Asia is poised to become the “new” Detroit.

Here in the United States, at a cost of a mere $3 billion, the “Cash-for-Clunkers” program appears to have given new hope to the U.S. auto industry.

But that new hope is destined to be short-lived.

It’s true that - in terms of value delivered for the money invested - “Cash for Clunkers” has eclipsed every other stimulus program that has been tried. But the program has a projected lifespan of only three months, meaning it can’t reverse the powerful global forces that are destined to turn the U.S. auto market from leader to laggard on the global stage.

Financial Crisis Fallout Reshapes Sector

Thanks to the financial crisis whose impact continues to be felt, worldwide automobile demand had dropped on an overall basis since 2008.

But regional differences are already emerging.

In the United States, for instance, the benchmark seasonally adjusted annual sales rate (SAAR)

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Steel maker Nucor Corp.’s (NYSE: NUE) stock has rallied some 51% from its March 3 low of $29.84 a share and has twice bumped against its recent high of $49.91 a share. 

The stock is still a far cry from its record-high level of $83.56, but is only 0% below its 52-week high of $53.46.  Much has changed since then, as the U.S. auto industry is no longer producing the 16 million cars it produced in 2007, nor the 13 million it managed to sell last year.  This year we are looking at some 10 million units sold, according to J.D. Power and Associates, the leading forecaster in the industry.

But there is encouraging news:  The very quick restructuring of both General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GRM) and Chrysler Group LLC, the U.S. Federal Reserve’s efforts to stabilize the financial markets, and

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When you are about to invest in a penny stock, the number one question you need to ask yourself is: What’s the catalyst?

Without some big event or monolithic development coming down the road, there’s no reason for investors to care about these tiny companies.

You see, the majority of investors are only interested in making 5%–10% per year. That’s pretty much the maximum you can expect to gain if you are investing in blue chips. Here at Penny Sleuth, we view the stock market a little differently.

We want the money multipliers — double-, triple-, even quadruple-digit gains. For that to happen, we need some kind of spark to set our penny stocks apart from the rest. After all, there are currently over 6,000 to choose from.

So, what kind of catalysts can make a penny stock pop? Let’s look at a couple big ones:

Commercialization — After years of research and development, and ...

By Martin Hutchinson
Contributing EditorMoney Morning

[Editor's Note: When Slate magazine recently set out to identify the stock-market guru who most correctly predicted the stock-market decline that accompanied the current financial crisis, the respected online publication concluded it was Martin Hutchinson, a veteran international investment banker who is one of Money Morning's top forecasters. It was no surprise to our readers: After all, Hutchinson warned investors about the evils of credit default swaps six months before the complex derivatives did in insurer American International Group Inc. Then, last fall, Hutchinson "called" the market bottom.

Now Hutchinson has developed a strategy for investors to invest their way to "Permanent Wealth" using high-yielding dividend stocks. This strategy is tailor-made for an unpredictable stock market that's backdropped by an uncertain economy. Just click here to find out about this strategy- or Hutchinson's new service, The Permanent Wealth Investor.]

India remains a …

Abu Dhabi Buys Daimler Stake; Tata Launches Nano; Walgreen Beats 2Q Estimates; Banks Hurt by Plunging Commercial Property Prices; Gannett Furloughs Workers Again; Oil Nears 3-Month High; TreeHouse Foods Climbs on Private-Label Buying

Abu Dhabi’s state-controlled International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) said it would buy a 9.1% stake in the German automaker Daimler AG (DAI) for almost $2.72 billion (2 billion euros). It also pumped $1.41 billion into Aabar Investment PJSC, giving the Middle East emirate majority control in the IPIC, Reuters reported. Tata Motors Ltd. (ADR: TTM) announced it will begin sales of the Nano, the world’s ...

Shares of Ford Motor Co. (F) and General Motors Corp. (GM) posted gains yesterday (Tuesday) on speculation that consolidation in the U.S. domestic auto industry could be the struggling sector’s saving grace.Over the last three trading sessions, Ford shares are up almost 18%, while GM shares are up over 37% on reports of possible merger talks and asset sales.

Shares of Ford Motor Co. (F) and General Motors Corp. (GM) posted gains yesterday (Tuesday) on speculation that consolidation in the U.S. domestic auto industry could be the struggling sector’s saving grace.Over the last three trading sessions, Ford shares are up almost 18%, while GM shares are up over 37% on reports of possible merger talks and asset sales.

Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #1 Rank ("strong buy") List today:

Allegiant Travel Co (ALGT) Applied Energetics Inc (AERG) Astoria Financial Corp (AF) Aviza Technology Inc (AVZA) AZZ Inc (AZZ) BigBand Networks Inc (BBND) Boardwalk Pipeline Partners LP (BWP) BreitBurn Energy Partners LP (BBEP) Bruker Corp (BRKR) Carter's Inc (CRI) Casey's General Stores Inc (CASY) Cell Genesys Inc (CEGE) Cleco Corp (CNL) Colonial Properties Trust (CLP) CryoLife Inc (CRY) dELiA*s Inc (DLIA) The Empire District Electric Co (EDE) Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd (FFH) Federal Signal Corp (FSS) Fossil Inc (FOSL) FX Energy Inc (FXEN) Hollywood Media Corp (HOLL) iCAD INC (ICAD) Iconix Brand Group Inc (ICON) Masimo Corp (MASI) NeurogesX Inc (NGSX) NitroMed Inc (NTMD) Occam Networks Inc (...

At a price of just $2,500 each, Tata Motors Ltd.’s (TTM) Nano was billed early in its development as the world’s cheapest automobile and the only car that was both affordable and practical enough for India’s quickly burgeoning middle class. But the car that was emerging as a bright symbol of middle-class opportunity in fast-growing India could now epitomize something much darker: The human cost of rapid industrialization. Company officials this week disclosed that the Nano might not debut next month as originally planned, because violent protests have erupted at the automobile’s main production site. It’s a conflict that pits traditional Indian values against the country’s rapid industrialization. Designed to target lower-mid income brackets, the Nano will sell for one lakh (100,000 rupees), or just over $2,500 – a price that undercuts Tata’s domestic rivals by about 30%. And ...