Thank you Cramer for Receptos. It’s in my list on the right column of Stocks, ETFs and Funds We Like and Own. (See below.)
My friend thanks Value Line for Micron.
Cramer had a chartist on last night who said Apple could breach $130, and reach $140. It closed last night at $125.61, a little above what I had sold some Apple at. Fortunately I still have a large position. Apple is now my second biggest stock holding, after BRKA. I have bigger positions in in index ETFs and funds, including IVV and VFIAX. Other funds are VBR, VTI and XLV (the healthcare sector ETF).
Martin Weiss likes Aetna (AET) because of its growing healthcare interests. It is buying Humana. Martin says AET “merits a Weiss Stock Rating of A+ and ranks #10 among the thousands of stocks we review each day.” AET is on sale, meaning it’s come down recently.
Cybersecurity stocks have fallen out of favor. But will come back next time there’s another big corporate hacking. I like CyberArk (CYBR). But the cybersecurity ETF HACK is a safer way to play this.
BlackRock (BLK) is the world’s largest asset manager and one of our picks. Today it reported. On an adjusted basis, the company earned $4.96 per share, handily beating analysts’ average estimate of $4.80, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
From Delivering Alpha Conference (which is on CNBC today): Bill Ackman likes — Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Greece, Iran and Cuba
Three deals. They lift uncertainty. They should be positive for the market.
Greece seems to have a deal, to be bailed out again — the third of recent years. It plugs one hole. There are plenty of other. This deal will make Greek poorer, and in a few years will require yet another bailout, or a Grexit. No one seems to have the stomach to deal with Greece in a Chapter 11-type scenario.
Iran has a deal.
In October 1994, President Clinton signed a no-nuke bomb deal with North Korea. A few years later they got a bomb, and now they have a small arsenal.
Iran will also get a bomb, despite today’s agreement. Pakistan and India have them. So far MAD has worked. MAD stands for Mutually Assured Destruction. No one has used them.
We won’t get regime change in Iran or Cuba. We’ll get second best — “engagement.” Lifting trade restrictions from Iran and Cuba will help trade and corporate profits and growth.
I’m optimistic.
If you get my blog by email, you don’t see the list of stocks we like and own. You need to go to the web site. Click here.
However, here’s today’s list (I felt stupid not including the list).
News of Note:
In contrast, the S&P 500 was up 7.4%. They would have made nearly three times as much money if they had invested in a simple S&P500 index fund.
Go figure.
As of June 30, 2014, CalPERS managed the largest public pension fund in the United States, with $300.3 billion in assets, according to Wikipedia.
Reading today:
+ Does this Deal Prevent Iran from Developing a Nuclear Weapon? by Alan M. Dershowitz. Click here.
+ A proposal to help falls short. Sizing Up Hillary Clinton’s Plans to Help the Middle Class? Click here.
+ Obama’s Iran Nuclear Deal Pits His Faith in Diplomacy Against Skepticism. Click here.
Harry Newton. Note on the list above some new additions, including eBay. Despite its fall, I still own LADR. It’s now a little below its IPO price. It’s yielding a safe 6.04%.
It’s not a good idea to have huge positions in companies you don’t control — like listed securities. If they ebb (like fall a little), I tend to freak out because the dollar losses look so huge (though the percentages are not) — viz Apple. Live and learn.
Having made 6 trips to north Korea on that project, let me tell you about the deal. Everything held until W called them part of the axis of evil. Then they threw our people out and cranked up the reactor leading to the bomb. Once that happened W decided to negotiate. I went back in 2008 to shut them down again. When Obama got elected, they wanted a better deal. He said no and they threw us out again. I don’t know the current status but they didn’t start the reactor up initially. I don’t have my contacts anymore.
John N.
You did buy Fit and if so would you still recommend buying?
I did buy it. I still am hanging in. It’s getting expensive. As I said I am still hanging in.
Harry, is there any way to get your blog with all your stock recomendations blocked out? And, saying you sold Apple at a little above where it is now is one huge understatement.