In my home state of Minnesota, boating is a huge tradition of the season. I love fast boats, slow boats, and fishing boats, and Marine Products Corp. (NYSE: MPX) builds them all.

As one might expect, the recession has crushed MPX and its business. If a consumer can barely afford a high-priced Starbucks coffee, how can they afford to buy a boat?

The consumer discretionary sector of the market has been hardest hit by the downturn, and shares of MPX reflect declining demand for its products. Ah, but that is the rub. Is demand really waning?

Continue reading Stock #1: Marine Products Corp. (MPX)

Stock #1: Marine Products Corp. (MPX) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 30 May 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Before you retreat to your favorite summer locale with the perfect book, let's take a look at the stocks set to profit as consumers look to enjoy the fruits of their labor over the next several months.

For me, summer means lots of boating, fishing, and time with my family. And this year I'll be doing more of each to make up for lost time spent hunkering down during the downturn.

As such, companies that make the goods in each of these categories should do well. That's how it goes during a recession. Demand builds as we retreat to preserve cash and fix balance sheets.

Continue reading 5 hot summer stocks for cool profits

5 hot summer stocks for cool profits originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 30 May 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.