Continue reading Qualcomm (QCOM): 'True Tech Franchise'

Qualcomm (QCOM): 'True Tech Franchise' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Over the next five years the energy patch should offer some of the best investments around, and one standout is Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB)," says Stephen Leeb in The Complete Investor.

"Schlumberger, by a wide margin, is the best and most dominant. Its services range from well testing to pressure pumping to seismic testing, and it's No. 1 in virtually every area it occupies.

"Some of its operations, especially those that maintain the health of existing wells, are highly recession-resistant.

Continue reading Schlumberger (SLB): A 'standout' in oil services

Schlumberger (SLB): A 'standout' in oil services originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 28 May 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"The solar sector has been notably weak, including First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR)," says Stephen Leeb. Despite the setback, the editor of The Complete Investor rates the stock a high risk buy.

"First Solar is one of the few whose earnings outperformed consensus estimates: its fourth-quarter results reported yesterday after the market's close were nearly 25% better than estimates.

"First Solar made $1.61 per share this past quarter; Wall Street was expecting $1.30 per share. Revenues were also ahead of estimates, although the company reduced 2009 revenue estimates by about 10%, citing short-term credit concerns for customers.

Continue reading First Solar (FSLR): Still shining?

First Solar (FSLR): Still shining? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:30:00 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.

"One theme that already seems likely to dominate the playbook for the Obama team is 'infrastructure plus' -- encompassing alternative energy, the environment, and health care," says Patrick DeSouza.

The contributing editor to Steven Leeb's The Complete Investor explains, "These priorities will translate into tremendous opportunities for well-situated firms in these areas." Here are some ideas:

"The Obama Administration is likely to link infrastructure with specific policy priorities such as alternative energies and environmental protection.

"In this way, it can launch public work ventures that create jobs while simultaneously fulfilling campaign promises to tackle climate change and resource degradation. Companies with crossover appeal-a foot in both infrastructure and environmental businesses- are the ones to look at.

"Fluor (NYSE: FLR) and General Electric (NYSE: GE) -- which are already holdings in our growth model portfolio -- both fit this bill, with diversified product lines that range from large-scale infrastructure engineering projects to alternative energy infrastructure to renewable power.

Continue reading Obama team targets infrastructure

Obama team targets infrastructure originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"The economic crisis began in the housing sector and will likely end there," says Stephen Leeb. In his top-notch The Complete Investor he takes a contrary look at two homebuilders.

"Though my view may sound contrarian to a fault, a close look at the housing market, especially given recent government actions, suggests a recovery will happen sooner rather than later and be stronger rather than weaker.

"When home prices decline, buyers pull back, afraid of buying too soon. This leads to further declines and further buyer reluctance. No surprise, then, that housing starts have fallen dramatically.

"Meanwhile, consumers, who had been borrowing money based on the value of their homes, found this source of credit drying up, which dealt a further blow to the economy.

"It is a vicious circle indeed. Ultimately, though, it will almost certainly end with more willing lenders and a stronger housing market as the huge amounts of money being flooded into the system start boosting balance sheets of potential lenders.

Continue reading Building value: Contrary call on homebuilders

Building value: Contrary call on homebuilders originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"The acronym 'BRIC-standing for Brazil, Russia, India, and China-is in vogue as shorthand for the emergence of the developing world.

"But we're herewith proposing an emended version: 'BRAC'-standing for Brazil, Russia, Australia, and Canada.

"That's because these four countries are the ones most brimming over with essential natural resource, with each one a net exporter of fuels and other natural products. In a world where resource shortages will only get worse, these countries will stand out from the pack.

"Don't get us wrong. China and India remain the largest and fastest growing emerging economies and still face exceptional futures.

"But their major resources are cheap labor, which will become less cheap as their economies keep growing. Indeed, labor costs in these countries already have begun to rise relative to the rest of the world.

"Meanwhile, continued gains in commodities mean that Australia and Canada are gaining relative to the rest of the world. It's hard to overstate just how important relative resource independence is in a world where resources are becoming ever more scarce and expensive.

Continue reading Changing BRIC for BRAC: A new look for global investors

Changing BRIC for BRAC: A new look for global investors originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"When it comes to oil services, the world's most dominant company by far is Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB)," says Stephen Leeb, editor of The Complete Investor. Here, he looks at this "extraordinary" company.

"The question isn't whether inflation will worsen-it's how to protect yourself. Major and obvious lifelines we've stressed include precious metal and commodity companies, especially ones able to boost production.

"For additional inflation insurance, look to what Warren Buffett likes to call 'great companies.' These have two crucial characteristics that allow them to take inflation in stride.

"First, a great company is so dominant in its market that it can pass rising costs along to its customers. And second, it's in a market growing faster than the world's economy.

Continue reading Schlumberger (SLB): An 'extraordinary' company

Schlumberger (SLB): An 'extraordinary' company originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.