Jun 2012
Integral Argentinean Companies
23/06/12 10:32 Filed in: Motley Fool Blog Network | Argentina
Argentina is well known for both its mining potential and its intervening government. However, Argentina’s government has been working hard to loosen its grip and move away from strict and often crippling regulations. This has opened up the Argentinean market and a number of companies that provide good value for the long-term buyer. Below are three such companies, each operating in a different sector, that share in Argentina’s potential for growth.
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Chinese Companies with No Debt
23/06/12 10:30 Filed in: Motley Fool Blog Network | China
There has been a lot of talk lately about the slowing of China’s economy. Most of this talk comes from China’s lessened manufacturing output. However, China has more to offer than just manufacturing. The following five companies all target different sectors of the Chinese market and they all hold zero debt, making them a great investment value.
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OpenTable Integrates
22/06/12 10:44 Filed in: Motley Fool Blog Network | Tech
It was recently announced that OpenTable (NASDAQ: OPEN) would by integrated with Siri in Apple’s iOS 6. This integration has the potential to be a strong catalyst for the company. The integration of the two should drive downloads of OpenTable’s mobile application; combined with recent Google+ integration, this could potentially create high competitive barriers for its peers, despite innovative functionality and more aggressive price points from smaller competitors.
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Spanish Companies at a Discount
21/06/12 08:07 Filed in: Seeking Alpha | Spain
Europe is facing a lot of doom and gloom in the press lately, especially with regards to Spain and Greece. This mentality is pushing stock prices of some fundamentally good companies down, making the current fiasco a buyer's market. Spain especially has a lot of value to offer investors at a steep discount. For all of the country's mounting economic problems, there are still companies within this country that are far from crisis status. They have a good solid foundation, global business models, and are far from nearing the end of their reign.
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FXCM Leads the Way in Forex
20/06/12 14:44 Filed in: Seeking Alpha | Financial Services
Forex refers to the market in which currencies are traded. The forex market is the largest, most liquid market in the world with an average traded value that exceeds $1.9 trillion per day and includes all of the currencies in the world. The market is open 24 hours a day and currencies are traded worldwide. When forex trading first started popping up, the markets were very risky. It was new and so the rules and regulations were a bit confusing and a bit slim. The high volatility of the currency markets was, and for the most part still is, a factor that most investors have trouble stomaching. The internet is flooded with trading systems promising to make you rich. Everyone claims to be an expert. However, as more and more reputable sources are touting the successes of forex trading, the market is slowly growing.
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HomeAway Leads the Travel Industry
20/06/12 10:26 Filed in: Seeking Alpha | Travel
According to David Huether, senior vice president of economics and research at the U.S. Travel Association, "The U.S. travel industry continues to be one of the prime drivers of our nation's economic recovery, adding 7,000 new American jobs in April, bringing total direct employment to 7,581,000. Travel job growth was driven by the restaurants, lodging and airline sectors, offsetting declines in amusements, gambling and recreation." Huether provided this analysis in response to employment numbers from April 2012. In addition to job growth the travel industry is also seeing a higher number of travelers this year, responding to lower gas prices and higher job stability. The U.S. Travel Association forecasts a national 3% gain in travel this summer season, May through October.
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Spanish ETFs That Provide Good Value on Discounted Spanish Companies
19/06/12 14:05 Filed in: Seeking Alpha | Spain
Europe is facing a lot of doom and gloom in the press lately, especially with regard to Spain and Greece. This mentality is pushing stock prices of some fundamentally good companies down, making the current fiasco a buyer's market. Spain especially has a lot of value to offer investors at a steep discount. For all of the country's mounting economic problems, there are still companies within this country that are far from crisis status. They have a good solid foundation, global business models, and are far from nearing the end of their reign. If one is looking for a low-risk investment alternative, there are many ETFs that provide exposure to these Spanish companies.
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Michael Kors Earnings Not a Fluke
Michael Kors (NYSE: KORS) is one of the more widely known luxury brands. The company's namesake has garnered attention for both himself and his brand through judging reality tv show Project Runway. Kors' products include clothing, jewelry, and accessories for both men and women. The line also produces shoes and handbags in addition to fragrances. All of their products are equally known and liked. And, being headquartered in Hong Kong, the company has a large Asian fan base. Kors' earnings results, obtained from Daily Finance, were announced earlier this month, beating estimates and expectations. Their profit tripled creating a lot of buzz around the company. The company is more than just buzz, however. It is a good solid company.
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Moving China Out of Africa
18/06/12 16:49 Filed in: Motley Fool Blog Network | China
Investing in Africa is normally thought of as an extreme alternative investment, something reserved for the Chinese. However, more and more African nations are starting to warm to the idea of capitalism and are growing dissatisfied with China’s dominant presence. This leaves an opening for the alternative investor not afraid to assume some risk for the potential growth and profits that exist there. South Africa was the last country to be added to the BRICS and it still carries value as a growth investment. But there are other countries such as Mozambique and Nigeria that are emerging as potential investments.
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Macau's Gambling Vice
18/06/12 14:29 Filed in: Seeking Alpha | China
Steve Wynn, chairman of Wynn Resorts' (NASDAQ: WYNN) Wynn Macau, told reporters earlier this month of plans to spend $4 billion on a second casino in Macau. A brave plan to announce at a time when Macau's casinos are beginning to feel the China slowdown. In 2008-2009 when China experienced an economic crisis the government responded with a $585 billion stimulus. A portion of that money made its way to the casinos in Macau. The same type of economic stimulus package is not in the cards this time around, though. And Macau's casinos are beginning to feel it. The recent growth rates are minimal compared with the growth rates the casinos have experienced in the past.
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Citigroup and HSBC Take on China
18/06/12 13:00 Filed in: Motley Fool Blog Network | Financial Services
Stifled by regulation in China, foreign banks are missing out on an epic lending boom. Five years after China said it fully met World Trade Organization obligations to open its economy to global financial firms, Citigroup (NYSE: C) and HSBC (NYSE: HBC) are among banks still largely shut out of China, the world’s biggest banking market. Foreign financial companies hold less than 2% of assets in China. This represents the lowest market share among the major emerging markets. Meanwhile state-owned firms such as the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China have been transformed from insolvent into profitable firms with the assistance of large government bailouts. The Chinese market is simply dominated by Chinese lenders.
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Creative Ways to Cut Airline Fuel Costs
15/06/12 12:27 Filed in: Motley Fool Blog Network | Transportation
One of the largest costs for airline operators is fuel. Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) was able to offset this large cost for years by hedging contracts for their fuel. This is partly what allowed them to maintain their status as the low-cost operator and forced competitors to lower their prices below operating costs just to compete. Back before Southwest’s fuel contracts expired, I worked for their competitor American Airlines at a regional airport. American Airlines lost money on every flight that they sent to the hub because they were forced to price competitively with Southwest. When Southwest was nearing the end of their fuel contracts they began to make cuts elsewhere, refusing to give up their competitive advantage.
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EverBank Offers Good Products and Good Value
15/06/12 07:29 Filed in: Seeking Alpha | Financial Services
EverBank Financial Corporation (NYSE: EVER) has been on my radar for quite some time. The product that originally drew me to this bank was their CDs. Most banks offer CDs, but with the recent recession the rates have continually slid downhill. What makes EverBank so special is that they offer foreign currency CDs. Depending on the currency this allows them to offer much better rates than most U.S.-denominated CDs. For example, their Brazilian real CD currently provides an APY of 4%, while the Indian rupee and South African rand each come in at 3.5%. One would be hard-pressed to find a better rate than those in U.S. Currency CDs. This is what sets EverBank apart from the rest.
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Tesla Beating California's Regulations
14/06/12 19:29 Filed in: Motley Fool Blog Network | Automotive
In 2011 approximately 18,000 electric vehicles were sold in the U.S. This number is up from just under 500 in 2010. With fuel costs continually rising and declining, then rising some more, more consumers are seeing the long-term value in electric cars. And though sales of these vehicles are picking up the numbers are still a far cry from what policy makers in heavily regulated states such as California are requiring. Honda (NYSE: HMC) sold fewer of its FCX Clarity sedans than it anticipated, leaving it far from reaching the targeted number. And this is from a company whose lineup ranks among the most fuel-efficient in the U.S.
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2 Overlooked Oil IPOs
13/06/12 16:23 Filed in: Motley Fool Blog Network | Oil
There have been several great IPOs already in 2012. Although, some of the more recent ones have had to live under Facebook’s shadow. As a result, they have gotten lost in the headlines, research, and analysis. Which is a shame, because there are some great ones out there. However, for the investor willing to see past Facebook, the situation has created some potetnial buying opportunities. IPOs such as Pacific Coast Oil Trust (NYSE: ROYT) and Midstates Petroleum Company, Inc. (NYSE: MPO) have simply become lost in the shuffle. For investors in the know, they provide great value.
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Hong Kong and Singapore
Asia holds one of the greatest growth opportunities in terms of emerging markets. The area is ripe with resources and is one of the few places in the world where underdeveloped countries neighbor developed countries. The time to invest in this region just keeps getting better. China is continually facing pressure from the U.S. Along with other trading partners and developed nations as it pertains to its currency. The Chinese currency has long been a gripe of most investors. It is not pegged to anything and floats rather freely on the moods of China's fiscal policy makers. Instead of giving in and pegging its yuan to a more suitable fixed currency, China is looking to partner with other countries to lessen the currency divide. The two places that China is looking to for help in the globalization its currency are Hong Kong and Singapore.
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4 of the Newest iShares Emerging Market ETFs
Emerging markets are a favored investment arena. One of the draws is that the players are always changing. ETFs are abundant in this area as the barriers to investing in emerging markets for individual investors are difficult to overcome. This is why ETFs in emerging markets are increasingly popular and growing. Each year there are more and more ETFs providing exposure to emerging markets. Here are four ETFs that are not even one year old.
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Latin America Ablaze
11/06/12 13:44 Filed in: Motley Fool Blog Network | Emerging Markets
The prospect of continued interest rate reductions in Latin America’s largest economy has buoyed Brazilian stocks recently. Brazil’s inflation rate is now at its lowest level since September 2010. Brazil’s Finance Minister Guido Mantega said the current level of inflation provides “a degree of liberty to have more flexible monetary policy,” presumably to include lowering interest rates and expanding credit.
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Motley Fool Blog Network "Sony is Losing the Game"
05/06/12 17:00 Filed in: Motley Fool Blog Network | Tech
Can Sony’s (NYSE: SNE) Playstation3 keep up with Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) XBox or Nintendo’s (NASDAQOTH: NTDOY.PK) Wii? Sony’s share price has recently hit record lows in Japan and is faring no better in U.S. Trading with its price bringing down the 52-week low. Sony has posted four consecutive annual losses. Investors are more than concerned about their weak earnings. One of the major places that they are losing out on profits is with their video game console.
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