Archives for November 2012

November 2012 - Page 3 of 20 - Money Morning - Only the News You Can Profit From

Why to Keep Betting on Higher Silver Prices

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As November comes to an end, silver prices continue to hold their luster even in this down week.

On Tuesday, spot silver increased to $34.26 an ounce, its greatest level since the middle of October, before it dropped to $33.76.

Silver traders have hit the sidelines as economic news such as fiscal cliff discussions, the Greek bailout and an appreciating U.S. dollar have been a drag on the white metal.

James Steel, HSBC metal analyst said to Reuters of the current prices, "We believe gold and silver prices will tend towards consolidation, as investors await further developments on the U.S. fiscal cliff negotiations."

But don't worry silver bulls, there's still enough good news to keep you happy.

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Why the Fate of Microsoft Stock Hinges on Windows 8

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Any hope of jolting Microsoft stock out of years of stagnation lies with the success of its latest attempts to capture a slice of mobile computing.

Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) is only a bit player in mobile, currently dominated by devices running Apple Inc.'s (Nasdaq: AAPL) iOS and Google Inc.'s (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android. That's why the company now has a new mobile strategy, with the focal point being Windows 8, the latest version of Microsoft's dominant computer operating system.

Windows 8 is optimized for the mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones that have stolen the thunder from traditional PCs, a market Microsoft long dominated.

Microsoft has also ventured into mobile hardware with its new Surface tablet.

Now Microsoft is betting that the Surface tablet will turn heads and that Windows 8 will put it back in the mobile OS game by luring hardware makers away from Android.

"I don't control the macro-environment, but there's a huge opportunity in the explosion of devices," Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Peter Klein told Reuters. "There's demand for compelling devices and a connected set of cloud experiences. That's what Windows 8 is all about."

The Redmond, WA-based company must succeed in mobile to secure a new source of growth capable of moving Microsoft stock out of the doldrums where it has languished for more than a decade. The current 10-year return for MSFT is -6.39% — yes, negative. Rolling back to November 2001 puts the return on Microsoft stock at -15.75%.

Owners of Microsoft stock can only cross their fingers and hope the bet pays off.

How Mobile Success Could Help Microsoft Stock

Microsoft had little choice but to shift its attention to mobile computing. That's where the money is in tech today.

Apple's profits have soared from about $2 billion in FY 2006 to $41.7 billion in FY 2012, almost entirely on the strength of the iPhone and iPad.

More recently, Korean-based Samsung Electronics (PINK: SSNLF) has emerged as the dominant Android hardware maker, with its profits rocketing 91% in the September quarter on strong sales of its Galaxy series of smartphones.

Sales growth in mobile devices has soared over the past few years. Research firm Gartner expects combined global sales of tablets and smartphones to reach 821 million units this year and rise 46% to pass the 1.2 billion mark next year – triple that of global PC sales.

So far Microsoft hasn't been able to grab much of this market, with its Windows operating systems on just 2.4% of smartphones, and about 4% of tablets.

But these projections by research firm IDC see that changing with Windows 8…

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Fiscal Cliff Meeting: Here's What U.S. CEOs Expect from Obama

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In what looks like a "Who's Who Among America's Corporate Leaders," some of the biggest and best U.S. CEOs are meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama today (Wednesday) in Washington to discuss the fiscal cliff.

With just 35 days left for congressional lawmakers to hammer out a deal before Americans face the largest tax increase in history, the pace has quickened in the race to avert falling off the cliff.

Those present at White House meeting included business leaders in healthcare, finance, commodities, entertainment, construction and consumer products.

Among the attendees: Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS); Muhtar Kent, The Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO); Marissa Mayer, Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO); Doug Oberhelman, Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT); Ian Read, Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE); and Patricia Woertz, Archer Daniels Midland Co. (NYSE: ADM).

U.S. companies want Washington to act now as many are already feeling the pre-effects of the fiscal cliff. None want to experience the full impact, which the Congressional Budget Office warns will thrust the U.S. economy back into recession next year.

In anticipation, scores of businesses have laid off workers and shelved expansion projects. The uncertainty, Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) CEO Brain Moynihan recently explained, is holding back the nation's recovery from the Great Recession.

Putnam Investment CEO Robert Reynolds recently told The Wall Street Journal, "The greatest stimulus is certainty. You don't know what your tax rate is next year, you don't necessarily know what you're going to be paying in health care, capital gains, dividends. They all have a tremendous impact on the way people act."

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2013 Gold Price Forecast: Expect Gold to Deliver Another Record-Setting Year

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No two bull markets are ever the same, and gold is no exception.

During the last secular gold bull market in the 1970s, gold rose from $35 in 1968 all the way to $200 by late 1974.

Then the unthinkable happened. Between late 1974 and mid-1976, gold prices were cut in half, dropping from about $200 to $100.

At the time, many gold investors sold out in disgust, never to return.

But then a funny thing occurred. Gold prices started to climb again, rising from $100 in mid-1976 all the way to $800 by January 1980.

And anyone who was fortunate enough to own gold at $35 earned better than 20 times their investment in just 12 years.

Twenty-one years later, a new bull market began. Since 2001, gold has consistently performed in what now appears to be a record-setting run.

2013 gold price forecast

In fact, since 2001 the average return on gold is now just shy of 18% annually over the last 11 years.

I know of no other major asset that has turned in this kind of performance — ever. This rise in gold prices is simply unmatched.

This is what a stealth bull market looks like, one that I fully expect will keep powering on.

Now, let's have a look at where gold prices might be headed in 2013…

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The Ultimate Gift for Your Gold Lover and 5 Other Amazing Consumer Trends

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Last weekend marked the official start of the holiday shopping season in the U.S., so for the next month, consumers will be enticed with daily deals on the latest fads, such as one-cup coffee makers, tablets, flat screens and cashmere sweaters.

According to the latest survey from the Consumer Electronic Association, about 60 percent of adults plan to shop in stores or online during the holiday weekend, with the average person indicating they'll fork over $218 for gifts and merchandise from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday.

This is a sharp increase from 2011, where shoppers said they'd spend $159.

For the ultimate gold lover on your shopping list, one amazing purchase you can nab is a Christmas tree complete with Disney characters and gold leaf ribbons made of 88 pounds of pure gold from a jewelry store in Tokyo, according to Reuters.

The ornamental tree will set you back $4.2 million, but there's also a smaller version available for $243,000.

But that's not the only thing that has grabbed my attention this holiday season. Here are 5 other amazing consumer trends that are happening around the world.

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In Search of the Next Bakken Shale Oil Field

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Fracking technology has reshaped the U.S. energy industry by opening up vast shale oil and gas fields that were previously uneconomical to exploit.

Now, following half a decade of rapid growth, so-called unconventional oil accounts for about 2 million barrels per day of production in 2012.

So much oil is being produced domestically, in fact, that six companies including the world's largest oil trader Vitol and Royal Dutch Shell PLC (NYSE ADR: RDS.A) have applied to the U.S. government for energy export licenses. If approved, it will be the first such exports to occur in decades.

It is expected that, by 2020, unconventional oil production will be at the 4.5 million barrel per day level.

This is a familiar story to energy investors. The names of the best known shale oil fields such as Bakken, Eagle Ford and Utica are very recognizable to these investors.

But some other names are less well-known and are worth investigating.

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OECD Sees These Threats Beyond Fiscal Cliff 2013

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At a press conference announcing the release of its new Economic Outlook report, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) issued a stern warning to the U.S. to resolve the impasse over fiscal cliff 2013 or risk falling into recession, possibly dragging the rest of the world economy down with it.

"The US "fiscal cliff,' if it materializes, could tip an already weak economy into recession, while failure to solve the euro area crisis could lead to a major financial shock and global downturn," said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría. "Governments must act decisively, using all the tools at their disposal to turn confidence around and boost growth and jobs, in the United States, in Europe, and elsewhere."

The OECD expects growth in the U.S. to decline from 2.2% in 2012 to 2.0% in 2013 "provided the "fiscal cliff' is avoided," then increasing to 2.8% in 2014. U.S. unemployment is expected to decline from 8.1% in 2012 to 7.5% in 2014, using a harmonized measure of unemployment that allows comparisons between countries.

Although the consequences of failing to resolve fiscal cliff 2013 loom large, the European debt crisis was cited as the main risk to global economic growth. Gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the Eurozone is expected to improve from -0.4% in 2012 to -0.1% in 2013 and a positive 1.3% in 2014.

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Facebook Stock is Up 24% this Month - Will it Keep Going?

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Facebook stock finally has been acting like it was expected to after its hugely hyped initial public offering in May: It's rising.

In a stark about-face, the stock has advanced more than 24% in November, after falling 50% from its IPO price over the previous five months.

The FB rally was pronounced Monday, with shares of the social networking giant closing up 8.09%.

In addition, it has logged better returns than the S&P 500 by 24 percentage points over the last 60 trading sessions.

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Stock Market Today: Fiscal Cliff Fears Can’t Stop This 160% Gainer

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The stock market today opened flat before turning negative as negotiations on the fiscal cliff have not progressed, outweighing Greece's new deal concerning its debt.

  • Greece Close to Massive Bailout- Late Monday the International Monetary Fund, Eurozone finance ministers, and Greece came to an agreement that drastically eases the terms regarding Greece's repayment of debt and sets the stage for a third bailout. The deal lowers interest rates for bailout loans, suspends interest payments for a decade, pushes the deadline back for final repayments until the 2040s, and initiates a bond buyback program. Greece is also now on the brink of receiving a $44.7 billion loan beginning Dec. 13. "The big challenge now is to implement the decisions," Greek Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras said. "Greece has huge potential." The agreed upon measures aim to bring Greece's debt-to-GDP ratio down to 124% by 2020 from the projected level of 190% in 2014. The deal was accomplished by installing unprecedented measures such as carefully monitoring how Greece spends the debt, keeping an account strictly for debt servicing, and insisting that Greece completes the bond buyback before receiving more aid. "Euro-zone countries have put their money where their mouth is," Carsten Brzeski, an economist at ING Group NV in Brussels told Bloomberg News. "However, it is clearly not a carte blanche for Greece but rather a very tight leash."
  • Fiscal Cliff Talks Resume- Congress returned from its Thanksgiving recess and the fiscal cliff will be at the forefront of discussions this week. After last week's short burst of optimism there has not been any further progress on a deficit reduction deal. But for now consumers seem unfazed by the whole debacle, as today the consumer confidence index reached levels not seen since February 2008. The onset of higher taxes coupled with deep spending cuts was thought to lower consumer confidence, but instead consumers spent a record amount of money through Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The consumer confidence gauge interestingly showed expectations for six months from now, when we could be off the fiscal cliff, unexpectedly rose. The percentage of respondents expecting more jobs to be available in six months rose to its highest level since February 2011, and the percentage expecting to buy a home in the next six months hit a new all-time high. "The consumer is in a better place than several years ago," Michael Gapen, a New York-based senior U.S. economist at Barclays PLC (NYSE ADR: BCS), told Bloomberg. "A lot of the numbers are improving, whether it is household balance sheets or the state of the housing market or employment."

While the market is trying to turn positive, here is one stock surging on a medical breakthrough, another soaring on a settlement with Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG), and a third that is up after announcing a special dividend.

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ViewPoint Financial Group - Growth & Income

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ViewPoint Financial Group, Inc. (VPFG) has watched all analyst earnings estimates for this year and next move higher in the past 30 days. This Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) financial services provider also hit its 52-week high earlier this month and offers a regular quarterly dividend of 2%. For these reasons, VPFG is an attractive […]

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