March 23, 2012
Market Madness Elite Eight: Coca Cola, Google Among Those Battling for Final Four Spot
 Today’s the day! The Market Madness Final Four will be set as our last eight companies enter the final day of play within their own brackets. Eight eager companies fighting for the most sought-after prize in online share-price related tournaments. There are some big players left, with Google (GOOG) and Bank of America (BAC) still in the running. There’s a well-recognized brand trying to make a statement with Smith & Wesson (SWHC) in action. Finally, the small cap market has its representative with LivePerson (LPSN)! Be sure to keep checking the Equities.com Market Madness Bracket. So, without further ado, lets get right into the action! The Blue Chip Bracket 15. Coca-Cola (KO) +0.10 percent over 8. Google (GOOG) -0.54 percent Coca-Cola got revenge for the entire Warren Buffett family of stocks in a squeeker that saw a win by less than (more)…
March 21, 2012
Deciphering the DJIA, S&P 500, and Nasdaq
 The three major indices have become an economic gospel of sorts. For decades, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the Standard & Poor’s 500, and the Nasdaq Composite have been the economic barometers of note, printed in every major paper, recited by rote by radio news announcers, and covered by major news outlets. Even the least business friendly news programs typically make a point of at least listing their daily performance with a few major headlines before moving on to other things. However, as is often the case with something as institutionalized as these indices have become, it’s possible that people have come to overlook exactly what makes up these numbers. It’s like Mark Twain once said, “The classics are the books everyone knows but nobody reads.” While a relatively small portion of the population can tell you that the Dow (more)…
Commerce Department Takes it Easy on Chinese Solar Panel Makers
 The market for solar panels in the United States has been in a free fall since 2011 when a glut of cheaply priced panels from China hit the market and caused the bottom to drop out on prices. The results were dramatic, with First Solar (FSLR) losing over 80 percent of its share value and many smaller firms getting pushed to the edge (or past the edge) of bankruptcy. American manufacturers were holding their breaths for the outcome of an investigation by the Commerce Department into unfair trade practices in China that might help to correct things. The Commerce Department ultimately opted to apply duties, acknowledging that it believed the Chinese government subsidies were creating an unfair trade environment. “Today’s announcement affirms what U.S. manufacturers have long known: Chinese manufacturers have received unfair and WTO-illegal subsidies,” Steve Ostrenga, chief executive (more)…
March 20, 2012
Market Madness Day Four: Sweet 16 Has Been Decided
 And here we are! The Sweet Sixteen of Market Madness has been set after another exciting (?) day of action! The Mid Major Bracket and Road to Redemption Bracket both went into action for the second round today and settled which companies would be moving on to play again on Thursday and which would be knocked out for good. Be sure to keep checking the Equities.com Market Madness Bracket. Mid Majors Bracket 9. Tata Motors (TTM) -4.01 percent over 1. Cobalt International Energy (CIE) -4.45 percent 4. Bank of America (BAC) +2.94 percent over 5. Cheniere Energy (LNG) -2.18 percent 6. Illumina (ILMN) +1.65 percent over 3. RSC Holdings (RRR) -1.34 percent 7. Skyworks Solutions (SWKS) -1.36 percent over 15. Valero Energy (VLO) -1.75 The Mid Majors bracket was the only one of the four brackets that saw its one (more)…
March 19, 2012
Market Madness Day Three: Google, Wells Fargo, AT&T and Coca-Cola Among Sweet 16
 And the second round of Market Madness begins! As our companies begin their “march” to the Sweet Sixteen, the competition gets even stiffer. Two of the three sixteen seeds that made it through to the second round are in action today as the Blue Chip Bracket and Cinderella Bracket are both in action today. Be sure to keep checking the Equities.com Market Madness Bracket. Blue Chip Bracket 8. Google (GOOG) +1.43 percent over 16. JP Morgan (JPM) +0.96 percent 13. Wells Fargo (WFC) +1.06 percent over 12. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) +0.14 percent 11. AT&T (T) +0.19 percent over 3. Microsoft (MSFT) -1.23 percent 15. Coca-Cola (KO) +0.34 percent over 7. General Electric (GE) +0.05 percent Ah, what a difference a day makes. The much bally-hooed second round match up between Google and Apple (AAPL) never materialized after JP Morgan (more)…
March 16, 2012
Market Madness Day Two: First Solar and Bank of America Advance to the Next Round
 The madness rolls on! Yesterday saw BOTH number one seeds fall in our Blue Chip Bracket and Cinderella Bracket, and the Cinderella Bracket had all three of the top three seeds drop their first-round match up. Now, the “games” keep rolling along for Market Madness with the Mid Major Bracket and the Road to Redemption Bracket both play their first rounds today. Mid Majors Bracket (1) Cobalt International Energy (CIE) +6.93 percent over (16) The Gap (GPS) -0.98 percent (15) Valero Energy (VLO) -0.11 percent over (2) Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) -0.36 percent (14) Alexion Pharmaceuticals (ALXN) -0.57 percent over (3) RSC Holdings (RRR) -1.05 percent (13) Bank of America (BAC) +6.06 percent over (4) Seagate Technology (STX) +0.49 percent (5) Cheniere Energy (LNG) +1.34 percent over (12) Netflix (NFLX) -0.19 percent (6) Illumina (ILMN) -0.08 percent over (11) Fossil (FOSL) -1.59 percent (7) Skyworks Solutions (SWKS) -0.85 percent over (10) Lululemon Athletica (LULU) -2.96 (more)…
March 14, 2012
Solar Stocks: Sound Investment or Dead End?
 The promise of solar company stocks appears to be fleeting and enticing all at once. On the one hand, solar is a clear and renewable source of energy that, once facilities are in place, is free to collect. With global warming presenting a very real danger and the zeitgeist appearing to push hard towards the shift to more solar power. Given the clear benefits of the industry, one would assume that solar stocks would be a wise investment, particularly as the years roll on and the effects of global warming start to become more and more apparent. However, solar stocks have been anything but steady. Cheap competition from China and reduced subsidies in Germany have combined to knock the floor out from under major solar stocks. First Solar (FSLR), the industry leader, has lost over 80 percent of its share (more)…
March 9, 2012
The Economic Effects of the Japanese Earthquake One Year Later
 The massive, 9.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Japan, and the equally staggering tsunami that followed happened one year ago Sunday. Unfortunately, the memories of the pain and suffering in Japan still remain fresh in the minds of many, particularly those survivors in Japan still mourning the loss of loved ones. The quake and its aftermath, which included a lengthy struggle to prevent a catastrophic meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant, had a tremendous human toll that cannot be understated. However, while the loss of life is clearly the most tragic part of this story, the economic effects of the quake were not insignificant. A myriad of Japanese companies found themselves laid low by the quake, with their businesses destroyed or damaged or supply chains seriously disrupted. So, one year later, what can now be said about the economic impacts of the Japanese earthquake. (more)…
5 Water Utilities Stocks with Flowing Dividends
 There is no more essential resource to human existence, aside from air, than water. However, while no one has figured out how to make money from supplying people with air (yet!), there are several water utilities that provide America with the water used for cooking, cleaning, and, depending on one’s feelings about bottled water, drinking. Like most utilities, water companies have the benefit of a set demand for their product that is almost assured to rise. As populations grow, water concerns should grow with them, and those companies providing water can rely on continuing to bring in profits. Unfortunately, these companies also have a limited ceiling, but they do provide a relatively low-risk investment opportunity. There are a total of five water utilities in the United States that have a market cap exceeding $300 million. Of these, all five offer (more)…
February 28, 2012
Small Cap Utilities Stocks with Dividends
 Utilities certainly aren’t the sexiest investment category. Most investors dream of massive returns on incredible growth from that small cap tech company that takes off and never stops. For utilities stocks, the ceiling is typically much lower than on cyclical stocks, but the floor also tends to be more stable. Utilities tend to have steady demand for a product that everyone needs, giving it a relatively low level or risk. The steady returns of a utility with a strong dividend can help bolster any portfolio, giving it a foundation that can either provide steady if small returns or allow for riskier investments elsewhere. So, here are five small cap utilities stocks that have dividend yields exceeding 3 percent, providing a stable if moderate source of income from an investment. What’s more, each has a forward P/E under 15, meaning that (more)…
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