This post is part of a special report, Global advisors look to China.

"SPDR S&P China (NYSE: GXC) is our favorite ETF among more speculative contrarian ideas," fund expert Mark Salzinger.

In The Investor's ETF Report, he explains, "Worries over China's economic growth in the face of global recession savaged Chinese stocks in 2008; GXC fell 48.8% from admittedly stratospheric valuations. Now, though, GXC trades at a price/earnings ratio of only 10.7.

Continue reading SPDR S&P China (GXC): Best buy among contrarian ETFs

SPDR S&P China (GXC): Best buy among contrarian ETFs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Some of you may be sick of me writing for the third time in five days about PetroChina ADR (NYSE: PTR) -- unless you own it. But, it is on fire, so it is news. This morning as I type, PTR is up another $30 a share, passing $260. Many readers know why I invested in the company and may know that Warren Buffett did as well. His company Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) ... has been selling of late, and has left a lot of money on the table.

I thought if there were any readers that would be willing to share when and why they bought PetroChina, their perspectives would be interesting. It would also be interesting if there is anyone that has been following this stock and feels they missed the boat, or on the other hand, thinks it is going to start falling for any reason. Is it time to sell or do some trimming? This post is meant to give readers a platform to discuss oil prices in general, and whether they believe energy should be excluded from the government's inflation figures.

From my perspective, I think energy should be included in the Consumer Price Index, perhaps as a rolling average, to account for volatility, but it should count. As far as PetroChina's sky-high stock price, I am skeptical when anything goes up this much without any earnings news or something about earnings.

Disclosure: I own shares of BRK.B and PTR.

To find potential opportunities and verify my track record, read Chasing Value or Serious Money.

Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the principal for design and research at an architecture & planning firm.

Never mind why I bought PetroChina (PTR) -- why did you?! originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 Oct 2007 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From his ChangeWave Investing newsletter and regular appearances on Fox TV's Bulls & Bears, Toby Smith is one of the most widely followed newsletter advisors. AS growth investors, he seeks stocks poised to benefit from enduring trends, which he calls "Changewaves".

To help isolate these trends, he turns to his ChangeWave Alliance, a group of thousands of business leaders in a wide range of fields who respond to ongoing surveys regarding developing industry trends.

Three such trends, which he considers among his favorite macroeconomic ChangeWaves are Clean Energy, Carbon Credits, and Chindia (China-India) Infrastructure. And one of his latest stock recommendations -- Fuel Tech (NASDAQ: FTEK) -- plays into all three of these waves.

Continue reading Fuel Tech (FTEK): Clean coal, carbon credit, and 'Chindia'

Fuel Tech (FTEK): Clean coal, carbon credit, and 'Chindia' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 31 Aug 2007 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

China Life Insurance (NYSE: LFC) has just announced record profits for the first half of 2007, and Jim Trippon. Indeed, in The China Stock Digest, he explains, "Profits doubled its profits over the same period a year ago."

China , he notes, Life attributes the huge gains to higher premiums and outstanding returns on investment earnings.

Meanwhile, he adds, the company continues to expand its services and its affiliations. Most recently, he observes, China Life received permission from the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) to offer investment-linked insurance products.

The advisor states, "In view of China's bullish stock market, the investment-linked product could contribute new revenue streams to China Life's future performance.

"The company has enjoyed sharp increases in non-insurance revenues, specifically its return on various investments. The company's investment gains rose 152% to more than $3 billion in 2006.

"In a major move into the pension field, China Life is rumored to be ready to pay as much as $500 million for a 60% stake of Zhongcheng Trust & Investment Corp. In another development, AXA insurance announced that it was preparing to sell its Taiwanese insurance unit to China Life.

"Premiums for China Life were up 8.9% for the first six months of the year. We remain positive about this company's long-term prospects as a beneficiary of China's growing economy."

Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com features the latest investment ideas and market commentary from the financial newsletter community.

China Life (LFC) gets a boost from record profits originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 23 Aug 2007 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New Oriental, he notes, recently reported quarterly results showing a 4 cent per share loss for the quarter. He notes, that while this was a 65% improvement over the same period last year, it was 1 cent profit Wall Street was expecting.

The reason for the shortfall, he observes, was that increased marketing and advertising expenses. Thus, he notes, "While all that extra spending hurt profits last quarter, it should pay off in spades down the road." In fact, he adds,
That's why revenues jumped by 29% to $24.9 million, slightly ahead of the consensus estimate of $24 million."

Meanwhile, he notes that total student enrollments in language training and test preparation courses for the quarter ending May 31 increased by 31.5% year-over-year to approximately 314,000.

Continue reading New Oriental (EDU): Asia expert's 'best stock in the world'

New Oriental (EDU): Asia expert's 'best stock in the world' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"China Mobile (NYSE: CHL), the world's biggest wireless company, has weathered the shakeup on U.S. exchanges," says Jim Trippon.

The editor of The China Stock Digest notes, "The shares have been on the rise since the company announced plans for the biggest ever IPO on the Shanghai Exchange. China Mobile is expected to raise more than $6 billion through its Shanghai listing."

In its most recent report, he adds, China Mobile announced that first quarter profits were up 22.3% from a year earlier due to strong subscriber growth and China's robust economy.

He states, "The company added a record number of users in June with a staggering increase of 5.53 million new users. That brings the total number of subscribers to 332.4 million. That's the ninth straight month of record increases for China Mobile."

Operating revenues for the first quarter, he notes, were up 19.5% from the previous year. In view of the company's ongoing expansion, he says, China Mobile has a reasonable forward P/E of 16.9." The advisor concludes, "With its trailing twelve-month dividend of 1.7% China Mobile remains among our top portfolio favorites."

Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com features the latest investment ideas and market commentary from the financial newsletter community.

Ring up China Mobile (CHL) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Aug 2007 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"T. Rowe Price should be the first fund family to consider if you want to increase your exposure to emerging market equities," says Mark Salzinger and Sheldon Jacobs.

The editor of The No-Load Fund Investor explains, "Price has a fine general emerging market stock fund, along with the broadest lineup of regional emerging market funds, all guided by experienced, successful managers."

Among the Price funds, they note, "Price New Asia (PRASX) is our current favorite among Price's emerging market stock funds, and we recommend it strongly now as a speculative play on our favorite emerging region."

China, they add, accounts for 28.2% of New Asia's assets.They note, "China is fiscally the strongest of all the emerging market countries. Its economy is growing in the 10% plus area, exports are booming across various manufacturing sectors, and foreign exchange reserves recently reached $1 trillion and are headed even higher."

Meanwhile, India accounts for 27.2% of the fund's assets, they note. Salzinger and Jacobs explain, "Though India's stocks are expensive by traditional valuation measures, it offers an entrepreneurial dynamism that is the envy of much of the rest of the world. Also, India's consumer class is booming, partially thanks to increased incomes from outsourcing to India from companies in the developed world."

South Korean stocks, at 12.7% of assets, make up the next largest weighting, while Taiwan accounts for 9.7% of assets. "In South Korean, valuations are relatively low and R&D spending is relatively high." Taiwan, they suggest, acts as a "back door avenue to growth in Mainland China."

Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com features the latest investment ideas and market commentary from the financial newsletter community.

Price New Asia: The 'first choice for emerging markets' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 04 Aug 2007 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In his Half-Priced Stocks newsletter, he explains, "Aluminum Corp. of China, known as Chalco, is China's leading aluminum producer and the world's second largest supplier of alumina -- a key raw ingredient used to manufacture aluminum.

As a rule, he points out, he is reluctant to buy in "frenzied sectors or regions where speculation is still rampant." And indeed, he says, Chalco is "square in the middle" of both. He notes, "Not only is the firm based in China, but it is also heavily tied to volatile commodities prices."

Despite these reasons for caution, he remains bullish on the stock, explaining, "Even after this rally, though, the shares are still trading below where they were last March -- and at a reasonable 18% discount to our $33 fair value estimate."

Meanwhile, despite the run-up in aluminum prices over the past few years, he believes the long-term story remains compelling. The world's population, he observes, is rising every day, global trade is expanding, and the rapid industrialization of fast-growing nations like India and China is fueling heavy demand.

Meanwhile, he adds, the company maintains a monopolistic 90% share of the alumina market in China, where consumption is expected to continue racing ahead at a +12% clip over the few years.

He cautions that ACH is a volatile stock that is best suited for risk-tolerant investors. However, the advisor concludes, "All things considered -- including a hefty 4.6% dividend yield -- we think the risks are outweighed by the potential rewards."

For more stock picks from the leading financial newsletter advisors, visit Steven Halpern's free daily website, TheStockAdvisors.com.

Chalco: A China play on aluminum originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 27 Apr 2007 16:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Curtis Hesler, editor of The Professional Timing Service, believes that the recently announced Chinese investment fund will have a significant impact on commodities. The fund, he explains, was developed in order for China to diversify its reserves.

He notes, "The great Chinese reserve fund has now been established, and it is a whopper; they have announced that they will hold $650 billion of their reserves at ready.

Further, he adds, "They will also invest $200 billion to $250 billion a year that they expect to receive hereafter. That is a lot of money!"

So, what will they buy? According to Hesler, "They will certainly spend a lion's share on raw materials and other commodities."

The advisor forecasts, "This money will likely be the engine that will fuel the next major leg in the commodity bull market. China has every intention of being a significant player on the global scene; and to do that, they will need to increase their gold reserves."

Already bullish on gold, the development of the China investment fund for its reserves is an added demand factor supporting his optimistic stance. He notes that some resource experts are estimating that China will need to accumulate 2,000 to 3,000 tons of gold toward this goal.

Among junior gold mining stocks, Hesler owns Gammon Lake (ASE: GRS) and Yamana (NYSE: AUY). Another "solid core metal investment" he adds is Gabelli Global Natural Resources (ASE: GGN), which he points out has a decent dividend and as a closed-end fund, offers a broad-based investment in metals.

As a long-term investor, Hesler argues for patience and suggests that investors should accumulate positions during periods of price weakness. Long-term, however, he says, "I firmly expect to see gold eventually hit $1,600. That will put the mining stocks through the roof."

For more stock picks from the leading financial newsletter advisors, visit Steven Halpern's free daily website, TheStockAdvisors.com.

China: A shift to gold? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 24 Apr 2007 10:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.