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I enjoyed reading the results of Trader Monthly's poll of 2500 traders. If ever there was a answer to why we need market regulators to level the playing field, Trader Monthly found it in the following questions: "If you could parlay some insider info into a guaranteed $10 million trade but knew you stood a…
The news in biofuels appears to be taking off. In my last post, I mentioned Jatropha, a plant that can produce an alternative fuel, and one in which BP (BP) is investing. Today's subject is using a fungus to make biodiesel. That's right. Wired reports on the latest in the push toward alternative fuel sources:…
On my way back from the Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting, I stopped at the Chef Boy Ardee plant in Milton, PA which is owned by Conagra (CAG – $25.66). I bought Conagra as a value play a couple years ago. The stock has not moved much in that time. I collected a nice fat dividend early on that…
For those of us interested in sustainable community development, Wal-Mart (WMT) is a hard company to like, let alone love. Even with its move toward more energy-efficient stores and selling more environmentally-friendly and organic products, it is a reflex for many of us to be Wal-Mart haters. But given the enormity of the company, is…
With crude oil continuing to trade at stratospheric prices, conflicts in the Middle East not showing any signs of abatement, and fears of climate change spreading, the alternative energy boom presses on. While each segment of the industry has begun to carve out its respective niche in the marketplace, we are nevertheless reminded that the potential of…
Biofuel options abound, and one of the more interesting is jatropha. As the cost of oil continues to annoy people around the world, and hurricanes raise worries about a stable oil supply, science is exploring alternative means of energy. From electric cars to biofuels, the idea is to find a way to move energy production…
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Photo:Antre, Creative Commons, Flickr My brother-in-law, Jeffrey Wells, is currently serving a 3-year prison term for wire fraud in a federal prison camp.
If a single entertainment item could defibrillate our socially ambivalent culture into taking action against the corrupt state of the corporate world, The Corporation (2004) might be it. In this fast-paced and thorough documentary, filmmakers Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott cross-examine the management of corporate America, as well as its victims and critics, and leave…
Photo:MShades, Creative Commons, Flickr I've been away in Kauai until Tuesday night, and since I've been back I've been trading furiously. I'm usually only this active in my personal account when the Russell Indices rebalance every June. The first of my trades is actually the most recent. About a half hour ago I sold out…
Most Americans inherently believe in the power of free markets. It is ingrained in us along with our sense of individualism. Even those who believe in "big government" are not necessarily in favor of elected officials telling citizens how to live their lives. Yet with the growing awareness of how individual choices affect society as…
Is Big Oil ready for its end-of-summer rally? You bet! The stock market is a fickle market; always up and down. And individual stocks are the same way. Energy stocks are especially fickle. But as tropical storms appear to threaten the Texas Gulf Coast, it means that oil company stock is ready to rise. As…
Photo:Bob The Lomond, Creative Commons, Flickr David Neubert invited me to write for The Panelist after I forwarded a post from Queercents about the Economics of Burning Man. A few days earlier, I had asked one of our contributing writers to tackle the topic since I’ve never ventured out on the playa. I figured someone…
Photo:micaht2000, Creative Commons, Flickr Beverage giants PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are reeling this week from backlash to the news that their bottled water products are a total sham. Pepsi's Aquafina brand tap water announced last week that it would change the PWS logo printed on its bottles to a more descriptive ‘Public Water Source’. Company spokeswoman…
A recent WSJ article points out that the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 82% since the last bull market began on October 9, 2002. It feels like a lifetime ago, but U.S. stocks hit record highs just three weeks ago. Given the strong run the bull market has had, there are still more bulls…
Photo:elaine a’s, Creative Commons, Flickr Will electric cars ever really replace gasoline powered cars?
Congress wants to take tax breaks away from Big Oil and give the money to alternative energy research. But President Bush may not let Congress fund alternative energy in such a way. He thinks Big Oil should continue to enjoy special status.
I walked down Wall Street after today's market close and overheard an angry, sweaty stockbroker yelling into his cellphone. He was having a bad day, and the New York humidity must have been killing him in that tailored Armani suit. Judging by Jim Cramer's manic meltdown on television recently, Armageddon seems to be right around…
A picture worth a thousand words. A tornado strikes Brooklyn, leaving police officers to use chain saws to free a blocked Land Rover, one of a class of vehicles seen as a prime contributor to climate change, among the effects of which are expected to be flukish weather extremes, like tornados in Brooklyn. Photo:The New…
Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) has joined the lexicon of many investors. John Keefe thinks that needs to change. He advocates for a shift to "Sustainable Investing," meaning "the full integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into financial analysis and decision-making." He contends that only with this change can the industry have the impact…
After a particularly reckless week, the closest friends and family of Dow Jones staged an intervention in an attempt to stabilize her erratic swings. Jones, largely known for her promiscuity, is famous for being filled by thirty large organizations at the same time. The scrutiny of being a public figure with a promiscuous reputation has…
Wondering how the planet's atmosphere is faring at shareholder meetings? Ceres is an organization that is interested in "sustainable prosperity." My favorite of the Ceres activities is their shareholder resolution work and the roundup of corporate resolutions. A quick report card on the various companies is quite clear. I quickly ran across some oil companies…
Crude oil prices dropped today by 4.5%, the most in seven months, as investors bet that U.S. summer fuel demand has peaked. Given the large size of speculative long positions in the market, further downward pressure in the short-term cannot be ruled out. The price of oil is one of the major factors in the…
This is the ongoing list of my top holdings.See May 2007 List. See June 2007 List.Top Ten Listed/Tradable Holdings as of June month end (prices as of August 6, 2007):1. Ishares Inflation Protected Treasuries ETF (TIP – $100.051)2. Chevron Corp (CVX – $79.64)3. Berkshire Hathaway (BRK/A – $111,000)4. Conoco Philips (COP – $76.55)5. B P…
Reader Question: David Neubert, I am thinking about buying some Ford preferred stock symbol (F-PS). Do you think its still a good investment? I sold all my market holdings early that Thursday morning, a few weeks ago, before the market begin to really take a dive. Now I want to get back in with…