Items Tagged With Investing Ideas/Stocks

A Protest Against Chevron Paying Royalties to Burmese Government: What Should A Shareholder Do?
Written By: David Neubert
2007-10-09 09:18:03
Tuesday, October 9th was designated (I still can't figure out exactly by whom) a day of protest against Chevron (CVX - $92.30) and its paying of royalties to the regime in Burma (Myanmar).

Information about the protest and how you can participate be found at this Chevron Protest Blogspot posting.

Amy Goodman explains why she thinks the protest is necessary and how it might help at her Truthdig blog. While I agree with her sentiment, I think I've found a better way to remain engaged.

Chevron defends their involvment in Myranmar (Burma) and deliniates some of what they are doing to support NGO's trying to help the situation. They also state their support for the people of Burma clearly, "Chevron supports the calls for a peaceful resolution to the current situation in Myanmar in a way that respects the human rights of the people of Myanmar." I'd like to help them follow through on that support.

So what am I going to do?

A Visit to the Intel Options Cocktail from March
Written By: David Neubert
2007-07-09 11:30:53
Based on a reader comment from Alex, I decided to update my Intel cocktail from March.

"Question: INTC stands today at 24.68. Are you still in these positions, as declared on 3/21/07? The stock is up 30% from your 17.41 "cocktail cost"...what're the results of your investment, now that the underlying security has surpassed the 22.50 calls? "

Here's the mark to market:

Stock: $24.93 - $18.99 = $5.94 profit
$12.50 puts: $0.02 - $0.13 = $0.11 loss ($0.22 for 2x)
$17.50 puts: $0.14 - $0.95 = $0.81 profit
$22.50 calls:$3.65 - $0.80 = $2.85 loss
Dividends collected $0.1125

$5.94 - 0.22 + 0.81 - 2.85 + 0.1125 = $3.79
Had I just bought the stock, I'd have a higher profit ($5.94) but a bigger downside. I'm sticking with this position for now. I'll stick with it to get to my max profit profile. Though I never see anything wrong with exiting a position early, as the downside becomes much larger than the upside (this is often the case with deep in the money options positions).

Disclosure: I am still in the options position described. I also have a little bit of an overage in terms of stock position on which I outright long. I recently sold a small about of INTC (not part of this position).

Site disclaimer.

Add Comment (0)

After a Loss Changing My Strategy on CountryWide (CFC)
Written By: David Neubert
2007-09-11 11:02:50
Felix Salmon at Portfolio.com has rightly trounced me for buying Countrywide Financial earlier this summer. I thought it was a good bet at the time, but I got out in August once things started to get confusing. I knew CFC would have to recognize losses from their higher funding rates and portfolio markdowns. But it was the diluting Bank of America investment and ensuing rally that made me realize that it would be awhile before I would be able to figure out what the equity component of this bank is really worth. I remember the old trader saying: "First loss is your best loss." Well I took losses in this one, and after many buys and sells over the month my final losses amounted to about six bucks a share and my last sales were around $19.00. I have since moved into various bets that make money if Countrywide survives. Which it will, with Bank of America (BAC) or someone else's help. I am happy to bet the company won't go bankrupt. I'm now into the preferred shares and shorting some deep out of the money puts.

The Countrywide Preferred B (CFCprB - $17.15) shares have a dividend yield of 9.9% (which, unlike the common dividend, the bank is likely to continue paying) and a par value of $25.00.

Historic Old English Mortgage Document

Add Comment (2)

Agriculture: The New Global Warming Bad Guy?
Written By: David Neubert
2007-12-18 08:31:05
We know that coal and petroleum companies are mining the raw materials that contribute to greater levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, but who else is contributing? Surpisingly, agriculture, as Mike Brune from Rainforest Action Network (RAN) says:

We launched a major new campaign taking on giant Agricultural companies ADM, Bunge, and Cargill for violating human rights and clearing rainforests to make way for massive soy and palm plantations. Clearing tropical rainforests for plantations, what we call agri-sprawl, generates more than 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is the reason why Indonesia is the world’s third-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, and Brazil is #4.

Number one and two for now are The U.S. and China, respectively, but that order is expected to reverse soon. I find it very interesting that the top two countries are digging up hydrocarbons stored in the Earth's crust and burning them, while Indonesia and Brazil are burning hydrocarbons (wood) sitting on the surface.

These agricultural companies trade at higher valuations (earnings multiples) but benefit from the same high prices of energy and global commodiites that are driving up the price of energy. Higher commodity prices and demand mean more land is being put to work. Since a dense rainforest holds more hydrocarbons (burnable substances), burning down the rainforest to build a farm relseases CO2.

Add Comment (0)

Anti-Corporate Bad Taste Satire at Burning Man
Written By: David Neubert
2007-08-30 18:47:13
Well, there is Internet connection here but it's slow. It seems to have gotten better over the week. My camp, Entheon Village, has been great and set up a repeater.

The Barbie Death Camp (and Wine Bar) Satires Mattel Inc's (MAT - $21.68) top selling doll of all time, Barbie, being cast into ovens. You can't tell by the photo but they are being driven to the "ovens" by GI Joe and Ken dolls. Because we, at The Panelist, love corporate satire of all kinds - even if it is in bad and insensitive taste, I have to approve of this project. I don't think that The Barbie Death Camp (the sponsor of the art project has the same name as the art), needed to use the word "Auschwitz" in the name because the irony was already clear.

Add Comment (0)

There are 44 items tagged with Investing Ideas/Stocks. You can view all our tags in the Tag Cloud

<< Start < Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next > End >>

Page 1 Of 9

Climate

Women

Neubert's Trades

Social Culture

Technology

Items Tagged With Investing Ideas/Stocks

Finance

Culture

Financial Bloggers

RSS Feed Manager

Members