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Posts with tag Peru

The (bad) luck of the Irish Republican Army: Guess who invested in subprimes?

I've always imagined that one of the great joys of belonging to a Socialist group would be not worrying about the well-nigh incomprehensible fluctuations of the stock market. While other people may lose sleep over the screaming highs and soul-crushing lows of the capitalist economies, hard-core socialists just have to worry about plebian things like political purity, the potato harvest, and whether or not the shops currently have razor blades in stock.

With that in mind, I feel somewhat sorry for the Provisional Irish Republican Army. While they rejected the Communist tendencies of the "Official" IRA in the 1960's, they still self-identified as a "non-Marxist Democratic Socialist" organization. However, when they signed a ceasefire in 1997, they rebelled against this identity and invested their funds in the property market and, subsequently, in high-high-dividend deposit accounts in the U.S. According to some reports, Wall Street's recent meltdown may have cost the former terrorist group as much as $274 million.

Needless to say, IRA financial advisors are currently "in a state of panic," as they are watching their funding (and potential political power) evaporate. There is no word yet on whether or not Baader-Meinhof, Shining Path, or Black September were invested in the market!

Global gains: South African gold

I've just returned from the World Money Show, where some 10,000+ investors gathered to learn about global investing. I had a chance to meet with many of the advisors who were featured at the show, and over the next week I will be highlighting some of their favorite investment ideas. To view all of the stocks featured in this special global report, click here.

The international diversity of this top-tier conference is easily seen in this article, in which Adrian Day, a London-based advisor and editor of The Global Analyst looks at the prospects for a South African company with operations from China to Peru." Here's his review.

"Gold Fields (NYSE:GFI) is easily my favorite South African stock, and it's not difficult to see why: It has the best mines with the lowest cost and longest life; solid management; a strong balance sheet (with an ongoing emphasis on cost control); and a vision for international growth.

"Recently, however, its shares have lagged; this was because of a large equity issue occasioned by a substantial South African acquisition. But now that equity issue is concluded, we can buy again.

"Gold Fields has a focus on a few large, long-life assets, both in South Africa and internationally. Its recent $3 billion acquisition of the very deep and long-life South Deep mine has resulted in a jump in the share of its production from South Africa, as well as a significant increase in its share count and its debt.

Continue reading Global gains: South African gold

Cramer goes South -- way South, to Southern Copper

Evidently, Jim Cramer can opine on worldwide politics, not just money! Tonight on MAD MONEY he went far afield from his usual fare and pointed to the New York Times World Briefing about how the leader of the Shining Path in Peru will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Cramer, the sort to see an investment decision in any news, said this is actually good for Peru. But what's the pick? He likes Southern Copper Corporation (NYSE:PCU) the best, formerly Southern Peru Copper. He thinks Peru is a good Latin country that is still pro-capitalism. He thinks it is a real democracy, but the real reason to buy is the yield. It yields 8% from its dividend. It is also #4 on Fortune's 100 Fastest-Growing Companies. He said it has larger reserves than Phelps Dodge Corporation (NYSE:PD) and he said the company can smelter copper cheaper than others. He also said a strike resolution was favorable to the company. Cramer also said that the new non-hedging policy on copper prices will create an earnings explosion.

Cramer has been positive on Southern Copper before. Its shares closed down 0.7% at $50.65 in regular trading, but it traded up to $51.50 after Cramer touted the stock. Its 52-week trading range is $24.79 to $54.97.

Symbol Lookup
IndexesChangePrice
DJIA-215.458,376.24
NASDAQ-46.821,445.56
S&P 500-25.52845.22

Last updated: December 04, 2008: 09:14 PM

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