Is Santa on Vacation Yet???

I've missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot . . . and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. - Michael Jordan

I've had enough success for two lifetimes, My success is talent put together with hard work and luck. - Kareem Abdul-Jabar

And will you succeed? Yes! You will indeed!(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed). - Dr. Seuss

The gifts have been opened. Some returns have even been made. For many of us, the chaos is now over. We have a few more days to collect ourselves before we start all over again next week. With the new week, we have a new year, a new decade. All slates are wiped clean and we start from zero. We won’t forget the two major slides of this decade, but we can move away from it and create new opportunities. Where will you find them? Will they be American companies that have been oversold? Could it be new emerging markets that strike your fancy? The one thing we all know for sure is that there WILL be opportunity. The true question is “will we see it when it happens?”

It’s “Out With the Old and In With the New” at the Cabot China & Emerging Markets Report. Editor Paul Goodwin talks about the bounce around the world since the March bottoms. The results of the BRIC as of 12/18 (in local currency) are: Brazil 66.3%, Russia 83.4%, India 85.8% and China 55.9%. They also give the prediction of the year for 2010, “it will be like every year, with huge surprises and unexpected triumphs and disasters. And since we follow the market rather than anticipating it, we will react accordingly.”

Over at the CONSENSUS Bullish Sentiment Index, Robert E. Salva keeps his finger on the pulse of everything that you need to know about the markets. Think natural gas is oversold? Maybe currencies are your thing. Like the British Pound? Precious metals? Whatever your play, take a look at this weekly piece to get a feel for what people are thinking.

Just a few more days to get any tax loss trades in. Maybe this Santa rally will carry through a few more days. We’ll see…

For more information, please go to http://www.zepinvest.com.

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Its All About the Ridges

The wise man puts all his eggs in one basket and watches the basket.
- Andrew Carnegie

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.
- Henry Ford

I’m not sure how the graduates from the “School of Diversification” would feel about Mr. Carnegie’s quote. Proper diversification and allocation has been a very popular philosophy in modern investing circles. For every person that follows the rules of diversification, there will also be somebody who will build their entire philosophy around one stock. I had a client who for 18 months made a considerable amount of money on Chevron (CVX). They had inherited a considerable amount in the stock and continuously sold somewhere between $80-90 and bought it back in the low $60’s. They repeated this four or five times all with some degree of success. For the record, I do NOT recommend this strategy.

Since I know we are all waiting with much anticipation for the Lions’ game on Thursday, I’m going to keep this blog as wild and crazy as I know that game will be. Originally “Bond Tuesday,” we’ll go with wild cards for the rest of the week.

The Cabot China & Emerging Markets Report written by Paul Goodwin is a monthly publication that recommends a portfolio of ADRs that are traded through US exchanges from China and other emerging markets. It uses a market timing strategy using both fundamental and technical analysis. Hurlbut Financial Digest has rated it the top newsletter for five years. In his recent release, “Nervous Thanks,” he talks about the “heightened anxiety” of investors in this market. He also offers a stock recommendation as well as updates on previously recommended stocks.

The US Sector Monitor Reports by Lubomir Pechala are monthly comprehensive reports that use technical analysis to make buy, hold and sell recommendations for stocks based on sector. Covering Healthcare, Industrials, Energy, Consumer Staples, IT, Financials, Telecom, Utilities and Materials, Pechala provides 12 month forecasts for each stock listed on these separate reports.

The Argus Vickers Research Weekly Insider by David E. Coleman offers market commentary as well as insider transaction data. It covers the most recent transactions as well as insider trends. According to this week's “Insider Index Rankings,” a popular stock right now is Consolidated Edison (ED) and losers include Carnival (CCL) & TD Ameritrade (AMTD).

So as you wait for Matt Stafford to hit the field on Thursday afternoon, contemplate two things:
1) How can I use these reports to enhance my own education and portfolio?
2) Which cranberry sauce is better, canned or fresh? (Hint, look at the title)

For more information, please go to http://www.zepinvest.com.

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