Starbucks (SBUX - option chain) shares are rising today after the company's CEO, Howard Schultz spoke at a conference about how SBUX is planning to buy other firms to help increase its sales of products in grocery stores. SBUX recently scrapped a contract with Kraft (KFT), who had previously provided Starbucks products to grocery stores. SBUX thinks the consumer packaged goods business should grow faster than its retail cafes. Investors are also enthused about the company's plan to expand its Chinese presence. by If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on SBUX.

SBUX opened this morning at $31.01. So far today the stock has hit a low of $20.95 and a high of $31.79. As of 12:10, SBUX is trading at $31.78 up $1.18 (3.8%). The chart for SBUX looks neutral and S&P gives SBUX a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

As is often the case, growth and recovery in America begins at ground level. Current upbeat news from regional food producers is signaling good news for many companies, including Deere & Company (DE). While developing industrial bases such as China and India have taken on the lion's share of mid to heavy manufacturing duties, they are also developing increased needs to feed hungry work forces. Indeed, they are also developing the capital to feed those needs.

The spin-off from this morphing consumption dynamic is a surge of growth in America's agricultural and food production sectors. Indications are that the increased demands being put upon American agricultural output is fueling an increased demand for heavy weight farm tractors and is requiring food processing facility expansions. "Sales of 100-horsepower tractors, which cost about $75,000 to $100,000 each, were up 27 percent last month over the same month last year, said Charlie O'Brien, vice president of agricultural services for The Association of Equipment Manufacturers, in an Associated Press interview.

The amount of investable assets available to venture capital funds has basically been a growth story since 2003. Dry powder slipped 7% in 2004 and 10% in 2008, but increased in every other year over this period.

Now, the dry powder number sits at $155 billion, according to alternative investment research firm Preqin, just off its December 2007 peak of $160 billion. The big number, however, masks a wide range of market situations for venture capital funds. Dry powder levels vary by strategy and region. To get a sense of what's going on behind the scenes, check out the five facts below about venture capital dry powder.

In the current economic environment, a lot of companies are cutting back costs wherever they can in hopes of boosting earnings, but entertainment giant Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) is taking a different approach and spending in hopes of boosting its sales.

Disney is hoping that by completely revamping its retail stores that it will be able to lure in more customers, keep them longer, and encourage more sales. In order to make the best of their new marketing direction, they have enlisted the aid of one of the greatest (in my opinion) retail designers out there, Steve Jobs.

The U.S. economy will most likely exit from a recession by the end of September 2008, according to a new survey of business economists by the National Association for Business Economics.

A majority of economists expect gradual growth to return by the end of next quarter, Q3 2008, as credit market conditions improve, the NABE said. More than 60% of the economists surveyed predicted that businesses and consumers will find it easier to borrow in the second half of 2008.

However, the percentage of economists who said the United States economy is in or near a recession increased to 56% in April 2008 from 45% in February 2008.

The NABE panel expects little economic growth in the first half of 2008, but anticipates a significant pickup in the second half. For 2009, the NABE expects GDP to increase 2.7%.

Economists: optimism nudges higher

Economist Peter Dawson, who did not participate in the NABE survey, told BloggingStocks Monday the NABE results suggest economists are beginning to become somewhat more optimistic about the U.S. economy's prospects, particularly for 2009. "Recent data has been encouraging regarding credit market conditions and export data, but I want to caution investors that we still have major housing and energy price headwinds," Dawson said. "But if the data continue to point to an economic bottoming this quarter, most would interpret that as on-track, that things are moving in the right direction concerning the economy."

Dawson added that he still expects the U.S. economy to register negative growth -- contract by 0.7% and 0.4% -- in Q2 and Q3 2008, respectively, before growth resumes in Q4 2008.

Last week on BloggingStocks, I proposed that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) "take a one-year break from building more stores, and focus on getting the current stores back on track. One lost year of expansion is not much in the long-run and, if it can help to bolster existing stores, it's a wise investment indeed."

While that was certainly a far-fetched idea, Wal-Mart is planning to cut back on the opening of new supercenters this year by 25, and refocus its energy on improving existing locations. The company will build 190-200 new supercenters this year and, in future years, plans to drop that number to around 170.

The company will be using the savings from reduced capital expenditures to ramp up its buyback program, and management's attention will shift toward improving efficiency and same-store sales, which have been thoroughly unspectacular of late.

Shareholders loved the idea, sending the shares up nearly 4% on the news. I think it makes a lot of sense as well. By focusing on improving existing stores for now, future stores will be stronger. Congratulations to Wal-Mart management for resisting the urge to grow as rapidly as possible, which so many other companies have succumbed to. By slowing up a bit, shareholders will reap vastly greater rewards in the long run.

NextPhase Wireless (OTCBB: NXPW) has really caught my attention. At just $0.10 a share it looks to me like a stupendous bargain -- or at least a real cheap entry point for those of you looking to establish a tech footprint for yourselves. Although running a bit under the radar from mainstream, this company has been anything but quiet within the wireless tech news circles. I agreed with you late last year that consumer trends were continuing to bring wireless technologies into screaming full-steam-ahead status. NextPhase is one of the companies making full use of this relentless trend.

NextPhase presents itself as a "next generation" connectivity company, which becomes obvious as you read about it -- NextPhase truly is on the cutting edge in its field. NextPhase is in the business of building its own wireless networks and is very close to an infrastructural breakout nationwide. The company announced yesterday that it is right on target for completion of plans to migrate to licensed spectrum for network back-haul by the end of Q3 2007. Simply put, the company is growing rapidly to meet solid customer demands.

Tom Hemingway, Chairman and COO of NextPhase, indicates that small- to medium-sized companies find significant benefits by subscribing to its newest IT services because customers now have access to security, disaster recovery and network performance solutions of a quality that would not be cost effectively available to them otherwise. These new "managed IT" services are a value-added adjunct to NextPhase's already well-established broadband services. The company has been rapidly expanding its nationwide footprint with moves into Arizona, Oregon and California. I also found mention of an intended purchase by the company into New Jersey, but I have not yet been able to confirm that. Next Phase appears to me to be an aggressive, focused and driven company. If any of our readers can provide some hardcore financial research on the company, please do share!

Gary E. Sattler holds no financial interest in NextPhase Wireless.

Is Starbucks Corporation (Nasdaq: SBUX) becoming one of those core holdings that just about every investor should seriously consider adding to his/her portfolio?

Apparently so. For Starbucks the news, and the growth outlook, seems to just get better and better.

Starbucks has as a strategic goal a store target of 40,000 stores worldwide - up 10,000 from the previous target.

Further, the operative phrase in the above statement is the word "worldwide." Currently with about 10,200 coffee shops, Starbucks plans to enter four new markets in 2007: Brazil, Egypt, India, and Russia - which would place company operations in 40 countries. Starbucks hopes to have a coffee house in about 50 countries by 2011. Starbucks' shares closed down 6 cents Friday to $36.42.