it’s been a bumpy ride for shareholders of MEMC Electronic Materials (WFR – Last trade $59.15). The company reported Q1 results in line with street estimates, with Q1 EPS at $0.71 vs. $0.69 expected (EPS included a favorable tax credit of $0.02) and…
Big Oil Posts Big First Quarter Profits
Commodity gas prices were down first quarter. So how are some big oil companies posting above-forecast earnings?
JASO – Sell in May and Stay Away
With 68% of the S&P 500 having reported results, earnings are currently on track to have risen 6.8% year on year; more than double what analysts polled by Thomson Financial were forecasting on April 1. Investors seem to have adapted to the fact that the U.S. economy is slowing, earnings continue to be solid and…
Big Oil Loses the Orinoco Belt
Hugo Chavez now controls the Orinoco Belt. What does this mean for the world of oil supply?
Could Rising Gas Prices Lead to the Rise of the Microcar?
Imagine if your favorite burger joint increased the price of your favorite half pound ground sirloin each day by a few cents. You'd probably shrug it off and keep going because you can't eat anything else without feeling unfulfilled. But after awhile, the emptiness in your wallet cancels out the satisfaction you feel in your…
SPWR Earnings – SunPower Shows Why It Trades at a Premium
On April 26 SunPower (SPWR – Last trade $59.55) reported knockout Q1 results. This was the first quarter that SPWR reported results consolidated with PowerLight following its January 10th acquisition. The company reported EPS of $0.29/share, blowing away the street's estimate of $0.19/share (a lower tax rate allowed for EPS upside to the quarter). Non-GAAP…
Sustainability 101
In simple terms, sustainability is defined as achieving economic prosperity while simultaneously leaving no impact on the planet. Our planet would be no worse off after this prosperity is achieved than before. With all the environmental and geopolitical events surrounding us today, sustainability has become a focus of much of the private sector and has also become a buzzword…
My Christian Investing Rubric: A Working Draft
I want to start to explore what makes "Christian Investing" different. As a Christian Investor I promise to:
Greenhorn Investor (II): Coming to Terms
Episode II Going Back to Basics: Coming to Terms Neubert’s a pretty busy guy, what with running a magazine, sitting on various boards, promoting, writing articles… and of course, managing his portfolio, so right off I need to accept the fact that I cant just go running to him every time I have a question:…
The 100 MPG Question
Nine months ago, Popular Mechanics wondered aloud why the automotive industry couldn't develop a car that could get 100 miles to the gallon. While progressive-minded individuals have reached triple digits on occasion by mixing solar energy with a traditional powertrain, no automaker has taken the initiative to mass produce an eco-friendly and reliable model. The…
ESLR – Good News, But Not Good Enough
On April 17, Evergreen Solar (ESLR – Last trade $10.72) announced a polysilicon supply contract with Korean company DC Chemical. Some analysts have been skeptical about the true costs and benefits of the supply contract and, with earnings from the supply contract not expected to have an impact until 2009, impatient traders have dumped the…
It May Not Be Eco-Friendly, But Exxon Offers Big Profits
It would be nice if, in today’s world, ethical practices, including environmentally friendly practices, meant high profits. But in the case of Exxon Mobile (XOM), the biggest of big oil companies, the opposite is true.
Hitting Drivers Where It Hertz
Ever wondered how you'd ever get around without a rental car on long road trips or when your vacation destination doesn't have a subway system? More families and budget-conscious travelers may have to find out for themselves as Avis and Hertz continue to raise rental car prices that have already escalated almost 20% in the last two…
Women of the Fortune 1000
Photo: Stewf , Creative Commons, Flickr Last week, Fortune put out its 2007 rankings of America's largest companies. The good news? More women are in charge this year than in 2006. The bad news? The number of women in charge of Fortune 1000 companies is pathetically low. However, they are leading a more diverse mix…
Update on ENER – Staircase Up On April 18, Elevator Down on April 19
A few days ago, Energy Conversion Devices (ENER – Last trade $36.19) announced that they will have a "corporate update conference call." This was seen as a notable development, given that the company has never released its results until mid-May. Option traders got excited and on April 18 over 11,500 calls were traded. The stock…
DSTI – Common Sense is Not So Common
It still makes no economic sense to install a solar power system for your home, but solar stocks continue to skyrocket higher and higher. Given that we are still a few years away from feasible solar power, are the gains being made on solar stocks justified? Will investors get (sun)burnt by a solar bubble?
The Automotive Big Three: What Really Went Wrong?
It is no mystery that America’s Big 3 automakers are in critical condition right now, they have clearly entered uncharted waters. Foreign automakers, particularly from Japan, have weighed down on the Big 3’s former stronghold on the global auto industry and are now posing serious threats to become the new leaders. Since 2005, net losses…
Saving for College: Measure Twice, Cut Once
I just opened a 529 College Savings account for my 7 week-old son while bouncing him on my knee. I had been thinking of doing this for a long time and I’m glad I can check it off my list of things to do. I was very surprised by how reluctant I was to finally…
Does American Know Why Women Fly?
Stockholders should pay close attention to whether American Airlines' new gender marketing campaign to attract more women travelers will add revenue or crash and burn in a cash-squeezed industry.
McUnions in China
After a public accusation by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) that McDonald's (MCD) paid unlawfully low wages to employees, the international fast food institution offered an olive branch and agreed to work on establishing a union in Guangdong Province.
Greenhorn Investor (I): In the Beginning…
… there was light… and mankind has been trying to monetize it ever since… Episode I ‘Green-horn’ Investing So here I am at The Panelist, among people who have been ‘playing the market,’ so to speak, all of their lives, and are now ‘going green.’ They talk about things like ‘market capitalization’ and ‘P/E…
CSR: The Movement Gains Momentum
I recently read a smart and pertinent cover story by Paula L. Green at Global Finance Magazine about business' movement towards greater enactment of CSR and its importance to the bottom line now and in the future. Green discusses the impact of the United Nations Global Compact since its inception in July of 2000, and…
CY and SPWR – You Can Kill Two Birds With One Stone Without Breaking the Bank
Photo:Roger Wilco, Creative Commons, Flickr I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that SunPower (SPWR – Last trade $49.92), the darling of the solar sector, trades at a P/E ratio of 133+. With the industry average P/E ratio at 25.70, not everyone can afford SPWR. The good news is…
Toyota: Paving the Way
With an ingenious development and launching of the hybrid vehicle at the turn of the century, Toyota Motor Corp (TM) has taken over Ford Motor Company (F) as the world's #2 automaker and has its sight set on unseating General Motors (GM) as the largest. And it's not a question of if, but when. Net…