2008 Financial Thread

[Kiwon]

Let's get 2008 started off right by setting up a dedicated thread for financial tips and helps for capitalist pig Packer Rats.

2007 was a pretty good year for many sectors with real estate being the most notable exception. Personally I had a couple of growth mutual funds that did quite well (28% and 17%) which makes me Even better is the fact that these two particular funds are dedicated for the kids' future college expenses.

As the 4th quarter of 2007 indicated, it will probably be harder to match the gains of 2007 in 2008.

So, wise PR friends, where should we look to make money in 2008?

Sector, mutual fund and individual stock suggestions for research would be much appreciated.

[LL2]

2008 was pretty good for us as well. Our mutual funds returned a 32% avg. The year before we did 22%. My goal is 20% or better a year.I'm thinking about switching to ETF's this year.

[MJZiggy]

I think getting a job might be a good place to start...

[Kiwon]

Anyone have some info on companies in the following areas:

Eco-friendly caskets

http://www.usatoday.com/money/indust...coburial_N.htm

Unmanned aircraft manufacturers

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080101/D8TTB3O00.html

Also, what's the news with the XMSR and SIRI merger? Is there any set timeframe for its approval/disapproval by the government?

[Freak Out]

Oil crossed $100 again and gold was up damn near $25 bucks an ounce!

[Freak Out]

Boeing and Ford have teamed up to produce some pretty amazing UAV's.

http://finance.google.com/finance?q=...=1&sa=N&tab=we

http://finance.google.com/finance?q=NYSE%3AF

Here is another interesting player.

http://www.avinc.com/

http://finance.google.com/finance?q=...=1&sa=N&tab=we

[Kiwon]

Good links, Super Freak.

UAVs have proven their worth and the market will continue to mature as they expand into civilian uses. Definitely a growth market.

AVAV looks like an interesting company. Small market cap, currently profitable with a backlog of orders, and expecting a 20-25% income growth over 2007.

Nice tip. "Kam-sa-ham-ni-da" as we say in Korean (Thank you).

[Freak Out]

Good links, Super Freak.

UAVs have proven their worth and the market will continue to mature as they expand into civilian uses. Definitely a growth market.

AVAV looks like an interesting company. Small market cap, currently profitable with a backlog of orders, and expecting a 20-25% income growth over 2007.

Nice tip. "Kam-sa-ham-ni-da" as we say in Korean (Thank you).

No worries Kiwon....I've always been a big fan of Boeing and Ford and bought into AeroVironment after seeing a tech write up about them and doing some research.

The prideful American in me looks at the Ford price as a great bargain.

[Bretsky]

http://www.247wallst.com/2007/12/ten-stocks-that.html

For the risky investors I found this article very interesting; anybody have any views on these little guys ?

[Partial]

I don't think Charter or AMD are going to do anything noteworthy.

[Bretsky]

I don't think Charter or AMD are going to do anything noteworthy.

I'd have a hard time putting money into CharterCrap

ETrade intrigues me though. They seem like a company that will come back in the next couple years.

[Kiwon]

http://www.247wallst.com/2007/12/ten-stocks-that.html

For the risky investors I found this article very interesting; anybody have any views on these little guys ?

I am very familiar with PALM, SIRI, and your favorite, CHTR.

CHTR is the riskiest because of its debt load but......it increased 4X in 2007 and then fell back to earth again. I made some money with it but got out too early, way early in fact but who could have guessed it would have gone to $4.73?

The potential is there if the industry picks up as a whole. Hopefully the NFL Network and the cable companies can learn how to live together which would help everyone.

It's definitely a short-term play for someone with money to risk.

PALM is the next riskiest. I think it will go still lower in 2008 and then slowly turn it around. They have lost their main market to RIMM and APPL, but they have a couple of Apple guys on board that helped develop the iPhone so who knows? The low-cost Centro is selling well.

I'm betting that PALM carves out a niche for itself. There was a interesting article a couple of weeks ago about the future of PDAs/SmartPhones. Depending on the future apps, especially financial and video, they could again become indispensable.

I've seen Korea go from beepers to the tinest of phones to phones with rather large screens as people watch TV and movies while riding the subway so size is less of a concern as weight, which is the area where Treo has been knocked.

Buy low in 2008 and hold for awhile.

SIRI - I'm hoping for the merger, but even if it doesn't happen I think SIRI will be okay. People that enjoy the radio don't want to put up with static and such if they are on the road a lot. People can have mp3 jacks in their cars but still there is nothing like riding and listening to the radio.

Sirius' name is starting to gain penetration into the broader market as well after years of heavy advertising so name recognition is increasing.

There is some money to be made by getting in now and trusting that the anti-business Dems don't kill the merger. The company becomes instantly profitable if the merger goes through.

If not, then it will be another couple of years until profitability.

[MJZiggy]

PALM is the next riskiest. I think it will go still lower in 2008 and then slowly turn it around. They have lost their main market to RIMM and APPL, but they have a couple of Apple guys on board that helped develop the iPhone so who knows? The low-cost Centro is selling well.

I'm betting that PALM carves out a niche for itself. There was a interesting article a couple of weeks ago about the future of PDAs/SmartPhones. Depending on the future apps, especially financial and video, they could again become indispensable.

I've seen Korea go from beepers to the tinest of phones to phones with rather large screens as people watch TV and movies while riding the subway so size is less of a concern as weight, which is the area where Treo has been knocked.

Buy low in 2008 and hold for awhile.

I don't know, my Palm died and lost all my data right as I was gonna send out Christmas cards and I'm still rather pissed about it.

[Kiwon]

What about the lasers used by dermatologists for tattoo removal, wrinkles, etc.?

Are they specialized laser equipment manufactured specifically for those purposes? Who are the manufacturers?

[SkinBasket]

I don't know, my Palm died and lost all my data right as I was gonna send out Christmas cards and I'm still rather pissed about it.

That's why we sync.

[MJZiggy]

software got wiped when I changed computers...couldn't find the disc to reinstall on the new one.

I found this really cool product that doesn't have this problem--never needs synching and is guaranteed never to crash. It's called a paper calendar and address book.

[LL2]

I don't think Charter or AMD are going to do anything noteworthy.

I'd have a hard time putting money into CharterCrap

ETrade intrigues me though. They seem like a company that will come back in the next couple years.

I agree. ETrade's stock is cheap right now. I remember after the tech stock bubble burst thinking that a few of these internet companies are dirt cheap and will rebound nicely. Some of them dropped as low as $1 a share. One of them was Priceline, and now they are at $112 a share.

[Kiwon]

I found this really cool product that doesn't have this problem--never needs synching and is guaranteed never to crash. It's called a paper calendar and address book.

[Kiwon]

Suspense grows over XM-Sirius antitrust review

Thu Jan 3, 2008 3:32pm EST
By Peter Kaplan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. government antitrust lawyers have spent nearly 10 months so far investigating Sirius Satellite Radio Inc's plan to acquire rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc, despite company hopes that the deal would be approved by the end of 2007.

The delay may be due to the complexity of the issues raised by the merger of the only two U.S. satellite radio companies -- or because the Department of Justice (DOJ) is putting together a case to block the deal in federal court, analysts at Stifel Nicolaus said in a research note on Thursday.

Alternatively, top officials at DOJ may be leaning toward approval but might still be weighing arguments from staffers who oppose the deal, Stifel Nicolaus said.

"Like many others, we believed it was likely that the DOJ would have reached a decision before the winter holidays," Stifel Nicolaus said.

Washington, D.C., antitrust lawyer Andre Barlow, of the firm Doyle, Barlow & Mazard, said some analysts may have underestimated the complexity of the investigation.

"It certainly wasn't as imminent as (some) projected," Barlow said, referring to previous rumors that the government was about to make a decision.

Asked by Reuters about the ongoing review, Sirius and XM issued a joint statement saying: "As the companies said from the outset, we expected to complete the processes at DOJ and the FCC so that the regulators could make their decisions and the merger could close by the end of 2007. We have fully complied with the requests from both agencies. The ball is now in their court and we look forward to their determinations."

A key antitrust issue in the case is whether the combined satellite radio company would still face enough competition from free, over-the-air radio and new technologies.

The deal, announced on February 19, 2007, would bring entertainers such as Oprah Winfrey and shock-jock Howard Stern under one roof. Sirius and XM, both of which are losing money, each currently charge subscribers about $13 a month for more than 100 channels of news, music, talk and sports.

Barlow said the DOJ antitrust division is probably in the latter stages of reviewing the deal. But he said a final decision could still take some time because the proposed deal raises complicated questions about emerging technologies and how officials should view the radio business.

"It is a complicated deal to review," Barlow said.

The traditional radio industry, as well as some consumer groups and U.S. lawmakers, have criticized the deal as anti-competitive. But the satellite radio companies argued that they face plenty of competition from traditional radio stations and from the growing popularity of iPods and other personal audio players.

To allay critics' concerns, the two companies promised that after the merger, they would offer several new packages starting at lower prices, which they say would give consumers more programming choices than XM or Sirius could provide individually.

In November, one industry analyst said an antitrust decision by the department could be imminent and he believed the deal would be approved. Two U.S. lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee responded with a letter to U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, saying they were concerned about reports that officials might intend to approve the merger over objections of career attorneys at the Justice Department.

The Sirius-XM deal is also being examined by the Federal Communications Commission, which is expected to follow the Justice Department's lead.

The FCC is studying whether the deal would be in the public interest -- and whether to enforce a 1997 FCC order prohibiting the two companies from merging.

Shareholders from both companies approved the merger on November 13. XM shareholders would get 4.6 shares of Sirius common stock for every share of XM owned.

Shares of XM, which closed at $13.98 the day before the February 19 deal announcement, have been volatile ever since. XM dipped below $11 a share in May and then nearly hit $16 in late November. On Thursday, XM was trading at $12.57, up 15 cents.

The share price of Sirius, meanwhile, had a 52-week peak of $4.26 just before the deal was announced and was trading late Thursday at $3.12, up 7 cents.

[LL2]

We are doing a 401k rollover to an IRA account at Scottrade. Can we buy stocks like Etrade or others within an IRA? I know you can buy ETF's and looking into those as well. If you buy stocks within an IRA and sell the stock down the road the returns are still tax deferred. I know I need to ask our broker, but I thought I'd see if others have done it.