Monday, February 23, 2015

Market Ideas Late February 2015

We fully expect over the next 10-15 days we could see the S&P 500 at 2000 or below,said Matthew Tuttle of Tuttle Tactical Management,because:
1.Greece hasn't been solved.
2.Vladimir Putin.
3.The Fed is the 800-pound gorilla.Once the Fed exits,investors will go with it.*
Ultimately,crude probably does go lower,adds Dennis Gartman,editor of The Gartman Letter.We've broken some down-trend lines.Actually,I own a couple of oil companies to hedge my own position.
The fact is,stocks are going higher.Anybody short of stocks has been in a very difficult position,and will continue to be.The beach ball is still going higher.There's no reason to believe otherwise.A lot of people have been bearish-very smart guys-and they've been wrong.*
Steve Milunovich,IT hardware analyst and managing director at UBS,has reiterated his buy rating on Apple,with a 150.00 price target.Apple is reportedly working on an all-electric minivan type car.We do think the Apple ecosystem is increasing-very important.The change is,Apple is becoming pervasive in consumer lives.It still primarily monetises through its devices,but services is the glue to the story.
CEO Tim Cook has done a tremendous job of putting it all together.If they really do expand,the less they depend on the iPhone,and that's helpful.If Apple goes up to 160-170 dollars per share,it will have a market cap of a trillion dollars.*
Apple Computer(AAPL),iShares Core S&P 500 ETF(IVV),Chevron(CVX),Valero Energy(VLO)

Monday, February 16, 2015

Investing Today:Top Positions February 2015

I think stocks are fairly valued,relatively cheap compared to bonds,said famed money manager Bill Miller,Chairman and Chief Investment Officer at Legg Mason Global Asset Management;but I also think there are too many cross-currents here:Greece,Ukraine.There's a fair degree of interest in the Fed of moving off the zero mark.I think they want to do it because of the very low rates.I would think the 10-year Treasury will settle somewhere at 4-5%,its normal rate.
Amazon had a bad year last year,and after Q4 we went into it heavily,to our largest position.They have a market cap of 170 billion;they haven't sold stock;and they make a lot of cash,which to me is more important than profits.The Apple Pay and Apple Watch should do very well this year.If Apple struggles to reach her highs,the whole market struggles.Intrexon is a synthetic biology company.It's going to rewrite DNA,with applications for health care,energy and the environment making it a consumer company.
The S&P Homebuilders etf is a top ten position,along with Intrexon,Mr.Miller revealed.*
Halliburton Oil is cutting 8% of its workforce-not surprising since prices are still below the level needed to sustain the industry,according to energy analyst Pavel Molchanov of Raymond James Financial.Fifty or fifty-five dollar oil doesn't cut it medium-term.If oil stays in the fifties,global supply will decline in 2016,being self-correcting.Oil supply is stabilising by the end of this year,as supply will be flat or down slightly.*
Amazon(AMZN),Apple Computer(APPL),Intrexon(XON),SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF(XHB),Halliburton Oil Company(HAL)

Monday, February 9, 2015

Market Outlook and Potential Winners and Losers

We've seen lots of strange moves in the market,said Savita Subramanian,Head of US Equities and Quantitative Strategy at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch Global Research,and I think that quality,such as the S&P 500,is going to continue to be important.I actually think that rates are going to move a little higher.Utilities are probably one of the worst places to be with rising rats.Global growth could be a little bit better because of lower oil prices.I do think the trend of the market will be higher,with a target of 2200 on the S&P.
One thing I'm a little worried about is the REITs,because they're interest rate plays.I wouldn't buy oil there.Our team thinks it could go down to 30,but it's getting close to a bottom.*
GoPro scored a double beat in Q4,with earnings per share of 0.99 versus an estimate of 0.70,while revenue was at 634 million versus the 580 million estimate.The video camera company is taking its first steps into China,so has a lot of growth potential still ahead of it.*
United Technologies' Sikorsky subsidiary and Lockheed Martin have been awarded a 1.24 billion contract for the first 6 of 23 new Marine One helicopters,which are used to transport the President and other dignitaries.*
iShares Core S&P 500 ETF(IVV),GoPro Inc(GPRO),United Technologies(UTX),Lockheed Martin(LMT)

Monday, February 2, 2015

Investment Ideas February 2015

American Express scored a double beat on its Q4 earnings report.The financial services titan reported earnings of 1.39 a share versus the estimate of 1.38;it had revenue of 9.11 billion versus the 8.53 billion estimate.CEO Ken Chenault attributed the company's success to the gain from the sale of AmEx's stake in Concur Inc;higher card member spending;increased loan balances;tighter control of expenses;and return of profit to shareholders.
There was an eight percent increase in spending by cardholders.*
We like dividend payers,said Doug Sandler,CFA of RiverFront Investment Group in Richmond,Virginia.They'll do fewer stupid things if they have to pay out.We like companies that cater to the middle class-retailers like drug stores,and homebuilders.*
The price of gold has increased this year,according to William Rhind,CEO of World Gold Trust Services.We've seen Russia going into the market buying more gold.I absolutely would agree investors should have 2-10% gold in a well-balanced portfolio.
We're seeing the paradigms of the last couple of years start to be questioned.Gold miners did well during the Great Depression.*
Biotech titan Amgen also reported a double beat.It reported earnings of 2.16 a share versus the estimate of 2.05;and revenue was 5.33 billion versus the estimate of 5.20 billion.The company reaffirmed its full year guidance.Its success was bolstered by drug price increases.*
Rite Aid Corp(RAD),iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF(ITB),Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF(GDX),Amgen(AMGN),American Express(AXP)