bt310

Teck Cominco's Bandwagon Starting to Fill Up Again

I'm out w/ a 140% gain. Thanks for copying and pasting that press release. I hadn't seen it.

How Was March a Bad Month?

These firms are using taxpayer dollars and yet they are essentially letting their trading desks short the market. Nice. They have the firepower to move the markets anyway they want. JP Morgan was caught manipulating the market in Poland by buying the heaviest weighted stocks in huge volumes and actually moving the market 8-10% in twenty minutes. You don't think that's possible in the US when you can collude with several others your size?Next time you see XOM CVX PG JPM moving 2 dollars in 15 minutes remember that they are the biggest weight in the S&P. Those SPX/SPY options can be bought cheaply and sold at a nice profit after you bid up the heavyweights. It's amazing how the selling pressure stops once these big firms get their way.

Dr. Doom Responds on Wells Fargo

Tom, In October 2007 you wrote an article claiming that subprime losses, at most, would total $75 billion to $150 billion, not the several trillion Krugman suggested. You called Krugman's research too negative.

seekingalpha.com/artic...

In January 2008, you cited sources and opined that Bill Gross was "grossly overstating" potential CDS losses. His projection: $250 billion.
You called Gross' research too negative.

seekingalpha.com/artic...

Now with Roubini, you continue a pattern of calling other people's research faulty. Maybe you should cover another sector as you have not forseen anything accurately thus far.

Ultrashort Real Estate Drop Demonstrates Unlimited Faith in a Recovery

Fact or Fiction:

After the holiday sales, the so called last gasp, many retail stores will close.

When dividends are cut and bondholders begin hiring attorneys, shareholders are safe.

Ratings agencies finally get the picture and downgrade your debt.

Six South America Profit Plays

One major problem with South American companies is their currencies and the adverse effect a stronger dollar has on their earnings. If a Brazilian company earned $1 Billion Real last October it translated to $550 Million US. If a company earns $1 Billion Real in October of this year it translates to only $430 Million US. That's a 22% drop in earnings automatically. I liked those companies but will wait for their currencies to stabilize.

Monster Rally Produces Pricey Valuation for Fuel Systems Solutions

After being long FSYS, I too have shifted my thinking. With oil prices plunging, the cost benefit/per gallon has tightened, making the impulsive jump towards a life-changing decision less likely. People are stuck in their ways and paying $4000-10,000 for a conversion and another $2,000+ for a home "phill" hookup(regardless of tax credits) makes the possibility of change remote. In Southern California, there are several NG Stations, but most involve more waiting, driving out of the way and planning your day/trips regarding where the closest CNG stations are.
Hybrids don't involve such a drastic change, yet the percentage of people buying them(sans environmentalists) is small.
While I like their earnings, I too believe that this rate of growth should shrink. State restrictions emphasize buying new CNG Vehicles and conversion kits are highly regulated. You can't install one yourself. I think FSYS will continue to grow earnings/revenue, however, at this share price, it is overvalued. Momentum traders, IBD readers are taught to not chase stocks-especially when they're 25% above their buy-point or 50 day moving average. Anyone who bought below 40 will soon sell and those who bought above 50 will come to their senses when buying pressure wanes.

Manitowoc-Enodis: Not a Poison Pill, But Not Good Strategy Either

I agree that MTW was surely a fair-valued acquisition target by CAT and other Industrial giants looking for a pure(mostly) Crane addition. To hinder future cash flow on an acquisition that won't substantially improve the bottom line is beyond me. I am long, however I expected better judgement by management to increase shareholder value.