Advisor says corporate bonds still have legs, but currency ETFs are not one of his favorites for the new year.

 

"Big Joe" Clark has his wish list for 2009. And it includes some exchange-traded funds that even Santa Claus might find useful as stocking stuffers.

At the top are corporate bonds. In the coming year, the Anderson, Ind.-based advisor is expecting investment-grade corporates and high yield debt markets to perform like stocks do in more-normal times.

As a result, Clark is buying more of the iShares iBoxx Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index (NYSE: LQD) in client portfolios. It's a fund he held during the latter half of 2008.

At the same time, Clark is initiating new positions in the iShares iBoxx High Yield Corporate Bond Index (NYSE: HYG).

"Both are moving up in terms of prices," he said. "That means their yields are dropping some. But they're still yielding much better than Treasuries

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Composite Technology Corp. announced today that it has received a new conductor order from Far East Composite Technology Company, a subsidiary of Jiangsu New Far East Cable Corporation. The order calls for a single core size with associated hardware to be used on a 240 kilometer transmission line in China’s Hubei province.

The company underscored the significance of the order as it signals the recommencement of order flow for new projects in China. Although the second half of 2008 realized a drop off in orders as a result of the impact of the Summer Olympics in China as well as the subsequent holidays, starting in mid-October transmission line projects resumed and the backlog of suspended projects was addressed.

According to the press release, the continuation of orders advocates that the Far East is working through the end of the backlog projects and is anticipating new projects for 2009. Under terms

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Today, Changing Times Vitamins announced that a licensing agreement has been signed with King Features Syndicate, Division of Hearst Corporation, one of the United States’ largest diversified media companies. Through the agreement, Changing Times Vitamins acquired the right to use Popeye(R) and associated characters to promote its line of water drinks.

During the Summer Olympics, Charging Times Vitamins used the Popeye image in a cartoon commercial for its RecoveryX sports/energy drink and experienced great success. The company has further plans to introduce new Popeye Water for children in the near future.

Brian Jensen, spokesperson for CTV, stated, “Popeye is an American icon and is known and loved throughout the world, and we’re thrilled to be using him with our entrance into the children’s sector of the drink market. We also plan to do joint commercials with Popeye and our sports/energy drink RecoveryX, using baseball superstar

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China Industrial Waste Management, Inc. (CIWM) released its 3rd Quarter 2008 financial results today for the period ending September 30, 2008. Among the highlights, total revenues increased by $3,434,442 or 53 % for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2007. Revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2008 increased by $870,538 or 37 % over the comparable period in 2007. CIWM said the gain in revenues was because of an increase in its customer base and increased demand for its services among its existing clients along with a growing sales network for the company’s recycled products.

Although the Summer Olympics hurt business, the company says the impact was short and that its prospects continue to improve. “We continu[e] to experience positive momentum in all aspects of our business,” said Jinqing Dong, Chairman and CEO. “Our

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Oil Prices Slide on Demand Drop; Home Prices and Sales Fall in August; Nike Adjusted Earnings Up 10%; GM to Sell Strasbourg Plant; Digg’s New Dough; Ad Sales Slump; Yahoo’s New Ad Platform; Daimler Trying to Unload Chrysler

In a Reuters report out today, shares of McDonald's (MCD) are up 2.5% to around $64 per share after the company reported better-than-expected growth in its August sales.  As a major sponsor of the Beijing Summer Olympics last month, MCD saw global sales up 8.5% (regarding stores open at least 13 months).

The company has posted a positive earnings surprise in each of its last four fiscal quarters, and today's numbers may provide a further boost to the company's September quarter (Q3).  While analyst revisions have been rather minimal as of late, the Zacks consensus for 3rd quarter earnings is 95 cents per share, and it is $3.52 per share for the entire fiscal year.

Zacks senior restaurant industry analyst Ann Northrop, CFA has had a Buy recommendation on McDonald's shares since July of 2007, when they were trading in the $48 range.  In her latest report, she reiterated her Buy rating and

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By William Patalon III Executive Editor Money Morning/The Money Map Report U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke didn’t use the "S" word - stagflation - but he might as well have. On Friday, the U.S. central bank chief said that the financial crisis that has hammered the U.S. market is combining with rising inflation to eviscerate American economy. Together, the two forces are making it extremely difficult for the Fed to restore economic stability in the U.S. market. Bernanke apparently welcomed the recent drop-off in the prices of oil and other key commodities - and says that inflationary pressures will moderate over the next year and a half, but also cautioned that the current inflation outlook remains highly uncertain. The upshot: The Fed will monitor the economic situation closely and will "act as necessary" to make sure that inflation doesn’t get out of ...

The 2008 Summer Olympics are here, and there are several publicly traded companies that are official Worldwide Olympic Sponsors. If you think that being connected to the Olympics can help these companies, it may be worth taking a closer look at these stocks.Coca Cola (KO) is the famous beverage company. The stock has a PE of 22 , a PEG of 1.9 and pays a yield of 2.70% .General Electric (GE) the conglomerate involved in technology, media, and financial services. The stock has a PE of 14 , a PEG of 1.22 and pays a yield of 4.20% .Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) famous for its Bandaids, makes and markets various health care products. The stock has a PE of 17 , a PEG of 1.98 and pays a yield of 2.60% .Kodak (EK) makes and sells photography and digital ...

By Keith Fitz-Gerald Investment Director Money Morning/The Money Map Report The moment Beijing won the right to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, the Chinese government embarked on an ambitious cultural etiquette program designed to make Beijing more hospitable to the 500,000 foreigners expected to visit for the Games, which start only weeks from now. And from the looks of things, such obvious niceties as… Learn English. No spitting. And, stand in line. …weren’t enough. For Beijing now wants to make the country’s cuisine more appealing, as well. On that point, at least, China’s leaders aren’t acting a moment too soon. When Cultures Connect - or Collide It can be quite difficult for English-speaking visitors to keep a straight face when placing an order at a luncheon business meeting in China - given such menu choices as "chicken without sexual life" (Translation: Chicken that’s very tender because it was too young ...