2009-03-21

Not shocked: Shell drops green investments

I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. It's hard to turn a dirty, polluting company like Royal Dutch Shell Oil into anything but the rusty old smog-wheezing, cash-pooping dinosaur that it is. Shell invested a total of $1.25 billion in wind and solar between 1993 and 2006. It will invest $32 billion in oil, natural gas, and other dirty energy fuels this year alone.

After spending the last year talking up their commitment to developing wind and solar technology, Shell is now backing away from those two renewable energy sources and focusing on biofuels.

I don't begrudge Shell from making business decisions like this. It is a company that is very good at sucking fossil fuels out of the ground and turning them into products that we can burn to take us places, keep us warm, and power our video games. It's not the company's fault that it can't compete in the world of renewable energy ― it's not in the company's corporate DNA to do anything that doesn't involved pollution.

It's not fair to ask a company to be a leader in tearing down their own business model. Just remember that the next time you see a big oil company ad featuring slow-motion wind turbines.

2009-03-19

China Shipping boss warns markets will continue to be bleak

CHINA's tanker and dry bulk markets will continue to come under pressure as a result of falling cargo volumes and over capacity, the head of one of the country's largest shipping companies has warned.

China Shipping Development chairman Li Shaode said global oil demand was forecast to average around 84.7m barrels of oil per day this year, down by 1m barrels per day compared with 2008.

At the same time 70 very large crude carriers were due to be delivered this year, boosting carrying capacity by around 8%.

He said that as a result of this imbalance "it is expected that the international tanker shipping market will face downward pressure in 2009".

In the dry bulk sector, Mr Li said CSD had already seen a 39.2% year-on-year fall in freight rates on new contracts of affreightment signed this year for domestic coastal coal shipments. This drop in demand for vessels on China's domestic coal trade would come at a time when capacity would increase.

Mr Li added that the overall impact on the company of this decline is that although cargo volumes are likely to rise by a forecast 10.4% to 253.4bn tonne nautical miles, turnover is set to crash 44% to Yuan9.8bn ($1.4bn) this year.

This would coincide with a 10.8% rise in group shipping capacity to 8.4m dwt as the company took delivery of 19 vessels comprising 14 tankers totalling 2.3m dwt and five bulkers of 460,000 dwt.

Offsetting these deliveries will be the planned scrapping this year of 11 vessels totalling 309,000 dwt.

Mr Li said currently China Shipping Development has 69 ships of 9.5m dwt under construction for delivery between now and the end of 2012 at a capital cost of Yuan21.1bn.

In an effort to tackle the crisis in the shipping sector, he said the company would continue to enhance strategic co-operation with major customers and maintain long-term strategic relationships.

He cited the signing of joint ventures in the first half of last year with Shanghai Puyuan Shipping and Baosteel Resources to expand the firm's iron ore transport business as examples of this co-operation.

The company also planned to enhance its tanker business by building on its relationships with Chinese oil majors including PetroChina, Sinopec and China National Offshore Oil Corp.

Mr Li was speaking after the company announced an 18% rise in net profit to almost Yuan5.4bn last year, up from nearly Yuan4.6bn in 2007. Revenue soared 38.9% to Yuan17.2bn, against Yuan12.4bn a year earlier.
He said the biggest rise in revenue was from the coal business which rose 29.1% to almost Yuan6.8bn. By comparison, revenue from tanker operations climbed 21.7% to close to Yuan6bn, while revenue from other bulk operations increased 15.9% to about Yuan2.5bn.

He said the record figures followed a renewed focus on China Shipping's core businesses of domestic coastal coal shipping and oil transportation that were buoyed by a rise in coastal coal freight and international tanker rates last year.

Mr Li added that the volume of dry bulk shipments rose 5.2% to 125.3bn tonne miles, while oil transport volumes rose 21.7% to 104bn tonne nautical miles.

The company also benefitted from its 50% stakes in three shipping subsidiaries ― Shanghai Times Shipping, Zhuhai New Century Marine and Shanghai Friendship Marine ― after it saw a massive 221% rise profit to Yuan532m from the three firms.

The three companies carried 35.6m tones, a 2.6% increase over 2007. Mr Li said the offshoots own 28 bulkers with a total capacity of 1.2m dwt while a further 13 newbuildings totaling 850,000 dwt are under construction.

On China Shipping's own newbuilding programme, Mr Li said the company ordered 12 vessels totalling 912,000 dwt last year, while two 44,000 dwt oil tankers were delivered in 2008.

He added that 18 ships, comprising five small tankers, eight bulkers and five box ships, were sold to generate Yuan389.5m in profit on sales revenue of Yuan624.4m.

Before the bell: Stocks poised for a lower open after Fed's move, ahead of data

Stocks were poised for a lower open Thursday morning after two more days of gains, on some profit taking, and ahead of weekly jobs data among other factors.

On Wednesday, stocks rallied for the second day in a row following the Federal Reserve decision to boost its balance sheet by buying up to $300 billion in longer-term Treasuries. The Fed also decided to buy $750 billion in additional mortgage-backed securities. The Fed's action should mean lower rates for different business and consumer loans, including mortgage rates.

Overseas, world stock markets were mostly higher Thursday following the announcement of the Fed's $1.2 trillion spending plan, in hopes it would bring a quicker end to the worst global slowdown in decades. Still, foreign exporters got hurt as the dollar declined, mainly Japan's. Commodity firms helped lead the way on stronger prices for crude and metals, while select banks also advanced. European stocks also opened higher.

Meanwhile, the furor over executive bonuses at firms that helped cause the crisis and got bailed out by the government continues in full force as the House Democratic leaders have set a vote for today on a proposed 90% tax on executive bonuses by companies receiving more than $5 billion in federal bailout funds.

Economic data out today:
  • At 8:30 a.m. Eastern, the government will release its weekly report on initial jobless claims. It is expected to rise.
  • At 10:00 a.m., February leading indicators will be reported and is expected to have fallen 0.6%, according to a Briefing.com.
  • At the same time, March's Philadelphia Fed index, a report on regional manufacturing, is expected to improve to minus 39 for the month of March, according to Briefing.com.
 

Stocks rally on good news for banks, GM, retailers

Wall Street rallies after a day of good news; Dow logs biggest 3-day gain since November

NEW YORK (AP) -- Investors have been clamoring for months for a bit of good news. On Thursday, they got a load of it.

The Dow Jones industrials shot up 240 points to a two-week high of 7,170, bringing its gains over the past three days to 622 points, or 9.5 percent. It was the index's biggest three-day jump since last November.

Surprisingly positive signals this week from companies across all industries, particularly banks, have made traders think twice about continuing to drive stocks lower. It's too soon to tell whether this week's upturn is the beginning of a bull market or simply a temporary rally within a bear market, but either way there has been a pronounced change in Wall Street's tone.

"How all this turned around in a week, I don't know," said Scott Bleier, president of CreateCapital Advisors. "But it's certainly a better outlook than how it looked two weeks ago."

The rally got an extra dose of adrenaline Thursday after an accounting board told Congress it may recommend an easing in financial reporting rules of tough-to-sell assets -- a change that banks say would help their bottom lines. Upheaval in the banking industry has been dogging the market since 2007, and hope that banks might finally get relief in how they value their bad assets spurred a flurry of buying on Wall Street.

"We might find that the banks are not as bad, or not bad at all, if these assets are marked differently," said Doreen Mogavero, president of the New York floor brokerage Mogavero, Lee & Co.

Better-than-expected retail sales figures also helped stocks, as did positive news from four Dow companies: Bank of America Corp., General Electric Co., General Motors Corp., and Pfizer Inc.

GE's credit rating was cut by less than expected, GM said it will not need a $2 billion loan it previously requested from the government, and Pfizer reported a successful cancer drug trial. Bank of America's CEO told reporters his bank was profitable in January and February. Citigroup Inc. triggered this week's rally Tuesday with similar remarks.

No one is calling the end to the selling on Wall Street. The economic picture is too uncertain, and much of this week's rally has been driven by technical factors. One of those factors is traders' inclination to buy stock to cover "short" bets, or bets that a stock will fall.

But it's been the most reassuring week in months for the stock market. The Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 index, which reflects nearly all stocks traded in America, has jumped 11.2 percent over the past three sessions. That's a paper gain of $900 billion.

"There's a lot of money on the sidelines, and a lot of people who've been waiting for the turn to come," Mogavero said. "I think that probably, people will want to get some of their money in the market."

The Dow rose 239.66, or 3.5 percent, to 7,170.06. The Standard & Poor's 500 index climbed 29.38, or 4.1 percent, to 750.74. The Nasdaq composite index gained 54.46, or 4 percent, to 1,426.10.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 23.82, or 6.5 percent, to 390.12.

After a modest decline Monday and three days of buying, the Dow is up 8.2 percent so far for the week. The S&P 500 index is up 9.9 percent and the Nasdaq is up 10.2 percent. Before this week's rebound, the Dow and S&P had tumbled to their lowest levels since 1997 and 1996, respectively.

Advancing stocks outnumbered decliners by more than 10 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, where consolidated volume came to 7.2 billion shares, up from 7.1 billion shares Wednesday.

Not all of Thursday's data was positive. The Commerce Department said retail sales dipped by a modest 0.1 percent in February, but the Labor Department reported that first time claims for unemployment benefits rose last week to 654,000 from 639,000 the week before, more than analysts had expected.

Investors are also aware that much of this week's rebound can be attributed to covering short positions. Traders have been covering short bets by buying stocks, especially after the Securities and Exchange Commission said it was considering reinstating the "Uptick Rule." The rule, eliminated in 2007, aimed at curbing short-selling by only allowing it when a stock edged higher.

On Thursday investors grew more optimistic about bank stocks after the chairman of the independent Financial Accounting Standards Board told the House Financial Services subcommittee on capital markets that the board "could have the guidance in three weeks" on so-called "mark-to-market" accounting.

Frozen demand in the credit markets has sharply lowered the value of assets having anything to do with real estate or consumer credit -- even though most of the loans themselves are still getting paid off. Those lower asset values have translated into huge losses for banks.

Citigroup rose 8.4 percent, Bank of America rose 19 percent, Wells Fargo & Co. rose 17 percent, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. rose 14 percent.

GM rose 17.2 percent to $2.18 after its chief financial officer said it would not need its federal loan for March.

GE rose nearly 13 percent to $9.57 after Standard & Poor's downgraded the conglomerate by one notch from "AAA" due to troubles in GE's lending arm.

Meanwhile, pharmaceutical stocks soared Thursday on more acquisition news and a positive drug trial at Pfizer Inc.

Pfizer said it ended a successful trial of its cancer drug Sutent early after data showed the drug met its goal of slowing the progression of pancreatic cancer. Shares of Pfizer, a Dow component, rose nearly 10 percent to $14.02.

Switzerland's Roche Holding AG agreed to buy the rest of Genentech Inc. for $46.8 billion, while Gilead Sciences Inc. agreed to buy CV Therapeutics Inc. for $1.4 billion. Earlier this week, drugmakers Merck and Schering-Plough agreed to merge in a $41 billion deal.

Government bond prices rose, driving the yield on the 10-year Treasury note down to 2.86 percent from 2.91 percent late Wednesday. The dollar strengthened against other major currencies, gold prices gained, and crude oil surged $4.70 to $47.03 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Overseas markets were mixed. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.5 percent, Germany's DAX index rose 1.1 percent, and France's CAC-40 rose 0.8 percent. Japan's Nikkei stock average dropped 2.4 percent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.6 percent

Deflation Threatens Stock Investors, Economy

Deflation Threatens Stock Investors, Economy

Last Serious Deflation Was the Great Depression

If we all agree that inflation is a bad thing, does that make deflation a good thing?

For stock investors and the economy, both inflation and deflation are dangerous conditions.

Inflation is often defined as too much money chasing too few goods and services. The result is rapidly rising prices.

Inflation reduces your purchasing power because each dollar buys less. Wages seldom keep pace with inflation.

Rising prices mean our goods are less competitive in the global market. It also means that global competitors that may not be experiencing inflationary pressures can steal market share.

Jobs Lost

The result is American jobs are lost and some companies may fail.

Deflation is usually defined as ongoing and across the board price reductions.

While this may seem like a good thing for consumers, deflation happens because there are fewer purchasers of goods and services, often because of a recession.

To parallel the definition of inflation, deflation is too many goods and services chasing too few dollars. To capture those few dollars, companies must slash prices.

Many industries operate on fairly thin profit margins, thanks in many cases, to pressure from competitors in the global market.

Reduce Prices

Companies don't have to reduce prices too far before they eliminate any profit and if the trend continues, prices may drop below the cost of producing the product.

Without any way to make up the difference, it doesn't take long for companies to collapse.

This is what happened in the Great Depression. Companies folded because they could not sell products for a profit. As a side note, companies could not borrow money to stay in business because the financial markets collapsed - sound familiar?

Because consumer demand is weakening around the globe, the fear is that overseas markets for goods will disappear.

Stock investors can do little to protect themselves from runaway deflation.

However, short of a complete disaster, companies that produce or sell essentials, such as food, fuel and other non-discretionary products (think toilet paper) offer some harbor during unstable markets.

If you note that interest rates are beginning to rise, that is a good sign that a serious deflation is not considered a problem.

2009-03-14

Multiply Your Gains From Regular Stocks

"Each week, I tell my readers to make just 1 investment buy. And since November of 2006, not one pick has lost value! It's no wonder our readers could have turned $5,000 into $1 million in just over 5 years! Now, we're quickly closing in on $2 million ― currently at $1,892,043.04!
Since Steve Sarnoff, options guru, relaunched his elite e-mail Alert Service, Options Hotline, on Oct. 24, 1999, with an initial recommendation to buy Barrick calls...the profit opportunities for his readers have just doubled and tripled and quadrupled...again and again and again. If you had invested $5,000 in that first recommendation and in every recommendation that followed, you could have grown that small sum into to a quarter of a million by Dec. 3, 2000. Then half a million dollars by Sept. 30, 2002. And then to...$1 MILLION by Dec. 2, 2004! His track record: 100% winners in all of 2008, 2007 and 2005!...92% winners in 2004! 90% in 2003! Steve's record just keeps getting better and better! WOW! $1 MILLION in a little over five years with a startup investment of just $5,000 in each pick! I'm so sorry you missed the ride. But get ready. Because you're invited to: Join Steve as he shows you the way to the next $1 MILLION...it's simple and straightforward and we'll show you how with Steve's one weekly option buy recommendation.
The stock market of the past few years has produced very few millionaires. You just can't make a million dollars with a $5,000 initial investment on a nine-year average annual return of 1.63%. To do so would take you more than 400 years. . You'll never live to see it, and neither will your grandchildren, great-grandchildren, even your great-great-grandchildren. Hello, I'm Steve Sarnoff, recognized options expert and the editor of Options Hotline. I'm here to tell you that even if you've never traded options before, you can do it. In fact, it's quite possible you could grow over $1 million richer...just by buying one option a week...in as little as five years. My proven system is all you need.In the time it takes you to read this letter, I'm going to show you step by step how you can trade options with a minimum of risk and a maximum chance of profits. Just ask one of my subscribers, Mr. Eckert: "My very first trade using your service was the GE August $30 call. I couldn't be happier with the 116% profit in just three weeks!" Or Donna, who says, "I am very pleased with your recommendations, especially with the Bank of America. It's unbelievable for it to be up more than 200% in just a few days." Mr. Abbott, another one of my happy subscribers, confirms, "Joining Options Hotline was the best decision I've ever made...since I joined -- three months ago -- I have doubled my money." Why are we getting such rave reviews? Simple. I have the track record to prove it: My wins have overpowered my losses, and my small group of readers has had the chance to reap $1 million in profits in just over five years. And I'm not talking about a million-dollar portfolio that looks good on paper...I'm talking about the type of wealth you have only imagined. Seriously...$1 million on just one investment a week!
Enjoy Doubling Your Money! We have a track record with more than a 100% average gain on every pick since November 2006. Compare that to the pitiful average yields of the S&P and Nasdaq! Here are a few highlights from my decisively winning trading record:
Of the 8 options I recommended in the final 10 weeks of 1999, 7 were winners, ranging from a 17% gain on DJX puts to a 628% gain on Intel calls. You could have made $87,000 on those 8 picks...and lost only $5,000 on one trade.
In 2000, I recommended 32 options that triggered (meaning the option reached the price I recommended for buying). That year, readers had the chance to pocket $173,214.55 in total profits with only $5,000 into each play - MORE THAN DOUBLE what we saw in 1999
In 2001, the year of the terror attacks, I made 45 recommendations that triggered. We had some big winners. GM puts gained 1,202%, or $60,000! Pfizer puts, 431%! Biopure puts, 341%! Total profits that year could have been as high as $216,164
In 2002, we crossed the HALF-MILLION-DOLLAR MARK when the 3M puts recommended on Aug. 16 of that year gained 103%! Total that year - $205,101!
How can I claim such amazing track record gains year after year? Simple. I look at the highest price the option gets to after I recommend it and that's the gain I record in my portfolio. So, you can be sure that the gains I talk about here are the biggest and best possible. And the potential profits are the best you'll see. Are you noticing a winning pattern here?
In 2003, only 4 of the 39 triggered picks I recommended lost. Readers could have racked up $189,463.32 by investing $5,000 in every pick.
In 2004, I cut my losers in half! Only 2 out of 36 lost! And we HIT THE $1 MILLION MARK on the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond Fund calls first recommended on July 16, 2004. You could have added $221,300.36 in total profits to your income that year and lost only $363.50! That certainly shows how your wins can overpower your losses.
In 2005, we simply stopped picking losers at all! Every pick was a winner! A 100% win rate. You could have added $217,523.58 by selling your options at the high mark.
In 2006, we picked 36 options that triggered. All but three were winners. The most profitable pick at its peak was a whopping 300%! You could have added $150,375.28 by selling at the right time.
In 2007, our winning streak continued! Every pick a winner. Nearly 40% of the picks were triple-digit winners too. You could have added another $202,635.16 to your bank account ― without losing a single penny!
That's right! Since hitting the first million-dollar mark on July 16, 2004, we've given readers the chance to make another $892,043.04 in profits since. We're closing in on our next million dollars, and I'd like to invite you to join us in this upcoming profit bonanza.
An unbelievable record: I haven't picked ONE loser since November 2006! Steady consistent winning on only one pick a week ismy No.1 million-dollar strategy.It works. If you follow my recommendations, it can be your killer strategy, too!
In fact, my win rate for 2004 was 92%. That's right, 92% of the weekly picks I recommended could have made money. In 2003, it was 90%. And in 2005, 2007, and 2008...I didn't have one losing pick. I was 100%!! You simply won't find a better record anywhere else. In 2008, for example, I had 36 picks that triggered. Only five did not. My average gain was an astounding 127% ― with total gains possible of over $229,000! You can even check it out for yourself. I've attached my personal Pick-by-Pick Proof Sheet that lists every recommendation I have made since 2006. Like I said before, the gains are calculated at the highest point of each of my actionable option recommendations (meaning the ones that triggered) after I have alerted my readers. You'll see what happened! While I do not issue specific sell recommendations, with my proven selling strategies, you'll learn how to minimize your risk and lose as little money as possible. In fact, when we reviewed the over 110 examples of winning options recommended in the past three years and how well they could have done, we found that … The average gain was over 100% on each recommendation. That's doubling your money on every play! The highest gain was a monstrous 611% on the Newmont Mining December $45 calls in August of 2007. That's enough to turn your one $5,000 investment into $30,550! The top 39 winners of the past 3 years were all triple-digit baggers! Winners like
472% on Bed, Bath & Beyond February $40 put, recommended on December 18, 2005
420% on Newmont Mining June $40 puts, recommended on April 10, 2005
399% on Qualcomm August $35 calls, recommended on July 10, 2005
366% on SPY November $152 puts, recommended on October 29, 2007
300% on Bristol-Myers March $25 calls, recommended on November 19, 2006
283% on TLT September $89 puts, recommended on March 5, 2007
266% on Newmont Mining March $55 puts, recommended on January 25, 2006
210% on FedEx July $110 puts, recommended on May 1, 2006
205% on Coca-Cola September $55 calls, recommended on August 2, 2007
366% on SPY November $152 puts, recommended on October 29, 2007
569% on Citigroup July $20 puts, recommended on May 25, 2008
439% on QQQQ December $43 puts, recommended on Sept. 21, 2008
These triple-digit winners have been great. Big winners like this are a real high, and when I make any recommendation, that's certainly my goal. Over one-third of all my recommendations from 2005 through 2008 were triple-digit home runs. But the real secret to making a million dollars with just one pick a week...is not just hitting the triple-digit home runs now and again, it's the solid base hits and the steady stream of winning picks...9%, 21%, 40%, 62%, 80% gains on almost every one. It's why acting on only one play a week can work. You're not wasting time and risking large amounts of money taking a scattershot approach of buying dozens of options hoping one will sell big for you. Instead, you could be focusing on the one winning trade that matters...week after week after week. IN FACT, if you were to average out the gains on my picks for the past 9 years since 1999, you'd get about a 115% average gain on each and every play. That's more than double your money average on every pick! That's enough to turn a $5,000 investment into $10,750 on every play! Compare that to the pitiful returns of the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq for the same time period:
S&P 500: 1.63 % average annual return from 1999-2007! Actually, from January 1999 through December 2007, the S&P's TOTAL cumulative return has only been 14.7%! 14.7% in 9 years. It's pathetic!
The Nasdaq has done worse....0.64% average annual return and 5.8% cumulative return in that time. That's worse than a savings account …
And forget about 2008! The markets fell up to 40%, sometimes whipsawing around with volatile swings of 3-5% a day!
Just how fast do you think you could build real wealth with those sorts of returns? Perhaps your entire life. It would take more than your and my lifetime of investing combined to even hope to get anywhere near a million dollars on 1.63% and 0.64% returns. I think you'll agree that my way of trading options is certainly the fastest and easiest way (and it's less risky too - more on that in a moment) to make your FIRST MILLION DOLLARS. So now you may be asking...
What are options... and why doesn't everyone invest in them?
For far too long, options trading has been shrouded in mystery for the average investor. But no longer. I've been studying options my entire life (my dad, Paul Sarnoff, was a brilliant master options expert), and I have to tell you it's the one investment that truly offers limited risk for unlimited gain. Many people don't invest in options, because they've listened to all the misconceptions or myths of options trading. Perhaps the No. 1 myth of options trading is that options are too risky, but that simply isn't true. In fact, you can make money trading options in up, down or even sideways markets. Trading in the actual underlying top stocks is more risky, as more of your money is on the line when you purchase a stock. You can buy an options contract for as little as $100 and see it double in price in a short period of time. You certainly don't see stock prices doubling very often or witness the spectacular gains in stock prices that you do in options. Another big myth is that most options expire worthless...but as you'll soon see from my profit-building strategies, you should sell the option long before the expiration date to maximize your profit or minimize the loss. So don't stay on the sidelines and miss out on the huge profit potential of options any longer...not when you allow me to be your expert guide and I have an astonishing "double your money" potential in average gains on every pick since 1999! Just take a look at my year-by-year gain-and-loss chart. The proof of success is in the numbers! I won't give you a detailed explanation of options, because frankly, at this point, you don't need one. Right now, you just need to know how they work and how to profit from them. (I am offering TWO FREE BONUS REPORTS that will serve as your crash course in options. You'll get both of these gifts just for trying out Options Hotline.) Simply stated for our purposes...an option gives you the right to buy or sell 100 shares of a specific stock at a certain price within a set period of time. If you expect a stock to rise in the future, you buy a call, the right to buy the best stock at a certain price. If you expect a stock to fall in the future, you buy a put, which is the right to sell the stock at a certain price. You're not actually buying or selling the stocks, just the "option" to do it. And that's what makes option trading a real profit shield against disasters and world events...hurricanes, oil shortages, high gas prices, terror bombings, sluggish consumer sales...whatever! If the stock market goes bearish, then I start looking for puts to recommend to take advantage of the down market. And we've seen some pretty hefty wins on puts recently. Take a look:
366% on SPY November $152 puts
52% on FedEx October $100 puts
68% on MetLife September $60 puts
130% on Allstate April $60 puts
569% on Citigroup July $20 puts. And you don't actually have to exercise an option to make money. In fact, all of these staggering gains could have been made on buying and selling the option!
The secret of "SUPER-LEVERAGE"...and how it can make you far richer in a short period of time!
"Super-Leverage" is, quite simply, the potential to make large profits from changing prices while strategically limiting your risk. The instruments of Super-Leverage are nothing fancy...just exchange-traded puts and calls. It's the simplest strategy, but most often, it's the most effective. The BIG advantage to you is that you don't need to be a financial wizard or have large sums of money to participate. Remember, you can purchase an option for as little as $100! The disadvantage is that options are wasting assets. And if the underlying security doesn't move enough to give you real value before a specified date, your options will expire worthless. It is a risk...but you're only out the price of the option. Here's a play from 2007 I recommended that shows you the power of Super-Leverage at work: On September 17, 2007, I recommended to my readers that they..."Buy the Johnson & Johnson January $65 call, for $200 or less, good this week". What this means is that I'm recommending readers buy one options contract at $200 (or less) for 100 shares of Johnson and Johnson stock at $65 a share sometime before the third Friday in January. Options always expire on the third Friday of the month. Now, if the Johnson & Johnson stock climbs higher than $65, your option starts to increase in value. Why? Because you have the option to buy them at $65 a share when others are willing to buy them at a much higher price. Say Johnson & Johnson rises to $70...that means you can "exercise" your option and buy 100 shares at $6,500 and sell them for $7,000, for $500 in profit minus the $200 (or less) you paid for the option - or $300 net profit. Not bad - a 4% potential return on your investment! But if you sell the $65 call option (instead of exercising it), in fact you could have sold your option outright for a maximum of $425 and pocketed a return of 112%! Since I suggest a $5,000 investment, at a 112% return, you could have sold it for $5,600 in net profits. Now that's Super-Leverage, and why options are so profitable...and why you need to risk only $5,000 on my one weekly recommendation. Here are a few more plays I recommended that produced the HUGE Super-Leverage gains in just a few days, like Mr. Carson's:
Coca-Cola Sept $55 calls, 206% in 8 days
FedEx October $100 puts, 52% in 1 day
Exxon Mobil May $80 calls, 107% in 4 days
UPS July $70 put, 48% in 1 day.
You see why there's no need to buy a lot of options and risk a large amount of your money and hope for one big win to make up for all the losses. I closely look for the one option to buy each week that can make you huge profits in a short time. It's my full-time job...not yours.
My dad Paul Sarnoff was one of the legends in options trading for more than 40 years. Wall Street turned to my dad for the best in options trading advice. He is to options what Warren Buffett is to top stocks - a genius! In fact, it was my dad who started Options Hotline, his private options advisory service available only to a select few, back in 1989. About 30 years ago, my dad brought me into the "family business" - sort of a Sarnoff & Son. For years, I literally soaked up every word he ever spoke about trading options for big profits. I watched him trade. I listened carefully to his reasons. I analyzed his every pick. I did what he did. It was awesome to watch a master trader at work. As his apprentice, I saw firsthand how my dad raked in profits. And I'll always remember what my dad said to me nearly every day: "Son, options are the best...perhaps the only way to get rich very quickly." While I was learning trading secrets from my dad, I also earned my college degree, worked on the floor of the Commodity Exchange and founded my own research company, developing my own charting and analytical techniques to build on what my father had taught me. In 1995, Dad asked me to join him as co-editor of Options Hotline. I was proud that this options genius felt I was ready to join him as his equal. Sadly, my dad passed away in 1999, but his legacy lives on through me and the ongoing success of Options Hotline. My first solo recommendation was Barrick Gold calls on Oct. 24, 1999. Not my best pick, with a 100% loss, but I made up for it with my next four picks ...
Home Depot calls, 289%
AMEX calls, 150%
Disney calls, 315%
Cisco calls, 386%.
In fact, my next thirteen recommendations were all double- and triple-digit winners! As a subscriber to Options Hotline, you'll get more than 50 years of my dad's options experience...combined with my over 30 years of technical analysis...for 80 years of options experience you can depend on to give you the winning picks. I just don't know where you would find a more authoritative source for profiting from options. But don't take my word for it.
Triple-digit gains without buying, selling or owning a single share of stock! That's Super-Leverage in action!
To illustrate that point, one of my subscribers, Earnest L., told me, "My very first trade using your service was a 50% gain. My second trade is hard to believe, a 750% gain in one working day." Even though I have had a 100% win rate since November of 2006, I want to make sure that you know losses occasionally do happen. I had three in 2006. But also remember...your risk with options is LIMITED to the cost of the option...not the underlying stock. But again, you have my promise that I'll show you wins will overpower our losses and you will steadily and surely get the chance to make money - week after week, month after month, year after year...more on this promise later... To pick the steadily consistent winners, it takes me a week of painstaking research. I thoroughly study the market technicals, the economy and the impact of events upon the market's direction. I diligently research the companies whose underlying stock is the foundation of our options picks. It's why I only make one solid recommendation at the end of the week. It's the one pearl among swine. And it's why my track record is so good. Quality, not quantity. Plus, I don't stay in just one area of the market. You can see by my Pick-by-Pick Proof Sheet that I'm researching whatever sector of the market has the potential for big profits...commodities, hi-tech, retail, financial, consumer products and services, health care and others. This all-around diversity immediately minimizes your investment risk, so you're never heavily weighted in one area of the market. In other words, your investment eggs are all over the place...dodging risks and discovering profits. And I also employ a unique charting system with a proprietary computer screening program that I personally developed that allows me to be just a little bit "prophetic" in picking the options that can return single, double and triple the gains...90-100% of the time! I am unable to reveal the details of these systems, but again, you can see that they work on my undistorted Pick-by-Pick Proof Sheet.
Don't waste a minute wondering what option to buy...I'll pick 'em. You decide if you want to play 'em. And together, I'll help you make a million dollars!
Obviously, the hardest part about trading options is picking the right options...BUT you don't have to worry about that at all. With my personal Options Hotline Alert Service, you'll get one extremely well-researched recommendation per a week on Sunday night, in plenty of time to call your broker by the opening bell Monday morning if you feel confident in my play. I suggest you follow each and every one of my recommendations. That's the one proven way I know of that you can be sure that your wins overpower your losses. If you were to cherry-pick week to week, I would be unable to maintain my promise to you of steady incremental gains week after week after week. But the choice is ultimately yours. The main reason people fail at trading options is that they play too many of the wrong options, hoping for one winner. But one trade per week is all you need. You can clearly see by my attached 2006-2008 Pick-by-Pick Gain Sheet that this strategy DOMINATES! 100% in 2008, 2007, and 2005! 92% wins in 2004...94% in 2003. Action Item No. 1 toward your MILLION-DOLLAR GOAL: Think it over and call your broker first thing Monday morning and make the play I told you about Sunday night. You won't be sorry.
Now here's how you can make the Million-Dollar Plays to help you achieve Super-Leverage profit potential on every play.
Up until now, I've told you about the importance of buying the one option every week that I recommend. That's the "pick 'em" side. Now, let's talk about the "play 'em" side. Here are a few of my proven million-dollar plays to make sure you MINIMIZE your risk and MAXIMIZE your profit potential. If you decide to trade, follow these simple rules.
The trick to making money with options is simply to play...and to keep playing. I would suggest that you don't pick and choose what recommendations I offer. Be consistent and play each recommendation every week. Staying in the game will help you have your wins overpower your losses.
Take the emotion out of your selling. You'll lose for sure if you get too attached to any trade. So decide on a profit target based on the price of the underlying stock, not the option. To help you, each option recommendation I offer includes a target price for the best stock. You'll discover all of my trading strategies in my TWO FREE BONUS REPORTS I'm offering to my new subscribers: Secrets of a Master Trader: Tips and Strategies for Making a Fortune in Options...AND The Options Buyer's Handbook.
Find a time in the day to review your options and stick to it. It may take you only 15 minutes or up to an hour each day...but do it! As my track record proves, I don't know too many jobs where you can work 15 minutes a day with the potential to make over $200,000 a year!
In options trading, greed is always whispering in your ear, saying, "Hang on, don't sell. It's going to go up/down even more." Don't listen! Be disciplined. Be smart. Grab your profit targets when you reach them and sell. There's always another winning option coming to you next week. Remember the old adage and believe in it with your heart and soul - maybe even embroider it on a pillow...
No one ever lost money taking a profit!
You can see by my record that I find every winner I can. And you can too! If you faithfully call your broker every Monday morning and buy one contract, 10 contracts, 100 contracts - whatever you're willing to invest (I suggest $5,000 a trade, but talk to your broker about what's right for you) - on the one recommendation I have made that week... ...and then monitor your open options position at least 15 minutes a day, following your predefined, well-established playing strategies I've outlined above... ...then you can calmly, consistently, increasingly...add profits to your bank account...all the way to a million dollars and more! My readers have already had the opportunity to do just that in just over five years...with just one option a week. It's not too late for you to start. Some days, you could add tens of thousands of dollars. Other days, a few hundred dollars. Now and again, you may take a hit...but judging by my undeniable record of picking winners, it won't be that often.
Are You Ready to Become a Millionaire?If so, then send for my next recommendation immediately.
Are you ready to start making consistent gains on my winning recommendations? Isn't it time you joined the savvy readers who read Options Hotline and start building a million-dollar bank account...and retire rich beyond your wildest dreams? Mr. Kinsey knows. He e-mailed me this happy report: "Profits, Profits, Profits!!! In Friday at $1.55 and out Monday at $2.20. That is a quick 41% profit in less than two trading days. It just doesn't get any better than this!" And Mr. Greene made even more: "I am more than happy and very much satisfied with a net 185% profit in only 13 days!" The question is...are you ready for mind-boggling profits? Or are you content to invest in the paltry annual returns of the stock market and live in fear of outliving your savings? It's your decision, but... I think you're ready for my next winning recommendation. Here's how you get it:
Make More Money Than You Ever Thought Possible...
You've been selected to receive this offer because I believe you have what it takes to make a fortune in options. Remember, the hardest part is knowing the right option to buy. The rest is just strategy. And with your subscription to Options Hotline, I tell you the EXACT OPTION to buy and teach you the profit-playing strategy and discipline you need to squeeze every drop of profit out of a play without risking a lot of money. This service is not for everyone. You need to have confidence that you can exit the play at a good time for you. All you have to do is call your broker with my once-a-week recommendation, determine your selling strategies and spend at least 15 minutes a day monitoring your open positions. In just weeks, days or months...you could be making more money than you ever dreamed possible. With annual potential returns averaging over $180,000 a year, you'd think I'd ask you for at least 10%, or even 5%, of the take. Well, the subscription price is nowhere near that. In fact, it's only $750...less than 1/2 of 1% on the historical average annual gains! Not much of an expense when you think of the wealth possibilities awaiting you.
Absolutely Zero Risk To Try Us Out!
Plus, you have an absolutely No-Risk 100% Money-Back Guarantee. If for some reason you're not happy with Options Hotline, you can always change your mind and cancel within 30 days. You can start slowly. Consider buying just one contract of whatever I recommend next Sunday night. Then buy next week's recommendation and the one the week after that. Or just play on paper. See where you are in 30 days. That should give you plenty of time to see if my service is working for you. And if you're not happy with the results in those 30 days, then call us and cancel. No questions asked. You'll get a full refund on your subscription. If you want to have a little more time to decide if Options Hotline is right for you, sign up for my automatic and convenient quarterly billing - only $260 a quarter. That way you can cancel at any time. It's a great way to take my service for a proper test-drive. We'll bill your credit card every quarter until you tell us not to. No hassle. You just stay with us for as long as you're happy. And if my amazing winning track record is any kind of predictor...then I predict you'll be with us for a very long time. If you're wondering if it's worth it, then just read what my subscriber J. Atwood says: "Thanks to you, I made 190% on the eBay call in 32 days and 198% on the Qualcomm call in 16 days. Keep up the good work."
For such an affordable service, here's what you get:
Options Hotline Delivered Sunday Night via E-Mail This is the very core of my service...and your chance for big profits! Your one- or two-page Options Hotline Alert is delivered Sunday evening in plenty of time for you to read it, digest the information and phone your broker first thing Monday morning. You'll find my recommendation of the week, written out exactly in the words you can say to your broker, to ensure accuracy. You'll also get my "behind-the-scenes" thinking about why I believe this recommendation is a potential double- or triple-digit winner, and a brief overview on what's going on in the stock market. I'll also review the status of our open positions, to help you plan your selling strategy. Midweek Updates on Open Positions Since options can move fast, I've also included midweek update Alerts so you can review again where you are on all of our open positions. We'll talk about the direction of the option price, the underlying stock price, resistance and support levels (concepts thoroughly explained in your TWO FREE BONUS REPORTS) and where I see it all trending. This expert information will guide you to making your smart selling decisions. Look for these midweek Alerts every Wednesday afternoon in your e-mail inbox. Frequent Recommendation Update Alerts on Fast-Moving Options Sometimes, underlying stock prices and options are moving so fast I can't wait for the midweek to get a notice out to you. So I'll send out a very brief "heads-up" on a stock so you won't miss the move. This Alert is sent "as needed," so I can't tell you how frequent they may be. But these Alerts are another layer of information to help you make your most profitable selling decisions. Important Bonus! Exclusive Free 24/7 Access to My Subscriber-Only Web Site With the Internet, you're never out of touch. You get unlimited access to the Options Hotline Web site 24hours a day, every day. This password-protected members-only access is FREE with your subscription. Here you can download the latest recommendations, midweek updates and frequent Alerts from any computer - very convenient for when you're traveling. You can also review my past recommendations as well. Plus, you'll have online access to a wealth of information about options and options trading from a comprehensive glossary of terms to special bonus reports and FAQs. Answers to your options questions are just a click away, so check in at any time. It's a valuable offer that can put you on the road to a million dollars in profit. Subscribe now and I'll also give you...
Two BONUS GIFTS That Are Your Crash Course on Options!
In addition to the comprehensive source of information you will find on our subscribers-only Web site, I'm offering you two FREE handbooks that will help you use the Options Hotline service to its fullest. Separately, each handbook will give you a working knowledge of trading options, but together, they're the perfect crash course on options. Start your options education today with these easy-to-read guidebooks, both written in everyday English, so you're up to speed on options in no time: 1. The Options Buyer's HandbookClick the subscribe button below to join and download this FREE handbook immediately. Inside its pages, you'll discover just what you need to know about buying options. Learn the basics of options, how they work, when to buy and sell and what it all means in this informative handbook...FREE and instantly available with your subscription. 2. Secrets of a Master Trader: Tips and Strategies for Making a Fortune in OptionsThe secret to winning at options is to keep playing. Options are not like the lottery or the luck of the draw. It all boils down to your selling strategies (especially since I'm telling you what to buy each week). To really succeed, you need a plan of action. And Secrets of a Master Trader is your playbook. It contains the secrets of two of the best options analysts the business has ever known...my dad, option genius Paul Sarnoff, and me. You can't get secrets like this at any bookstore or Web site. They're reserved only for subscribers to Options Hotline. You'll receive these exclusive Secrets via e-mail the moment I hear from you. Read the details about how my TWO FREE BONUS GIFTS will give you the chance to profit trading options on the enclosed flyer. Please don't pass up this chance to profit on the unlimited potential (but limited risk) of options trading with your subscription to Options Hotline.
Get a THIRD FREE bonus report with your No Risk Trial Subscription to Options Hotline.
Simply sign up in the next three days and I'll send you a third FREE bonus report, my Options Hall of Fame. Go deep inside 5 of my top options picks and discover how easy and inexpensive trading in options can be...even for the most timid of investors. Gain insight into the big profit plays that can not just double or triple your profits...but I'm talking almost nine times the profit potential on just one option play! You'll see superleverage in action in these 5 hall of famers and understand how to apply it you your own million dollar plays. Remember, each of my weekly options play may be the next double, triple...almost quadruple digit profit play! See the details below to get your free copy of my Options Hall of Fame.
It's the Easiest Decision You'll Ever Make!
As my track record proves, my subscribers consistently have the chance to make money from Options Hotline. If you're having any doubts at this point, please review one more time the above 2006-2008 Options Hotline Pick-by-Pick Gain Sheet. And remember, the gains are piling up on just one top-notch option pick a week. You're not out there spread thin or confused with multiple plays happening. You're focused on just what I've recommended. I know options trading is not your full-time job. One pick a week and monitoring your open positions for 15-30 minutes a day will be simple enough to add into your busy lifestyle. And I'll make it easy and efficient for you to build a million-dollar cash portfolio. I guarantee you will benefit from a subscription to Options Hotline or your money back. This service is one of the oldest of its kind in the industry...almost 16 years of offering winning options picks to my readers. First, with my dad, and then solo with me since 1999. Since going solo, I gave my readers the chance for their first million dollars on July 16, 2004. Now, I can't give you an exact date in the future when I'll hit the second MILLION DOLLARS. But I know it's out there and it's coming very soon. And I want you to be with me on the day we hit it. And with my 30-day Money-Back Guarantee, if you're not satisfied, you can cancel within the first 30 days and receive a full refund. So click the subscribe button below and join my thousands of happy, rich subscribers, like longtime options trader Jack Grossman, who says, "I had subscribed to many newsletters, but none was as concise, to the point and, above all, made money almost all of the time. Thanks a bundle. Keep up the good work." Now, it's your turn to make a million dollars!
Don't Put off Your Million-Dollar Lifestyle Anymore!
Click the subscribe button below to get started. You'll get your first recommendation via e-mail this Sunday. Or if you would prefer, you can fax your order to 410-558-6362. Just think...you could be richer by this time next week, even dramatically wealthier by this time next year. After all, we've seen on average hundreds of thousands a year in potential profits. There's no reason why you can't achieve the same success as my current readers have. Now I'm inviting you to join my small, elite group of readers who will profit most from the world of options trading. This group is now experiencing a lifestyle they only once imagined. Your invitation is risk-free. You have 30 days to cancel for a full refund...or sign up for quarterly billing and cancel at any time. Only one option pick a week is all you need and I'll send you my first recommendation this Sunday night, via e-mail. Then look for my one recommendation every Sunday night thereafter (except for Christmas, New Year's and my two-week summer vacation).

The Great Red Hope For 2009 Top Stock

We'll get to the commies in a just a moment. First, a question: what happened to Tuesday's big rally? Yesterday, top stocks held steady. The dollar lost ground. And gold rose back over $900.So, are we at the beginning of a major rally...or did it end in a single day? We wait to find out. In the meantime, let's look at China.Yes, dear reader, the whole world turned its lonely eyes to the reds: "Touch us!" "Heal us!" China, with its bumptious population...its boisterous growth...and its boney-handed politicians...is the world's hope for a fast recovery."China will the first out of the slump," says our old friend Jim Rogers. Jim has staked his fortune, his fame and his future on two things: commodities and China.Of course, the two go together. If China can continue to grow, she will demand more and more commodities. Prices for wheat, iron, tin, coal - just about everything - will rise as China raises living standards. Or not.China doesn't even need to grow wealthier in order to use more commodities. Like her saffron neighbor to the South, India, her population is so large, and growing by such huge numbers, she struggles just to keep up. One percent population growth is not a lot. But one percent of 1.3 billion is 13 million people - equal to America's entire jobless population. And that, of course, is an increase that happens every year.The Middle Kingdom, as it is known, is thought to have an advantage in the fight against depression. It doesn't have to argue with Republican lawmakers, civil libertarians, or sensible people of any sort. If the reds want to do something - no matter how inspired or moronic it is - they can usually do it.But here is a fork in the road. So we will take it. We don't follow events in China the way Jim does. Maybe he's right; maybe China will be the first one out. But we have a feeling that William Pesek might be right too. The idea that China will tug the whole world out of depression is "pure fantasy," says he."Chinese exports slump 25% as demand wilts," says a headline in the Financial Times this morning. Not hard to figure out why. Remember, this is a depression, not a recession. In a recession, consumers take a breather...orders slide...and exports decline. But it is only temporary...and not catastrophic.But let us follow the export trail to see if we can figure out what is going wrong. Let's see... there's the factory in Quangzhou. Hmmm...it has cut its production schedule. And there's the truck leaving the factory...only 3/4 full. Orders have fallen off... It arrives at the harbor in Hong Kong. And there it finds the shipping schedule has been cut (along with prices) drastically. After the container is placed onboard, the ship hoists anchor and is off. Two weeks later - for it is sailing more slowly than it used to, in order to cut expenses by preserving fuel - it arrives in Long Beach...where it is quickly unloaded and put on a truck that will take it to a warehouse, where the container will be opened and its contents off-loaded onto other trucks for distribution to retailers all over the United States. The whole process takes less time than it did a few months ago - simply because there's less traffic and less back-up at every step. When finally the merchandise gets onto the shelves, it finds fewer shoppers looking it over and fewer buying.And here we find the source of China's troubles...and the reason it cannot quickly recover. It has set up its economy to provide end products for foreigners. Those foreigners can't and won't buy like they used to; they don't have the money. The credit bubble has popped. It's over.Well, maybe the Chinese could lend U.S. consumers money? Ah...there lies a trap. U.S. consumers have more than twice the debt they usually carry. The last thing they want is more. They've seen how hard it can be to pay back debt - especially when you lose your job. Unemployment in the United States is already over 8%. It will probably be over 10% by the end of the year. In four states, it is over 10% already. Each percentage point represents about 1.5 million people who aren't buying many Chinese goods.Well, maybe the Chinese could make stuff for their own people? Yes, they could...and they will. But that's what makes this a depression and not a recession. The whole structure of the economy must change. In the photo accompanying the FT article, for example, it shows a factory in Beijing that makes a third of the world's violins - almost all of them exported. Sure, the Chinese could decide to take up the violin en masse. But that's the sort of cultural change that takes time. Or, the factory could switch to making laundry cabinets. Again, it is possible...but it takes time. And the adjustment is painful. The violin makers need to be retrained. Many will be fired as the factory searches for a new product line. Without revenues, perhaps it will go broke...and then be repurchased at auction by a laundry cabinet manufacturer. This is the process of creative destruction that Schumpeter described. One industry is destroyed so that another might be created. It is what depressions are good for. It is what we all face now - including China. Maybe especially China.Won't the Chinese able to do it faster - since the commies are still in control?Oh dear reader...you are treading on our soul when you ask a question like that! If we learned anything in the last 100 years it was that command economies don't work very well. Compared to the free market - with its elegant intelligence and infinite information - central planning is clumsy, ham-fisted and ultimately unproductive. The commanders are invariably morons. And the commanded spend their time and energy not doing their bidding, but finding ways to avoid doing it. Keith Fitz-Gerald at Money Map Report believes China is the main engine of world growth, and that role seems likely to continue - in spite of the current difficulties the emerging Asian giant appears to be facing.To find out how you can turn China's growth into a boon for your portfolio, join Keith there from April 21-May 6, 2009 when he'll introduce you to the best opportunities on the ground. *** Meanwhile in the West...the parasites and wealth destroyers are angling for other peoples' money. Jamie Dimon, head of JP Morgan, urged lawmakers not to behave like a "dysfunctional family." Instead, they should get behind the president, he said. 'And start shoveling out the money,' he didn't say. Yes, the president is asking for 'shovel ready,' projects...and everyone seems to have a shovel now. Browsing the Internet, we found an ad:"Trillions in Government Grants Available...here's how to get yours."There, you discover that the government is giving away "grants," and all you have to do is apply for one. Following the headlines is a series of testimonials from people who've actually gotten money "you don't have to pay back" from Uncle Sam. "Maybe it's just a scam," Elizabeth suggested when we described it to her. "That's the sad thing...it's probably real. The feds are so eager to give away money that people probably can get a 'grant' if they put their minds to it.Rarely have the leeches had so much public support. "This is an emergency," says a typical headline in the financial press, "government has to get its act together."And so the fix is in. Too bad it only makes things worse.*** Earlier this week, Obama overturned the Bush-era policy that limited the federal tax dollars for embryonic stem cell research.This is big news for scientists and investors alike. Breakthrough Technology Alert's Patrick Cox explains:"Egyptian scientists have announced that adult stem cells can prevent diabetes-associated heart dysfunction. I've already written about the successful treatment of multiple sclerosis by rebooting the immune system with stem cells. Within a week of that news, a similar procedure was shown to successfully treat AIDS."The stem cells used in the AIDS therapy came from a donor with a rare genetic resistance to the disease. It worked so well, in fact, that the patient no longer takes AIDS drugs. The donor stem cell transplant also cured his leukemia. This is reality, not science fiction."The success of the AIDS SC therapy has huge implications. The most important is that it demonstrates the potential of genetically engineered stem cells to give individuals new immunities and biological capabilities."This is critical because humans are born with a broad range of genetic strengths and vulnerabilities. Now, we're seeing that those strengths can be transferred via stem cells. These donor cells will give your body the ability to knock out diseases you would not otherwise have the ability to fight. Eventually, designer stem cells will be used not only to cure, but to enhance our physical states. Immunities to cancers, Alzheimer's and other diseases will be routinely delivered via GE stem cells as a new form of inoculation."The company I'm recommending to my Breakthrough Technology Alert readers this month, in fact, is on the cutting edge of the convergence between genetic engineering and stem cell technologies. Fortunately for early investors, it has been largely ignored by the financial media. However, there are indicators that this is about to change."The company Patrick is referring to controls an entire branch of stem cell science and patents. Moreover, it is far closer to market than many of the "big" SC companies that are getting so much old media attention.

Between Hope and Fear

President Obama told the American people last night that the country is in trouble, but he vowed that the United States would recover and emerge stronger than before. In his first address to a joint session of Congress (don't call it a State of the Union), Obama gave a "sobering speech" but also "sought to spark optimism and confidence in his plan for recovery," notes USA Today. The Wall Street Journal declares that Obama "straddled the divide between fear and hope" throughout his speech, and the New York Times describes it as a mixture of acknowledging the seriousness of the economic problems "with a Reaganesque exhortation to American resilience." The Washington Post points out that Obama's optimistic tone had "been absent from his speeches in recent weeks," a fact that many, including former President Bill Clinton, had criticized. In what the Los Angeles Times calls "a significant departure from the George W. Bush years," Obama barely mentioned foreign policy and focused squarely on the economy and other domestic priorities.
In his 52-minute speech, Obama declared that the "day of reckoning has arrived" and called on Americans to "take responsibility for our future once more." He said it was time to bring an end to the era where people inside and outside Washington avoided making tough decisions in order to maximize short-term gains. He never implicated his predecessor by name, but the message was clear enough when he declared that his budget would reflect "the stark reality of what we've inherited." Obama pointedly noted that everyone in Washington, "and that includes me," will have to sacrifice some "worthy priorities" in order to deal with the burgeoning deficit. But he insisted that getting out of the current mess won't be possible unless the country starts to deal with some long-term issues, such as health care and energy policy.
Obama acknowledged the anger that many people feel over the costly bailouts of banks and automakers but warned that the "cost of inaction will be far greater." He also warned that more money would probably be needed but said that the U.S. economy won't recover until the country's financial system has stabilized. "It's not about helping banks," he said, "it's about helping people." Obama once again repeated that he plans to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term but made it clear that won't stop him from pursuing an ambitious agenda that was at the centerpiece of his campaign, and yesterday he spent lots of time talking about energy, education, and health care. But he mostly stuck to broad strokes and didn't reveal any significant details about his policy initiatives or how he plans to cut the deficit beyond repeating the tired mantra about how his administration is going "line by line" through the federal budget to find wasteful and ineffective programs.

Geo-fiction or not, high-grade magnates rule: ThomWatch

Mining magnates are shaking the money tree. We cannot guarantee this two-minute Melt-Up is free of some "geo-fiction," but we can assure you the next two minutes of ThomWatch will alter your natural resources:
Sean Boyd, a top executive at Agnico-Eagle (NYSE: AEM) … $100 million in cash and "significant cash flow" … three copper/zinc/gold mines hurtling toward operating status: "I remember these BMO Capital Markets conferences many years ago when they were at Squaw Valley (California), and 10 or 20 people would be there. … Our team is trained geologists. (We) are not an exercise in geo-fiction. There are more and more investors coming to this space … coming to see where they were positioned. … We like to buy (gold properties) early." Sean Boyd was speaking today at the BMO show, a Florida gathering of big fund managers, i-bankers and sizeable mining companies.
Peter Barnes at Silver Wheaton (NYSE: SLW), also speaking at BMO: "Almost 80% of our revenue comes from four mines. … About half our silver come from gold mines. … Almost three-quarters of our silver comes from Mexico, and Mexico is probably the best country in the world to operate as a miner. … We have the best leverage to the silver price of any company if it goes higher. … We believe silver prices are going to continue to (appreciate). … Over 60% of the silver produced in the world comes from primary metal miners. … I believe silver is going to $30 over the next three to five years, and maybe a lot higher."
Across the country, in another sunny venue, Phoenix, a handful of small miners showed their commitment to telling their story to an audience of about 1,000 garage-loft investors. Joe Martin and Howard Fitch's annual Arizona metals show featured silver companies Endeavour Silver (AMEX: EXK), Mag Silver (AMEX: MVG) and Tumi Resources (TSX: V.TM). Other steady-eddies at the Cambridge House Show included Bravo Venture Group (TSX: V.BVG) and Quaterra Resources (AMEX: QMM).
For our beloved garage-loft investors, silver rounds were everywhere at the show. Silver rounds, as Jason Hummel, Peter Spina, Joyce Espinosa and others who mint and auction one-ounce silver "rounds pointed out, are capturing the attention of Europeans and North Americans. The customized coins sport some gorgeous designs, thanks to Jim Pavlakos at Superior Sources Inc. and other designers. Our kids' favorite one, of course, was the skull and cross bones. Ozzy Osborne eat your Black Sabbath heart out.
Road shows are going into turbo drive. At least 200 small and mid-sized miners, everything from silver and lithium to molybdenum, gold, platinum and geothermal, are on the breakfast and luncheon circuit. They are air-dropping via elevator and motoring via creaky taxis across Toronto, New York, Boston, San Francisco, LA, Philadelphia, Denver, Houston and Chicago. Stay tuned to subscription service www.tickertrax.com for the ones I am attending for the words and the food.
Frank Barbera, a gold stock technician with whom I shared a Phoenix panel this past weekend: "Copper and the base metals still have a ways to go lower this year, so more pain. Gold I see at $5,000 (an ounce) at some point in the future."
My favorite line: Peter Grandich of The Grandich Letter – "Those who live by the crystal ball learn to eat broken glass."
My favorite place in Arizona, where I attended graduate school: Sedona. We stayed for a couple of days at Enchantment Resort, which is lined by red rock canyon walls. Thanks to Mason Romney of www.MasonryDomes.com, a local builder whom we ran into at Euro Deli in town. Mason was using gold coins to pay one Sedona contractor. Nice chap and thanks for the hiking directions.
Finally, of note, and back to the BMO show for heavyweights in Florida this week: One of the few presenters and keynoters who requested their words and materials not to be audio-streamed to the general public at this URL, is Robert M. Friedland of the Mongolia miner Ivanhoe Mines and the natural gas/oil producer Ivanhoe Energy. Mr. Friedland told me today (Tuesday morning) that he would prefer keeping his keynote address from Monday and his company presentation today "confidential." Robert's son, Govind Friedland of Beijing, is operating a uranium company with great hopes in Africa and elsewhere and also decided to keep his presentation at the BMO conference "off limits" to Internet stream.
Ticker Trax™Ticker Trax By Thom Calandra explores planet Earth for a handful of stakes and strategies that offer the prospect of excellent, in some cases cosmic, returns. The new service is for those who can cope with stratospheric levels of risk attached to a handful of planetary prospects. (Please see www.tickertrax.com.)
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THOM'S STORY: Thom Calandra during 27 years of road work has helped his audience find value in a quagmire of investment choices. Thom co-founded CBS MarketWatch, MarketWatch.com and FT MarketWatch in Europe. As the voice of Thom Calandra's StockWatch and The Calandra Report, Thom fancied $300-ounce gold before that metal became an investment rage. Thom visited bioscience companies, metals mines and energy companies in a search for reliable sources and fine planetary prospects. (He was imperfect in at least one regard, having settled a U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission complaint in 2004.) Thom's novel PABLO BY NUMBERS was completed in 2008.
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Rising Gold Prices will help the Economy

It is a common myth that says a rising gold price would be followed by economic doom, misery, hard times, and perhaps a dreaded depression. Nothing could be further from the truth. Rising gold and silver prices helps the economy, as I will prove. The reason this myth is created in the media is to scare people away from investing in gold and silver. The myth creates a sense of guilt among those who own gold, and among those who are thinking about buying gold. It wrongly claims, "You will be to blame for harming the economy, if you buy gold and the gold price goes up." It whispers the socialist lie, "If we all remain in the dollar, everything will be OK." The amazing thing about this media-myth is how many gold investors are scared out of their minds of the thought of gold rising past $3000/oz. as they fear it will bring on the prophesied economic doom, with riots, joblessness, homelessness, and widespread poverty. Here is the reality from history. In 1933 U.S. farmers were dumping milk and destroying their crops because prices were artificially kept so low that they were losing money. Why were prices too low? Because gold was fixed at $20/oz.! And thus, other commodities were also priced too low! It would cost farmers money to bring their produce to market; therefore, they stopped doing so. The farmers were smart enough to realize and act on the axiom, "Do not engage in uneconomical activity." I wish the silver miners today would be so smart. In other words, if you are not making a profit by mining and selling silver, stop bringing silver to market! In my opinion Franklin D. Roosevelt was one of the worst presidents in our nation's history. He did more to befriend the big banks, and hurt the interests of the common man, and destroy economic freedom than perhaps any other president. Under FDR we got the dreaded Ponzi-scheme called Social Security. He created bigger government, social handouts, price controls, pulled the nation into World War II, and did everything needed to lead to the totalitarian government we have today. But there was one thing he did that I think that had positive benefits. He revalued the gold price upwards from $20/oz. to $35/oz. Most gold commentators will say this was theft, a default, and the worst thing he did. But FDR did not create the theft that was originally created when excess paper money was created in the first place. The money-creation was the theft. FDR issued the decree that said that this excessively created paper money should not be valued as highly as it claimed it should be. That was the good thing FDR did, since he helped to reveal the fraud inherent in the dollar. Unfortunately, this re-valuation in the price was accompanied by the proclamation that made it illegal to own gold domestically. Yet, it still helped things for FDR to reveal the fraud of the dollar. This created a boom in all commodity prices, and helped the farmers out tremendously, and helped the economy. Finally, it would be economic to produce food again. The rising gold price helped the economy. If anything, the gold price did not rise high enough. Move forward to the 1970's and 1980's. The years of Ronald Reagan, 1980 to 1988 were prosperous years. Society embraced morality more strongly than in the swinging 70's. Disco was out, and polo shirts were in. Reagan got re-elected in 1984 by asking the simple question, "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?" Prosperity followed after the gold price rose to $850 in 1980. It was not chaos, not doom, not poverty everywhere you looked. It was a boom time. The after effect of the rise in the gold price was prosperity. So, as if the facts from history are not enough, let's look at the logical, rational reasons why higher precious metal prices will help the economy. It's very simple. Barter is inefficient. You cannot efficiently trade cookies for a TV set, and you cannot efficiently trade a car for crayons, you cannot efficiently trade chickens for clothes. I hope I'm not boring you to tears, but do you get the concept? You cannot have an efficient economy without real money. You need a medium of exchange that is easily divisible, portable, valuable, and does not spoil or go out of style. Gold and silver are what you need, for the reason that they make trade easier and more efficient, or economical. Gold and silver thus save time and energy, and are extremely useful. Furthermore, a gold or silver coin cannot be tracked, does not need to be kept in a bank, does not need to pay interest, and therefore, cannot be taxed on every transaction. Therefore, gold and silver are very efficient for trading, far more efficient and useful than paper money. (The reason that gold and silver do not need to pay interest is that there is a constant deflation when gold and silver are used as money. They grow ever more valuable over time as production grows more efficient and prosperity increase when gold and silver are used as money. This fact utterly refutes the "time value" of money that states that money today is more useful than money tomorrow, which is a lie used to justify charging interest on a loan. A no-interest gold loan, when gold is used as money, is generally repaid with gold and silver that is more valuable than before!) In contrast to the usefulness of gold and silver as money: If I'm paid in paper money, drawn from a bank, the other party feels a compulsive need to report to the government how much he paid me, in order to keep his paper trail of transactions open for the government to follow. Thus, each transaction is looked at by the government, and is taxed at every step. This taxation harms and discourages economic activity from taking place, and thus is not an efficient process at all, and reduces trade and the exchange of dollars, and hurts the economy. Furthermore, as paper money always suffers from inflation or hyperinflation, there is a lack of incentive to save and invest, which also hurts future production, and hurts the economy. Next, the excessive creation of paper money and overvaluation of that paper money creates economic mis-allocations of capital, and dislocations of economic activity. Jobs are lost as workers overseas produce more for less. People over-invest in housing due to the easy money available for home loans. Price fixing, (especially in the form of a low gold price, or a manipulated low gold price), in all its forms, hurts the economy. Price fixing is a disruption of free market capitalism. Free market capitalism, and free market prices, create the most prosperity for the most participants far more than any other economic system yet invented by man. When the price of gold is allowed to seek its natural free market level, and when the fraud of paper money is destroyed (and paper debts wiped out), then economic freedom and prosperity will follow. It will be too expensive to wage needless wars, too expensive for a massive totalitarian government, too expensive for social programs that destroy a person's incentive to work. When gold and silver are used as money, there will be plenty of people available to work, needing to work, and willing to work. There will be plenty of money (since the gold and silver would then be valuable enough to do the work of money). There will be plenty produced, since the economy will be free from debt, free from over-burdensome government regulations, free from excessive taxation. There will be plenty produced and prosperity will follow because gold and silver are more efficient at promoting trade than the fraud of the dollar that is over-valued and excessively-taxed. Some people will counter with the lie that certainly paper money is lighter, and thus more efficient. Again, not true. I have a 1/10 oz. gold coin that is very light and small, lighter than a stack of $1 bills. I have a 1 oz. gold coin that is lighter and more compact than four stacks of a 100 count, $1 bills. Besides, our coins have become dross, worthless heavy slugs. I'd rather have a tenth oz. gold coin in my wallet than two twenty-dollar bills. And I'd rather have an oz. of gold than four hundreds. Who really needs to carry around more than an ounce of gold, anyway? (Only for the large and more rare transactions.) Too heavy? Hogwash! Society can pay for the cost to transport bottled water, but transporting gold costs too much? Ridiculous! Gold and silver are not too heavy to transport. Silver alone may be relatively heavy today, given that it is so undervalued, but when the metal is fairly valued, transportation is not a problem. When an ounce of gold or silver is $100,000/oz., then an oz. of gold or silver will not be "too heavy" to transport. Transportation costs are miniscule to the extreme, and are no justification for the fraud of paper money. If gold and silver are good for an economy, the parallel point is that fraud is bad for an economy. And since the dollar is fraud, then the dollar is bad for the economy. Yes, it's that simple. A rising gold price means economic misery for the Federal Reserve, for politicians, for the banks, and for the socialists, and all whom they sponsor, such as the Universities and mass media. A rising gold price means economic freedom and prosperity to everyone else! Buying gold and silver will bring prosperity not only to you, but also to everyone else! Buying gold and silver is the most useful and economic thing you can do to help bring a positive change to the corruption of society that exists at all levels. If you would like to learn more about gold and money, please come by and visit silverstockreport.com. I also write a free weekly silver stocks report that lists over 80 different silver stocks, and you can sign up to receive it at silverstockreport.com.

2009-03-10

MING'S WOW

ESL The End of the game, but those exciting scenes are still in my mind for a long time Can not shake off. Since TR cow discovered BUG hunting case, I did want to test the 2v2 game there is no way the act has been encountered in their hunting and riding, trying to turn the struggling meaning it did not really affect the mood. Later I asked him saying: "Players are the mainland?" He was answered: "Yes." I had him a few想劝, and later said they did not export, short TR can soon hope to change the BUG. ESL start when everyone seemed to look at the game, and Austria are very few people in front of PK, both in situ meditation. I downloaded a plug-N was finally able to watch live online, the result is the Orange one to open the screen interview, then immediately to HON's game against aAa. Real Say, I start from one point even HON enjoy the grounds that their relatively long Rogue handsome, ha ha. Me and the mainland together with several players at UT edge live chat while watching, really happy, looks like everyone is more inclined to HON team, because Korea are too cow小胖speak it? Korea-Star teams battle mirror is very exciting, especially that of Orange1V2, Korea小胖collapsed at the scene moments enthusiastic applause broke out, U.S. UT also frantically shouted. But to see the Orange play pastor Ways, Jokie has been said that this fight to survive, have to wear blue in order to steal BUFF winning hit was later learned the rules of the original game are 25 minutes Clearing output harm, no wonder Orange aware that death has also been playing at Output injury. Although the final did not kill, but the team wins, it can be categorized as a classic of the mess 1v2. 真的很感动, HON priests have given up, but Orange is still not given up, although only 10% less than the HP, is still trying to fight, at that moment I believe every team member HON hearts are feeling hot. When your teammates when the opponent in the face of such a downturn, you need to do what is next? Sure enough, HON big bang to get rid of the SK-KR. Success moments of pleasure are frantically cheered warmly embraced, and I believe they must have to choke back tears. Orange at the moment to conquer the hearts of each audience, not just at him with devil's technology in the fight game and, more importantly, his heart a strong heart. After the interview, Orange excitedly said: "Even though there are only a my people, I absolutely will not give up ... ..." HON! Real winner! Let us for them to stand and cheer performances. ESL after the game, TTR3V3 emerged a lot of thieves Act, animal husbandry, as if the game also led the U.S. law for the thief, animal husbandry enthusiasm and confidence. More interesting is that there is much at Rogue Shadow Dance with a dagger. I still remember the video and tomato served when those countries are how the jet son ridiculed U.S. Shadow Dance talent吗? Korea seems to win the people better able to explain the problem. Rogue in order to better understand the significance of the team, my teammates at the time did not try a death knight, because the only way I could know the weaknesses of this career. Rogue was a lot of people think DK黏住is a headache, and the Shadow Step in fact can be very effective restraint DK interference, coupled with timely Magic teammates to disperse, DK Rogue should not黏住easy. These days I play a Rogue and DK these two occupations, a comprehensive analysis, I brought some Rogue against DK experience. DK enough for a lot of thieves know that they can not effectively confront the DK and the DK team. I have just started to play when DK is also very upset, think like God of War as DK / Cavalier / hunter combination of how much restraint Rogue team, and in fact not the case. DK Rune three separately are evil, donate blood and frost, you can understand it, he is required to reduce speed on ice when the opponent Rune, and to make the output when necessary evil at the same time there is ice and Rune. This means that DK If you want to slow down opponents, it is necessary to spend Ice Rune, so he would reduce a lot of output (chasing a Rogue can only put ice chain deceleration operation, together with the blood of the weak soul against injury). At 1V1DK circumstances, the use of a lot of Rogue's cloak is not good enough, this is their failure. DK be able to maintain the body of Rogue plague, which the disappearance of Rogue difficult to succeed, it is more difficult to play for technical, so my suggestion is keep Forever cloak to escape. The correct flow is闷棍DK, killing BB, then blinding DK, continue to kill the BB. If he had been puzzled, then you can get a complete hands DK the opportunity to retain blinding in fact there is no use, it is better to use here. When BB kill attack since it should not open a small shield wall. If he is out solutions, in fact, does not affect you kill the first BB, at least he did not eat the BB after the BB. Begin to attack DK, first disarm, disarm after the opening time to avoid, to evade the time to give, after fragmentation, sprinting cloak disappear. Order not to disappear at the distance of 5-8 yards DK avoided pulled back. Ending the first set of skills, went to eat and drink over the distance, when the DK's defensive skills have been exhausted (if he did not open defense skills, then a set of disarmament have been enough to kill him to get away, I tested many times, please U.S. efforts output of injury). Cloak, such as good! Keep this in mind. Hands again at this time, has cloak, DK also the restoration of the whole good, but he did not BB's ability to recruit, ice and a lot of defensive skills have also been held (of course there are many skills not open), but still can not get rid of him, still with the disarmament, avoid the Ways and kidney renal good time to not to make mistakes, he still hit 20% HP the situation remains the same and just hanging fragmented, sprinting cloak disappear, the attention of the distance, you can guarantee success. Wait a prowling, energy filled, again in hand, can one get rid of DK, this time because he has no skills, dissatisfaction with blood, even the attack on the outbreak of kidney, is sufficient. The tactics I've tested many times, very effective, must pay attention to cloak disappear distance, not to be caught, the first wave of the output should be ruthless, be sure to pay him skills, be sure to eat and drink before the second wave of the output good, such as a good cloak. To disappear after the second wave of export success, not to arrest them, leaving a cold-blooded. 3 hands to get rid of the first wave of DK. Come on everybody, I think you will do a better job!