2/4/08

Economics

Another main stream media prediction of doom:

http://bespokeinvest.typepad.com/bespoke/2008/02/magazine-cover.html

A scorecard for the current earnings report season:

http://bespokeinvest.typepad.com/bespoke/2008/02/fourth-quarter.html

ExxonMobil’s tax bill, in perspective:

http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2008/02/putting-exxons-tax-bill-in-perspective.html

Politics

Domestic

Earmarks: Hillary versus McCain:

http://www.examiner.com/a-1194444%7ETimothy_Carney__McCain_vs__Hillary_on_earmarks__Good_government_vs__pay_to_play.html

Romney on abortion:

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZGYyZWE4OGI5YzNlZTc1M2M2OTRiYmMzMjEzMDlkNzA=

Hillary, in her own words:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120209390867639897.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

International War Against Radical Islam

Good news:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0201/p25s04-wosc.html

And bad news:

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=N2UzN2ViOGViYTFkYTAwMjRkZDc5MWYwZDYwMWEwNDY=

And more bad news:

http://abumuqawama.blogspot.com/2008/02/afghan-study-group-wheels-done-come-off.html

The war in Pakistan:

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/02/swat_fighting_more_d.php

The Market

Technical

Charts on commodities:

http://bespokeinvest.typepad.com/bespoke/2008/02/bespokes-commod.html

Fundamental

Subscriber Alert

The stock price of Realty Income Trust (O-$25) has risen back into its Buy Value Range; so it is being re-Added to the High Yield Buy List. The High Yield Portfolio will not Buy any shares in O at this time.

At the Market open this morning, the Aggressive Growth Portfolio will Buy a one third position in Avon Products (AVP-$34)

Watch Lists**

Dividend Growth Watch List: Avery Dennison, Bank of Nova Scotia, Brown Forman, Canadian Nat’l RR, Chevron, Clorox, Emerson Electric, Genuine Parts, General Electric, Illinois Tool Works, Ingersoll Rand, Johnson and Johnson, 3M, Manulife Financial, McGraw Hill, MDU Resources, Proctor and Gamble, Sysco, T Rowe Price, UPS, United Technologies, VF Corp.,

High Yield Watch List: A.J Gallagher, Alliance Resources, Buckeye Pipeline, Kimco Realty Trust, LCA-Vision, Plains All American, Quaker Chemical, Reynolds American, Rayonier, Realty Income Trust, US Bancorp.

Aggressive Growth Buy List: Abercrombie & Fitch, Accenture, American Eagle Outfitters, American Vanguard, Amphenol, Avon Products, Bucyrus Int’l, Donaldson, Eaton Vance, Expeditors Int’l, Factset Research, Fastenal, Franklin Resources, Luxoticca, Quest Diagnostic, Rockwell Collins, SAP, Schwab, Simpson Manufacturing, Staples,; and of course I want to re-build the holding: US Global Shares-Gold

**For the benefit of new subscribers, I started using Watch Lists during severe Market declines. These lists include stocks on our Buy Lists but also equities whose prices has fallen below both their Buy Value Range and their Stop Loss Price but whose Valuation Model (following additional homework on my part) didn’t change appreciably. Historically, the stocks in this latter group will generally trade back into their Valuation Range, sometimes quickly; and I want to be sure I catch that latter group when they do so

News on Stocks in Our Portfolios

The FDA approved Medtronics’ (Aggressive Growth Portfolio) drug coated stent.

Clorox (Dividend Growth Portfolio) reported second fiscal quarter earnings per share of $.65 versus $.62 recorded in the comparable 2007 fiscal quarter.

More Cash in Investors’ Hands