Since I wrote the introductory piece for the next 25 stocks for the NEXT 25 years, I have received some pretty interesting emails from you -- the readers. It seems many of you would like to participate in this exercise. I would love to have you join in. No one has the market cornered on good (or great) ideas. Please send in your thoughts and stock suggestions for the ultimate list.

I should tell you I have my 25 stock ideas for the NEXT 25 years researched and ready to reveal. However, six of them are barely hanging on the list ... I am still having trouble becoming convinced. I like the companies, but remember, these have to be very special. The remaining 19? I've arrived at reasonable certainty these have a chance to be big, relevant game-changers over the next couple of decades. Doesn't mean there aren't better ideas from you the readers...even the sacred 19 are vulnerable!!

The power of an idea is a remarkable phenomenon to watch and absorb. Think back for a moment ... go back only 15 years, to 1992. How many incredible companies either did not exist or were just a twinkle in the eye of some venture capital firm? These are companies that are now part of our everyday lives and have become part of our shared vocabulary. "Google" was something toddlers did to the aaawh of parents and grandparents; now grandpa's is saying "leave me alone, I am Googling for lyrics to that Barry Manilow song -- and did anybody see my iPod?"

Continue reading Top 25 stocks for the NEXT 25 years: The power of an idea

Top 25 stocks for the NEXT 25 years: The power of an idea originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 01 May 2007 23:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Auto sales weren't so bad after all! we all agreed, shaking hands and congratulating the industry, feeling a bit smug (despite Toyota's walloping of all things American). And at first blush, it looked to be true: sales at Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) were actually up vs. September 2005, 4.7%, and sales at DaimlerChrysler AG (NYSE:DCX) and General Motors Corporation (NYSE:GM) weren't down as much as many industry watchers feared.

That's all well and good, when you're looking at raw units sold. But Autoblog's John Neff went a little deeper and considered the way auto dealerships operate: in "selling days." September 2006 selling days were 26, vs. only 25 in September 2005. And if you know auto dealerships, the guys behind the desk are really looking at DSR: daily sales rate.

Were we all snookered into placidity by one of the oldest tricks in the car sales guys' book? Here's what John found when he looked at DSR instead of gross sales:

Continue reading Auto sales misleading: Autoblog looks at 'real' September sales numbers

Auto sales misleading: Autoblog looks at 'real' September sales numbers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Oct 2006 13:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.