WallStreetNewsNetwork Marijuana Stock Index Up 40% for 1st Quarter

Marijuana stocks are still getting high. The WallStreetNewsNetwork.com Marijuana Stock Index was up a respectable 40% for the first quarter of this year, significantly outperforming the S & P 500, which was up only about 1.3% for this quarter. 

 
This is in spite of the fact that some cannabis companies experienced a huge drop this month. Interestingly, these were the higher priced stocks. For example, Advanced Cannabis Solutions    (CANN) dropped from 33.15 to 29.99, Cannabis Sativa Inc.   (CBDS) dropped from 11 to 7.85, and one of the biggest drops, CannaVEST (CANV) tanked from 147 to 38 per share.

There were some risers this month, such as mCig    (MCIG), which went from 0.46 a share to 0.74, and Terra Tech    (TRTC), which rose from 0.52 to 1.14.

Overall, most of the pot stocks were down for the month of March, but up for the quarter. If you look at the chart, you will notice that the weed stocks appear to have topped out, or at least taking a rest. 

For a list of the stocks in the WallStreetNewsNetwork.com Marijuana Stock Index or the BIG LIST of marijuana stocks, which now has over a 100 listings, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.  

Disclosure: Author owns TRTC.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Second Week of April

  Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

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The Gap Inc.	GPS	4/7	2.0%
InterDigital, Inc.	IDCC	4/7	1.2%
Kadant Inc.	KAI	4/7	1.6%
MasterCard	MA	4/7	0.6%
The New York Times Co.	NYT	4/7	1.0%
UDR Inc.	UDR	4/7	4.1%
Aetna	AET	4/8	1.2%

-->

Darden Restaurants	DRI	4/8	4.3%
Ethan Allen	ETH	4/8	1.6%
General Mills	GIS	4/8	3.2%
Intuit Inc.	INTU	4/8	1.0%

 The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free.Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia
A Great Gift!

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Life Span of US Currency

Between the $1, the $5, the $10 bill, the $20 bill, the $50 bill, and the hundred dollar bill, which one has the longest average lifespan?

The $100 bill at 15 years.

Now here is a hard one. Which currency has the shortest lifespan?

If you guessed the one dollar bill, you would be wrong. It's life is 5.9 years. The answer is the ten dollar bill, at 4.2 years.

Transition to Safer Stocks: Will Big Pharmaceuticals Make You Financially Healthy

Have you noticed in the last several days of this volatile market, when many of the mid cap and small cap stocks were tanking, the blue chip stocks, such as AT&T (T) and Merck (MRK) went up? Investors are getting worried and nervous, and when that happens, they move their money cash and more conservative stocks, generally stocks that pay dividends. The dividends help to reduce volatility and return the investment capital back faster.

Two years ago, I suggested big pharmaceutical stocks as a contrarian play as big pharma stocks were down almost 2% during the first few months of 2012, whereas the S & P 500 was up about 9% during that same time frame. The suggestions included Johnson &  Johnson (JNJ), which has risen by almost 50% in the last couple years, and Merck (MRK), which has gone up by about 44%, both far outperforming the S & P 500, which went up around 31%.

These pharmaceutical stocks are still worth a second look, especially for long term investors. According to the free list of high yield big pharmaceutical stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there over a dozen pharmaceutical stocks and more than half with yields of 3.0% or more. 

Merck (MRK), is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. This is the company that makes such products as Gardasil, Singular, Levitra, Nasonex, Claritin, Clarinex, Coppertone, MiraLax, and Bain de Soleil. The stock trades at 38 times trailing earnings and 15 times forward earnings.   The stock pays a healthy yield of 3.2%.

Johnson &  Johnson (JNJ), founded in 1886, is considered to be the world's largest pharma company. It is a manufacturer of pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods. Products include Band-Aids, Acuvue, Listerine, OneTouch Blood Glucose Meter, Splenda, and Tylenol. The stock has a trailing price to earnings ratio of 20 and a forward PE ratio of 16, with a generous yield of 2.8%.

If you want a list of over a dozen high yield pharma stocks, that can be downloaded and sorted, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author owns T.

By Stockerblog.com

Trivia: What Billionaire Investor Appeared on a Soap Opera?

Stock Market Trivia is a new feature at Stockerblog.com. The question for today is:


What Billionaire Investor Appeared on a Soap Opera?


Hint #1:




The Soap Opera is All My Children


Hint number 2: 


This billionaire appeared not once but twice in this TV series


Hint number 3: 


He plays himself in this show


Hint number 4: 


He also played the part of James Madison in an animated TV series called "Liberty's Kids: Est. 1776"


Give up?


The answer is:


Who else but Warren Buffett. He appeared in the All My Children Episode 9869 on May 8, 2008 and Episode 9870 on May 9, 2008. In addition, he appeared in five documentaries. And of course, he appeared in the movie Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. 

If you like investment trivia, more stock market trivia and Wall Street trivia can be found in the book: 

 Stock Market Trivia

Top Selling Real Estate Investing Books

As long as I am posting top selling books about investing, I might as well add real estate investing to the list. Here are the top selling investment real estate books on Amazon (AMZN).


The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Dave Jenks

The Book on Flipping Houses: How to Buy, Rehab, and Resell Residential Properties by Mr. J Scott

Buy It, Rent It, Profit!: Make Money as a Landlord in ANY Real Estate Market by Bryan Chavis

What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know About Cash Flow... And 36 Other Key Financial Measures by Frank Gallinelli

FLIP: How to Find, Fix, and Sell Houses for Profit by Rick Villani


Remember, there is still time to get the 30 day free trial of Amazon Prime which allows you to instantly watch over 40,000 movies and TV episodes, plus get FREE shipping, no matter how small your order.

Top Selling Stock Market Books

Are you looking for some springtime reading? Or maybe you're just looking for a great gift. Have you considered one of the new (or old) top selling books on investing in the stock market?

Here are the current top selling books at Amazon (AMZN) in the category of Investing - Stocks. Interestingly, two of the books are about penny stocks.

Global Value: How to Spot Bubbles, Avoid Market Crashes, and Earn Big Returns in the Stock Market by Mebane Faber

The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing: Fifth Edition by Jason Kelly

One Up On Wall Street: How To Use What You Already Know To Make Money In The Market by Peter Lynch

Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Penny Stocks For Beginners: How to Get Rich Investing In Penny Stocks (Penny Stock Investing, Penny Stock Trading) by Devon Wilcox

Penny Stocks For Dummies by Peter Leeds


Also, don't forget about the 30 day free trial of Amazon Prime which allows you to instantly watch over 40,000 movies and TV episodes, plus get FREE shipping, no matter how small your order.

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the First Week of April

  Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

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ABM Industries	ABM	4/1	2.2%
Acme United Corp	ACU	4/1	1.9%
Brandywine Realty	BDN	4/1	4.2%
Brixmor Property Group Inc	BRX	4/1	3.8%
Mack-Cali Realty	CLI	4/1	5.8%
Cisco Systems	CSCO	4/1	3.4%

-->

American Vanguard Corp.	AVD	4/2	0.9%
American Express	AXP	4/2	1.0%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free.
Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia
A Great Gift!

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Cuba Going Capitalistic? Time for Cuba Stocks?

Habana Lonja del Commercio
Stock Exchange

Do you realize that Cuba used to have a stock exchange? It was located in Havana during the early 1900's.  (See picture.)

Cuba must really be hurting for cash. The county needs to bring businesses in and they are doing whatever they can to attract them. The government is waiving taxes and cutting taxes, plus banning expropriations, according to the proposed law.Although the new laws are not perfect, they are a step in the right direction.

Other good news about Cuba:
- eased restrictions on Cuban Americans traveling to Cuba
- Cuban Americans allowed to send money to their Cuban relatives
- U.S. telecom companies are now allowed to do business in Cuba.

It will be interesting to see which American companies jump on the bandwagon and set up operations there. If you are looking for companies that already have a foothold in Cuba, here are a few companies that have Cuban connections, according to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

The best way of investing in Cuba on a diversified basis is through the Herzfeld Caribbean Basin Fund Inc. (CUBA). It is a closed end fund which is a diversified way of playing the Cuba economy. It invests in stocks of the of the Caribbean Basin Countries and the United States, which are expected to benefit from economic growth in Cuba, Jamaica, the Bahamas and other countries. The CEF recently declared a $1.14 per share year end distribution payable in stock.

Sherritt International (SHERF) is a Toronto, Ontario based mining, and oil, and gas company that is one of the largest foreign investors in Cuba, having more business in Cuba than any other Canadian company. A major portion of their revenues are generated by the Moa Mine in Cuba, formerly owned by Freeport-McMoRan Copper (FCX), as a joint venture with a Cuban government company. They also operate Varadero, Canasí, Yumuri, Puetro Escondido oil and gas fields which they have leased in Cuba. In addition, Sherritt owns, Energas, the Cuban electric utility. The stock trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada and on the Pink Sheets in the United States, and recently generated negative earnings of 2.27 cents per share. The stock, which trades for a little over $3 per share, has 2.26 in cash per share and a 10.66 book value.

There may be more cruise travel to Cuba. So companies such as Carnival Corp. (CCL), and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) should also benefit. Carnival yields 2.5% and Royal Caribbean pays a yield of 1.8%.

For a list of ten Cuba related stocks, which has information on the PE ratio, the forward PE, the PEG, and the yield, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Author didn't own any fo the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fifth Week of March

  Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

-->

HealthSouth Corp	HLS	3/28	2.3%
Amtrust Financial Services	AFSI	3/28	2.2%
Corrections Corp of Amercia	CXW	3/31	6.2%
Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corp. Cl A	AGM-A	3/31	6.0%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free.
Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia
A Great Gift!

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Is India the Leading BRIC Country? Top India Stocks

During the last six months, the iShares India 50 (INDY), which is an ETF that tracks the top 50 companies in India, was up 12.5%, outperforming the S & P 500, which was up only around 10% during the same time frame. It appears that India is starting to make its move, as the ETF has significantly underperformed the US markets during the last year and last two years.

India is one of the BRIC countries. BRIC stands for Brazil, Russia, India, and China, and investors now believe that India may be the strongest of the four, especially since many believe that business in general will improve after the May elections. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has turned up a list of over 15 Indian stocks which trade within the United States, with more than half of them paying dividends.

The second largest bank in India by market capitalization and assets is ICICI Bank    (IBN), which trades on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock trades at    12.9 time trailing earnings and     13.1 times forward earnings. The stock has a price earnings to growth ratio of    0.7. Earnings for the latest quarter were up an amazing 37.7% on a 2.6% rise in revenues. The stock pays a yield of    1.6%.

One of the largest IT companies in India is Infosys (INFY), a provider of technology, engineering, business consulting, and outsourcing services. This New York Stock Exchange company trades at    18.2 times trailing earnings and    16.1 times forward earnings, with a PEG ratio of     1.2. The company sports a yield of    1.1%.

For a free list of India based stocks that trade in the US, which has information such as the PE, the forward PE, the PEG, the yield, and the business, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Can You be a Stock Star with Pawn Shop Stocks?

Recently, Celebrity Yahoo posted a video of the house of 'Pawn Stars' star Rick Harrison. It certainly shows that there is definitely money in the pawn shop business.  So if investors want to jump on the bandwagon, what should they do?

The pawn shop business is one of the few areas that does well in both good and bad economies, as there are always people who need to borrow against or sell some of their possessions. According to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are about a dozen stocks involved in the pawn shop industry and related businesses, such as payday loans, companies are often referred to as 'Desperation Stocks.'  When individuals need money and they can't get a loan from a bank, they become desperate and get a payday loan or they borrow against an item at a pawn shop.

The largest publicly traded company in this field by market cap is First Cash Financial Services Inc. (FCFS), based in Arlington, Texas, which has a market capitalization of $1.5 billion. It has pawnshops in over 800 locations in Texas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wyoming, and also in 24 states in Mexico. In addition to pawn loans, First Cash also offers payday loans and title loans on automobiles. The company also buys, gold, silver, and platinum andis a provider of Western Union services. The stock trades at 19 times trailing earnings and 15 times forward earnings. Revenues for the latest quarter were up 5.6%, however, earnings were down 10.3%.

The second largest is Cash America International, Inc. (CSH), a $1.2 billion company based in Fort Worth, Texas. It has over 900 locations in the United States and Mexico with the brand names Cash America Pawn, SuperPawn and Prenda Fácil. The company also offers short-term cash advance loans through the Internet to customers in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. The stock trades at 8.9 times trailing earnings and 8.8 times forward earnings, and even pays a small yield of 0.3%. Earnings for the latest quarter jumped by11.5% on a slight drop in revenues.

For a free list of other companies in the pawn shop industry, which includes EZCorp (EZPW) and DFC Global (DLLR), go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The list can be downloaded, sorted and updated.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Junk Food or Health Food: Which is a Better Investment?

There was a news report yesterday that people who use food banks spend the money they save on junk food. There will always be consumers of junk food, but as the population grows older, there is a tendency for individuals to eat healthier foods, causing the health food industry to increase dramatically over the last decade or so.

The PowerShares Dynamic Food & Beverage ETF (PBJ), with the great ticker symbol that matches the acronym for "peanut butter and jelly," has such stocks in its portfolio as Hershey (HSY), Coca-Cola (KO), and Pepsico (PEP). This ETF is up almost up about 8% during the last six months, outperforming the S&P 500 which has risen about 5% over the same period of time.

However, health food companies such as Hain Celestial Group (HAIN), have moved up 15% in the last six month. The company, which makes and sells natural and organic food products, trades at 33.5 times trailing earnings and 26 times forward earnings. Net income for the latest quarter was up a strong 30.4%, on a 17.5% rise in revenues.

Another healthy health food stock is United Natural Foods (UNFI), a distributor of natural and organic foods. The stock is up around 6.5% for the last half year. It has a forward price to earnings ratio of  32, and forward PE ratio of 26. Latest quarterly earnings were up 23.6% on a 13.9% boost in revenues for the quarter.

A free list of health food stocks, and a list of regular food stocks, is available at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, which has information on the PE, the forward PE, the PEG, the yield, and the business profile.

Disclosure: The author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Over 70 Marijuana Stocks: New Ones Appearing Every Day

Marijuana Leaves

Another day, another company claims to be involved in the marijuana business. And no wonder, since the Stockerblog.com Marijuana Stock Index is up by an amazing 390% during the first couple months of the year, whereas the S&P 500 was up by only 0.6%.

Marijuana Stocks Up 390% in Two Months

Unfortunately for the conservative investor, none of the recent additions to the WallStreetNewsNetwork.com Marijuana Stocks list would be considered blue chip stocks. Most are micro-cap stocks, penny stocks, and sub-penny stocks. A sub-penny stock is one which trades for less than one cent per share. Connections to the marijuana industry may be a stretch for many of these companies.

Some of the new companies added to the list include Advanced Content Services    (ADCS), with a market cap of 1.98 million, Minerco    (MINE), with a 13.43 million market cap, Next Gen    (NXTTF) at 3.5 million, Latteno Food    (LATF) at 14 million, Medifirst Solutions    (MFST)   at 1.8 million, and Vapor Group, which was formerly called AvWorks Aviation (SPLI)  at a market cap of   61.56 million.

Of course, many of the marijuana companies have been in the marijuana business for a while, such as Terra Tech   (TRTC), a manufacturer of growing equipment. The company has a market cap of 106 million.

Marijuana Plants

Another growing equipment company is  GrowLife Inc.    (PHOT) with a market cap of  429 million.

Tranzbyte Corporation    (ERBB)    which has a market cap of 214 million, produces the ZaZZZ medical marijuana dispensing machines.

A list of all the marijuana stocks, along with available financial data, and the connection to the marijuana industry, is available at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. As always, no recommendation is expressed or implied for any of the above mentioned stocks.

Disclosure: Author owns TRTC.

By Stockerblog.com

How to Invest in Race Horses Without Owning Racehorses

The Kentucky Derby is one of the three most watched horseraces in the United States, will be held on Saturday, May 3, in Louisville, Kentucky. The Kentucky Derby is the first race of the three of races of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. The Derby will be followed by the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.

There are three ways to make money from race horses. You can buy a race horse, you can bet on a race horse, or you can invest in the stock of a horse race track. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has a list of over half a dozen stocks in the horse racing industry, several of which pay dividends.

One example is Churchill Downs (CHDN), the host of the Kentucky Derby. (By the way, if you are planning on attending the Kentucky Derby, you need to buy your tickets now.) This is the holding company of the Churchill Downs Racetrack that originally opened in 1875. It also owns Arlington Park, the Calder Race Course, the Fair Grounds Race Course, and the Trackside Off-Track-Betting Facilities. The stock trades at 30 times trailing earnings, 22 times forward earnings. Revenues for the latest quarter were up 3.1% and reported earnings of $3.06 per share. The company sports a yield of 0.9%.

Another runner in the racehorse field is Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment (DDE), which owns Dover Downs Raceway, a harness racing track with pari-mutuel wagering. The company trades at 15 times forward earnings. Revenues were down 4.1% for the latest reported quarter.

Penn National Gaming Inc. (PENN) owns racetracks and off-track wagering facilities in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ontario. The stock has a forward PE of 32. Revenues dropped 13.3% for the latest quarter.

For a free list of horse racing stocks which you can download, sort and update, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Also, if you want a free horse race handicapping program, check out the one at horsetip.com.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fourth Week of March

  Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

-->

KAR Auction Services Inc	KAR	3/24	3.4%
Liberator Medical Holdings Inc	LBMH	3/24	2.6%
Capella Education Company	CPLA	3/24	2.1%
Healthcare Trust of America, Inc.	HTA	3/25	5.3%
Sempra Energy	SRE	3/25	2.9%
Retail Properties of America, Inc	RPAI	3/26	4.8%
National American University Holdings	NAUH	3/26	4.7%
CyrusOne Inc	CONE	3/26	3.9%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia
A Great Gift!

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Seattle to Use Facial Recognition: Top Facial Recognition Stocks

In spite of privacy concerns, the city of Seattle has decided to use facial recognition technology to fight crime. Seattle is the largest city in the United States to have a police department utilizing facial recognition software. A grant from Homeland Security provided funding for the project.

Facial recognition is the technological process automatically identifying a person from a digital image or a video, by comparing comparing facial features to an extensive facial database. 3D facial recognition is the latest trend, which is more accurate and can be used with profiles of faces. Facial recognition systems are employed by law enforcement, national security governmental agencies, casinos, banking, mobile devices, and even social media.
  
According to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, ther are about a dozen stocks involved in facial recognition technology, with some having it as a small part of their business and a few pure plays. Some of the major players that have facial recognition as a small part of their business include Facebook (FB), Google (GOOG), 3M (MMM), which has the Cogent BioTrust biometric logon software and the CAFIS facial recognition authentication system, Apple (AAPL), which has the iPhoto software Faces and the Polar Rose facial recognition company, and Safran (SAFRY), which owns L-1 Identity Solutions.

As for companies that are more pure plays, there is Nxt-ID, Inc. (NXTD), a Shelton, Connecticut company which provides biometric solutions for the law enforcement facial recognition markets. The company has MobileBio FaceMatch, a modular facial recognition system for smartphones, tablets, laptop, and desktop computers, and 3D FaceMatch Biometric Identity Systems, which combines 3D facial recognition, 2D facial recognition, and optional fingerprint biometrics. This very low cap stock, at $93 million, generated a loss of seven cents a share for the latest quarter.

An extremely low cap player in this industry is AccelPath (ACLP), which has developed and marketed 3-D facial recognition for the security industry. Products included 3D SketchArtist, 3D FaceCam, and OmniEye Wellcam.

To access a free list of all the companies with some involvement in the facial recognition industry, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Although there are many privacy issues, this is a growth industry of the future.

Disclosure: Author owns AAPL.
 
By Stockerblog.com

Marijuana Stock Index Up 390%: Jim Cramer and Marijuana

I have been a follower of the tweets of Jim Cramer on Twitter for quite a while and I noticed something interesting on Friday. I was surprised to see that he posted several links to articles on marijuana, including Cannabis Companies Get Series B Financing and Marijuana Job Fair Overwhelmed with Long Lines. Like it or not, the news on medical marijuana and legalized marijuana continues to grow (no pun intended).

Marijuana Stock Index Up 390% in Two Months

And no wonder. The Stockerblog.com Marijuana Stock Index, which can be found at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, shows that marijuana stocks shot up by an incredible 390% for the first two months of the year, versus the S&P 500 which wasn't up even 1% over the same period of time.

The Stock that Rose 1108%

Some stocks dropped during the month of February, but were still up significantly from the beginning of the year.  For example, FusionPharm Inc.    (FSPM), dropped about a dollar a share from the end of January to the end of February. Yet, from the end of December, the stock went up by an amazing 1,108%. The is the company that makes and markets cultivation containers.

The Stock that Rose 416%

Yet, other marijuana stocks continued to make new highs (another unintended pun) through both months. CannaVEST    (CANV) went from 28.50 a share at year end to over 147 a share at the end of February, an increase of 416%. CannaVEST in involved in the production and marketing of hemp based nutriceuticals.

The Stock that Rose 1367%

The biggest high riser (pun was intended that time) during that two month period was Cannabis Sativa Inc.    (CBDS), which has a purchase agreement for a patent pending hybrid marijuana strain. The stock went from being a penny stock at 75 cents a share to 11 a share. This was an unbelievable increase of 1,367%.

Blue Chip Marijuana Stocks

Even the Blue Chip Marijuana Stocks outperformed the S&P 500, such as Psychmedics (PMD), Solvay (SVYZY), and  Valeant (VRX).

The Future and
Which Marijuana Stocks to Invest In

So will some of these marijuana stocks crash and burn? I'm sure a few will, but it is hard to tell which ones.  Will some continue to get higher? Definitely. So how do you pick the right ones?

My opinion is to use the Gold Rush Analogy. During the California gold rush, the businesses that made the most money were the ones that sold supplies and clothing (i.e. Levis) to the gold miners. I'm sure you can extend this analogy to marijuana companies, which you can find a list of at WallStreetnewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Gold is Up 11% in the Last Month and a Half: Top Income Gold Stocks

Do you realize that in the last month and a half, the price of gold has risen 11%, whereas the S&P 500 has only gone up by 3.3% over the same period of time. The share prices of gold mining companies have also started taking off. The Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX) is up 18.1%, and the Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ) up 26.1%.

Investors can not only achieve capital appreciation on their gold mining shares but also dividend income from certain companies, as yields on these stocks are fairly high, compared to what you could receive from a bank account. Keep in mind though that some of the gold mining companies link their dividends to the price of gold, and even those that don't could easily cut their dividends if the price of bullion drops. According to the free list of high yield gold mining stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are over 20 gold stocks that pay out dividend yields, ranging from 0.4% to over 6%.

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (FCX) is a major producer in the precious metals sector. The world's largest publicly traded copper company, it also mines for gold, molybdenum, cobalt, silver, and several other metals. This Phoenix, Arizona based miner has operations in North America, South America, Indonesia, and Africa. The stock trades at 12 times trailing earnings and 10 times forward earnings. Earnings for the latest quarter were down 4.8% on a revenue boost of 30.4%. The stock pays a very generous 3.9% yield, and dividends are paid quarterly.

Another high yield gold company is Yamana Gold, Inc. (AUY), a Toronto, Ontario, Canada based miner which explores for and produces gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, and silver, from its properties in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Mexico. The stock trades at 25 times trailing earnings and 24 times forward earnings. The latest quarterly revenues were down 33.2%. The stock pays a CD beating yield of 1.5%. Dividends for this company are also paid out quarterly.

For more of a silver play, there is Silver Wheaton Corp. (SLW), the Vancouver, Canada company which yields 1.4%. The stock has a trailing P/E ratio of 21 and a forward P/E of 28. Quarterly revenues were up 3.2% but earnings dropped 35.6%.

The yields on these stocks can help reduce some of the volatility and return your capital quicker. Just remember, that companies can reduce (or increase) their dividend payouts at any time. For a list of the other high yield gold and silver mining stocks, which can be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.
 
By Stockerblog.com

How to Get Tax Free Dividends

Now is the season for investors to prepare their taxes, or at least get their documents and receipts together for their accountant. Income investors may look at their 1099s for the dividends and interest they have received, thinking it would be great to not have to pay tax on that income.

There are a few ways to receive tax free income. First, many master limited partnerships, commonly known as MLPs, pay out dividends that are a return of capital, and are therefore non-taxable. However, these dividends are not really tax free as the tax has to be paid eventually when the investment is sold. MLPs are normally issued by oil and gas companies that are able to shelter the income using depreciation and amortization, which are non-out-of-pocket tax deductions.

However if you are looking for tax free income that is totally tax free, you should consider the municipal bond closed end funds, sometimes referred to as tax-free stocks or tax-free CEFs. These CEFs own municipal bonds that pay interest that is exempt from Federal income taxes and may be exempt from state income taxes if issued in the state you live in or issued by one of the US territories, such as Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, or Guam. Munis are generally issued by states, counties, cities, and other governmental entities such as school districts, sewer districts, bridges, and water and power departments. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com just recently updated its list of over 125 tax-free income CEFs, and more than 100 sporting yields greater than 5%.

There are many advantages besides the tax free income feature to these CEFs. Almost all of them pay dividends monthly, whereas, if you by an individual bond, the interest is paid semi-annually. CEFs have no minimum investment, whereas municipal bonds are sold in $5,000 denominations and many brokers have minimum purchase requirements of $15,000 to $25,000. You also have better liquidity with CEFs as prices are quoted real time and quotes are immediately available on the Internet. In addition, CEFs provide diversification through a group of bonds in the portfolio.

One of the funds that has been around for a while is the Dreyfus Strategic Municipal Bond Fund Inc. (DSM), which was founded in 1989. It currently yields 7.2%, and is selling for a 6.4% discount to Net Asset Value. The NAV is the intrinsic value of the shares if the entire fund were liquidated. The fund does use some leverage amounting to 32%, which is far lower than many other tax free CEFs. The management fee is a reasonable 0.50%.

For New Yorkers, there is the PIMCO New York Municipal Income Fund (PNF), founded in 2001. The fund yields 6.3%, and trades at NAV. Leverage is 39%, and the management fee is 0.65%. This CEF has the added bonus of seeking to be free of the Alternative Minimum Tax, also known as AMT, for New York residents.

California residents might want to consider the Invesco Van Kampen California Value Municipal Income Fund (VCV), yielding 6.7%. Discount to NAV is 7.6%, with 35% leverage. The company, founded in 1992, charges a management fee of 0.55%.

Here are some issues to watch out for before investing in tax free CEFs:
* high leverage
* high management fees
* trading at a premium to NAV
* bonds in the portfolio that may be subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax
* quality of bonds in the portfolio

The biggest risk of investing in these funds is a rise in interest rates, which will cause the bonds to fall in price and therefore the CEFs to drop in value.

For a list of tax free income closed end funds, which includes yields, discounts and premiums, leverage, management fees, date founded, and other information, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Amazon Prime Raising their Rates to $99 a Year: Get It Now for Free While You Still Can

If you are a regular shopper at Amazon, you are probably familiar with the Free Super Saver Shipping option. The disadvantage of that option is that it can take up to eight business days, and that's after all of your items are available to ship. In addition, you need to order at least $35 worth of items. Amazon recently raised this threshold from $25. I've had times when I've had an order within a dollar or two of that amount, and had to come up with something else, in order to get the free shipping.
Well now you have another option. You have also heard about Amazon Prime, which allows you to have these benefits, but you weren't sure if it was worth it. The current rate is $79 but Amazon will raise its rate to $99 on April 17.
Well how would you like to have Amazon Prime for Free?
Amazon is offering this special for a limited time so sign up now. It allows you free access to Amazon Prime for 30 days.  In addition, if you sign up for the year before April 17, you will be able to take advantage of the lower rate for your first year.

Here's what you get:
* More than 40,000 movies and TV episodes
* Kindle Owners' Lending Library to borrow Kindle books
* FREE two-day shipping, no minimum order size, as many times as you want in the 30 day period

If you want more details, click on the following link:
Amazon Prime for Free
If you want to sign up now (the offer is only for a limited time), chick here:
Amazon Prime for Free
 
Join Amazon Prime - Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Cord Blood May Have Saved a Baby from Brain Damage: Top Cord Blood Stocks

A baby who had a stroke in utero, was treated with her own cord blood at Duke University. The cord blood had been stored from birth by a private cord blood bank. The director of the pediatric program at Duke believes that the cord blood cells help decrease inflammation in the section of the brain that was affected by stroke.

Cord blood is blood that comes from the umbilical cords of babies, and contains a significant amount of hematopoietic stem cells. Specialized cord blood banks store this blood. Cord blood stem cells are considered far superior to stem cells from bone marrow. Cord blood of a baby is preserved in the event it may be needed at some point in the future for treatment of possible cancer or genetic disease of the child or the child's siblings. Numerous diseases have been treated with cord blood. Information on cord blood and how it is collected, stored, and used, is available at CordBloodStocks.com.

Investors have a few options when investing in the cord blood industry. They can own the stocks of the cord blood banks, they can own the companies that use cord blood to develop cures, or they can own companies that produce extraction and storage products. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has come up with a list of 20 companies involved in the cord blood field.

One example is PerkinElmer, Inc. (PKI), which owns ViaCell, a Cambridge, Massachusetts company which sells ViaCord, a product which is used to preserve baby's umbilical cord blood. They also research and other therapeutic uses of umbilical cord blood-derived and adult-derived stem cells. The stock trades at 30 times earnings and pays a small yield of 0.6%.

Baxter International Inc. (BAX) makes blood collection bags for umbilical cord blood and develop adult stem-cell therapies. They also own a patent for assembling and methods to process cord blood in a sterile fashion to avoid exposure to bacterial contamination and to disburse the introduction of cryopreservation solution into cord blood at a desired rate, thereby avoiding damage or trauma to the cord blood cells. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 18 and sports a generous yield of 2.9%.

Celgene (CELG) is a New Jersey company that is involved in the discovery, production, and marketing of therapies designed to treat cancer and immune-inflammatory-related diseases. They own LifeBank USA, a cord blood bank. The stock has a PE of 46.

Amgen Inc. (AMGN) is also funding research into cord blood extraction, preservation, and storage. The stock has a forward PE of 19 and carries a decent yield of 2.0%.

For a free list of cord blood and stem cell stocks, which can be downloaded, updated, and sorted, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Warren Buffett's Top 3 Stocks

The head of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A), Warren Buffett, is one of the three richest men in the world, in competition on a regular basis with Bill Gates and Carlos Slim. Buffett made his wealth the old fashion way, from investing. He has had a stellar long term performance with his investment portfolio, that many investors try to emulate.

Berkshire Hathaway currently has over 40 stocks in its portfolio, according to the free list of Warren Buffett stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. One way to tell what stocks Buffett likes best in his portfolio is to look at his largest holdings.

Buffett has investedover $20 billion in Wells Fargo (WFC), making up 20% of the Berkshire portfolio.  Wells trades at 12 times trailing earnings, and 11 times forward earnings. Net earnings for the latest quarter rose 10.2% on a 0.9% rise in revenues. The stock pays a yield of 2.5%, a lot more than what they pay on their savings accounts.

Buffett's second largest holding is Coca Cola (KO), with $16.5 billion invested at 15.7% of the portfolio. Coke trades at 20 times earnings with a forward price to earnings ratio of 17. Earnings dropped for the latest quarter, down 8.4%. The company has a dividend payout rate of 3.2%.

In third place is American Express (AXP). This credit card and travel company has a PE of 19, and forward PE of 15. Earnings for the latest quarter jumped by an amazing 105%, on a 6.9% revenue increase.The yield is 1.0%.

For a list of all the other Warren Buffett stocks, which includes PE ratios and yields, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Third Week of March

  Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

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Navios Maritime Acquisition	NNA	3/17	5.1%
Cincinnati Financial	CINF	3/17	3.8%
Tupperware	TUP	3/17	3.5%
Texas Roadhouse, Inc.	TXRH	3/17	2.3%

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Xcel Energy	XEL	3/18	4.0%
Pinnacle Foods Inc	PF	3/18	3.0%
Navios Maritime	NM	3/18	2.6%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia
A Great Gift!

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com