Many of you, like me, are probably reading the Motley Fools or TheStreet.com's Internet investment pages from time to time when you are not totally engulfed in Bloggingstocks.com's deeply informative blogs.

Just about everything you read these days is way over hyped including our own pages. During the Internet bubble days when everyone talked about eyeballs you almost expected to see promotional posters of a giant eyeball cloaked in the red, white, and blue, top hat and all, staring you down, over the direct plea caption "We want you!"

TheStreet.com heralded by none other than James 'Mad Money' Cramer has survived the dot-bomb era of recent past to become one of the good stock reads on the Web. Recently though I have noticed it has become less interesting, and made more difficult to read.

I must assume that in an effort to increase revenue from advertising because of its poor subscription base TheStreet.com has stretched one page stories to four and five pages. You must click on never ending 'continued' prompts at the bottom of the page. This has allowed it to increase the number of advertisements by up to 500%. It has become so obnoxious that I refrain from the torment and simply go elsewhere on many occasions.

He said up and it went straight down! He said down and it jumped back up!

Anybody suspect a reverse "Cramer Effect" now?

James Cramer of TheStreet.com has been bullish on NYSE Euronext Inc. (NYSE: NYX) for quite some time and made it one of his picks of the year. Unfortunately it is his worst pick and hurt his overall average, riding this one all the way down from a November high of $112 ($97.80 to start the year) to a recent low of $73. That's a tough one because the stock may not be all that bad in time but it is never a good idea to go and pay just any old price.

Last week when I wrote Cramer retreats from NYSE Euronext: Fundamentals anyone? several people called me out because they felt that I was badmouthing a stock with great potential. Well, I still maintain that investors should look to buy stocks based on the value proposition and not just because they like it, or are worried about "missing the boat." Most investment advisers worth the time of day will tell you not to try and time the market. But Cramer followed EURONEXT down to the low $70's and then got weak in the knees, suggesting that it might be better to get out and perhaps back in at the low $60's. In my post, I chided traders for chasing a dream and not fundamentals -- a practice usually called "speculating," saying the stock could just as easily trade down even lower.

After Cramer's change of heart and my post, the stock did not trade down. Instead, it started to move up with the overall market and last night closed at $81.31 -- that's over 10% to the good in one week. So the most important lesson for me still remains: DON'T TRY AND TIME THE MARKET which I will continue to scream from the highest rooftop.

Cramer was wrong to push this stock when it was at an all-time high, and apparently, he was wrong to suggest the idea of bailing out last week. Whatever fundamentals (besides his gut and street noise) he is using looks all the more like playing momentum and a hunch rather than a long-term strategy. Perhaps long-term for a trader is one quarter.

Those of you who are new to BloggingStocks can check out my other stories and read Chasing Value or Serious Money to find more potential opportunities and verify my track record as well.

Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the principal for design and research at an architecture & planning firm. Check out his other posts for BloggingStocks here.

For some reason stock trading is still running rampant in the market despite all the evidence to the contrary that it is a bad idea. It is a bad idea to pay fees and taxes (or take losses, even worse) no matter how low because they eat away at your overall returns. It is a bad idea because the basis of the decision to buy or sell has little or no fundamental rationale except momentum, or charts, or news of the day, or analysts' calls, or a Cramer rant. But most importantly to me it is a bad idea because all of the most successful and wealthiest investors do the opposite -- Warren Buffett, Bill Miller, Eddie Lampert and Carl Icahn just to name a few.

Since history has proved over and over and over that day trading is a loser's game, why do it? The only reason I can think of is for the adrenaline rush. It's the sport of it. Just watch Cramer and you can see the crazed sports fanatic looking for a fix. He makes it exciting! He makes it an adventure! He needs something to talk about!

If he followed a process enjoyed by Buffett or Miller his show might be on the air monthly instead of several times a week. Instead of frantic or manic gyrations he would be making a few boring comments and calm suggestions about a few stock possibilities before encouraging his viewers to tune in next month. Cramer and other traders have built up business as a sport and as entertainment. But, if you want to get rich, follow the investors not the traders.

James Cramer was forced to cave in on his NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX) pick for the year after the HUGE buy recommendation tanked more each month since he said to back up the truck six months ago. See earlier blog by Brent Archer Cramer switches sides on NYX (for now) for more detail. Cramer has been in love with this stock since it reached a high of $112 in November, made it one of his 2007 picks at $97.51, only to watch it sink to $73.62 after six months for a 24.5% loss. It is down a few cents more today as I write the post.

He still likes the stock, but at lower levels, and he might get back in at somewhere in the $60s. Why is this better? What are the fundamentals now? Why can't it be $50 or $40 or $30? The current P/E ratio (TTM) is 71.47. Gee whiz -- at half its current price, it would have a P/E way higher than that of Google's? You're kidding, right Jim? What fundamentals? The P/S is 8.57 (LFY), and the P/B is 9.1 (LFY). NYX has no debt, and there is a decent ROE of 13.51 but not in relation to the P/E.

So I continue to wonder about all of the things in the stock market that I do not understand, this being one of them -- and stay away. If this stock appeals to you at any particular price then I hope you develop some understanding of where the value will come from, but for now, there are better places for your money -- and today even Jim Cramer agrees.

Those of you who are new to BloggingStocks can check out my other stories and read Chasing Value or Serious Money to find more potential opportunities and verify my track record as well.

Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the vice president for design and research at an architecture & planning firm. Check out his other posts for BloggingStocks here.

Through the month of June it seems that it remains a stock pickers' market as Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), James Cramer of TheStreet.com and I all topped the indices. Google continued its strong move upward battling me for the lead, while Cramer lost much of his gains of last month competing to stay ahead of the indices. Cramer is sticking with his NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX) pick, and it continues to drag him down. Earnings reports still trickle in but nothing major has affected the market. Mergers and acquisitions are a bigger story and something seems to be happening every day. This is my sixth follow-up report. It is not a long time, but short of a major change in the global economic picture it looks like 2007 will be a good year. For reference, check out my original Dec. 28, 2006 post on this topic.

There seems to be growing support for large cap stocks which analysts have been talking about but now might be starting to show up for real. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has been the market leader among the indices and may indicate that investors are finaly giving large cap stocks their due. It also may indicate that the global economy is doing better as a whole than the national economy. There also may be some flight to safety. That said, June seemed more cautious then May except in foreign markets as indicated by the strong rise in my Chinese picks. Investors moved the S&P 500 index to new highs.

On Friday June 1, 2007 Jon Ogg reported Cramer's sell block: Sell Charter and Apple - Yes sell Apple Inc (AAPL). Why? It's now a trading stock. He thinks you should sell right before the iPhone comes out, wait for a dip, and then buy it back. This is very stupid advice on many levels...or at least very funny for those with a sense of humor.

First, one must look at the tax implications of selling Apple and buying it back. It could end up that you will lose money if you have to pay taxes on short term gains. And those of us in California and other States with high taxes would still pay around 22.5% on long term gains. Therefore, if Cramer sees an opportunity to trade out and back in, it better leave room for making up the taxes and fees. How big a swing does Cramer envision? It would have to be 30% for the long term guys and maybe 40% for the short term investors to make this trade worth while. This is all highly speculative and no amount of homework will give you the answers you seek.

Second, what if Cramer is wrong and the stock does not dip or it only goes down 10% followed by a lateral period and then more upward movement? Then what do you do? Now you are playing a guessing game with a high probability of guessing wrong, and you will be unhappy you got left behind and paid the taxes too.

In fairness to Cramer, I happen to agree that it might be time to take something off the table and book some profits. However, it might be wiser to take those profits and put them into a better value, diversify and protect your earnings rather than try and get back into Apple again. There are plenty of wise investors that have been seeing some fluff in Apples current stock price and have been advising the same thing. Sell some, keep some, and limit the speculation.

Those of you who are new to BloggingStocks can check out my other stories and read Chasing Value or Serious Money to find more potential opportunities and verify my track record as well.

Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the vice president for design and research at an architecture & planning firm. Check out his other posts for BloggingStocks here.

The month of May was all about stock picking as James Cramer of TheStreet.com has come roaring back after a poor showing in April. Google also made a strong move upward. After languishing for three months it has come close to its all time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) set so many new highs that it is not news anymore. Earnings reports still trickle in but nothing major has affected the market. Mergers and acquisitions are a bigger story and something seems to be happening every day. This is my fifth follow-up report. It is not a long time, but short of a major change in the global economic picture it looks like 2007 will be a good year. For reference, check out my original Dec. 28, 2006 post on this topic.

The DJIA has been the market leader among the indices and may indicate that investors are finaly giving large cap stocks their due. It also may indicate that the global economy is doing better as a whole than the national economy. There also may be some flight to safety. That said, May was not a time of caution. Investors moved everything upward with even the S&P 500 index reaching a new high. Cramer took back the lead and for the first time the indices lagged.

I have now completed reviewing half of the stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average in search of value. To my surprise five of the first fifteen seem to be value propositions, five appear to be fairly valued but upside potential does remain and the last five -- who knows? Serious Money: Whittling away at the Dow -- MMM, AA, MO, AXP, & AIG: Part 1 was published this morning. Parts 2 through 7 will follow daily.

After months of rising stock prices and new Dow record highs being reached on a regular basis, I was not expecting to find that there was any value left. I have been relatively optimistic since last year posting DOW 14,000 here we come! but the rate of increase has accelerated beyond what I envisioned.

James Cramer of the TheStreet.com early in the year wildly projected that the Dow would reach 14,000 this year. A year ahead of my own more tempered view, and I definitely thought he was going out on a limb at the time. Now it would seem easily in reach and perhaps what I thought was sticking my neck out was too conservative.

Perhaps it was the years of stagnating stock prices for Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), J.P. Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM), Citigroup (NYSE: C), General Electric (NYSE: GE), 3M Corp (NYSE: MMM) , International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM) and others that finally built up a head of steam and came alive in the last six to eight months. That and global expansion that all the large cap stocks are able to capitalize on. Well, investors and the sun are shining on the Dow so enjoy the ride and be ever watchful.

Those of you who are new to BloggingStocks can check out my other stories and read Chasing Value or Serious Money to find more potential opportunities and verify my track record as well.

Last week I was reviewing investment banks for potential inclusion in one of our portfolios. I looked at numerous factors. Initially, what got me thinking about this sector was opportunity for growth versus good value of prices for the shares. At the time I concluded that Bear Stearns Cos (NYSE: BSC) was the best value with the greatest upside. It was hovering in the $153 to $156 range when I put in a limit order at $148 per share, good-till-canceled (GTC). After enough headlines about sub-prime lenders and financial sector woes that cast a giant shadow on most financial stocks, BSC reached my limit.

Last week the quality companies went down with the junk which should not happen, but it often does. Historically, this has presented me with wonderful opportunities to make a good buy and indeed I got scooped up at our $148 figure. Yesterday BSC closed at $153.83.

This morning, Brent Archer posted about Goldman Sachs, reaffirming one of Cramer's nine picks of the year. Allan Halprin also called our attention to The Savviest Stock Picker in America -- Ken Heebner of CGM Capital -- a must read. Heebner favors most of the investment banks right now. I just favor BSC. Here are the tantalizing figures for your consideration:

So who do you believe about Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW)? What is the truth? Do the people involved in the story even know, or do they each only have a piece of a complex puzzle?

Maybe some have larger pieces than others. Dow Chemical closed Thursday at $46.00 (up 2%). For one thing, I am of the mind that almost everything is in play. Most things do have a price. As a Dow shareholder, I would be upset if the company did not consider a lucrative offer.

I have written about Dow on several occasions and included it as one of my Stock picks for 2007. My very astute colleagues have been following the company as well, including Georges Yared who penned Is Dow Chemical next? discussing the possibility that it might be acquired. But Dow issued a press release as reported by Jonathan Berr that Dow buyout isn't happening, and then yesterday Dow announced the firing of two senior executives, one a board member, energizing Tom Taulli to post Buyout fever run amuck at Dow Chemical, and Peter Cohan wrote Dow Chemical's rogue LBO negotiators which was followed by more commentary by Berr expressing his amazement in Dow buyout saga turns bizarre.

The details of this unusual intrigue, high level firings and all, were laid out by the Wall Street Journal.

I think that Dow could easily be the target of a leveraged buyout. If I did not think the stock was bargain priced then I would not have bought it myself or recommended it to our readers.

I also think asking the company about a specific deal is silly.

Would you discuss a deal before it was done, unless you thought that gave you some advantage, or you were trying to create a bidding situation? If I was selling, I would want to play the role of a reluctant seller to get a premium price.

This is an update through March 30, 2007 bringing the first quarter to a close. Earnings season is now upon us. It is my third follow-up report. Three months is a short time in the market for long term investors, and an eternity for a day trader. If you want to refer to the original article from December 28, 2006 see: You don't have to be 007 to find the best picks for 2007!.

Summary of Results:

• James Cramer's average return on his 9 picks was 2% after two months but now stands at: +2.82% an improvement. Adding the dividend portion (.66 x .25) of 0.165 brings Cramer's gain to 2.99%. Last month it was his speculative stocks that supported his gains. This month they pulled back and his gains came from his best pick so far, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
• The Indexes remained slightly negative, the DJIA leading the way south: -1.2%. Adding it's portion of the dividend yield (1.8 x .25) of .45 brings it up to a gain of 0.85 for the quarter.
• My picks are down for the year, but improved from -1.9% last month, to a negative of -0.61% for the quarter. Adding the dividend portion of (3 x .25) of .75 brings my quarter to a slight gain of 0.14% which is negligible. My picks are the most volatile now with super gains over 25% from Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) and super losses from PetroChina Co. (NYSE:PTR) which was at an all-time high when I mentioned it. Both companies are in the same industry, but PetroChina's profits are more closely regulated.
• Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) provided an +8.1% return in January, slipped to -2.9% in February and YTD has moved up for a smaller loss: -1.0% Although it has been an erratic three months Google has managed to float within a tighter range lately.

Not much change since last month. Since the quarter has concluded I added one quarter of the the dividends to the results. This is one of the criteria I used in my stock picks and will have an impact on the final results. Only 3 of Cramer's picks pay dividends averaging about .66%; the Indexes pay a higher average of 1.8%; my picks average still higher at about 3%; and Google does not pay a dividend. The flatter the market is this year the more the dividends will be a factor.

I still remain very comfortable with my stock picks and believe this year will prove to be a "Tortoise and Hare" story. It is my belief that 'Value' will beat 'Growth' and 'Indexing' over the long run. Google is a wild card! Two of my picks continue to be mentioned as buyout candidates; Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW) and Home Depot (NYSE:HD). Home Depot is receiving the most negative discussion in business circles these days but I see it as becoming a greater value at the lower price.

The following are the closing prices as of December 28, 2006 and three month returns for the seven stocks I recommended plus the addition of Spectra Energy that was spun out of Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK).

The old expression is "He who lives by the sword, shall die by the sword." To paraphrase, he who lives by his (big) mouth, shall die by his (big) mouth. A fate that might also await me if I'm not careful. Cramer bragged about his unaudited, never proven 24% annual return when he managed a hedge fund for 13 years. I have questioned this on many occasions for many reasons.

Nevertheless, James Cramer has put his credibility on the line and it has disappearerd recently when he bragged (or came clean, which ever you prefer) that he had manipulated information in the press with surgical precision and timing to create shorting opportunities and other advantaged trades. He tried to backtrack and un-ring the bell and he failed miserably as noted by Zac Bissonnette in "It wasn't me" says Cramer.

There is an old expression I keep learning anew: It's the first law of holes -- if you're in one stop digging. I must have used this before in one of my posts somewhere but it is worth repeating. And if Attorney General Alberto Gonzales does not see this post I hope one of his friends points it out to him. He too seems to be digging deeper when it comes to his forthrightness relative to his role in the politically motivated firing of federal attorneys.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) has been called a "one trick pony" by many of its detractors. In reality it has many tricks but only one source of profits -- web advertising. It has become a portal, offered free software and email along with numerous other features, and is rumored to be working on a cellular phone, all to expand its sizable empire. It bought YouTube recently for $1.6 billion, another wonderful addition that as yet makes no money.

Google is in a race against time to broaden its base in some way so that it does not topple over, and get beaten at its own game. At some point, its percentage of total web advertising will be chipped away at the margins and slowed by recession; there is also the threat that advertising rates will come down as dilution on the web continues with more players popping up out of nowhere daily. This is not speculation, or prognostication, but observation. Look at the frantic pace at which they are starting new projects. They know very well they have to make hay while the sun shines.

I see no reason why Google cannot continue to grow and monetize many of the features it is adding over time and enhance revenue through acquisitions and partnerships and perhaps some invention. But I also think that in the last ten to fifteen years companies have a tendency to come on the scene faster, make more noise, rise and fall with greater frequency -- all without being able to sustain hyper-growth as some see Google doing. Google is already an OLD new company, which shot up like a rocket and is now a large cap stock -- actually one of the largest at $137 billion -- and will not be $850 per share any time soon, as James Cramer suggested late last year. He has recently come closer to my way of thinking and brought his number back down to $450. So Go Go Google, build a wide base and remember the oldest of market adages -- trees don't grow to the sky.

Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the vice president for design and research at an architecture & planning firm. Check out his other posts for BloggingStocks here.

I have written several stories questioning James Cramer's investing approach and stock picks, but I can tell you all that there are many words of wisdom he has shared as well. One thought that I have cherished is that "there is always a bull market somewhere." Continuing on that train of thought I know that Warren Buffett has wondered out loud why people get so happy when the market prices rise. When he goes shopping (investing) he wants to find a bargain, and pay less not more for that which he seeks. So with that in mind I present some stocks that are looking mighty appealing after Tuesday's significant stock market drop. At least put them on your watch list after checking them out.

For Starters:

Aluminum Corporation of China ADS (NYSE: ACH) P/E = 7.82, P/S = 0.65, P/B = 0.62, yield = 5.57% Bought this one yesterday at $22.00, it closed at 22.60 but has jumped up in early morning trading.

Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: APC) P/E = 6.87, P/S = 2.76, P/B = 1.41, yield = 0.88% I Had to list this one after my two recent write-ups including last Friday's Chasing value: Anadarko Petroleum - got it! Bought this one last week at $40.00. It closed at $39.98 on a small drop and was back over my water line in after hours trading.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) P/E = 12.50, P/S = 1.16, P/B = 0.96, yield = 4.19% Own this in my Roth IRA. Yesterday it closed at 19.63 down slightly, but in dubious markets you must own some utilities.

Washington Mutual (NYSE: WM) P/E = 11.64, P/S = 1.95, P/B = 1.61, yield = 4.98% Own this in my Roth IRA also. Yesterday it closed at $42.36 down 0.98 (-2.26%_, but it has a monster yield and has been trading in a tight range for several years, while earnings have grown. It may also be a sweet takeover target and has been mentioned periodically as such in business journals.

Two More:

Fidelity National Financial 'A' (NYSE: FNF) P/E = 9.96, P/S = 0.67, P/B = 1.62, yield = 4.94% I do not own this stock but I have been tracking it for a year. The numbers speak for themselves. Looking at it's ten year chart indicates it has generally demonstrated consistant growth. Yesterday it closed at $24.26 off 3 cents. FNF is a title insurance company, which explains it's high valuation during the recent boom years, but now that the housing market has come back down to earth FNF's stock is worthy of consideration.

Old Republic International (NYSE: ORI) P/E = 11.59, P/S = 1.41, P/B = 1.23, yield = 2.70% Another insurance company that has been around a long time. I picked it from my watch list for possible addition to yours. It has a profit margin higher than the P/E of 14.49%. Given that It's has a capitalization is only $5.14 billion, it could easily be acquired by a larger company seeking predictable earnings and growth. The 52 week price variation is $3.66 so this is a stable company for uncertain times. Yesterday it closed at $22.23 down pennies.

Check out my other posts for BloggingStocks here.

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

I just can't believe it. It's just too funny. Cramer is back-pedaling on Google. I have such mixed emotions about this. I love many things about James Cramer; he gets people interested in investing, he brings up important subjects for discussion, he is entertaining, he is experienced and I feel confident he supports the small investor. All that said, he has really stuck his foot in his mouth this time....or should I say again? This is just hysterically funny, or maybe I'm still laughing at Pam Anderson (Pamela Anderson is a headline - not news - but SIRIus) on Sirius Satellite Radio, another recent Cramer pick --- hmmm? . If I don't stop laughing I'm going to fall off my soap box. Anyway, while there is much to praise about Cramer, over the last six months I think his stock guidance has been full of it. I probably should have just reissued The Cramer "Show" can cost you big!

Yesterday Jon Ogg reported about Cramer's three replacements for Google pointing out that Cramer is becoming tepid about Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) and recommending other technology stocks, as if owning some tech stocks is an imperative of some kind. Why you can't trade into some energy or utility or financial stocks instead is beyond me. In fairness to Cramer he does want his followers (listeners? disciples?) to maintain a diversified portfolio and that would include some technology stocks. Although I think aerospace and medical device companies should qualify, they do not in his view.