With its own economic stimulus program in place, a relatively stable banking system, and a stock market that has been resilient in recent months, numerous leading global investment advisors are looking bullishly towards China.

From technology to power, and from individual stocks to ETFs, and from Hong Kong to Taiwan to mainland China, we turn to seven leading advisors for their favorite ways for US investors to take a stake in Asia.

Continue reading Global advisors look to China: 10 picks from seven pros

Global advisors look to China: 10 picks from seven pros originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Energy Transfer Equity (NYSE: ETE), a major player in the midstream energy sector, is a cash-producing machine," says value investor Nathan Slaughter.

The editor of Half-Priced Stocks explains, "Even more promising, those who know the company best -- the CEO and one of its co-funders -- have been voting with their wallets lately." here's his review of the income holding.

"The company -- a master limited partnership (MLP) -- owns over 17,000 miles of natural gas pipelines in several states, including the largest network serving the prolific gas basins of Texas.

MLPs come in two classes: general partner and limited partner. The general partner (GP) typically handles all of the day-to-day operations and in return gets a cut of the distributions that are dished out to the limited partners (LP).

"In this case, the General Partner is Energy Transfer Equity, our recommendation, which should not be confused with the Liimted Partner -- Energy Transfer Partners (NYSE: ETP).

"Energy Transfer Equity owns all the General Partner interests -- as well as 62.5 million LP units (46%) of ETP. All of which is a convoluted way of saying that ETE unitholders can expect to be showered with cash.

Continue reading Energy Transfer Equity (ETE): Pipeline to profits?

Energy Transfer Equity (ETE): Pipeline to profits? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The editor of Half-Priced Stocks looks at industrial product firm Trinity Industries (NYSE: TRN), explaining, "The company's most promising division is involved in the production of structural wind towers." Here's the advisor's of the latest addition to his "deep-discount' model portfolio.

"Led by states such as Texas and California, wind farms around the country will generate almost 50 billion kilowatt hours of electricity this year. Of course, the U.S. is still playing catch-up with many other regions.

"In fact, countries such as Spain, Portugal and Denmark all rely on wind farms for as much as one-quarter of their total power needs. Across Europe, wind turbines will account for roughly one-third of all new generating capacity installed over the next few years and could provide electricity for 90 million people by 2010.

"The outlook is even brighter in many booming, energy-hungry Asian markets. In China, installed wind power capacity surged +130% last year and will reportedly supply a great deal of the electricity needed for the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

"Thanks to the great strides in engineering, wind turbine output has increased by a factor of ten (or higher in some cases) over the past decade.

Continue reading Trinity (TRN): Value play in wind power

Trinity (TRN): Value play in wind power originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"If you think filling up an SUV is painful, try footing the bill for a massive 1,000-foot ocean liner -- or in the case of Carnival Corp. (NYSE: CCL), an entire fleet of 84 floating cities," notes value investor Nathan Slaughter.

In his Half-Priced Stocks he explains, "Despite unprecedented fuel costs, the company continues to power forward." Here's his bullish review.

"Last quarter, Carnival shelled out $530 per metric ton for fuel, up sharply from $330 per ton a year ago. And after pumping about 800,000 metric tons, the company rang up a total fuel bill of $425 million.

"For the year, management is expecting fuel costs to come in about $750 million higher than in 2007, which will trim earnings by about $0.92 per share. Fortunately, the company is in a position to absorb those higher costs.

"Over the past three months, two million passengers have boarded a Carnival ship, for an occupancy rate of 104.8% (indicating some berths held more than two guests). And those visitors paid $2.6 billion for their tickets and plunked down another $743 million in the lounges, casinos and gift shops after they arrived on board.

Continue reading Carnival (CCL): Cruising for profits

Carnival (CCL): Cruising for profits originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In his Half-Priced Stocks newsletter, value investor Nathan Slaughter recently assessed stocks based on the general investment philosophy of Benjamin Graham, the noted value investor under whom Warren Buffett studied.

One issue that stands out in his view is Cabela's (NYSE: CAB), one of the world's largest specialty retailers of hunting and fishing gear, camping equipment, and outdoor apparel.

"The cornerstone to Graham's success and his enduring legacy to value investors was his 'margin of safety' concept. Specifically, he would take a hard look at dividend yields, price-to-book ratios, and other key metrics.

"Cabela's originated as a direct marketer and once primarily sold its products via catalog, but has since augmented that distribution channel with e-commerce operations and a growing chain of nearly 30 stores spread throughout 19 states.

Continue reading Cabela's (CAB): 'Sporting gains' from Ben Graham-style buy

Cabela's (CAB): 'Sporting gains' from Ben Graham-style buy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 May 2008 11:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Nathan Slaugher sees video game retailer GameStop (NYSE: GME) benefiting from several popular new video software titles. Here's the advisor's latest review from his Half-Priced Stocks newsletter.

"The shares of have staged an impressive rally, vaulting over 30% since the beginning of March. Most of those gains followed the firm's fourth-quarter earnings release, which showed more of the same phenomenal growth that we've grown accustomed to.

"Driven by brisk demand for popular software titles like Activision's Call of Duty 4 and Electronic Arts' Rock Band, same-store sales jumped 17.4%, pushing overall revenues ahead nearly 25% to $2.9 billion.

"Meanwhile, despite the quarter being one week shorter, earnings soared 46% to $190 million, or $1.14 per share -- ahead of optimistic guidance that had been raised not once, but twice.

Continue reading Value buyer plays at GameStop (GME)

Value buyer plays at GameStop (GME) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:31:00 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.

"McGraw-Hill (NYSE: MHP) is my top conservative pick for 2008," says Nathan Slaughter, editor of Half-Priced Stocks. "If you want to beat the market in 2008, then you might start with the one company that actually owns the market, or at least the S&P 500 Index; McGraw holds the keys to the widely used stock barometer, as well as other benchmarks from the ubiquitous Standard & Poor's family.

"From futures contracts to ETFs, there is a staggering $5 trillion of investable assets linked to these indices -- which generate piles of recurring royalty and licensing revenues.

"Elsewhere, the firm is also a leading provider of textbooks and other supplemental learning materials. There are roughly 55 million students enrolled in grades K-12, and state governments currently spend more than $8,500 per student each year -- a total that is forecast to hit $11,000 within the next seven years.

Continue reading Best Stocks for 2008: Value investor votes for McGraw-Hill (MHP)

Best Stocks for 2008: Value investor votes for McGraw-Hill (MHP) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 19 Dec 2007 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) should appeal to value and income investors, according to says Nathan Slaughter. Indeed, he notes, for those who are attracted to the safety and stability of large companies, they don't come much bigger than Citigroup, a "behemoth in the banking industry." Here's his review.

Slaughter, the editor of Half-Priced Stocks, a newsletter focused on value-oriented situations, points out that Citigroup, with 200 million customers, generated more than $140 billion in revenues last year and boasts assets in excess of $1 trillion.

In fact, he notes, last year's profit of $21 billion is greater than the entire GDP of more than 100 different nations.

However, he states, "Don't make the mistake of thinking this is a lumbering giant with no growth drivers. Citi has built a vast network throughout the world's emerging markets, which helped the company increase its deposit base by an impressive +20% last year."

Further, he adds, "The company's expansive reach should fuel growth for years to come, and analysts are targeting healthy earnings growth of +10% annually over the next five years."

Continue reading Bank on Citigroup for value and income

Bank on Citigroup for value and income originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 May 2007 12:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Each year Steven Halpern, editor of TheStockAdvisors.com, surveys the leading financial newsletter advisors asking for their favorite stocks for the coming year. This article is part of his 24th annual Top Picks Report.

IMAX Corp. (NASDAQ: IMAX), which specializes in the development of high-end theater projection and sound systems, is the favorite speculative idea for 2007 from says Nathan Slaughter.

The editor of Half-Priced Stocks notes, "IMAX has been slammed by a 'perfect storm.' Within the span of a few months this year, the company has been battered by investor backlash due to a failed buyout, an informal SEC probe, a class-action lawsuit and, in November, sub-par quarterly results.

"While there is always a danger associated with 'trying to catch a falling knife,' the rewards significantly outweigh the risks at this point. Until fairly recently, IMAX movies were primarily a novelty found at museums, planetariums, and marine centers. But two major technological breakthroughs are bringing the IMAX experience to mainstream America.

"The first is its MPX technology, which allows commercial multiplex owners a cost-effective way to retrofit traditional 35-mm screens and convert them into IMAX theaters. Through the first nine months of 2006, IMAX inked 25 new deals. Further, its digital re-mastering technology that converts traditional 35-mm films into rich 70-mm IMAX format has led to a series of partnerships with major Hollywood studios like Disney and Time Warner, which are increasingly choosing to release blockbuster hits in IMAX theaters.

Continue reading Top Picks 2007: Nathan Slaughter views value in IMAX

Top Picks 2007: Nathan Slaughter views value in IMAX originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 Dec 2006 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.