FeedPosted Apr 4th 2011 10:30AM by Connie Madon (RSS feed)
Filed under: International Markets, Industry, China, BHP Billiton Ltd ADR (BHP), Freep't McMoRan Copper (FCX), Commodities
Copper was the darling of commodity traders. The price rallied from about $6,400 per ton to a record $10,190 in the past year, The Financial Times reports. Momentum was strong and it looked like there was no end in sight. But now, prices have dropped off a bit and miners are worried that the rally has hit a brick wall. The main concern is that what drove drove prices skyward -- China's demand -- may be slowing, according to the FT.
One indication of the slowdown is the amount of stocks held in exchange warehouses. At the LME Asia + Shanghai exchange warehouses, copper stocks have increased from below 150,000 to over 325,000 tons. That buildup has worried miners. The companies affected are Freeport MeMoRan (FCX), BHP Billiton (BHP), Xstrada (XSRAF), Anglo American and Brazil's Codelco, according to the Financial Times.
Continue reading Miners Hedge Copper Inventories as Demand from China Slows
Posted Apr 1st 2011 11:00AM by Connie Madon (RSS feed)
Filed under: China, Canada, Oil
There's a big ballyhoo about oil these days. With the turmoil in the Middle East, especially in Libya, the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil is priced over $100 per barrel. Gasoline at the pump is almost $4.00 per gallon.
Why then talk about an oil glut? We should first look at where our oil is coming from. Believe it or not, Canada is the biggest exporter of oil to the U.S. Canada is sending so much oil to the U.S. that our pipelines and storage facilities can't handle it. Reuters reports that our key storage facilities at Cushing Oklahoma are filled to capacity and are not equipped to handle the oil flow.
Continue reading Oil Glut at Cushing Oklahoma Could Last Two Years
Posted Mar 31st 2011 2:00PM by Brent Archer (RSS feed)
Filed under: Major Movement, Bad News, China, Options, Technical Analysis, Las Vegas Sands (LVS)

Las Vegas Sands (
LVS -
option chain) stock is trading lower today after the company said
its Hong Kong unit is under investigation by Chinese government officials for allegedly violating securities regulations. LVS did not comment further on the investigation, only saying it was asked to produce certain documents for regulators. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on LVS.
This morning, LVS opened at $41.45. So far today the stock has hit a high of $41.93 and a low of $40.70. As of 12:55, LVS is trading at $41.75, down $1.72 (-4.0%). The chart for LVS looks bullish and
S&P gives LVS a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.
Continue reading Las Vegas Sands Drops on Securities Investigation in Hong Kong
Posted Mar 22nd 2011 11:30AM by Connie Madon (RSS feed)
Filed under: Deals, Industry, India, China, Anadarko Petroleum (APC), Oil
An invasion of U.S. oil fields by Asian buyers is happening. Recently, companies from Korea, China and India have bought land in the oil-rich states of Texas, Colorado and Wyoming, according to Reuters.
In one of the biggest land deals, Korea National Oil (KNOC) bought one-third of Anadarko Petroleum's (APC) land holdings in South Texas for $1.55 billion. The purchase of 80,000 acres is located in the Eagle Ford Shale section, which is believed to have rich deposits of oil, natural gas and liquids, according to Reuters. KNOC also will receive 16,000 acres in the Pearsall Shale in South Texas.
Continue reading Korea, China and India Invade U.S. Oil Fields
Posted Mar 11th 2011 4:00PM by Sheldon Liber (RSS feed)
Filed under: International Markets, Industry, Competitive Strategy, Exxon Mobil (XOM), China, Chevron Corp (CVX), PetroChina Co Ltd ADR (PTR), Chasing Value™, Oil, Aluminum Corp of China ADS (ACH), Stock Picks
The Chinese government released trade data that portrays a $7.3 billion deficit. Is that believable or just convenient amid the international pressure to raise the value of their currency? We can hardly believe what comes out of Washington, so data coming out of China has to be quite suspect.
I'm sure they retained qualified independent auditors to ascertain the validity of the figures -- yeah right ...
Continue reading Chasing Value: A Chinese Trade Deficit?
Posted Mar 9th 2011 6:00PM by Connie Madon (RSS feed)
Filed under: Bad News, Industry, Competitive Strategy, China
Warren Buffett invested $232 million in BYD (BYDDF), a Chinese auto maker during the financial crisis, as reported by Reuters. As of December 2010 Buffett's 225 million shares were worth $1.18 billion. In 2009, the shares were valued at just under $2 billion. So from 2009 to 2010, Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) lost about 40% of his investment.
But that is just the beginning. Now there is criticism surrounding the new Chinese car, dubbed the hybrid car F3DM.They center around two major areas, authenticity of the design and the overall workmanship of the car itself.
Continue reading Will Buffett Back Away from His Deal with BYD, the Chinese Auto Maker?
Posted Feb 28th 2011 2:40PM by Trefis (RSS feed)
Filed under: China, Stock Picks
With Priceline's (PCLN) stock gaining a staggering 1800% ($23 Jan 2006 to $440 in Jan 2011) since the beginning of 2006, it comes as no surprise that it has been recognized as the single best-performing stock in the S&P 500 over the past five years. Priceline is the second largest player in terms of booking volumes after Expedia and competes with other leading online travel agencies such as Travelocity, Orbitz in the very competitive online travel industry in the U.S.
Continue reading If Priceline Harnesses Asian Growth, Shares Have Ample Upside
Posted Feb 18th 2011 1:00PM by Steven Halpern (RSS feed)
Filed under: China, Newsletters, Stocks to Buy
"Taiwan's economy and its stock market should post solid growth in 2011; we also see warming relations between the island of Taiwan and mainland China," suggests global specialist Yiannis Mostrous.
The editor of The Silk Road Investor explains, "Technology should be a major beneficiary of these near-term themes and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) is our favorite stock for exposure to the technology turnaround.
"Demand for notebook computers remains solid and mobile phones are expected to sell strongly during the Chinese New Year holiday this week, which will lead to inventory restocking.
Continue reading Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM): Tech Turnaround
Posted Feb 16th 2011 12:00PM by Connie Madon (RSS feed)
Filed under: China, Commodities
China is allowing its citizens to buy physical gold bars. This new program is unleashing an unbridled demand for the metal. The program works this way: The Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), China's largest, sells the bars to customers at real-time prices. Persons who own the bars can resell them to the bank.
To give you an insight into the magnitude of these sales, here are a few statistics. The ICBC sold 7 tons of bullion in January alone. In all of 2010, sales were only 15 tons.
Continue reading Chinese Citizens Are Hungry for More Gold
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