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[Miroku]

when I searched for an S&P 500 fund to buy, I get quite a bit of options. There were the windsor S&P500, vanguard, etc.

Is their only difference how much fees they charged? Or is it also how much they invest in the stocks that make up the 500?

Pretty much.

The vanguard fund (VFINX) is the cheapest around with an expense ratio of 0.18

 

[Tideas]

is that .18 per every dollar?

Like every dollar you make off of returns they take 18 cents?

 

[Tarazet]

is that .18 per every dollar?

Like every dollar you make off of returns they take 18 cents?

I believe that is an expression of what percentage of the profit from your money goes to them, not you.

 

[rage1973]

50 basis point cut by Fed today. All indexes in the positive for the day now.

 

[rage1973]

You obviously haven't gone though down times. Things may look bleak and it seems like you are losing money hand over fist, but trust me things will turn around. I looked at some numbers like margin ratio and it seems like there are lot of money that are on the sideline looking for somewhere to go. Once they see some bargains you will see a change in tide. It may just mean short term momentum change but there will be a rebound coming soon.

I don't mean to toot my own horn but I called the exact market bottom. I called out market falling on 1/22 and start rising on 1/23 which is exactly what happened. I will probably sell out of market on friday and wait for a dip before buying back in.

 

[Shoho]

what the hell happened to apples stock?

the value has decreased from 200 per share in december to 130... wtf????

ARGHHHHH....

 

[Ether_Snake]

So much for interest rate cut!

 

[Ether_Snake]

Huge volume on IMMR this morning. Up 5%. No news. WTF.

 

[Fuzzery]

Happens, maybe a big player moving

 

[ArtG]

Happens, maybe a big player moving

The stock is probably just oversold as well.

 

[Ether_Snake]

It went up 14%.

No news.

 

[Fuzzery]

Good day lol

 

[Ether_Snake]

Good day when it will be back to 17 :lol

GOOG missed estimates btw.

And MOT up 10% in AH. I don't know why, considering this is the news;

Motorola Inc., facing deepening woes in its handset division and under pressure from activist shareholder Carl Icahn, said it was considering spinning off or selling its flagship handset business.

Maybe people think it hit bottom.

ERTS lowers outlook btw. Trading at around 46, I wonder how much lower it may go.

/pats ATVI

 

[kathode]

Damn, I was actually considering buying Yahoo yesterday but I assumed a buyout offer was weeks away. Now Microsoft made an offer and it's up nearly 60%. Holy hell.

 

[Miroku]

I believe that is an expression of what percentage of the profit from your money goes to them, not you.

Yes.

 

[RumblingRosco]

-

 

[gkryhewy]

So, Harmony Gold (HMY) has been on my watch list for a while now. They've dropped a fair amount since I started looking at them (sometime in the 2nd week of January). Every day I tell myself, "Tomorrow, I will buy in!" but then I for some reason hold back, and watch as they drop a little bit more.

Anyone have any thoughts on them? Seems to just keep losing a percent there, half a percent here, with no bottom in sight. Not quite at their 52-week low, but edging closer by the day. I'm considering jumping in if they fall below 9.50, as a rough estimate.

http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=552&fSetId=662&fArticleId=4229508

 

[RumblingRosco]

-

 

[YYZ]

basic question:

I have some stock in Wal-Mart and if I request to do a full withdrawl, how do I actually get the cash in the end? They send me certificates right? What do I do with those?

 

[Tarazet]

basic question:

I have some stock in Wal-Mart and if I request to do a full withdrawl, how do I actually get the cash in the end? They send me certificates right? What do I do with those?

How are the stocks being held? They need to be sold by a broker, and you would get the cash proceeds (minus any brokerage fees).

 

[Ether_Snake]

Woot woot, another good day.

/pats NVDA

ATVI up +2.16, CGT +5.77%, NVDA +9.23%, TTWO +3.89%, IMMR -0.20% (seems like it bottomed out, considering yesterday's +14% and today's modest drop even after such a steep rise, but will it ever reach 17 again? HA!).

UN is still interesting. To me it would be a good long term.

CM is climbing back quickly. I wish I had the funds and a clearer mind to make a decision on this once. It's in the low 70s and could definitly go back to 100.

BA in the low 80s. Still very interesting.

TGI, earnings were last week. It's at 54.75, and could go back to its 52-week high of 86. Will it? I wonder. Management has been put in serious question. Turnover is low.

DCO in the low 30s, 52-week high was 42.70.

Ceradyne, looks rather solid, low P/E, good management as far as I call tell, inventory turnover is a bit low, but overall the company looks good. And what makes it attractive to me right now is that it is trading at 50.15 and its 52-week average is 40.55 - 84.41. Looks tasty to me

AMD keeps on rising. I don't see what's in it long-term, but you never know. I'm not buying it tho.

FSLR (solar) dropped a lot recently, but the company is in good shape. Still, P/E is very high and the company is young. Solar stocks have been roller coasters recently. Lots of money to make if it goes back to its 52-week high. Lots to lose too if it keeps going down.

WFR (which I keep track of along my INTC/NVDA watch) is trading at 75.25 and its 52-week average is 48.88 - 96.08. The company looks to be in very good condition to me. I don't know them tho, that's why I went with NVDA last week.

NIHD, something I found recently. Wireless Communications. Could given an excellent return. 52-week average is 35.01 - 90.43, and it's trading at 43.99. It's been going down since around September. But if it turns around, it could be a nice money maker. Company looks solid to me. Anyone else has an opinion on them?

Sorry to whomever I said that MOT wasn't attractive, but I was right anyway because the reason it's going up is because the company might have to get out of the cellphone market. I'm not touching it with a 20-foot pole, but good if I'm wrong

JCOM, another find, 52-week average is 17.69 - 37.39, trading at 21.51. Company looks good.


ADBE still on my watch list. Looking like a potential opportunity. Not sure yet. Management has been rather poor, but overall the company remains solid to me.

A lot of shares are going back close to their 52-week highs.

I saw some report saying ERTS was cheap for longterm, but I don't believe that. Look at the charts, first, to see how wrong that is. It reached this level before only to peak and take another plunge soon after. It's been hovering since 2004. I guarantee to you, management will be pushed away soon if things don't change. This company is looking increasingly desperate, increasingly arrogant, and highly inefficient considering the strong roots it has in the industry. Short term it could be cheap tho.

THQI bounced today.

UBI continues to go up towards its 52-week high after its recently plunge (due to delayed titles). I'm always right on my forecasts on this one, but I never buy it. Ugh.

For those worried about APPL, look at the 5-year chart. The progression, even tho it has been impressive due to the numbers it reached, has been rather constant. I don't see it dropping like it did after the internet bubble, unless some market-wide event would justify it. Plus, we known management is rather smart. But let's face it, with the iPod they gave everyone an idea, now they'll have to compete. I wonder if they'll be able to continue to outpace everyone else. But hey, that's just my opinion

BTW I don't get what MS is looking at Yahoo for (altho it is typical/predictable of them). I said it before, MS seriously blows as a company, no wonder their value hasn't changed in a while. They could have been behind the iPod, they could have been "the Google", they could have been behind MySpace or Facebook. They could have been behind Blog. But no, they achieve nothing, they only sit on their asses and then pay a high price for what they like, but in the end they are still beaten by the creative and bold competition. Whatever they will do with Yahoo will be more catchup.

 

[Ether_Snake]

Bumping this. Wondering what you guys who had NTDOY shares did with them in the end?

BTW I forgot BP Plc in the previous post. Trading at 64$, 52-week average 57.85 - 79.77.

 

[jamesinclair]

I dont understand the role of brokers.

Why cant I go to ebaystocks (example) and buy and sell stocks without giving some fat guy my money.

 

[Cheesemeister]

Bumping this. Wondering what you guys who had NTDOY shares did with them in the end?

Got out on the wrong day. Waiting for it to go below the sell price to get back in. Seeing that it's down about 5% so far on the Nikkei today, it could be there soon.

 

[RumblingRosco]

-

 

[YYZ]

How are the stocks being held? They need to be sold by a broker, and you would get the cash proceeds (minus any brokerage fees).

I got them as part of this employee savings plan but I don't work there anymore but the stocks are still mine of course. I got some mail from the company that manages the stocks and there's an option for full withdrawl on the form. However they are not sending me money, they are sending me the certificates I think. Why do I have to go through a broker and lose some of my money?

 

[gkryhewy]

Still can't get this page to load for me, anyone know what it is supposed to be?

Page still works fine for me:

Harmony, DRDGold worst hit
January 30, 2008

By Justin Brown

Johannesburg - Harmony Gold and DRDGold are likely to take the biggest knocks in the mining industry from the Eskom power shutdowns, as both firms have virtually all their gold mines in South Africa and these facilities are the most vulnerable in the sector to unexpected shocks.

Both Harmony and DRDGold have battled to turn a profit over recent years, due to the high cost of extracting gold at their mines.

Another company vulnerable to power cuts is fluorospar producer Sallies, which has suffered a series of losses.

Tom Dale, Sallies' chief executive, yesterday declined to comment.

Harmony chief Graham Briggs said yesterday that the company's mines were receiving 375 megawatts instead of the required 500MW.

The government yesterday said the mining industry would get 90 percent of its average power need by late tomorrow, which meant Harmony would be getting 450MW.

However, Briggs said the specific amount of power Eskom would supply Harmony was still to be agreed upon.

"This is going to make it very difficult, because we won't be able to get to full production," Briggs said on the sidelines of an emergency meeting called by Eskom in Midrand. "It is very unpleasant indeed."

Briggs said he was hoping that the measures Eskom was planning to put in place would ensure that Harmony's operations got a more consistent supply in future.

The power rationing, which is set to last at least four and a half years, would most likely result in Harmony giving greater focus to its most efficient mines, he added.

The new picture Eskom had outlined yesterday was "worse than we would have hoped, but better than three days ago," Briggs said. "We have been dealt this hand and we have to deal with it."


Following the meeting between and Eskom and its industrial electricity consumers, AngloGold Ashanti said it had commenced the process of bringing all of its underground mines and their associated gold treatment plants back into production.

"It is anticipated that all mines will be back in full production by the end of next week," the company said.

Bloomberg reported that De Beers, Impala Platinum and Gold Fields were restarting production after power crippled their local mines for a fifth day.

Impala Platinum said it was in the process of optimising its mines to achieve an overall 10 percent cut in power to meet Eskom's request.

A spokesperson for Anglo Platinum said the group was examining its options.

Anglo American said coal production at its Kleinkopje mine had been reduced by power cuts, while there had also been some impact on the Sishen and Thabazimbi iron ore mines.

Output of titanium at the Namakwa Sands plant had been reduced, while the Black Mountain zinc mine was closed, Bloomberg reported.

Anglo's Skorpion zinc mine in Namibia was also affected.

Ferrochrome producers will get 90 percent of power by Friday, compared with the current 70 percent, said Jasper Pieters, operations director of Hernic Ferrochrome.

"Ten percent less electricity is 10 percent less production. It's an improvement - [last] Friday was chaos," he added.

Regarding NTDOY, I sold at 77.50, and am considering buying back in if it falls below 60 (as it looks like it will today).

 

[gkryhewy]

Allright, just bought 42 shares of NTDOY at 58.75. As much as I hate this market, this felt like a bargain.

 

[gkryhewy]

Ah crap, would've been a better bargain today :lol

 

[ALeperMessiah]

Ah crap, would've been a better bargain today :lol

What site did you use to find financial information on NTDOY. every site I go to never has any of the particulars for them since they're a foriegn company.

 

[gkryhewy]

What site did you use to find financial information on NTDOY. every site I go to never has any of the particulars for them since they're a foriegn company.

What sort of financial info are you looking for? If you mean P/Es and the like, yeah, there's nothing terribly reliable out there. I think Google Finance's P/E is close to accurate.

 

[Ether_Snake]

This may be the start of another downturn.

Hopefully some good news will slow it down if not halt it.

 

[jamesinclair]

Anybody have a recommendation for a 6 or 9 month CD for $2,000?

Best I found was 3.60% at ING direct.

 

[Troblin]

that's probably close to the going rate w/ all the Fed interest rate cuts.

 

[nakedsushi]

Yay I can finally afford NTDOY. Bought 50 shares of it at $54 and some change.

 

[Ether_Snake]

Asian stocks still thumbling. Blargh.

Today started well, but didn't hold:|

EDIT: OH! BTW! Activision earnings, tomorrow after the close! It went down last time even on good news (the past two quarters in fact). Anyway, still looking forward to it CAE (CGT) will also have its conference tomorrow!

 

[Ether_Snake]

http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9010&Itemid=2

Rumors say Viacom is placing a 1.5 billion bid for TTWO.

I was right! Big media will start to get its share of the video game pie.

 

[kathode]

ATVI earnings tonight. The options activity is pointing in the right directions. Unfortunately increased expectations don't always serve a stock well. We'll see in 3-4 hours.

 

[kathode]

The thread in gaming has this one covered - couldn't ask for better. Monster earnings and raised guidance FTW. Wish I had doubled up yesterday, but been burned by so many earnings previously that I didn't. Ah well, at least I didn't sell right before close like some folks here at work advised me!

 

[Ether_Snake]

As with the past two earnings, they do good yet no good movement on the stock follows (it dropped after both previous earnings even tho it was all good news).

But yeah, I'm holding my stake anyway.

TTWO rumors have yet to be truly denied, we'll see. Regradless I am sure they will be bought eventually at a good price.

And I made a mistake, CGT' earnings are next week's Thursday.

 

[Ether_Snake]

WFR +5% so far.

They were on my watchlist alongside INTC and NVDA. I felt they were a better buy than INTC (but went with NVDA).

Good company.

 

[Maxwell House]

I am back into Chinese Solars today. I bought 200 shares of FSLR.

 

[AstroLad]

Interesting take on Buffet's "bailout" today:

Is Warren Buffett helping the bond insurers? Or is he offering to eat their lunch?

Buffett (left) has proposed to reinsure $800 billion of municipal bonds held by the three big bond insurers–MBIA, Ambac and FGIC. But, as Deal Journal has said before, those munis may not need any insurance in the first place.
. . . .
Buffett isn’t offering to do anything about the problematic structured products that are what is really dragging the bond insurers down. Municipal bonds are the crown jewels of the bond insurance business, and they are the safest, least likely to default bonds around other than Treasurys. There is a decent debate about whether munis need insuring in the first place. If the bond insurers should be trying to get anything off their books, it isn’t the core muni business; it should be the toxic structured deals that have exposure to those risky subprime home loans.

Buffett has joked that the proposal won’t exactly get him through the Pearly Gates–meaning, this is an economic decision. That is an understatement. Buffett stands to be the big winner, and not just because of the reinsurance fees this would generate. After all, Buffett in December received a New York State insurance license to open municipal bond insurer Berkshire Hathaway Assurance, which Buffett wants to move into several other states including California and Texas. In reinsuring as much as $800 billion in municipal bonds, Buffett would get the fees, a track record in the muni business for his new insurer and competitors even more weighed down by their subprime exposures.

http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2008/02/12/a-buffett-in-sheeps-clothing/?mod=homeblogmod_dealjournal

 

[Ether_Snake]

I am back into Chinese Solars today. I bought 200 shares of FSLR.

Good luck, and stay alert!

NVDa earnings tomorrow, after the close (ready for anything, I don't care, I'm a keeper)

 

[Maxwell House]

Good luck, and stay alert!

NVDa earnings tomorrow, after the close (ready for anything, I don't care, I'm a keeper)

Thanks. I should have waited a day to buy FSLR it looks like, down over 7% today. :lol

Their earnings come out at 8 AM EST tomorrow. I hope they hit it out of the park.

 

[Ether_Snake]

Solars have been up and down a lot, rather risky.

BTW what do you guys think about EA?

Maybe the worst has passed. I think they could have a good year and they're trading at 49, which looks affordable to me. I didn't want to touch ERTS but it could be interesting.

 

[Maxwell House]

Damn, FSLR paid off for me bigtime. I feel very lucky about that play.

 

[Ether_Snake]

:lol

Just saw that, 30%, nice

NVDA had good earnings, and is up in after hours. A bit below estimates apparently.

 

[Ether_Snake]

Booo, NVDA down 11%

CGT had good earnings, they're up.

 

[kathode]

Not sure I would get into ERTS myself right now. With the ATVI merger going forward, it puts them technically ahead of EA in terms of earnings and marketshare, but that's not reflected in the stock price at all yet. I see some convergence coming for both of them. Hopefully it involves ATVI rocketing up sometime in the future D ) but mostly likely their prices will gradually drift closer as time goes on and it becomes clear who really has the most staying power.