When John D. Rockefeller was asked how much money was enough, he replied: "A little bit more." If you're looking to make a little bit more on your investments, here are places to find extra cash. Unfortunately, rates are very low and the emphasis has to be on "little" rather than "more."

Please note: none of these stocks or funds are recommended as buys. They may, however, be a good place to start research.

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: How Much Money Is Enough?

Comfort Zone Investing: How Much Money Is Enough? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Jose Manuel Barroso, EU President, said he would ban speculative derivatives trades outright. CDS trading is a $40 trillion dollar global market which insures corporate and government debt.

Continue reading EU Considers Ban on Credit Default Swaps

EU Considers Ban on Credit Default Swaps originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Investors in developing countries no doubt wonder which countries that issue debt are safe and which ones could default. CMA Datavision, a subsidiary of CME, has put together the "Sovereign Risk Monitor."

The Risk Monitor uses five-year credit default swaps (CDSs) and ranks the countries according to volatility. It uses the percent of change to determine the ranking of these countries. The new index is called the cumulative possibility of default (CPD). If, for example, a country has a 20% CPD, it has a one in five chance of defaulting in the next five years. Also included is their most recent credit rating.

Continue reading Which Government Debt Issuers Are Most Likely to Default?

Which Government Debt Issuers Are Most Likely to Default? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 20 Dec 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A report in Thursday's The Wall Street Journal [subscription required] reveals that American International Group (NYSE: AIG) is actually reaping the benefits of its risky bets in the credit-default swap market.

AIG was forced to shell out billions to Wall Street banks amid last year's credit crisis, as the assets backed by the credit-default swaps plummeted in value. However, the market's reversal of fortune means that banking heavyweights, such as Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE: GS), are now returning collateral to the infamous insurance giant.

Continue reading AIG recoups billions in collateral payments

AIG recoups billions in collateral payments originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Doomsday Scenario: 'Quiet Coup,' AIG CDS shenanigans, newspaper ads crash

Doomsday Scenario: 'Quiet Coup,' AIG CDS shenanigans, newspaper ads crash originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Doomsday Scenario: Bain eats onion, no-name groceries hot, pension fund fracas

Doomsday Scenario: Bain eats onion, no-name groceries hot, pension fund fracas originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I was sitting in my statistics class and the professor walked in and said, "Today we are going to learn about correlations." He explained that correlation is very simple. It is a single number that describes the degree of relationship between two variables, and that there was a formula in our book we could use. "But right now," he said " it's more important that you learn the concept that a correlation is a single number that describes the degree of relationship between two variables," he repeated, as professors often do. "Your answer will therefore always range between -1 and +1."

Continue reading Were the mathematicians of Wall Street a blessing or a curse?

Were the mathematicians of Wall Street a blessing or a curse? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Doomsday Scenario: Bankers sue bankers, MSFT's Netbooks folly

Doomsday Scenario: Bankers sue bankers, MSFT's Netbooks folly originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Doomsday Scenario: Could U.S. default on its national debt?

Doomsday Scenario: Could U.S. default on its national debt? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It would be nice if we could just wave a magic wand and evaporate the $13 trillion worth of toxic waste that's dragging down the global financial system. But we'll have to dispose of it somehow in order to reboot the financial system. A colleague of mine came up with a brilliant idea: the government could guarantee the failed mortgages buried inside that toxic waste -- meaning that the owner of a bundle would not incur any loss from a failed mortgage for the next 3 years.

After all, those mortgage-backed securities (MBSs) and collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) are just bundles of mortgages. If 15% of those mortgages fail and the government agrees to guarantee those over the next three years, then the MBSs and CDOs -- e.g., the toxic waste -- would suddenly increase in value because the losses to the entire bundle of the 15% of the failed mortgages would be limited.

Continue reading A great plan to dispose of financial toxic waste

A great plan to dispose of financial toxic waste originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded shares of Colonial Bancgroup (NYSE: CNB) to Outperform from Market Perform on valuation following the recent weakness and believes the company will be eligible to receive TARP funds. Morgan Stanley believes the company's valuation adequately reflects risk to the loan portfolio; the firm raised shares to Equal Weight from Underweight.
• Merrill upgraded Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and ASML Holding (NASDAQ: ASML) to Buy from Underperform and believes their valuation reflects the worst-case for bad news.
• Oppenheimer upgraded Trimble Navigation to Outperform from Perform on valuation as they believe the company's long-term growth story is intact.
• Celestica (NYSE: CLS) was upgraded to Sector Outperformer from Sector Performer at CIBC.
• KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY) was added to Goldman's Conviction Buy List.
• Wachovia raised EastGroup Properties (NYSE: EGP) to Outperform from Market Perform.

• UBS cut Barclays (NYSE: BCS) to Neutral from Buy as they believe capital raises could negatively impact earnings and that the dividend is likely to be cut.
• JP Morgan downgraded Discovery Holdings (NASDAQ: DISCA) to Underweight from Neutral based on valuation and the deteriorating economic outlook.
• Friedman Billings downgraded shares of Janus Capital (NYSE: JNS) to Underperform from Market Perform and lowered its target to $7 from $23 as they see further risk to the downside following the company's weaker-than-expected results.
• LKQ Corp (NASDAQ: LKQX) was cut to Sector Perform from Outperform at RBC Capital.
• Affymetrix (NASDAQ: AFFX) was lowered to Sell from Hold at Deutsche Bank.
• RightNow Tech (NASDAQ: RNOW) was downgraded at Baird to Neutral from Outperform.

Continue reading Analyst calls: CNB, ERIC, ASML, TRMB, BCS, DISCA, JNS, RGEN, GPS and NTY

Analyst calls: CNB, ERIC, ASML, TRMB, BCS, DISCA, JNS, RGEN, GPS and NTY originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: I'm waiting for the other shoes to drop

Cramer on BloggingStocks: I'm waiting for the other shoes to drop originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Lurking in the background of this weekend's collapse of two of Wall Street's biggest names, is a $62 trillion segment of the $450 trillion market for derivatives that grew huge thanks to John McCain's chief economic advisor, Phil "Americans are Whiners" Gramm. That's because in December 2000, Gramm, while a U.S. Senator, snuck in a 262-page amendment to a government re-authorization bill that created what is now the $62 trillion market for credit default swaps (CDSs).

I realize it is painful to read about yet another Wall Street acronym, but this is important because it will help you understand why the global financial markets are collapsing. And it will give you information to consider when you vote in November. CDSs are like insurance policies for bondholders. In exchange for a premium, the bondholders get insurance in case the bondholder can't pay. As I posted, in the case of the $1.4 trillion worth of Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM) and Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE) bonds, the government's nationalization last Sunday triggered the CDSs on those bonds. The people who received the CDS premiums are now obligated to deliver those bonds to the ones who paid the premiums.

Gramm's 262-page amendment, dubbed "The Commodity Futures Modernization Act," according to Texas Observer, freed financial institutions from oversight of their CDS transactions. "Prior to its passage, they say, banks underwrote mortgages and were responsible for the risks involved. Now, through the use of [CDSs]-which in theory insure the banks against bad debts-those risks are passed along to insurance companies and other investors," wrote Texas Observer.

Continue reading 100 Year Crash: McCain advisor spurred $62 trillion derivatives market that will swamp global markets

100 Year Crash: McCain advisor spurred $62 trillion derivatives market that will swamp global markets originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A kink in the plans of artists like Paul McCartney and Stephen Malkmus to support the day is that while they can appreciate record stores based on experiences in their youths or support the stores by buying hundreds of dollars worth of CDs, young people today may not be as familiar with the entity or have the money to buy that many CDs. This is especially true in the economy right now, but even more pronounced when one considers the ease and availability that digital stores have introduced to accessing and enjoying music and other media from the comfort of one's own house.

Continue reading Record Store Day tries to slow the digital music explosion

Record Store Day tries to slow the digital music explosion originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For 25 years, Steven Halpern, editor of TheStockAdvisors.com, has surveyed the leading financial newsletter advisors asking for their favorite stocks for the coming year. This article is one of 100+ ideas in the Best Stocks for 2008 report.

"Our top speculative idea for 2008 is China Direct (ASE: CDS)," says Jim Trippon, editor of The China Stock Digest. "China Direct is an aggressively expanding US-based firm that has grown exponentially over the course of the past year -- from a start-up with meager profits to a thriving concern with a sharp revenue growth curve. Share prices are following suit.

"China Direct's management division acquires controlling stakes in Chinese companies and then provides investment capital and active management. Its consulting division assists other companies in China and the US in establishing and maintaining a presence in the US capital markets.

"The company says that, as a direct link to China, it serves as a vehicle allowing investors to directly participate in the rapid growth of the Chinese economy in a diversified and balanced manner.

Continue reading Best Stocks for 2008: China stock guru speculates on China Direct (CDS)

Best Stocks for 2008: China stock guru speculates on China Direct (CDS) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 29 Dec 2007 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It seems that whenever you talk to someone about the music industry, the discussion eventually comes to the steep decline that has occurred in the past few years as the growth of digital downloads has affected the sales of CDs. Whenever I think about that decline, it's hard to see it simply because I still purchase a large quantity of CDs and only a handful of downloads per month. Still though, when I do download an album it always (and I mean always) comes from Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iTunes Store, primarily because I own an iPod.

While that may sound like a complaint, it really isn't because I have always found the iTunes Store very usable and the iPod very convenient, but the reality is that not everyone shares that opinion. For some users, the question of accessibility has become a major issue, and iTunes dominance in the market affects how accessible they view the market. This is not without warrant of course -- no matter the success of Apple with the iPod and iTunes; it is still a dominating product in a shrinking field. This view does not even take in the account of CD users.

With the beta launch this week of Amazon.com's (NASDAQ: AMZN) MP3 store, Apple finally has a competitor that will be able to challenge iTunes with sales and prices, not to mention that the DRM-free (Digital Rights Technology) downloads will be playable on the iPod, among other portable devices. Amazon's DRM-free tracks are not limited to music from EMI Group PLC and numerous independent labels, either. Certainly both of these differences will aid the new Amazon "iTunes" store, but the very fact that it remains an online store adding an MP3 section means that it should fare well against a store dedicated strictly to media digital downloads.

Continue reading Accessibility in the music industry: Apple (AAPL) vs. Amazon (AMZN)

Accessibility in the music industry: Apple (AAPL) vs. Amazon (AMZN) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 29 Sep 2007 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As I continuously ruminate about the state of music, album sales, and the growth of online digital markets, how much consumers care about these topics is something I have not strayed too close to. I think it is safe to say that consumers do care, but I cannot say if it is to the degree with which I am fascinated and write about it.

I was reminded by a mentor and colleague a few days ago how easy the use of Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iTunes Store and iPod are if you are hoping to listen to only one song or a few songs, but not an album. Of course, that very dynamic is what I so often write about in my blogs about the death of the album, but who exactly is decrying the death of the album? No matter how much I write about that death, it is very apparent that those who are worried about the death of such a money maker are the labels and the industry.

The nice thing about iTunes and other digital stores is that if you are just browsing you can listen to clips of the songs. This is not a method of shopping that you can easily acquire at stores like Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) or Target (NYSE: TGT), although Best Buy is beginning to incorporate computer stations where you can make test runs of programs like Rhapsody and Napster. They hope you will then sign up for a subscription to that service through Best Buy. Browsing at stores like these only ever really entails looking at the product. If you know nothing about it, then you cannot know if it will be something you are happy to spend your money on.

Continue reading Do consumers care if the album dies?

Do consumers care if the album dies? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 08 Apr 2007 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.