The rebuilding of Japan will require large amounts of basic materials. One such material is cement. Cement is used in virtually every type of large building or factory.

It might be helpful to look at some cement stocks. Here are just a few, along with their recent share prices:

• Lafarge Coppee (LFRGY): $14.00. One of the world's largest cement and gypsum manufacturers.

Continue reading Cement Companies Could Benefit from Japanese Disaster

Cement Companies Could Benefit from Japanese Disaster originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When you are in a hole, stop digging -- no expression better exemplifies the situation in Venezuela caused by Hugo Chavez and his government. Obviously, this is not something they understand, as the current administration keeps digging the Venezuelan economy into a deeper hole, intensified by its attempt to nationalize rigs owned by a U.S.-based company.

On Wednesday, Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez issued a statement that Petroleos de Venezuela SA, the state oil company, was going to nationalize 11 oil rigs owned by Helmerich & Payne, a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based drilling company.

Continue reading Hugo Chavez Government to Nationalize U.S. Company Rigs

Hugo Chavez Government to Nationalize U.S. Company Rigs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Given the stock market setback, the time to buy has come. So what is a global investor to do now? Where in the world do we go?" asks Vivian Lewis.

The editor of Global Investing reviews five global investment ideas: Mexico's Cemex (CX), Canada's Cameco (CCJ), Greece's Coca Cola Hellenic (CCH), Israel's Teva Pharmaceutcial (TEVA), and India's ICICI Bank (IBN).

"I think this May correction has been the result of insane blind total panic in the wake of the still unexplained flash crash. Logically nothing explains the sell-off -- nada, nichevo, nichts, rien. To imagine that Greece is going to pull down Britain, Germany and France is simply ridiculous.

Continue reading Five Global Favorites: 'Time to Buy'

Five Global Favorites: 'Time to Buy' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 27 May 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

In celebration of the holiday, I thought it would be nice to remind investors not to forget about the opportunities in our southern neighbor. While Mexico is not a red hot emerging market like China or Brazil, there are still profits to be had there if you know where to look.

Here's why:

Continue reading Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Three Mexican Stock Picks

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Three Mexican Stock Picks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 May 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Hugo Chavez Racing Toward Economic Peril

Hugo Chavez Racing Toward Economic Peril originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Cemex (NYSE: CX) to Buy from Hold on decreased dilution risk following the company's successful refinancing and raised its target on shares to $15 from $11.20.
• Rochdale upgraded Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) to Buy from Neutral and raised its target to $65. The firm is positive on Wal-Mart's defensive characteristics, cyclical upside, and competitive position.
• JPMorgan upgraded Gartner Group (NYSE: IT) to Overweight from Neutral to reflect stabilization in IT industry spending and the stock's attractive valuation. The firm has a $23 price target on the stock.
• Cavium Networks (NASDAQ: CAVM) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays.
• Borg-Warner (NYSE: BWA) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Nanometrics (NASDAQ: NANO) was upgraded to Outperform from Perform at Oppenheimer.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BJ, CX, MRK, VLKAY, WMT ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BJ, CX, MRK, VLKAY, WMT ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Bernstein upgraded Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) to Outperform from Market Perform on valuation as it believes threats to the core business are priced in at current levels and upside catalysts may come from pipeline news. The firm raised its target on shares to $65 from $57.
• Stephens upgraded CyberSource (NASDAQ: CYBS) to Overweight from Equal Weight on valuation as it believes the recent pullback creates a buying opportunity. The firm raised its target on shares to $16 from $14.
• JPMorgan upgraded Magna (NYSE: MGA) and Tenneco (NYSE: TEN) to Overweight from Neutral on expectations global auto production has sequentially bottomed with European light vehicle production rebounding in Q2. The firm also sees a short-term trading opportunity in TRW Automotive (NYSE: TRW), but keeps a Neutral rating on the stock.
• SINA Corp. (NASDAQ: SINA) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Buy at Goldman.
• Cogent Communications (NASDAQ: CCOI) was raised to Buy from Hold at Citigroup.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMGN, CSCO, CX, HAS, T

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMGN, CSCO, CX, HAS, T originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the principal for design and research at an architecture & planning firm. He writes the columns Chasing Value and Serious Money. DISCLOSURE: I own shares of CX but not XOM .

Hugo Chavez wants those bad capitalists to bail him out of a jam originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Axys Tech (NASDAQ: AXYS) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Morgan Keegan on valuation.
  
• Credit Suisse upgraded Cemex (NYSE: CX) to Neutral from Underperform following the company's refinancing announcement.
  
• Patni Computer (NYSE: PTI) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.

• Merriman downgraded Environmental Power (NASDAQ: EPG) to Neutral from Buy citing a lack of visibility into the company's capital raise and lowered their estimates to reflect a slippage in project schedules.
  
• Jefferies cut inVentiv Health (NASDAQ: VTIV) to Hold from Buy as they believe budget cuts at the company's client base make 2009 estimates too high. The firm lowered their target to $11 from $15.
  
• Oppenheimer downgraded RSC Holdings (NYSE: RRR) to Perform from Outperform to reflect the continued deterioration in non-residential construction and valuation following the recent rally.
• Smurfit-Stone (NASDAQ: SSCC) was lowered to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank.
  
• Distribucion Y Servicio (NYSE: DYS) was downgraded to Sell from Hold at Deutsche Bank.
  
• Key Energy (NYSE: KEG) was downgraded at SMH Capital to Neutral from Accumulate.

• AECOM Technology (NYSE: ACM) was initiated with an Outperform rating and $34 target at Baird. The firm is positive on AECOM's diverse portfolio of services and global reach.
  
• Baird also initiated Checkpoint (NYSE: CKP) with a Neutral rating and $11 target, citing the weak macro environment.
  
• Thomas Weisel said Integra LifeSciences (NASDAQ: IART) has little exposure to economically sensitive areas of healthcare and has a varied mix of products that provide a platform for sustainable organic growth. Shares were initiated with an Overweight rating.
• Piper Jaffray assumed CBS Corp (NYSE: CBS) with a Neutral rating.
  
• BioMarin (NASDAQ: BMRN) was started at Stanford with a Hold rating.
  
• Websense (NASDAQ: WBSN) was initiated with an Equal Weight at First Analysis.

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AXYS, CX, EPG, CKP, CBS ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of a special report, A Dozen Ways to Play an Obama Building Boom.

"I think we have bottomed in some sectors, including commodities and materials," explains Glenn Rogers. In Internet Wealth Builder, he explains, "President-elect Obama has said he will pour hundreds of billions into projects.

"The Chinese and the Europeans have also committed to huge amounts to infrastructure spending." Here, he looks at one play on this trend -- Cemex (NYSE: CX).

"If you want to venture back into the stock market at this point and you're a long-term investor, my advice is to buy high-quality names with low P/E ratios, no debt coming due next year, and the sustainable ability to pay a dividend.

"Late last month, this Mexican cement giant traded as low as $4.01. Then President-elect Obama announced his plan to spend billions on infrastructure projects and guess what happened?

"The share price shot up on the expectation that infrastructure spending will translate into a growing demand for cement.

"Cemex shares traded as high as $11.35 before pulling back to close the week at $8.16. That's still more than double the November low but this is a stock that was trading at over $30 last June so it still looks like good value at this level.

Continue reading Cemex (CMX): 'Solid' play on infrastructure

Cemex (CMX): 'Solid' play on infrastructure originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 20 Dec 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Jefferies upgraded Legg Mason (NYSE: LM) to Buy from Hold on valuation following the recent sell-off, as they find the risk/reward attractive at current levels. However, the firm lowered their target to $23 from $44.
  
• Merriman raised First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR) to Buy from Neutral after the company showed "industry leading growth" in Q3. The firm has a 12-month price target range of $185 to $195 per share.
• Ladenburg upgraded KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY) to Buy from Neutral.
• Citigroup upgraded shares of Silicon Laboratories (NASDAQ: SLAB) to Buy from Hold on valuation and expects the company to post above average industry growth in 2009.
• Janus Capital (NYSE: JNS) was upgraded to Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan.
  
• Associated Estates Realty (NYSE: AEC) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.
  

Continue reading Analyst calls: LM, FSLR, KEY, HIG, PPO, ASH, VRTX, MKL, CX ...

Analyst calls: LM, FSLR, KEY, HIG, PPO, ASH, VRTX, MKL, CX ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Baird upgraded Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) to Outperform from Neutral citing valuation and long-term earnings power.
• Keefe Bruyette upgraded shares of Nationwide Financial (NYSE: NFS) to Outperform from Market Perform as it believes the deal is not at risk and will close at the agreed upon $52.25 price.
  
• Friedman Billings upgraded American Eagle (NYSE: AEO) to Outperform from Market Perform citing valuation.
• Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) was upgraded to Hold from Sell at Natixis.
• W.W. Grainger (NYSE: GWW) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at RW Baird.
• Fidelity National (NYSE: FIS) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at SunTrust.

• Credit Suisse downgraded Eli Lilly NYSE:(LLY) to Neutral from Outperform citing the increased risk profile from the ImClone (IMCL) deal.
• Soleil downgraded Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) to Hold from Buy as it believes Google's cost management may lag revenue weakness and that the falling stock price implies employee defections. The firm lowered its target to $350 from $580.
• Piper downgraded shares of Orbitz (NYSE:OWW) to Sell from Neutral to reflect deteriorating travel industry fundamentals and the company's levered balance sheet.
  
• US Steel (NYSE:X) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Goldman.
• Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at ING Group.
• Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Soleil.
• Cemex (NYSE:CX) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Citigroup.
  

• Bidz.com (NASDAQ:BIDZ), American Superconductor (NASDAQ:AMSC) and Union Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSH) were today's noteworthy initiations:
  
• Bidz.com (NASDAQ:BIDZ) was initiated with a Hold at Stamford, as the firm does not want to recommend a company that has never been tested during difficult economic times, but is positive on BIDZ's growth potential.
• American Superconductor (NASDAQ:AMSC) was initiated with a Hold at Stanford, as the firm believes the Euro decline and global market turmoil are near-term risks.
• Union Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSH) was initiated with an Underperform at RBC Capital, as the firm views shares as overvalued.
• Regis Corp (NYSE:RGS) was initiated with a Neutral at RW Baird.
• CommVault's (NASDAQ:CVLT) coverage was resumed with a Neutral at Merrill Lynch.

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BAC, AEO, GOOG, X, BIDZ ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In the margins of Barron's this week there was a smallish note about the government of Venezuela nationalizing Cemex's (NYSE: CX) operations in that country. For some reason the government of Hugo Chavez thinks that stealing all of the private companies in 'his' country will lead to greater prosperity for 'his' people.

While it is a long journey from Venezuela to Zimbabwe, with its exponential inflation rate and a near-total economic breakdown, every journey begins with a first step. Mr. Chavez will move much closer to this inevitable outcome if he continues on his chosen path.

Motley Fool has a good write-up on the subject in which they detail the sour relations between Chavez and foreign businesses. Chavez recently offered to re-open negotiations with Cemex, but since he has already decided to take the company, that offer is suspect -- you can't negotiate with a gun pointing at you. To date, Chavez has nationalized the telecommunications industry, electricity, and oil. How many steps down the road is that? Why would anyone want to invest in Venezuela?

Continue reading Could Venezuela become Zimbabwe? Ask Cemex

Could Venezuela become Zimbabwe? Ask Cemex originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Citigroup downgraded shares of Shanda Interactive (NASDAQ:SNDA) to Hold from Buy following the company's lower-than-expected guidance as they see a lack of positive catalysts.
  
• Merrill downgraded Evergreen Solar (NASDAQ:ESLR) and SunPower (NASDAQ:SPWR) to Sell from Neutral citing a potential reduction in German tariffs.
  
• Morgan Stanley downgraded Marriott (NYSE:MAR) to Equal Weight from Overweight citing economic pressures on business travel.

• Vivus (NASDAQ:VVUS) was downgraded at Wachovia to Market Perform from Outperform.
  
• UBS lowered Juniper(NASDAQ:JNPR) to Neutral from Buy.
  
• Cemex (NYSE:CX) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JP Morgan.

Analyst downgrades: SNDA, ESLR, SPWR and MAR originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 May 2008 11:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It is alarming to me that the same people who screw up the economy (or stand by watching) are the ones that are now promoting the remedies. They have proven without a shadow of a doubt that this is not their strong suit. The proposed economic stimulus package has bi-partisan support and calls for an estimated $156 billion of tax rebates ranging from $500 to $1,000 (+ $300 for each child) that might show up in May.

If we are going to add on to our already humungous joke of national debt, than I want to invest this capital in something that will bring a higher return on invested capital (ROIC) than the paltry one time mad money. That expenditure should be for national infrastructure projects like roadways, bridges, tunnels, and waterways.

We have all heard about the poor condition of our national infrastructure and the hundreds of billions of dollars of repair work and replacement that is desperately needed.

This alternative would bring visible results that every single person in the country would benefit from and improved linkages always stimulate economic growth. Road improvements even reduce fuel consumption by shortening routes and reducing friction both strategically and physically.

Continue reading Fund roads & bridges NOT mad money stimulus

Fund roads & bridges NOT mad money stimulus originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This article is part of a 20 article special report on "Metals, miners and money".

A highlight at the recent New Orleans Investment Conference was a speech by Frank Holmes, CEO of US Global Investors, on "mega-trends" -- with a focus on global infrastructure needs, from the U.S. to China.

Here, we offer excerpts from his speech, as well as some specific stock ideas from Frank Holmes and US Global Investors' Chief Strategist, Jack Dzierwa.

"Megatrends are usually defined by sustainable and substantial growth in capital expenditures in any country or sector. They can be created by governmental policies for infrastructure or a massive technological breakthrough.

"We isolate megatrends through a series of proprietary models, including a top down analysis of such issues as global macroeconomic theme, regional and country trends, technological trends, government policies, and currency effects. As examples of megatrends:

• 1950s -- 1960s Megatrend: Massive growth of infrastructure in the U.S. and Europe leads to post-war prosperity, creating a wealth effect and consumer culture.
• 1990s -- Present Megatrend: Moore's Law and disruptive technologies lead to massive growth in information technology and data communications.
• 2000 and beyond Megatrend: Unprecedented change in global growth driven by globalization, urbanization, and wealth creation leads to a global infrastructure boom on a massive, intractable scale.

Continue reading Top resource ideas: US Global on mega-trends

Top resource ideas: US Global on mega-trends originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 10 Nov 2007 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• According to Barron's Online's (subscription required) "Inside Scoop" column, Blockbuster Inc (NYSE: BBI) CEO James Keyes purchased 679,250 class A shares on Monday at an average price of $4.42 per share.
• The Financial Times (subscription required) reported that Nortel Networks Corporation (NYSE: NT) is open to acquiring companies.

• The New York Times reported that British mining company Anglo American plc (NASDAQ: AAUKD) is going to begin the process of selling Tarmac, with possible buyers including Orascom Construction Industries, Lafarge Coppee (NYSE: LR), and Cemex (NYSE: CX).
• From BusinessWeek's "Inside Wall Street" column:
• UAL Corporation's (NASDAQ: UAUA) stock has soared to around $44 from $21 in February 2007, and Daniel McKenzie of Credit Suisse believes UAL is a potential private equity play.
• USA Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: USAT) is the largest maker of the e-port devices that enable vending machines selling soft drinks, snacks, and laundry products to accept plastic, and the company has only begun to penetrate the market, according to CEO George Jensen.
• SemBiosys Genetics, which trades in Toronto under the symbol SBS, is developing a way to make insulin from safflower.

Newspaper wrap-up: Nortel open to acquisitions originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 03 Aug 2007 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Komag was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Craig-Hallum, to Market Perform from Outperform at Piper Jaffray, to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank and to Neutral from Outperform at Robert W Baird & Co following the announcement it would be acquired by Western Digital Corporation (NYSE: WDC).
  
• Morgan Stanley downgraded Commercial Mortgage REITs to Underweight from Neutral. Specifically, the firm downgraded shares of Capital Trust, Inc (NYSE: CT) to Equal Weight from Underweight and Gramercy Capital Corp (NYSE: GKK) to Underweight from Equal Weight, citing increased credit spreads and subordination levels.
  
• Getty Images was downgraded to Sell from Hold at Matrix as the firm believes margins are declining and sees downside to their $40/share intrinsic value calculation.
  
• Rural/Metro was downgraded by Ferris, Baker Watts to Neutral from Buy on valuation.

• PMI Group Inc (NYSE: PMI) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at UBS.
  
• Deutsche Bank downgraded Palm, Inc (NASDAQ: PALM) to Sell from Hold.
  
• BMO Capital downgraded shares of Carrizo Oil & Gas Incorporated (NASDAQ: CRZO) to Market Perform from Outperform.
  
• Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Cemex (NYSE: CX) to Equal Weight from Overweight.
  
• Barnes & Noble Inc (NYSE: BKS) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Matrix.

Analyst downgrades 6-29-07: KOMG, GYI and RURL originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 29 Jun 2007 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Longleaf investing abroad originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Jun 2007 15:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY

• Citigroup upgraded Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) to Hold from Sell with a $36 target to reflect the Dolan's bid for the company.

• Credit Suisse upgraded shares of UAL Corp (NASDAQ: UAUA) to Outperform from Neutral citing valuation and capacity reductions.

• Abbott Labs (NYSE: ABT) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Lehman Brothers citing valuation and potential upside in the pharma business.

• Bear Stearns raised Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI) to Outperform from Peer Perform citing the announcement of the divestiture of Smokey Bones, which takes away a drag on earnings.

• Wachovia upgraded the food industry to Overweight from Equal Weight, saying food companies are beginning to drive higher prices through the supply chain and yields look attractive.

• Susquehanna upgraded Healthways, Inc (NASDAQ: HWAY) to Positive from Neutral.

• Matrix USA raised Waste Connections, Inc (NYSE: WCN) to Hold from Sell.

• Buckingham raised DSW Inc (NYSE: DSW) to Accumulate from Neutral with a $46 target.

• Dusa Pharmaceuticals, Inc (NASDAQ: DUSA) was upgraded to Hold from Sell at Roth Capital.

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Cemex ADS (NYSE: CX) to Buy from Hold with a $41 target.

Analyst upgrades 5-07-07: ABT, CVC, DRI and UAUA originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 May 2007 11:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.