Thursday, 11th March 2010.

Posted on Monday, 1st February 2010 by admin

This stock index is less known as it is regrouping the 60 biggest stock on the Canadian Stock Market. However, Canadian equities just went through one of its best year in 2009 so you might want to take a look at how the TSX 60 performed in 2009:

TickerNameLast PriceReturn
TCK/B CT EquityTeck Resources Ltd38.68511.6%
FM CT EquityFirst Quantum Minerals Ltd81.66356.3%
IMN CT EquityInmet Mining Corp65.81227.0%
IMG CT EquityIAMGOLD Corp16.7118.1%
NA CT EquityNational Bank of Canada59.91101.7%
BMO CT EquityBank of Montreal55.790.9%
GIL CT EquityGildan Activewear Inc25.1881.1%
TLM CT EquityTalisman Energy Inc19.7963.8%
RY CT EquityRoyal Bank of Canada55.8763.8%
CCO CT EquityCameco Corp34.9162.6%
TD CT EquityToronto-Dominion Bank/The64.959.1%
SU CT EquitySuncor Energy Inc38.0458.3%
AGU CT EquityAgrium Inc65.2558.1%
PWT-U CT EquityPenn West Energy Trust18.8157.2%
BNS CT EquityBank of Nova Scotia48.2757.1%
CNQ CT EquityCanadian Natural Resources Ltd76.5457.0%
ELD CT EquityEldorado Gold Corp15.3154.6%
COS-U CT EquityCanadian Oil Sands Trust30.1746.5%
MG/A CT EquityMagna International Inc54.4246.2%
RIM CT EquityResearch In Motion Ltd6943.5%
SAP CT EquitySaputo Inc30.6542.0%
CM CT EquityCanadian Imperial Bank of Commerce/Canad68.2141.6%
CP CT EquityCanadian Pacific Railway Ltd56.4641.5%
SNC CT EquitySNC-Lavalin Group Inc54.4238.0%
POW CT EquityPower Corp of Canada/Canada29.0936.8%
CTC/A CT EquityCanadian Tire Corp Ltd56.8134.6%
BVF CT EquityBiovail Corp14.7634.5%
CNR CT EquityCanadian National Railway Co56.9230.7%
BAM/A CT EquityBrookfield Asset Management Inc23.3229.8%
POT CT EquityPotash Corp of Saskatchewan Inc116.5128.4%
ENB CT EquityEnbridge Inc48.2427.5%
YRI CT EquityYamana Gold Inc12.2127.5%
BCE CT EquityBCE Inc28.7522.7%
FTS CT EquityFortis Inc/Canada28.6221.7%
NXY CT EquityNexen Inc25.5718.7%
ECA CT EquityEnCana Corp35.116.3%
WN CT EquityGeorge Weston Ltd66.9514.3%
TRP CT EquityTransCanada Corp36.2314.3%
SLF CT EquitySun Life Financial Inc30.5412.5%
ERF-U CT EquityEnerplus Resources Fund24.5210.9%
BBD/B CT EquityBombardier Inc4.8110.6%
G CT EquityGoldcorp Inc42.348.3%
MRU/A CT EquityMetro Inc39.487.6%
AET-U CT EquityARC Energy Trust20.467.0%
SJR/B CT EquityShaw Communications Inc21.414.7%
TA CT EquityTransAlta Corp23.612.1%
HSE CT EquityHusky Energy Inc30.361.4%
IMO CT EquityImperial Oil Ltd41.320.2%
L CT EquityLoblaw Cos Ltd34.04-0.6%
TRI CT EquityThomson Reuters Corp33.61-0.9%
MFC CT EquityManulife Financial Corp19.73-2.8%
T CT EquityTELUS Corp34.05-2.9%
SC CT EquityShoppers Drug Mart Corp45.84-3.7%
YLO-U CT EquityYellow Pages Income Fund5.46-5.1%
ABX CT EquityBarrick Gold Corp42.04-6.3%
THI CT EquityTim Hortons Inc31.88-6.7%
RCI/B CT EquityRogers Communications Inc32.56-7.1%
AEM CT EquityAgnico-Eagle Mines Ltd58.46-9.0%
K CT EquityKinross Gold Corp19.75-13.5%

Best TSX 60 Stock Picks for 2010:

As I did with the NASDAQ and the S&P 500 Stock Picks ideas, I will be giving my thoughts on my favourite 3 stocks on the Canadian (I am not going to take RIM as I have already did it with my NASDAQ stock bet).

Manulife Financial (MFC)

The sky has fallen on the head of Manulife from the past 18 months. This is why I am according some attention to this financial stock. I think that Manulife could perform well in 2010 if they show strong financial results and reassure investors that their problems are behind them. It is fundamentally a strong company with a solid history… could be a great pick for 2010.

Husky Energy (HSE)

I like Husky and I like the fact that the oil will probably go up in 2010 ;-) China and India deeply need Canadian Oil Sands to produce more oil to support their internal growth. They are big consumers of car and gasoline at the moment. Husky should be able to take some great profit of the BRIC.

SNC Lavallin (SNC)

Since I can’t take RIM twice, I will go with a well establish engineer firm from Quebec. As infrastructures around the world are falling apart in developed countries, we will need engineer firms with a great background and experience. This is how SNC Lavallin will be able to perform well in 2010.

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Posted in 2010 Best Perfoming Stocks | Comments (0)

Posted on Wednesday, 27th January 2010 by admin

After most investors got burnt by the 2008 credit crunch, we ran into one of the best performing years in term of return in 2009. Below is listed the best performing stocks of the S&P 500 over 2009.

There were a few surprises such as Ford (312%) who was able to get out of the car industry bad reputation and survive they way through way better than its competitors Chrysler and GM. American Express (117%), Goldman Sachs (101%) and Morgan Stanley (85%) were the financials who performed the best in 2009. While several financials are still struggling (have you seen the recent loss reported by CITI Bank?), they knew how to restructure their activities and react rapidly.

Top S&P 500 Stock Picks in 2009

TickerNameLast PriceReturn 1Y
XL UN EquityXL Capital Ltd18.57400.6%
THC UN EquityTenet Healthcare Corp5.46329.9%
GNW UN EquityGenworth Financial Inc12319.6%
AMD UN EquityAdvanced Micro Devices Inc9.86314.3%
F UN EquityFord Motor Co10.14312.2%
WDC UN EquityWestern Digital Corp45.52269.0%
CBG UN EquityCB Richard Ellis Group Inc13.97211.8%
FCX UN EquityFreeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc83.37211.6%
EXPE UW EquityExpedia Inc25.84194.1%
PCLN UW Equitypriceline.com Inc224.69192.2%
PXD UN EquityPioneer Natural Resources Co50.83182.6%
WFMI UW EquityWhole Foods Market Inc27.83181.2%
MEE UN EquityMassey Energy Co44.32177.0%
WYN UN EquityWyndham Worldwide Corp20.42175.2%
SNDK UW EquitySanDisk Corp30.05171.2%
JWN UN EquityNordstrom Inc38.06169.4%
MWV UN EquityMeadWestvaco Corp28.98167.3%
JBL UN EquityJabil Circuit Inc17.65157.5%
AMZN UW EquityAmazon.com Inc134.09146.7%
CTSH UW EquityCognizant Technology Solutions Corp46.55143.5%
TER UN EquityTeradyne Inc11.04136.4%
SBUX UW EquityStarbucks Corp23.16135.4%
FTI UN EquityFMC Technologies Inc59.59135.3%
AAPL UW EquityApple Inc213.17135.0%
NTAP UW EquityNetApp Inc34.49133.5%
ISRG UW EquityIntuitive Surgical Inc307.92132.6%
IP UN EquityInternational Paper Co27.2127.5%
AKS UN EquityAK Steel Holding Corp22.74126.2%
GT UN EquityGoodyear Tire & Rubber Co/The14.63124.7%
RHT UN EquityRed Hat Inc31.27123.4%
JAVA UW EquitySun Microsystems Inc9.37122.0%
CRM UN EquitySalesforce.com Inc75.06120.7%
AXP UN EquityAmerican Express Co40.65117.6%
LIFE UW EquityLife Technologies Corp51.95114.6%
NVDA UW EquityNVIDIA Corp18.45111.8%
JDSU UW EquityJDS Uniphase Corp8.42104.1%
CI UN EquityCIGNA Corp35.85102.1%
SHLD UW EquitySears Holdings Corp83.83102.0%
GS UN EquityGoldman Sachs Group Inc/The172.4101.0%
GLW UN EquityCorning Inc19.6398.4%
BIG UN EquityBig Lots Inc28.7897.9%
CAM UN EquityCameron International Corp43.4597.0%
S UN EquitySprint Nextel Corp3.8396.4%
HAR UN EquityHarman International Industries Inc35.6896.2%
WHR UN EquityWhirlpool Corp81.8495.4%
EMN UN EquityEastman Chemical Co61.6595.3%
GOOG UW EquityGoogle Inc626.695.1%
A UN EquityAgilent Technologies Inc31.6294.6%
TDC UN EquityTeradata Corp30.8993.9%
DOW UN EquityDow Chemical Co/The28.6893.3%
BTU UN EquityPeabody Energy Corp47.8392.4%
LTD UN EquityLtd Brands Inc19.7292.2%
ODP UN EquityOffice Depot Inc6.5988.3%
GCI UN EquityGannett Co Inc15.4986.4%
MYL UW EquityMylan Inc/PA18.6686.1%
HSP UN EquityHospira Inc50.9685.4%
MS UN EquityMorgan Stanley30.8985.2%
BRCM UW EquityBroadcom Corp32.3684.1%
MDP UN EquityMeredith Corp30.9582.8%
NVLS UW EquityNovellus Systems Inc23.6582.5%
AN UN EquityAutoNation Inc19.3181.5%
APH UN EquityAmphenol Corp46.0481.1%
FLS UN EquityFlowserve Corp97.0378.9%
ATI UN EquityAllegheny Technologies Inc47.1978.6%
TIF UN EquityTiffany & Co44.2777.5%
HOT UN EquityStarwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc36.6577.2%
DO UN EquityDiamond Offshore Drilling Inc100.9976.9%
CCE UN EquityCoca-Cola Enterprises Inc21.476.5%
PCP UN EquityPrecision Castparts Corp111.4876.1%
SNI UN EquityScripps Networks Interactive Inc41.3375.9%
CTXS UW EquityCitrix Systems Inc42.7475.5%
NOV UN EquityNational Oilwell Varco Inc45.7775.0%
IPG UN EquityInterpublic Group of Cos Inc7.4273.8%
DPS UN EquityDr Pepper Snapple Group Inc28.6173.8%
LSI UN EquityLSI Corp6.273.4%
NBR UN EquityNabors Industries Ltd22.9973.2%
CF UN EquityCF Industries Holdings Inc92.0972.7%
MA UN EquityMastercard Inc257.672.6%
RL UN EquityPolo Ralph Lauren Corp81.0771.7%
TJX UN EquityTJX Cos Inc36.3171.2%
MOT UN EquityMotorola Inc7.9771.1%
KLAC UW EquityKLA-Tencor Corp37.2269.6%
PRU UN EquityPrudential Financial Inc51.469.5%
PBG UN EquityPepsi Bottling Group Inc37.6969.3%
GR UN EquityGoodrich Corp65.8169.3%
ADI UN EquityAnalog Devices Inc32.0468.3%
BEN UN EquityFranklin Resources Inc107.6768.0%
AMP UN EquityAmeriprise Financial Inc39.2367.7%
NYT UN EquityNew York Times Co/The12.6566.8%
V UN EquityVisa Inc88.566.6%
CLF UN EquityCliffs Natural Resources Inc48.766.6%
COH UN EquityCoach Inc36.3666.5%
TXN UN EquityTexas Instruments Inc26.166.5%
CNX UN EquityConsol Energy Inc52.8966.5%
COG UN EquityCabot Oil & Gas Corp45.566.2%
FII UN EquityFederated Investors Inc27.7565.6%
SPG UN EquitySimon Property Group Inc80.564.9%
AKAM UW EquityAkamai Technologies Inc25.8664.3%
CME UW EquityCME Group Inc342.7564.1%
EMC UN EquityEMC Corp/Massachusetts17.8264.1%
CMI UN EquityCummins Inc46.9864.0%
MCK UN EquityMcKesson Corp63.1763.4%
CBS UN EquityCBS Corp14.163.0%
EBAY UW EquityeBay Inc23.8162.3%
RSH UN EquityRadioShack Corp19.9562.3%
WAT UN EquityWaters Corp61.7862.1%
CVH UN EquityCoventry Health Care Inc24.7561.8%
ADBE UW EquityAdobe Systems Inc37.2161.7%
SWN UN EquitySouthwestern Energy Co50.2561.7%
CHK UN EquityChesapeake Energy Corp27.5361.7%
HAL UN EquityHalliburton Co30.8561.2%
APD UN EquityAir Products & Chemicals Inc83.0460.7%
APC UN EquityAnadarko Petroleum Corp64.4960.0%
IVZ UN EquityInvesco Ltd23.3860.0%
M UN EquityMacy's Inc17.2559.7%
TWC UN EquityTime Warner Cable Inc42.2759.3%
MCHP UW EquityMicrochip Technology Inc29.3859.2%
AES UN EquityAES Corp/The13.6357.8%
HST UN EquityHost Hotels & Resorts Inc11.9157.6%
CMS UN EquityCMS Energy Corp15.8157.5%
CSC UN EquityComputer Sciences Corp57.9756.3%
MSFT UW EquityMicrosoft Corp30.9956.1%
BDK UN EquityBlack & Decker Corp66.556.1%
DFS UN EquityDiscover Financial Services14.6955.6%
LO UN EquityLorillard Inc81.1555.3%
ESRX UW EquityExpress Scripts Inc88.0155.2%
TROW UW EquityT Rowe Price Group Inc54.9955.0%
BJS UN EquityBJ Services Co1955.0%
IBM UN EquityInternational Business Machines Corp132.4354.6%
IGT UN EquityInternational Game Technology19.4354.4%
SWK UN EquityStanley Works/The52.7754.3%
JNS UN EquityJanus Capital Group Inc13.753.8%
WPI UN EquityWatson Pharmaceuticals Inc40.2252.9%
DHI UN EquityDR Horton Inc11.0552.9%
VIA/B UN EquityViacom Inc30.1252.6%
AGN UN EquityAllergan Inc/United States63.0252.5%
MHS UN EquityMedco Health Solutions Inc64.8751.8%
ABC UN EquityAmerisourceBergen Corp26.6451.5%
NI UN EquityNiSource Inc15.6351.4%
GPS UN EquityGap Inc/The20.6550.5%
NWL UN EquityNewell Rubbermaid Inc15.3750.4%
EL UN EquityEstee Lauder Cos Inc/The48.4450.0%
MOLX UW EquityMolex Inc21.8949.6%
PDCO UW EquityPatterson Cos Inc28.9649.1%
X UN EquityUnited States Steel Corp58.1249.1%
SLB UN EquitySchlumberger Ltd66.8948.9%
BBBY UW EquityBed Bath & Beyond Inc39.4448.9%
SEE UN EquitySealed Air Corp2248.4%
ANF UN EquityAbercrombie & Fitch Co35.248.0%
WAG UN EquityWalgreen Co37.1747.8%
NWSA UW EquityNews Corp14.0247.2%
AVB UN EquityAvalonBay Communities Inc82.7847.2%
JCI UN EquityJohnson Controls Inc27.647.2%
SJM UN EquityJM Smucker Co/The61.8646.5%
VTR UN EquityVentas Inc43.846.3%
PKI UN EquityPerkinElmer Inc20.3546.2%
WMB UN EquityWilliams Cos Inc/The21.5845.8%
CSCO UW EquityCisco Systems Inc24.6945.8%
ROK UN EquityRockwell Automation Inc/DE47.8845.6%
CMA UN EquityComerica Inc30.1945.4%
MMM UN Equity3M Co83.2545.4%
NSM UN EquityNational Semiconductor Corp15.3345.2%
CSX UN EquityCSX Corp48.9745.2%
PPG UN EquityPPG Industries Inc60.2644.9%
KSS UN EquityKohl's Corp54.2444.4%
AMT UN EquityAmerican Tower Corp43.5944.4%
RAI UN EquityReynolds American Inc53.443.7%
XLNX UW EquityXilinx Inc25.5843.5%
CAG UN EquityConAgra Foods Inc23.1343.3%
HPQ UN EquityHewlett-Packard Co52.2643.3%
ZMH UN EquityZimmer Holdings Inc59.8443.3%
AIV UN EquityApartment Investment & Management Co16.0442.9%
EOG UN EquityEOG Resources Inc99.6242.7%
INTC UW EquityIntel Corp20.9742.7%
TGT UN EquityTarget Corp48.5742.6%
OMC UN EquityOmnicom Group Inc39.5542.5%
CTL UN EquityCenturyTel Inc36.9342.3%
HOG UN EquityHarley-Davidson Inc25.5542.2%
LEN UN EquityLennar Corp12.8342.1%
COL UN EquityRockwell Collins Inc56.5941.9%
NBL UN EquityNoble Energy Inc73.3541.8%
HIG UN EquityHartford Financial Services Group Inc23.8741.7%
RRC UN EquityRange Resources Corp52.3641.6%
AA UN EquityAlcoa Inc16.6741.6%
BBY UN EquityBest Buy Co Inc40.4441.5%
WY UN EquityWeyerhaeuser Co44.2641.4%
TIE UN EquityTitanium Metals Corp13.0941.4%
MHP UN EquityMcGraw-Hill Cos Inc/The33.6441.2%
MWW UN EquityMonster Worldwide Inc17.7741.1%
IFF UN EquityInternational Flavors & Fragrances Inc41.8940.9%
LLTC UW EquityLinear Technology Corp30.9540.7%
CEG UN EquityConstellation Energy Group Inc35.0240.5%
LEG UN EquityLeggett & Platt Inc20.6440.4%
MO UN EquityAltria Group Inc19.840.2%
MAR UN EquityMarriott International Inc/DE27.6740.0%
DTV UW EquityDIRECTV33.8139.8%
FIS UN EquityFidelity National Information Services I23.639.7%
ETFC UW EquityE*Trade Financial Corp1.8339.7%
ROST UW EquityRoss Stores Inc42.3839.2%
DD UN EquityEI du Pont de Nemours & Co34.3539.0%
WYNN UW EquityWynn Resorts Ltd62.1738.9%
DE UN EquityDeere & Co55.9638.4%
AMAT UW EquityApplied Materials Inc14.4538.2%
RDC UN EquityRowan Cos Inc23.8438.2%
QLGC UW EquityQLogic Corp18.9637.9%
TWX UN EquityTime Warner Inc29.3137.4%
ITW UN EquityIllinois Tool Works Inc48.837.3%
ALTR UW EquityAltera Corp23.1937.2%
MIL UN EquityMillipore Corp72.1237.1%
ORCL UW EquityOracle Corp25.0537.0%
TE UN EquityTECO Energy Inc16.3437.0%
MDT UN EquityMedtronic Inc43.8837.0%
LM UN EquityLegg Mason Inc30.3636.6%
JCP UN EquityJC Penney Co Inc27.136.4%
OXY UN EquityOccidental Petroleum Corp83.136.3%
JPM UN EquityJPMorgan Chase & Co42.4636.2%
TLAB UW EquityTellabs Inc5.7236.2%
DELL UW EquityDell Inc14.635.7%
TMO UN EquityThermo Fisher Scientific Inc47.9535.6%
DIS UN EquityWalt Disney Co/The32.0835.5%
WLP UN EquityWellPoint Inc59.4135.4%
APA UN EquityApache Corp105.4234.0%
VFC UN EquityVF Corp73.2834.0%
RX UN EquityIMS Health Inc21.1233.9%
UTX UN EquityUnited Technologies Corp71.3133.6%
PX UN EquityPraxair Inc81.3833.3%
SPLS UW EquityStaples Inc24.6533.3%
SRE UN EquitySempra Energy56.4533.2%
EQT UN EquityEQT Corp45.1333.1%
ICE UN EquityIntercontinentalExchange Inc112.5633.1%
YHOO UW EquityYahoo! Inc17.0833.0%
SE UN EquitySpectra Energy Corp20.7432.9%
TSN UN EquityTyson Foods Inc12.2332.7%
UNP UN EquityUnion Pacific Corp65.0532.6%
FDX UN EquityFedEx Corp84.6232.4%
CAH UN EquityCardinal Health Inc32.5931.7%
AVP UN EquityAvon Products Inc31.9231.1%
RHI UN EquityRobert Half International Inc27.3631.1%
CAT UN EquityCaterpillar Inc58.8531.0%
DHR UN EquityDanaher Corp75.4930.9%
ETN UN EquityEaton Corp65.0930.7%
HRS UN EquityHarris Corp48.5430.6%
LNC UN EquityLincoln National Corp25.6930.4%
VAR UN EquityVarian Medical Systems Inc47.2830.2%
PLL UN EquityPall Corp36.8630.2%
MAS UN EquityMasco Corp14.1130.1%
VNO UN EquityVornado Realty Trust70.930.0%
FISV UW EquityFiserv Inc49.4229.5%
QCOM UW EquityQUALCOMM Inc47.2129.5%
FHN UN EquityFirst Horizon National Corp13.4829.4%
DTE UN EquityDTE Energy Co43.7929.0%
KO UN EquityCoca-Cola Co/The57.0928.7%
BNI UN EquityBurlington Northern Santa Fe Corp98.7528.7%
BXP UN EquityBoston Properties Inc67.728.4%
GAS UN EquityNicor Inc42.7928.4%
ECL UN EquityEcolab Inc45.2728.2%
BA UN EquityBoeing Co/The55.7227.9%
CCL UN EquityCarnival Corp32.6827.8%
EQR UN EquityEquity Residential33.8327.8%
STR UN EquityQuestar Corp43.0527.8%
SLE UN EquitySara Lee Corp12.3527.8%
ACS UN EquityAffiliated Computer Services Inc60.7527.2%
XTO UN EquityXTO Energy Inc47.1527.1%
OI UN EquityOwens-Illinois Inc34.6727.0%
INTU UW EquityIntuit Inc30.9726.9%
Q UN EquityQwest Communications International Inc4.2926.7%
SLM UN EquitySLM Corp11.4826.6%
NKE UN EquityNIKE Inc65.826.4%
MRK UN EquityMerck & Co Inc37.1626.4%
BMS UN EquityBemis Co Inc29.9926.2%
WU UN EquityWestern Union Co/The19.126.1%
HCP UN EquityHCP Inc30.7126.0%
L UN EquityLoews Corp37.1326.0%
EP UN EquityEl Paso Corp10.2525.9%
NOC UN EquityNorthrop Grumman Corp56.5225.6%
SYK UN EquityStryker Corp51.6125.6%
FMC UN EquityFMC Corp56.1925.2%
ADSK UW EquityAutodesk Inc25.8124.8%
LUV UN EquitySouthwest Airlines Co11.1524.7%
MCO UN EquityMoody's Corp27.1824.7%
KMB UN EquityKimberly-Clark Corp64.0824.7%
DOV UN EquityDover Corp42.0424.5%
SYMC UW EquitySymantec Corp18.3924.3%
HD UN EquityHome Depot Inc28.8724.2%
HRL UN EquityHormel Foods Corp38.2524.0%
GWW UN EquityWW Grainger Inc97.8223.9%
TXT UN EquityTextron Inc18.8723.8%
PH UN EquityParker Hannifin Corp54.6923.7%
BLL UN EquityBall Corp52.423.6%
ED UN EquityConsolidated Edison Inc45.723.6%
FRX UN EquityForest Laboratories Inc32.3823.3%
XRAY UW EquityDENTSPLY International Inc35.5623.0%
SCHW UW EquityCharles Schwab Corp/The19.5922.9%
DRI UN EquityDarden Restaurants Inc35.2322.7%
MTB UN EquityM&T Bank Corp66.5622.6%
CA UW EquityCA Inc22.9722.5%
ORLY UW EquityO'Reilly Automotive Inc38.4822.4%
SYY UN EquitySysco Corp28.1522.3%
BHI UN EquityBaker Hughes Inc41.2522.1%
CL UN EquityColgate-Palmolive Co82.4121.9%
NEM UN EquityNewmont Mining Corp48.7221.8%
DVA UN EquityDaVita Inc59.7221.5%
K UN EquityKellogg Co52.9321.2%
GIS UN EquityGeneral Mills Inc70.9121.2%
WEC UN EquityWisconsin Energy Corp49.9721.1%
CNP UN EquityCenterPoint Energy Inc14.6121.1%
HUM UN EquityHumana Inc45.1421.1%
ARG UN EquityAirgas Inc48.3821.1%
PCAR UW EquityPACCAR Inc36.721.0%
SIAL UW EquitySigma-Aldrich Corp51.5720.8%
PCG UN EquityPG&E Corp44.9620.7%
HCN UN EquityHealth Care REIT Inc44.6520.6%
HON UN EquityHoneywell International Inc40.3620.6%
DNR UN EquityDenbury Resources Inc15.6420.6%
PCL UN EquityPlum Creek Timber Co Inc38.4420.5%
PAYX UW EquityPaychex Inc30.9520.2%
COF UN EquityCapital One Financial Corp38.8420.2%
VRSN UW EquityVeriSign Inc24.6619.6%
MUR UN EquityMurphy Oil Corp55.6519.5%
PNW UN EquityPinnacle West Capital Corp37.0219.5%
PGR UN EquityProgressive Corp/The17.9819.2%
ROP UN EquityRoper Industries Inc52.9119.0%
MFE UN EquityMcAfee Inc41.1418.8%
XEL UN EquityXcel Energy Inc21.2718.7%
GD UN EquityGeneral Dynamics Corp68.9718.6%
DUK UN EquityDuke Energy Corp17.1918.6%
RSG UN EquityRepublic Services Inc28.7618.5%
FAST UW EquityFastenal Co42.3418.4%
EMR UN EquityEmerson Electric Co43.2318.2%
FITB UW EquityFifth Third Bancorp10.0618.0%
TSS UN EquityTotal System Services Inc17.1817.8%
LLL UN EquityL-3 Communications Holdings Inc87.517.6%
PM UN EquityPhilip Morris International Inc49.1817.3%
KG UN EquityKing Pharmaceuticals Inc12.6116.8%
LH UN EquityLaboratory Corp of America Holdings75.5316.3%
MKC UN EquityMcCormick & Co Inc/MD36.2215.7%
PEG UN EquityPublic Service Enterprise Group Inc33.2215.6%
DGX UN EquityQuest Diagnostics Inc/DE60.4615.3%
HNZ UN EquityHJ Heinz Co42.8615.1%
BSX UN EquityBoston Scientific Corp9.0815.1%
CPB UN EquityCampbell Soup Co33.8715.0%
AVY UN EquityAvery Dennison Corp36.8414.9%
MON UN EquityMonsanto Co83.5914.8%
TRV UN EquityTravelers Cos Inc/The50.3514.6%
BDX UN EquityBecton Dickinson and Co78.3914.4%
EFX UN EquityEquifax Inc31.4214.3%
MRO UN EquityMarathon Oil Corp32.0514.1%
LUK UN EquityLeucadia National Corp24.5214.1%
HAS UN EquityHasbro Inc32.6913.8%
SII UN EquitySmith International Inc27.9113.8%
COST UW EquityCostco Wholesale Corp59.7913.6%
D UN EquityDominion Resources Inc/VA39.3113.4%
UNH UN EquityUnitedHealth Group Inc31.213.2%
BMY UN EquityBristol-Myers Squibb Co25.5613.1%
CVS UN EquityCVS Caremark Corp32.8613.1%
PNC UN EquityPNC Financial Services Group Inc53.6413.0%
AZO UN EquityAutoZone Inc158.6812.9%
PEP UN EquityPepsiCo Inc/NC61.1612.8%
DVN UN EquityDevon Energy Corp76.412.8%
YUM UN EquityYum! Brands Inc35.1712.7%
CTAS UW EquityCintas Corp26.3212.6%
CLX UN EquityClorox Co61.1412.3%
NU UN EquityNortheast Utilities25.9511.3%
ADP UW EquityAutomatic Data Processing Inc43.4611.3%
NSC UN EquityNorfolk Southern Corp52.6710.9%
BIIB UW EquityBiogen Idec Inc53.7510.9%
HES UN EquityHess Corp62.9910.8%
PSA UN EquityPublic Storage81.0810.8%
SCG UN EquitySCANA Corp37.9310.6%
JNJ UN EquityJohnson & Johnson64.7710.4%
EIX UN EquityEdison International35.0610.3%
AET UN EquityAetna Inc32.3410.1%
ADM UN EquityArcher-Daniels-Midland Co31.5110.1%
PPL UN EquityPPL Corp32.79.5%
UNM UN EquityUnum Group19.749.1%
WPO UN EquityWashington Post Co/The441.829.1%
AEP UN EquityAmerican Electric Power Co Inc35.088.9%
DNB UN EquityDun & Bradstreet Corp83.248.9%
CHRW UW EquityCH Robinson Worldwide Inc59.578.7%
BAC UN EquityBank of America Corp15.488.6%
STT UN EquityState Street Corp44.528.5%
STJ UN EquitySt Jude Medical Inc37.28.5%
SNA UN EquitySnap-On Inc42.898.4%
PGN UN EquityProgress Energy Inc41.138.2%
UPS UN EquityUnited Parcel Service Inc58.538.0%
FDO UN EquityFamily Dollar Stores Inc27.517.8%
PFE UN EquityPfizer Inc18.667.7%
FPL UN EquityFPL Group Inc53.517.3%
BAX UN EquityBaxter International Inc57.927.3%
PLD UN EquityProLogis13.947.2%
TSO UN EquityTesoro Corp/Texas14.427.0%
CVX UN EquityChevron Corp78.686.8%
R UN EquityRyder System Inc41.926.7%
XRX UN EquityXerox Corp8.676.1%
NOVL UW EquityNovell Inc4.25.8%
SRCL UW EquityStericycle Inc55.715.8%
WM UN EquityWaste Management Inc34.255.7%
SHW UN EquitySherwin-Williams Co/The61.575.3%
PFG UN EquityPrincipal Financial Group Inc24.365.2%
AFL UN EquityAflac Inc46.945.0%
TEG UN EquityIntegrys Energy Group Inc42.764.7%
KFT UN EquityKraft Foods Inc27.354.7%
FO UN EquityFortune Brands Inc43.594.7%
BF/B UN EquityBrown-Forman Corp53.864.6%
LOW UN EquityLowe's Cos Inc23.274.6%
HRB UN EquityH&R Block Inc22.744.6%
ABT UN EquityAbbott Laboratories54.24.5%
ITT UN EquityITT Corp49.984.5%
CPWR UW EquityCompuware Corp7.374.1%
FLIR UW EquityFLIR Systems Inc33.044.0%
ERTS UW EquityElectronic Arts Inc18.13.8%
HSY UN EquityHershey Co/The35.893.6%
FTR UN EquityFrontier Communications Corp7.933.5%
EXPD UW EquityExpeditors International of Washington I35.043.0%
RTN UN EquityRaytheon Co51.992.8%
NUE UN EquityNucor Corp482.6%
T UN EquityAT&T Inc28.312.6%
MET UN EquityMetLife Inc36.022.3%
GPC UN EquityGenuine Parts Co38.342.1%
BBT UN EquityBB&T Corp25.712.1%
CB UN EquityChubb Corp49.711.9%
MCD UN EquityMcDonald's Corp62.681.9%
AIZ UN EquityAssurant Inc30.051.8%
VZ UN EquityVerizon Communications Inc33.111.6%
BK UN EquityBank of New York Mellon Corp/The28.371.6%
POM UN EquityPepco Holdings Inc17.081.5%
ETR UN EquityEntergy Corp82.441.3%
NTRS UW EquityNorthern Trust Corp52.50.8%
PG UN EquityProcter & Gamble Co/The61.20.5%
PWR UN EquityQuanta Services Inc21.030.5%
TMK UN EquityTorchmark Corp44.190.0%
DV UN EquityDeVry Inc56.6-0.1%
CELG UW EquityCelgene Corp55.94-1.0%
FE UN EquityFirstEnergy Corp46.76-1.1%
COP UN EquityConocoPhillips51.87-1.3%
PBCT UW EquityPeople's United Financial Inc16.93-1.3%
STZ UN EquityConstellation Brands Inc16.16-1.8%
CINF UW EquityCincinnati Financial Corp26.6-2.0%
PTV UN EquityPactiv Corp24.47-2.2%
AMGN UW EquityAmgen Inc57.5-2.6%
LXK UN EquityLexmark International Inc26.63-2.6%
CMCSA UW EquityComcast Corp17.09-2.8%
SAI UN EquitySAIC Inc19.06-3.1%
FLR UN EquityFluor Corp45.71-3.3%
WMT UN EquityWal-Mart Stores Inc54-3.5%
GME UN EquityGameStop Corp22.39-3.5%
GE UN EquityGeneral Electric Co15.44-4.7%
NYX UN EquityNYSE Euronext25.74-4.8%
DF UN EquityDean Foods Co18.2-4.8%
ALL UN EquityAllstate Corp/The30.44-5.2%
TAP UN EquityMolson Coors Brewing Co45.88-5.3%
LLY UN EquityEli Lilly & Co36.16-5.8%
SO UN EquitySouthern Co33.37-5.8%
HCBK UW EquityHudson City Bancorp Inc13.66-6.1%
BCR UN EquityCR Bard Inc78.71-6.6%
WFC UN EquityWells Fargo & Co27.24-6.9%
IRM UN EquityIron Mountain Inc22.95-7.4%
MMC UN EquityMarsh & McLennan Cos Inc22.16-7.6%
LMT UN EquityLockheed Martin Corp76.35-8.0%
PBI UN EquityPitney Bowes Inc22.81-8.0%
SWY UN EquitySafeway Inc21.51-8.8%
PHM UN EquityPulte Homes Inc10.16-9.0%
SVU UN EquitySUPERVALU Inc12.91-9.2%
USB UN EquityUS Bancorp22.68-9.2%
EXC UN EquityExelon Corp49.04-10.6%
FSLR UW EquityFirst Solar Inc135.12-10.9%
AIG UN EquityAmerican International Group Inc30.11-10.9%
WFR UN EquityMEMC Electronic Materials Inc13.78-11.9%
AEE UN EquityAmeren Corp28.1-12.2%
XOM UN EquityExxon Mobil Corp68.84-13.7%
AON UN EquityAON Corp38.16-14.2%
GILD UW EquityGilead Sciences Inc43.41-16.8%
KIM UN EquityKimco Realty Corp13.81-17.9%
CEPH UW EquityCephalon Inc62.74-19.2%
KR UN EquityKroger Co/The20.59-21.1%
APOL UW EquityApollo Group Inc61.67-21.3%
VLO UN EquityValero Energy Corp17.6-22.0%
VMC UN EquityVulcan Materials Co52.52-22.1%
NDAQ UW EquityNASDAQ OMX Group Inc/The20.17-22.8%
JEC UN EquityJacobs Engineering Group Inc38.13-24.4%
GENZ UW EquityGenzyme Corp49-28.0%
AYE UN EquityAllegheny Energy Inc23.59-29.4%
STI UN EquitySunTrust Banks Inc20.49-30.4%
KEY UN EquityKeyCorp5.83-33.4%
SUN UN EquitySunoco Inc27.35-35.2%
RF UN EquityRegions Financial Corp5.39-35.3%
EK UN EquityEastman Kodak Co4.28-37.7%
ZION UW EquityZions Bancorporation13.16-47.0%
PCS UN EquityMetroPCS Communications Inc7.87-47.0%
HBAN UW EquityHuntington Bancshares Inc/OH3.72-52.6%
C UN EquityCitigroup Inc3.36-52.7%
MI UN EquityMarshall & Ilsley Corp5.61-59.1%


For the best performing stocks in 2010 out of the S&P 500, I would bet $2 on:

Goldman Sachs (GS)

I like the way they have handled the credit crunch crisis and how they manage through the storm. This is the perfect timing in 2010 to outperform their competitors and gain more market shares.

Walgreen (WAG)

I like pharmacy because of the population aging faster than a race car. We will obviously need more pharmacist and more medical products in the upcoming years. Recession or not, people needs to get treated. On the other side, I must admit that this is a more defensive stock pick than my other two.

Bank of America (BAC)

This would be my third stock picks when I think about the best performing stocks in 2010. After facing multiple problems and going through the purchase of Merrill Lynch, they seriously handicapped their balance sheet in 2008-2009. However, if they can show investor that they are able to integrate Merrill Lynch properly and excerpt the best of it, they will definitely be among the best performing stocks in 2010.

Best Performing Stocks 2010: The S&P 500

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Posted in 2010 Best Perfoming Stocks | Comments (0)

Posted on Monday, 25th January 2010 by admin

Below is the chart of the best performing stocks on the NASDAQ for the year 2009. As you can see, there are not only small unknown company that can show triple digits return in the span of 12 months. Among the best performing stocks of 2009 on the NASDAQ, we have known company such as  Baidu (205%), ScanDisk(171%),  Amazon (147%), Starbucks (135%) and Apple (135%).

BEST PERFORMING STOCKS ON THE NASDAQ FOR 2009

TickerNameLast PriceReturn
STX UW EquitySeagate Technology18.89274%
VMED UW EquityVirgin Media Inc17.01239%
LINTA UW EquityLiberty Media Corp - Interactive11.08227%
BIDU UW EquityBaidu Inc/China413.15205%
MRVL UW EquityMarvell Technology Group Ltd21.12197%
EXPE UW EquityExpedia Inc25.84194%
PCLN UW Equitypriceline.com Inc224.27192%
SNDK UW EquitySanDisk Corp30.04171%
FLEX UW EquityFlextronics International Ltd7.37160%
AMZN UW EquityAmazon.com Inc134.04147%
CTSH UW EquityCognizant Technology Solutions Corp46.53143%
SBUX UW EquityStarbucks Corp23.15135%
AAPL UW EquityApple Inc213.16135%
NTAP UW EquityNetApp Inc34.49134%
ISRG UW EquityIntuitive Surgical Inc307.61132%
INFY UW EquityInfosys Technologies Ltd56.55128%
URBN UW EquityUrban Outfitters Inc35.69126%
JOYG UW EquityJoy Global Inc54.81124%
LIFE UW EquityLife Technologies Corp51.93115%
CERN UW EquityCerner Corp84.04115%
NVDA UW EquityNVIDIA Corp18.46112%
SHLD UW EquitySears Holdings Corp83.83102%
DISH UW EquityDISH Network Corp21.27100%
WCRX UW EquityWarner Chilcott PLC28.8899%
GOOG UW EquityGoogle Inc626.6595%
MYL UW EquityMylan Inc/PA18.6186%
BRCM UW EquityBroadcom Corp32.3284%
LRCX UW EquityLam Research Corp40.2683%
MXIM UW EquityMaxim Integrated Products Inc20.5576%
CTXS UW EquityCitrix Systems Inc42.7575%
CHKP UW EquityCheck Point Software Technologies34.1573%
KLAC UW EquityKLA-Tencor Corp37.2370%
NIHD UW EquityNII Holdings Inc35.9669%
MICC UW EquityMillicom International Cellular SA78.1865%
EBAY UW EquityeBay Inc23.7862%
ADBE UW EquityAdobe Systems Inc37.2262%
MCHP UW EquityMicrochip Technology Inc29.3659%
RIMM UW EquityResearch In Motion Ltd66.559%
MSFT UW EquityMicrosoft Corp3156%
ESRX UW EquityExpress Scripts Inc87.9455%
GRMN UW EquityGarmin Ltd31.9550%
PDCO UW EquityPatterson Cos Inc28.9549%
BBBY UW EquityBed Bath & Beyond Inc39.4449%
NWSA UW EquityNews Corp14.0247%
CSCO UW EquityCisco Systems Inc24.7546%
XLNX UW EquityXilinx Inc25.5743%
INTC UW EquityIntel Corp20.9743%
VRTX UW EquityVertex Pharmaceuticals Inc43.8243%
HSIC UW EquityHenry Schein Inc53.7141%
LLTC UW EquityLinear Technology Corp30.9541%
DTV UW EquityDIRECTV33.840%
ROST UW EquityRoss Stores Inc42.4239%
WYNN UW EquityWynn Resorts Ltd62.1439%
AMAT UW EquityApplied Materials Inc14.4638%
ALTR UW EquityAltera Corp23.1837%
ORCL UW EquityOracle Corp25.0237%
TEVA UW EquityTeva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd57.6637%
DELL UW EquityDell Inc14.5936%
SPLS UW EquityStaples Inc24.6433%
YHOO UW EquityYahoo! Inc17.0933%
QGEN UW EquityQIAGEN NV22.7233%
FISV UW EquityFiserv Inc49.4329%
QCOM UW EquityQUALCOMM Inc47.1329%
INTU UW EquityIntuit Inc30.9327%
JBHT UW EquityJB Hunt Transport Services Inc33.0126%
ATVI UW EquityActivision Blizzard Inc11.3925%
ADSK UW EquityAutodesk Inc25.8225%
SYMC UW EquitySymantec Corp18.424%
XRAY UW EquityDENTSPLY International Inc35.5423%
CA UW EquityCA Inc22.9722%
ORLY UW EquityO'Reilly Automotive Inc38.4622%
FWLT UW EquityFoster Wheeler AG30.7222%
PCAR UW EquityPACCAR Inc36.721%
SIAL UW EquitySigma-Aldrich Corp51.5721%
PAYX UW EquityPaychex Inc30.9520%
VRSN UW EquityVeriSign Inc24.6219%
FAST UW EquityFastenal Co42.3518%
ILMN UW EquityIllumina Inc30.7214%
HOLX UW EquityHologic Inc14.8814%
COST UW EquityCostco Wholesale Corp59.7114%
CTAS UW EquityCintas Corp26.3113%
ADP UW EquityAutomatic Data Processing Inc43.4411%
BIIB UW EquityBiogen Idec Inc53.7111%
LOGI UW EquityLogitech International SA17.811%
CHRW UW EquityCH Robinson Worldwide Inc59.579%
SRCL UW EquityStericycle Inc55.716%
FLIR UW EquityFLIR Systems Inc33.024%
ERTS UW EquityElectronic Arts Inc18.084%
EXPD UW EquityExpeditors International of Washington I35.043%
CELG UW EquityCelgene Corp55.82-1%
AMGN UW EquityAmgen Inc57.37-3%
CMCSA UW EquityComcast Corp17.08-3%
FSLR UW EquityFirst Solar Inc135.27-11%
GILD UW EquityGilead Sciences Inc43.35-17%
CEPH UW EquityCephalon Inc62.72-19%
APOL UW EquityApollo Group Inc61.71-21%
GENZ UW EquityGenzyme Corp48.98-28%

If I had to bet on the NASDAQ best performing stocks for 2010, I would go with:

Google (GOOG)

The company is showing strong growth and have a lot (too much!) liquidity in their book. However, they have also lunched their first phone and are battling with China (their concurrent, Baidu is currently benefiting from this issue on the stock market to soar to higher level). Even thought there are some uncertainties, I am sure that Google will find their way to the top of the NASDAQ for 2010.

Research in Motion (RIMM)

The Blackberry maker has gone through its share of problem in 2009. From deceiving new phones to reducing earnings and sales number, their stock went through a hard time even if RIMM grew by 59% in 2009. 2010 will be their chance to prove the world they can offer more than their best seller intelligent phone; the Blackberry.

EBAY (EBAY)

What can I say beside I just love this company! I think that with the current recession in the USA, Ebay will benefit from the new frugal side of American Customers who will look for deals and used stuff. Since selling online is a great way to increase a household income rapidly, more Americans will be more likely to use this internet service.

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Posted on Saturday, 23rd January 2010 by admin

As we mentioned in our previous post, we are reviewing the best Canadian Mutual Funds issued by the Big Canadian Banks (BMO, Scotia, RBC, TD, CIBC and National Bank). Today, we are looking at the best performing mutual funds during a bear market. We were “lucky” enough to get a really tough year 2008 on the stock market so this was the perfect timing to see which funds perform best in this very hostile environment.

First Category: The Bear Tamers Mutual Funds

These 2 funds were strong enough to show strong results for Canadian neutral balanced funds. In fact, they were showing a loss around -11% in 2008 while most Canadian balanced funds were around -16% to -25%.  Interesting enough, on a very short period of time (3 years), they show positive results even though the year 2007 didn’t show much growth on the stock market and the year 2008 was a complete catastrophe.

FUND NAMEMER (%)ASSETS ($M)3 YR QRT3 YR RTRN10 YR QRT10 YR RTRN
BMO ASSET ALLOCATION2.0197611.825.2
RBC MONTHLY INCOME1.14%6,68411.318.3

Second Category: The Bear Busters Mutual Funds

In this category, we regroup the bonds and mortgage funds that always show good return during a bear market. While the stocks are plunging, the bonds and mortgage funds are known to offer some interesting yield.

FUNDMER (%)ASSETS ($M)3YR QRT3 YR RTRN10YR QRT10 YR RTRN
ALTAMIRA INCOME1.0524314.525.4
NATIONAL BANK MORTGAGE1.671,23423.914.9
NB SECURE DIVERSIFIED1.467914.6n/a4.2
RBC CDN SHORT TERM INCOME1.192,51924.224
SCOTIA MORTGAGE INCOME1.23002424.2
TD MORTAGE1.7393814.624.6
TD SHORT TERM BOND1.052,2541514.9

Third Category: The Strong Mother Ship Mutual Funds

We call them strong as they were hit by a huge storm in 2008 (they lost between 42 to 48%) but they still show very high return over the past 10 years. Those Canadian Mutual funds are known to outperform and have a solid history. No matter how strong the bear market is, they will keep their head over the water.

FUNDMER (%)ASSETS ($M)3 YR QRT3 YR RTRN10 YR QRT10 YR RTRN
BMO SPECIAL EQUITY2.372851-1.729.2
ALTAMIRA QUEBEC GROWTH2.35141229.3
SCOTIA RESOURCE2.331242-2213.2
TD CANADIAN EQUITY2.072,7872-3.417.1

As you can see, there are several ways to chose mutual funds in order to go through a bear market. You can pick a fun that will do good regardless of where you stand in the economic cycle, you can also decide to hide from the stock markets and refuge your investments towards mortgage and bonds funds or you can accept to live the russian roller coaster life with strong mutual funds that always show big numbers (positive or negative) but have a strong return history.

Posted in Best Canadian Mutual Funds | Comments (0)

Posted on Wednesday, 20th January 2010 by admin

Over the past few years, we have been running through a lot of market fluctuations and selecting our stocks has become quite difficult. For those who have decided to quit stock picking and looking towards mutual funds, we will be presenting the best Canadian Mutual Funds offered by banks.

Today, we show a global appreciation of each Canadian mutual funds family (provided by Canadian bank only). You will be able to see which mutual fund family has been showing the best return over one, three and five years.

Best Canadian Mutual Funds (Canadian big Banks only)

BMO INVESTMENTSCIBC SECURITIESNATIONAL BANK MUTUAL FUNDSRBC ASSET MANAGEMENTSCOTIA SECURITIESTD ASSET MANAGEMENT
Above Performance Performers10 (14.7%)26 (11%)25 (18.9%)26 (9.7%)7 (5.9%)66 (19.6%)
Below Average Performers185317381349
Inconsistent Performers401569020498222
Total Funds68235132268118337

As you can see, there is a huge difference from one Canadian mutual fund family to another. Some banks have decided to reduce their mutual funds offer (such as the BMO, National Bank and Scotia Securities) while the 3 others (CIBI, RBC and TD) have multiplied their mutual fund family.

The percentage besides the number of the above average performers mutual funds for each family determines how many funds finish in best first and second quartile. At first glance, the TD fund might see very attractive when you see that they have 66 mutual funds among the best performing in Canada. On top of that, even when we consider their the date in percentage (19.7%) they are still the best performing Canadian mutual funds family among Canadian banks.

I agree that the past is not predicting the future but you must agree with me that some Canadian Banks definitely know better how to manage investors’ money. In the upcoming post, we will provide more details about different mutual fund asset class.

Posted in Best Canadian Mutual Funds | Comments (0)

Posted on Friday, 15th January 2010 by admin


In my previous article about high yield spread, I was explaining that it is the right timing to trade high yield bonds when there is an abnormal spread between the corporate yields and the federal bond yield. Some of you may think you obviously missed a great trading opportunity in 2009.

In fact, the high yield spread is now similar to the one observed back in 2007. This means that the panic we went through in 2008-2009 is over and the investors are now giving more value to the corporations and fear less to see them default their loan (bonds).

The demand for corporate bonds in 2009 was higher than the offer. Since the economy and the credit facilities have greatly improve as well, the high yield spread started to shrink back to a normal level. In addition to that, default payments were drastically dropping (1 case only in December 2009).

Back in 2009, the high yield bonds was one of the best performing asset class according to Merrill Lynch.

While the spread is getting smaller, there is still a trading opportunity. The high yield spread should decrease during the next 2 years. Most economists expect to see it shrink by another 100 basis point in 2010.

If the unemployment rate starts decreasing and the economy is rolling back, the bond value will follow the same trend and the yield spread will diminish. This is why there is still a trading opportunity in 2010. However, don’t expect to make astronomic yield as it was the case in 2009 (more than 30% for the high yield bond asset class).

If interest rates start going up, the high yield bonds might be the only bond class to show a positive results as their price doesn’t only fluctuate according to the rates, it also follow the stock market (as they are related to public companies).

Then again, instead of trading high yield bonds, I suggest to use ETF’s.

Posted in High Yield Spread | Comments (0)

Posted on Wednesday, 13th January 2010 by admin

There is a trading technique that allows you to trade on the high yield spread. This happens when there is a “panic” in the stock market and the junk bonds drop in value, increasing the yield spread between junk bonds and federal bonds.

What is a High Yield Spread?

The high yield spread is the difference in yield between federal bonds (which offer virtually no default risks) versus the yield on corporate bonds. High Yield bonds (also called junk bonds) are issued by corporations to finance their activities or purchases. However, since their balance sheet is not that great, they have to offer a higher yield to attract investors. This is why we call them High Yield Bond.

Here is an example: if a federal bond offer 3% for 5 years and a company needs financing, it may issue bonds offering a 6% yield. The difference (3%) is called the yield spread. Since the company represents more economic risks than the federal government, it has to offer a higher yield to compensate the investors and encourage them to invest in their bonds instead of the governments.

When the market panics, the High Yield Spread increase

high yield spread

As you can see in the picture above, the difference between provincial bonds / corporate bonds and federal bonds increase significantly during market crisis. If you look at the graph in 2008 (credit crunch) and 2002 (world trade center, Tyco, World com and Enron bankdruptcy), you can see that investors request much more yield to compensate the default risk than during good economic period.

The second observation to make is that the high yield spread reduces as the economy is growing (from 2002 to 2007). Therefore, you can find some great trading opportunities by following the high yield spread trend.

How to trade according to the high yield spread?

Instead of selecting your own high yield bonds by looking at company financial statements, you can buy ETF’s related to high yield bonds. Here are 3 major high yield bonds ETF’s on the US market:

JNK (SPDR Capital High Yield)

EMB (ISHARES JP Morgan Emerging Market Bond)

HYG (ISHARES High Yield Corp Bond)

You can trade those ETF’s in any brokerage account. The key point is to trade them when the high yield spread is very high and wait until the economy comes back.

Posted in High Yield Spread | Comments (0)

Posted on Wednesday, 25th November 2009 by admin

Distorted IEA Oil Reserve Figures Create Biofuel Opportunities In “White Gold” Region of Central Asia

The recent revelations of a International Energy Administration whistleblower that the IEA may have distorted key oil projections under intense U.S. pressure is, if true (and whistleblowers rarely come forward to advance their careers), a slow-burning thermonuclear explosion on future global oil production. The Bush administration’s actions in pressuring the IEA to underplay the rate of decline from existing oil fields while overplaying the chances of finding new reserves have the potential to throw governments’ long-term planning into chaos.

Whatever the reality, rising long term global demands seem certain to outstrip production in the next decade, especially given the high and rising costs of developing new super-fields such as Kazakhstan’s offshore Kashagan and Brazil’s southern Atlantic Jupiter and Carioca fields, which will require billions in investments before their first barrels of oil are produced.

In such a scenario, additives and substitutes such as biofuels will play an ever-increasing role by stretching beleaguered production quotas. As market forces and rising prices drive this technology to the forefront, one of the richest potential production areas has been totally overlooked by investors up to now – Central Asia. Formerly the USSR’s cotton “plantation,” the region is poised to become a major player in the production of biofuels if sufficient foreign investment can be procured. Unlike Brazil, where biofuel is manufactured largely from sugarcane, or the United States, where it is primarily distilled from corn, Central Asia’s ace resource is an indigenous plant, Camelina sativa.

Of the former Soviet Caucasian and Central Asian republics, those clustered around the shores of the Caspian, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have seen their economies boom because of record-high energy prices, while Turkmenistan is waiting in the wings as a rising producer of natural gas.

Farther to the east, in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, geographical isolation and relatively scant hydrocarbon resources relative to their Western Caspian neighbors have largely inhibited their ability to cash in on rising global energy demands up to now. Mountainous Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan remain largely dependent for their electrical needs on their Soviet-era hydroelectric infrastructure, but their heightened need to generate winter electricity has led to autumnal and winter water discharges, in turn severely impacting the agriculture of their western downstream neighbors Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

What these three downstream countries do have however is a Soviet-era legacy of agricultural production, which in Uzbekistan’s and Turkmenistan case was largely directed towards cotton production, while Kazakhstan, beginning in the 1950s with Khrushchev’s “Virgin Lands” programs, has become a major producer of wheat. Based on my discussions with Central Asian government officials, given the thirsty demands of cotton monoculture, foreign proposals to diversify agrarian production towards biofuel would have great appeal in Astana, Ashgabat and Tashkent and to a lesser extent Astana for those hardy investors willing to bet on the future, especially as a plant indigenous to the region has already proven itself in trials.

Known in the West as false flax, wild flax, linseed dodder, German sesame and Siberian oilseed, camelina is attracting increased scientific interest for its oleaginous qualities, with several European and American companies already investigating how to produce it in commercial quantities for biofuel. In January Japan Airlines undertook a historic test flight using camelina-based bio-jet fuel, becoming the first Asian carrier to experiment with flying on fuel derived from sustainable feedstocks during a one-hour demonstration flight from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. The test was the culmination of a 12-month evaluation of camelina’s operational performance capability and potential commercial viability.

As an alternative energy source, camelina has much to recommend it. It has a high oil content low in saturated fat. In contrast to Central Asia’s thirsty “king cotton,” camelina is drought-resistant and immune to spring freezing, requires less fertilizer and herbicides, and can be used as a rotation crop with wheat, which would make it of particular interest in Kazakhstan, now Central Asia’s major wheat exporter. Another bonus of camelina is its tolerance of poorer, less fertile conditions. An acre sown with camelina can produce up to 100 gallons of oil and when planted in rotation with wheat, camelina can increase wheat production by 15 percent. A ton (1000 kg) of camelina will contain 350 kg of oil, of which pressing can extract 250 kg. Nothing in camelina production is wasted as after processing, the plant’s debris can be used for livestock silage. Camelina silage has a particularly attractive concentration of omega-3 fatty acids that make it a particularly fine livestock feed candidate that is just now gaining recognition in the U.S. and Canada. Camelina is fast growing, produces its own natural herbicide (allelopathy) and competes well against weeds when an even crop is established. According to Britain’s Bangor University’s Centre for Alternative Land Use, “Camelina could be an ideal low-input crop suitable for bio-diesel production, due to its lower requirements for nitrogen fertilizer than oilseed rape.”

Camelina, a branch of the mustard family, is indigenous to both Europe and Central Asia and hardly a new crop on the scene: archaeological evidence indicates it has been cultivated in Europe for at least three millennia to produce both vegetable oil and animal fodder.

Field trials of production in Montana, currently the center of U.S. camelina research, showed a wide range of results of 330-1,700 lbs of seed per acre, with oil content varying between 29 and 40%. Optimal seeding rates have been determined to be in the 6-8 lb per acre range, as the seeds’ small size of 400,000 seeds per lb can create problems in germination to achieve an optimal plant density of around 9 plants per sq. ft.

Camelina’s potential could allow Uzbekistan to begin breaking out of its most dolorous legacy, the imposition of a cotton monoculture that has warped the country’s attempts at agrarian reform since achieving independence in 1991. Beginning in the late 19th century, the Russian government determined that Central Asia would become its cotton plantation to feed Moscow’s growing textile industry. The process was accelerated under the Soviets. While Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan were also ordered by Moscow to sow cotton, Uzbekistan in particular was singled out to produce “white gold.”

By the end of the 1930s the Soviet Union had become self-sufficient in cotton; five decades later it had become a major exporter of cotton, producing more than one-fifth of the world’s production, concentrated in Uzbekistan, which produced 70 percent of the Soviet Union’s output.

Try as it might to diversify, in the absence of alternatives Tashkent remains wedded to cotton, producing about 3.6 million tons annually, which brings in more than $1 billion while constituting approximately 60 percent of the country’s hard currency income.

Beginning in the mid-1960s the Soviet government’s directives for Central Asian cotton production largely bankrupted the region’s scarcest resource, water. Cotton uses about 3.5 acre feet of water per acre of plants, leading Soviet planners to divert ever-increasing volumes of water from the region’s two primary rivers, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, into inefficient irrigation canals, resulting in the dramatic shrinkage of the rivers’ final destination, the Aral Sea. The Aral, once the world’s fourth-largest inland sea with an area of 26,000 square miles, has shrunk to one-quarter its original size in one of the 20th century’s worst ecological disasters.

And now, the dollars and cents. Dr. Bill Schillinger at Washington State University recently described camelina’s business model to Capital Press as: “At 1,400 pounds per acre at 16 cents a pound, camelina would bring in $224 per acre; 28-bushel white wheat at $8.23 per bushel would garner $230.”

Central Asia has the land, the farms, the irrigation infrastructure and a modest wage scale in comparison to America or Europe – all that’s missing is the foreign investment. U.S. investors have the cash and access to the expertise of America’s land grant universities. What is certain is that biofuel’s market share will grow over time; less certain is who will reap the benefits of establishing it as a viable concern in Central Asia.

If the recent past is anything to go by it is unlikely to be American and European investors, fixated as they are on Caspian oil and gas.

But while the Japanese flight experiments indicate Asian interest, American investors have the academic expertise, if they are willing to follow the Silk Road into developing a new market. Certainly anything that lessens water usage and pesticides, diversifies crop production and improves the lot of their agrarian population will receive most careful consideration from Central Asia’s governments, and farming and vegetable oil processing plants are not only much cheaper than pipelines, they can be built more quickly.

And jatropha’s biofuel potential? Another story for another time.

This article was submitted by www.OilPrice.com who focus on Fossil Fuels, Alternative Energy, Metals, Oil Prices and Geopolitics. To find out more visit their website at: http://www.oilprice.com

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Posted on Wednesday, 18th November 2009 by admin


While many Western investors remain fixated on somehow acquiring a slice of Turkmenistan’s natural gas riches, despite a recent scandal over the country’s actual reserves, there is another country further east whose energy and mineralogical reserves have been overlooked – Uzbekistan.

While a number of factors are responsible for this oversight, including relative geographical isolation (Uzbekistan, along with Liechtenstein, is one of the world’s doubly landlocked nations, requiring crossing two other nations to gain access to the oceans), which currently limits energy exports available for the global market, there are a number of pluses that the country has for investors willing to “think outside the box.”

With a population of 27 million, Uzbekistan is Central Asia’s most populous and dominant power. A conservative fiscal policy since 1991, including inconvertibility of the national currency, the som, has shielded its citizens from the hyperinflation that ravaged other former Soviet republics, but the policy previously diminished potential foreign investment.

Since the global recession that began a year ago, however, Uzbekistan’s fiscal conservatism, previously dismissed by the foreign investment community, has looked more and more like a pragmatic policy that isolated the country from the worst aspects of the recession in stark contrast to other post-Soviet states that fervently embraced free market capitalism like Lithuania, whose economy contracted 18.1% this year and is expected to shrink further by 3.9% in 2010. In a move certain to be welcomed by foreign investor Uzbekistan is slowly moving towards making its currency convertible but whenever it happens, for the present the country offers a fiscal stability unmatched by many of its more free-market neighbors.

And now, the good news about the country’s resources. In 2006 Uzbekistan’s natural gas reserves were estimated at 1.798 trillion cubic meters (tcm). During the Soviet era Uzbekistan was the USSR’s third-largest producer of natural gas, accounting for more than 10% of the Soviet Union’s production, trailing only Russia and Turkmenistan. In 1992, the country’s first year of independence, Uzbekistan produced 42.8 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas. Uzbekistan currently produces 60 bcm of natural gas annually, an amount nearly equal to Turkmenistan’s production. Uzbekistan’s reserves are primarily concentrated in Qashqadaryo province and near Bukhara in the country’s south-central region. During the 1970s Uzbekistan’s largest natural gas deposit at Boyangora-Gadzhak was discovered in Surkhandaryia province north of the Afghan border.

Unlike its energy-rich neighbors to the West, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, nearly 80 percent of Uzbekistan’s production, about 48.4 bcm, is currently reserved for domestic use at heavily subsidized rates. Of the remaining 12 bcm of natural gas that Uzbekistan exports, more than half currently goes to Russia, with the remainder to neighboring Central Asian states.

Under Uzbekistan’s fiercely patriotic President Islam Karimov relations with Europe’s favorite bête noire, Russia’s state-owned gas firm Gazprom, have been subject to fierce negotiations to win an equitable price for the country’s exports. Like other former Soviet republics, the Uzbek government chafed under Gazprom’s “buy cheap, sell dear” policies and in early December 2008 scored a significant negotiating success by getting an agreement that in 2009 Gazprom would pay $305 per thousand cubic meters (tcm). To put the accomplishment in perspective, Uzbekistan’s state gas company Uzbekneftegaz sold gas to Gazprom for $130 per tcm in the first half of 2008, which then rose to $160 in the second half of 2008.

Those betting on the eventual pacification of Afghanistan and the subsequent pipelines that would crisscross the country to deliver Central Asian gas to the massive Pakistani and Indian markets would also do well to take note of Uzbekistan’s persistent, low key policies over more than a decade attempting to bring peace to its hapless southern neighbor. The initiatives put forward by Uzbek President Islom Karimov during the NATO summit in Bucharest in April 2008 take on heightened importance as one of the few foreign policy ideas offering some hope to quelling Afghanistan’s three decades of turmoil. The text of Karimov’s address is at http://www.jahonnews.uz/eng/sections/politics/address_by_president_of_the_republic_of_uzbekistan_he_mr_islam_karimov.mgr.

Nearly completely overshadowed by the Bush administration’s relentless efforts to have Georgia and Ukraine join the alliance, Karimov proposed that the UN’s Afghanistan “6 plus 2″ assembly, established in 1999, be revived by expanding it into a “6 plus 3″ ensemble by including NATO because of its anti-terrorist operations in Afghanistan among the “six” members Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, China and Iran and the “two,” the United States and Russia.

Noting that that it is impossible to solve Afghanistan’s problems without the direct involvement of neighboring countries, which have felt the destructive impact of the Afghan crisis for more than 30 years, as Afghanistan’s problems are now of global nature, Karimov told his audience in Bucharest that their resolution must also be global, with the participation of members of the international coalition that comprise NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Karimov concluded by noting that the current situation in Afghanistan precludes a purely military solution and that while it is possible to continue increasing the foreign military presence there, without a clear model of national reconciliation it will be impossible to end the conflict.

Needless to say, one of the benefits of peace and the aforementioned pipelines for Uzbekistan would be that it could export its surplus gas through Afghanistan to southern Asian markets for a higher price than it receives at home or Gazprom’s miserly accountants. Acting on Tashkent’s belief that economic assistance is of greater utility than military operations, Uzbekistan has become involved in a host of reconstruction projects in Afghanistan, including railways, power generation, mining, agriculture, irrigation, education and the exchange of specialists as well as providing its neighbor with construction materials, metals, fertilizer, food and other goods. Uzbek companies and engineers have built 11 bridges in the Mazar-e-Sharif-Kabul area and are finishing the construction of a 275-mile high-voltage line capable of transmitting 150 megawatts from Termez to Kabul across some of the world’s most mountainous terrain, which when it becomes fully operational next month, will provide power and light not only to the capital but the country’s five northern provinces.

For now, Uzbekistan remains largely a transit country rather than a net energy exporter in its own right. But the fiercely independent nationalist policy that Tashkent has followed since 1991 indicates that any company whose policies most benefit the country will have an inside track, and as the old saying goes, “fortune favors the bold.” Chinese, Malaysian, Russian and South Korean companies have already begun investing in Uzbekistan’s energy infrastructure – what do they seemingly know that American and European companies do not?

This article was written by John C.K. Daly for OilPrice.com – Who offer free information and analysis on Energy and Commodities. The site has sections devoted to Fossil Fuels, Alternative Energy, Metals, Oil prices and Geopolitics. To find out more visit their website at: http://www.oilprice.com

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Posted on Monday, 16th November 2009 by admin

After hitting our first upside target of $1,110 two days ago, gold prices backed off but still managed to close at their best levels today for a new record high close in New York basis the spot gold.

There are several people who think hedging against (potential) upcoming inflation is the best investment to do. Investors fears another inflationary period as we lived during the 80’s.  If it’s the case, buying gold (through gold ETF?) maybe a great solution.

The question now is, what’s going to happen to gold after it hit our first target level?

The main trend continues to be positive and I believe that any pullback in this market should be met with good support. It is possible that we could see a pullback of $20-$25 which would not change the overall positive trend of the market which we see continuing until the end of the year.

As readers of this blog know, we have an upside target zone of $1,250-$1,300 an ounce for gold (I bet the president of Barrick Gold thought the same way when Barrick issued for billions of debts in order to buy back previous gold contract at $900 an ounce). While that target zone is still in place, we believe that the huge “energy field” that we’ve discussed in our earlier gold videos is capable of pushing this market higher.

In this new video I explain some of the areas that I’m looking at and also some of the places where you can place tight stops to lock in profits.

As always the videos are free to watch and there is no need to register. I would love to hear your views on gold in our Trader’s Blog comment section.

If you are looking to trade Gold, I suggest you look at the list of the Best ETF Gold.

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