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4 Things Investors Need to Consider Ahead of Facebook?s IPO
2012-02-07 14:30:00
While the mainstream financial media chases every conceivable Facebook angle ahead of its impending initial public offering (IPO), it's important not to get lost in the frenzy. About $5 billion worth of shares will be sold, though the deal values the entire enterprise at between $75 billion and $100 billion. Only a little more than two dozen U.S. companies have a market cap that size. Remember, all stock trades are ultimately a matter of valuation, and valuation is always a matter of perspective. Perspective almost always needs to be checked; certainly so with the level of hype that is surrounding this IPO. So is Facebook's underlying business worth owning? To figure this out, I recommend . . . → Read More: 4 Things Investors Need to Consider Ahead of Facebook’s IPO

Lack of Greek Deal Sends EUR Tumbling
2012-02-07 10:10:00
Source: Forex Yard Lack of Greek Deal Sends EUR Tumbling The euro was largely bearish yesterday, after Greece once again failed to come to an agreement with its creditors to restructure its debt. Losses were seen against most of its main currency rivals, including the US dollar, Japanese yen and British pound. Today, in addition to any euro-zone developments that may occur, traders will want to pay attention to a speech from the US Fed Chairman at 15:00 GMT. Any positive statements could help the USD extend its recent bullish trend. Economic News USD – Dollar Remains Bullish to Start off Week The US dollar was able to extend the boost it received late last week during trading yesterday, . . . → Read More: Lack of Greek Deal Sends EUR Tumbling

RBA Opts To Keep Rates On Hold, Sending AUDUSD Higher
2012-02-07 10:00:00
Source: Advanced Currency Markets | G10 Advancers and Decliners vs USD CHF 0.19 EUR 0.18 GBP 0.03 JPY -0.10 AUDUSD has powered higher overnight as the RBA shocked the market by keeping interest rates on hold at 4.25%. The consensus view was that the Australian central bank would opt to cut rates by 25bps for the third time in a row; but instead, policymakers deemed the current interest rate appropriate for now. It is likely that RBA members wish to allow the effect of the last two cuts to feed through… Read More . . . → Read More: RBA Opts To Keep Rates On Hold, Sending AUDUSD Higher

Finding Fundamentals Key to Gold Investing: Byron King
2012-02-06 20:30:00
The Gold Report: Byron, anyone who reads your reports knows two things: you like to tell stories and you like precious metals. The gold price has spent the last 11 years trending higher. Do you see it continuing upward? Byron King : I anticipate that gold, silver and platinum will all continue to rise in price. There are currency-driven reasons why metal prices are going to keep rising, as well as other issues with overall supply and falling production. In terms of production, the gold and the platinum production spaces are very precarious. A few very bad things could happen at random and knock global production for a loop and seriously impact supply. Think in terms of a major . . . → Read More: Finding Fundamentals Key to Gold Investing : Byron King

Three Official Lies About Jobs! Two Official Lies About Housing! Plus, the
2012-02-06 19:23:00
While Washington announced last Friday that unemployment dropped to 8.3% … And while Wall Street rejoiced with another rally … The true unemployment in the United States actually rose to an estimated 22.5%, nearly the worst since the Great Depression. Hard to believe? Well, thanks largely to John Williams of www.shadowstats.com, we can prove it. Just consider how the government is lying to us about jobs in America: Lie #1. “Discouraged workers — unemployed workers who give up looking for jobs — are not really unemployed.” Even a third grader would know that’s laughable. If jobs are so hard to find that people are abandoning the search, that’s a sign things are actually WORSE, . . . → Read More: Three Official Lies About Jobs ! Two Official Lies About Housing ! Plus, the Hard, Factual Truth!
More About: Commentary

Short Sellers Think this Stock Could go to ZERO
2012-02-06 19:00:00
For companies that carry a huge load of debt, there is no room for error. Cash-flow targets need to be met simply to assure investors that funds will be in place to meet future bond redemptions. If that fails to happen, then look out below… For mattress maker Sealy (NYSE: ZZ), a recently-released quarterly report has highlighted that business simply stinks. As short-sellers see it, the company's debt burden may eventually push this company into bankruptcy. Short sellers have been targeting Sealy for nearly a year. And though they've scored gains already, they're sticking around because they see even more downside. The number of shares held short rose by 300,000 to 13.3 million shares from the end of . . . → Read More: Short Sellers Think this Stock Could go to ZERO

Poland Gives Green Light to Massive Fracking Efforts
2012-02-06 17:18:00
There is perhaps no more controversial energy source after nuclear than "hydraulic fracturing," or "fracking," of subterranean shale deposits containing pockets of natural gas. While the process can liberate previously unusable sources of natural gas, political, environmental and scientific concerns have risen along with production, as evidence mounts that fracking is responsible for everything from polluting subterranean aquifers to causing regional earthquakes. But no matter – during his 24 January State of the Union address, U.S. President Barack Obama wholeheartedly embraced hydraulic fracturing without even mentioning it, telling his audience, "We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 100 years. And my administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy." . . . → Read More: Poland Gives Green Light to Massive Fracking Efforts

The State of US Surveillance
2012-02-06 16:17:00
By Doug Hornig, Casey Research Lovers of liberty have seemingly had a good bit to celebrate recently. First, there was an unprecedented outpouring of negative public sentiment about the Congressional bills SOPA (House) and PIPA (Senate); they are legislation that would have thrown a large governmental monkey wrench into the relatively smooth-running cogs of the Internet. Millions of Americans signed online petitions against the bills after seeing websites’ various protests. Google shrouded its search page in black; Wikipedia and Reddit went dark entirely (although Wikipedia could be accessed if one read the information available via clicking the sole link on its protest page); Facebook and Twitter urged users to contact their representatives; and many other core Internet businesses also . . . → Read More: The State of US Surveillance
More About: Government

Why Wall Street Experts are Getting Nervous about this Rising Market
2012-02-06 16:00:00
At the start of each year, the chief strategists at Wall Street firms analyze dozens of variables and make bold prognostications for the year ahead. They distill all of their conclusions into one simple number — the S&P 500, and where it will reside one year hence. As these strategists were putting their forecasts together, they surely noted that the S&P 500 was marching nicely higher. Trouble is, it keeps moving up and is starting to already breach the more conservative forecasters on the Street.   More than a few of these folks predicted the S&P 500 would end the year around 1,325. We've already surpassed that mark, and we've got 11 months to go! To be . . . → Read More: Why Wall Street Experts are Getting Nervous about this Rising Market

Greece Worries Return To The Fore As Bond Swap Negotiations Drag On
2012-02-06 10:08:00
Source: Advanced Currency Markets | G10 Advancers and Decliners vs USD JPY 0.02 GBP -0.23 CHF -0.40 EUR -0.49 Friday?s US employment data was extremely encouraging, with the headline non-farm payrolls coming in much stronger than expected at 243k (compared to consensus estimates looking for 140k), and the unemployment rate unexpectedly dropping to 8.3% from 8.5% prior. The release led to a short-term uptick in risk sentiment characterized by a decent rally in USDJPY above 76.70 levels, but that good news… Read More …
More About: Bond , Greece , Return , Drag

Positive Jobs Report Boosts USD
2012-02-06 08:06:00
Source: Forex Yard Positive Jobs Report Boosts USD The USD saw gains across the board on Friday, following a significantly better than expected US Non-Farm Payrolls figure that helped boost confidence in the US economic recovery. Perhaps most significantly, the USD/JPY came off its recent three-month low. The news calmed fears that the Bank of Japan would soon intervene to limit yen growth. This week, Greece is likely to be back in the headlines as investors eagerly await news of a possible debt-swap deal. Any positive developments are likely to help riskier currencies like the euro and Australian dollar. Economic News USD – USD/JPY Comes off Three-Month Low Following Jobs Report The better than expected US Non-Farm Payrolls . . . → Read More: Positive Jobs Report Boosts USD

DANGEROUS TIMES AHEAD
2012-02-05 20:41:00
Friday’s big rally on the better than expected employment report has now generated the kind of euphoria that often creates intermediate degree tops. This coming week will be the 18th week of the current intermediate cycle. As you can see in the chart below the intermediate cycle runs on average 18-25 weeks from trough to trough. The time to buy “anything” is when the stock market puts in one of these intermediate degree bottoms. It’s way too late in the intermediate cycle, especially with the NASDAQ stretched 9% above its 50 day moving average, for anyone to be buying now. Now is the time for investors to be taking profits. And by taking profits I don’t mean selling short. . . . → Read More: DANGEROUS TIMES AHEAD
More About: Technical Analysis , Times

A Stock I Wrote About is up 67% in Less than a Month?
2012-02-04 05:30:00
My loss is your gain.  Less than a month ago, I told readers about the potentially strong upturn in place for carbon fiber maker Zoltek (Nasdaq: ZOLT). Thanks to a just-released quarterly report, shares are now up a heady 67% from where I recommended them. And that's in just one month! I didn't add the stock to my $100,000 Real-Money Portfolio, awaiting a better entry point that never arrived. Hopefully, you were able to get in the action and have been able to secure a tidy gain. Here's the odd part. This stock still has a lot more upside. After myriad false starts, this company is finally getting its act together. As I noted last month, Zoltek . . . → Read More: A Stock I Wrote About is up 67% in Less than a Month…

Gold Juniors Poised to Rebound: Joe Mazumdar
2012-02-03 21:30:00
The Gold Report: What is the consensus among Haywood analysts on what 2012 will bring for mine commodities, particularly precious metals? Joe Mazumdar: Last year, risk aversion was a common market theme. In 2012, some of the same global economic concerns, such as the ongoing Eurozone crisis and the future of the euro, will continue to draw attention. But we also believe there is potential for positive economic indicators, primarily from the U.S., where there have been upticks in manufacturing and GDP growth. Also, unemployment in the U.S. is down to 8.5%, generating some consumer confidence. Recently, GDP growth for Q411 came in at 2.8%, which was slower than consensus forecasts?3%?but still the strongest in over a year. Political . . . → Read More: Gold Juniors Poised to Rebound: Joe Mazumdar
More About: Finance

An Important Update on my $100,000 Portfolio
2012-02-03 17:30:00
The stock market continues to grind higher. And you can give the U.S. economy at tip of the cap for the recent gains. Recent data points imply that the incipient economic strength we saw last fall has continued into 2012. If this trends remains in place, then the economically-sensitive stocks in my $100,000 real-money portfolio will surely benefit. Ford (NYSE: F) is a great example. Though I recently took stock of a subpar fourth quarter, I also think many investors underestimate the rising demand for cars and trucks. Ford saw its sales rise 7% in January (compared with a year ago), in line with the industry's growth rate. And if the full year's sales grow at this . . . → Read More: An Important Update on my $100,000 Portfolio

Split between ?Real? and ?Asset? Economies Never More Clear Than Now
2012-02-03 17:25:00
Many average investors like to think that the performance of the STOCK market is closely tied to the underlying ECONOMY. And in most normal times, that’s true. But the current market environment is anything but normal. I say that because we’re in the midst of yet another round of money-printing-driven action. The fingerprints are everywhere … Super-low volume rallies in stocks. Levitation in gold. A slump in the euro first, driven by the European Central Bank’s backdoor money-printing LTRO program, followed by a slump in the dollar, driven by more dovish talk out of the U.S. Federal Reserve. All these clues tell me that the “asset” economy is floating on a sea of liquidity … for . . . → Read More: Split between ?Real ? and ?Asset? Economies Never More Clear Than Now
More About: Commentary

Still No Word On Greece Talks, Non-Farm Payrolls Loom
2012-02-03 09:33:00
Source: Advanced Currency Markets | G10 Advancers and Decliners vs USD GBP 0.08 JPY -0.05 EUR -0.11 CHF -0.12 Yet another day goes by without a resolution to the Greek bond swap talks; meaning we are still sat with a major hurdle preventing risk appetite from accumulating or EURUSD from making further upside progress. Yesterday, the EU’s Rehn said he expects an agreement between Greece and its private sector creditors by end of this week; a comment which is only likely to increase the potential for… Read More . . . → Read More: Still No Word On Greece Talks, Non-Farm Payrolls Loom

US Non-Farm Payrolls Set to Generate Heavy Volatility
2012-02-03 08:13:00
Source: Forex Yard US Non-Farm Payrolls Set to Generate Heavy Volatility Today's US Non-Farm Payrolls figure, widely considered the most significant economic indicator on the forex calendar, is set to generate heavy trading today. At the moment, analysts are predicting that the US added somewhere around 150K jobs in January. Should the final result come in below expectations the USD may come under renewed pressure to close out the week. Economic News USD – Negative Euro-Zone News Gives USD Temporary Boost Fresh concerns regarding Greece's debt negotiations sent investors to safe-haven assets during the beginning of yesterday's trading session. The news resulted in the US dollar recouping some of its recent losses against the euro. The EUR/USD dropped . . . → Read More: US Non-Farm Payrolls Set to Generate Heavy Volatility

Liquids-Rich Companies Will Weather the Dry Spell: Luc Mageau
2012-02-03 00:00:00
The Energy Report: With Brent Crude trading at about US$110 per barrel (bbl) and natural gas futures trading at 10-year lows, are you leaning more heavily toward oily names than you did in 2011? Luc Mageau: Absolutely. In fact, although gas prices have been reduced to around the $2.50 level, it still seems like the picture could get worse before it gets better. Current natural gas storage is at ~3.5 trillion cubic feet (Tcf); that’s a full 0.4 Tcf fuller than an average winter. The reason we have such a glut of gas is the winter has not been co-operating. Basically, we rely on winter to post the bulk of the withdrawals throughout any given year?in the last . . . → Read More: Liquids-Rich Companies Will Weather the Dry Spell: Luc Mageau

The Transparency Trap
2012-02-02 19:14:00
This week we take a brief pause in our series on the choices facing the developed world to look at some items that are catching my attention. We will get back to the US next week, as somehow I think we will not solve our problems between now and next Friday, and there will be plenty left for us to talk about. So today we look at the “shift” in Fed policy, and at the balance sheets of central banks, US GDP, Portugal and the ECB, the LTRO policy, and yes, there’s even a tidbit on Greece. Plenty of ground to cover, so with no “but first,” let’s get started. The Transparency Trap The Fed announced this week that . . . → Read More: The Transparency Trap

The Best Stocks to Hold Forever
2012-02-02 19:00:00
A few months ago, I sent a report to readers of my Top 10 Stocks advisory covering my "10 Best Stocks to Hold Forever ." It's quickly become one of the most popular pieces of research in StreetAuthority's history. Simply put, these are the 10 stocks that we think you can buy today and basically hold for the rest of your life. When you own them, you don't have to worry about events such as inflation or deflation, bear markets or recessions… flash-crashes or rising interest rates. Don't just take my word for it — the numbers speak for themselves… Since I went public with my 10 "Forever" stocks in mid-July, – They've returned 10.0% on . . . → Read More: The Best Stocks to Hold Forever

ETFs Are Going BATS ? and Why You Should Care!
2012-02-02 17:10:00
The ETF marketplace changed last month. You didn’t notice? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Today I’ll tell you all about it. You already know that “exchange traded funds” trade on an exchange. That’s what distinguishes them from old-fashioned mutual funds. But what exchange trades them, and where is it? For some new iShares, the answer isn’t New York or Chicago. Their trading hub is Lenexa, Kansas. Let me explain … Exchange Floors No Longer Needed Computers bring order to chaos like this. For most people, the term “stock exchange” brings to mind images of noisy rooms filled with men in colorful jackets, waving their arms and making cryptic hand motions. At one time, this is exactly how trading . . . → Read More: ETFs Are Going BATS ? and Why You Should Care !
More About: Bats

Do Tax & Regulatory Policies Pose a Threat to the Dollar?
2012-02-02 15:57:00
Which political party will do a better job at preserving the purchasing power of the U.S. Dollar ? A common tenet amongst Treasury Secretaries, irrespective of their political affiliation, has been a claim that the U.S. pursues a strong dollar policy. To find out, let’s look at what type of tax and regulatory policies foster a strong dollar.                                         Supply and demand determine the value of anything tradable, including a currency. Noteworthy with regard to the value of a currency is a country’s current account deficit, which can be thought of as the amount foreigners need to buy in a . . . → Read More: Do Tax & Regulatory Policies Pose a Threat to the Dollar?
More About: Government

Risk Sentiment Recovers But Greece Concerns Still Lurk Below Surface
2012-02-02 09:59:00
Source: Advanced Currency Markets | G10 Advancers and Decliners vs USD JPY 0.16 EUR 0.03 GBP -0.01 CHF -0.10 Risk appetite has consolidated overnight, with Asian equity markets following European and US markets higher. The Nikkei is up +0.8%, Hang Seng +1.6% and Shanghai Composite + 2.0 %, while EURUSD has managed to remain above 1.3150 for most of the session. Contributing to this uptick in sentiment is undoubtedly the easing of stress in European bond markets, as well as the largely encouraging… Read More …
More About: Greece , Surface

USD/JPY Hits 3-Month Low amid Poor US News
2012-02-02 08:08:00
Source: Forex Yard USD/JPY Hits 3-Month Low amid Poor US News The USD/JPY hit a fresh 3-month low today, as worse than expected news out of the US continued to weigh down on the pair. Rumors have begun circulating that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) may soon intervene in the currency market to limit yen growth. Today, traders will want to once again monitor US economic indicators. Specifically, the weekly US Unemployment Claims figure and a testimony from the Fed Chairman are likely to create market volatility. Economic News USD – Dollar Continues to Tumble against Main Currency Rivals The combination of better than expected euro-zone news and a poor US ADP Non-Farm Employment Change figure caused the . . . → Read More: USD/JPY Hits 3-Month Low amid Poor US News

Great Deals on Gold and Silver: James Turk
2012-02-01 23:30:00
The Gold Report: Given the volatile 2011 market and the fact that gold trades at seasonally lower prices in the summer, James, what led you to say you believe we’ve already hit the low for the gold price in 2012? James Turk: We started this year in an unusual position. Normally, we see seasonal strength in the last quarter. We didn’t get it. We’d been in a correction since the high in silver back in April 2011. The high in gold came during the summer, which was very unusual, but basically both metals have been moving sideways. Starting from the end of a correction, value is more important than seasonality. Clearly, gold and silver both represent good, undervalued assets . . . → Read More: Great Deals on Gold and Silver : James Turk

Is Greece Reaching Its Austerity Exhaustion Point?
2012-02-01 21:00:00
Source: Advanced Currency Markets | G10 Advancers and Decliners vs USD JPY 0.16 EUR -0.20 GBP -0.20 CHF -0.26 The risk rally has juddered to a halt overnight, in spite of China?s manufacturing PMI coming out at a better than expected 50.5 (consensus 49.6, prior 50.3). The main beneficiary of the news in the currency space was AUD which enjoyed a temporary uptick, but overall the trend has been a renewed demand for dollars and loss of appetite for risk currencies. EURUSD started to lose upside momentum… Read More . . . → Read More: Is Greece Reaching Its Austerity Exhaustion Point ?

Every Investor Should Consider Owning This "Forever" Stock
2012-02-01 19:00:00
Investors can very easily get caught up in quarterly earnings reports, rejoicing when their stocks report good results and second-guessing their picks when things go awry. It's important to remember, though, that investing is a long-term endeavor and that quarterly outcomes are far less important than how a stock performs for longer periods — several years, five years, a decade… and beyond. Companies that persevere and nicely reward shareholders for many decades are known at StreetAuthority as "Forever Stock s." Sure, these stocks may have their ups and downs, but in my experience, Forever Stocks are usually worth holding, well, forever. 3M Co. (NYSE: MMM) is one of my favorite Forever Stocks. You know 3M, the $61 billion diversified . . . → Read More: Every Investor Should Consider Owning This "Forever" Stock
More About: Investor

EUR Bullish After EU Bailout-Fund Agreement
2012-02-01 08:19:00
Source: Forex Yard EUR Bullish After EU Bailout-Fund Agreement The euro staged a small but significant upward correction during European trading yesterday, following an agreement among euro-zone leaders to set up a permanent bailout fund. The news briefly lifted the EUR/USD above the 1.3200 level, but the pair was not able to sustain its bullish momentum and began falling shortly after. Today, traders can expect heavy volatility in the marketplace ahead of the US ADP Non-Farm Employment Change at 13:15 GMT. A better than expected figure could help the USD in afternoon trading. Economic News USD – USD Takes Losses amid Positive Euro-Zone News The US dollar slipped against its main currency rivals throughout the day yesterday, following positive . . . → Read More: EUR Bullish After EU Bailout-Fund Agreement

Triple-Digit Oil Investing and a Natural Gas Price Rebound: Bill Powers
2012-02-01 01:30:00
The Energy Report: Is it fair to say that you are a value investor? Bill Powers: Absolutely. I’m very much a value investor focused on fundamentals and finding companies that can grow reserves, production and cash flow without taking on too much debt and/or diluting shares. Those are the companies that can have very strong long-term outperformance. That is my theme, and I think it is really powerful right now. The companies I’ve identified do not currently reflect future prices that their stocks will be receiving. TER: Clean balance sheets, steady cash flow and a depressed market price: would that sum it up? BP: Yes. The Canadian junior market has changed in the last 10 years markedly. It’s matured . . . → Read More: Triple-Digit Oil Investing and a Natural Gas Price Rebound: Bill Powers