wall street
At left we announce our Stock Pickers Digest #1 stock for 2010. In choosing a #1, I look for a stock that seems to offer above-average if not great returns, but with below-average risk. Our #1’s have generally done well, and many were top performers. Autodesk, our #1 pick in 2004 for Stock Pickers Digest (and for Wall Street Stock Forecaster, our U.S. stocks newsletter), was the #1 performer among all 500 stocks in the S&P 500 that year! We’ll reveal our #1 pick for Wall Street Stock Forecaster in our Hotline on January 22, 2010. It’s sure to be different from our #1 Stock Pickers Digest selection, since Wall Street Stock Forecaster doesn’t analyze Canadian stocks....
Wall Street Stock Forecaster will soon unveil its #1 U.S. stock for 2010 — here’s how you can profit
On January 22, Wall Street Stock Forecaster, our newsletter that focuses on the U.S. stock markets, will unveil a stock with the right mix of strong fundamentals and technological know-how to earn big profits in 2010 and beyond. In fact, we think this company’s prospects are so bright we’ve named it Wall Street Stock Forecaster’s #1 stock pick for the coming year. This company is already a major global player in its industry. But that doesn’t mean it’s resting on its laurels. It’s solidly focused on fuelling its growth, and has done so in a number of ways: It recently made a string of smart acquisitions that have both enhanced its products and helped it expand geographically. To top it off, its high research and development spending will continue to keep it way ahead of the competition....
In next week’s Wall Street Stock Forecaster Hotline, we’ll reveal our #1 U.S. pick for 2010. ALCOA INC., $15.63, New York symbol AA, slumped 6% this week after it reported earnings that fell short of analysts’ expectations. In 2009, the aluminum maker lost $924 million, or $1.06 a share. That was much higher than the loss of $0.75 a share that analysts were expecting. In the prior year, Alcoa earned $450 million, or $0.27 a share....
Next week, Wall Street Stock Forecaster, our newsletter that focuses on the U.S. stock markets, will reveal its #1 pick for 2010. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to profit. If you’re not already a Wall Street Stock Forecaster subscriber, click here to learn how you can get one month free when you subscribe today. SUNCOR ENERGY INC., $36.71, Toronto symbol SU, will cut 1,000 jobs by the end of 2010. That’s on top of the 1,000 jobs Suncor has already cut following its takeover of Petro-Canada in August 2009. In total, these cuts represent about 16% of the 12,900 employees who worked for both companies before the takeover. Suncor did not say how much these new cuts would cost it, but it still expects the Petro-Canada takeover to save it $300 million to $400 million a year....
WESTJET AIRLINES, $13.20, symbol WJA on Toronto, is our Stock of the Year for 2010. Next week, Wall Street Stock Forecaster, our newsletter that focuses on the U.S. stock markets, will reveal its #1 pick for 2010. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to profit. If you’re not already a Wall Street Stock Forecaster subscriber, click here to learn how you can get one month free when you subscribe today. WestJet serves 67 destinations in North America and the Caribbean. The company operates a fleet of 86 Boeing Next-Generation 737s. These planes feature more legroom, leather seats and television screens built into the back of each seat. But most important, the Next-Generation Boeing 737 is roughly 30% more fuel efficient than older planes. And WestJet will receive 49 additional 737s through 2016....
Today, many investors worry about a “W” shaped recession. That is, they worry that we are on the brink of a second recession that follows shortly after the first. Others are concerned that inflation will rise as the economy recovers. This explains the recent run-up in gold prices, for example, and the popularity of certain resource stocks (including crude oil stocks), which many investors see as a hedge against inflation. (See below for a full analysis of a diversified producer that’s been moving up recently.)
Stick with well-established companies no matter what the economy does
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Blue chip stocks are well-established companies that have demonstrated their financial strength through good times and bad. They typically pay dividends, and are considered to be less risky, based on their historical patterns. There are many blue chip stocks in the consumer sector. Typically, the strongest of these companies sell staples, like soap, beverages and soup, that consumers must buy no matter what the economy is doing. Strong consumer blue chip stocks share a number of characteristics. These include geographic diversity (which helps protect them from regional economic problems), a record of rising cash flow and a strong balance sheet....
We hardly ever recommend buying new issues when they are first sold to the public, and often stay away from them for months, if not years, afterward. That’s because new issues often come to market when it’s a good time for the company and/or its insiders to sell, but that’s not necessarily a good time for you to buy.
Spinoffs are in many ways the antithesis of new issues....
Spinoffs are in many ways the antithesis of new issues....
Smartphones have become increasingly popular in recent years. Aside from functioning as mobile phones, these devices have many computer-like functions, including Internet access and email. The smartphone market is highly competitive. Two large cap stocks, Apple and Research in Motion, are the dominant players. However, other firms, such as Motorola, Palm and Garmin, have introduced new smartphones in recent months, as well.
Look to wireless carriers for smartphone profits
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There are many ways to calculate the performance of a stock market newsletter. Some provide far more favourable figures than others. That’s why, in our newsletters, we simply provide the return since our first recommendation, and leave more detailed calculations to independent sources, particularly The Hulbert Financial Digest. (We recently posted returns that were far higher than an index of all publicly traded U.S. stocks — see below for further details.)