By Jennifer Yousfi Managing Editor China’s emerging middle class is chasing after the global consumer dream: name brand products. And the companies that make those products are profiting from China’s growing desire for genuine merchandise rather than cheap knock-offs to grow their brands throughout the Asian nation. One such company is sports apparel maker Adidas AG (OTC ADR: ADDYY). This past weekend marked the opening of the Adidas’ largest retail store in Beijing, the crown jewel in the German firm’s China expansion. Adidas already has 4,000 retail shops in over 500 Chinese cities, and the sportswear maker is planning to open even more. By 2010, there will be 6,300 Adidas stores across China with an expected $1.5 billion (1 billion euro) in annual revenue. "Building shops in China is relatively inexpensive compared to places such as Europe. Costs are extremely reasonable," Frederic Seiller, Adidas’ ...

Symposium Production Corp. (SYPJ.PK) is a digital entertainment company providing digital music and video download services in the mobile communications and entertainment markets. The sales of digital music are expected to grow 23% annually and reach $4.8 billion by 2012.

In early 2008, Symposium Production acquired iPartyTV and Feed Networks LLC. iPartyTV is an online destination that provides cutting-edge electronic music directly to a consumer’s headphones at the consumer’s request. iPartyTV is looking forward to providing software that will enable consumers to preview and purchase dance music events. Feed Networks LLC is a digital aggregation company that uses key partnerships in the industry to package and distribute music and ringtones.

Symposium Production is in a good position to become a leader in the digital music and video download industry. With its acquisitions of iPartyTV and Feed Networks LLC in 2008, the company is pursuing additional acquisitions to

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The eDOORWAYS Corporation (EDWY) website is now more than a simple landing page. The website (www.eDOORWAYS.com) now highlights company information such as press releases, corporate partners, investor relations, and filings. Most importantly, the site provides screenshots of the upcoming brand platform so users can get an idea of what everything will look like. For those who aren’t sure what the site is about, there is information regarding what the company hopes to achieve.

“We will capitalize on (1) Web 2.0 community democratic Internet service offerings (like MySpace, Craig’s List, and Wikipedia); (2) micro or “niche” marketing and targeted service offerings in place of traditional mass marketing; (3) emergence of new technologies enabling the aggregation and presentation of information; and (4) the changing behavior of consumers, who now actively seek online information to answer their questions and gain information prior to purchasing.”

By the second week

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Just a few days ago, OPEC President Chakib Khelil told a French television station the awful truth that U.S. consumers don't want to hear. "I foresee prices probably between $150 and $170 this summer," Khelil said. At the same time, Libya announced it may cut production because the market is "oversupplied." Oil Minister Shokri Ghanem said: "We don't see any need for more oil. There is plenty of oil in the market." Libya pumps about 1.71 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil, out of total OPEC output of 32.12 million bpd. That means Libya could easily take away the 300,000 barrels in new production that the Saudis promised just a week ago. The Libyans, along with the rest of OPEC, want prices where they are now ... or higher. Why? Because they want ...

By Jason Simpkins Associate Editor The price of oil edged up again yesterday (Tuesday), before settling at $137 a barrel flat, as concerns about short-term supplies continues to overwhelm Saudi Arabia’s recent pledge to boost production. With Saudi Arabia offering some, albeit limited, cooperation, Congress has turned its ire on speculators and investment banks. First, demand from China and India was to blame for soaring oil prices. Then the weak dollar, the member nations of OPEC, Big Oil, and now investment banks take their turn in the rotation as politicians scramble to find a suitable scapegoat in an election year. Story continues below… Sign up right now, and we’ll send you an important new report for free: “The Three Best Investments in Asia.” ...

Fuel costs out-of-control, strapped U.S. consumers, so time to take an all expense paid cruise?  Que Whitney - Ah, Hell to the No. ABN downgraded Carnival Corp. (NYSE: CCL) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE: RCL) for good reasons. ABN today put the smack down on ...

Andrew Bary, analyst/reporter at Barron’s, highlighted Ethanol companies in this week’s Barron’s.  He basically said that although it is a competitive industry (companies have a lot of debt and potential liquidity issues) and profits are volatile, the industry has government subsidiaries (until 2010) and is saving consumers money on gasoline.  And, ethanol reduced gasoline demand by 9 billion barrels annually.

Ultimately, he believes several stocks are trading at a discount to their book value. And, he says Ethanol producers VeraSun Energy (VSE), Aventine Renewable Energy (AVR) and Pacific Ethanol (PEIX) are trading below book value. All could rally in the coming year.

Check out Bary’s stock picks at:

http://www.trackthepros.com/categories.php?category_id=322

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On Friday, Dow Chemical (DOW) CEO Andrew Liveris said Dow uses how much of the U.S.’ electricity to make its products?

Liveris estimates Dow uses about one percent of the U.S.’s electricity to make its products, which become components of other consumers goods, and the equivalent of about one million barrels of oil a day.

Dow scores within the middle of the pack on each of the models I use - so really nothing much to say about it either way.

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Seymour talked about emerging markets and pointed to Brazil’s relatively low inflation (4.5%) and strong currency. Plus, the Brazilian economy is smoking hot right now, and consumers in the country are spending. Seymour recommended three stocks, including Unibanco, Perdigao, and Companhia Sanea. Track the performance of these stocks at: http://www.trackthepros.com/categories.php?category_id=161 Also, his 18 Global Trades recommended on 3/12 are doing quite well overall….11 of the 18 are beating the S&P 500 Index, 5 are negative, and 2 are positive but below the index: http://www.trackthepros.com/categories.php?category_id=696