B & G Foods: Cutting Back Position on Income Securities

I bought B & G Foods (BGF) early last year as part of an income play at around $15. When the price fell I continued to accumulate it. For a while I thought I was a victim of that all to rookie a strategy of "Averaging Down". Well, today at $19 I had to sell. A little trading tip, don't use round numbers when trading, that's a sucker's game every specialist likes to take advantage of. I put my limit price in at $18.99 and sold there. At a forward p/e of 15, it's time to lighten up on B & G Foods. After all, this is an income security not an equity. I think that the management is good and I like the incentives in the contract they have to increase dividends. But the upside is not here for holders like it would be for a regular equity. I am not selling all my position, just lightening up a bit and I am going to do more research.

Click to read more ...

Ford Executive Drives a Lexus: First Sign of a Turnaround

A Ford Executive Taking a Risk!! Read this from AutoSpies.com Wow. I might have to take back my previous comment about the problems at Ford.

Click to read more ...

Do Gold And Oil Say That Inflation Is Over Now?

So, the speculators run out of gold, oil and natural gas. Prices of all three are down significantly in the last weeks. I just heard Larry Kudlow on CNBC say that this means inflation is over. I'd like to propose the contrary argument. I think he is being America centric in his analysis of assets that are prices globally.

Click to read more ...

Unilever N V ADR (UN)

I raised some cash by selling shares in one of my old employers for diversification reasons. Added slightly to my position in Unilever ADRs for the following reasons:- The current p/e is 18 vs depressed 2005 earnings of $1.36. The p/e versus next year is 14.9 and 13.9 vs. 2007. This compares favorably to the current European food favorite Nestle (NSRGY)- Unilever has been a perennial underperformer in Europe and management is starting to get the message that changes have to be made. Food companies are in favor right now and I think this will continue as global inflation continues to suprise.- Diversifies nicely against my portfolio which is pretty heavy in financials. I want to diversify my US Dollar holdings by owning more stable companies outside the US.- They own Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream.

Click to read more ...

Banksy Donates Art to Disney (DIS), I Wait to Buy the Stock

This guy Banksy is a genius. This stunt at Disney where he puts a lifesize statue of a Guantanamo Bay detainee on a ride is so fantastic and subversive. I've always enjoyed his work in London. As for Disney (DIS) stock at a forward p/e of just over 17 and a dividend yield of just under 1% the stock is no bargain but not expensive either. I like that they finally got rid of Eisner whose Richard Grasso-like greed was expensive to shareholders. The pickup of Pixar was a good move as well. It also can't hurt that Steve Jobs in on the board and the company's largest shareholder. Disney was starting to become too corporate to have the kind of creativity it takes to make real money and growth in the entertainment business. As far as buying the stock, I'll wait for a pullback.Disney Politics:It seems ABC is making a move to the right after their showing of "The Path to 9/11" without commercials. If you do become a shareholder be sure to write some letters and vote those proxies!

Click to read more ...

Recent Trades: Diageo (DEO), Yahoo (YHOO), KB Homes (KBH), Toll Brothers (TOL)

Recent trades from last week that I haven't written about. Bought U.K. drinks company, Diageo (DEO) paid $71.05 Added to Yahoo (YHOO) paid $27.86. I will likely sell the Jan 2008 35 strike calls against this if the stock goes a little higher. Added to KB Homes (KBH) by buying shares instead of selling puts - paid $40.01. Sold Short the March 2007, 20 strike puts (tepod.w) on Toll Brothers (TOL) for $0.90.similar logic to the KB Homes Trade).

Click to read more ...

Rainforest Action Network Event

I was going to write up something on the Rainforest Action Network event at Plumm on Saturday September 9th, but there really isn't any point. It's all said here by Brendan at R.A.N. My flickr photos from the event are here. By the time the after party started at my place - I had misplaced my camera so no after party photos. Sorry.

Click to read more ...

Path To 9/11 Review: Top Ten Things I Learned

If it weren't for the big uproar created by the Democrats and other progressive groups I never would have known about "Countdown to 9/11" on ABC. But because of all the hype I decided to watch the first episode. I probably won't watch or record the second episode - but I think I got the idea.

Click to read more ...

KB Homes: The Contrarian Inside Made Me Do It.

I spent a week away and this usually means movement in prices that create opportunities. I'm having a hard time finding shares to buy that I don't already own. Home Builders:Lower earnings reports, Home Sales Declines, decline in home prices, CNBC talking about the end of housing all day, cover stories about the end of the housing bubble in Barrons and the Economist, and stock prices down 50% in an up market. The contrarian in me has forced me to take a look at the home builders. I'm not ready to buy a home builder outright but I did short a small amount of puts on KB Homes (KBH: price = $40.40). I sold the April 30 strike puts at $1.50; that gives someone the right to force me to buy the stock at $30. Why did I chose that strike? I looked at where the stock traded before the housing mania really took off (between $20-$30).

Click to read more ...

Burning Man 2006: A Week Away From the Markets.

Instead of the Bureau of Labor Statistics; I was interacting with the Bureau of Land Management. It wasn't the NYSE open I was watching but the sunrise over the sand. It wasn't an earnings report I was chasing but an art car roaming The Playa. I wasn't in New York City; I was in Black Rock City. I wasn't waiting for the market to close; I was waiting for The Man to burn. I wasn't trying to figure out esoteric series of Ford Motor preferred; I was trying to figure out how to find the water slide at 2:30 and Eager. I wasn't waiting for the right moment to sell calls against my position in AMD; I was trying to looking for the right moment to take a photo of a 15 story Belgian Waffle at sunset. I wasn't busy being disgusted by out of control CEO ripping off shareholders I was busy holding my nose at a porta-potty in 100 degree heat. Instead of watching Wal-Mart management pretend to be Green I was AT Wal-Mart buying a week's worth of water and supplies.

Click to read more ...