Apple (AAPL) has been dominating the domestic market over the past few years, and its products and innovations have been huge successes. The latest winner is the iPhone smart phone.
Now, with a weak dollar, look for sales of this fantastic product to explode across the globe. If you think the success domestically is something, wait to see what sales do overseas.
PepsiCo (PEP) understands the importance of global sales. So much so that its CEO, Indra Nooyi, was born and raised in India. Having led the company's global strategy for more than a decade prepared her well for the challenges of the leadership of the entire company.
That preparation is timely, given the weakness in the dollar and the explosion of opportunity for sales outside U.S. borders.
We have seen what exports can do for fast food restaurants. Can the same happen with coffee stocks?
In some ways, it is already happening. Starbucks (SBUX) has made a big push overseas and many of its stores can be found in foreign markets. And a weak dollar is going to accelerate the trend greatly.
In making the announcement, Buffett confidently claimed that rail would play a big role in the recovery of the economy. What he did not say was that this was a bet on the U.S. dollar.
Nothing says manufacturing like Caterpillar (CAT). Those monster trucks made for earth-moving, digging and trucking are the epitome of making stuff in the good old USA.
Emerging markets are gaining confidence in building again, and a declining dollar makes Caterpillar equipment cheap for them. So, look for big sales gains in Caterpillar as the dollar drops.
The collapse of the domestic housing market crushed businesses that made things that went into the building boom. One of the biggest makers of stuff for homes is Whirlpool (WHR). During the real estate bull market, Whirlpool was firing on all cylinders. But when the market crashed, so did WHR stock.
Since bottoming earlier this year, WHR has made a big recovery. That recovery was based on a recovery in the domestic real estate market. What has yet to be priced into the stock is a boom in overseas shipments.
The market continues to befuddle the bears as the third quarter earnings and stock prices continued to move in a positive direction.
During this period Washington has taken charge of the auto industry and helped prop it up with the "cash-for-clunkers" program. They continue to subsidize the real estate market with first-time home buyers incentives, and very low interest rates. The banks are being refueled by the Federal Reserve with interest rates as low as zero, while all the time currency stability has been sacrificed. This has driven gold prices to new highs.
This is the third review of my 2009 stock picks through September 30 (see: Chasing Value: 9 picks for 2009 -- APC, GE, ISRG, WFC and more). This years picks have annihilated index comparisons, so much so that I must attribute some of my good fortune to luck. However, I do believe the original reasoning was sound and the outlier nature of the gains certainly a result of an oversold market living in fear.
Vodafone Group Plc (VOD), which provides mobile communications services in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and the United States, is another household name that should attract investor attention.
The well-defined bull channel in which it is now trading has broken out from a double-top on huge volume.
Rambus Inc. (RMBS) designs, develops, and licenses chip interface technologies and architectures that are used in digital electronics products.
The microchip sector has been lagging lately but appears to be gaining investor attention.
RMBS is selling very close to a major support line and recently triggered a buy from our in-house indicator, the Collins-Bollinger Reversal (CBR). Note the oversold stochastic.
The PowerShares DWA Emerging Markets Technical Leaders Portfolio (PIE) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Dorsey Wright Emerging Markets Technical Leaders Index.
This ETF is for those investors who seek a broad representation in the foreign emerging markets that give some protection against a falling U.S. dollar.
After seven months of one of the strongest rallies in history, the stock market is showing signs of faltering. From here on out through the rest of 2009, I believe the advance will shift gears, and instead of recording new highs every month, the trend will tend to flatten.
And as we head into the heart of the fourth quarter, I wouldn't bet on the market making many more new highs this year.
The Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX) attempts to replicate as closely as possible the price and yield performance of the Amex Gold Miners Index.
GDX is in a bull market with both the long-term support line and the 200-day moving average at near $40. Although this is a volatile performer, bouncing 10 points between the high and low of its bull channel, the volatility gives us a second chance to buy this stock at a good price.
The Canadian Oil Sands Trust (COSWF) is an open-ended investment trust that generates income from its 36.74% interest in the Syncrude Canada Ltd. joint venture, which is the world's largest producer of crude oil from oil sands and the largest single-source producer in Canada.
After falling from more than $50 in July 2008 to less than $15 in January 2009, this trust formed a base and then rallied from February to May before settling down for its next consolidation, a cup-and-handle formation.
In sharing my adventures and opinions in the investment world I try very hard to be candid without crossing the line into being a promoter. That said, I have been buying stock regularly over the last 12 months and buying on fear has paid off handsomely. As the market has catapulted upward since March the opportunities have diminished. However, I did add PSEC in the last month.