Investments

This posts provides an overview of what some of the leading experts and sources list and recommend as Hot Stocks given their recent performance and value so have a read through !

Forbes has a good overview of movers and shakers from The Far East:

The China Enterprise Index of top locally listed mainland Chinese firms was up 1.87 percent to 7,362.09.

Here are some of the stocks on the move:

Financial stocks remained strong after China said it planned to stabilise its stock market and ensure liquidity in the banking system.

China’s biggest lender, ICBC, and smaller rival China Construction Bank gained about 1 percent on hopes China will further cut the reserve requirement on deposits to spur lending.

The nation’s No. 1 insurer, China Life Insurance, rose 3.7 percent, while smaller rivals Ping An Insurance soared 6 percent and PICC P&C surged 3.2 percent.

 * Properties remained in focus with investors hunting for bargains after their recent weakness amid the gloomy outlook for the real estate sector.

Developer Sun Hung Kai Properties rose as much as 1.5 percent on Friday morning despite revising downward its apartment sales target by 20 percent to HK$16 billion for this fiscal year ending in June 2009 from HK$20 billion as the global financial crisis hits Hong Kong’s property market, but it expects a market pick-up in early 2009.

And the article ends up with a round up some other Asian giants and how they are performing :

* Chinese telecom shares rose on renewed speculation that 3G licences will be issued by the end of the year. The nation’s biggest cellular phone network China Mobile rose 2.9 percent, while smaller rival China Unicom gained 2 percent.

 * Hutchison Whampoa rose 2.4 percent after Shenzhen Yantian Port Group said on Thursday that Hutchison, the world’s biggest container terminal operator, had agreed to invest in a container terminal in the city’s Yantian East area.

 * Shanghai Electric Group’s H-shares surged 3.4 percent, marking the trading debut of domestic A shares of the heavy equipment maker in Shanghai on Friday. The company said it has secured more than 80 billion yuan worth of orders in 2008, with outstanding orders in power equipment, heavy machinery and transportation equipment divisions valued at over 180 billion yuan as of Sept 30.

Jim Jubak of MSN Money is hot on Commodity Stocks and explains why:

We’re building the foundation for the next boom in commodity prices — and commodity stocks.

I can’t give you any guarantee that commodity prices won’t tumble further in the short term. In fact, I think that’s very likely to happen as the U.S. economy slips into recession (possibly along with the economies of Japan and the European Union).

But right now commodity stocks are factoring in huge declines in demand and tumbling commodity prices over the long term that just aren’t going to occur. A patient investor who can put up with the pain of the next six, nine or 12 months can now buy a very reasonably priced option on the shares of the strongest commodity producers for the next leg up in commodity prices. I peg the beginning of the next boom at late 2009 or early 2010.

Mr Jubak goes on to explain why even the current financial crisis could impact the commodity stocks postively :

The economic laws of supply and demand don’t care if we’re reluctant to revisit a stock market sector that has delivered so much pain. And as hard as it may be to believe right now, it looks like the current meltdown in global financial markets isn’t going to have much effect on the trends that made commodity stocks big winners until mid-2008.

Growing demand from the rising economies (and the increasingly wealthy consumers) of China, India, Brazil and the Middle East is still going to drive up the long-term price of everything from oil to zinc. In fact, the current global financial crisis could make the commodity boom that much stronger when it does return.

Marketwatch.com has some predictions for Monday trade which are worth noting:

Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trade in Monday’s session are National Semiconductor Corp., H&R Block Inc., and Worthington Industries Inc.

Click here for their full recommendations and insights.

Finally, Richard Gibbons of The Motley Fool talks about stocks you should avoid at present:

The amazing thing about this market is that there are so many cheap stocks. The problem with this market is that there are so many companies that could really blow up on investors.

Your investing success in the next year will be largely determined by your ability to sniff out and avoid losers. With that in mind, here are some suggestions for stocks you should avoid.

Speculative companies
Right now, you should avoid money-losing businesses, companies that need high growth to justify their high earnings multiples, start-up companies that are dependent on the growth of new markets, and other speculative stocks.

Right now, you can find solid, blue-chip stocks that are undervalued by unprecedented amounts. If you can buy a stock that should be trading at double or triple the price, why would you want to risk your money on a stock with less probable gains? In such an environment, speculative bets just don’t make sense.

For instance, right now General Motors (NYSE: GM) is trading at 66-year lows — and the stock still isn’t cheap. The company is projected to lose money as far as the eye can see, and it’s begging for government assistance. Why would you even consider buying GM when you can get Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) — arguably the strongest company in the world with $18 billion in yearly income — at less than nine times its forward earnings multiple? GM simply doesn’t make sense.

When even established, well-capitalized companies are seeing strong headwinds, stay away from the companies that aren’t well-positioned.

To read this rest of his article on things to consider before you buy shares click here - and you should also consider getting their Motley Fool Inside Value report - worth a read for sure !

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