Reports that Britney Spears was in a minor accident over the weekend with her Mercedes is another in a long line of mishaps for the pop star. Why this qualifies as news is beyond me, and it's my feeling that Britney should just be left alone. The media have succeeded in driving her into a virtual nervous breakdown, for what? To sell a few more papers, or attract a few more viewers. Should the media be in the business of ruining people?

According to the AP report: "Spears was in stop-and-go traffic when her car struck a 2006 Nissan in front of her that had stopped. The Nissan then pushed forward into another vehicle. No damage was noted to any of the vehicles."

The one winner in this latest Spears' episode may be Daimler AG (NYSE:DAI), maker of the famed Mercedes. As with most automakers the company has been struggling, and sales have been sagging. There is no question that they could use the free PR. After all, Britney drives the car, and it escaped the crash without a dent.

Despite recent troubles, investors looking for a contrarian play may want to take a look at Daimler. Their new strategy of trying to gain market share in Russia and in China to help offset US weakness, seems to be a smart move. With a growing upper middle class in both of these countries, the need to own a Mercedes will be strong, as it will be perceived as a status symbol.

Maybe the media can start focusing on global wealth creation, and leave Britney alone.

Aaron Katsman is the lead Portfolio Manager and Managing Director of America Israel Investment Associates, LLC. and Senior Editor of IsraelNewsletter.com. DISCLOSURE: Writer's fund has no position in any stock mentioned, as of 4/14/08.

There's a great book -- called Taken for a Ride: How Daimler-Benz Drove Off With Chrysler -- that covers the behind-the-scenes details of the 1998 merger that created DaimlerChrysler (NYSE: DCX). On its face, it looked like a smart deal; that is, the auto industry needed consolidation to get economies of scale. Yet, how can you do that with a premium brand and a low-cost brand?

Of course, it didn't work out. Besides the mismatch in target markets, both companies had major struggles with different corporate cultures. There was also a big deterioration in quality (which is fatal for premium brands).

Now Chrysler is going to be owned by a private equity firm, Cerberus Capital Management.

Interestingly enough, according to a piece in Barron's [a paid service], the deal may be very good news for Daimler. While the stock has rallied over the past year, some people think it could reach $100 or more.

Why? First of all, Daimler no longer has the burden of Chrysler's $18 billion in unfunded health care benefits. In fact, that's a key reason why Daimler essentially paid Cerberus about $650 million to take Chrysler.

What's more, Daimler is a much more focused organization. Over the years, Daimler has also instituted a variety of process and efficiency improvements. Thus, these should ultimately help pad the bottom line.

Oh, and Daimler still owns about 20% of Chrysler. So if Cerberus works its private equity magic effectively, Daimler could get a boost from that too.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and the EDGAR-Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements.

We've all experienced unsatisfactory customer service at some point. Slow service from a bartender, inattentiveness in a clothing store, interminably futile telephone conversations with utilities companies. Some of us can quickly brush aside these transgressions; others might take comfort in writing a strongly-worded letter (or seven).

One Korean man, Kim (the lone name that has been released in the press), took a slightly more dramatic approach, barreling a friend's borrowed Mercedes S500 into the South Korean lobby of SK Telecom's (NYSE: SKM) offices. Consumerist.com quoted Kim as saying: "The Samsung Anycall call phone that I bought from a [SK Telecom] distributor . . . didn't work at all."

Before taking these drastic measures, the disgruntled consumer said he placed 16 calls to his carrier's customer service department and visited the head office twice. An employee suggested Kim simply replace his phone with a newer model because the old version was no longer available.

No word yet on the repercussions facing Kim (on the part of either Samsung or his friend from whom he borrowed the Mercedes.)

Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

I have written extensively about DaimlerChrysler AG's (NYSE: DCX) possible sale of the Chrysler unit. It's a cultural issue as well as an economic issue. Chyrsler lost nearly $2 billion for Daimler last year. Let's do the math for last year and going forward.

Daimler reported net operating income from operations for calender 2006 of $4.2 billion. This is after the Chrysler unit dragged the operating numbers down by roughly $2 billion -- a tough loss for Daimler in view of the profits generated by the Mercedes Benz unit. The fascinating aspect of the whole "dump Chrysler" movement is to showcase the earnings power and the leverage of the Mercedes Benz division.

As the shares of DCX have risen from the mid $60s to the low $80s in just 6-7 short weeks, investors are salivating about what the real earnings could be for 2008 and 2009. Current consensus estimates for calender 2008 are for revenues of $206 billion and earnings per share of $5.08. These estimates take into account Chrysler's numbers as well. If Daimler successfully sheds Chrysler, as it appears it just might, the earnings for 2008 could be as high as $6.60-7.00 per share. That's an incredible jump from the $5.08 current estimate.

Institutional investors are working the Daimler model without Chrysler's drag and the estimates for earnings will vary widely, but one thing is for sure: earnings will go a lot higher. Investors are willing to look past the obscene -- $36 billion -- price Daimler paid for Chrysler back in 1998. If Daimler can take in $8-13 billion for the Chrysler unit, as has been rumored, investors will give the collective sigh of relief as Daimler can re-focus its energy and resources back to the cash cow of Mercedes Benz.

Georges Yared is the chief investment officer of Yared Investment Research

Earlier this month I was in London visiting with several professional portfolio managers that I worked with these past 16 years. All in all, I visited with 11 professional managers who, combined, manage over $80 billion in the U.S. stock market. It's always an interesting perspective to hear the views and observations of foreigners who make their living in our markets. They do indeed bring a refreshing, nonbiased point of view.

One portfolio manager in particular was vehement that Daimler (NYSE:DCX) will not rise in value until they unload "that turkey," the Chrysler division. He explained that Daimler on its own merits is a growth company and the Mercedes-Benz brand is the jewel. His parting words to me were "as this spin-off or sell-off gets closer, DCX will lift like a balloon on Ascot Day." (Remember, he's British!)

He reasoned that profits generated by the Mercedes cars, trucks, and buses are being drained by the poorly run, bloated Chrysler division. Chrysler was the drag because of union issues, long-term health care commitments, and lousy facilities. Daimler, left alone, is a well-run and efficient auto/truck manufacturer with excellence in its engineering and production facilities. He may well be right.

Yesterday, Daimler was up $4.76 per share, and since early March when all this talk of spinning/selling off Chrysler began, the stock has moved up from $67 to $83, a huge move in a difficult market environment.

I spoke with him again this morning and, as expected, he is taking the victory lap. The "I told you so" was mentioned three or four times in our discussion between sips of tea. He exclaimed that Daimler shareholders will now demand that Chrysler be unloaded, as shareholders are now beginning to understand the power of Daimler's stock without Chrysler dragging it down. He said his price target is $100 to $110 for Daimler. He went to say, "I understand how you blokes get emotional about an American institution like Chrysler, but it is profit-proof in its current position."

He again is probably right, and he did tell me so ...

Georges Yared is the author of Stop Losing Money Today and Baby Boomer Investing. Please visit www.georgesyared.com

If you regularly laugh in the face of death, eat nails for breakfast and think that only sissies need a backup parachute, than buying Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) stock is right for you.

While Ford has huge problems and is in debt up to its eyeballs, it's also working just as hard to resolve them under Chief Executive Alan Mullaly through an $11 billion restructuring plan. But what gets lost in the discussion about declining market share, union negotiations and debt is the fact that Ford makes some good cars.

Consumer Reports put the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan on its "Most Impressive" list of cars. The non-profit organization also recommended 54 percent of the Ford cars it rates, more than General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM) or DaimlerChrylser AG (NYSE:DCX). Of course, the Japanese cars dominated the rankings.

Ford is certainly not going to dig itself out of a hole anytime soon but neither are its rivals whose shares are doing much better. It's interesting that Ford's stock is down 2 percent over the past year compared with a 60 percent gain in General Motors and a 22 percent increase at Daimler. This pricing doesn't make much sense.

Ford has a lower debt-to-equity ratio than General Motors and unlike GM has a positive return on equity. DaimlerChrysler's ratios aren't available, but its shares have been surging on expectations that it was going to sell Chrysler. Plus, sales in Germany and France, key markets for Daimler, have been slipping recently.

Carl Icahn has made billions betting on companies that are out of favor with the market including our beloved corporate parent Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX). Wilbur Ross has done well with steel and private equity companies are snapping up companies that the market is turning its back on left and right.

People get rich by not following the crowd. They also don't take unnecessary risks. So, before buying a stock like Ford, think about it long and hard. Then think about it again and again. This stock isn't going to make you rich quick, but has the potential to do better than it is today.

Note: The Daily Option Update is provided by Stock Options Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Volatility Index S&P 500 Options-VIX down .07 to 10.15.

General Motors-(NYSE:GM) option implied volatility increases to 37: Dow Jones says "GM in talks to purchase Chrysler." General Motors is recently down .41 to $36.02. Dow Jones reported "GM in talks to purchase Chrysler Group." GM call option volume of 22,023 contracts compares to put volume of 43,510 contracts. General Motors March option implied volatility of 35 is below its 26-week average of 40 according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price risks.

DaimlerChrysler-(NYSE:DCX) option implied volatility Spikes on Dow Jones report on GM. DaimlerChrysler is recently up $2.69 to $72.85. Dow Jones reported: "General Motors in talks to purchase Chrysler Group." DCX call option volume of 24,099 contracts compares to put volume of 5,947 contracts. DaimlerChrysler March option implied volatility of 31 is above a level from 22 yesterday and above its 26-week average of 25 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price risks.

Option volume leaders today were: Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), Best Buy (NYSE: BBY), Apple, Inc. (NYSE:AAPL) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT).

The large car companies can stop putting out monthly figures and just make photo copies of the reports from the previous month. The U.S. car sales fall and Toyota picks up more share.

December auto sales show that Toyota Motor Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:TM) had a 12.3% rise in units to 228,322. Honda's sales were essentially flat at 131,778.

By contrast, Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) sales fell 12.8% to 233,621. Truck sales fell 14% at Ford to 163,003. The flagship F-series pick-up sales were off over 21% to 70,580.

General Motors Corporation (NYSE:GM) may have had the most disappointing month of all. Vehicles sales fell 13% to 334,501. Truck sales fell 21%.

DaimlerChrysler AG (NYSE:DCX) sales fell by a much smaller margin, down 1% to 218,530. Mercedes sales were off but an improvement at Chrysler helped the German car company come close to break-even compared to December of last year.

At the Big Three, the beatings will continue until morale improves. Unfortunately, the U.S. car industry faces further cuts in employment and costs, so is this likely to happen soon?

Douglas A. McIntyre is a partner at 24/7 Wall St.