Stock Market News & Stocks to Watch from StraightStocks » Nevada

Stock Guru Featured Company: Quasar Aerospace Industries, Inc. (QASP.PK)

QualityStocks — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:10:41 +0000

Quasar Aerospace Industries, Inc. is the holding company for a group of aviation related entities that strengthens the company through their union. Quasar is focused on retaining the individual corporate cultures of their wholly owned subsidiaries while reaping the synergistic benefit of their combined union. Quasar Aircraft Company (QAC) is a Nevada corporation owned by the [...]

Royal Standard Minerals, Inc. (RYSMF) Goldwedge Underground Program Nye County, Nevada

Stuart T. Smith — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:59:02 +0000

MANHATTAN, NV — (Marketwire) — 11/24/09 — Royal Standard Minerals , Inc. (OTCBB: RYSMF) has continued with the evaluation of the underground development program on the 100% owned Goldwedge property located in Nye County, Nevada. For our new shareholders, currently there are essentially two areas of development the ‘A’ zone and the ‘B’ zone in [...]

Mortgage Delinquencies: Record High – Analyst Blog

Dirk Van Dijk — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:46:41 +0000

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported today that mortgage delinquencies hit a record high in the third quarter:

"The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties rose to a seasonally adjusted rate of 9.64 percent of all loans outstanding as of the end of the third quarter of 2009, up 40 basis points from the second quarter of 2009, and up 265 basis points from one year ago, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) National Delinquency Survey. The non-seasonally adjusted delinquency rate increased 108 basis points from 8.86 percent in the second quarter of 2009 to 9.94 percent this quarter." (For more, click here.)

Unlike the TransUnion report that came out yesterday, the definition of being delinquent is a bit more expansive in this report, covering all mortgages that are at least one payment behind, while the TransUnion report was for mortgages that were at least 60 days overdue (see "Mortgage Delinquencies Still Rising") but point in the same direction.

The MBA data does not include mortgages that have entered the foreclosure process, and those are rising as well. In the third quarter 4.47% of all mortgages were in some stage of the foreclosure process, up from 4.30% in the second quarter and 2.97% a year ago. The graph below (from http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/) shows the percentage of all prime loans that are in trouble (both fixed and ARMs).

Mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures are no longer just about subprime loans made by shady operators to people living on the wrong side of the tracks. As the late, great Tanta of Calculated Risk put it: "We are all subprime now."

When people are out of work and without a paycheck, it is very tough to pay your mortgage. The big driver of higher foreclosures now are what was supposed to be the safe stuff -- prime fixed-rate mortgages. They represented fully one third of all foreclosures started in the third quarter and 44% of the increase in foreclosures.

Looking a bit further down the troubled mortgage spectrum, they were 54% of the mortgages that were more than 3 months past due, but the banks had not yet started the foreclosure process on them. If one throws in adjustable-rate prime loans (which includes some of the crap like Option ARMs), things look even worse, as their performance is now even worse than that of subprime loans. There was actually a decrease in the rate that subprime loans were going into foreclosure.

The pig is making its way through the python. The FHA has taken over the role that the subprime mortgage brokers used to have, and it is getting much the same results. Eventually, the FHA is going to need a big bailout. While the rate of troubled mortgages is still much higher for subprime than for prime mortgages, there are far more prime mortgages outstanding than there are subprime mortgages. The second graph (also from http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/) shows the sorry state of subprime mortgages.

While the foreclosure problem has moved from the wrong side of the tracks to the gated communities, it is still concentrated in the same former bubble states as before -- places like Florida and California. Just four states (also Arizona and Nevada) had 43% of all foreclosures started in the third quarter, roughly the same proportion as in the second quarter and a year ago. In Florida, one out of four mortgages is now either in foreclosure or at least one payment late.

The delinquency rate is going up much faster than foreclosures are being started. With unemployment high and rising, it is hard to see a lot of those delinquencies getting cured. Either the lenders will have to let people live indefinitely in their houses without paying (unlikely that the banks would be so generous) or we will see another huge wave of foreclosures coming.

The absolute number of houses that are either in foreclosure or 90 days or more past due now exceeds the number of existing homes available for sale. That is a huge overhang of shadow inventory (although some of it is out of the shadows and currently listed for sale) that should continue to put pressure on housing prices, even with all the extraordinary government support trying to prop up housing prices.

While unemployment is one serious driver of mortgage foreclosures because it affects the ability to pay, falling home prices are another driver. An underwater home is a home that is at high risk of going into foreclosure. It is simply economically irrational to continue to make payments on a $500,000 mortgage that is secured by a property that is only worth $400,000. This, then, continues the vicious cycle, where falling prices lead to foreclosures, which leads to more distressed supply, which leads to further pressure on home prices that in turn leads to yet more foreclosures.

The entire mortgage complex is not yet out of the woods. That complex includes the big banks like Bank of America (BAC), the mortgage insurers like MGIC (MTG) as well as Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE). My inclination is to avoid all of them.
Read the full analyst report on "BAC"
Read the full analyst report on "MGIC"
Read the full analyst report on "FNM"
Read the full analyst report on "FRE"
Zacks Investment Research

Royal Standard Minerals, Inc. (RYSMF) Goldwedge Project Development, Nye County, Nevada Update

Stuart T. Smith — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:43:34 +0000

MANHATTAN, NV — (Marketwire) — 11/17/09 — Royal Standard Minerals, Inc.’s (OTCBB: RYSMF) Goldwedge is a permitted gold mining property located in Nye County, Nevada. RYSMF has completed considerable underground development work to evaluate the upper portion of the drill indicated gold system. Concurrently a processing plant was constructed on the property to further test [...]

Mortgage Delinquencies Still Rising – Analyst Blog

Dirk Van Dijk — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:20:13 +0000

This morning Trans Union, the big credit bureau, released its quarterly report on mortgage delinquencies, and it was not pretty. Nationwide, 6.25% of all residential mortgages were at least 60 days past due in the third quarter, up from 5.81% in the second quarter and 3.96% a year ago. This was the 11th straight quarter that delinquencies increased.

Mortgage delinquencies are the first step in a house eventually going into foreclosure, so look for those to start heading up again. Foreclosures have been held down by trial modifications under the HEMP program, but very few of those have gotten to the stage of being final modifications. And even when mortgages are modified, there is a strong tendency for those people to again find themselves in financial trouble. Clearly people not paying on their mortgages is not good news for the big banks like Bank of America (BAC) and Wells Fargo (WFC) that lent them the money.

If there is a silver lining in the data, it is that the rate of increase seems to be slowing. The third quarter increase was "only" 7.6%, which is down from an 11.3% increase in the second quarter and a 14.0% increase in the first quarter. Of course, as the base increases, each additional percentage of increase means a bigger absolute number of delinquent mortgages.

There are huge regional disparities in the rate of mortgage delinquencies. The former bubble states continue to suffer mind-bogglingly high rates of delinquencies -- 14.5% of all mortgages in Nevada and 13.3% of all homeowners in Florida are at least two months behind on their mortgages. That is almost one in seven in Nevada and about two in every fifteen in Florida.

In contrast, states where very few people live are experiencing very low rates of delinquencies. North Dakota is holding up best, as it is on a number of economic indicators with a rate of only 1.7%. South Dakota is not faring all that much worse at 2.3% and in Vermont the rate is only 2.6%.

However, the gap is starting to close, and not in a good way. The fastest growth in delinquencies is now coming from areas where there was no real housing bubble. The biggest jump came in Wyoming where delinquencies jumped by 17.9% in the quarter, followed by Kansas at 17.4% and North Dakota at 16.0%. Still, it would take a long time for North Dakota to catch up to Nevada.

There are two key forces that are leading to people not paying their mortgages. One goes to a lack of desire to do so, and the other goes to lack of ability to do so. If your house is substantially underwater, i.e. your mortgage is for a lot more than the house is worth, it is not economically rational to continue to pay your mortgage. After all, most mortgages are non-recourse, which means that the worst thing that happens is that the house gets foreclosed on and you go rent.

At one point, there was a huge social stigma to being foreclosed upon, but as it becomes more common, the stigma diminishes. There are, of course, some non-economic costs associated with not paying and just living rent- or mortgage-payment-free for awhile, and in many areas of the country that can now be well over a year. Your kids might be upset with you since they would have to change schools and leave all their friends if you can’t rent in the same school district. People also develop emotional attachments to their houses. Those factors might be worth a $5,000 or $10,000. However, if the house is underwater by $100,000, most people will just tell little Billy that he will make new friends at his new school.

The second reason for rising delinquencies is unemployment. Quite simply, with no paycheck, it is harder to write the mortgage check. It is not a coincidence that states like Nevada, Florida and California, which have very high delinquency rates, also rank near the top in terms of unemployment -- and the Dakotas and Vermont have unemployment rates that are well below the national average. For the delinquency rate to start to fall significantly, we will need to see progress on both the employment front and on the housing price front.

The government has been doing everything in its power to re-inflate the value of houses. It is throwing money at homebuyers in the form of tax credits. Under the recent extension, you don’t even have to be a first-time home buyer to benefit from Uncle Sam’s generosity. Of course, giving money away to move up buyers does not even reduce the inventory of unsold homes, since for each one bought, another one goes on the market.

The Fed has been artificially depressing mortgage rates by buying up $1.25 trillion of mortgage-backed securities. In the absence of that program, rates on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage would probably be at least a full percentage point higher. The Federal government has also assumed the role of subprime mortgage lender through the FHA, which is offering mortgage loans with only 3.5% down, and the tax credit can be used for the down payment. That is exactly the same sort of behavior that got New Century Financial and Washington Mutual into trouble. It just goes to prove the power of a good lobby over economic rationality.

This gift to the realtors of the country is eventually going to come back and bite the country on the behind, resulting in a massive -- think Fannie Mae (FNM)- and Freddie Mac (FRE)-sized bailout -- of the FHA.

The massive actions have had some effect, and the Case Schiller index has shown some improvement in housing prices over the last few months. Also, housing prices are much closer to normal, relative to incomes and rents, than they were a few years ago at the peak of the bubble.

Notice that I said "closer to normal," not "below normal." In the absence of this extraordinary government support, there is still room for housing prices to fall without them becoming undervalued based on historical relationships. The fact that incomes are not growing much due to high unemployment, and rents are falling due to record high vacancy rates, does not help the situation.

This poses a bit of a dilemma, since new housing starts typically lead changes in unemployment. This can be seen in the first graph below (from http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/). In the graph, the unemployment rate is inverted to better show the relationship between it and the rate of housing starts, as well as the lag involved. The dot.com crash-induced recession of 2001 is the one case where the relationship does not seem to hold.

The good news is that it looks like we have seen the bottom for housing starts this cycle back in January. Based on the historical relationship, that means we might start to see some improvement in the unemployment rate by this coming spring.

The bad news, though, is that new housing right now is a classic case of mal-investment. With lots of vacant housing, the last thing we need as a country is more housing units. The second graph below (also from http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/) shows that the dramatic decline in housing starts has not yet begun to make a dent in the number of houses and apartments that are sitting vacant. Thus it seems unlikely that we will see housing starts return to anything like the 1.1 million a year that has historically been about normal for the country.

More likely the rebound will stall out around the levels that marked the bottom for new housing starts in past cycles of around 600,000 a year. Yes, that is a nice percentage gain from the lows of under a 400,000 rate, but it does not suggest a robust recovery.

Read the full analyst report on "BAC"
Read the full analyst report on "WFC"
Read the full analyst report on "FNM"
Read the full analyst report on "FRE"
Zacks Investment Research

Vivakor, Inc. Announces Stock Dividend

Stuart T. Smith — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:17:01 +0000

Nov. 17, 2009 (PR Newswire) — CORALVILLE, Iowa, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Vivakor, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: VIVK) today announced that its Board of Directors approved a dividend of shares of common stock of HealthAmerica, Inc., a Nevada corporation of which Vivakor owns approximately 84% of the outstanding common stock. Each Vivakor shareholder will be [...]

CRWE, Crown Equity Holdings, Inc. Entered Into Letter of Intent with DJ Toys and Yana

Dr. Stock Pick — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:41:57 +0000

Crown Equity Holdings, Inc. Entered Into Letter of Intent with DJ Toys and Yana Las Vegas, Nevada – (CRWENEWSWIRE) November 13, 2009 – Crown Equity Holdings, Inc. (CRWE.OB) announced that it has entered into Letters of Intent to enter into business combinations with DJ Toys Enterprise Corporation and Yana Venture Philanthropy Group, both of which are [...]

Leo Motors, Inc. (OTC:LEOM) “One of the Best Electric Vehicle Investment in the Market” Research Report by Princeton Research

Dr. Stock Pick — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:37:49 +0000

November, 2009 Volume1, Issue 1 One of the Best Electric Vehicle Investment in the Market Leo Motors, Inc. (OTC:LEOM) is the only company in the world that develops, manufactures and markets premium Electric Vehicle Power Systems that include electric engines, digital controllers, and 12th generation Lithium Polymer Battery Power Packs. LEO proved that it can make sustainable Electric [...]

Small Cap Voice Featured Company: U.S. Geothermal Inc. (HTM)

QualityStocks — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:00:20 +0000

U.S. Geothermal Inc., a renewable energy company focused on the production of electricity from geothermal energy, owns and operates geothermal power plants at Raft River, Idaho and San Emidio, Nevada, and is developing the Neal Hot Springs project in Oregon. The company strives to create enhanced value for stakeholders while addressing America’s domestic energy needs [...]

Home Shopping Latino, Inc. (HSPG.PK): Selecting the Best Launch Time

QualityStocks — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:32:06 +0000

Home Shopping Latino, Inc. has come a long way from CEO Frank Celecia’s original idea two and a half years ago to launch a television shopping channel for the U.S. Hispanic market. In spite of previous ill-fated attempts by others, Celecia felt that the time was now right with a bigger and more prosperous Latino [...]

Conference Call Wednesday November 11, 2009, to Discuss U. S. Geothermal’s 2nd Quarter Results

Stuart T. Smith — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:03:12 +0000

BOISE, IDAHO — (Marketwire) — 11/10/09 — U.S. Geothermal Inc. (TSX: GTH)(NYSE Amex: HTM), will host a telephone conference call for investors and analysts on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 4:30 a.m. EDT (2:30 p.m. MDT) to discuss the 2nd Quarter Financials, which were filed on November 9, 2009. The conference call may be accessed by [...]

RIVAL Signs Letter of Intent for Pilot Plant Financing

Stuart T. Smith — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:56:40 +0000

HENDERSON, Nev., Nov. 11, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — RIVAL Technologies Inc. (OTCBB: RVTI) announced today that it has signed a Letter of Intent with a group of investors that will provide a $6 million financing to the company. Terms of the proposed agreement are subject to a confidentiality agreement between the parties and will be announced [...]

99 Cents Posts Strong Q2 – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:57:37 +0000

99 Cents Only Stores Inc. (NDN) reported fiscal second quarter results after the closing bell on Wednesday. The company recorded a net income of $9.6 million, compared to a net loss of $9.4 million in the year-ago period. Earnings per share came in at 14 cents, topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 7 cents. The company had reported a loss of 13 cents per share in the same period last year.

The deep-discount store operator’s sales posted a growth of 2.2% year over year to $324.7 million, as customers affected by continuing macroeconomic headwinds preferred to shop more in its stores. The City of Commerce, CA-based retailer’s same-store sales grew by 2.3% over the same period.

Non-Texas Operations

99 Cents revenues from non-Texas operations grew 4.0% year over year to $296.4 million driven by same-store sales growth of nearly 1% coupled with the effect of opening 11 new stores in fiscal 2009 and 3 in fiscal 2010. Non-Texas operations include California, Arizona, and Nevada where the company currently operates 240 stores and generates about 91% of overall sales. Gross margin expanded 110 basis points (bps) year over year to 40.3%. This growth was mainly caused by favorable product mix, efforts to drive sale of higher margin products and improved purchase cost margin on account of price increases.

Operating expenses, as a percentage of sales, decreased 310 bps to 33.2% reflecting management’s cost management initiatives, which lowered store labor costs, corporate expenses as well as distribution and transportation costs. Accordingly, operating margin came in at 5.0%, recording a strong growth of 430 bps over the year-ago quarter.

Texas Operations

Texas operations posted a 13.7% year over year reduction in revenues to $28.3 million, despite a 19.8% growth in same-store sales, as the company closed 17 stores in the region since fiscal 2009 fourth quarter. The company announced in September last year the planned closure of its 48 stores in Texas due to continued underperformance. However, in January this year management decided to continue operations citing a turnaround in the region. Meanwhile, gross margin grew 280 bps to 36.1% mainly due to reduced merchandise purchase cost coupled with a decrease in shrinkage and freight rates.

Operating expenses, as a percentage of sales, declined to 33.4%, compared to 68.3% last year. The year-ago quarter’s selling, general and administrative expenses included a $10.1 million impairment charge (30.8% of sales) related to the company’s decision to exit the Texas market. Accordingly, the company recorded an operating income of $0.1 million, helped by reduced depreciation as a result of permanent impairment of certain Texas assets over the past year, compared to an operating loss of $13.8 million last year.

Balance Sheet

The company has a healthy balance sheet, which is devoid of any debt. Cash and short term investments at the end of the quarter was $128.2 million, compared to $83.4 million in the year-ago period due to the strong earnings performance. During the first half of the current fiscal, 99 Cents utilized $18.8 million and $13.2 million towards capital expenditure and purchase of investments, respectively.

Outlook

Moving forward, management anticipates same-store sales to expand by low single digits during fiscal third quarter. Furthermore, gross margin is expected to improve further due to the holiday season product mix shifts. The company plans to open 10 to 12 stores in the entire fiscal year with openings skewed towards the second-half.

Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate, derived from 11 covering analysts, for the full fiscal year has remained constant over the past 2 months at 57 cents per share. The most accurate estimate is more bullish at 59 cents per share.

Read the full analyst report on "NDN"
Zacks Investment Research

Qualsec’s (QLSZ.OB) Wholly Owned Subsidiary Signs West Coast Distribution Agreement with CaboChips in Major Retail Chains

QualityStocks — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:33:40 +0000

Qualsec recently announced that VitaminSpice has secured an agreement with Cabo Foods Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, VitaminSpice’s vitamin-enhanced spices will be introduced to Cabo Foods’ West Coast distribution networks and major retail chains. VitaminSpice is a pioneer in the emerging foodceutical industry selling sells vitamin-, mineral- and antioxidant-infused spices and food products. As [...]

Frontier Beats Despite Lower Sales – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:00:08 +0000

Frontier Communications (FTR) announced third quarter results with adjusted (excluding acquisition and integration costs) earnings per share of 18 cents, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 16 cents. Net income increased 11% year over year to $52.2 million, primarily due to gain on debt repurchases and higher operating income that increased 5% year over year to $172.5 million.

Revenues Remains under Pressure

The company reported revenues of $526.8 million, reflecting a 6% decrease over the year-ago quarter. The year-over-year decline is attributable to lower local, long-distance and switched access revenues coupled with decline in basic access lines. However, this was partially offset by increases in data and Internet service revenues.

Revenues for local services declined 8% year over year to $193.6 million while data and Internet services revenue increased 4% to $160 million. Switched access service revenues declined 8% year over year to $91.2 million while revenues from long-distance services fell 9% from the year-ago quarter to $42.4 million.

Access Line Losses Persist

Frontier lost 37,400 voice-access lines in the quarter (a sequential increase) and had 2.15 million access lines, down 6% year over year. Access line erosion in both residential and business segments continues. The company contends with loss of legacy fixed telephony business to wireless and other competitive offerings including Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services by cable TV operators. Approximately 65% of Frontier’s access lines are exposed to cable voice service offerings.

Broadband & Video Continue to Expand

Frontier added approximately 7,500 high-speed Internet customers and registered 621,331 (up 9% year over year) total high-speed Internet customers at the end of the quarter. As a result of low customer acquisition costs and declining capital expenses, broadband remains more profitable than the company’s traditional local and long-distance services. The company added 7,200 video customers during the quarter, bringing the total number of customers to 164,535 (up 46% year over year).

Dividend & Guidance

Dividend payment for the third quarter equates to a payout of 65% of the free cash flow for the quarter. The company recently declared a fourth quarter dividend of 25 cents per share payable on Dec 31, 2009. Frontier remains committed to its aggressive dividend policy as the company targets to offer 60-70% return to its shareholders in the form of dividend in 2009 based on healthy free cash flow expectations.

Frontier has revised its capital expenditure and free cash flow guidance for 2009. The company now expects capital expenditure (excluding acquisition) of $240-$250 million, down from its previous forecast of $250-$270 million. Free cash flow (excluding acquisition and integration expenses) for 2009 is projected in the range of $470 million to $485 million, an improvement from the previous expectation of $460-$485 million.

Recent Key Developments

Frontier is expanding its broadband network in rural/underprivileged markets in West Virginia. The company has applied for federal funding of $55 million to deploy and connect fiber-optic cable from its central office to key public facilities, which will allow broadband speeds of up to 100 Meg.

Moreover, Frontier is set to lead the pure-play rural telecom market by acquiring the rural fixed-line business of Verizon Communications (VZ) in 14 states for approximately $8.6 billion. The company recently received shareholders approval as well as approvals from the states of California, Nevada and South Carolina for this transaction.

The acquisition, which is expected to complete in second-quarter 2010, will offer meaningful cost synergies and opportunities for revenue growth through expanded broadband penetration, attractive bundled service offerings and improved customer retention.

Read the full analyst report on "FTR"
Read the full analyst report on "VZ"
Zacks Investment Research

SYNW, Sync2 Networks Opens Ventures Incubator Facility

Dr. Stock Pick — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:56:26 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Tuesday November 3, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! ************************************************************** Sync2 Networks Opens Ventures Incubator Facility LAS VEGAS, NEVADA–(CRWENEWSWIRE) - Sync2 Networks Corp. (OTC.BB:SYNW - News) - On 02 November, 2009, Sync2 Networks unveils its Vancouver Venture Incubator to assist online entrepreneurs accessing the recently negotiated Ventures’ Fund. Sync2 Ventures [...]

DrStockPick.com Stock Report! 11/02/09, TRS, VSAT, VNO, FFIV, LJPC, GCHT

Dr. Stock Pick — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:43:58 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _______________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _______________________________________ Monday November 2, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! ************************************************************** TriMas Corporation (Nasdaq: TRS) - a diversified manufacturer of engineered and applied products - today announced that its Monogram Aerospace Fasteners manufacturing plant in Los Angeles, California has passed the one millionth- hour mark without [...]

DrStockPick.com Stock Report! 11/02/09, TRS, VSAT, VNO, FFIV, LJPC, GCHT

Dr. Stock Pick — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:43:58 +0000

Magma Awarded $10 Million in Department of Energy Grants for Its Soda Lake and McCoy Properties in Nevada

Stuart T. Smith — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:13:45 +0000

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, Oct. 30, 2009 (Marketwire) — Magma Energy Corp. (TSX:MXY) is pleased to announce that its US subsidiary, Magma Energy (US) Corp. (”Magma”), has been awarded $10 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding for two of its Nevada geothermal exploration properties, Soda Lake and McCoy. The grants will reimburse 50 – [...]

Black Hawk Exploration Inc. (BHWX.OB) is “One to Watch”

QualityStocks — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:51:04 +0000

Black Hawk Exploration Inc. is a diversified metals and energy exploration company. Their current focus is on lithium exploration through their wholly owned subsidiary Blue Lithium. Black Hawk holds mineral rights to 1,120 acres in the lithium-rich Clayton Valley in Nevada. Clayton Valley is the home of the largest lithium brine production facility in [...]

DrStockPick.com Stock Report! 10/30/09, PWRM, MCK, IKTO, AFFY, MLP, SGP

Dr. Stock Pick — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:02:19 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _______________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _______________________________________ Friday October 30, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! ************************************************************** Power3 Medical Products, Inc. (OTCBB: PWRM), a leader in neurodegenerative disease and cancer biomarkers and diagnostic tests, announces further international recognition of validity as the company’s President and CSO, Dr. Ira Goldknopf, will deliver an [...]

Newmont’s Profit Picking Up – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Gold producing company Newmont Mining Corporation (NEM) recorded a net income of 79 cents per share in the third quarter, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 60 cents. Year on year, earnings grew by a robust 88% on strong gold and copper prices as well as lower costs.

Revenues for the quarter climbed 50% to over $2 billion, driven by a 29% rise in gold sales to $1.6 billion and about a fivefold increase in copper revenues to $396 million. Newmont sold 1.7 billion ounces of gold in the quarter, up 15% year over year. The company sold 141 million pound of copper compared with 44 million pound in the same period of the previous year.

On a regional basis, gold sales were slightly above expectations as higher-than-expected sales at Yanacocha in Peru, Batu Hijau in Indonesia and Australia were partially offset by lower sales in Nevada. However, costs applicable to sales per ounce were lower than expected in Nevada, Australia, Peru and Indonesia, partially offset by higher costs at Ahafo in Ghana and at La Herradura in Mexico. For full year 2009, the company anticipates total gold sales of 5.2 to 5.4 million ounces, at $400 to $440 per ounce. During the third quarter, gold sales at Nevada were 505,000 ounces at costs applicable to sales of $541 per ounce.

Gold sales at Yanacocha in Peru were 285,000 ounces at costs applicable to sales of $294 per ounce. The company increased its 2009 gold sales outlook to 1.0 million - 1.05 million ounces from 0.975 million − 1.02 million ounces estimated earlier at Yanacocha. The company also increased its 2009 outlook for costs applicable to sales to $300 − $320 per ounce from the previous guidance of $290 − $310 per ounce, primarily due to higher royalties and workers' participation costs.

Gold sales during the third quarter in Australia/New Zealand were 289,000 ounces at costs applicable to sales of $526 per ounce. Newmont lowered its sales guidance expectation to 1.4 and 1.5 million ounces from its previous expectation of 1.5 to 1.6 million ounces in Australia/New Zealand, primarily related to lower expected gold sales at Boddington on the back of a delay in start-up. Costs of sales are expected at $500 to $520 per ounce, up from the initial guidance of $460 to $500 per ounce.

Gold and copper sales at Batu Hijau in Indonesia were 93,000 ounces and 64 million pounds, respectively, at costs applicable to sales of $178 per ounce and 50 cents per pound, respectively. Gold and copper sales from this mine are expected at 225,000 ounce to 250,000 ounce and 210 million pounds to 230 million pounds, respectively, in 2009.

Due to an assumed higher gold price than copper, the company lowered its expected costs applicable to sales for gold to be $200 to $220 per ounces from $280 to $320. Gold sales at Ahafo in Ghana were 136,000 ounce at costs applicable to sales of $446 per ounce. At Ahafo, Newmont maintained its gold sales guidance of 500,000 ounces to 525,000 ounces and costs applicable to sales between $425 and $450 per ounce in 2009. For the full year 2009,

Newmont expects gold sales to be about 5.2 million ounces, at the lower end of the previously estimated range due to the extended start-up of Boddington mine. For 2009, Newmont expects gold sales of 1.9 and 2.0 million ounces at Nevada, up from the initial guidance of 1.8 to 2.0 million ounces. The company has narrowed its outlook for 2009 costs applicable to sales to between $400 and $425 per ounce for gold from $535 to $575 per ounce.

For 2010, Newmont expects gold production to improve 5% to 10%, primarily as a result of higher production from Boddington in Australia and Batu Hijau in Indonesia, partially offset by lower production in Nevada and Yanacocha in Peru. The company also expects 2010 costs applicable to sales to be modestly higher by about 5%, partially as a function of higher expected energy costs and adverse changes in exchange rates.

We maintain our Neutral recommendation on the stock.
Read the full analyst report on "NEM"
Zacks Investment Research

FTR, MVTG, DrStockPick.com Watch List!! for Friday October 30, 2009, Frontier Communications Corporation and Mantra Venture Group Ltd., MVTG.OB

Dr. Stock Pick — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:46:05 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ DrStockPick.com Watch List! My Picks for Friday October 30, 2009, are: ************************************************************** FTR, Frontier Communications Corporation FTR is a full-service communications provider and one of the largest local exchange telephone companies in the country serving rural areas and small and medium-sized towns and cities. FTR offers telephone, television and [...]

U.S. Geothermal Completes Second Successful Production Well at Neal Hot Springs Project

Stuart T. Smith — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:54:18 +0000

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwire – 10/22/09) – U.S. Geothermal Inc. (”U.S. Geothermal”) (TSX:GTH)(AMEX:HTM), a renewable energy company focused on the production and sale of electricity from geothermal energy, announced today that well NHS-5, the second full size production well at the Neal Hot Springs project located in eastern Oregon, was successfully completed on October 15. NHS-5 encountered [...]

Restaurant Industry – Industry Outlook

Zacks Market Commentaries — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:13:29 +0000

The Restaurant Industry has been facing extremely tough challenges due to the ongoing economic turmoil. With rising unemployment and lower discretionary spending, we believe it will be too early to predict improvement in the industry, which is grappling with sluggish consumer demand.

Although the current economic indicators show some signs of improvement, we believe that job losses will continue to adversely impact the restaurant industry even several months after the recovery is on track.

The U.S. restaurant industry, which constitutes fast food, casual dining and upscale chains, is facing its toughest times in three decades. A report by market research firm, NPD Group asserted that U.S. restaurant guest traffic plunged 2.6% for the quarter ended May 31, the steepest fall in 28 years. However, the quick-service restaurants (traffic down 2%), which are generally less susceptible to an economic downturn, are faring better than casual dining restaurant chains (down 4%) and mid-scale segment (down 6%).

A recent survey by the National Restaurant Association revealed that the Restaurant Performance Index that measures the health and outlook for the U.S. Restaurant Industry softened in August (down 0.2% to 97.9 from July), after posting a marginal improvement in the month of July (up 0.3% to 98.1 from June), sending mixed signals in the industry. The index has remained below 100 for 22 consecutive months indicating that the industry is scaling back its development plans and is in contraction.

The Current Situation Index, which measures comparable store sales, traffic counts, labor costs and capital expenditures fell 0.9% to 96.0 due to sharp declines in sales and traffic in August. Approximately 68% of restaurant operators reported same-store sales decline in August, up from 58% reported in July. Moreover, 65% of operators reported a traffic decline in August compared to 59% reported in July.

The Expectations Index, which measures restaurant operators’ outlook on comparable sales, employees, capital expenditures and business environment, rose 0.5% to 99.9. Approximately 32% of restaurant operators (up from 31% in July) now expect to have higher sales in 6 months compared to the same period in the last year. Thirty percent of restaurant operators (down from 33% in July) now expect their sales volume to be lower in 6 months compared to the same period in the last year.

In the midst of what is expected to be a tepid recovery, there are three potential drivers of net income growth: Unit Expansion, Improved Same-Store Sales and Cost Cuts.

There seems little chance that upside will come from more aggressive unit expansion, as most of the companies have either scaled back or postponed further unit development. BJ’s Restaurants Inc. (BJRI) plans to grow the unit base by 12% in fiscal year 2009, much lower than 21% achieved in fiscal year 2008. Darden Restaurants Inc. (DRI) expects to open 50 to 55 net new restaurants in fiscal year 2010, drastically down from 71 restaurants opened in the last fiscal year.

The second driver, same-store sales, consists of menu price increases and traffic counts. Any price increases other than minimal ones would drive away value-conscious customers in this fiercely competitive environment. Moreover, to enhance the perception of value and to drive traffic, companies are remodeling restaurants, with an up-market feel, and are rolling out new, smaller prototype restaurants that reduce construction and occupancy costs, and in turn boost returns on capital.

Finally, some of the cost cuts have been achieved through integrated information systems including point-of-sale, automated kitchen display, labor-scheduling and theoretical food cost systems. Restaurant companies try to optimize their restaurant operations and achieve decent restaurant operating cash flow margins.

OPPORTUNITIES

Despite the restaurant industry facing the brunt of the economic downturn, there are defensive stocks in the industry promising long-term growth opportunities. Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. (BWLD) offers investors one of the strongest growth stories in this space with growth target of 15% in units, 25% in revenue, and 20% to 25% in net earnings. The company has also been able to deliver positive comps consistently, when other restaurant operators are grappling with deteriorating same-store sales.

McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) with consistent earnings and healthy balance sheet provides relative safety and moderate growth in a turbulent environment and exposure to faster-growing international markets. Another stock, Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (CMG), which remains largely unruffled by the slowdown, plans to open 120-130 restaurants in fiscal year 2009 -- a growth of 14.3%-15.5%.

WEAKNESSES

Offsetting these opportunities are the sagging same-stores sales and waning traffic counts. The shares of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. (RRGB) are vulnerable to economic headwinds, and we believe that the stock will continue to underperform the restaurant industry. The chain expects guest counts to remain negative, and expects restaurant-level operating margins to decline by 50 to 80 basis points in fiscal year 2009. The company’s second-quarter 2009 same-store sales fell 11.5%.

Another stock obstructing the recovery is BJ’s Restaurants Inc. (BJRI), which has also been experiencing declining comps and guest traffic. In addition, more than two-thirds of BJ’s Restaurants are located in areas that have been hit hard by the housing downturn and economic slowdown. These include California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Oregon and Washington. This may dampen the company’s growth potential.

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BB&T in Line, Results Hurt – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:52:35 +0000

BB&T Corporation’s (BBT) third quarter earnings of 23 cents per share were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. However, this compares unfavorably with earnings of 65 cents in the year-ago quarter.

The year-over-year decrease in earnings was due primarily to a 94.8% increase in provision for credit losses and other costs related to the credit environment. However, strong growth in revenue, net interest margin and non-interest-bearing deposits were impressive during the quarter.

The quarter was also characterized by strong capital levels, increased production in mortgage banking operations and strong growth in commercial loans as well as low-cost client deposits.

The results were also positively impacted by the Colonial acquisition. On Aug. 14, BB&T assumed all of the deposits and certain assets of Colonial Bank (Colonial) after it was seized by regulators. This is the biggest acquisition in BB&T’s history, creating the nation's eighth-largest financial holding company by deposits. We believe that a successful integration of Colonial will further strengthen BB&T’s already diversified revenue base, strong capital structure, and impressive loan and deposit growth.

Net income available to common shareholders for the quarter was $152 million, compared to $358 million in the prior-year quarter.

Tax-equivalent net interest income for the quarter was $1.3 billion, up 14.2% year-over-year. Tax-equivalent net interest margin was 3.68% for the current quarter, up 12 basis points (bps) sequentially and 2 bps year-over-year. The improvement in the margin reflects the accretive impact of the Colonial acquisition and improved asset and liability pricing from BB&T's legacy balance sheet.

Non-interest income for the quarter increased 18.7% year-over-year to $940 million, reflecting strong performance from BB&T's mortgage banking and insurance operation. Other non-deposit fees and commissions also improved during the quarter.

Non-interest expense for the quarter increased 31.3% year-over-year to $1.3 billion and included $96 million of additional foreclosed property expenses, an additional $35 million in FDIC insurance expense and $17 million for increased pension costs. Excluding these items, non-interest expenses increased 2.7% year-over-year.

Credit metrics deteriorated further during the quarter, with non-performing assets rising 49 bps sequentially to 3.78% of average loans and leases plus foreclosed property. Net charge-offs increased 13 bps sequentially to 1.71% of average loans and leases.

Profitability metrics also suffered during the quarter, with return on average assets and return on average equity down to 0.40% and 3.90% compared to 1.05% and 10.86%, respectively, at the end of the prior-year quarter.

Tier 1 leverage ratio was 8.5% at Sep 30, 2009, up from 7.6% at Sept. 30, 2008. In addition, BB&T’s Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio was 11.1%, up from 9.4% in the prior-year quarter. The improvement in these capital levels reflects BB&T’s 38.5 million shares of common issuance on Aug 21 in connection with the Colonial Bank acquisition. The company’s risk-based and tangible capital ratios remain well above regulatory standards for well-capitalized banks.

Last week U.S. Bancorp (USB) signed a deal to acquire BB&T’s banking operations in Nevada. As per the agreement, U.S. Bank National Association, U.S. Bancorp’s lead bank, will purchase about $800 million in deposits and certain branches of BB&T’s Nevada banking operations.

Though the company is in a somewhat better position than many of its peers due to its diversified revenue base, strong capital structure, and impressive loan and deposit growth, continued deterioration in the housing markets will keep the credit-related costs high in the upcoming quarters. Therefore, we continue to maintain our Neutral recommendation on the shares of BB&T.
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Solar News – Ormat Signs (NYSE: ORA) Joint Venture Agreement for Solar (PV) Power Systems

Dawn Van Zant — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0000

RENO, Nevada - October 19 2009 - Ormat Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: ORA), announced today that its Israeli subsidiary, Ormat Systems Ltd., has signed a Joint Venture Agreement ("JVA") with Sunday Energy Ltd.

USB to Acquire a Part of BB&T – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:00:11 +0000

U.S. Bancorp (USB) has signed a deal with BB&T Corp. (BBT) to acquire the latter’s banking operations in Nevada . As per the agreement, U.S. Bank National Association, U.S. Bancorp’s lead bank, will purchase about $800 million in deposits and certain branches of BB&T’s Nevada banking operations.

The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in early 2010. The acquisition involves deposits of those branches that BB&T had recently acquired from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver for Colonial Bank.

The purchase will fortify U.S. Bancorp’s business in Nevada . The company expects this acquisition to meet or exceed the company’s internal rate of return and earnings per share accretion targets.

Last week, US Bancorp has announced that its lead bank, U.S. Bank, has agreed to buy the bond trustee business of First Citizens Bank, a subsidiary of First Citizens BancShares Inc. (FCNCA). The purchase aids growth of its corporate banking and fixed income business in the southeast market. Also it complements the bank’s existing bond trustee business in North Carolina , South Carolina and Virginia .

Earlier that week, US Bancorp also announced its acquisition of the mutual fund administration and accounting servicing division of Fiduciary Management Inc. While this acquisition will confer additional compliance, technology and accounting talent for U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, the company will also benefit from contact with Fiduciary Management’s key client base.

With $266 billion in assets, US Bancorp is the sixth largest commercial bank in the United States . Despite the fact that the company’s second quarter earnings reflected the deteriorating credit quality and its earnings of 12 cents per share were a penny short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate, we have been encouraged by the company’s exit from the Treasury’s Capital Purchase program.

Although the stressed residential real estate market and the issues with the company’s commercial and retail customers will continue to weigh on the shares of US Bancorp, we believe that the recent signs of economic recovery coupled with such strategic acquisitions bode well.

Hence, prior to its third quarter earnings release scheduled on Oct 21, 2009, we have a Neutral recommendation on the shares of US Bancorp.
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Consorteum Holdings Inc. Announces Release of First 10-K Year End Filing

Dr. Stock Pick — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:26:24 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _______________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _______________________________________ Tuesday October 13, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! CSRH, Consorteum Holdings Inc, CSRH.OB ********************************************************** Consorteum Holdings Inc. Announces Release of First 10-K Year End Filing Las Vegas, Nevada, October 13th, 2009. (CRWENEWSWIRE) Consorteum Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: CSRH) announces today that it has completed its corporate 10-K filing for the year [...]

FPL to Open New PV Plant – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:29:53 +0000

Florida Power & Light Co. (FPL) has announced plans to deliver electricity to customers from the DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center in Arcadia – the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in the country – by October-end. The plant would use 90,000 photovoltaic panels to convert solar energy into electricity lighting up above 3,000 homes. Earlier, Nevada’s Nellis Solar Power Plant was considered the largest PV plant in the country.

Together with the DeSoto Center the company plans to build two other solar energy centers in Florida – at the Martin County and at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, with total capacity of the three plants being 110 megawatts by end of 2010. These plants together would make Florida the second largest solar power-producing state in the country.

Large-scale solar projects such as Florida Power’s DeSoto Center creates additional jobs and also increases the revenues of governments, along with reducing the emission of greenhouse gases, preventing the ill-effects of pollution. The DeSoto project created over 400 jobs in Florida for the last 12-months during construction and is to add $2 million of annual tax revenue for the Florida government by the end of the next year.

Solar photovoltaic power provides significant environmental benefits because the facility consumes no fuel, uses no water and produces no waste. For instance, over its life the DeSoto Center will avert the release of more than 575,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, which is equivalent to taking more than 4,500 cars off the road every year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In addition, the electricity generated by this facility will reduce the use of fossil fuels in Florida by more than 277,000 barrels of oil and 7 billion cubic feet of natural gas.

Read the full analyst report on "FPL"
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Raser’s Steady Progress – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:40:19 +0000

Raser Technologies Inc. (RZ) yesterday provided an update on its geothermal activities and its PHEV project. The company is gradually transiting from a developmental stage company towards a geothermal power producer.

Raser is progressing rapidly on the Lightning Dock No. 1 geothermal project. Recently it bagged final approval from the New Mexico Oil Conservation Division (OCD) for injection of geothermal fluids. The company is also in the process of negotiating a revision to its power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District. The revision is expected to include an increase in the expected output from the Lightning Dock project as well as an increase in the price of energy under the PPA.

Raser is now in the final stages of testing the fifth production well that is needed for the completion of its first geothermal plant Thermo No. 1 as part of its plan to bring the plant to full capacity by the end of fiscal 2009. As of now, only the Thermo No. 1 plant (Hatch plant in Utah) with an annualized capacity of 10MW has been generating revenues since April by selling electricity to the city of Anaheim. The company plans to add 40MW annually to its capacity over the three year period 2010–2012 to bring its total geothermal power generation annualized capacity to 130MW.

Raser, however, is facing financial constraints for its capital projects. The company’s hopes now rest on governmental funding in its quest to become a commercially viable geothermal power producer. Also, Raser has a power purchase agreement with the Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) that would cover the company’s next 110MW capacity expansion. Raser is also in the process of amending its agreements with Merrill Lynch, the tax-equity partner in the Thermo No. 1 plant, and Prudential, the debt holder to avail the benefit of the 30% federal grant for renewable energy projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The company is also making progress at its electric powertrain technology following successful demonstrations of its proprietary H3 Hummer E-REV.

Provo, Utah-based Raser, founded in 2002, functions as a geothermal power development and technology licensing company in the United States. The company operates in two segments – Power Systems, and Transportation and Industrial Technology. The Power Systems segment supplies and develops geothermal electric power generating plants and bottom-cycling operations. The Transportation and Industrial Technology segment focuses on commercializing its Symetron technology to improve the efficiency of electric motors and related components.

Raser currently has seven geothermal power projects under development three each in Nevada, two in Utah, one each in Oregon and New Mexico, respectively. We maintain our market Neutral recommendation on the shares.
Read the full analyst report on "RZ"
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Letter to Shareholders from Crown Equity Holdings, Inc. President Kenneth Bosket

Dr. Stock Pick — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:13:47 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Wednesday October 7, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! ************************************************************** Letter to Shareholders from Crown Equity Holdings, Inc. President Kenneth Bosket Las Vegas, NV – October 7, 2009 - (CRWENewswire.com) - Crown Equity Holdings, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: CRWE.OB) announces today the following letter to all shareholders. To all shareholders and [...]

AngloGold, Newmont Expanding – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:56:06 +0000

AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (AU), the world’s third largest gold producer, plans to expand output through exploration. The company aims to produce up to 6 million ounces annually, up from 4.98 million ounces in 2008, largely by improving its mines and expanding through exploration.

AngloGold expects the dollar price of gold to rise. The company has forecasted gold prices of $950 to $1,100 per ounce in 2010. It expects gold prices to rise beyond $1,100 if the downtrend in the US economy continues and investment demand for gold increases further. Although electricity costs and new wage settlements have put pressure on the company's bottom line, it has no plans to lay off workers to save costs.

AngloGold is also planning to develop its La Colosa project in Colombia. In July this year, AngloGold had teamed up with African miner Randgold Resources to buy Moto Goldmines, which owns a project in the mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo. AngloGold has made an equity offering of 7.6 million shares priced at $37.25 per share. The company plans to use the proceeds of $284 million from the offering to fund the transaction.

Additionally, the Johannesburg-based AngloGold has formed a venture with De Beers to explore for gold and other minerals undersea. The venture will focus on deposits on continental shelves. De Beers, the world’s largest diamond producer, is 45% owned by Anglo American Plc. The Oppenheimer family of South Africa owns 40% and Botswana the rest.

AngloGold Ashanti will hold interests in the joint venture through its wholly owned offshore subsidiary, AngloGold Ashanti Marine Exploration Limited (AGAME) and De Beers will hold its interests in the joint venture through its wholly owned subsidiary, De Beers Group Exploration Holdings Limited (DBGEX).

AngloGold’s major peer, Newmont Mining Corporation (NEM) is also planning to increase its exploration activities and may increase exploration expenditure by 25% next year. The company is planning to expand existing mines.

Newmont currently own mines in Nevada, Peru, Australia/New Zealand, Indonesia and Ghana. Newmont has recently acquired 100% interest in the Boddington mine in Western Australia, after completing the purchase of a 33% stake from AngloGold. Boddington, which produced its first gold last month, will be Australia’s largest producer once it reaches full capacity of 1 million ounces a year.
Read the full analyst report on "AU"
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DrStockPick.com Stock Report! 10/02/09, WU, TRET, LNN, JAGH, CVG, SLRK

Dr. Stock Pick — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:51:57 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _______________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _______________________________________ Friday October 2, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! ************************************************************** The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU), a leader in the money transfer segment of global payments, announced today that President and CEO Christina Gold will host a webcast and conference call to discuss third quarter results [...]

Raser’s Transition to Geothermal – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:29:27 +0000

Raser Technologies Inc. (RZ) is gradually transiting from a developmental stage company towards a geothermal power producer. As of now, only its first geothermal plant Thermo No. 1 Plant (Hatch Plant in Utah) with an annualized capacity of 10MW is generating revenues by selling electricity to the city of Anaheim since April 2009. The company plans to add 40MW annually to its capacity over the three year period 2010 – 2012 to bring its total geothermal power generation annualized capacity to 130MW.

Raser Technologies, however, is facing financial constraints. Earlier this month, Raser’s loan guarantee application was denied by the Department of Energy (DOE). If approved, DOE would have provided 80% of the approximately $190 million project cost for Raser’s 42MW – East Thermo geothermal project. The company’s hopes now rest on governmental funding in its quest to become a commercially viable geothermal power producer. Also, Raser has a power purchase agreement with the Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) that would cover the company’s next 110MW capacity expansion.

Provo, Utah based Raser Technologies, founded in 2002, functions as a geothermal power development and technology licensing company in the United States. The company operates in two segments – Power Systems, and Transportation and Industrial Technology. The Hatch geothermal power plant was awarded “Plant of the Year" by POWER Magazine in May 2009.

Geothermal power projects under development include seven projects of which three are in Nevada, two in Utah, and one each in Oregon and New Mexico. We maintain our market Neutral recommendation on the shares.
Read the full analyst report on "RZ"
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Consorteum Holdings Inc. Provides Corporate Update

Dr. Stock Pick — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:59:10 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _______________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _______________________________________ Thursday October 1st, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! CSRH, Consorteum Holdings Inc, CSRH.OB ********************************************************** Consorteum Holdings Inc. Provides Corporate Update Nevada, October 1st, 2009. Consorteum Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: CSRH) is pleased to announce a corporate update with respect to its business activities. Over the course of the past 60 days, [...]

American Sierra Gold Corp. (AMNP.OB) is “One to Watch”

QualityStocks — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:37:31 +0000

American Sierra Gold Corp. is an independent gold exploration company. Headquartered in Reno, Nevada, their focus is on the strategic exploration and potential development of North American properties. Trading on the OTC Bulletin Board, the Company explores in the Sierra gold belt of northern Mexico. This area has a rich history of large gold [...]

Pro-Tech Industries, Inc. (PTCK.OB) Secures Approximately $6 Million in Additional Contracts for 2009 – 2010

QualityStocks — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:43:20 +0000

Pro-Tech Fire Protection Systems Corp. and Conesco, Inc., wholly owned subsidiaries of Pro-Tech Industries, Inc. (PTCK.OB), recently announced that the company has secured approximately $6 million in new contracts for its fire protection, electrical and flooring business units. The new projects are located in Sacramento, San Diego, Barstow and Berkeley, California, as well as in [...]

Jacobs Wins New Contract – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:36:34 +0000

On Tuesday, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (JEC) received a contract to lead design efforts on the Interstate-15 (I-15) south design-build project for the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT). The terms of the contract were not disclosed, but the project's total construction value is estimated at 6.5 million.

This project includes roadway and bridge design for improvements to 6 miles of I-15, from Tropicana Avenue to Silverado Ranch Boulevard in Clark County, Nev. These improvements are to relieve current congestion and prepare for future growth. Jacobs is a subcontractor to Las Vegas Paving Corporation, the project's local contractor.

Jacobs is one of the world's largest and most diverse providers of technical, professional and construction services. Its major competitors are Foster Wheeler AG (FWLT) and Fluor Corp. (FLR).

The company's diversification in terms of markets, geography and services will continue to facilitate future growth. Moreover, Jacobs' cost focus puts it in a dominant position to expand margins under difficult economic circumstances.

At the end of the third quarter, the company's net cash position grew by 4 million from the previous quarter. Thus, this is a great story from an investment perspective. Jacobs has a strong balance sheet, which is expected to grow at a compound rate of 15% over the long-term.

Jacobs is among those infrastructure stocks that may benefit from the coming construction boom. Looking forward, as banks get healthy and are willing to lend and the next round of stimulus begins, investors can expect infrastructure projects to increase.

Read the full analyst report on "JEC"
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DrStockPick.com Stock Report! 9/23/09, OWVI, UNCO, GCI, BDFC, AMWW, HGG

Dr. Stock Pick — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:09:39 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _______________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _______________________________________ Wednesday September 23, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! ************************************************************** One World Ventures, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: OWVI) today announced that earlier this year Tutamen was awarded a contract to provide table top convection ovens by a leading international confectioner. These ovens are distributed to many of the [...]

U.S. Geothermal, Inc. CEO Interview: Daniel Kunz

Stuart T. Smith — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:00:05 +0000

67 WALL STREET, New York – September 22, 2009 – The Wall Street Transcript has just published its Alternative Energy/Clean Energy/Power Generation/Utilities Report report offering a timely review of the sector to serious investors and industry executives. This 83 page feature contains expert industry commentary through in-depth interviews with public company CEOs, Equity Analysts and [...]

KWK, DSTI, GTLA, DrStockPick.com Watch List! for Tuesday September 22, 2009, Quicksilver Resources Inc., DayStar Technologies, Inc. and GT Legend Automotive Holdings Inc., GTLA.PK

Dr. Stock Pick — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 03:14:49 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _______________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _______________________________________ DrStockPick.com Watch List! My Picks for Tuesday September 22, 2009, are: ************************************************************** KWK, Quicksilver Resources Inc. KWK is a natural gas and crude oil exploration and production company engaged in the development and acquisition of long-lived, unconventional natural gas reserves, including coalbed methane, shale gas, and tight sands [...]

HearAtLast Adds Specialty Audiological Clinic to Focus on ‘Tinnitus’

Stuart T. Smith — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:03:26 +0000

MISSISSAUGA, ON–(Marketwire – 09/21/09) – (Pinksheets:HRAL) HearAtLast Holdings, Inc., a leading provider of suitable affordable solutions to clients with hearing needs in the billion dollar hearing loss market, announced today that the Company is in the final development stage of a new Tinnitus Clinic located in the prominent Kingsway Community of Toronto, Ontario Canada. This [...]

Newmont Boosts Reserves Forecasts – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:45:30 +0000

Newmont Mining Corp. (NEM), the largest U.S. gold producer, is emphasizing on exploration near its existing mines in Nevada to bolster its reserves. Newmont is exploring 18 deposits near its existing mines, which could add 4 million to 7 million ounces to its gold reserves.

Based in Colorado, Newmont is trying to boost reserves to benefit from historically high gold prices. In June, the company concluded its purchase of the remainder of the Boddington gold project, the largest in Australia, from AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (AU). The $2.9 billion mine will have an annual capacity of about 1 million ounces at a projected cost of $300 an ounce.

Newmont’s gold sales fell 5.7% to 1.2 million ounces in the second quarter. After which the company lowered the higher end of its 2009 gold sales forecast range to 5.4 million ounces from 5.5 million ounces. The company sold 5.2 million ounces of gold in 2008.

Newmont also boosted the reserve estimate of its Minas Conga copper-gold project in Peru to 11.8 million ounces of gold and 3.2 billion pounds of copper from the previous forecast of more than 6 million ounces of gold and roughly 1.7 billion pounds of copper.

Minas Conga is a deposit with reserves of nearly 12 million ounces of gold and 3.2 billion pounds of copper. The project has an annual production potential of 480,000 to 780,000 ounces of gold and an expected mine life of 15 to 20 years. Copper production capacity is between 175 million and 225 million pounds and around 90,000 tons of fine copper per year.

Currently, the company is evaluating its decision to develop the Minas Conga mine, which was delayed by the high projected cost of development on the back of global economic and credit crunch last year.

Newmont controls the Yanacocha gold pit with a 51.35% stake while Buenaventura (BVN), the Peruvian precious metals miner holds 43.65%. The International Finance Corporation holds the remaining 5% stake in the mine.

Buenaventura, Newmont’s partner in the Yanacocha mine, is expecting to produce 17.5 million ounces of silver this year, down from an earlier forecast of 19.5 million ounces. The company held its 2009 gold outlook stable at nearly 1.3 million ounces, including its share of production from Yanacocha, one of the largest gold mines in South America. Buenaventura churned out 1.2 million ounces of gold, including Yanacocha and 17.5 million ounces of silver last year.

Read the full analyst report on "NEM"
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FDA Play: Redefining Breast Cancer Detection (OTC:LLBO)

Michael Vlaicu — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:54:46 +0000

Lifeline Biotechnologies Inc. (Public, PINK:LLBO) With the recent gains in Hard to Treat Diseases Inc. (PINK:HTDS) and BioElectronics Corp. (OTC:BIEL), investors were left hungry for more undervalued, high potential biotech companies #8212; Then came LifeLine Biotechnologies Inc (OTC:LLBO). As technology continues to redefine the modern era of medical advancements, certain companies will stand apart from the rest, [...]

XODG, CVAT, NWMT, DrStockPick.com Watch List! for Thursday September 17, 2009, Xodtec Group USA Inc, XODG.OB, Cavitation Technologies Inc, CVAT.OB and NewMarket Technology, Inc., NWMT.PK

Dr. Stock Pick — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:45:49 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _______________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _______________________________________ DrStockPick.com Watch List! My Picks for Thursday September 17, 2009, are: ************************************************************** XODG, Xodtec Group USA Inc, XODG.OB XODG, a Nevada corporation, is an Energy-Saving Lighting Solutions Provider based in Taiwan. XODG provides high performance and cost-effective energy-saving LED solutions and traditional lighting products for private companies, public [...]

CSRH, Consorteum Holdings Inc. Forms Joint Venture to Capitalize on Emerging International Markets

Dr. Stock Pick — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:16:38 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _______________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _______________________________________ Wednesday September 16, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! CSRH, Consorteum Holdings Inc, CSRH.OB ********************************************************** Consorteum Holdings Inc. Forms Joint Venture to Capitalize on Emerging International Markets Las Vegas, Nevada (CRWENEWSWIRE). Consorteum Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: CSRH) announced recently that it has established a new Joint Venture partnership with Chicago based, Trans [...]

Consorteum Holdings Inc. Forms Joint Venture to Capitalize on Emerging International Markets

Stock-PR — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:07:00 +0000

Las Vegas, Nevada (CRWENEWSWIRE) /September 15, 2009/. Consorteum Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: CSRH) announced today that it has established a new Joint Venture partnership with Chicago based, Trans Screen Group of Illinois. Under the terms of the joint venture, Trans Screen will leverage Consorteum Holdings expertise to provide financial services solutions to a number of new [...]

Consorteum Holdings Inc. Forms Joint Venture to Capitalize on Emerging International Markets

Dr. Stock Pick — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:55:14 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _______________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _______________________________________ Tuesday September 15, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! CSRH, Consorteum Holdings Inc, CSRH.OB ********************************************************** Consorteum Holdings Inc. Forms Joint Venture to Capitalize on Emerging International Markets Las Vegas, Nevada (CRWENEWSWIRE) /September 15, 2009/. Consorteum Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: CSRH) announced today that it has established a new Joint Venture partnership with [...]

HearAtLast Retains Harbinger Research for Investment Analysis

Stuart T. Smith — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:21:31 +0000

MISSISSAUGA, ON — (Marketwire) — 09/15/09 — HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: HRAL), a leading provider of suitable affordable solutions to clients with hearing needs in the billion dollar hearing loss market, announced today that the Company has retained Harbinger Research to conduct an independent investment analysis of the Company and its value. This analysis will be [...]

U.S. Geothermal Inc.: U.S. Department of Energy Finalizes Award Grant for Raft River EGS Program

Stuart T. Smith — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:48:02 +0000

BOISE, IDAHO–(Marketwire – 09/15/09) – U.S. Geothermal Inc. (TSX:GTH)(AMEX:HTM) (”U.S. Geothermal”), a renewable energy company focused on the production of electricity from geothermal energy, announced today that the U.S. Department of Energy (”DOE”) has formally awarded the Enhanced Geothermal Systems (”EGS”) grant that was announced on October 14, 2008. The Raft River EGS program now [...]

September 14th CEOcast Weekly Newsletter

QualityStocks — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:16:48 +0000

Companies featured in this edition of the newsletter: CUR, CVM, ENZ, IMUC, MBCI, ONEZ, PHC, SVUL Markets finished in positive territory yet again during this holiday shortened week despite the lack of any significant developments on either the corporate or economic fronts. All told, the Dow gained 164 points to close at 9605, up 1.7% [...]

HRAL, HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. Sales targets have been increased by upwards of 15 percent

Dr. Stock Pick — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:16:04 +0000

HRAL, HearAtLast Holdings, Inc., HRAL.PK DrStockPick News Report! Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! HRAL, HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. Sales targets have been increased by upwards of 15 percent Friday September 11, 2009 ************************************************************** HRAL, HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. Sales targets have been increased by upwards of 15 percent HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. is a Nevada corporation that owns and operates its wholly owned subsidiary [...]

CSRH.OB, Consorteum Holdings Inc. Expands To International Markets Through Creation Of New Joint Venture with Trans Screen Group of Illinois

Dr. Stock Pick — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:03:28 +0000

CSRH, Consorteum Holdings Inc, CSRH.OB DrStockPick Stock Report! DrStockPick News Report! Consorteum Holdings Inc. Expands To International Markets Through Creation Of New Joint Venture. DrStockPick Stock Report! Friday September 11, 2009 ********************************************************** Consorteum Holdings Inc. Expands To International Markets Through Creation Of New Joint Venture. Las Vegas, Nevada (CRWENEWSWIRE) Consorteum Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: CSRH) announced that it has established a new Joint Venture partnership [...]

HRAL, HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. Sales targets have been increased by upwards of 15 percent

Dr. Stock Pick — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:47:53 +0000

HRAL, HearAtLast Holdings, Inc., HRAL.PK DrStockPick News Report! Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! HRAL, HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. Sales targets have been increased by upwards of 15 percent Thursday September 10, 2009 ************************************************************** HRAL, HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. Sales targets have been increased by upwards of 15 percent HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. is a Nevada corporation that owns and operates its wholly owned [...]

HRAL, HearAtLast Forecasts Significant Sales Growth for 2009/2010

Dr. Stock Pick — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:22:37 +0000

HRAL, HearAtLast Holdings, Inc., HRAL.PK DrStockPick News Report! Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! HearAtLast Forecasts Significant Sales Growth for 2009/2010 Wednesday September 9, 2009 ************************************************************** HearAtLast Forecasts Significant Sales Growth for 2009/2010 MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO–(CRWENEWSWIRE ) - HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (Pinksheets:HRAL), a leading provider of suitable affordable solutions to clients with hearing needs in the billion dollar hearing loss market, announced [...]

DrStockPick.com Stock Report! 9/09/09, BEHL, FTGX, SAAS, ES, SLE, PCG

Dr. Stock Pick — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:41:00 +0000

DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Wednesday September 9, 2009 ************************************************************** BIOCENTRIC ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. (PINKSHEETS: BEHL) ANNOUNCES: The company today agreed to a joint venture with California-based ENVIROTEK (PINKSHEETS: INCL) for the construction and development of a Bio-Diesel manufacturing facility in North Las Vegas, Nevada. FiberNet Telecom Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: FTGX) today announced that at [...]

HearAtLast Forecasts Significant Sales Growth for 2009/2010

Stuart T. Smith — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:59:44 +0000

MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO — (Marketwire) — 09/08/09 — HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: HRAL), a leading provider of suitable affordable solutions to clients with hearing needs in the billion dollar hearing loss market, announced today that the Company is forecasting for significant sales growth for the balance of 2009 and 2010 year based on improved market conditions [...]

HRAL, HearAtLast Reports Higher Sales for the Month of August

Dr. Stock Pick — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:00:46 +0000

HRAL, HearAtLast Holdings, Inc., HRAL.PK DrStockPick News Report! Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! HearAtLast Reports Higher Sales for the Month of August Tuesday September 8, 2009 ************************************************************** HearAtLast Reports Higher Sales for the Month of August HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (Pinksheets:HRAL), a leading provider of suitable affordable solutions to clients with hearing needs in the billion dollar hearing loss market, announced [...]

PennyOmega.com Stock Report! 9/08/09, CDCS, WNS, ETCC, RYSMF, SWHC, IPSU

PennyOmega.com — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:31:40 +0000

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American Lithium Minerals, Inc. (AMLM.OB) is “One to Watch”

QualityStocks — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:41:45 +0000

Headquartered in Henderson, Nevada, American Lithium Minerals is a mineral exploration company with interests in America’s richest lithium reserves. The Company has 100 percent mineral rights to 16,000 acres comprising four claim blocks in Nevada’s lithium-rich Montezuma Valley. The company is currently assessing the size, quality, and processing alternatives of their Lithium Brine Project. Formerly [...]

EMC, PWRM, HRAL, PennyOmega.com Watch List ! for Friday September 4, 2009, EMC Corporation, Power 3 Medical Products Inc., PWRM.OB and HearAtLast Holdings Inc., HRAL.PK

PennyOmega.com — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 01:44:43 +0000

EMC, EMC Corporation PWRM, Power 3 Medical Products Inc, PWRM.OB HRAL, HearAtLast Holdings Inc, HRAL.PK PennyOmega.com Watch List! PennyOmega.com Watch List ! for Friday September 4, 2009 Our Picks at PennyOmega.com for Friday September 4, 2009 are: ************************************************************** EMC, EMC Corporation EMC is the world’s leading developer and provider of information infrastructure technology and solutions that enable organizations of all sizes to transform [...]

ARST, PWRM, HRAL, DrStockPick Watch List! for Friday September 4, 2009, ArcSight Inc., Power 3 Medical Products Inc, PWRM.OB and HearAtLast Holdings Inc, HRAL.PK

Dr. Stock Pick — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:50:39 +0000

ARST, ArcSight Inc. PWRM, Power 3 Medical Products Inc, PWRM.OB HRAL, HearAtLast Holdings Inc, HRAL.PK DrStockPick Watch List! DrStockPick Watch List! for Friday September 4, 2009 My Picks for Friday September 4, 2009 are: ************************************************************** ARST, ArcSight Inc. ARST is a leading global provider of security and compliance management solutions that intelligently identify and mitigate cyber threat and risk for businesses [...]

HRAL, HearAtLast Reports Higher Sales for the Month of August

Dr. Stock Pick — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:16:31 +0000

HRAL, HearAtLast Holdings, Inc., HRAL.PK DrStockPick News Report! Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! HearAtLast Reports Higher Sales for the Month of August Thursday September 3, 2009 ************************************************************** HearAtLast Reports Higher Sales for the Month of August MISSISSAUGA, ON–(CRWENEWSWIRE ) - HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (Pinksheets:HRAL), a leading provider of suitable affordable solutions to clients with hearing needs in the billion dollar [...]

HearAtLast Reports Higher Sales for the Month of August

Stuart T. Smith — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:40:40 +0000

HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (OTC: HRAL), a leading provider of suitable affordable solutions to clients with hearing needs in the billion dollar hearing loss market, announced today the clinics throughout Canada saw same month sales increase by over 20 percent during August, 2009. Industry trends generally indicate that the month of August is a slower period in [...]

MGM Delays Debt Repayment – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:40:41 +0000

MGM Mirage (MGM) has offered to exchange a part of its $782 million 8.5% senior notes due next year for up to $500 million of 10.00% Senior Notes due 2016. This swapping would harness liquidity and also allow the company to extend the time to repay its debt at the cost of a somewhat increased debt level and interest expenses.

The exchange offer will expire September 24, 2009, unless extended by MGM. For each $1,000 in principal amount of existing notes tendered and accepted, the holder will receive $1,175 principal amount of new notes, of which $50 in principal amount of New Notes represents early participation payment only to those who tender notes before the close of business on September 10, 2009.

Casino operator MGM Mirage has been severely impacted by the recession. The company reported a loss of $212 million in the second quarter as it incurred significant impairment charges.

However, the company has a strong pipeline of projects and has implemented several cost-control initiatives, which are expected to lead to its earning growth going forward. The company is now trying to expand in Asia and Middle East without investing in land and development, but as a franchisor.

MGM Mirage owns and operates 16 casinos in Nevada, Mississippi and Michigan and has a 50.0% interest in four other casino resorts. The company also operates luxury hotels in the Middle East and Asia.

MGM which is partly controlled by billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian, has a diversified model which allows it to withstand weaker economic times relatively well. The company has international exposure coupled with its diversification within the U.S., which bodes well going forward. Also this swapping of senior notes provides the much needed short-term liquidity to the company though the debt level increases a bit.
Read the full analyst report on "MGM"
Zacks Investment Research

Update for August 31, 2009 on HearAtLast Goes Mainstream With Exclusive Offering of “The QSound EarBud”

Stock-PR — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:15:36 +0000

MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO–(CRWE Newswire - 08/31/09) - HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (Pinksheets:HRAL - News), a leading provider of suitable affordable solutions to clients with hearing needs in the billion dollar hearing loss market, announced today the exclusive offering of the “The QSound EarBud” throughout its Hearing Store Clinics located across Canada. The new QSound is based on the [...]

HRAL, HearAtLast Goes Mainstream With Exclusive Offering of “The QSound EarBud” (PennyOmega.com Stock Report)

PennyOmega.com — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:33:43 +0000

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HRAL, HearAtLast Goes Mainstream With Exclusive Offering of “The QSound EarBud”

Dr. Stock Pick — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:26:56 +0000

HRAL, HearAtLast Holdings, Inc., HRAL.PK DrStockPick News Report! Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! HearAtLast Goes Mainstream With Exclusive Offering of “The QSound EarBud” Monday August 31, 2009 ************************************************************** HearAtLast Goes Mainstream With Exclusive Offering of “The QSound EarBud” MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO–(CRWENEWSWIRE - 08/31/09) - HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (Pinksheets:HRAL), a leading provider of suitable affordable solutions to clients with hearing needs in [...]

HearAtLast Goes Mainstream With Exclusive Offering of “The QSound EarBud”

Stuart T. Smith — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:52:04 +0000

MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – 08/31/09) – HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (Pinksheets:HRAL), a leading provider of suitable affordable solutions to clients with hearing needs in the billion dollar hearing loss market, announced today the exclusive offering of the “The QSound EarBud” throughout its Hearing Store Clinics located across Canada. The new QSound is based on the same miniature in [...]

HRAL, A New Audio Interview with Robert J. Oswald, Executive Vice President of HearAtLast Holdings, Inc., is now at SmallCapVoice.com

Dr. Stock Pick — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:40:30 +0000

HRAL, HearAtLast Holdings, Inc., HRAL.PK DrStockPick News Report! Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! A New Audio Interview with Robert J. Oswald, Executive Vice President of HearAtLast Holdings, Inc., is now at SmallCapVoice.com Friday August 28, 2009 ************************************************************** AUSTIN, Texas–(CRWE NEWSWIRE)–SmallCapVoice.com, Inc. announced that a new audio interview with HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (Pinksheets:HRAL - News) is now available. The interview can [...]

CRWE, Crown Equity Holdings to Assist Processing Corporation With Taiwan’s largest Internet travel media TTNews

Dr. Stock Pick — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:36:20 +0000

CRWE, Crown Equity Holdings, Inc, CRWE.OB DrStockPick News Report! DrStockPick News Report! Crown Equity Holdings to Assist Processing Corporation With TTNews (Taiwan’s largest Internet travel media) DrStockPick News Report! Friday August 28, 2009 ********************************************************** Crown Equity Holdings to Assist Processing Corporation With TTNews Las Vegas, NV – CRWENewswire – Crown Equity Holdings Inc. , a U.S. listed company (trading code: CRWE.OB) announced that it [...]

The Sun is Rising

QualityStocks — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:36:19 +0000

Most people associate solar power with photovoltaic cells used to generate electricity, or perhaps solar water heaters, or even large solar power plants, where the heat of the sun is used to produce steam which runs turbines to produce electricity. It’s easy to forget that most other energy sources also trace back to the sun. [...]

HRAL, A New Audio Interview with Robert J. Oswald, Executive Vice President of HearAtLast Holdings, Inc., is now at SmallCapVoice.com

Dr. Stock Pick — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:53:03 +0000

HRAL, HearAtLast Holdings, Inc., HRAL.PK DrStockPick News Report! Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! A New Audio Interview with Robert J. Oswald, Executive Vice President of HearAtLast Holdings, Inc., is now at SmallCapVoice.com Thursday August 27, 2009 ************************************************************** AUSTIN, Texas–(CRWE NEWSWIRE)–SmallCapVoice.com, Inc. announced today that a new audio interview with HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (Pinksheets:HRAL - News) is now available. The interview [...]

PennyOmega.com Stock Report! 8/27/09, MHJ, IMN, BLKB, TNB, WTWO

PennyOmega.com — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:25:29 +0000

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DrStockPick.com Stock Report! 8/27/09, MDAS, F, AA, PEP, RBRM, NGHI

Dr. Stock Pick — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:00:26 +0000

DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Thursday August 27, 2009 ************************************************************** MedAssets, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDAS) today announced that its management team will participate in investment firm conferences in September 2009. The Company is scheduled to present at Baird’s 2009 Health Care Conference on Thursday, September 10 at 9:00 am ET in New York City. The Company [...]

A New Audio Interview with Robert J. Oswald, Executive Vice President of HearAtLast Holdings, Inc., is now at SmallCapVoice.com

Stuart T. Smith — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:57:53 +0000

AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SmallCapVoice.com, Inc. announced today that a new audio interview with HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (Pinksheets:HRAL) is now available. The interview can be heard at http://smallcapvoice.com/blog/8-26-09-audio-interview-with-hearatlast-holdings-inc-otcpk-hral. SmallCapVoice.com is a recognized corporate investor relations firm, with clients nationwide, known for its ability to help emerging growth companies build a following among retail and institutional investors. Tools like [...]

Crown Equity Holdings to Assist Processing Corporation With TTNews

Dr. Stock Pick — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:07:10 +0000

CRWE, Crown Equity Holdings, Inc, CRWE.OB DrStockPick News Report! DrStockPick News Report! Crown Equity Holdings to Assist Processing Corporation With TTNews (Taiwan’s largest Internet travel media) DrStockPick News Report! Thursday August 27, 2009 ********************************************************** Crown Equity Holdings to Assist Processing Corporation With TTNews Las Vegas, NV – CRWENewswire – Crown Equity Holdings Inc. , a U.S. listed company (trading code: CRWE.OB) announced today it [...]

CRWE, Crown Equity Holdings Inc. $250,000 License Agreement with Velvet International, Inc.

Dr. Stock Pick — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:19:31 +0000

CRWE, Crown Equity Holdings Inc., CRWE.OB DrStockPick News Report! Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! Crown Equity Holdings Inc., $250,000 License Agreement with Velvet International, Inc. Tuesday August 25, 2009 ************************************************************** Crown Equity Holdings Inc., $250,000 License Agreement with Velvet International, Inc. Crown Equity Holdings Inc. (OTC BB: CRWE) announced recently that it has entered into a license agreement with Velvet International, [...]

HearAtLast Eliminates Costly Overheads and Focuses on Increased Profitability

Stuart T. Smith — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:05:28 +0000

MISSISSAUGA, ON — (Marketwire) — 08/25/09 — HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: HRAL), a leading provider of suitable affordable solutions to clients with hearing needs in the billion dollar hearing loss market, announced today that through the addition of Louis Isabella; CFO; and the Evans Martin group, the Company has identified several significant cost cutting measures. The [...]

HRAL, HearAtLast Eliminates Costly Overheads and Focuses on Increased Profitability (DrStockPick.com Stock Report!)

Dr. Stock Pick — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:31:46 +0000

HRAL, HearAtLast Holdings, Inc., HRAL.PK DrStockPick News Report! Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! HearAtLast Eliminates Costly Overheads and Focuses on Increased Profitability Wednesday August 26, 2009 ************************************************************** HearAtLast Eliminates Costly Overheads and Focuses on Increased Profitability MISSISSAUGA, ON–(CRWENEWSWIRE - 08/25/09) - HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (Pinksheets:HRAL), a leading provider of suitable affordable solutions to clients with hearing needs in the billion [...]

CRWE, Crown Equity Holdings Inc. $250,000 License Agreement with Velvet International, Inc.

Dr. Stock Pick — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:31:03 +0000

Stock-PR Stock Report HRAL, DANR August 25, 2009

Stock-PR — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:36:22 +0000

Las Vegas CRWENewswire.com is pleased to announce a stock highlight on HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. , DANA RESOURCES (DANR.OB) Sign up to receive FREE Stock-PR alerts from CRWENewswire.com at http://www.crwenewswire.com/c/stock-pr HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: HRAL) a leading provider of suitable affordable solutions to clients with hearing needs in the billion dollar hearing loss market, announced today ; [...]

HRAL, HearAtLast Eliminates Costly Overheads and Focuses on Increased Profitability (DrStockPick.com Stock Report!)

Dr. Stock Pick — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:45:32 +0000

HRAL, HearAtLast Holdings, Inc., HRAL.PK DrStockPick News Report! Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! HearAtLast Eliminates Costly Overheads and Focuses on Increased Profitability Friday August 21, 2009 ************************************************************** HearAtLast Eliminates Costly Overheads and Focuses on Increased Profitability MISSISSAUGA, ON–(CRWENEWSWIRE - 08/25/09) - HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (Pinksheets:HRAL), a leading provider of suitable affordable solutions to clients with hearing needs in the billion [...]

Wells Fargo Going Slow on Wachovia – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:15:40 +0000

Six months after acquiring Wachovia Corp., the Wells Fargo (WFC) name and stagecoach logo have yet to be seen in the Kansas City area. Indeed it will not be visible till the next year. San Francisco-based Wells Fargo has been moving slowly to consolidate Wachovia Bank into its system.

During December last year, the brokerage firm Wachovia Securities became part of Wells Fargo. All 4,800 branches of the residential lender Wachovia Mortgage have been folded into Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.

Wachovia Corp. was purchased by Wells Fargo on Dec 31, 2008, when it ceased to be an independent corporation. The company had been battered by heavy losses – especially in its portfolio of flexible, interest-only home loans – and was suffering a run on its deposits.

The consolidation of Wachovia bank branches into Wells Fargo's network is scheduled to begin this November. The integration will begin in Colorado, one of a half-dozen states where both the institutions have overlapping branches.

After Colorado, the branch-conversion process will move to five other states – California, Arizona, Illinois, Nevada and Texas – where Wells Fargo and Wachovia offices also overlap. Conversion in these states is expected to begin in 2010, though the conversion dates haven’t been announced for the Wachovia-only markets in the Carolinas and along the East Coast.

Wells Fargo’s growth plans have included a large number of acquisitions, Wachovia being the latest in December 2008. The company has demonstrated its ability to assimilate local franchises offering a wider range of products than the acquired company could have had.

The Wachovia merger is expected to generate an internal rate of return (IRR) of about 20% and be accretive to earnings starting from the third year without any adjustments. Further, as a result of the merger, Wells Fargo substantially expanded its distribution network and has a Community Banking presence for the first time in 16 states – Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington D.C.

Last month, Wells Fargo reported net income of 57 cents per share. The company reported that the Wachovia merger is on track and expects to realize $5 billion of annual merger-related savings upon completion of the integration process. During the latest reported quarter, 39% of the combined revenue came from Wachovia. With the combined resources, Wells Fargo will be in an even better position to satisfy its customers’ financial needs.

We maintain a Neutral recommendation on the shares of Wells Fargo.

Read the full analyst report on "WFC"
Zacks Investment Research

DrStockPick.com Stock Report! 8/25/09, UNCO, AVII, MHJ, HFBG, BEHL, ETFC

Dr. Stock Pick — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:43:45 +0000

DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Tuesday August 25, 2009 ************************************************************** Unico, Incorporated (OTCBB: UNCO), a natural resource company in the precious metals mining sector, today announced several promotions and changes to the management team. The changes will be reflected in a Current Report on Form 8-K expected to be filed by the company within the next [...]

HRAL, HearAtLast Eliminates Costly Overheads and Focuses on Increased Profitability (PennyOmega.com Stock Report!)

PennyOmega.com — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:28:59 +0000

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Solanex Management, Inc. (SLNX.OB) and Geo Finance Corp. (GEFI.PK) Enter MOU to Form Joint Venture

QualityStocks — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:09:08 +0000

Solanex Management Inc. and Geo Finance Corporation jointly announced today that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (”MOU”) to form a Joint Venture. According to the terms of the MOU, Solanex will provide working capital to the Joint Venture and Geo Finance will provide its business models and full inclusion of its client lists, [...]

Home Sales Will Struggle to Rebound Without Tax Credit Extension

Contrarian Profits — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:27:27 +0000

pA rise in existing home sales last month shows things are getting better in the U.S. housing market, but the still-dire unemployment situation and the looming possibility of a a href="http://www.moneymorning.com/category/jobless-recovery/" target="_blank"jobless recovery/a may halt the rally by the end of the year. That makes the extension of an $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers imperative./p pa href="http://www.realtor.org/files/research/2c6627a8ebdeb5359da50bb99ea0c172/release.htm" target="_blank"Existing home sales rose 7.2% to a 5.24 million annual rate/a in July, the most since August 2007 and the fourth straight month the figure increased, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) said Friday. Year-over-year sales grew 5%, the increase since September 2007, just before the markets came crashing down the following month./p p“The housing market has decisively turned for the better,” said NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun. “A combination#8230;/p

PennyOmega.com Stock Report! 8/24/09, SKNY, MGM, MCKE, ALGN, SHLO, NOC

PennyOmega.com — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:37:48 +0000

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CRWE Crown Equity Holdings Inc. Announces $250,000 License Agreement with Velvet International, Inc.

Dr. Stock Pick — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:52:15 +0000

CRWE, Crown Equity Holdings Inc., CRWE.OB DrStockPick News Report! Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! Crown Equity Holdings Inc. Announces $250,000 License Agreement with Velvet International, Inc. Saturday August 22, 2009 ************************************************************** Crown Equity Holdings Inc. Announces $250,000 License Agreement with Velvet International, Inc. Crown Equity Holdings Inc. (OTC BB: CRWE) announced recently that it has entered into a license agreement with [...]

Bio Solutions Manufacturing, Inc. (BSOM.OB) is “One to Watch”

QualityStocks — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 18:39:00 +0000

Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, Bio Solutions Manufacturing Inc. provides biodiesel fuel and environmental clean-up services. They also operate via a network of franchises to provide bioremediation services to municipalities and food processing facilities in the United States. The company’s commitment is to their biodiesel technology becoming part of a multiple-pronged solution to the world’s [...]

HRAL HearAtLast Focuses on Expansion With Addition of Licensing and Franchise Expert

Dr. Stock Pick — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:55:14 +0000

HRAL, HearAtLast Holdings, Inc., HRAL.PK DrStockPick News Report! Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! HearAtLast Focuses on Expansion With Addition of Licensing and Franchise Expert Friday August 21, 2009 ************************************************************** HearAtLast Focuses on Expansion With Addition of Licensing and Franchise Expert HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (Pinksheets:HRAL), a leading provider of suitable affordable solutions to clients with hearing needs in the billion dollar [...]

Used Home Sales Jump – Analyst Blog

Dirk Van Dijk — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:44:36 +0000

Existing home sales rose 7.2% from last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.24 million from June’s rate of 4.89 million. This was also 5.0% above the year-ago level of 4.99 million, and the consensus expectations of 5.0 million.

This is very good news. The only real weak spots I saw in the report were that inventories rose by 7.3%, so despite the increased sales rate, the months of supply remained at a very high (but off peak-level) of 9.4 months.

Median prices fell 15.1% from a year ago to $178,400. While median price is not the best metric for judging home prices (it can be easily influenced by the mix of houses), this rate of decline is roughly consistent with the Case-Schiller numbers and is not a surprise.

While some uptick in inventories is normal, this month was much more than normal. The overhang of inventories means that prices will still be under pressure for awhile. Still, this was the biggest monthly gain in new home sales since 1999.

As can be seen in the graph below (from http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/) it now appears that existing home sales are in a sustained uptrend. While existing home sales do not have that much direct influence on the economy, it is a good sign.

It is certainly welcome news for firms like Sherwin Williams (SHW) since when people move into a new (for them) house, they tend to do things like paint and redecorate. Furniture companies like La-Z-Boy (LZB) and carpet companies like Mohawk (MHK) should also benefit.

Three of the four regions saw increases on a monthly basis, and all four regions saw year-over-year gains. The West was the weakest, with sales dropping 1.7% on the month to a seasonally adjusted rate of 1.13 million. However, sales were 1.8% higher than a year ago.

The West was also the weakest on a pricing front, with the median price plunging 28.0% from a year ago to $202,300. This is not a huge surprise, since three of the four poster children for the housing problems -- California, Nevada and Arizona -- are located there.

The best monthly performance was in the Northeast, where sales were up 13.4% to an annualized rate of 930,000. That was 3.3% higher than a year ago, but the median price fell 15.0% over the last year.

The Midwest had the best year-over-year performance with a increase of 8.0% to a rate of 1.22 million. It was up a strong 10.9% on the month. The region also had the smallest decline in median prices, off just 5.9% from a year ago.

The South saw a monthly increase of 7.1% and was up 5.4% year over year as the median price fell 7.1% to $164,500. At an annual rate of 1.95 million, it remains by far the most important region for housing.

All in all, this is a very encouraging report. In existing home sales, we have gone beyond stabilization to an actual rebound. Granted much of the activity is still being driven by distressed sales of foreclosures and short sales, and by the first time buyer tax credit (which expires 11/30), but still I find this report very encouraging.

Next Tuesday we will get the new home sales data. If it looks anything like the used home data, people will have to revise upwards their near-term expectations for the economy. Housing, most importantly new housing, is historically the engine that pulls the economy out of a recession, and if it is picking up, the economy will be on a much sounder footing.

Read the full analyst report on "SHW"
Read the full analyst report on "LZB"
Read the full analyst report on "MHK"
Zacks Investment Research

Global Consumer Eyes BB&T Branches – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:00:45 +0000

Global Consumer Acquisition Corp. (GHC) announced yesterday that it intends to buy some or all of BB&T Corp.’s (BBT) 21 branches in Nevada. Those branches were acquired by BB&T as part of its takeover of Colonial BancGroup last Friday. Global is in discussion with BB&T about its intention.

In July, Global reached an agreement with Colonial to buy the 21 branches, which have about $492 million in deposits and $440 million in loans. However, the deal had been invalidated by the takeover of Colonial by BB&T.

The Colonial deal is the biggest acquisition in BB&T’s history, creating the nation's eighth-largest financial holding company by deposits. Previously, BB&T had only three branches in Alabama. After the takeover, BB&T gained an additional 90 Colonial branches across the state and 204 branches in Florida, up from 107 offices previously.

BB&T has already started the integration process and expects merger and integration costs to total about $245 million. It anticipates about $170 million in annual pretax expense reductions.

The branches gained by BB&T in Nevada and Texas are outside its traditional business territory. Chances are that Global could get the branches in Nevada . However, BB&T has said that it would take time to decide about these branches.

According to Global, if it gets those branches, it would merge them with its Las Vegas arm, First Commerce Bank, and form a holding company, Western Liberty Bancorp.

Read the full analyst report on "GHC"
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Zacks Investment Research

PennyOmega.com Stock Report! 8/20/09, MDTL, LGL, MPW, CBYAA, GHC, BMY

PennyOmega.com — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:25:07 +0000

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Prime Mortgages Going Sour – Analyst Blog

Dirk Van Dijk — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:53:20 +0000

At the end of the second quarter, 4.3% of all residential mortgages were in some part of the foreclosure process, up from 3.85% at the end of the first quarter and 2.75% a year ago. In addition, on a seasonally adjusted basis, 9.24% of all mortgages were delinquent (behind by at least one payment), up from 9.12% at the end of March, and just 6.41% at the end of June 2008.

Both were records since the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) started keeping track back in 1972. On a non-seasonally-adjusted basis, the delinquency rate was not quite as bad at 8.86%, but still a record.

That means that 13.16% of all residential mortgages (NSA basis) are in trouble. With about 51 million houses with mortgages in the country, that means 6.71 million bad mortgages out there. With the number of people out of work still rising, the problem is likely to continue to get worse for quite a while.

The chief economist for the MBA expects that foreclosures will not peak until the end of 2010. I suspect he might be a little bit on the optimistic side, but that projection is reasonable. If someone is also in a house where the value of the house is less than the amount of the mortgage, the probability that they will continue to pay the mortgage falls rapidly.

If they are also out of work while they are underwater, then continuing to pay their mortgage is simply not an economically rational thing to do. Far better to simply live rent- and mortgage-free until the sheriff shows up at the door. Given the overwhelming case-load, that can often be well over a year (though it varies greatly by location).

Once upon a time, people liked to think that the mortgage problems were contained to the subprime market. It was just a problem of irresponsible people on the wrong side of the tracks. That is clearly no longer the case.

While as a percentage, subprime mortgages are still much more likely to be delinquent or in foreclosure than are prime mortgages, there are far fewer subprime mortgages than prime mortgages. In absolute numbers, there are far more bad prime mortgages than bad subprime mortgages.

The graph below (from http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/) shows just how bad the loans are going sour on the people who had good credit when they took out the mortgages.

The percentage of prime loans in foreclosure jumped to 3.00% at the end of the second quarter vs. 2.49% at the end of March. The percentage delinquent rose to 6.41% from 6.06% at the end of March.

On a percentage basis, subprime loans continue to be an absolute horror show. At the end of the quarter more than one in four (25.35%) subprime loans were delinquent (up from 24.95% at the end of the first quarter) and 15.05% were somewhere in the foreclosure process, up from 14.34% the quarter before.

Thus, the combined troubled mortgage rate is now over 40% on subprime loans. This is of course bad news for the banks with big mortgage operations like Bank of America (BAC), Wells Fargo (WFC) and PNC Financial (PNC).

Regionally, California, Florida, Arizona and Nevada are still being hit the hardest, but other states are starting to catch up. Those four states had 44 percent of all of the nation’s new foreclosures during the second quarter of this year, down from 46 percent in the first quarter.

Foreclosures are less of a problem in the relatively unpopulated states. Very few people (relatively) are falling behind in North Dakota, Wyoming or Alaska as shown in the second graph (also from http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/).

Florida still has the worst mortgage performance, closely followed only by Nevada. In Florida, 12 percent of mortgages were somewhere in the process of foreclosure -- the highest in the nation -- and another 5 percent were at least 90 days past due as of the end of June. A total of 22.8 percent were delinquent at least one payment or in the process of foreclosure, which is almost twice the national percentage (excluding Florida).

In contrast, the next highest states are Nevada at 21.3 percent, Arizona at 16.3 percent and Michigan at 15.3 percent. California is still a problem by virtue of its sheer size, but on a percentage basis, and combining both levels of the problem, Mississippi and Indiana are now in marginally worse shape than is California.

Some of the delinquencies will get cured, but far from all of them. The farther the house is underwater, the less likely it is to get cured. Many more houses are going to end up in the hands of the banks, which will then dump them onto the market and further depress prices.

Housing is normally the locomotive that pulls the U.S. economy out of recessions. It is hard to see how that locomotive will work up a good head of steam with so many foreclosures blocking the tracks.

The first-time homebuyer credit has helped to clear out some of the existing bank owned properties, but that program will end just after Thanksgiving. Unless the program is renewed, that source of buying is likely to dry up significantly. This could lead to another sharp down-leg for the housing market.

Shifting my metaphor, the economy’s vital signs have stabilized, but that is due to the powerful drugs that the "doctors" (Bernanke and Obama) have been giving it. Those drugs (printing money, super-low short-term interest rates and massive budget deficits) are known to have very serious long-term side effects -- ones that have been known to be fatal (Weimar style hyperinflation) if given in to big doses and for too long.

The doctors had no choice but to give them to the patent, since doing nothing would have also been fatal (we narrowly avoided a second Great Depression), but it is a huge question if the patient will be able to get up and about after he is taken off the meds.
Read the full analyst report on "BAC"
Read the full analyst report on "WFC"
Read the full analyst report on "PNC"
Zacks Investment Research

HRAL HearAtLast Focuses on Expansion With Addition of Licensing and Franchise Expert

Dr. Stock Pick — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:55:05 +0000

HRAL, HearAtLast Holdings, Inc., HRAL.PK DrStockPick News Report! Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! HearAtLast Focuses on Expansion With Addition of Licensing and Franchise Expert Thursday August 20, 2009 ************************************************************** HearAtLast Focuses on Expansion With Addition of Licensing and Franchise Expert HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (Pinksheets:HRAL), a leading provider of suitable affordable solutions to clients with hearing needs in the billion dollar [...]

DrStockPick.com Stock Report! 8/20/09, ETAK, DRJ, PWOIF, HI, AEXP, BCO

Dr. Stock Pick — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:00:43 +0000

DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Thursday August 20, 2009 ************************************************************** Elephant Talk Communications, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: ETAK), an international telecom and multimedia content distributor specializing in carrier grade mobile enabling platforms, announced second quarter 2009 financial results and is providing a shareholder update. Dreams, Inc. (NYSE Amex: DRJ) the vertically integrated leader in the [...]

CRWE Crown Equity Holdings Inc. Announces $250,000 License Agreement with Velvet International, Inc.

Dr. Stock Pick — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:43:53 +0000

CRWE, Crown Equity Holdings Inc., CRWE.OB DrStockPick News Report! Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! Crown Equity Holdings Inc. Announces $250,000 License Agreement with Velvet International, Inc. Wednesday August 19, 2009 ************************************************************** Crown Equity Holdings Inc. Announces $250,000 License Agreement with Velvet International, Inc. Crown Equity Holdings Inc. (OTC BB: CRWE) announced that it has entered into a license agreement with Velvet [...]