We're tired of bubbles, right? Anyone 30 or older has lived through two big ones so far, with a brief period of prosperity separating the decimation of dot-com largesse and mortgage-fueled paper wealth. It could take until 2014 for the jobs lost to be replenished, and there's little reason for optimism.

So, with the economy in the tank, we can focus elsewhere -- maybe on saving the planet. If we can't put green in our wallets, maybe we can add some to our lifestyles. Or, you could do both. Green technology could be the next boom in the United States, even if we do lag some parts of the world, and investing in clean solutions is really nothing other than investing in the next big thing. Even if you don't give a damn about climate change (or don't think it exists at all), the green market could likely become your employer -- or trigger the economic growth that will create your next job.

Some signs are visible already.

Continue reading Five signs that green is the next bubble

Five signs that green is the next bubble originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading General Electric to build a battery plant, aiming for future higher growth

General Electric to build a battery plant, aiming for future higher growth originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 12 May 2009 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Revenues, however, didn't fare so well. They fell 7%. Not only did the economy affect sales, but the dreaded currency-translation phantom that has been haunting the top lines of all businesses that are exposed to international transactions made its dreaded appearance on Energizer's earnings report. A conservative stance on the part of retailers and their inventory levels was also mentioned as a negative driver for sales in the release.

Continue reading Energizer beats in Q2, but is the stock powerful enough for your portfolio?

Energizer beats in Q2, but is the stock powerful enough for your portfolio? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GM, Bauer says, has now committed a large amount of resources to electric and hybrid technologies, whereas previous commitments were modest. Moreover, "it would take an act of idiocy or $10 a barrel oil" for GM to dismantle its current research platform. Bauer expects neither, and as a result, he expects the 2nd, 3rd and 4th generations of Volt and its companions to achieve both battery power storage and power delivery advances not possible during GM's previous electric vehicle projects.

Continue reading GM's Volt: More ice-breaker than game-changer in electric car tech

GM's Volt: More ice-breaker than game-changer in electric car tech originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hewlett Packard (NYSE: HPQ) shares opened in the red by more than 1% today, but have been regaining ground after laptop maker Compal Electronics Inc. lowered its shipment growth forecast for the second quarter to 10% from its previous estimate of 13-15%. Compal supplies laptops to HPQ, and said a shortage of batteries is responsible for the revised forecast. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on HPQ.

After hitting a one-year high of $53.48 in November, the stock hit a one-year low of $39.99 in January. This morning, HPQ opened at $48.24. So far today the stock has hit a low of $47.54 and a high of $53.48. As of 12:15, HPQ is trading at $48.15, down $0.12 (-0.25%). The chart for HPQ looks bullish and deteriorating slightly, while S&P gives the stock a bullish 4 Stars (out of 5) Buy rating.

For a bearish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a May bear-call credit spread above the $50 range. A bear-call credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of call options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make a 4.2% return in nine trading days as long as HPQ is below $50 at May expiration. HP would have to rise by more than 9% before we would start to lose money. Learn more about this type of trade here.

Continue reading Hewlett Packard (HPQ) dips on battery supply problems

Hewlett Packard (HPQ) dips on battery supply problems originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 May 2008 13:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading General Motors is ramping up the Chevy Volt

General Motors is ramping up the Chevy Volt originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Energizer

Energizer (ENR) powers ahead originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Oct 2007 17:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

They're calling it e-paper and it seems to be the coming thing. Imagine having one thin flexible sheet upon which you could display most anything you wish to watch or read. Sony Corporation (NYSE: SNE) is said to have developed a razor thin, flexible display utilizing their organic thin-film transistor technology and organic electroluminescent display. Other companies are working on similar technologies, but Sony is laying claim to the display with the greatest flexibility. This blog on CFA's space gives some interesting snippets regarding Sony' position in the race to bring flexible display technology into the consumer realm.

Once again we are looking at an impending technological advancement that could have significant beneficial effects. I'm sure that ergonomic consumer electronics engineers are watching this scenario with glee. Imagine a Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) BlackBerry that will slip into your back pocket and fit the curve of your butt cheek, or think about a PC that you could wear as a wrist band all day. When developers merge flexible display technology with something like Motorola's (NYSE: MOT) self-powering display technology (and they will), we're going to be treated to mobile electronics that only a few of us ever imagined were possible.

Flexible video displays just around the BlackBerry corner, quite literally originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 10 Jun 2007 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

More fallout from the flaming battery debacle. Today, The Associated Press reports, (picked up by A-list consumer tech blog engadget,) that the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is putting the blame squarely back on Apple. The trade powerful ministry has ordered Apple's Japanese subsidiary to get to the bottom of the battery fiasco by September 5th, or the company could face a fine of up to ¥300,000 ($2,570) under local consumer safety laws. It's unclear whether the fine is per day per laptop or a one-time fine. Obviously, there's a huge difference.

On the surface, we all knew that it was Japan's venerable consumer electronics company SONY that was culpable for the faulty batteries and the millions of laptops recalled by Apple and Dell. Still, those who know anything about doing business in that country will know that METI is a not-so-silent partner in promoting Japanese business and companies. Hence, today's news.

Japan loves Apple... not originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Aug 2006 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

How many reports of overheating lithium laptop batteries must we hear before airport security agents start cracking down on my Dell Inspiron or your Apple MacBook? Sure, the damage intended by terrorists from a seemingly innocuous-looking bottle of liquid would be terrible. But today's reports of overheating -- and in some cases, spontaneously combusting -- laptop batteries brought the considerable specter of an exploding laptop at 30,000 feet.

"Most of the incidents reported to the CPSC occurred around the home, but transportation-safety officials have become increasingly concerned about the threat of a laptop causing a catastrophic fire aboard a commercial jetliner," said the AP version of the report. The New York Times article brought up a fire in the overhead bin of a Lufthansa jet while on the runway in Chicago (no one has confirmed whether or not this battery was housed in a Dell laptop).

With Apple recalling MacBooks because of overheating in June, I have to wonder: how is it that shampoo is verboten, but a potentially flammable laptop can proceed on the plane, to huddle on the floor with all the other laptops, cell phones, Blackberries and illiquid snacks? Investors' minds clearly weren't going where mine is, with Dell down 1.41% in after-hours trading, Apple up a bit, and after-hours quotes unavailable for American Airlines and Delta.

Next up in airports: don't bring your Dell or MacBook? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Aug 2006 20:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.