News Flash: NBC Stands for Never Believe Corporate

Riches serve a wise man but command a fool. - Old saying

The smell of profit is clean and sweet, whatever the source. - Juvenal

Whether you are a Dave, Jay or Conan fan, I think most people will agree that NBC has turned this late night situation into a farce. The first mistake they made was promising Conan “The Tonight Show” years ago when they were in contract negotiations. That forced them to move Leno last year. This was not a move that Leno wanted. He never wanted to vacate the seat he had inherited from Johnny Carson. To placate him, the executives gave him the 10:00 hour five days a week. Everybody but those execs knew it was going to fail, and now, seven months later, these same people make an even worse move.

In a perfect world, NBC would lose both Conan and Leno. One would go over to Fox and the other to another network and the three late night hosts would all go head to head…to head. NBC receives a major failing grade on this one.

The Morningstar Fund Investor gives us the managers of the year in the most recent publication. They also provide insight into “Where to Invest in 2010 and Beyond.” They also supply great information about what’s going on in the mutual fund world. For example, did you know TCW bought Metropolitan West Asset Management and fired Morningstar’s 2006 Fixed-Income Manager of the Year, Jeffery Gundlach and his team. Gundlach is establishing his own firm and many of his top people have already jumped ship, leading to mass redemptions at TCW.

Over at the Hightower Report, it’s drive-thru investing as “Society Fixated on Instant Gratification.” Hightower’s point is that uneducated officials and un-informed journalists create a bias based on assumptions of prices that are far from true if one looks at the statistical evidence. With all the talk about gold and crude oil, would you believe they weren’t the best performing commodities last year? Gold didn’t even make the top 10!!! Copper and sugar were the best performers with returns of 137% and 128% respectively. Crude came in fifth and gold came in eleventh.

The “Mid-January 2010 Update” at the Buyback Letter gives us updates to the “Buyback Premium Portfolio.” This portfolio has outperformed the S&P 500 by more than 66% since it started back in 2000. There are also recommendations to liquidate two holdings and replace them with two others. David Fried also helps new subscribers to the newsletter start by choosing five holdings to get going.

For the best analysis in the game from the brightest minds in the business, ZepInvest is where you find it. It’s like a buffet at your favorite restaurant. No matter what you are feeling, we have something that will satisfy you…just leave a little room for dessert.

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

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The Don’t Watch the News Edition

I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position.
- Mark Twain

The only question with wealth is what you do with it.
- John D. Rockefeller

The markets pulled back again today on a strong move from the dollar, and as I write this, there’s bad news coming out of Asia. Japan cut its third quarter economic growth by more than anticipated. With the Asian markets down over 1% at this point, it will be intriguing to watch the trickle effect as the markets open across the world tomorrow (12/9).

In other news, Tiger Woods and the White House Gate-Crashers are both still in the news. All we need is Glenn Beck and…nope, wait. He’s there too. Here’s a scary news story that might make some investors think twice. The Chinese executed a rogue trader today for embezzlement. He was convicted of taking what would be $9.52 million in 2005. Makes me wonder if we should send Bernie Madoff overseas…

The Morningstar Fund Investor is a monthly newsletter that is edited by Russel Kinnel. The publication uses fundamental analysis to recommend mutual funds and portfolio allocations. Morningstar is a well known name and widely used by advisors and individual investors alike. The current issue lists the top 10 “Wealth Creators & Destroyers” of the decade. Anybody remember Janus??? This issue also has great information about fund manager changes, the re-birth of Fidelity and other changes you should be aware of if you own them.

Glen Ring’s View on Futures Daily Update continues to keep commodity traders up to date on the movement of wheat, corn and the entire futures market. His December 7th update also covers the dollar, cattle, hogs and the EU.

The Mutual Fund Strategist by Holly Hooper-Foumier is another publication we have discussed before. The December 7th edition gives a commentary on the past week and an update on the Relative Strength of the funds and ETFs monitored by the report. This proprietary method helps the Strategist build their portfolios and recommend trades.

Whether you are looking for the next mutual fund to put your retirement fund in or a futures play for this month, I hope you find what you are looking for. Keep coming back. ZepInvest is the gift that keeps on giving.

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

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