For 25 years, Steven Halpern, editor of TheStockAdvisors.com, has surveyed the leading financial newsletter advisors asking for their favorite stocks for the coming year. This article is one of 100+ ideas in the Best Stocks for 2008 report.

"My favorite 'home run' speculation for 2008 is playing a rebound in the beaten-down US housing sector," says Mike Burnick, editor of Global Market Investor.

"Specifically, I like the iShares Dow Jones US Home Construction ETF (ASE: ITB). This exchange-traded fund is a pure contrarian play not based on valuation, since fundamentals continue to deteriorate in the US housing market.

"The US housing market is still a mess, home prices are plunging, sales continue to slump, and inventories of unsold homes are at record highs. There's very little we can see to like in this sector.

"But, in fact, that's often the key to earning big returns in the stock market: Make well-timed contrarian bets on the most unloved stocks and sectors.

"However, I believe that negative sentiment in the sector has reached an extreme. Put/call volume on homebuilder stocks is at an extreme, and short interest is near record highs. I believe the turning point for this sector is close at hand.

Continue reading Best Stocks for 2008: Contrary call on US Home Construction ETF (ITB)

Best Stocks for 2008: Contrary call on US Home Construction ETF (ITB) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 27 Dec 2007 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For 25 years, Steven Halpern, editor of TheStockAdvisors.com, has surveyed the leading financial newsletter advisors asking for their favorite stocks for the coming year. This article is one of 100+ ideas in the Best Stocks for 2008 report.

"Homebuilders have been in a slump, to say the least," says Jim Farrish, editor of Sector Exchange.

"The technical charts on homebuilders look very similar to those of technology stocks during their rise from 1998-2000. In fact, the index has declined more than 70% peak to trough. Looking toward 2008 and the housing market, we could start to see a turnaround.

"The start is likely to be government aided, which is why we like this as an aggressive play, as the Federal government will put more money into fixing something than corporate America. Current proposals will not come close to fixing it, but will at least put a band aid on the situation and allow the healing process to begin.

"Our vote to benefit here would be Toll Brothers (NYSE: TOL). The company has one of the better-looking balance sheets in the industry and management has done a fairly good job of dealing with this downside market.

Continue reading Best Stocks for 2008: Housing woes take a toll on Toll Brothers (TOL)

Best Stocks for 2008: Housing woes take a toll on Toll Brothers (TOL) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 Dec 2007 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"While others are waiting for the next shoe to drop in the stock markets, I believe that the bottom is in," says technical expert Yola Edwards. Meanwhile, in The Internet Wealth Builder she has found a stock that she likes within "the rubble of the U.S. housing market." The stock? KB Home (NYSE: KBH).

Edwards explains, "I'm not saying that the subprime issue isn't significant, but I do believe that it is now priced into the market. It appears that the worst is over for the Dow Jones Industrial Average as well."

A technician by trade, she points out that the market is drastically oversold and the index has traced out a multi-year inverted head and shoulders pattern. Based on this pattern, she notes, a minimum upside target of 14,500 should be expected.

Meanwhile, for those comfortable with an out-of-favor, contrarian play, she sees both fundamental and technical opportunity in the shares of KB Home, a Los Angeles-based builder of single-family homes.

She notes, "Given what's been happening in the U.S. housing market, it should come as no surprise that the current financials are poor. KB Home has seen domestic sales battered by the housing downturn, which has been exacerbated in recent months by tightened lending standards by banks."

Continue reading Technician sees KB Home (KBH) building value

Technician sees KB Home (KBH) building value originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 07 Sep 2007 09:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.