This post is part of Japan: A Special Report for Investors.

"Tokyo-based Mizuho Financial Group (MFG) is Japan's second-largest bank in terms of total assets," notes Paul Tracy.

The editor of High Yield International suggests, "Banks are typically considered cheap when they trade at a discount to their underlying book value and Mizuho currently trades at just 0.7 times book.

"The past two decades have not been kind to the Japanese banking industry, though the leading financials have been restructuring successfully.

Continue reading Japan: Mizuho Financial Group (MFG)

Japan: Mizuho Financial Group (MFG) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"London-based Rio Tinto (RIO) is one of the largest and most diversified mining companies in the world; ith the potential to reward shareholders with increased dividends and share buybacks, Rio is a buy for investors seeking exposure to booming commodity markets," says Paul Tracy.

The editor of High Yield International explains, "Rio's operations are located in Australia, North and South America, South Africa, Europe and Indonesia. Its strategy is to concentrate on the development of large, high quality mineral deposits and become a low-cost producer for each commodity.

Continue reading Commodity 'Boom' Boosts Rio Tinto (RIO)

Commodity 'Boom' Boosts Rio Tinto (RIO) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sitting in his college dorm, a student stared at his jar of coins, wondering what to do with them; two years later in 1991, Jens Molbak started a company that allowed customers to pour their change into a machine and getting dollars in return," notes Paul Tracy.

The editor of Street Authority Market Advisor adds, "Coinstar (CSTR) is now offering its products and services in more than 90,000 locations in more than 140 countries."

Continue reading Coinstar (CSTR): Making Change from Coins to DVDs

Coinstar (CSTR): Making Change from Coins to DVDs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"According to terms of the deal, the internet-based phone service will fall under the ownership of a private syndicate for about $1.9 billion.

"Former CEO Meg Whitman orchestrated the acquisition of Skype back in 2005 as a means of communication between buyers and sellers. And the service has attracted hordes of subscribers in a short period of time.

Continue reading eBay (EBAY): Life after Skype

eBay (EBAY): Life after Skype originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"In this recession, consumers are spending less per purchase on their credit cards -- but that hasn't slowed down the credit card company MasterCard (NYSE: MA)," says Paul Tracy.

In his The StreetAuthority Market Advisor, he points out, "In the second quarter, MasterCard's net income grew by +26%, beating Wall Street's expectations by a significant margin." Here's his review.

"MasterCard makes its money from the fees it charges merchants and the banks that issue its cards. The issuing banks make money by charging consumers interest.

"And as we've seen, the banks can lose money when consumers default on their credit card debt. But MasterCard's fee-based business model has been relatively resilient during the downturn.

Continue reading Charged up over MasterCard

Charged up over MasterCard originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Not surprisingly, Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) has been placing particular emphasis on China, where there is plenty of untapped potential," says Paul Tracy in his StreetAuthority Market Advisor.

"Like most companies that have been around for well over a century, Coca-Cola operates in a relatively mature industry.

"Domestically, per-capita soft-drink consumption has plateaued and domestic volume growth is generally tough to come by.

"The story is quite different for many overseas markets, which now account for about 75% of the firm's sales. Coke isn't the world's most recognized brand for nothing -- consumers in 200 countries around the globe gulp down about 1.6 billion servings of its beverages every single day.

Continue reading Coca-Cola (KO) targets China

Coca-Cola (KO) targets China originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Expedia (NASDAQ: EXPE) has taken flight over the past two months, soaring more than 165% off their early-March low," says Paul Tracy.

The editor of Street Authority Market Advisor explains, "Despite a sharp slowdown in leisure and business travel, overall travel volume booked through Expedia's sites (which include Hotels.com and Hotwire.com) remains impressive.

"Over the past three months, Expedia's travel sites have booked $5.2 billion (retail value) worth of travel expenditures. That gross booking figure is down about 11% over last year, but represents a considerable 30% improvement over the prior quarter.

Continue reading Take a trip with Expedia (EXPE)

Take a trip with Expedia (EXPE) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of a featured report on stocks in the Chinese online gaming sector.

"China's online gaming market is slated to surge," says Andy Obermueller, an analyst with Street Authority's newly-launched advisory service, Government-Driven Investing.

"In China, internet users understand and embrace the 'come, stay, pay' model; that's where a site allows users to access a few things for free, but they have to pony up for the good stuff.

"This works particularly well with games. One of the leaders in this space is Shanda Interactive Entertainment (NASDAQ: SNDA). Gamers at its site use prepaid cards -- available at more than 320,000 vendors -- to add money to player accounts that can be used to access all of the features of its games.

Continue reading China online gaming: Another vote for Shanda (SNDA)

China online gaming: Another vote for Shanda (SNDA) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) remains the dominant search engine on the web," notes Paul Tracy. In his StreetAuthority Market Advisor, he views the stock as a solid buy for growth investors.

"In economic downturns, one of the first costs most companies cut is advertising. Not surprisingly, over the past year, most companies have slashed their advertising budgets in response to the severe economic downturn.

"But online ad spending has remained remarkably resilient. GOOG's system targets specific ads based on what users type into their search box, geographic location and other factors.

Continue reading Go for growth with Google (GOOG)

Go for growth with Google (GOOG) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Golf has Tiger Woods, novelists have Tom Clancy, and the investment community has stars such as Bruce Berkowitz, Bill Nygren, Charlie Dreifus, and Mario Gabelli," states Paul Tracy.

In his The Street Authority Market Advisor, he suggests, "These money managers are at the pinnacle of their craft." Here, he takes a look at these "celebrities" and some of their current top stock holdings.

"These money managers have all amassed prodigious gains over the years for their shareholders. Over the past few months, these gurus have come out with ringing endorsements for certain stocks. This isn't empty talk -- they are putting their money where their mouth is.

Continue reading Investing with the stars: Top stocks from top managers

Investing with the stars: Top stocks from top managers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 May 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Though the past year has been tough for Warren Buffett, we still like Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.B), which we believe is well-positioned for the year ahead," says Paul Tracy.

In his StreetAuthority Market Advisor, he looks at the holding company which is a position in his "undervalued gems" model portfolio. Here's his review.

"For only the second time in the investment-based company's 44 years, Buffett saw the book value of Berkshire drop. Of course his book value decline of 9.6% should be put in context with the 37% loss incurred by the S&P 500.

Continue reading Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B): Buffett is still a good bet

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B): Buffett is still a good bet originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of a special annual report -- Top Stock Picks '09 -- in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked 75 leading newsletter advisors to select their favorite investment for the new year.

"ProShares Ultra Oil and Gas (NYSE: DIG), my top idea for 2009, is an exchange-traded fund that positions itself with the performance of the United States' top oil and gas companies," says growth stock specialist Paul Tracy.

In his StreetAuthority Market Advisor, he explains, "The 'ultra' part of its name means that the fund uses leverage, which magnifies returns by a factor of two relative to the Dow Jones U.S. Oil & Gas Index."

The advisor continues, "DIG is a leveraged ETF. In short, for every 1% the U.S. Oil & Gas Index rises, DIG should rise 2%. That means the performance of DIG is dictated by the moves of the largest industry heavyweights like ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, and Chevron.

"In addition to integrated oil companies, DIG is also exposed to major oilfield service companies like Schlumberger and Halliburton and gas-industry leaders like Apache.

"The world simply cannot, in its current form, live without fossil fuels. Global demand for petroleum is roughly 85 million barrels of oil a day, which means the activity in the oilfields simply never stops.

Continue reading Top Stock Picks '09: ProShares Ultra Oil & Gas (DIG)

Top Stock Picks '09: ProShares Ultra Oil & Gas (DIG) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Mountains of money are about to be spent on the water industry," says exchange-traded fund expert Paul Tracy.

In his The ETF Authority, the advisor adds, "All things considered, my favorite way to invest in the water sector is through the PowerShares Global Water Portfolio (AMEX: PIO)."

"PIO tracks a benchmark that has delivered the strongest gains in the group by a comfortable margin.

"For the last five years, through the end of last quarter, the Palisades Global Water Index has posted annualized returns of 24.9%, for a cumulative gain of 204% -- versus just 44% for the S&P 500. In other words, a $10,000 investment made in 2003 would be worth more than $30,000 today.

"Yet, the portfolio is still the most attractively valued -- the average holding is trading at just 2.5 times book value and 13 times earnings.

"Shareholders in the ETF will have a stake in companies like Veolia Environment, the world's leading provider of water and wastewater treatment.

"Other top holdings include Kurita, which supplies ultra-pure water for semiconductor manufacturing and makes reverse osmosis seawater desalination systems for remote islands; and Hyflux, a leading maker of water recycling technology used in Singapore and China.

Continue reading Global gains in water sector

Global gains in water sector originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Market Vectors Global Nuclear (ASE: NLR) offers investors a well-diversified play on the booming nuclear power industry," notes Paul Tracy.

The editor of The ETF Investor -- a top notch service that offers in-depth analysis of exchange-traded funds -- turns its analysis towards the outlook for the nuclear power sector.

"The ETF is designed to track the performance of companies that derive at least half their total revenues from the nuclear power business. That list includes firms that build nuclear power plants, mine uranium, and generate electricity in nuclear plants.

"Demand for electricity is surging globally, with most of that growth coming from fast-growing emerging markets like China and India. In fact, according to the Department of Energy, Chinese and Indian power demand is expected to nearly triple between now and 2030.

"These nations (and many others) are choosing to expand their nuclear power plant capacity to meet some of that demand. China has been aggressively opening new plants in recent years and has plans to open dozens more in an effort to triple nuclear's share of Chinese electricity supply by 2030.

Continue reading Powering gains with Market Vectors Global Nuclear (NLR)

Powering gains with Market Vectors Global Nuclear (NLR) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Under Armour (NYSE: UA) and VMware (NYSE: VMW) both have the potential for a short squeeze in coming months," says Paul Tracy in StreetAuthority Market Advisor.

"VMware is a market leader in software virtualization. Companies typically do not use the full computing power of their servers, and when not in use, that server sits idle.

"Virtualization technology allows IT managers to use that underutilized capacity -- running software across the organization's entire base of servers. Thus, virtualization is a key cost-cutting technology.

"VMware has a short interest ratio of 11.7 and a freely traded float of just 50 million shares. If all those shorts try to cover, the stock looks likely to be in short supply. Meanwhile, trading at 36 times 2009 earnings estimates with a long-term growth rate of 45%, VMW doesn't look overpriced.

"Under Armour (NYSE: UA) makes clothing (along with sports equipment) targeting the athletic and outdoor-oriented market. Specifically, the company makes clothes designed to wick moisture away from the skin and keep the wearer at a comfortable temperature, regardless of weather conditions.

"Meanwhile, the stock has seen strong earnings growth despite the slowdown in consumer spending -- earnings surged 42% in the fourth quarter. And management recently announced its looking for revenues to reach $765-775 million in 2008, representing around a 27% increase over 2007 levels.

"With a forward P/E of 23 and a long-term growth rate of 25%, UA looks inexpensive. With a float of less than 32 million shares and a short interest ratio approaching 12, Under Armour looks like a prime short-squeeze candidate."

Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers the latest market commentary and favorite investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

Under Armour (UA) and VMware (VMW): Short squeeze candidates? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:48:00 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.

"My top speculative idea for 2008 is International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT)," says Paul Tracy, editor of StreetAuthority Market Advisor.

"IGT is the world's leading slot machine manufacturer. In addition to basic slot machine design and sales, the company generates more than half of its revenues by leasing machines to casinos in exchange for a percentage of the net win.

"This gaming business provides the firm with a recurring stream of high-margin revenues. Thanks to steady expansion in recent years, IGT now draws income from about 60,000 machines installed throughout casinos in key gaming markets across the globe.

"With deep pockets and steady cash flows, the company has been able to spend nearly twice as much on research and development activities as its closest competitors. In a recent poll conducted by Casino Player magazine, seven of the top ten most popular video slots were introduced by IGT.

Continue reading Best Stocks for 2008: Hit the jackpot with Int'l Game Technology (IGT)

Best Stocks for 2008: Hit the jackpot with Int'l Game Technology (IGT) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 27 Dec 2007 15:30:00 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.

"My top conservative stock idea for 2008 is CarMax (NYSE: KMX)," says Paul Tracy, editor of StreetAuthority Market Advisor.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has recently disclosed that is has taken a 6.4% stake in the used-car retailer. It's impossible to know for sure if Berkshire's stake is the result of Buffett's own buying or that of one of Berkshire's subsidiary companies, but either way it's a vote of confidence for CarMax.

"KMX has been sliding in recent months due to fears that a consumer slump would impact sales of used cars. But we continue to believe those concerns are overblown.

"The company offers a unique shopping experience that is unrivaled by traditional used-car dealerships -- the firm's superstores are well-stocked, offer haggle-free pricing, and provide painless trade-ins and vehicle financing.

Continue reading Best Stocks for 2008: A Buffett bet with CarMax (KMX)

Best Stocks for 2008: A Buffett bet with CarMax (KMX) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 21 Dec 2007 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

The SPDR S&P Metals & Mining (AMEX: XME), "a play on hard assets, has delivered impressive gains of 52% over the past 12 months," notes Paul Tracy who has added the ETF to the Sector Trading Portfolio of The ETF Authority.

The advisor explains, "While investors shouldn't grow accustomed to red-hot annual gains of 50%, this ETF is an ideal way to gain exposure to this sector." Here is his review.

"XME has been in the right place at the right time. The ETF mirrors the S&P Metals & Mining and invests in hard assets like precious metals (gold), industrial metals (copper, aluminum), steel, and coal.

"According to studies conducted by research firm Ibbotson, this group has a very low correlation with other traditional asset classes, and a modest stake can boost long-term returns with negligible additional risk -- and that has certainly been the case lately.

Continue reading Top resource ideas: An ETF SPDR for hard assets

Top resource ideas: An ETF SPDR for hard assets originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 10 Nov 2007 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

What are the best speculations and investments among metals, miners, and other resource plays? To find out, I turned to 20 of the nation's leading newsletter editors, as well as speakers from the recent New Orleans Conference, a leading forum for resource advisors.

Their current top ideas cover a wide diversity of ideas, from gold and silver, from alumina and copper, to platinum and palladium. These picks cover markets from Chile to China and from Canada to Russia. These ideas also range from large cap, well-established, and diversified companies to small cap, development-stage junior speculations.

Readers should only consider these ideas as a starting place for their own research and should keep in mind the caveat that any stock you buy should only be considered within the framework of your own time horizon and risk parameters. Meanwhile, here are 20 different advisors assessing various aspects of the metals, mining, and resources sectors:

Continue reading Top resource ideas: 20 advisors on metals, mining, and money

Top resource ideas: 20 advisors on metals, mining, and money originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 Nov 2007 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Alternative energies are not just a pie-in-the-sky dream," says Paul Tracy and Nathan Slaughter from the StreetAuthority Market Advisor. "Denmark generates as much as 30% of its power from wind, Iceland uses geothermal energy, and producers are bringing down the cost of solar power."

"Overall, companies involved in alternative power technologies, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass, are getting plenty of attention from investors these days." Here, the advisors profile what they consider to the most attractive companies in the alternative energy space.

Suntech Power Holdings Co. (NYSE: STP), "which manufactures and sells photovoltaic (PV) solar cells, has two primary advantages: a low manufacturing cost base and highly efficient cells.

"For starters, Suntech is based in China, where labor costs (even for skilled research staff) are far lower than in the Western world. The Chinese government also subsidizes such research, further helping companies like Suntech.

"In addition, the firm's cells boast some of the highest conversion rates on the market, allowing the company to offer smaller panels that can produce as much electricity as far larger ones from competitors.

"Suntech has been ramping up its manufacturing capacity rapidly in recent years to keep pace with strong demand. Analysts are forecasting robust earnings growth of 45% annually over the next five years.

Continue reading Best energy ideas: Investing in alternative energy

Best energy ideas: Investing in alternative energy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 20 Oct 2007 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.