Last week, Warren Buffett, Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A and BRK.B), said India's 26% foreign ownership cap on insurers deters him from such an investment. This follows an earlier report that Buffett aims to enter the Indian insurance sector as a corporate agent of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance.

After numerous world calamities, Buffett's focus on insurance companies, and the fact that many hedge funds seem to be heavily focused on banks and neglecting insurance companies -- with the exception of Bruce Berkowitz -- I decided to explore the possibilities.

Even though we can anticipate billions of dollars in claims there still are buying opportunites.

Do you have any interest in insurance companies amidst the turmoil, disaster and current crises in Japan? A crises that followed so closely on the heals of the destruction of the New Zealand city of ChristChurch by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake. Perhaps you think this is even a poorer idea than catching that proverbial falling knife we are always hearing about when stock prices are collapsing.

Certainly there will be billions of dollars in claims. On the other hand, perhaps the burden will be spread around the globe to reinsurer's such that none is struck too hard and this is a buying opportunity. After all, when the dust settles, insurers will cry for mercy, and in particular, rate increases. It is also likely those that never saw the need for insurance have been awakened and demand will increase.

Ten weeks into the year and never a dull moment. Pondering the remaining 42 weeks and beyond, where will value be found? We know that "my pal Warren" is on the prowl waist high in Berkshire Hathaway cash to invest, and he is on record as chomping on the bit to do so. Just this morning it was reported that Buffett had closed a $9 billion deal to buy Lubrizol Corp. (LZ), the Wickliffe, Ohio-based maker of engine lubricants.

More evidence of this abounds: Wednesday March 2, (Reuters) - US-based Berkshire Hathaway aims to enter the Indian insurance sector as a corporate agent of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance.

This is part 1 of a series examining the insurance market for expansion, stock valuations, potential risks and opportunities, excluding health care focused companies, a whole other breed of enterprise.

Hartford Financial (HIG) is one of the largest providers of investment products, individual life, group life and group disability insurance products, as well as property and casualty insurance products in the U.S. In addition to the U.S., the company has operations in Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil and Ireland. Its main competitors include large insurers like MetLife (MET), Prudential (PRU) and AIG (AIG).

We have a price estimate of $23.68 on Hartford Financial's stock, which is about 20% below the current market price. We estimate that property and casualty insurance in the U.S. constitutes about 37% of the company's stock value.

Prognosticators the world over are throwing in their 2 cents about "my pal Warren's" next market moves; especially since he announced last week that his trigger finger was itchy. When Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A and BRK.B) speaks, investors listen.

On Wednesday March 2, this investor threw in his two cents worth (see:Serious Money: What Should Warren Buffett Do Next?) discussing possible acquisitions. Since all the "pro's", I use the term loosely, have had a say I thought I would give readers a chance to express some of their ideas too.

Hartford Financial Services Group (HIG - option chain) shares are rising today after the company reported Q3 earnings last night, posting a core profit of $1.43 per share, easily topping forecasts of $0.97 per share. HIG also said it now expects fiscal-2010 EPS to come in at $2.60 to $2.70, up from a previous range of $2.10 to $2.30. Analysts have forecast EPS of $2.25. 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 HIG.

HIG opened this morning at $24.75. So far today the stock has hit a low of $24.22 and a high of $25.38. As of 11:45, HIG is trading at $25.33 up $1.91 (8.2%). The chart for HIG looks bullish and S&P gives HIG a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

Analyst Upgrades

• Goldman upgraded Citigroup (C) to conviction buy from buy, Principal Financial (PFG) to buy from neutral, and Stancorp Financial (SFG) and Hartford Financial (HIG) to neutral from sell.
• JetBlue (JBLU) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Barclays upgraded Royal Caribbean (RCL) and Carnival (CCL) upgraded to overweight from equal weight.
• Hollysys Automation (HOLI) was upgraded to buy from hold at Roth Capital.
• RBC Capital upgraded Alliance Data Systems (ADS) to outperform from sector perform.
• RRI Energy (RRI) was upgraded to buy from hold at Citigroup.

Hartford Financial (HIG - option chain) stock is trading lower today after the US Treasury Department announced it will sell its warrant positions in HIG and Lincoln National (LNC) over the next several weeks. The Treasury initially received these warrants as part of the financial sector bailout program. This news is sending both stocks significantly lower as traders expect these sales will create bearish pressure on the stock. 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 HIG.

This morning, HIG opened at $22.19. So far today the stock has hit a high of $22.22 and a low of $21.51. As of 12:30, HIG is trading at $21.94, down $0.51 (-2.3%). The chart for HIG looks bullish and S&P gives HIG a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

Hartford Financial Group (HIG - option chain) stock is trading lower today after the company reported earnings last night, posting a second-quarter profit of $76 million, or 14 cents per share.

Excluding one-time items, HIG earned 92 cents per share on revenue of $2.42 billion. Analysts had forecast a profit of 91 cents per share on revenue of $2.48 billion. HIG also cut its 2010 earnings forecast to a range of $2.10 to $2.30 per share, from a previous range of $2.70 to $3.00 per share. Analysts are expecting 2010 earnings of $2.71 per share. HIG cited uncertain global economic conditions and persistent stress in financial markets for the cut. 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 HIG.

Hartford Financial Services (HIG) attracted unusually heavy put volume on Wednesday, with 1.7 times the expected number of puts crossing the tape. About 10,000 put options were traded on the insurance issue during the course of yesterday's session, compared to fewer than 8,000 calls that changed hands.

Data from the International Securities Exchange (ISE) points to a strongly bearish bias. On Wednesday, options traders on the ISE bought to open 2,554 puts on HIG, while only 339 calls were purchased. The equity's single-day ISE put/call volume ratio of 7.53 underscores a distinct preference for pessimistically oriented options.

"Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffet is a disciple of the teachings of Benjamin Graham and David Dodd, who made their fortunes by buying businesses that were selling for less than the value of their working capital (current assets minus current liabilities," notes Vita Nelson.

The editor of The Moneypaper explains, "The pair developed a Net Current Asset Value (NCAV) model to determine if a company was worth its market price. Their formula subtracts all liabilities, including short-term debt and preferred stock, from a company's current asset balance"

Hartford Financial Services Group (HIG) is getting ready to repay its $3.4 billion in TARP money to the feds. The insurance company is using money raised from debt and equity offerings to settle its score with the American taxpayer.

Hartford is going to issue $1.45 billion in common stock and $500 million in mandatory convertible preferred stock presented by depository shares. The debt offering will entail senior notes of $425 million. Hartford will pre-fund the repurchase of senior debt that matures in 2010 and 2011 with the issuance of an additional $675 million in senior notes.

U.S. stock futures advanced Wednesday morning, in what would seem to be a continuation of Tuesday's gains following the Federal Reserve's statement about the economy and its policy. Investors will also sink their teeth on some inflation data.

U.S. stocks rose Tuesday, with the Dow industrials adding 0.4% and closing higher for a sixth straight time, the S&P 500 gaining 0.8% and finishing at a 17-month high, and the Nasdaq jumping 0.7%. The Federal Reserve, as expected, kept rates unchanged and said it would keep interest rates low for the foreseeable future. Also, Standard & Poor's rating agency said it would not necessarily downgrade Greece.

Hartford Financial Services (NYSE: HIG) is scheduled to step into the earnings spotlight right after Tuesday's closing bell, with the insurance issue releasing its final third-quarter figures. Analysts are expecting Hartford to report a profit of $1.11 per share, according to Thomson Reuters, representing a dramatic reversal from its year-ago loss of $1.40 per share.

Hartford has a mixed history on the earnings front, with the company exceeding consensus expectations in two of the previous four reporting periods -- and falling short of Wall Street's predictions during the other two quarters. On the plus side, sector peer Lincoln National (NYSE: LNC) recently released a stronger-than-expected third-quarter report, which could bode well for Hartford.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says the presumption remains that we're doing badly. I disagree and will place my bets.

As a bull who feels like he's "won" of late, I am about as sure of myself as a gambler who has just had a couple of blackjacks, meaning that I expect to be given a 16 any week now. That doesn't mean you can't play out of a 16, especially when the dealer's got something similar. It does mean you have to be at the table.

I use the analogy because there's something about the "hotness" of this market after the employment number that flies in the face of what could happen if the big gains in the economy truly are all government and not private sector, especially if you look at the charts, which reveal an overextended and expensive market. The charts say we're about to stall out, and it bothers me because they've said that all the way up. And it bothers me because literally everyone I respect in this business -- except Steve Leuthold -- has emerged with a consensus view that the economy without stimulation would be near collapse, and even with stimulation will collapse anyway because of all the debt taken down to stimulate.