President-elect Barack Obama plans to offer a $900 billion infrastructure investment plan, according to an economic adviser. Three companies are among the beneficiaries of that plan. And it might be worth looking at them as investments.

The advisor, James Galbraith, recommends spending of more than $900 billion to rewire classrooms and libraries for high-speed Internet service and repair bridges and highways. And the companies that would benefit from this spending are high tech: General Electric (NYSE: GE) -- thanks to its Ecomagination program, Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) which makes communication infrastructure gear and Emcor Group (NYSE: EME) which makes systems for voice and data, electrical power and lighting.

GE could get orders for its green products. It spends $1.4 billion a year to develop energy-efficient products such as locomotives, jet engines and power-plant equipment, including wind turbines and solar power. It might also benefit from water treatment, lighting efficiency, "smart grid" electrical distribution and health-care information systems. Cisco stock rose 8.2% on the Nasdaq yesterday -- more than twice the average increase -- due to the perception that it will benefit from this infrastructure plan.

Let's hope Obama's infrastructure plan meets the high expectations built into these stock price increases.

Peter Cohan is President of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. He also teaches management at Babson College and edits The Cohan Letter. He owns GE stock and has no financial interest in the other securities mentioned.

GE, Cisco and Emcor Group -- plays on Obama's $900 billion infrastructure boost? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

What's the future of lighting? According to General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE), it's LED, an acronym it doesn't even define in its press release. Is the term already that widely known? I had to look it up myself. It stands for light-emitting diode and is advanced technology used in lights that are low-voltage and long lasting.

This morning GE announced it is spending $100 million to buy out Emcore's 49% interest in its joint venture GELcore, which makes LED lighting for outdoor and trasportation-related signs. At the same time it is establishing an alliance with Nichia Corp., which has some additional advanced lighting technology to bring to the table. With the Nichia partnership, it will be able to get into more general lighting products, the company says.

A quote from GE in the press release actually calls it a "win-win" deal. The quote sounds rather 1980s, but the lighting these companies are working on could be very 2010 -- and also another win for greater energy-efficiency.

Sounds like a win-win for GE share'holders.

GE invests $100 million in "the future of lighting" originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 31 Aug 2006 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.