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Feature Article #1

Two Ways to Profit as China and Japan Quietly Forge the Most Powerful Trading Alliance in the World

Chinese President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Yauo Fukuda met recently and signed some modest cooperation agreements. That doesn’t sound much to get excited about, until you consider how well the Chinese and Japanese economies fit together.

Think of it this way: With China’s boundless supply of low-cost labor and Japan’s superb education system - and an ability to work together that’s clearly founded on considerable commonality of thinking - these two countries, as a pair, will be world-beaters.

In fact, they’ll be world leaders.

The Past has Passed

The summit - while modest - marked an important policy change from the mutual…

Popularity: 1% [?]

Money Morning | May 16th, 2008 | Continued

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Feature Article #2

Music Downloads: Profit without iTunes

It’s a concensus: Being in the music business sucks, right now.

Despite the music industry’s best attempts to vilify file sharing, the prosecution of 12 year olds for downloading music has only resulted in the vilification of the major labels in the eyes of the public. Even after the music biz managed to gut Napster, online file sharing has continued, though on a smaller, more furtive scale.

And while iTunes may have figured out a way to prevent listeners from playing each other’s downloaded music (if you try, the program will inform you that your computer is not “authorized” to play the…

Popularity: unranked [?]

Stephanie Grimmett | May 14th, 2008 | Continued

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Feature Article #3

Fixing the economy: Listen to Hanoi Jane

It is not too often Jane Fonda’s name gets a mention when discussing patriotism and improving the country. But if we want to succeed and continue as an economic powerhouse, we must follow the liberal lady’s exercise advice: No pain, no gain.

For some reason, this country hates pain, even if it leads to monumental improvements. The average American waistline is a great example.

Another fine example is our addiction to crude. We have known for decades that our dependency on foreign oil would eventually cripple this country. Whether we have reached that point or not is moot. The fact that very few…

Popularity: unranked [?]

Andrew Snyder | May 13th, 2008 | Continued

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Feature Article #4

Iranian Energy Sector a Political Pitfall for Some, New Opportunity for Others

Iran’s energy sector has again proved to be a point of controversy as both Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDS.A, RDS.B) and Spain’s Repsol YPF SA (REP) have withdrawn from one of Iran’s largest natural gas projects after being pelted with political pressure from the United States.

Shell and Repsol will no longer aid Iran in the development of phase 13 of the country’s South Pars, the world’s biggest gas field, the Financial Times reported. They did, however, leave open the possibility of working with Iran to develop phases 20 and 21, but it may be 10 years before those blocks are operational.…

Popularity: unranked [?]

Money Morning | May 13th, 2008 | Continued

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Feature Article #5

Soaring Oil and Gasoline Prices Worry Cost Conscious U.S. Consumers

The effects of soaring oil prices are finally trickling down to the pump and consumers are feeling the pinch.

On Friday, oil futures hit a new record of over $126 per barrel. Prices jumped 7.4% last week, with crude oil for June delivery trading as high at $126.20 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

“Oil is a safe haven because of the weak dollar and how badly the financial sector has been doing,” Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research in Winchester, Massachusetts, told Bloomberg News. “There are also geopolitical concerns about places like Nigeria and Venezuela that are propping…

Popularity: unranked [?]

Money Morning | May 12th, 2008 | Continued

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Feature Article #6

Weak Dollar Narrows Trade Deficit, but Inflation Blunts Consumer Demand

The trade deficit narrowed significantly in the month of March, as developing markets took advantage of a weak dollar and stocked up on American goods.

The gap shrank 5.7% from a revised $61.7 billion in February to $58.2 billion, the Commerce Department reported. Imports decreased 2.9% as the country experienced sluggish growth over the past six months, and according to some, slipped into a recession. It was the biggest drop in imports since December 2001.

Exports dropped by 1.7%, but that decline followed February’s record high export total of $151.1 billion. March’s export total of $148.5 billion was the second biggest…

Popularity: unranked [?]

Money Morning | May 12th, 2008 | Continued

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Feature Article #7

A Currency Conundrum: Beware of the U.S. Dollar’s “Head Fake” Rally

Don’t mistake the U.S. dollar’s recent rally for strength. If anything, it’s a head fake of legendary proportions.

In fact, the dollar’s recent run-up is actually a warning that risks are escalating.

To better understand what I mean here, let’s look at the greenback’s recent performance against the euro. After bottoming at an all-time low of $1.6019 versus the euro on April 22, the dollar has soared nearly 4% and was trading at $1.5428 per euro early yesterday (Wednesday).

Now many of the Wall Street types expect that rally to continue. Just yesterday, UBS AG (UBS) predicted the greenback would rise to $1.47…

Popularity: unranked [?]

Money Morning | May 8th, 2008 | Continued

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Feature Article #8

10 Global Trends to Follow for the Next 18 Months

There’s an old Wall Street adage that tells us that “the trend is your friend.”

And there’s a witty bit of wisdom we’ve developed here at Money Morning to help guide our readers and us that says: “Go global or go home.”

Combine those two and you’ll discover that you’ve got yourself one very strong investing strategy - if you choose the right trends, that is.

Surprisingly, that’s nowhere near as difficult as most investors think. All you have to do is to look around you, and study the forces that are at work in the markets each day. If you do that on…

Popularity: unranked [?]

Money Morning | May 7th, 2008 | Continued

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Feature Article #9

Profit Alert: How to Play Small Cap Stocks

Smart Profits Report - Small caps are one area you absolutely want to be the first guy in the door, so you can grab the most money.

For months now, I’ve been trying to analyze the current small cap stock market conditions. Often times, I show up early to the party.

But you know what? That just means more profits while the others catch up. Let me give you some examples - and show you the next best place for profiting from small cap stocks…

Jump In Early And Get The Pick Of The Small Cap Stock Profits

While every investor dreams about uncovering “the…

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Smart Profits Report | May 6th, 2008 | Continued

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Feature Article #10

Election 2008: As Democratic Primary Hits a New Pinnacle Today, Obamanomics Emerges as Clear Front-Runner for Investors

With contests in both Indiana and North Carolina, today (Tuesday) probably marks the last of the crucial Democratic presidential primary election contests between senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.

Unless the cynical premise of Rush Limbaugh’s “Operation Chaos” is realized, and the Democrat presidential wingding continues to move forward at an increasingly vitriolic level through that party’s national convention in Denver in late August, whomever wins the Democratic nomination is pretty likely to be our next President. So, as investors - whether Democrat or Republican - which of the two candidates should we be rooting for?

The Case for Clinton

Our initial reaction would…

Popularity: unranked [?]

Money Morning | May 6th, 2008 | Continued

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Popularity: 1% [?]

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17May2008 | Jason Leavitt | 0 comments | Continued

With its Profits Lagging, GE May Have a Deal in the Oven, Analysts Say

While industry insiders say that General Electric Co. (GE) may be looking to sell or spin-off its home-appliance business unit, the move may actually be the first in a series of divestitures designed to unshackle the Corporate America heavyweight from consumer-driven markets.

The rumored decision to shed the century-old business that makes refrigerators, ovens and dishwashers may signal even bigger divestiture deals before the year ends, as GE Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey R. Immelt continues pursuing his strategy of shifting the huge conglomerate out of economically sensitive sectors. Since Immelt announced that plan in December 2002, GE has cut loose more…

Popularity: 1% [?]

17May2008 | Money Morning | 0 comments | Continued

Icahn: Yahoo “Completely Botched” Microsoft Merger; Threatens Board Proxy War

Carl Icahn is adding to his reputation as a boardroom bully.

In a letter to Yahoo Inc.’ (YHOO) Chairman Roy Bostock, the billionaire investor threatened to seek control of the board and resuscitate takeover talks with Microsoft Corp. (MSFT).

Two weeks ago, Yahoo Chairman of the Board and co-founder Jerry Yang rebuffed Microsoft’ $47.5 billion (or $33 a share) bid, sending shares down $4.43 (or 15%) to $24.24. That of course didn’t bode well for Icahn, who said he owns 59 million Yahoo shares.

“The board of directors of Yahoo has acted irrationally and lost the faith of shareholders and…

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17May2008 | Money Morning | 0 comments | Continued

Former Oilman T. Boone Pickens Makes a $2 Billion Bet on Alternative Wind Energy

T. Boone Pickens made his fortune in oil. But now the Dallas oilman and famed former corporate raider is betting $2 billion that he can have the same success with a new source of energy - wind.

Pickens’ Mesa Power LLP yesterday (Thursday) unveiled the first phase of an eventual $10 billion alternative energy project that has the potential to become the world’s largest wind farm.

“You find an oilfield, it peaks and starts declining, and you’ve got to find another one to replace it,” Pickens, who once operated one of the largest independent oil-and-gas production companies in the country, said of…

Popularity: 1% [?]

16May2008 | Money Morning | 0 comments | Continued

European Growth Strong in the First Quarter, but Will it Last?

Powered by the biggest German expansion in 12 years, the European economy shrugged off the U.S. slowdown to post first-quarter growth numbers ahead of analyst estimates.

Gross domestic product (GDP) in the 15-country Eurozone increased by 0.7% in the first three months of the year, Eurostat reported. Analysts had predicted a growth rate of 0.5%.

Germany and France - which together account for nearly half the Euro region’s GDP - made the difference. The German economy, the continent’s largest, expanded by 1.5% in the first quarter, compared with a growth rate of 0.3% in the final three months of 2007. France also turned…

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16May2008 | Money Morning | 0 comments | Continued

Energy Utilities: Buy Exelon Corp. (EXC:NYSE)

Here’s a news story I bet you haven’t heard. It’s created a nearly catastrophic economic environment in one of our nation’s state capitals, but few folks are talking about it. Maybe it is because they are scared to raise the subject.

Just a few weeks ago, an avalanche took out Juneau, Alaska’s power supply. Nearly two miles of high-power transmission lines from a nearby hydroelectric plant were destroyed. It will take more than three months to fix the problem. Meanwhile, the entire city (including all the government offices, mind you) is forced to get its energy from a handful of huge…

Popularity: 1% [?]

16May2008 | Andrew Snyder | 0 comments | Continued

Two Ways to Profit as China and Japan Quietly Forge the Most Powerful Trading Alliance in the World

Chinese President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Yauo Fukuda met recently and signed some modest cooperation agreements. That doesn’t sound much to get excited about, until you consider how well the Chinese and Japanese economies fit together.

Think of it this way: With China’s boundless supply of low-cost labor and Japan’s superb education system - and an ability to work together that’s clearly founded on considerable commonality of thinking - these two countries, as a pair, will be world-beaters.

In fact, they’ll be world leaders.

The Past has Passed

The summit - while modest - marked an important policy change from the mutual…

Popularity: 1% [?]

16May2008 | Money Morning | 0 comments | Continued

That Ticking Noise You Hear in Your Wallet is a Credit-Card Time Bomb

For those holding out hope that the American economy can miraculously avoid a long and deep recession, consumer credit is often viewed as the wonder drug that can cure all manner of economic ills. As such, last week’s report showing that consumer credit grew by $15 billion was widely heralded as proof of America’s economic strength and resilience.

The reality is very different, however: We’re already suffering from the after-effects of too much debt, meaning that our salvation cannot be found in more of the same.

Death by a Thousand Charge Slips

Credit card debt, which now stands at whopping $957 billion nationally…

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15May2008 | Money Morning | 0 comments | Continued

Is Brazil “Investment Grade” for Investor’s Money, Too?

Brazil is a lot like a person who gets a new job, pays off some of his debts, and has his credit score upgraded.

In pretty short order, all the charge-card companies boost his credit limits, cut the interest rates he’s paying on his outstanding balances, offer him new credit lines - and even make him eligible for various “rewards” programs that give him all sorts of freebies for spending money.

Brazil finds itself in that situation because uber-debt-rater Standard & Poor’s just boosted the country’s credit rating to “investment grade” in recent weeks, moving its rating from BB+ to BBB-. Why…

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15May2008 | Money Morning | 0 comments | Continued

Home Foreclosures Continue to Rise, But Biggest Jump Still to Come

Foreclosure filings hit an all-time high with a 65% year-over-year increase in April and a 4% increase from March, RealtyTrac reported yesterday (Wednesday).

RealtyTrac Chief Executive James J. Saccacio said the 243,353 foreclosure filings last month was the highest since his firm began tracking the data in January 2005, The Wall Street Journal reported.

“Although only about 2% of households nationwide are in foreclosure, these properties contribute to already bloated inventories of homes for sale, and put downward pressure on home values,” Saccacio noted.

Nationwide, one in every 519 households received a foreclosure notice.

California, Florida, Nevada and Arizona were the hardest-hit states.…

Popularity: 1% [?]

15May2008 | Money Morning | 0 comments | Continued