Big Oil Companies’ Investment in Exploration Yields Small Returns
Is it time for Big Oil to come up with another product?
Is Paper Money Going the Way of the Dinosaur?
“Climate change will likely affect economies and financial markets by causing shocks to long-term growth prospects and shifts in the relative price of carbon-intensive goods,” said Morgan Stanley’s Elga Bartsch in a recent research report. “Globally, climate change will likely cause stagflationary pressure.”
The Rise of Sovereign Wealth Funds
Individual countries are gaining investing clout.
SPWR is Fairly Valued, Says CEO of Parent Company
T.J. Rodgers, the impressive CEO of Cypress Semiconductor (CY – Last trade $35.61), was interviewed on CNBC on Tuesday. SunPower (SPWR – Last trade $129.11) is a subsidiary of CY.
“Light Management” Could be Key to More Efficient Solar Cells
How efficient can we make thin-film solar cells?
The 2007 Energy Bill: Long on Intentions, Short on Delivery
With the fate of our nation's energy policy hanging in the balance, the latest iteration of the 2007 energy bill presses on through Capitol Hill. With an overwhelming vote of 85-12, the Senate passed their version of the bill last Thursday night and, as of Tuesday, the House approved it with a 314-100 vote. Now all that needs…
Agriculture: The New Global Warming Bad Guy?
We know that coal and petroleum companies are mining the raw materials that contribute to greater levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, but who else is contributing? Surpisingly, agriculture, as Mike Brune from Rainforest Action Network (RAN) says: We launched a major new campaign taking on giant Agricultural companies ADM, Bunge, and Cargill for violating…
Retail Pessimism Overdone: My Favorite Picks Target (TGT) and Nordstrom (JWN)
Photo:J.reed, Creative Commons, Flickr With reports of retail spending up this year, even in the face of so much bad news about housing and mortgages, my inner contrarian awakens. I'm terrible at picking specific retail trends in terms of what brands are in fashion. I do not trust myself to pick the next American Apparel…
Year End Selling Trade: Picking Up Closed End Funds at Big Discounts
Photo:ldysw357, Creative Commons, Flickr This phenomenum of closed end funds getting cheap into year end and rebounding is another type of January effect that is well known but not without risk. It is well known, and yet it continues to exist. Part of the reason may be that the lack of liquidity keeps any hedge…
Freud, the Fed, and a Box of Chocolates
"Children begin by loving their parents; after a time they judge them; rarely, if ever, do they forgive them" – Oscar Wilde
Neubert Profile at Sprig.com
An interview with David Neubert at Sprig.com, the web venture of The Washington Post and Newsweek.
Playing Year End Tax Selling: Buying Starbucks
Starbucks came up on my year-end tax selling screen, so I decided to take a look at its valuation. Everyone loves to hate Starbucks (SBUX – $21.20). The stock as been on a one-way ticket to hell, falling nearly 50% from its highs created by what I term the "Starbucks Bubble." In my experience, when…
Level 3 Assets at Big Brokers – Not as Scary as People Say
Felix Salmon at Portfolio.com dug up the ratios for level 3 assets at each major Wall Street broker. This ratio is seen by some to be "scary." I don't find it as scary as some. The assets in Level 3 are mark-to-model. Some of these could include complex derivatives for which there is no market…
Oil Supply High for This Time of Year
Photo:identity chris is, Creative Commons, Flickr Oil inventories, prices and the end of the year.
Americans Want Renewable Energy
Photo:Taylor Dundee, Creative Commons, Flickr Why are Republican Senators threatening an energy bill that many Americans would support?
Vikram Pandit Makes Rock Star Status
Together with Madonna, Sting and Prince, Vikram Pandit, my old boss at Morgan Stanley, has acheived rock star status. He's the only CEO I know of in the world who is referred to only by his first name. I've been seeing a lot on CNBC and other media dissing the Citigroup Board for choosing Vikram…
Yin and Yang: Ben Bernanke Speeds Up China’s Ticking Time Bomb
Why all the fuss about the dangers of a U.S. recession? Some academics point out that recessions are an important part of the business cycle because they help squeeze out economic excesses. When the Fed unexpectedly cut interest rates by 50bps in August, the organization made it clear that it was going to do everything…
New Big Oil IPO Headed for Stock Market
An Ogden, Utah company is hoping to benefit from an interest in American energy production by going public. Big West Oil (desired stock symbol BWO) filed for an IPO. Big West is a subsidiary of Flying J Inc., a privately held oil company. The Houston Chronicle reports on the assets of Big WestOil:
Senate Scales Back Ambitious Energy Bill
In what environmentalists term a victory for coal and big oil companies, the Senate is scaling back an ambitious energy bill. The Christian Science Monitor reports on the state of the energy bill now:
Bush Adds Subprime Mortgages to Axis of Evil
Following a turbulent week with regard to foreign policy, President Bush has temporarily removed Iran from the Axis of Evil. For the time being, Bush announced that subprime mortgages would be joining the Axis of Evil on a trial basis.
The China Syndrome: Lessons from Confucius and Some Others
China's stock market pattern is beginning to remind me of Japan's "irrational exuberance," as witnessed in the early nineties where a decade of fantastic growth was followed by a decade of flat to lower stock prices. I struggle many times with why investment dollars flow to a country with serious human rights issues and a government that borders on…
Taking on Cellulosic Ethanol
Sustainable Power Corp. (SSTP.PK) and Blue Harbor Energy, Inc. seek to replace cellulosic ethanol.
SOLF: Reading Between the Lines
I must admit that I've never been a fan of SolarFun (SOLF – Last trade $22.95). Good Energies, a Switzerland-based investor specializing in investments in the wind and solar segments, takes a different view. Good Energies has entered into an agreement to buy shares from SOLF's Chairman and other current shareholders to bring its stake…
The Panelist’s Holiday Gift Guide
Socially conscious gifts for everyone on your list:
Betting on a Higher S&P 500 for December
I bought some S&P 500 futures betting on a higher U.S. stock market for December. We have lower interest rates, a cheap dollar and U.S. companies at the cheapest forward price earnings ration in years. What's not to like? Do I have a stop on my position? You bet! I don't want to take a…