SocialPicks
   Sign Up   |   Log In   |   What is SocialPicks?   |    Username:   Password:  
Investment Ideas Served Daily By People You Trust
SocialPicks is a community where stock investors exchange ideas and track performance of financial bloggers.
Top_member_photos
Get free stock picks and email alerts daily
 
Are you a stock guru?

News & Views
July 02
Thomas Tan (Vestopia)   (+2.19%  risk: conservative)  
Graphic_rating_sell SPX   The Current Bear Market: Death By a Thousand Cuts   —  7/2 - "The general stock market behavior recently has been painful, to say the least. Now with DJIA broke below March low, any hope of a quick ending on the current bear market diminishes...January and March lows will not hold for the current on-going bear market, and we should expect a 2nd leg d...
Richard Shaw   (+48.63%  risk: aggressive)  
Advise from Warren Buffet for Difficult Times   —  6/26 - "...there is ample current proof in the securities markets that we are living in interesting times. It’s simply nasty out there — or at least it feels that way...Commodities are up, REITs a...
Michael Shedlock   (+49.35%  risk: aggressive)  
Massive Job Cuts Coming   —  6/28 - "CNN Money is reporting State, city layoffs: 45,000 and counting...The effect of those layoffs will far outweigh any benefit of the economic stimulus package, much of which was already spent...
Martin Hutchinson (Money Morning)   (-5.14%  risk: conservative)  
Two Moves to Make as the Fed Inflates the Commodities Bubble   —  7/2 - "U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke ignored the warnings of most economists last week, and kept the benchmark Federal Funds rate at 2%, far below the actual rate of inflation. A...
SP Community Rating: SPX     

+ Read all 4 views

July 01
Corey Lorinsky (ClusterStock)   (+6.77%  risk: aggressive)  
LVS   WYNN   Morgan Stanley: Worst Yet to Come for Casino Stocks   —  7/1 - "Unlike other vices such as alcohol and cigarettes, gambling isn't recession-resistant...For most people, neither flying nor driving to Vegas seems doable...Casinos have too much debt from massive expansions and private equity buyouts." "Morgan Stanley's casino analyst Joseph Greff sums ...
Jake Fuller (Thomas Weisel)   (+0.00%  risk: conservative)  
Reducing Estimates and Target on Las Vegas Sands, Reiterating Market Weight R...   —  6/30 - "A promotional email sent out over the weekend points to a later-than-expected opening at Four Seasons Cotai and our own survey work shows Venetian LV (Las Vegas) discounting heavily in the ...
Daniel I. Forst (KeyBanc Capital)   (+3.54%  risk: conservative)  
Downgrading Wynn Resorts on Weak Industry Trends, Lower Estimates   —  6/27 - "Las Vegas gaming operators continue to feel the pressure of higher fuel prices and a sluggish economy. In Macau, revenue and visitor growth are still strong, only not as strong as many on W...
Nicholas Yulico (TheStreet.com)   (+4.01%  risk: conservative)  
Vegas Stock Play: Long Boyd, Short Perini   —  6/27 - "Today, I'm adding Boyd Gaming to the mock portfolio as a stock to own...Boyd currently owns attractive properties catering to the Las Vegas locals market, along with riverboat and land casi...
SP Community Rating: LVS      WYNN     

+ Read all 4 views

Rich Smith (Fool.com)   (-9.98%  risk: aggressive)  
Graphic_rating_buy GE   GE Isn't Too Big to Rebound   —  6/27 - "Weighing it at a robust $260 billion-plus in market cap, GE's very size suggests that it could have a tough time fulfilling its routine promises of year-over-year double-digit profits growth. Still more important to shareholders, the company's size makes it difficult to imagine the stock ...
Douglas McIntyre (BloggingStocks)   (+22.04%  risk: moderate)  
GE: A Buy for Yield   —  6/29 - "It pays a yield of nearly 5%. The company is still tremendously profitable and has $15 billion in cash...If the U.S. stock market continues to drop, the successful investing tactics of the ...
Corey Lorinsky (ClusterStock)   (+6.77%  risk: aggressive)  
Lehman: Historical Trends Suggest That GE's Near a Bottom   —  6/30 - 'History suggests that shares of GE could trough at a 25% discount to the S&P500. Shares are currently at an 18% discount to the market on concerns over the financial services exposure, sugg...
Merrill Lynch   (+1.70%  risk: moderate)  
Merrill Positive on GE, Sees Bad News Factored Into EPS Estimates   —  7/1 - "Merrill Lynch reiterates their Buy rating on GE with PO $37.50...Firm thinks GE will likely deliver 2Q08 EPS results in-line with the previous guidance of 53-55 cents – this event could pres...
SP Community Rating: GE     

+ Read all 4 views

Steven Mallas   (-2.18%  risk: moderate)  
Graphic_rating_buy NKE   Nike Worth Considering on a Pullback   —  6/26 - "Revenues increased 14%, and net income expanded by 28% to $3.74 per share. Gross margin expanded, and worldwide futures orders were up 11%. I like all these double-digit numbers, and I like the fact that the company paid out more in dividends this year than last, and I can see that Nike i...
Corey Lorinsky (ClusterStock)   (+6.77%  risk: aggressive)  
Credit Suisse: Nike Should Deliver Over Long-Term   —  6/26 - "The stock is down about 10% today as investors were spooked by aggressive SG&A spending surrounding the European soccer championship, the Olympics, the Sparq training launch, and investment...
Kate McShane (Citigroup)   (+0.41%  risk: conservative)  
Nike Still a Solid Play; Buy on Pullbacks   —  6/26 - "NKE remains our top apparel & footwear pick, w/ solid brands and continued outperformance in an environment generally lacking in visibility. W/shares indicating ~5% down after mkt, we think...
Georges Yared (BloggingStocks)   (-1.67%  risk: moderate)  
Under Armour is the Next Nike   —  6/27 - "Under Armour, founded in 1995, at first appealed to the serious athlete with its moisture-wicking synthetic fibers that help keep sweat and moisture from the skin and help regulate body tem...
SP Community Rating: NKE     

+ Read all 4 views

June 30
Jonathan Berr   (+0.00%)  
RIMM   RIM's Problem: The Company Isn't Apple   —  6/25 - "The problem that RIM has is that it's not Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), which is now trying to lure more corporate customers with the latest version of the iPhone. In baseball terms, RIMM is like the New York Mets, a once mighty team that has fallen on hard times. Apple, on the other hand, i...
Notable Calls   (+10.22%  risk: moderate)  
RBC Still Positive on RIM, Goldman Cautiously Optimistic   —  6/26 - "RBC Capital notes that on product momentum (Curve, Bold) offsetting seasonality, Q2 guidance for $2.55-2.65B (86-93% Y/Y) was $100-150M above street...RIM expects its 'strongest back half i...
FP Trading Desk   (+0.00%)  
Scotia Capital: RIM Still an Unstoppable Force   —  6/29 - "The second half of fiscal 2009 and 2010 will be a strong period for Research In Motion Ltd. (RIMM) with an array of product launches accompanied by a big marketing push, according to Scotia...
Prashanth Cherukuri (Seeking Alpha)   (+2.71%  risk: aggressive)  
With Apple Bearing Down, It's Time to Sell RIM   —  6/27 - "RIMM's dream run is beginning to look like a thing of the past. Its shares are up a whopping 70% over the past 5 months, and 33% since its last quarterly report. In a choppy market, investo...
SP Community Rating: RIMM     

+ Read all 4 views

June 23
Dr. Duru   (+4.33%  risk: conservative)  
Graphic_rating_sell SPY   The S&P 500 is Struggling And Peaking   —  6/22 - "The one-day sell-off on June 6th was a major turning point. That was the same day that oil had its largest one-day price gain percentage since 1996. Although oil has since held steady in price, the S&P 500 has continued to sag since then. So, while it is tempting to hope that a correction...
Richard Shaw   (+48.63%  risk: aggressive)  
Small Size of Emerging Markets Could Lead to Trouble in Bear Market   —  6/22 - "We are sometimes asked why emerging markets are so much more volatile than developed markets. The answer is that, due to their relative size, money flows between them cause most of the vol...
Michael Shedlock   (+49.35%  risk: aggressive)  
Many (Economic) Hurricanes, Many Eyes   —  6/22 - "Often times it is not the leading front of the hurricane that does the most damage, it is the backside. Here is the three stage pattern of hurricane damage...The "calm" Bernanke thinks we a...
David Merkel (The Aleph Blog)   (+0.00%)  
The Four Stages of Investment Knowledge   —  6/21 - " We’re in a dead spot, a lost decade; old certainties are being tested, and many clever investors (alas for Bill Miller) are being weighed in the scales and found wanting. This is actual...
SP Community Rating: SPY     

+ Read all 4 views

Ockham Research   (-15.46%  risk: moderate)  
Graphic_rating_buy BA   Boeing Undervalued With or Without Disputed Tanker Contract   —  6/20 - "On March 27th I wrote that although Boeing (BA) had lost its bid to provide the Air Force with a fleet of in-flight refueling tankers, the company still has a lot of upside. Well, Boeing protested the $35 billion contract that was awarded to Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC) and EADS...The Gov...
theStockMasters   (+5.20%  risk: moderate)  
Weak Airline Industry Will Continue to Take Toll on Boeing   —  6/17 - "Perhaps the largest problem is Boeing's customers, as airline industry misery continues Wall Street is concerned it will spill over to the manufacturers of airplanes, like Airbus and Boeing...
Paul Price (Seeking Alpha)   (+1.46%  risk: moderate)  
A Low-Risk Options Play for Boeing Bulls   —  6/5 - "After processing the latest news, 2008 and 2009 estimates now center around $5.96 and $6.80 meaning BA shares are trading at just 13.1 times this year's and 11.5x 2009 projections. Value Lin...
Daniel M. Steinberg (Bank of America)   (+0.00%  risk: conservative)  
Cloudy Skies for Boeing; Resuming Coverage at Neutral   —  6/19 - "We believe that $130+ oil and weakening traffic may cause some of Boeing’s airline customers to take an updated view of their growth plans, or their ability to recapitalize. Coupled with re...
SP Community Rating: BA     

+ Read all 4 views

Elliott Gue (TheStockAdvisors.com)   (-14.24%  risk: aggressive)  
Graphic_rating_buy VLO   Valero Energy an Outstanding Play on Refining Industry's Recovery   —  6/16 - "Although he had previously maintained a cautious stance on the refining group, energy sector expert Elliott Gue is now boosting the rating on Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO)...In his The Energy Strategist, the advisor explains, "Valero is now attractive for three reasons: superior geographic ex...
Sheraz Mian (Zacks.com)   (-14.24%  risk: aggressive)  
Maintaining Buy Recommendation on Valero in the Face of Margin Pressure   —  6/6 - "We are maintaining our Buy recommendation on Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) shares despite the ongoing refining-margin weakness due to high crude oil prices and weak-product demand." "We...
Keith Fitz-Gerald (Seeking Alpha)   (-17.77%  risk: aggressive)  
Reduction of Global Gas Subsidies Stands to Benefit Refiners   —  6/13 - "In case you’ve never heard the term before, the crack spread is the difference between the price of crude oil and the value of the petroleum products that refiners can make from it. The cra...
Chi Chow (Tristone Capital)   (-23.42%  risk: aggressive)  
Upgrading Western Refining to Speculative Outperform; Improving Liquidity Cou...   —  6/13 - "It is certainly well known by now that WNR is facing serious liquidity issues, but we believe that the market conditions are currently favorable for possible upcoming developments to spark ...
SP Community Rating: VLO     

+ Read all 4 views

Steven Mallas   (-2.18%  risk: moderate)  
HSY   Hershey's Marketing Efforts Unlikely to Help Stock Over Short-Term   —  6/18 - "This double-digit jump in marketing is a smart move, but it won't be easy to digest. With the aforementioned inflationary pressures on the rise, Hershey is going to be sufficiently challenged to push growth while balancing the upward trends in input costs. But is there really a choice her...
Paul Price (Seeking Alpha)   (+1.46%  risk: moderate)  
Hershey: A Sweet, Low-Risk Stock   —  6/17 - "Hershey shares jumped up not too long ago when M&M Mars Candy Company agreed to a buyout. Shares were down big today after a Hershey's Board member seemed to indicate they were not looking ...
Jim Cramer   (-2.56%  risk: aggressive)  
Hershey in Cramer's "House of Pain"   —  6/20 - "Hershey Foods (HSY): "I see a house of pain for HSY. I am not going to recommend that stock."
Jonathan Ratner   (+0.00%)  
Goldman Bearish on Hershey, Doubts that Buyout or JV Will Occur   —  6/3 - "The recent run-up in shares of The Hershey Co. appears to be the result of market speculation that the chocolate and candy company will enter a merger or joint venture...Goldman Sachs analys...
Eric Serotta (Merrill Lynch)   (+2.61%  risk: conservative)  
Lowering Price Target on Hershey Due to Weak Earnings Outlook; Reiterate Sell   —  6/18 - "While Hershey’s retail takeaway has moderately improved recently, we expect minimal EPS growth next year owing to further increases in brand support and commodity inflation. With further in...
SP Community Rating: HSY     

+ Read all 5 views

Andy Cole (Seeking Alpha)   (+23.89%  risk: aggressive)  
Graphic_rating_sell F   Graphic_rating_sell GM   GM and Ford: Still Easy Shorts   —  6/22 - "So what can we expect from Ford and GM in the next few months? Well, expect more of the same. Nothing has changed at Ford and GM over the past couple of months, except for the slight possibility that the management at these companies may FINALLY be realizing that SUVs and trucks are going...
Jim Cramer   (-2.56%  risk: aggressive)  
CarMax Results Paint Ugly Picture for GM and Ford   —  6/20 - "If you want to know why GM and Ford may not make it -- and I sincerely doubt Chrysler's any better, despite the endless puffing by CEO Bob Nardelli -- go listen to the CarMax(KMX - Cramer's...
Daniel Jones (Seeking Alpha)   (-27.66%  risk: aggressive)  
Cheap Valuation, Encouraging Technicals Make GM a Good Contrarian Play   —  6/18 - "We'll probably hear arguments that what we're buying into with our recommendation this week for a call spread on General Motors (GM) is a "value trap". That's where the stock is incredibly ...
Douglas McIntyre (BloggingStocks)   (+22.04%  risk: moderate)  
Short Sellers Making a Smart Bet Against Ford and GM   —  6/20 - "The short interest in Ford is now larger than that of any other company traded on the NYSE. Shares short in the company hit 317.6 million as of June 15, up 31.3 million from the end of May....
SP Community Rating: F      GM     

+ Read all 4 views

Melly Alazraki (BloggingStocks)   (+0.00%)  
Graphic_rating_buy GS   Goldman Does it Again   —  6/17 - "It would be only natural to ask how Goldman made $2 billion while Lehman lost $2.8 billion. The answers are many, not the least of which is size: Goldman is the world's biggest securities firm, Lehman Brothers (NYSE: LEH) is the smallest among the four Wall Street investment banks. Other ...
Trader Mark   (-3.09%  risk: moderate)  
In Goldman We Trust   —  6/18 - "Unlike widget makers or commodity stocks, there is very little analysis I can do with an investment bank - they are opaque black boxes with moving parts we will never know about. But in Gol...
Chris Krasowski (WC Power Tech Fund)   (+3.31%  risk: moderate)  
Goldman Shines...and It's Still Not Expensive   —  6/17 - "Granted Goldman's Price to Book ratio has been notoriously higher than its peers at around 1.9, but that doesn't make it expensive. The industry, through this downtrend and the losses is in...
Jeff Harte (Sandler O'Neill & Partners)   (+0.00%  risk: conservative)  
Goldman Performing Well, But Cyclical Headwinds Remain; Reiterate Hold   —  6/18 - "Goldman Sachs reported 2Q08 EPS of $4.58, beating our $3.44 estimate and the consensus of $3.42. The relative outperformance was driven by revenue strength (particularly in Investment Banki...
SP Community Rating: GS     

+ Read all 4 views

June 16
Andy So (RawGreed.com)   (-34.83%  risk: aggressive)  
SPY   DJI   Some Rules for Surviving a Market Crash   —  6/16 - "It is human psychology that leads us to believe that buying in a market where prices are up 300% is safer than buying when the market is down 80%. When markets are dramatically up there is a sense of confidence in the air, when the markets are severely down the confidence is replaced with...
The Bonddad Blog   (+0.10%  risk: conservative)  
S&P 500 Charts Paint Bearish Picture   —  6/16 - "On the SPYs, notice the market rose in a nice channel from the beginning of 2004 until the end of 2006 when the market broke through upside resistance. The market continued rising until it ...
Babak (Trader's Narrative)   (-10.80%  risk: conservative)  
Investor Sentiment Readings Give Mixed Outlook   —  6/14 - "The retail investors as measured by the American Association of Individual Investor’s weekly sentiment survey are astonishingly pessimistic: 54% bearish...To find a more gloomy view from th...
Alan Borchstein (AB Analytical Services)   (-6.78%  risk: conservative)  
Excessive Inflation Fears Creating Buying Opportunity   —  6/13 - "There is a mistaken assumption out there that commodity prices somehow influence the overall level of prices. A look at historical data, though, shows that it just isn't necessarily the ca...
SP Community Rating: SPY      DJI     

+ Read all 4 views & 1 comment

Gordon Pape (TheStockAdvisors.com)   (-11.93%  risk: aggressive)  
Graphic_rating_buy MT   ArcelorMittal a Good Global Steel Play   —  6/11 - ""Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal (NYSE: MT) is the only truly global steel manufacturer, operating in 60 countries on five continents," says Gordon Pape. In his Internet Wealth Builder, he explains, "Like all steel companies, ArcelorMittal would be temporarily affected by a world recess...
Christopher Barker (Fool.com)   (-11.77%  risk: aggressive)  
Vertical Integration Leaves Mechel a Well-Positioned Steel Manufacturer   —  6/6 - "Lately, the world's leading steel companies have dealt with the sharp rise in costs for raw materials, which has squeezed margins despite the robust global demand for steel. Meanwhile, share...
Larry Schutts   (-13.27%  risk: moderate)  
AK Steel Shares Moving Through Positive Trading Channel   —  6/9 - "AK Steel Holding Corporation (NYSE: AKS) produces carbon, stainless and electrical steel products...The stock is up 30% so far in Q2, on word of a solid Q1 earnings report (4/22) and several...
Brent Archer (BloggingStocks)   (+10.32%  risk: conservative)  
Bullish Hedged Play on U.S. Steel Recommended Following Nucor Earnings   —  6/5 - "US Steel (NYSE: X) shares are trading higher after competitor Nucor (NYSE: NUE) raised its earnings outlook for its upcoming second-quarter earnings. The previous forecast of 1.55 to 1.60 wa...
SP Community Rating: MT     

+ Read all 4 views

June 14
Rick Aristotle Munarriz (Fool.com)   (-6.90%  risk: moderate)  
Graphic_rating_sell YHOO   End of Microsoft Talks Leaves Yahoo! Competitively Challenged, Expensively Priced   —  6/13 - "Yahoo! sees the (Google) deal adding as much as $800 million in annual revenue, with as much as $250 million to $450 million in incremental operating cash flow...It's a smart financial move, but it moves Yahoo! another rung lower on the ladder of relevance. Yahoo! has the option of runnin...