stanley – Page 4 – My Investing Notes

02Oct 2006 by stanley No Comments

International ETFs

My Notes

I am just looking over the 2006 Semi-Annual iShares MSCI Series report I received today. I'm thinking, US economy will slow in the next year or two. Looking at the markets outside of US, I might want to invest in other assets.For instance, iShares Australia Index (EWA). 1 year return: 15.83%; 5 year return: 148%.Brazil Index (EWZ): 1 year: 70%; 5 years: 187%Canada Index (EWC): 1 year: 33%; 5 years: 103%Mexico Index (EWW): 1 year: 45%; 5 years: 194%Those are some impressive returns. I like Canada and Australia indexes: stable countries with very good results. I should have invested in Brazil when it went down a year or two ago; same with Mexico.

08Aug 2006 by stanley No Comments

My Aug 2006 Stock and ETF Holdings

investing

Here are my current holdings. My strategy now is to go with a more defensive lineup. I believe the economy is going to slow in the next couple of months or even years. I like to go with quality stocks and stocks that increase their dividends. I am also shifting into ETFs. I currently have around ten stocks and ten ETFs.Here's what my current stock holdings are:: A giant that's beaten up a bit. Should recover. Quality stock..: Quality company with good management. Diversifed. Looks cheap.: My recent addition. Company makes good products, moves into more healthy oriented products. Good international player.: Panasonic makes the best plasmas and cameras. Good growth potential.: It's beaten down now but a quality company with very good growth potential.: One of the biggest and…

26Jul 2006 by stanley No Comments

Good Sectors: Technology & Telecomunications

My Notes

With the recent pullback, the technology sector is reasonably priced. , the Nadaq ETF looks like a good buy to me.Telecommunications looks good as well. It's a good player in a slowing economy. Why? It's considered a defensive sector and with industry consolidation, it looks for a comeback after a multi-year pullback. iShares Dow Jones US Telecom () looks like a good buy.ReferenceTelecom ETFs at Yahoo.comTechnology ETFs at Yahoo.com

13Jul 2006 by stanley 1 Comment

Cheap Brokers

investing

This is a good entry, link below, about the different cheap brokers out there. I am a fan of dollar-cost averaging, where you buy the same stock every month. That's how ShareBuilder works. Now, according to the post, SogoInvest is a good competitor to it. I use InteractiveBrokers, which costs me $10 per month and I get 10 free trades. However, dollar-cost averaging is difficult, since I cannot buy portions of the share, as you can with ShareBuilder. In any case IB is cheap and I like it but I might consider SogoInvest later.ReferenceSogoInvest.com - New Discount Brokerage, $3 Trades, MyMoneyBlog

02Jun 2006 by stanley No Comments

Buy Industrials ETF, some good stocks

My Notes

The latest S&P Outlook had some good recommendations. I found their reasoning for the Industrial sector convincing. I also think that Emerging markets will have a lot of infrastructure buildup. A good way to be exposed to that is the Select Industrials (symbol ). Jacobs Engineering (; 5/5 stars) might be a good stock in that category, but I think it's better to get less risk from the ETF.Some other good stocks on my list, and Fiserv (). FISV is timely (2/5 according to VL, lower the better) and has a projected three to five year annual increase of 17-29%.Paychex (), timely stock (1/5). (Not so sure after today's job market report. :-))Radio One () holds promise for me. I held it for couple months. It did not move so…

01Jun 2006 by stanley No Comments

May, 2006 – State of the Market

Housing

This is where the housing market currently is:- median home sale-price appreciation: sharply down- new home inventory: sharply up- single-family home sales: slowly going down- mortgage apps: downWe should see interesting years ahead. For more detaisl and to see big charts, go to the article referenced below.ReferenceRecent Housing Data: Charts & Analysis, The Big Picture blog

10May 2006 by stanley No Comments

Dividend ETFs

My Notes

I am a big fan of dividend paying stocks. Especially now, when the economy is slowing. Why? Because the interest rate increases will take its toll on the economy, causing it to slow in the coming years. The housing market will also be a drag on the economy. In that scenario, quality stocks will be good to hold. I like stocks that have a record of increasing their dividends year over year.In the latest issue of Kiplinger's magazine, there are two such dividend-increasing ETFs.IShares Dow Jones Select Divident Index ()"It holds 114 of the highest-yielding US stocks (excluding real estate trusts). Dividends must have risen in each of the past five years; no more than 60% of earnings are paid as dividents; and the stock is sufficiently liguid."SPDR Dividend ETF…

09May 2006 by stanley No Comments

Buy GS, Kraft, Consol or Peabody, United

My Notes

Goldman Sachs ()It is a very good company. It has the highest timing rating and a highest safety rating in the Value Line.Kraft ()Stable company. The year ahead does not look too enticing, but after that, in 3-5 year range the stock should grow fast, 3-5 year outlook: 15-20% peryear, as per Value Line.Consol Energy ()I think coal industry looks interesting. Consol is one of the safest bets. Value Line gives it a above average (2) timeliness and it's average safety. 3-5: 7-16% per year.Peabody Energy ()It's also a coal player. It's the biggest private coal company. It has the highest timeliness and considered average in safety, according to Value Line. Three to five year: 12-23% yearly.United Technologies ()It was featured on Barrons. I like United. It's a stable company.…

04May 2006 by stanley No Comments

State of the Housing Market

Housing

If you're looking to buy a house (like me; but think house prices are crazy), this article is great to read. Wnen I was reading it, I felt music flowing in my ears. I kept telling myself: this is great stuff. If you already own one or you're looking to sell, this might be too hard to swallow, though. Great article.ReferenceViewpoint: Housing bubble going bust nationally, found it on Economy.comWelcome to the dead zone, Fortune Magazine

20Apr 2006 by stanley No Comments

Sell Short Housing Stocks?

My Notes

I believe housing will slow down in the next couple of years. Is it a good time to sell some housing stocks "short?" I think so, I think I might sell short . S&P just downgraded it. The stock is at $33, already down from above $40, but I think it can go down a lot more.D.R. Horton is the largest builder in the country, we believe many of its operating regions are being impacted.

Author: stanley