http://pfblogs.org/ Delivering all the personal finance blogs you can handle -- and then some. contact@pfblogs.org en-us Copyright 2010 2010-03-17T19:32:14-05:00 http://pfblogs.org/ What was once a 2,000-square-foot turn lane at Parkman Avenue and Silver Lake Blvd. will soon be home to new trees and drought-resistant bushes--or as the sustainability blog greengopost.com calls it, an "urban lounge... where walkers will hang out for a few minutes, get some shade, and then move on" (makes us think of Los Feliz's little median park). The mini-park's architect, Urban Operations Studio, says the design was created to "mitigate concerns about attracting an influx of homeless and vandalism." Last Saturday, about 20 locals set up shop at the corner to fill in the triangular park, called Parkman Triangle, with dirt. Previously, asphalt was removed from the street, which was paid for with a $10,000 matching grant from the city's Office of Community Beautification, as well as $4,000 from the office of Councilman Eric Garcetti. The park is mostly a grassroots effort (really!), with more locals arriving next Sunday morning (the day of the LA Marathon--yikes) to move dirt and plant the three shady trees and camel-like shrubs. At least tasty Tropical is nearby. · Parkman Triangle is a Reality [greengopost.com] · Reviews In for Los Feliz Triangle Park [Curbed LA] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596332 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596332 Curbed Los Angeles 2010-03-17T19:32:14-05:00 After months of cold, pouring rain and even snow, the sun decided to make an appearance this week. Spring is in the air! There is nothing like some dirt, a trowel and some $3 flowers to make for one very happy child. Frugal family fun at its finest! What are you planting this Spring? Wordless Wednesday: Spring Planting is a post from: Keeping the Kingdom First ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596330 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596330 Keeping the Kingdom First 2010-03-17T19:21:33-05:00 TheStreet.com, the finance Web site founded by Jim Cramer, disclosed in a regulatory filing on Wednesday that it is the subject of an inquiry by the Securities and Exchange Commission that began this month. ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596328 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596328 DealBook 2010-03-17T19:15:56-05:00 So, a while back I posted my Overnight Crockpot Oatmeal recipe. To my embarrassment a bunch of readers had absolutely horrible results. Oops. So I decided to figure out what was going on.  I enlisted the help of some erstwhile volunteers-Daniel, Candi and Allison*.  We all started out with the original recipe: 1 cup steel cut or regular oats (NOT Quick Oats!) 4 cups water 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup brown sugar 1  TBS butter 1/2  tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp cinnamon Combine all in crockpot and cook on low for 8hrs.  Serve with milk & cinnamon sugar. There is a big difference between steel cut oats: Steel Cut Oats And regular (old fashioned, not quick) oats: Regular Oats, sometimes called "Old Fashioned" Oats Version 1: As written with steel cut oats Here is V1 in the Crockpot V1-Looks good to me! The results on this were unanimous.  When cooked with Steel Cut Oats this produced great oatmeal. Well, Allison & I thought it was great, Daniel (who’s blog isn’t named “fussy” for nuthin) said it was acceptable. Candi did not have steel cut oats, so she skipped this one. Version 2: As written with regular oats V2-Pretty Runny V2-Blech. Yeah, we all got goop on this one. Version 3:  Decreased water to 3C instead of 4C, used steel cut oats. Daniel ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596331 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596331 Frugal Upstate 2010-03-17T19:06:18-05:00 The cost of going to college continues to rise like most other things in our lives, only faster. In an economy where every single cent counts it is imperative to reduce expenses wherever possible including the costs associated with higher education. There are several ways to save for a college education itself however here we will look at how to save money on the expenses you incur while attending college. The following money saving tips can be used individually or together to reduce the cost of college expenses. Take only the courses you need to graduate – Many college students end up taking classes they do not need for graduation. Sometimes when you can’t get into a certain class, you feel compelled to pick up a filler class instead.  What you should be doing is getting a part-time job for the semester and take the class next time it’s offered!  That or party Avoid credit cards – Last year Sallie Mae released results from a study which tracked credit card use for undergraduate students. The information shows that college students are using credit for more than just convenience and many are graduating deep in ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596325 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596325 Amateur Asset Allocator 2010-03-17T19:00:26-05:00 I’ve just received yet another email stating that an account I don’t actually have has been disabled (i.e. an email phishing for my account login details, on the off-chance I had an account with HSBC). Normally I’d just delete it, but this one was slightly different for a couple of reasons. Firstly, instead of pointing me to a website to phish the details, this one included a webpage as an attachment, rather than a link. Even without the other obvious signs, that would ring alarm bells. Here’s what the attachment looked like: Fill in the details, and your details will probably be used by the spammer to login to your account on the HSBC website. Secondly, the email tries just too hard to get me to use the form they’ve attached. Here’s the text of the email: —– Dear HSBC Online User, We regret to inform you that access to your online account has been locked. This happened because of too many failed log-in attempts. To restore your online account access you can: 1. Visit your local branch and complete the Unlock My Account form (takes several days) 2. Complete the Unlock My Account form online, by downloading and completing the attached form (instant) Quality service and the security of your ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596326 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596326 Money Watch 2010-03-17T18:57:21-05:00 Hard Assets Investor submits: Mike Norman, anchor, HardAssetsInvestor.com (Norman): Hello everybody, and welcome to HardAssetsInvestor.com. I’m Mike Norman, your host. Today my guest is Philip Silverman. He’s the managing partner of Kingsview Management; very familiar to the hard assets space commodities. Philip, thanks very much for joining us on the show. I appreciate it. Philip Silverman, managing partner, Kingsview Management (Silverman): Thank you for having me.Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596327 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596327 Seeking Alpha 2010-03-17T18:54:55-05:00 U.S. Banks have a solid incentive, dipped in gold, to keep people in a perpetual state of paying rent on debt while not saving a shiny penny.  In fact, their ideal state of financial equilibrium for Americans would be one in which people spent every single penny from their earnings reaching the end of the month like a pauper showing snake eyes in their savings account.  This unfortunate banking structure has also been fostered by decades of government banking welfare for an entrenched corporatacracy.  Now it is no responsibility of the government or banks on how people choose to manage (or mismanage) their money but when taxpayer money is used to subsidize the banking structure it is important to setup a system that is both fair and beneficial to the overall economy.  That should be a minimum requirement.  Today’s current system is designed to penalize savings and creates perverse incentives. Let us first look at how absurd current savings rates are: This rate is so low, that if you had $10,000 in a Chase standard savings account, after one year you would earn a whopping $10 or enough to buy two Big Macs or one movie ticket.  What incentive is there to ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596324 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596324 My Budget 360 2010-03-17T18:49:26-05:00 WFR is cheap even in the high $20s; I continue to be stunned that people don't see the solar explosion that I see coming. Again, I think MEMC Electronic Materials (WFR) is still cheap in the high $20's. And I see an emerging breakout in WFR and other high quality solars of late.I really thought AAPL was going to peel a good $7-10 on those supposedly "muted" preorders - not so far though.......long AAPL ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596329 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596329 Stocks and Things 2010-03-17T18:47:00-05:00 Quintás dimite como presidente de la patronal de cajas de ahorros. (elmundo.es) Enlace permanente: BlogAhorro - Quintás dimite como presidente de la patronal de cajas de ahorros. Comparte: Email | Twitter (RT) | Facebook | Google Buzz | Meneame | del.icio.us | Yahoo! | Actibva Licencia de uso: Creative Commons - Reconocimiento 3.0 ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596310 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596310 BlogAhorro 2010-03-17T18:43:40-05:00 A downgrade of the financial sector by Citigroup took the indices off their highs, but it was still another day of gains for the bulls. Breadth was solid, with regional banks, oil and coal leading the way while biotechnology, gold and steel struggled. I could go on at length about how remarkable this run-up since early February has been, but I think everyone is very aware of that. The more important issue is, how do we deal with a market that acts like this one? Obviously, trying to call a top has not worked, but how much longer can we expect this market to run up without at least one or two days of profit-taking?  The AAPL sell-off was frustrating too.....long AAPL ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596309 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596309 Stocks and Things 2010-03-17T18:43:00-05:00 Potential architects for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's expansion are leaking out, and Christopher Hawthorne finds the list "predictable." Not just that, but "The L.A. County Museum alone has worked with three of the firms: Koolhaas' Office for Metropolitan Architecture...Renzo Piano Building Workshop...and the office of Peter Zumthor, the Swiss architect who has been working on further expansion plans with LACMA director Michael Govan." [LAT] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596322 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596322 Curbed Los Angeles 2010-03-17T18:32:57-05:00 Reggie Middleton submits:From Bloomberg: Germany Seeks IMF Role for Greece in Reversal, CDU Lawmaker Meister Says March 17 (Bloomberg) -- Greece should turn to the International Monetary Fund if it needs aid, the chief finance spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party said, in a reversal that signals a rift with European leadersJean-Claude Trichet, Jean-Claude Juncker and Nicolas Sarkozy. “We have to think about who has the instruments to push for Greece to restore its capital-markets access” if ultimately needed, Michael Meister, a lawmaker with Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, said today in an interview in Berlin. “Nobody apart from the IMF has these instruments.” Attempting a Greek rescue “without the IMF would be a very daring experiment.”Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596314 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596314 Seeking Alpha 2010-03-17T18:31:25-05:00 All good things must come to an end; especially when that good thing may or may not have been that good to begin with. I’m talking, of course, about the Federal Reserve’s affirmation this week that it plans to go ahead and stop buying mortgage-backed securities by the end of this month. These purchases are what have kept mortgage rates at near-record lows–currently in the 5% range for a 30 year fixed for many people. So far, the government (taxpayers) has shelled out an estimated $1.25 Trillon on these purchases. Some people are nervous that once the Fed stops buying up mortgage-backed securities, mortgage loan rates will inch upward to levels that might stop any budding real estate market recovery right in its tracks. That is probably why the Fed has apparently left the door open to stepping in again and resuming the purchases if need be. The former research director at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Martin Goodfriend, tells the New York Times the Fed is obviously experimenting: “It would like private money to come back into the mortgage market, but if the interest-rate spread on mortgages over government securities that is needed to bring private money back is too high, it could impede ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596323 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596323 Real Estate News For Real 2010-03-17T18:24:31-05:00 Wired recently published an article entitled “The Future of Money: It’s Flexible, Frictionless and (Almost) Free” which is worth a read, if you have a spare 20 minutes. Whilst the article briefly discusses a few innovative payment systems, such as Square and TwitPay, it largely focuses on PayPal, going into some of its history, how it innovated by opening up to developers, but actually begins to look like an advertorial for the payment company. But the article’s real value is in the comments, which largely dispell the authors ideas that PayPal is a cheap way of processing payment compared with credit card companies and banks. Wow! – this article got me all excited about how to get back at the greedy financial institutions. Move Your Money is a great idea, but shortcutting the bankers multiple fees sounded even better, until I checked out Twitpay’s website – Powered by Paypal, “The recipient of the payment will be required to pay PayPal’s commercial transaction fee of 2.9% + 0.30 USD and any other applicable fees.” Whoa, is this a race to see who can charge the HIGHEST fees? It’s true that PayPal has pushed the boundaries of payment by opening up its infrastructure – or perhaps ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596312 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596312 Money Watch 2010-03-17T18:23:55-05:00 Ralph Shell submits: On Monday it was reported that the Japanese output gap stood at a -6.4%, worse than the preliminary reading of -6.1%. This output gap is designed to measure how much the domestic product deviates from the potential gross domestic product. A negative number suggests that demand is lagging behind supplies, leading to deflationary pressure. Considering the demography of Japan, and much less consumption by an aging population, this should not be a surprise.Deflationary pressure is a real threat in Japan, and the Japanese Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance have been leaning on the Bank of Japan to do something. Today the BoJ kept the three month rate at 0.1 percent, and increased the short term lending to banks by 20 trillion yen or $220 billion. The bank's explanation as reported today by the AFP in Tokyo was:Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596315 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596315 Seeking Alpha 2010-03-17T18:19:21-05:00 TIMalert: shorted 3k HMNA at 3.02 just because Sogotrade has . ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596308 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596308 Timothy Sykes 2010-03-17T18:18:23-05:00 Markos Kaminis (Wall St. Greek) submits: China looks to be the next hurdle on President Obama's busy schedule.Concerns about China started the market lower this week, before the Fed relief rally eventually stymied the decline Tuesday. The China threat is no surprise to "The Greek," though, as we have been warning about this pending trouble for some time now. Earlier this year we relayed these thoughts in our article entitled "Obama's Financial Regulation...":Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596316 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596316 Seeking Alpha 2010-03-17T18:17:02-05:00 Believe it or not, we’re already three months into 2010, and with spring just around the corner, now is a good to get in touch with your financial advisor/planner to discuss strategies for the rest of the year. Kim Vu, AVP of private banking for Tech CU says, “It’s important to build a strong trusting relationship with your financial advisor so that you can go to them and inquire from time to time about how your portfolio is performing. A good financial advisor likely would be contacting you anyway to check in, but it’s also your responsibility to touch base with them as well. After all, this is a relationship and two-way communication about your needs and changes in life is key to building a successful financial future.” Once you’ve made the appointment, here are five topic areas you may want to bring into discussion: 1. LIFESTYLE CHANGES. Should I adjust my investment strategy this year and is time to rebalance my portfolio? Just about everyone has been affected by the economy in the last year. Big life changes that will affect your financial planning strategy into the future. “Life changes should always trigger you to contact your financial advisor,” says Vu. “When life happens, ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596307 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596307 Tech CU Money Savvy 2010-03-17T18:16:36-05:00 Devon Shire submits:I’ve been asked by a few people to provide a recap of ATP Oil and Gas Corp.'s (ATPG) Friday conference call to discuss Q4 earnings. There really wasn’t much new in the call (which is good as that means everything is on track) but the information that I found interesting is below.Titan Monetization – ATP left the time frame for this fairly open. The official guidance is that they expect it to be done sooner rather than later. There seems to be no doubt that the deal will get done and it seems that they have the resources to allow them to do it on their terms. My understanding is that they are in talks with several different parties. With the proceeds look for the remainder of the “asset monetization” debt tranche to be repaid. According to ATP, the structure would be to put the Titan into a subsidiary and then flow the proceeds of the monetization up into the parent company. Once the asset monetization tranche is repaid, ATP will likely be able to look at restructuring the remaining debt at better rates.Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596317 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596317 Seeking Alpha 2010-03-17T18:15:37-05:00 CR Note: the following is from housing economist Tom Lawler (posted with permission):Last month I showed data on trends in the REO inventories of Fannie, Freddie, and FHA, highlighting how while total REO inventory estimates appear to have fallen, REO at “the F’s” has increased notably over the last year. A few folks questioned how there could be reports of sharply lower REO inventories in many parts of the country if the F’s REO’s were up so much. Click on graph for larger image in new window.Well, the answer mainly in REO inventories in the “non-agency” space, and especially REO inventories held by trusts for private-label mortgage-backed securities. Here is a chart (courtesy of Amherst) showing REO inventories for private-label securities tracked by LoanPerformance, which folks estimate accounts for about 85-90% of the private-label market.As the above chart indicates, REO inventory from private-label MBS (where mortgage credit performance started to deteriorate sharply well before the ‘prime” market began to deteriorate in a big way) increased at a rapid clip from end of 2007 through the fall of 2008, peaking in October. It then began to decline as servicers accelerated the pace of REO sales last winter and early Spring, often ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596313 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596313 Calculated Risk 2010-03-17T18:15:00-05:00 << Return to Part 1The Incredible Shrinking Dollar As the world’s reserve currency, the US dollar is a proxy for the rest of the world’s currencies. The dollar’s decline is a direct reflection of America’s deepening financial troubles, exacerbated by a ravaged banking system that, by 2010, may see over one thousand banks insolvent. In 2009, the US incurred a budget deficit of $1.4 trillion, and its debt rose by $1.9 trillion due to off-budget expenditures. These off-budget expenditures alone were more than the 2008 budget deficit. At the end of 2009, America’s total debt was over 100 percent of GDP.Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596318 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596318 Seeking Alpha 2010-03-17T18:12:50-05:00 Gold Is Money Unlike the world’s currencies, gold retains its value. In a speech I recently gave at The Empire Club of Toronto , I referred to gold as the "anti-currency." Gold is not and never has been a currency. Gold is something entirely different and far more valuable, it is money.Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596319 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596319 Seeking Alpha 2010-03-17T18:12:03-05:00 Jim Trippon submits: The political temperature is rising sharply in Beijing and Washington in a war of words over the value of the yuan. This is a battle that has been brewing since 2003, with U.S. lawmakers arguing that China has gained an unfair trade advantage by artificially depressing the value of the yuan. The war of words escalated sharply over the weekend and it continues to grow hotter.Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596320 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596320 Seeking Alpha 2010-03-17T18:11:34-05:00 MoneyMasters submits: Sometimes, I look at a stock’s valuations and think, “This is too good to be true.”At $19.50 a share, GameStop (GME) is trading at 8.6 times fiscal 2010 earnings and around 7.5 times fiscal 2011 expected earnings. According to Ford Equity Research, GME’s normal P/E ratio is around 10.8, which is less than half of its own five year average normal P/E.(Click to enlarge)The consensus estimate projects 12% average annual earnings growth over the next five years. Considering it is trading at 7.5 times forward earnings, GME has a price-to-earnings-to-growth ((PEG)) ratio of just 0.6.Its balance sheet is also healthy. At the end of Q3, it had just $447 million in debt, which is just 8.8% of total assets.GameStop is the world’s largest videogame retail chain with 6,457 stores in 17 countries. It sells gaming hardware including Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo’s (NTDOY.PK) Wii and DS; videogames; and related accessories and peripherals. It also allows consumers to trade in their old videogames and systems for newer products.There are some significant risk considerations including deterioration in discretionary spending. This was partly to blame when management cut fiscal 2009 earnings per share guidance to $2.23-2.27, down from prior guidance ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596321 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596321 Seeking Alpha 2010-03-17T18:11:09-05:00 FIDI—Frank Gehry's 76-story Beekman Tower has lost its "scary-as-hell crane," as a tipster puts it, leaving a scary-as-hell elevator hoist behind. Forest City Ratner should charge thrill-seekers admission to take a ride in that thing. [CurbedWire Inbox] HARLEM—Hitting the 80% sold mark is Graceline Court, a 16-story chunk of cantilevering madness at 116th Street and Lenox Avenue. According to reps, the six remaining units (two- and three-bedroom apartments sized at 1,047sf and up) are priced from $609,000 - $895,000. [CurbedWire Inbox] FAR WEST SIDE—Wacky new rental tower Ohm promised that its lobby stage would host occasional concerts by talent booked by the Knitting Factory, and the first show has been lined up. And it's a pretty good one! On Friday, March 26, residents and their guests will get an acoustic performance from indie rockers Nicole Atkins and the Sea. The folks living upstairs are probably happy about the acoustic part. [CurbedWire Inbox] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596301 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596301 Curbed 2010-03-17T18:08:39-05:00 Trefis submits: Nokia’s (NOK) operating margins have declined in recent years as a result of competition with Apple (AAPL), Research in Motion (RIMM), Samsung (SSNLF.PK) and LG (LGERF.PK). The company’s mobile phone operating margins decreased from about 20% in 2007 to around 13% in 2009. Although we expect a rebound in Nokia’s operating margins, there could be a downside of about $7 to the $26 Trefis price estimate for Nokia’s stock if Nokia margins were to remain flat over our forecast period and even greater downside if margins continue to decline. We believe Nokia’s operating margin declines are attributable to three factors:Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596300 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596300 Seeking Alpha 2010-03-17T18:00:06-05:00 [Lots of excitement surrounding the newly open Pulino's] · Colicchio & Sons pulls tepid reviews from most, but three stars from Sifton [NYT] · Alan Richman's mostly disappointed in Faustina [GQ] · Gael Greene likes the carrot salad at ABC Kitchen [IC] · St. Paddy's Day, live from McSorley's [Eater] · McDonald's Shamrock Shake makes rare appearance in New York [Gothamist] · The Plaza gets a new chef [Miami New Times] · DOH will give restaurants letter grades for cleanliness [NYT] · NYC's experiencing a dim sum renaissance [Village Voice] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596293 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596293 Curbed 2010-03-17T17:50:59-05:00 I’m a full on thrift store fan. While I’ve not bought clothes at one–I do look but haven’t found something in my size–I have bought lots of electronics from there, including lots of routers which end up being dd-wrt devices, the equivalent in function of $600 boxes. Today I got myself another GPS–my current (free) one is on loan to a friend who is traveling–a new in box TomTom One 140 for $50. I can’t be alone. Do you also frequent thrift stores? What do you get there? ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596298 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596298 Uncommon Cents 2010-03-17T17:49:45-05:00 Have you ever secretly wished that the subway platform you were waiting on could be transformed into a comfy living room? Or at least a living room furnished by IKEA? For another week, you can experience just that in four stops on Paris's Métro system. Instead of molded plastic seats, have a seat on an Ektorp couch! According to the Wall Street Journal: Paris’ St. Lazare, Champs-Elysées Clémenceau, Concorde, and Opéra subway stations have been “invaded,” or so says the brand. The concept behind the campaign is akin to a test drive. Passengers in transit can, via the “bum test,” experiment with the comfort and durability of IKEA’s Ektorp and Kalstad couches and Brasa floor lamps. Agence 14 Septembre, a communications group that specializes in architecture and design, collaborated with IKEA on the experiential initiative, which runs until March 24. No word on how the platform couches rate for napping. There is probably a strict no-napping policy. IKEA squatte le métro [Flickr] (via Pedestrian.tv) Ikea Invades the Paris Metro [WSJ] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596311 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596311 Consumerist 2010-03-17T17:48:24-05:00 Get a free sample of Dove Conditioner (thanks Just Free Stuff) Free sample of Psst shampoo-dry shampoos are all the rage, so why not try one free? (thanks Couponing to Disney) ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596306 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596306 Penny For My Thoughts 2010-03-17T17:48:03-05:00 Karl Denninger submits: Weren't we told Greece was "bailed out," "backstopped," or whatever word you care to use? That's all I've heard all week on ToutTV. So what's this about?Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596282 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596282 Seeking Alpha 2010-03-17T17:44:55-05:00 Saj Karsan submits:Nu Horizons (NUHC) is a distributor of hi-tech electronic components. The stock dropped 25% in one day last week when a key supplier, Xilinx (XLNX), cut Nu Horizons as a distributor in order to streamline Xilinx's distribution network. Xilinx's products accounted for over 30% of Nu Horizons' sales over the last three quarters, so this will have a material impact on Nu Horizons' operations and will hurt Nu Horizons' revenue if Xilinx's products cannot be quickly replaced. However, the current market price of Nu Horizons is such that this seemingly negative announcement may actually be good news for the stock!Before writing off the preceding statement as preposterous, consider the following: Nu Horizons trades for just over $60 million, while its net current asset value is over $100 million. Most of its current assets (approximately $225 million worth) are in the form of inventory and receivables, and so this negative announcement may actually be a catalyst for cash generation.Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596283 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596283 Seeking Alpha 2010-03-17T17:42:46-05:00 Trina Solar (TSL) this afternoon filed with the SEC for an offering of 7.9 million American Depositary shares; the company intends to grant underwriters an option to sell another 1,185,000 shares to cover over-allotments. The company intends to use proceeds to expand manufacturing facilities for production of solar cells and modules, for R&D, for downstream projects and for general corporate purposes. With the offering triggering worries about dilution, TSL in late trading is down $1.01, or 4.4%, to $22.07. ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596278 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596278 Tech Trader Daily 2010-03-17T17:41:53-05:00 Via Game Informer The March issue of Game Informer has new stills from the long-delayed but much-anticipated game LA Noire. Publisher Rockstar Games calls the game "an interactive detective story set in the classic noir period of the late 1940's...in a perfectly recreated Los Angeles before freeways..." Citing the print-only GI article, the AV Club says LA Noire will have the "the biggest in-game environment ever created, a near 1:1 block-for-block recreation of the city right down to prices on diner menus," and that the developers "reviewed over 180,000 period photos from newspapers to create its look." (Compare to actual 1940s LA footage if you like.) Edge adds that the game play was "Informed by real police records, newspapers and maps of ’40s Los Angeles." Aaron Staton, Ken Cosgrove from Mad Men, voices the game's protagonist, and it's set to come out this fall. After the jump, a 2006 trailer that takes place downtown; according to Kotaku, this is just a "target render," so it's not from the actual game. And another screen grab, too: · Exclusive New L.A. Noire Screens [Game Informer] · LA Noire [Rockstar Games] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596296 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596296 Curbed Los Angeles 2010-03-17T17:41:36-05:00 Paul Kedrosky submits: There is a strongly critical paper out from two economists writing on the subject of peak oil demand. Far from seeing demand peak in the near term in developed countries, the authors argue that demand will grow in developed countries, while growing even more quickly in developing countries, thus leading to increased per capita oil demand worldwide.(Click chart to enlarge)Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596284 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596284 Seeking Alpha 2010-03-17T17:40:17-05:00 Ockham Research submits: Temple-Inland, Inc. (TIN), which makes paper, packaging and building products, was put on credit rating watch with a positive outlook by Standard & Poor’s. The stock is up nearly 10% on the news Wednesday and it is also giving a boost to some of Temple-Inland’s competitors’ stocks. S&P credits the company will reducing its debt load by $440 million over the last year, and said that if it can continue with its debt reduction plans it would be eligible for a credit upgrade to “BBB”. While their efforts to reduce debt should be commended, it is a bit surprising that this announcement would be met with such enthusiasm by the market. Temple-Inland was able to shave its debt in an environment that was certainly not hospitable to an important business segment, building products such as lumber and particle board. Clearly, this segment is heavily correlated to the strength of US housing starts, which have been at extremely low levels over the past two years. The company was able to utilize $175 million in alternative-fuels tax credits as well as $335 million in free cash flow in fiscal 2009, and rolled the majority ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596285 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596285 Seeking Alpha 2010-03-17T17:40:09-05:00 George Soros at Hong Kong University answering questions and sharing his experience trading and investing in the markets. He offers some great insight on the following topics: Why he thinks China needs to be more open. He believes in a philosophy of ‘open societies’. How the West’s and China’s view on Tibet differ significantly and the conclusions he draws. The slowly deteriorating relationship between China and America and the consequences. The importance of China being the new ‘motor’ of the world. What is a bubble? How to define it and how to profit from it. What guidelines to follow when shorting a ‘mature’ bubble. His influence on markets. Why his trading positions don’t create trends or events but only accelerate them. Shout out to Moise Levi who posted the George Soros video interview a few days ago! Watching the video interview will make it much easier to understand where George Soros comes from. It will also shed some light as to why George Soros doubled up on his Gold (GLD) position a while back. The video is about 90 minutes. For those of you willing to spend time learning from one of the best investors ever, it is well worth it. Enjoy! A few quotes from the master himself: An open society ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596303 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596303 Tischendorf Letter 2010-03-17T17:38:33-05:00 As most of my readers know, I’m a huge advocate of reward programs. They’re an awesome way to get things for free! Over the last decade, I’ve gotten a LOT of gift cards from MyPoints. I’ve used these for all sorts of things: nearly-free massages (we only paid for part of the tips out of pocket), t-shirts offered through Amazon, food for our wedding, holiday gifts and more. Swagbucks — my latest love — meant Tim got his PSP and iPhone absolutely free. It also recently got us some gummy supplements, which is the best way to ensure that we take our fiber. And that’s not even getting into Inbox Dollars, Surveyhead and Mr. Rebates. Point is, I’ve had a lot of success over the years. And it seems like I should provide some tips to anyone who is frustrated by slow progress. You can find similar pointers on my “Rewards Programs” page. And, for the record, almost all of my points focus on how to get things without buying anything.     MyPoints   The key here is to keep track of all the new innovations the site comes up with. It’s recently introduced new, better ways to earn. Frog Pond: You check out a site, post a review of ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596305 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596305 I Pick Up Pennies 2010-03-17T17:35:14-05:00 "The interesting thing, if the photographer turns around, the view is completely different, it looks like the UWS with block after block of new condos and restaurants being the newly minted Harlem Gold Coast of Frederick Douglass Boulevard. Walk down from here and you will find some of the most beautiful brownstone blocks in Manhattan that have historically restored homes in great condition. This is a typical gentrifying Harlem, there are pockets of new development and pockets of blight awaiting developers to make their move and masses of beautiful brownstone blocks."—anon [Slow Going on Transformation of Harlem's Retail Row] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596294 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596294 Curbed 2010-03-17T17:34:57-05:00 -Yahoo (YHOO) confirmed it is buying Citizen Sports (more) -China issues warnings to Google’s (GOOG) partners (more) -Google’s (GOOG) Nexus one phone will be made available on Sprint -AOL (AOL) sets up $10 million venture fund to back local startups (more) -Google (GOOG) was deemed “Iressponsible” in launching Buzz without proper testing according to an FTC official ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596304 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596304 Intelligent Speculator 2010-03-17T17:34:51-05:00 Get $5 free from Surveyhead: Well, March is nearly over, and I realized I haven’t posted the top paid survey site for February. No surprise, it was Surveyhead again. For those of you who haven’t signed up with Surveyhead yet, you get $5 FREE, just for signing up. It’s totally free to use Surveyhead! (Be sure to click the link in the email message you receive from Surveyhead to activate your account and start receiving paid surveys!) Also, in the next few weeks we will be posting some hints and tips on how to make more money with Surveyhead! I’ve been taking paid surveys online for over 10 years. See my big list of legitimate paid survey sites. Related posts:BRAND NEW $10 paid survey! $15 paid survey & $10 paid survey, hurry! New paid surveys on Surveyhead + $5 free Get $5 free from the #1 paid survey site for January ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596275 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596275 Engineer a Debt Free Life 2010-03-17T17:30:41-05:00 If you want to profit from my strategy (which as TIMalert subscribers and new PennyStocking Silver Subscribers know is up 20% in 2010 after being up 141% in 2009 and 197% in 2008 and I’m still the #1 trader out of 45,000+ on Covestor for the 3rd straight year…and 3 of my students... . ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596277 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596277 Timothy Sykes 2010-03-17T17:29:30-05:00 Tom Lydon (ETF Trends) submits: ETF Spotlight on SPDR S&P Retail (XRT), part of a weekly series. Assets: $322 millionComplete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596286 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596286 Seeking Alpha 2010-03-17T17:26:09-05:00 Almost a year ago, I released the Beating Broke Guide to your Credit Score.  Since then, a lot has happened and it seems to me that your credit score could become more important than ever as we recover from this economic disaster.  Previously, I had it set up such that you had to sign up for the newsletter to receive a copy.  I’m changing that now.  The graphic in the right sidebar now links directly to the guide in it’s pdf form. It’s one hundred percent FREE, so please grab a copy and take a look.  I think you might learn something. You can download it at http://www.beatingbroke.com/BBGCS/BBGCS.pdf ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596273 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596273 Beating Broke 2010-03-17T17:23:40-05:00 Architizer, the social networking site for architects, gets a west coast launch tomorrow, and in honor of the occasion Flavorwire asked the team there to "curate a selection of LA’s best architecture." Since the site focuses on contemporary work, we'll assume that was part of the criteria--but still, three Predock_Franes on a top 10 list seems excessive. [Flavorwire] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596297 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596297 Curbed Los Angeles 2010-03-17T17:21:19-05:00 Dividends4Life submits: This is the third installment in a multi-part series that looks at various options used by income investors to boost their yield while waiting for dividend growth to lift their portfolio’s overall yield-on-cost. Last week we looked at REITs. This week we are looking at Preferred Stock.Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596287 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596287 Seeking Alpha 2010-03-17T17:18:38-05:00 Zacks.com submits: Last month, Sara Lee Corp. (SLE) reported strong results for the second quarter of fiscal 2010. Earnings for the quarter were $0.36 compared to $0.20 during the same period of fiscal 2009. Earnings were well above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.23. Further, the company reported strong operating income growth for the second quarter of fiscal 2010. The growth was driven by significant improvement in operating income across all segments and particularly in the North American Retail and International Beverage business segments, mainly due to lower corporate expenses. Therefore, the company raised its full year EPS guidance to a range of $1.00 to $1.05 per share compared to a range of 91 cents to 95 cents mentioned earlier.Complete Story » ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596288 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596288 Seeking Alpha 2010-03-17T17:17:12-05:00 TheStreet.com (TSCM) this afternoon filed for an extension for the filing date of its 2009 10-K. The company said it expects to make the filing before the 15-day extension period lapses. According to the filing, the delay reflects the need for the company and its accounting firm “to focus on matters related to the company’s previously announced review of the accounting in its former Promotions.com subsidiary,” which was sold in December. In connection with that situation, the company previously restated results for some periods. Also contributing to the delay, the company said, were “matters related to an investigation commenced by the Securities and Exchange Commission in March 2010.” This would appear to be the first disclosure of the SEC probe. Gregory Barton, general counsel at TheStreet.com, said in an interview this afternoon that it would not be unusual for the SEC to launch an investigation following a financial restatement, and that the company expects that is the case here. Barton also said that the financial data reports in the 10-K should be consistent with the Q4 results announced earlier this week. In today’s regular session, TSCM fell 8 cents, to $3.42. ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596279 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596279 Tech Trader Daily 2010-03-17T17:16:18-05:00 Pricespotter is Curbed's asking price guessing game. We provide you with some details and pictures from an apartment listing, and you take a crack at the price in the comments. Tomorrow we reveal the answer. And hey, no cheating! What/Where: 2BR, 2BA on Purves Street near Jackson Avenue Square Feet: 1,020 Maintenance/CC: $502 The Skinny: This Long Island City condo in a full-service building has pretty standard luxury amenities: radiant heat floors, gourmet kitchen, in-apartment washer and dryer and, once you get out into the big wide world of the rest of the building, a media lounge, sauna, and free wi-fi. It last sold in late 2007 for $479,400. So how much? · Curbed PriceSpotter archive [Curbed] ... http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596295 http://pfblogs.org/entry/1596295 Curbed 2010-03-17T17:15:45-05:00