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American Axel Holdings (Nasdaq:AXL), Universal Stainless & Alloy (Nasdaq:USAP), Select Comfort Corp (Nasdaq:SCSS) and Rudolph Technologies (Nasdaq:RTEC) are among the biggest percentage Gainers in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.
Pathfinder Bancorp Inc (Nasdaq:), Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras (Nasdaq:EBR), Porter Bancorp Inc (Nasdaq:PBIB) and FFC Financial Corp (Nasdaq:FFDF) are among the biggest percentage losers in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.
US Airways Group Inc and MGIC Inventory Corp Lead Small-Cap Volume US Airways Group Inc (Nasdaq:LCC), MGIC Inventory Corp (Nasdaq:MTG), Americal Axel Holdings (Nasdaq:AXL) and Intermune Inc (Nasdaq:ITMN)are among the most actively traded companies in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.
Also included among the results: : Liz Claiborne (Nasdaq:LIZ), National Penn Bancshares (Nasdaq:NPBC), LDK Solar Inc (Nasdaq:LDK), STEC Inc (Nasdaq:STEC) and PDL Bio Pharmaceuticals Inc (Nasdaq:PDLI).
First Capital BanCorp and World Heart Corp Lead Small-Cap Percentage Gainers First Capital BanCorp (Nasdaq:FCVA), World Heart Corp (Nasdaq:WHRT), Toreador Res Corp (Nasdaq:TRGL) and Momenta Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: MNTA) are among the biggest percentage Gainers in Friay's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.
What a great Super Bowl game! I have to admit, I was pulling for the Saints, but mainly because of what the Saints mean for that city. I’m sure we all remember the horrible aftermath of hurricane Katrina. The very existence of New Orleans was in question. The Saints considered moving, and I recall suggestions that only the French Quarter be saved and made into a corporate convention amusement park.
Of course, that would have been an absurd commercialization of a proud and rich heritage. That New Orleans has come back to resemble the city it was before Katrina is nothing short of miraculous, and now the people of New Orleans have a Super Bowl trophy to crown their achievement. Congratulations, New Orleans and the Saints.
*****It’s tempting to extend the metaphor of New Orleans to the United States as we rebuild after the financial crisis. Of course, I have no doubt that we will recover. But there will likely be no single event that crowns the recovery like the Lombardi Trophy does for New Orleans.
And besides, we’re investors. It is our desire to be properly positioned for a growth in stock valuations, all the while avoiding the pitfalls of overvalued stocks and worsening economic conditions.
Clearly, investors have been pondering the potential of weaker economy as some stimulus policies end, Europe faces debt problems and China moves to slow its economy. Bloomberg reports that investors pulled $9 billion out of global equity funds during the last week of January. And investors have bet heavily on an extended sell-off as evidenced by huge volumes of put option activity.
At the same time, 73% of S&P 500 companies have beaten 4th quarter earnings expectations. That’s the best performance since 1993. Strong earnings, coupled with the recent 7.3% decline, have left the P/E for the S&P 500 at 18, down from 24. The forward P/E, based on future earnings expectations, is below 13.
China Natural Gas is currently trading at only 10.9 times trailing earnings, yet the company grew net income in 2008 by 66%. I expect growth in 2009 will be only marginally higher than in 2008 due to the severe drop in gas prices. But the fact that the company could grow at all after a 70% decline in natural gas prices is a testament to its growth prospects and solid operations. And if natural gas prices rise in 2010 as I expect, than look for China Natural Gas to reap big profits. China Natural Gas should grow earnings by more than 25% in 2010, which would mean the stock is currently trading at 9.3-times forward earnings. This is very inexpensive – Chesapeake Energy is trading at 11.6-times analyst estimates for 2010, yet is forecast to have essentially flat earnings growth. China Natural Gas is a buy here. The stock should trade at least 25% higher in the next few months and push past its October 2009 high of $14.81. I expect to increase my target price in January. This agriculture sector has been red hot, and China fertilizer companies like China Green Agriculture have...
FEI Company is the leading provider of the highly sophisticated instruments and systems used in nanotechnology research, development, and manufacture. Its products include scanning and transmission electron microscopes, focused ion beam systems, and dual beam systems that combine the two on a single platform. Other FEI products include ion mass spectrometers, nano profilometers, and software systems to help maximize semiconductor production yields. Research labs and industrial customers generate 44% of FEI’s revenues. The electronics industry, and in particular semiconductor manufacturers, contribute 19%, and servicing and component sales account for around 24%. These core businesses generate solid if unspectacular growth of around 10% a year. Greater growth potential, however, lies in the life sciences area, which currently accounts for some 13 percent of revenues. Increasingly the pharmaceutical and biotech industries are focusing on three-dimensional structural biology, including the study of biological pathways and cellular structures. These areas offer fertile markets for FEI’s products. Other industries looking to tap nanotech’s potential also could be powerful engines of growth for FEI in the longer run. The mining and energy markets are two prime examples. In mining, automated mineralogy using FEI’s systems promises to speed up the discovery of...
The U.S. stock market has staged one of the more impressive rallies in history this year, as “green shoots” of economic growth whetted investors appetite for risk. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up more than…
In just a few short years, exchange-traded funds have become the hottest item on the stock-market menu, with U.S. ETFs alone now holding more than $600 billion of investors’ money.
You don’t hear a lot about "peak gold," but the fact is that great gold deposits are harder and more costly to find these days. Then getting the few finds into production…
Yesterday’s decline reversed the rally we enjoyed to start the week. The S&P 500 is now below support at 1071. Is that a death knell? No. But it’s not good, either.
Mounting debt problems in Greece, Spain and Portugal are spooking investors. Oil prices are lower as investors worry the global recovery isn’t gaining momentum.
The Labor Department reported that companies cut 20,000 in January. New unemployment claims also rose. But somehow, the unemployment rate fell to 9.7%. I’m not going to call that a "damn lie", but statistics don’t always tell the whole truth.
***We’ve noted frequently in Daily Profit that we can expect to see some pretty wild swings in the data as the housing market and unemployment rate bottom. One month’s positive data gets revised lower, and then the next month’s negative data gets revised higher.
There’s no doubt the economy is improving, but is it happening fast enough? And perhaps more importantly, where will the base-line be?
An unemployment rate around 4%-5% used to be the norm. We’re certainly looking at a higher base for unemployment over the next few years. GDP growth will be lower. Investors will probably support lower P/E ratios and levels for the major indices.
That’s not a disaster, but it does mean you’ll need to be focused on value and not afraid to take profits when you have them
It’s quite a conundrum. America spent around $475 billion for foreign oil in 2008 (2009 numbers are not complete yet, although the total is certainly projected to be lower). It’s clear that electric powered battery technology for cars would allow us to keep more U.S. dollars at home, improve the trade deficit and provide manufacturing and other jobs, too.
We have enough sunlight, wind, natural gas, and coal to generate the power it would take to transition to domestically supported power generation. The long-term benefits are obvious. Wind and solar installations have an upfront cost, but pay for themselves over time. Natural gas and even coal are domestic resources that can and should be leveraged to allow us to be more energy independent.
But getting to the point of energy independence is a difficult path.
*****It’s easy to look at that $475 billion figure and say if we invested that into the power generation economy, we’d have efficient battery technology for electric cars and plenty of new manufacturing jobs.
However, that simple conclusion totally ignores the economics of wind and solar generation. First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR) is one of the most successful American solar companies. Based in Tempe, Arizona the company sold nearly $2 billion of its thin-cell solar panel equipment over the last year. Demand is so strong, that First Solar is expanding its manufacturing capacity to 1,802 megawatts by 2012 (a megawatt can power about 800 homes).
Sounds great. Should provide a lot of jobs, at least in Malaysia, where most of First Solar’s plants are. There should be no doubt that one of the keys to any solar company’s success is cost. Solar equipment has to be produced at a cost that allows it to be competitive with current energy sources.
In China, the minimum wage works out to $141 dollars a month. In Malaysia, there is no minimum wage. Here in the U.S., minimum wage will pay you $1,320 a week. I think we can all agree that even that comparatively high wage isn’t particularly attractive to American workers. And it should also be clear that the success of solar energy depends on cheap manufacturing costs.
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