Cornerstone Growth

Using similar criteria to Wall Street legend William O'Shaugnessy's Cornerstone Growth Fund I look for undervalued stocks in strong industry groups showing long-term relative strength. Check them out:
CALM - Uptrend with momentum, 10.5% dividend yield
AKS - Support bounce off a 30-day moving average
KOP - Pennant flag break out, 1.86% dividend yield
CQB - Support bounce off a 30-day moving average
FLR - Support bounce off a 30-day moving average beware of $170 as resistance but allow room for a break
ACU - Retesting an ascending triangle
BG - Support bounce
WMT - Pulling back look for a bounce or bull flag, 1.64% dividend yield
NM - Broke resistance w/ volume, 3% dividend yield
GSI - Awesome fundamental stock, Bull flag for a target of $13.50 in the short-term but don't be afraid to let it run
MEA - Forming a bull flag as it is retesting a major resistance break from last month
MAN - Last 6-months has been consolidating and reversing now making a higher low

Are Biofuels the Problem?

Energy prices are going through the roof and as I wrote the other day that prices may go to $10 a gallon, the emphasis has been on alternate energy solutions. This has created opportunities for alternate energy companies to cash in on the hype and demand. Biofuels have filled this new demand and has also created a growing (no pun intended) problem. Since biofuels is grown on farms and creates ethanol, this has caused a problem on the world food supply. Recently, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke on the increasing world food prices.

Since the all the rules of acquisition are all about profits and gaining as much as possible, can you fault farmers in taking the initiative to gain as much of it as possible? Here are some biofuel stocks that I am looking at currently and really see if some profits can be made.
ADM
BG
BP
CAG
CVX
MON
PEIX
RDS.B

One little wrinkle in the whole genetically modified seeds that is the largest component of ethanol, is that the UN has created a task force on world food prices. This may cause a problem with the worlds largest genetically modifying engineering of biofuels company, ADM. They have already halted construction of 2 plants for creating biofuels.

What do you? You want to help the environment but do not want to pay the price? It is cause and effect theory.

Nuclear Power the ONLY Real Alternative

In light of the food shortages caused in part by alternative foods, nuclear power is becoming the only real feasible alternative energy source. Currently wind and solar can't create the capacity needed, once again bringing us back to Nuclear Energy. Even the founder of Greenpeace believes it's time to assimilate it as an alternative. The exchange-traded fund for Nuclear Power is NLR, which gives you a way to profit.

Numerous States Already Feeling Recession

The AP is reporting 23 states are struggling with lower tax revenues due to the recession.

Consulting: If you can't be part of the solution, there is good money in prolonging the problem.

The business services industry group has been performing well because of the economy. Many of these companies specialize in helping companies become more efficient and profitable. A bad economy is good news for many of these firms as they will be called upon for consulting insights and help. Others simply serve businesses in the day-to-day functions and were outperforming the markets in 2001 and 2002. All of them are uptrending or within a basing pattern.

ADP - Automatic Data Processing
ERES - Eresearch Tech
FCN - FTI Consulting
GPN - Global Payments
HEW - Hewitt Associates Inc
HIL - Hill International
IBM - International Business Machines
IT - Gartner Inc.
MA - Mastercard
MAN - Manpower
MCHX - Marchex Inc
NCI - Navigant Consulting
PAYX - Paychex Inc
PRAA - Portfolio Recovery Accociates
VVI - Viad Corp
WW - Watson Wyatt Worldwide
WXS - Wright Express Corp

Hedge your Shopping List

Assuming you're not one of those people who work for the Fed who believe that food and energy don't count as inflation, you have probably noticed the rise in food costs. The world is seeing inflation from a rise in demand for human consumption and energy alternatives. You can actually profit from this phenomenon by investing the DBA Agricultural exchange traded commodity fund.

Value and Dividend Watchlist

This is a list of stocks I like that are fundamentally strong, low valuations, great dividend income, and are uptrending or within a basing pattern.

Symbol - PE Ratio - Div Yield

AZN - 11 - 6.79%

TOT - 8.5 - 4.00%

BDK - 8.5 - 2.54%

COP - 11 - 2.36%

TCK - 12 - 2.19%

MT - 11 - 1.80%

SAFM - 9 - 1.44%

The Cure for High Oil Prices

Can more regulation and more taxes somehow bring down oil prices? What in the heck are they thinking in Washington. Commodities and stocks work in long-term 18 year cycles. That is what happened in the 1900s, 1930s, 1970s, and today. It isn't government conspiracy or Bush and his big oil friends who want to drill in Anwar it is demand from China and India coupled with a weak dollar. This is the price we pay when 3rd world countries progress and our Monetary policy makers lack backbone. Rejoice in the wealth being built in these countries and realize eventually, supply will meet demand through new wells, efficiency gains, and alternatives. It is not an over night fix so be ready to endure high inflation for quite some time. There are plenty of ways to profit from this commodity boom so become educated. Read the not so well written but sufficient book "Hot Commodities" by investing legend Jim Rogers!

Interesting side note, the week of Black Thursday just before the Great Depression, congress was holding hearings on how to tax the railroads for their "windfall profits". You gotta love government. I bet if you looked back in 1999 when oil was trading around $11 a barrel congress was looking for a way to subsidize the oil companies to keep them afloat. Sometimes you get the bull like these oil guys are now, sometimes you get the horn like they did in 1999 and couldn't stay in business.

The Road to end Free Markets

Congress is tripping over themselves to give the Fed more power to tinker with the economy. The so-called free market and financially smart Republicans have turned there back on the Milton Friedman's lassiez-faire economic policies that so many claim to hold to. The Democrats are in line to play a little one-up-manship to take the regulation as far as they possibly can.

Why can't we accept recessions as a normal part of life, as a healthy shake out, as way the invisible hand disciplines the ignorant the greedy. Congress reminds me of the parent who won't allow a child to feel the weight of the consequences of their choices and then can't figure out why the child is such a loser when faced with life on his/her own.

Fed's Sunday Surprise

The Fed cut the discount rate today instead of waiting all the way to Tuesday when they will most likely cut the overnight rate another half a point. Finally some are saying enough is enough. That's what we were saying at the end of last year when the Euro was only 1.25 of the dollar.

What will change the world first, Communciation or Transportation.

Last month we saw the man who changed the world, Mr. Bill Gates, predict the end of the keyboard. Now he is forecasting large leaps in future technology along the same lines in voice recognition and touch screens. These are very exciting but they won't change the world like we have seen in the past. In fact, with today's commodity markets the advances that will change the world will be those that find greater efficiencies in fuel or fuel alternative. Looking throughout history those inventions that improve the way products are moved to trade and sell effect commerce the most. Taming of animals, the wheel, animal drawn wagons, boats, rail roads, steam engines, cars, trucks, airplanes, jets, speed train, etc. I would be looking f0r a company more like Orbital Sciences Corp. (ORB) to change the world this next time around versus Microsoft (MSFT). I'm interested in some discussion and debate, please feel free to comment.

Recession Double Talk

Currently we see financial mavens claiming a recession won't occur, will occur, we are already in a recession, etc. Last week the President spoke concerning the economy prophesying a recession won't happen. He may be correct not because the economy will return to gang-buster growth, but because of the definition of a recession.

A recession is defined by two consecutive terms of lower growth. If we see GDP at 5% than 4% than 3% we would say we're in a recession. What if we are at 5% than 3 % then up to 3.5% back down to 2.9%, is that a recession? According to the strict definition of a recession the answer is no. Now, what if we are at 5%, then 2%, and then grow to 2.01%, 2.02%, 2.03% and so on. Technically it isn't a recession but the economy sucks royal!!

If we had a real leader, and believe me no one on either side of the aisle fits this bill, they would warn people of economic slow down and preparation instead of the Recession Double Talk we are getting now.

My EUR/USD Trade

Ok, so the Dollar keeps on getting hammered and the Euro just keeps on going up higher and higher. As you know, I have been bullish the Euro for a little while and have been doing well since 1.4600 on the pair. I was bearish for a short while but ended up going long again and set up a limit sell order at 1.5450 if the pair just shot up. Well, it shot up and I got out of my position at 1.5450 because of my order I had set up on it. I am a happy camper with all my latnium.

Going forward, I still see some bullishness around it as the dollar still weakens. There is talk now of the Fed possibly having an emergency cut because of the markets. I can't see it helping much and only postponing the inevitable. I definitely think that we are in a recession and even though we are no where like the 1920s, it still is a for of recession. In a article that is from 2006 on when recessions may have happened in the past, goes to show that we may be in a small one right now. This article goes into some good information on the make up of these recessions.

Now, my Ferengi side tells me that there is money(latnium) to be made in this time of crises. And that is what I am doing. I just have to be against the dollar till there is something that convinces me that it is turning around. Who know, maybe the dollar will become the new currency carry trade. Remember, making and getting latnium is the" true" oo-mox experience!!!!

We Need Food Synthesizers

The time is fast approaching where food synthesizers are needed badly. Look at this article on the soaring cost of food. The beauty of capitalism is that times like these prompt invention and innovation, especially when the need is so high. Of course there is always some profit to be made just look at the Powershares Agriculture (DBA) ETF index. Be warned, and I shouldn't tell you this because the Ferengi are not responsible for other peoples' ignorance and stupidity, but the seasonal cycles for grain tops out in what is called the February Break. Since the index rallied through February, we are long overdue.

More Doom and Gloom

I found this article to be very insightful as far as a Doomsday scenario. Remember it doesn't have to be all issues occurring at once but just a few of them back to back, to make life really difficult.

The Star Trek Stock Picker

One of the topics we hope to expand on in the future is how many inventions we saw on Star Trek 30 years ago that have come to pass. How many of us imagined we would all be talking into communicators (flip phones) a decade and half ago. If we had this vision we probably would have made a lot of money buying stocks like WCOM, MOT and QCOM assuming we knew when to sell, eh.

Well once again Star Trek is giving us an idea of how the market or in this case how the economy may turn in the future. You may be familiar with the hemline indicator, as the economy goes so goes skirt hemlines. If short skirts are in fashion then normally you will see a bullish market. The inverse is also true, if longer skirts are in fashion the market tends to be bearish. We also know that there is a 90% correlation with lipstick sales and a recession. During a recession lipstick sales will rise (I don't know if that is a result of money being tight and so women are forced to cut back on fashion and use lipstick as a substiute of self expression, or maybe it is a number of men who have been emasculated by the markets and are hiding in dark rooms questioning their manhood.)

In the original Star Trek series in order to make the crew members look more uniform in thier uh, uniforms, breast enhancements were placed in the costumes so the actresses would have similar shape and size. Of course, this has been a money maker for many astute surgeons and silicon producers. Mentor MNT a breast enhancement producer has been oscillating sidways for about two years now. Recently we have began to see it, dare I say, sag.

MNT


Could it be that inversely to lipstick sales rising in a recession that cosmetic surgery would fall. If that is the case you will want to check out this recent article. I'm not sure what I would call this indicator, I'm a little afraid to go down that road.