Dollar Tree Profits

Dollar Tree(DLTR),the discount variety chain,posted a 14% boost in net profit for fiscal Q1.With more bargain hunters brought in by the tough economic times,its gross margin rose from 33.4 to 33.9%,and same store sales rose 2.1%.It also raised its fiscal year earnings outlook to a range of 2.23 to 2.39 a share,up from 2.17 to 2.35 a share.In a recent circular,Dollar Tree featured 4-ounce steaks,as well as 8-pack hot dogs,24-ounce Del Monte ketchup,Sunbeam batteries and 6-ounce Aim toothpaste-all for 1.00 U.S. each.Indeed,everything in the store is a pocketbook-friendly one greenback.

Petrobras Explores

Petrobras,the state oil company of Brazil,has 5-8 billion barrels of estimated reserves.It has several exploratory wells in the Jupiter,Tupi and other fields.Many fields are in the final phase of appraisal.They are finding very good results,working with the four largest drillers,with whom Petrobras has years of experience.Petrobras is now producing 2.3 million bbl a day,but will increase that to 4.5 million over the next five years.They have made a very large investment in refining,and have enough resources to finance the projects,with a strong cash flow and a very high exploratory success rate,CEO Gabrielli asserted.

The Petrobras Powerhouse

Jose Sergio Gabrielli de Azevedo,CEO of Brazil's state oil firm Petroleio Brasileiro,or Petrobras(PBRa),predicts we are going to see a very high level of volatility in the oil markets over the next five years.There will be a very high level of price with a very heavy level of volatility.Petrobras is bigger than General Electric(GE)or Microsoft(MSFT),being the fifth largest company in the world.Its Tupi oil field will have an extended production test in March of 2009,and will enter a pilot production period at the end of 2010.It is a very deep field,requiring new types of technology.

Ken Fisher:Going Forward

Ken Fisher of Fisher Investments,which manages 49 billion dollars U.S.,says we had a correction.It was archetypal,almost identical to the 1998 correction.Recently the transports made a new high,which they don't make in a recession.Stick with large cap stocks going forward,Mr.Fisher advised.Stocks remain under-owned.Large companies with good credit have easy access to money.Green investing will be a huge theme going forward.He continues to be bullish on energy prices,as the economy is stronger than people think it is.Train and truck capacity utilization is very high,and planes are full of vacationers.Mr.Fisher likes Veolia(VE),Intel(INTC),General Electric(GE) and Nokia(NOK).They were never able to borrow cheaply,but now there is a reallocation of credit in favor of these companies.

Stanford's Investing Perspective

Sir Allen Stanford,CEO of privately held Stanford Financial Group,which manages 50 billion dollars U.S.,thinks Brazil is an incredible place.It is self-reliant in energy.There is a housing boom.Its bank stocks look good.Brazil will be an incredible place well into the future.As for the U.S.,he says it is a 10-12 year proposition for an investor.In the U.S.,the dollar is low and there's a credit crisis,while a billion dollars a day is being spent on the Iraq war.It's pretty spooky,he said.The Stanford Financial Group stayed out of subprime securities because they couldn't understand what the risks really were.You really wonder what was going on in people's minds,the forthright executive observed.Mr.Stanford likes Russia,India and China-in that order.Russia is flush with money,he noted.

MCI Hikes Fee

In a risky move,long distance provider MCI is more than doubling the monthly fee it charges for paper billing.The fee is being hiked from .99 U.S. to 1.99.Few other utilities,if any,charge such a fee.Complaints may be filed with the Federal Communications Commission,which has jurisdiction over MCI.MCI is a division of Verizon Communications(VZ).

Del Monte's New Campaign

Del Monte Foods(DLM) is launching a new ad campaign for its many pet food brands.Del Monte owns Milk-Bone,Meow Mix,Kibbles 'n Bits and other leading brands.The marketing push is called "Power of Paws."It emphasizes the value of pet ownership to human health.Del Monte pet foods "build and strengthen the bond between people and pets.Help us make a difference and unleash the Power of Paws." The program has its own website,www.PowerofPaws.com.Del Monte has partnered with the Animal Medical Center and the Bergin University of Canine Studies.Its pet food division is based in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania.