Archives for December 2012

December 2012 - Page 3 of 17 - Money Morning - Only the News You Can Profit From

Toshiba Talks Highlight Nuclear Power Slow Down

Toshiba CEO Norio Sasaki told Dow Jones in an interview today (Thursday) the company is negotiating with three potential buyers, including Chicago Bridge & Iron Company NV (NYSE: CBI), to purchase a 16% stake in the Westinghouse Electric nuclear power unit.

Toshiba said earlier this year it would consider offers as long as it retained majority control over Westinghouse.

Toshiba paid $4.16 billion in 2006 for a 77% stake in Westinghouse. In 2007, Toshiba sold a 10% stake in Westinghouse to Kazatomprom of Kazakhstan, leaving the company with 67% of Westinghouse.

But Toshiba's stake will jump to 87% in January when a sale from The Shaw Group Inc. (NYSE: SHAW) becomes final. Shaw in September 2011 exercised an option to sell its stock after it agreed to be taken over by rival Chicago Bridge & Iron.

An 87% stake would give Toshiba too much exposure to a nuclear industry rattled by the March 2011 accident at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant.

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What the NYSE Deal Means for the Major Players - And You

The NYSE deal in which IntercontinentalExchange Inc. (NYSE: ICE) will acquire NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX), the operator of the New York Stock Exchange, is putting pressure on CME Group Inc. (Nasdaq: CME) to find a dance partner before closing time.

That's because the NYSE deal has highlighted the importance of futures and options exchanges like CME (Chicago Mercantile Exchange) in the future of trading.

A new regulatory environment, set up to address the issues thought to have caused the financial crisis of 2008, will require most over-the-counter derivatives – customized options and futures contracts between two companies – to be settled through clearing houses instead of as a private agreement between two investors.

Settling OTC derivatives through clearing houses will require market participants to put up collateral and adhere to specified margin requirements, which are not necessarily required in an OTC transaction.

Big derivatives exchanges, such as ICE and CME, see this as another money-making opportunity. And ICE just made a huge profit move with its NYSE deal.

"CME should be wary of this combination because it looks to be pretty formidable," Michael Holland, who oversees more than $4 billion in assets as chairman of New York-based Holland & Co., said in a phone interview with Bloomberg News. "The ICE people have done a very smart thing. CME should be concerned."

NYSE Deal Signals End of Era

ICE acknowledges the NYSE deal is all about NYSE LIFFE, Europe's second-largest futures exchange specializing in financial futures, which is operated by NYSE Euronext. ICE specializes in energy and agricultural commodity derivatives, so acquiring LIFFE gives ICE a broader, complementary product lineup as well as enhanced access to the European market.

By leveraging its existing clearing operations through the acquisition of NYSE LIFFE, ICE hopes to increase its clearing and settlement revenue as new regulation begins to take effect next year.

This seems to be the final nail in the coffin for the brick-and-mortar stock exchange and the ultimate triumph of electronic trading.

The NYSE and other stock exchanges around the world have lost market share to electronic exchanges, market makers and dark pools where the bulk of trading now takes place.

The idea of trading on the floor of a stock exchange now seems to be an anachronism –
a buggy whip in the Space Age.

Which brings us to the importance of CME.

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Stock Market Today: Holding on to Fiscal Cliff Deal Hopes

The stock market today (Thursday) was quiet on the open as investors waited on the sidelines for a fiscal cliff deal update.

About a half hour into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was off 12 points, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index was lower by 2 points and the Nasdaq gave back 3.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-NV, gave a mid-morning press conference to warn we are likely to head over the fiscal cliff. All eyes remain on developments, or lack thereof, on Capitol Hill. If Democrats and Republicans don't come to some kind of agreement by New Year's Eve, the slowly recovering U.S. economy will be struck with some $600 billion in tax increases and across the board spending cuts at the federal level that threaten to deliver a 2013 recession.

U.S. President Barack Obama was due back in the White House today to continue negotiations.

Economists say the resilience of equity markets is due to the fact that most market participants are still betting that a deal will get done, if not by year's end, then soon after the New Year.

That is part of the reason that a stronger bearish sentiment hasn't plagued stocks.

"People are expecting some sort of compromise to save the day, so they're hesitant to short the market because news on that front will push the market higher," Mark Helweg, founder of financial tech company MicroQuant, told CNN Money.

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U.S. Consumers Face this Growing Threat in 2013

U.S. consumers spent less than expected this winter, which resulted in the worst holiday retail sales since 2008. Analysts blame bad weather, but Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald disagrees. Fitz-Gerald appeared on FOX Business Network's "Varney & Co." program Wednesday morning to discuss the reasons weighing on retail sales. He said, simply put, […]

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Three Stocks to Buy in Next Year's Most Promising Sectors

Whatever 2013 brings for the markets, there will be plenty of quality stocks to buy – if you know where to look.

Overall, the markets are expected to have another positive year.

A survey of 10 top financial strategists by Barron's projects the Standard & Poor's 500 will close at 1,562 in 2013, a 10% gain from current levels. (By the way, last year's picks outpaced the broader index by 6%.)

That would follow modest gains in 2012 of 13.5% for the S&P 500 and 8% for the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

For next year, Wall Street's top guns predict certain sectors of the market – technology, industrials, and energy – will lead the charge higher. Companies in more defensive sectors like consumer staples, telecoms, and utilities, will be laggards.

So let's take a closer look at three stocks to buy from among these favored sectors that should be an excellent place for your money in 2013.

Stocks to Buy in 2013: Cheap Tech

Tech stocks are hugely profitable and as a group currently carry a forward P/E ratio of about 11.

That's cheap versus historical levels.

Tech is also a bellwether for when companies start to invest capital.

"When we get an upturn in capital expenditures, it will show up in tech first," Barclays' Barry Knapp told Barron's.

One stock to buy that has a rock solid balance sheet and a mountain of cash is Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO).

Once the world's most valuable company with a market cap of $500 billion, Cisco's shares sank sharply when the tech bubble burst in 2000.

And the stock is still dirt cheap, trading around $20 a share, roughly 10 times next year's earnings. Plus, the company is sitting on more than $48 billion in cash, worth about $9 a share.

With a dominant market share of 60%, CSCO is the de facto choice in the switching market.

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3D Systems Corporation - Momentum

With a third-quarter 2012 earnings surprise of 15% and a solid outlook for 2013, shares of 3D Systems Corporation (DDD) have been on the rise recently. This 3D printer company has gained 238% year-to-date and witnessed positive estimate revisions in the last two months. The strategic acquisition of Rapidform products is set to drive further […]

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Bear of the Day: HSBC Holdings - ADR (HBC) - Bear of the Day

We are downgrading our long-term recommendation on HSBC Holdings (HBC) ADRs to Underperform to reflect the penalty to be paid to settle money-laundering charges and its credit ratings downgrade by Fitch. Moreover, the company's third quarter net income was significantly down from the year-ago period and included additional provision for various investigations faced by it. […]

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Give Me the Right Stamp of Approval and I’ll Give You Your Next 319% Profit

At one time or another, I'm sure that we've all been outraged by stories of rampant government waste – especially in areas of aerospace- and defense-related research.

But today I'm going to tell you about a NASA-related tech program that led to a big payoff. In fact, investors who knew what to look for could've turned $10,000 into $41,900 – a 319% return – in just 29 months.

I'm relating this story for a couple of reasons. It shows you why I spend so much time looking at the research that's underway in labs at both the university and national level.

And it also explains why I write to you so frequently about cutting-edge science where I believe there's a big potential payoff.

My ultimate goal, you see, is to tell you about profit opportunities like this one before they occur.

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Your 2013 Guide to Investing in Gold

Gold bullion, gold stocks or no gold at all?

I put that question to Real Asset Returns Editor Peter Krauth last week.

You see, there's a lot of interest in investing in gold right now. Or perhaps I should say that there's a lot of interest in what gold might do.

And you can certainly understand why.

From its November 2008 market lows, the SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD) – the No. 1 proxy for the "yellow metal" – rose as much as 158%, reaching its peak in September 2011. But it's down about 13% since that time (though it's up 5% year to date), and a lot of folks are wondering what gold is worth, and how they should play it.

Wall Street has grown more tepid on gold, with many of the investment banks ratcheting back just a bit on their target prices. But most also see prices heading up to and beyond the $2,000 level in 2013, meaning they see a potential gain of 22% or better.

Peter's target price is a bit more aggressive: He sees gold trading as high as $2,200 an ounce – 34% above current prices in the $1,640 range.

I've worked with Peter for several years now, and admire the way he works.

He based himself in resource-rich Canada in order to be closer to the many companies that he covers. And he's made a number of truly superb market calls: In September 2010, for instance, when silver was trading at $19 an ounce, Peter told investors the metal was a "Buy" – and we then watched it soar to a high of $48 (a 153% windfall).

So when I decided to bring you the latest insights on gold – and some recommendations, as well – I went to Peter.

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2013 Tax Law Changes: Watch Out for These Hits

Some of the 2013 tax law changes slated to take effect Jan. 1 could hit your portfolio if you aren't prepared – and some will go into effect regardless of the fiscal cliff resolution.

In fact, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released 159 pages of rules that will apply to trusts, annuities and individual equity traders.

One tax that could affect you is a new 3.8% surtax on investment income – or as it's fondly called, the investment income Medicare tax. The new tax is part of the 2010 healthcare reform law passed by Congress, and represents the first surtax on capital gains and dividend income.

There's also a new 0.9% healthcare tax on wages for high-income individuals; it is called the earned income Medicare tax increase.

Combined, these two taxes could raise an estimated $317.7 billion over the next decade, reported Reuters, based on a June Joint Committee on Taxation analysis.

To find out if you qualify for these taxes – and how to avoid them – check out this look at the proposed changes.

2013 Tax Law Changes: Medicare Surtax

The 3.8% Medicare surtax is a big deal because it's the first time a Medicare tax will be assessed on investment income.

For the purposes of the rule, investment income includes the following:

  • Interest, Dividends, Royalties, and Annuities
  • Capital gains, including any profit you make on the sale of your residence if it exceeds the amount you are allowed to exclude
  • Passive-activity income. This can defined as earnings that stem from rental property, limited partnerships or other business that an individual is not actively involved.

You'll be affected by the Medicare surtax if your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is more than $200,000 as an individual, or $250,000 for married couples filing jointly.

Your MAGI is the total of adjusted gross income plus any foreign income. So if you work in the United States, MAGI will equal AGI, which includes your net investment income (gains minus losses).

It's a bit tricky, though.

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