Filed under: International markets, Forecasts, Products and services, Consumer experience, Economic data, Oil, Federal Reserve

After pulling back yesterday, oil prices once again moved a bit higher today to close out the week as supply concerns continue to weigh on the mind of traders.

Earlier this week it looked as though we may be seeing $100 oil this week, but that was just not meant to be, not yet at least. On Wednesday, prices hit a high of $98.62 before trading lower in the afternoon session on a slightly bullish inventory report from the Energy Department.

Then yesterday prices pulled back after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the economy is in danger of economic slowdown in the months to come. Pointing to the current housing slump, Bernanke said that we can expect to see business growth slow considerably in the upcoming months, but would not indicate whether or not we should plan on seeing a rate cut during the next Fed meeting.

Today, prices rebounded on news that there were two shutdowns in the North Sea that once again stoked fears of a supply crunch. Prices rose as high as $96.68 before selling off a bit to $96.20, up $0.74 or 0.76% on the day.

Michael Fowlkes has worked as a stock trader for seven years and spent the last two years working as an analyst for the online investment advisory service Investor’s Observer.

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Filed under: Wal-Mart (WMT), Columns

Welcome to the 36th installment of The Wal-Mart Weekly, a column dedicated to bringing you insight, wit, facts, results, opinions and just a bit of everything else when it comes down to a very hot topic these days: Wal-Mart.

Last week, I looked at the China supplier situation with Wal-Mart insofar as how the retailer is even squeezing the cost penny pinchers in China too far. The gist was this: Several major Chinese-based good suppliers seem to believe that they cannot make enough profit due to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) constantly lowering prices.

The retailer lowered price on over 15,000 items to kick off the holiday shopping season just recently, and that probably was the sign on the wall in China. As in, “speak up now or forever hold your peace.” When Chinese suppliers start nagging the world’s largest retailer to either keep prices steady or, gasp, to actually raise some prices a bit, the writing is on the wall. Wal-Mart’s “always low prices” may start to mean “way too low prices” — well, you get the idea.

This week, I’ll be looking at the communication chain Wal-Mart has when it comes to communication highly time-sensitive information to store managers, regions and even consumers. And, I have a great example of this process from just this week. Read on.

Continue reading The Wal-Mart Weekly: Customer communication is key

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Filed under: Newsletters, Canada, Commodities, Stocks to Buy

This article is part of a 20 article special report on “Metals, miners and money“.

“If you are relying on traditional investments to pad your nest for the future, the problems stalking the world economy should be a matter of serious concern,” cautions Doug Casey, editor of The International Speculator.

“The $2 trillion or so loss in stock market valuations during the August correction is a precursor of what’s to come … in a best case. The worse case is … much, much worse.

“Which brings me to the opportunity that the crisis is carrying on its back. For any number of reasons, but first and foremost its use as money in all the world’s cultures, throughout all recorded history, gold has begun to find renewed favor with in-the-know investors as the currency of last resort.

“Make no mistake, despite gold’s rise from its $255 low in April of 2001 to over $800 as I write, so far, only the thinnest of trickles, a minor fraction of global capital, has made it into gold. When the flight to safety really heats up, the price of gold won’t just add dollars, it will add digits.

“If that sounds like hyperbole, remember that, unlike the U.S. dollar, which can be created at the speed of light, the available supply of gold is finite and is painfully slow to change.

Continue reading Top resource ideas: Junior miners from Doug Casey

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Filed under: Major movement, Rants and raves, Google (GOOG), Economic data

During previous recent market downturns Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) has held up well. This past week the NASDAQ stocks have been retracing their steps, giving back a sizable portion of their recent gains. Google, though, has been giving back more than most over the past two days, slipping about 10% off its high.

There could be any number of reasons. Dubious earnings reports from other tech companies might be the culprit. Or it could be the news that AOL is buying Quigo, giving the appearance of some vulnerability. To me, that does not seem like it would be a major factor either. There is plenty of dour economic news at the moment, but that hits everyone. Google established a recent new all-time high of $747.24, but is trading around $671 now and has traded down as low as $663. (UPDATE: GOOG closed at $663.97 on Friday.)

Every indication is that Google is not that expensive compared to other rivals. Until I hear some negative news that is specific to Google, I think a large portion of this drop can simply be attributed to profit taking. There is plenty of juggling going on in the fund market this time of year. Have you been re-balancing your portfolio? Have you been taking profits? Is there some other reason for the sell-off? Where might Google land? Is this a buying opportunity, or if not, at what price do the Google bulls stop the slide? Some say short the stock, maybe, and maybe you get creamed — that I would not do unless you have really deep pockets.

To find potential opportunities and verify my track record, read Chasing Value or Serious Money.

Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the principal for design and research at an architecture & planning firm.

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Filed under: Competitive strategy, Kohl’s Corp (KSS)

Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE: KSS) said this week that it will be “certifying” more than 80 if its retail locations in 28 states under a program that recognizes building design as environmentally sound. In other words, Kohl’s is becoming green, at least environmentally speaking.

Beginning a year from now, Kohl’s will open the first of its stores that will be certified under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. From late in 2008 to 2009, the company will be opening new locations that conform to LEED standards for environmental sustainability. This will give Kohl’s a leg up as one of the very first retailers to adopt LEED standards in the field of retail. The standards are no joke: site planning, water management, energy use, material use, air quality and innovation in the design process for overall conservation.

Companies that are loathe to go green should take Kohl’s under review as a case study. Not only does going green (under a national certified process, no less) buy a huge amount of PR with an eco-conscious buying public, but the hard costs that can be saved (and gasp, be measured too!) add up to a win-win for everyone. I’d expect more retailers to be trumpeting green initiatives in the near future, and especially with new locations where implementations are far easier than with existing retail location designs.

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Filed under: Cisco Systems (CSCO), International Business Machines (IBM), Citigroup Inc. (C), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Compuware Corp (CPWR), Morgan Stanley (MS), Abercrombie and Fitch (ANF), Options

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) volatility at nine-year highs on chatter of potential spin-offs:

Investor unhappiness with Citigroup’s recent sell off has resulted in a larger chorus for Citigroup to consider spin-off options. Citigroup’s Smith Barney unit has been frequently mentioned as a potential spin-off. Telegraph.co.uk said “banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), HSBC Holdings plc (ADR) (NYSE: HBC), and Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) are being touted as possible buyers if Citigroup’s management decides to offload assets.” Citigroup was recently up 15 cents to $33.03. Citigroup call option volume of 135,047 contracts compares to put volume of 101,613 contracts. Citigroup November 32.5 straddle is priced at $2.55. Citigroup December option implied volatility of 56 is above its 26-week average of 29 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price risks.

International Business Machines Corp (NYSE: IBM) volatility elevated after Sharp two-day sell off after Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) outlook:

IBM was recently down $4.83 to $101.27. IBM call option volume of 20,665 contracts compared to put volume of 25,200 contracts. IBM November 100 straddle was priced at $4.90. IBM December option implied volatility of 33 was above its 26-week average of 24 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price risk.

Daily options Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

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Filed under: Newspapers, Scandals, Housing

I don’t know if there’s a god or a heaven — but the people who perpetrate these scams are going to hell.

The USA Today reports on the growing number of “foreclosure rescue” scams that rip off homeowners on the brink of foreclosure. Some of these companies operate simple advance-fee scams — they send homeowners letters promising to help them negotiate with their lender for an up-front fee of a thousand dollars or less. And then that’s that. Other schemes are more complex but they all follow the same basic formula: take advantage of the desperation of people who are about to lose their homes.

The Better Business Bureau is receiving tons of complaints, and state attorney generals are filing lawsuits. But with a fast-growing industry like this, consumers probably have to protect themselves. Here is a resource to help: The Housing and Urban Development department has a list of mortgage counselors that have its blessing. You can search by state here.

Your best bet is probably one of the many non-profit counseling agencies, whose employees are working tirelessly for low wages in an effort to help people.

One of the biggest mistakes that got people into toxic mortgages was that they went with private subprime lenders, unaware of the government programs designed to help first-time home buyers. Now, people can avoid compounding the problem by picking a non-profit counselor.

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The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 225 points to 13,042. The Nasdaq fell just over 2.5% to 2,628.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) fell almost 6% to just over $165. RIM (NASDAQ:RIMM) was down over 9% to just over $113. Motorola (NYSE:MOT) was off 3% to $16.48.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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Filed under: Indices, Market matters, Money and Finance Today, Technical Analysis, S and P 500

Although the S&P 500 index is down more than 3% so far this week, the benchmark measure remains up over 3% for the year.

When it comes to the equity market’s bullish underpinnings, however, support not been evenly distributed. For the most part, the load has been carried by two groups: energy and information technology.

In fact, based on the latest data, one could say those two sectors account for all of the move — and then some.

The S&P energy sector — which has an equivalent exchange-traded fund, the Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (AMEX: XLE) — is up 25.24% year-to-date, which equals 37.29 index points, while the information technology group — which has an equivalent exchange-traded fund, the Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (AMEX: XLK) — has gained 12.52%, equivalent to 44.59 index points.

When you add the two together, it works out to nearly 150% of the overall increase in the S&P 500.

While the news in itself is not necessarily a cause for concern, it’s probably worth keeping an eye on energy and information technology shares to get some idea of where the market may be headed next.

Michael Panzner is a 25-year veteran of the global stock, bond, and currency markets and the author of Financial Armageddon: Protecting Your Future from Four Impending Catastrophes and The New Laws of the Stock Market Jungle.

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Filed under: Newsletters, Canada, Commodities, Stocks to Buy

This article is part of a special 20 article report on “Metals, miners and money“.

“It wasn’t that long ago — in late 2003, to be exact — when we were bumping up against the $400 ceiling in gold; and now we’ve barreled through $800,” says Brien Lundin, editor of The Gold Newsletter, and host and opening speaker at the recent New Orleans Investment Conference.

Although he remains cautious on the near-term outlook — and indeed, forecasts a correction from current levels — he suggests, “Perhaps the reasons behind gold’s rally don’t matter — and we need only consider the fact that it is rallying.”

From a long-term perspective, he suggests, “The very fact that gold is rallying so strongly is telling us something about the geopolitical, economic, and/or investing scene. Does gold know something we don’t?”

The gold and resource investing expert suggests, “Perhaps it’s telling us that global liquidity is far deeper than we can yet understand. Maybe it’s telling us that the worldwide move away from the dollar as a reserve currency is accelerating behind the scenes.

“Perhaps it’s indicating that economic growth in Asia will continue, and is capable of thriving without the support of Western consumer demand…. Maybe gold is foreshadowing a geopolitical blow-up.

“Perhaps the metal is whispering that the housing crunch, with peaks in adjustable rate mortgage resets coming at the end of the year, will become worse than anyone yet fears. Or perhaps that there is some still unseen derivative or other economic crisis about to erupt.

Continue reading Top resource ideas: ‘Does gold know something we don’t?’

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