It is now beyond question that not only Bernanke, but now Obama, will do anything and everything they can to accelerate the disembowelment of the US currency (Tiny Tim in the bathroom with nose-hair trimmers) and America's middle class, for the benefit of the 2 or 3 Wall Street banks that have over $10 trillion in roll risk in the next 5 years, and the 5 algos which are still trading the occasional oddlot of SPY here and there, thus creating the perception that America still has a functioning capital market (another one for Tim Geithner's Sesame Street media whirlwind tour).[More...]

In a previous article I provided a list with the best dividend stocks for the long run. Since the list included only US stocks several readers asked for a similar list with international dividend growth stocks instead. Furthermore, I am also looking to expand my portfolio to include at least some allocation to <a[More...]

Renewable Energy Reality: Coal by David Fessler, Advisory Panelist Friday, January 9, 2008: Issue #913  The Obama administration has made a big deal about renewable energy. Over the next several years, the new President has plans to spend roughly $150 billion promoting and enabling its growth. And with $700 billion flowing from the United States into OPEC’s pockets every year, I don’t think you’ll get much of an argument from anyone about the timeliness or the need for renewables. But even with massive amounts of capital investment - and widespread adoption by utilities and end users - renewable energy will still only account for roughly 10% of world energy output by 2030, an increase of only three percentage points from today’s estimated 7% contribution. Depending on whom you talk to, however, that estimate is wildly optimistic. The stark reality of[More...]

As promised, presented at TheStreet.com are Doug Kass' 20 Surprises for 2009; Doug is a hedge fund manager who I have been following for a long time and who excels in non Kool Aid analysis. Probably because his main hedge fund has had a short bias all these years, hence you tend to be more cynical when you need to fight drunk bulls every day. As Doug says, Wall Street is dominated by group think and herd behavior. While standing in front of the herd is dangerous, one can find some profitable opportunities from thinking outside the box. These are his predictions from last year (Jan 2: Doug Kass 20 Predictions for 2008)<span class="blsp-spelling-error"[More...]

The unknown damages from Hurricane Ike will likely cause a spike in gas prices along the Gulf Coast. But once the assessments come in, and refinery production ramps back up, oil and gasoline prices will continue to correct. Despite the obvious risks, if oil prices continue to fall, I am optimistic about the the stock market will muster up an impressive rally into the end of the year. In the short term, we have a better than average chance that the major market averages will retest the July lows, and it is possible a mini panic could drive the DJIA down to the10,000 level. After the sell-off, my logic for a rally is a simple one. The cash strapped consumer needs help. Oil prices have acted as a massive tax increase, and slowly that burden was (until the hurricane) being removed. The major factor for higher inflation has been the rising price of energy. If energy prices continue to decline, inflation fears will subside. Corporate profits have been hurt by rising fuel and[More...]