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| 07:15 AM |
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New Product Line from Logitech – Analyst Blog
Recently Logitech International SA (LOGI) introduced a new product for better and enhanced customer satisfaction with the launch of the first iPad keyboard. The keyboard has been specially designed for classroom environment with added advantages of spill resistance and enhanced durability, which gives it a key lifespan of more than five million strokes. In recent [...]
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| 05:00 AM |
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Why Ben Bernanke's Market Manipulation is So Brilliant
Nothing lasts forever, apparently not even quantitative easing.
On Wednesday, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke threatened to take away the massive punch bowl that's been spiked with easy money juice.
There's no set timetable, but maybe there is. It's hard to interpret Fedspeak.
So maybe they'll start paring back their $85 billion a month buying spree, or maybe they'll jack it up, which is what Benny said only a few sessions ago.
What the heck is he doing? What are they doing? And who are "they" anyway?
Here's the deal...
To continue reading, please click here...
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| 05:00 AM |
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One Sure Winner as We Fight Deflation
[Editor's Note: We are constantly surveying the investment world for ideas, hidden stories and unique perspectives to share with you. One of our favorite spots to look is The Aden Forecast, which has been written by Mary Anne and Pam Aden for decades. This recent article they crafted for you is testament to why we value their insight and analysis.]
For the past six months or so, we've talked a lot about the velocity of money and its effects. Increasingly, it's become the most important factor in understanding the markets and the uncharted waters we're currently navigating.
For years we've been delicately sailing between the Scylla and Charybdis of our day, between inflation and deflation. And the sharp drop in gold was yet another slide towards deflation's shores.
Meanwhile, the world's central bankers have been at the helm, doing all they can to keep deflationary pressures at bay and steer hard toward inflation.
But despite their unprecedented global efforts, including massive money stimulus and near zero interest rates, the rocky shores of deflation loom larger and larger. Here's why...
To continue reading, please click here...
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| 05:00 AM |
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Why Insiders Love these Stocks to Buy Now
One of the most powerful positive indicators of stocks to buy is insider buying by officers and directors of a publicly traded corporation.
There is often a good reason why an insider buys stock in the company he works for and it is the same reason you and I buy a stock: He or she thinks it is going to go higher in the months and years ahead.
The big difference is that insiders know more about the direction and finances of the company and are in a better position to make an informed decision. Both research and practice shows that following the insiders often leads to excess profits.
Following insiders when deciding on stocks to buy has been a reliable approach to selecting investments over the years.
To continue reading, please click here...
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| Thu, May 23, 2013 |
| 05:18 PM |
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California Just Gave Us a Glimpse of How Obamacare Will Fail
Turns out no one knows how Obamacare will work - not even the big-name insurers.
And now, we're starting to see the effects of uncertainty.
Today (Thursday), the Los Angeles Times reported that United Health, Aetna, and Cigna have opted out of the California insurance exchange.
UnitedHealth has adopted a wait-and-see policy: "We are simply taking the time to carefully evaluate and better understand how the exchanges will work to ensure we are best prepared to participate meaningfully in their development," explains a spokesman to the LA Times.
Cigna resolved to participate in exchanges in only half of the 10 states where it sells individual health policies, and California didn't make the cut.
Aetna referred LA Times' questions to Covered California, the state agency in charge of implementing Obamacare.
That means millions of Californians who will have to choose health insurance from exchanges or face a penalty will not be able to pick plans from those three big insurers - signaling limited options ahead thanks to Obamacare.
UnitedHealth, Aetna, and Cigna's response to the California exchange is just the beginning.
These three companies are but the first dominoes to fall to Obamacare's less-than-clear implementation.
To continue reading, please click here…
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| 04:21 PM |
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That 7.3% Japanese Stock Market Plunge Was Just a Warning
Wall Street woke up to grim news on Thursday morning (today) - overnight the Japanese stock market, as measured by the Nikkei index, lost a stunning 7.3%.
The sudden drop caught many investors by surprise, as the Japanese stock market had risen 50% - 5,277 points - so far in 2013. The Nikkei plummeted 1,143 points Thursday to close at 14,483.98.
The shock waves were felt in stock markets throughout Asia and Europe, and caused the Dow Jones Industrial Average to shed 100 points in early trading.
Analysts blamed a combination of poor Chinese manufacturing data and mixed messages from the U.S Federal Reserve Wednesday about when it might slow its monetary easing, which caused Japanese 10-year bonds to briefly rise above 1% for the first time in a year.
But those factors "just added fuel to the fire," said Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald, explaining that there's far more lurking behind this plunge in the Japanese stock market.
"The rise in the Japanese stock market was unsustainable," Fitz-Gerald said. "It was a bug in search of a windshield."
To continue reading, please click here…
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| 03:12 PM |
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Best Investments: Don't Miss the Next Raging Bull Market in Uranium
Investors who bought into uranium at the right time in the 1970s probably considers it one of the best investments they've ever made...
When the element entered a bull market in the '70s, the result was 10-fold gains for uranium prices, and 100-fold gains for related uranium stocks.
Now the stage is set for uranium's price to go on another tear...
To find out why uranium could be one of the best investments over the next few years, we turned to Rick Rule, founder and chairman of Sprott Global Resources Investments.
To continue reading, please click here...
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| 03:08 PM |
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Part 2: Is the United States the Next Argentina?
As I wrote yesterday, government interventions in the marketplace and out of control cronyism have decimated Argentina, one of the most prolific economies of the early 20th century.
But after my week spent there, I can tell you the people of Argentina face an even more troubling problem. It's out of control inflation and it continues to grow worse.
And while it seems far removed, it provides a stern warning to anyone who thinks the U.S. is somehow immune to it all.
In fact, it's critical to understand what's behind it and how it is driving a massive gap between the rich and the poor there.
To tell you the truth what I found there was somewhat startling.
To continue reading, please click here…
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| 02:15 PM |
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Dividend Stocks 2013: Why 81% of S&P 500 Companies Want to Pay You
More and more S&P 500 companies are turning into dividend stocks, as yield-producing investments are becoming the hottest attraction in 2013.
Collective dividends per share for Standard & Poor's 500 companies increased roughly 16% year-over-year in 2012. Meanwhile, the number of companies paying a dividend over that period reached a new 13-year high of 405, or roughly 81% of the S&P 500, data from Factset shows.
Some 60% of these dividend stocks yield more than the 10-year Treasury, according to BlackRock.
Yield-starved investors have flocked to these equities in this ZIRP (zero interest rate policy) environment. More companies are embracing the shift and have implemented, increased or paid special dividends as a way to appease shareholders and attract new capital.
To continue reading, please click here...
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| 01:23 PM |
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Some of the Best Investments for Doubling Your Money Are in Biotech
Innovation is the mother of lucrative investing, and nowhere is that truer than in biotech - which delivers some of the best investments you'll ever find.
Biotechnology provides breakthrough products and technologies to combat debilitating and rare ailments, it reduces rates of infectious disease, tailors treatments to individuals to minimize health risks and side effects, creates more precise tools for disease detection, and it reduces the odds of global life threatening conditions.
In short, biotech helps to heal the world.
"If you're looking to double your money, the biotech sector is one of the best hunting grounds that you'll find," writes Money Morning Tech Specialist Michael A. Robinson, who regularly follows the industry's best investments for his Strategic Tech Investor members.
p> To continue reading, please click here…
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| 10:59 AM |
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How to Invest in Oil's Final Frontier: The Arctic
Investors searching for how to invest in oil in 2013 should be focused on these latest developments from the Arctic.
In fact, countries are racing to get a piece of what could be the final frontier for oil...
As ice melts in the Arctic region, oil and gas trapped beneath the water becomes more accessible.
Money Morning Global Energy Strategist Dr. Kent Moors recently explained to Money Morning members about the search for Arctic oil and gas.
He spoke about the years-in-the-making U.S. Geological Survey's Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal. The study found that 84% of the total undiscovered oil and gas left on the planet is located above the Arctic Circle, mainly offshore and in three huge basins that lie under shallow seas.
To continue reading, please click here...
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| 07:15 AM |
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Switzerland ETFs in Focus on China FTA Deal – ETF News And Commentary
Switzerland, unlike many other European economies, has maintained a budget surplus and a credit rating of 'AAA'. The unemployment rate of the nation is also much lower than the neighboring economies, suggesting that Switzerland has been able to do better than most (5 ETFs for Countries with Highest Employment Rates). Yet, that doesn’t mean that [...]
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| 05:00 AM |
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How Ben Bernanke Is Destroying Your Retirement
Uncle Sam has an unfunded pension liability of $800 billion.
Corporate pension funds have an unfunded liability around $400 billion.
State and local pension funds have an unfunded liability in the tony neighborhood of $3 trillion.
That's over $4 TRILLION in UNFUNDED pension funds.
And if you're not lucky enough to be in a "defined benefit" pension plan (which fewer and fewer people are these days) there's undoubtedly an "unfunded liability" in your own savings - in other words, you haven't saved enough to retire.
It's a huge problem and it's getting worse. And there's one individual to blame for all that $4.2-plus trillion of money we need to find - Ben Bernanke.
To continue reading, please click here…
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| 05:00 AM |
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Best Investments 2013: Finding Opportunity Far and Near
Samuel Johnson once said, "The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are."
Although penned by an 18th century English writer, the idea holds true in today's highly connected world of search bars, tweets and breaking news. Our portfolio managers' research trips to foreign countries authenticates the data from a Bloomberg terminal or an earnings report. Treks add tacit knowledge to our wealth of explicit facts.
Last week, I was in Peru and Colombia with former president Bill Clinton and Frank Giustra in conjunction with the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership.
I've been involved with this impressive organization since its inception. I love how it brings together private companies, government and communities in developing regions of the world to eradicate poverty by growing jobs and training local workers.
To continue reading, please click here…
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| 05:00 AM |
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Is the United States the Next Argentina?
Drive the streets of Buenos Aires, and you will see regal architecture that rivals wealthy European enclaves in Monaco or London.
And along tree-lined walkways, you will witness monuments that speak of the legacy of Argentina's finest moments.
But all of it is just a façade-a reminder of what used to be.
Despite having one of the most educated and entrepreneurial populations in the world, an abundance of natural resources, and a dynamic agricultural sector, Argentina has been in steep decline now for eighty years.
And things are only getting worse.
Without a doubt there's a lesson here-- even though I recognize U.S. businesses have it comparatively easy when it comes to government mismanagement.
Even still, after spending the week immersed in Argentina's business culture, it's hard to argue the U.S. isn't on the same unsustainable path.
With the U.S. debt and obligations reaching new heights, new arbitrary regulations making it increasingly harder to conduct business, and examples of ruthless big government gone array in the AP and IRS targeting scandals, the parallels are too great to ignore.
This is far different from the recent comparisons to Greece--and actually much worse.
The truth is the United States is in danger of becoming the next Argentina.
Here's why: It's about business, always business.
To continue reading, please click here…
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| Wed, May 22, 2013 |
| 05:21 PM |
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U.S. GDP: America is About to Look Richer – But Don't Be Fooled
America's about to become more wealthy - on paper, at least.
That's because the way the country's gross domestic product, or U.S. GDP, is measured will change significantly come July 31, enough to boost the closely watched economic barometer by 3%, or $400 billion.
That translates to the equivalent of about $1,500 more worth of goods and services per person in the United States.
The U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis claims the changes will allow for more consistent comparisons with data for the economies of other nations.
What the revised U.S. GDP, which will apply retroactively to 1929, will really do is make the country look healthier than it actually is.
What it speaks to in my mind is the oldest of all games: It's administrative whitewash, Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald said. If reality doesn't fit your statistics, you adjust your statistics and say, 'Let's make everybody feel good about what we're doing by readjusting the calculations.'
To continue reading, please click here…
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| 05:13 PM |
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High Taxes Mean It's Lights Out For California
Would the last person leaving California please turn out the lights...
Whether by coincidence or design there is a mass exodus of business and upper management from the golden state.
Here's a guess why: California is the highest taxed state in the nation.
Its top income tax rate is 13.3%, and its property tax per capita is $1,450. California also has the highest sales tax at 7.5% and is the proud bearer of the country's highest gas tax according to the Petroleum Institute.
To continue reading, please click here...
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| 02:54 PM |
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7 Reasons Not to Trust the Bernanke Testimony to Congress
As usual, the markets were hanging on every word of the Bernanke testimony to Congress today (Wednesday).
By now, everyone should know better.
In the years that U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has been a member of the Fed - both as a member of the Board of Governors from 2002 to 2005, and in his two terms as chairman beginning in 2006 - he has been stupendously wrong time and time again.
Bernanke gave the markets what they wanted by hinting that his monetary easing policies won't change any time soon, pushing both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Standard & Poor's 500 Index up more than 0.5% in midday trading.
To continue reading, please click here...
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| 07:15 AM |
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Time to Buy This Top Ranked Dividend ETF – ETF News And Commentary
The low interest rate environment in the economy has many investors looking beyond the conventional sources of income for higher yielding avenues. Not only has this highlighted the desperation of the yield hungry investors, but it has also distorted the highly fragile risk return tradeoff of the typically conservative income seeking investors (read Cambria Launches [...]
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| 05:00 AM |
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How to Find the Best Cheap Stocks to Buy Now
If you want an investment priced at a bargain with huge growth potential, it's a great time to hunt for cheap stocks to buy now.
So far this year the stock market has put in a solid performance with the S&P 500 up a little more than 17% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising a bit more than 18%.
It has been a very broad advance with the aggressive U.S. Federal Reserve policy pushing money into a wide range of securities.
About 470 of the S&P 500 constituents have risen so far this year and 29 of 30 Dow issues are higher in 2013. There is a strong opinion among major market strategists that as long as the Federal Reserve keeps interest rates at or near zero, money will continue to flow into equities.
If this is the case, then the lagging issues may well be bargains with high profit potential.
The key to identifying to bargain issues is to apply some measure of valuation to identify those stocks that are mispriced by the market and may move higher.
Many of the stocks that are down including former tech darlings like Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) and EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC) are struggling to provide the type of earnings and sales that will get growth enthusiasts excited enough to begin buying the shares again.
Others like J.C. Penney Company Inc. (NYSE: JCP) are experiencing severe operational and financial issues that may preclude them from a strong price recovery anytime soon.
One measure of value used by many value investors is the price-to-book-value ratio. This is simply an accounting measure similar to a net worth statement. When companies fall out of favor and trade for less than book value they can be considered a bargain.
The shares may be out of favor for many reasons. It could be part of a sector that's going through the down portion of its economic cycle, but eventually the undervaluation attracts investors and invites takeover offers that more closely reflect the asset value.
Look for those underperforming S&P 500 stocks that trade for less than book value as potential bargain issues with strong recovery potential.
To continue reading, please click here…
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| 05:00 AM |
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Is Jamie Dimon Too Big to Fire?
Jamie Dimon is the 57-year old banking mogul whose been running JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) since 2005, and he decisively won a shareholder vote yesterday to keep both his chairmanship and chief executive officer (CEO) titles at the nation's largest bank.
But don't celebrate yet.
Sure, only 32.2% of shareholders voted for a proposed resolution to split the company's two top jobs. And that may sound like great news (for him) but the winner wasn't Jamie Dimon, it was the Cult of the CEO.
The losers in the vote? You, me and the American public at large.
To continue reading, please click here...
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| 05:00 AM |
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Why Oil Is the New "Gold Standard"
Something very interesting just happened at the 2013 MoneyShow in Las Vegas.
The purveyors of doom and gloom were all still hawking their services there. But the primary solution they offer - a cure-all elixir for everything that ails markets - was beginning to wear thin.
The usual conviction that this one asset is the remedy was gone. And the seats at these sessions were only half-filled.
Indeed, gold is beginning to lose its luster.
The erstwhile commodity fix has been under pressure of late as well. Yet, even while most eyes have been on declining commodities - especially gold, silver, and platinum - something else has been happening.
Crude oil is emerging as a new replacement to reflect stored market value.
That is good for folks like us who invest in the energy sector, because it will provide a floor to downward pressures in oil prices. It will not counter all forces reducing the price of oil, but it is likely to temper such movements, allowing us some leverage.
Take a look...
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| Tue, May 21, 2013 |
| 04:51 PM |
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This Microsoft Invention Could Finally Destroy the Cable Company Monopoly
For too long we've been held hostage by our local cable companies. Their monopoly-like status has left us chained to spotty service, inexplicable rate hikes and laughable customer service.
But a new product is about to trigger a revolution - or, evolution - that could end the cable company reign.
Today (Tuesday), Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) revealed its next-gen Xbox, called the Xbox One, a device which may prove capable of replacing your cable box.
To continue reading, please click here...
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| 03:47 PM |
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Apple Tax Strategy: Who's at Fault?
The Apple tax strategy is similar to many other major U.S. companies: shift billions of dollars to low-tax international jurisdictions to avoid paying taxes on that income.
But now Congress is accusing Apple of creating "a highly developed tax avoidance system" that cost the United States billions of dollars, economic growth and jobs. A Senate investigation found that Apple avoided paying taxes on $74 billion in overseas profits over four years.
Apple CEO Tim Cook will face Congress today to defend the Apple tax strategy, which Sen. John McCain, R-AZ, called "unpatriotic."
That's why Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald joined FOX Business' "Varney & Co." Tuesday morning to talk about the Apple tax strategy.
To continue reading, please click here...
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| 02:37 PM |
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How to Invest $280 Million
The search was still on in Florida Tuesday for the winner of the largest Powerball jackpot in history.
The winning ticket is worth $590.5 million. The winner could claim a lump sum of about $371 million and after the lottery withholds 25% to pay federal taxes, would be left with nearly $280 million after taxes.
That means the winner will be able to decide how to invest $280 million - likely more money than they've ever had before - if, of course, it's not spent in a frivolous splurge.
To continue reading, please click here...
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| 02:08 PM |
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Are Gold Prices Near a Bottom?
It's been a tumultuous couple of months for the yellow metal, which has investors asking: Are gold prices near a bottom?
There's hope this price plunge is ending.
Year-to-date, gold is lower by 17%. But after seven trading sessions where gold prices slumped, on Monday June gold futures gained 1.4%, or $19.40, to $1,384.10. Contract prices bounced as much as 2.4% after sliding 2.1%.
Now technical analysis points to a rebound in the yellow metal to $1,500 in June, following the "double bottom" hit Monday.
A double bottom involves three moves: a drop, a rebound, and another drop to the previous low. Chart watchers deem the pattern as bullish. A classic double bottom reversal typically marks an intermediate or long term change in trend.
"This shows that gold is probably ready to climb," Matthew Schilling, a commodity broker at Chicago based R.J. O'Brien told Bloomberg News. "The reversal was proof that we have found a bottom."
In just 10 minutes Monday, in the wake of gold's rally, holdings in exchange-traded products backed by gold soared by $1.7 billion.
Fueling the buying were comments from Moody's that a downgrade of U.S. debt is likely if the government fails to get its finances in order in 2013.
To get more info, we asked Morning Morning Global Resource Specialist Peter Krauth if he thought a gold-price bottom was near.
"I thing gold is somewhat oversold," Krauth said. "Yesterday's price action, when gold shot up by about $40 within four hours seems to reflect the thinking that it's due for a bounce."
Krauth said this year's gold price correction was expected.
"After a 12-year bull market with no true correction like that in 1974-1976 time frame, one more is due. I would not be surprised to see gold eventually correct a bit further before making a final bottom.
"That being said, if it were to turn up and stay above $1,550, then it's likely this correction would be over," he continued.
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| 07:30 AM |
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Top Ranked Energy ETF in Focus: XLE – ETF News And Commentary
The energy sector, after facing a terrible 2012, is finally on the rebound in 2013 largely due to a rise in oil production in the U.S. The sector started the year on a strong note but lost its momentum later. However, it seems that the sector has again gained strength and is riding on strong [...]
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| 07:15 AM |
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Analog Devices Preview: Will It Miss? – Analyst Blog
Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) is set to report third quarter 2013 results on May 21. Last quarter, its results were in line with our expectations. Let’s see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Growth Factors This Past Quarter Analog Devices' second-quarter earnings were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 44 cents. [...]
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| 05:00 AM |
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Natural Gas Companies Inch Closer to LNG Export Approvals
Those natural gas companies awaiting approval to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) got a hopeful sign last week.
The push toward the United States becoming a prominent LNG exporter moved forward Friday. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) approved only the second facility to export LNG to countries without a free trade agreement with the United States.
The Obama administration gave the thumbs up (a 20-year approval) to the Freeport LNG project in Texas. It is owned 50/50 by ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) and Michael Smith, the founder, chairman and CEO of Basin Exploration (later sold to Stone Energy).
To continue reading, please click here...
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| 05:00 AM |
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Is This Obama's "Waterloo"?
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