Best Wall St. Stocks Today: SIRI

SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) was seeing an elevated bit of options and stock trading yesterday and the shares are performing well again today.� Today’s performance is from Lazard Capital Markets reiterating its “Buy” rating after SIRIUS raised its internal subscriber targets last week.� There is another far less optimistic call on SIRIUS XM today from BreakingViews that was shown on CNBC, but so far the bulls are winning.
Lazard reiterated the BUY rati
ng and $1.35 target on the stock, but also followed SIRIUS XM’s lead with higher subscriber counts.� The new subscriber counts are put at about 1.383 million and ending the quarter with more than 20.15 million subscribers.� One other issue helping out: higher car sales.� There is some caution here though and that is in the form of higher subscriber acquisition costs.
The cautionary view came from Rob Cox of BreakingViews on CNBC today.� The primary concern revolved more around the free Pandora internet radio that smartphones can now stream as free competition.� Cox did note that SIRIUS XM does have it mojo back and the stock is now nearly worth $5 billion.� Cox noted that Slacker and Pandora are both making inroads and a new synch technology could pose a threat down the road and they play more than just music.
The Lazard call is helping, but at $1.30, that only leaves another $0.05 until the price target objective is met.� Even other price target objectives of $1.50 are now getting closer and closer.� At some point valuation has to come into play because buying SIRIUS for a $0.05 gain to $0.20 gain is now an inverted risk-reward matrix for investors… unless price targets get boosted further.
SIRIUS XM is hitting yet another 52-week high today as shares hit $1.30.� At 1:30 PM EST we have also seen more than 63 million shares trade hands versus an average volume of about 71 million shares.
JON C. OGG

Baidu Rising on Q4 Beat, Higher Q1 View

Chinese search engine operator Baidu (BIDU) this afternoon reported Q4 revenue and profit per share ahead of expectations and forecast this quarter’s revenue ahead of expectations.
Revenue in the three months ended in December rose to $710.9 million, yielding EPS of 93 cents.
Analysts had been modeling $708 million and EPS of 91 cents.
For the current quarter, the company sees revenue in a range of $667 million to $688 million, ahead of the $670 million average estimate.
Shares of Baidu have been volatile in after-hours trading, falling $3.25, or almost 3%, to $138.58 right after the results, but periodically lapsing back into the green.
Update: The stock is now trading up by $3.67, or 2.6%, at $145.50.
Fin.

Best Wall St. Stocks Today:

It is a devilishly clever way for a company with flagging revenue to raise sales. Cheat customers by double charging them.
According to several media outlets,�as many as�one million Starbucks customers were charged twice what they should have been on May 22nd and 23rd. It would be good�for shareholders if Starbucks hangs on to the cash. But, the chain says it will pay the money back.
Starbucks, which once
boasted that it would have 40,000 stores worldwide, is having trouble making money�with the ones it operates now, even though it has closed hundreds of them and laid off thousands of people
Starbucks has tried to improve traffic to its stores with inexpensive instant coffee and value meals for breakfast. The margins on these products may be so low that double-billing is the only way to move up earnings.
The other option to improve operating margins would be for founder Howard Schultz to work for $1 a year. He is already a multi-millionaire who now has a reputation�as�a person who is in�favor of�mass lay-offs. It would be too bad if�his company�has now chosen to increase sales by double-billing, even if it is by mistake
Douglas A. McIntyre

(SUPG, GRHU, NHPR, EWBC, BPFH) Stock Report by DrStockPick.com

SuperGen, Inc. (Nasdaq:SUPG) announced that James S.J. Manuso, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer, will present at Future Leaders in the Biotech Industry 2011 on Friday, April 15th in New York. SuperGen’s presentation will begin at 9:00 a.m. ET. A live webcast of the presentation will be available in the Investor Events section of the Company’s website at www.supergen.com. The webcast will be archived for 30 days.
Supergen, Inc., a pharmaceutical company, primarily engages in the discovery and development of therapies to treat patients with cancer.
GreenHouse Holdings, Inc. (GRHU)

GreenHouse Holdings, Inc. is a leading provider of energy efficiency and sustainable facilities solutions. The company designs, engineers and installs disparate products and technologies that enable its clients to reduce their energy costs and carbon footprint.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems are different from Solar Hot Water systems in that they generate electricity when exposed to the sun instead of heating the water.
In the interconnected case, PV systems produce energy from the panels during the sunny days and provide this energy to the house, but if more energy is needed than is currently being produced, grid supplies the difference. If the PV system produces more than needed, surplus is then fed back into the grid, often for a benefit to the home owner. In battery-based systems, there is no backup of the grid and all energy that is produced is used or stored in the batteries for later use.
GreenHouse offers Solar PV systems with state of the art Micro-Inverters that maximize the harvest of available sunlight, can now triple the R.O.I. as compared to traditional single inverter systems.
Solar Photovoltaic Systems consist of few key components: solar photovoltaic panels, inverter, battery chargers and batteries (if off-grid installation), PV combiner boxes, DC array disconnect, wiring, and panel moun! ting rac ks.
Target markets for GreenHouse’s energy efficiency solutions include residential, commercial and industrial, as well as government and military markets. In addition, the company develops designs and constructs rapidly deployable, sustainable facilities primarily for use in disaster relief and security in austere regions.
Mr. Robinson, a founder of GreenHouse Holdings, Inc. recently appeared for an interview on Fox Business’ America’s Nightly Scoreboard Friday April 1st, at 9PM. Mr. Robinson, is a globally recognized expert in terrorism and national security, provided expert insight into the likelihood and feasibility of future terrorist attacks perpetrated or financially backed by the Lybian dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi. His over 30 years experience in Special Forces, Special Mission Units, and the Central Intelligence Agency helps provide GreenHouse Holdings with invaluable global “on the ground” expertise with respect to their energy efficiency and sustainable solutions business.
For more information about GreenHouse Holdings, Inc. Visit its website:www.greenhouseintl.com
National Health Partners, Inc. (NHPR)
National Health Partners, Inc. is a national healthcare savings organization that provides discount healthcare membership programs to uninsured and underinsured people through a national healthcare savings network called “CARExpress.” CARExpress is one of the largest networks of hospitals, doctors, dentists, pharmacists and other healthcare providers in the country and is comprised of over 1,000,000 medical professionals that belong to such PPOs as CareMark and Aetna.
Health insurance should not cover basic or routine medical services, but instead should cover major illnesses, surgeries, etc. Moreover, the government should require that healthcare providers charge all patients the same fees for out-of-pocket medical procedures (insurance companies and the government should be free to ! negotiat e discounted prices for the services for which they directly pay, but these preferred rates would not apply to the services paid out-of-pocket by their members). This would bring normal, competitive market forces to bear on the provision of routine medical services. Insurance would then provide (as it is properly intended) coverage against significant and expensive maladies.
National Health Partners Inc recently announced that it has signed a new agreement with a major marketing company that will significantly enhance the growth of its CARExpress membership base.
According to the Company, this deal, in combination with the previous partnership with Xpress Healthcare, will enable the company to build its membership base exponentially, initially generating in excess of an additional 2,000 new members per month. The new campaign is set to launch within the next few weeks and will provide a material positive impact on the company’s 2nd quarter sales.
National Health Partners anticipate that this new marketing agreement will provide a major impact on their overall sales not only for the 2nd quarter, but more importantly for the year. They look forward to building on the profits that they anticipate generating in 2011 that will be driven by substantial growth in sales of their CARExpress health discount programs. The combination of their substantial growth with their low price-to-equity ratio should reflect itself in the price of their stock over the coming months.
For more information about National Health Partners, Inc visit its website www.nationalhealthpartners.com
East West Bancorp (Nasdaq:EWBC) will discuss first quarter 2011 earnings with the public on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at 8:30 A.M. PT/ 11:30 A.M. ET via the Company’s live quarterly earnings conference call. The public and investment community are invited to listen as management discusses first quarter results and operating developments. Information f! or the c onference call and replay is provided on the Investor Relations page at www.eastwestbank.com. The following dial-in information is provided for participation in the conference call: Local call within the US - (877) 317-6789; Call within Canada - (866) 605-3852; International call - (412) 317-6789.
East West Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for East West Bank, which provides a range of personal and commercial banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, business executives, professionals, and other individuals in California.
Boston Private Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:BPFH) will report first quarter financial results after market close on Tuesday, April 26, 2011. Management will hold a conference call at 8 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, April 27, to discuss the financial results in more detail. To access the call: Dial In #: (866) 843-0890. International Dial In #: (412) 317-9250. Elite Entry Number: 0128082. Replay Information: Available from Apr. 27 at 10 a.m. to May 5. Dial In #: (877) 344-7529. International Dial In (412) 317-0088. Conference Number: 450199. The call will be simultaneously webcast and may be accessed on www.bostonprivate.com.
Boston Private Financial Holdings, Inc. operates as the multi-bank holding company in the United States. The company provides private banking, investment management, and wealth advisory services to high net worth individuals, families, small and medium-sized businesses, and institutions.

Best Wall St. Stocks Today: EEP

Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: EEP) has priced its pending public secondary offering of 5.2 million Common Units.� The deal priced at $60.12 per unit, raising more than $300 million in the offering.
The partnership said that the net proceeds will be used to repay a portion of its outstanding commercial paper and any credit facility borrowings which had been used to finance a portion of its acquisition of the entities that comprise the Elk City Gathering and Processing System.� The partnership also noted that it will use a portion of the proceeds to fund a portion of its capital expansion projects.
The joint book-runners are Morgan Stanley, BofA Merrill Lynch, J.P. Morgan, RBC Capital Markets, UBS Investment Bank and Wells Fargo.� Enbridge Partners has also granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 780,000 units to cover any over-allotments, if any.
Enbridge Energy Partners LP is down over 3% at $60.12 shortly before the open and the 52-week trading range is $38.02 to $63.39.� The $300 million compares to a market cap at yesterday’s close of roughly $7.4 billion.
JON C. OGG

Best Wall St. Stocks Today:

The forecasting cycle that drives the market is low on fodder since the earnings season is under way and the latest unemployment numbers are tucked neatly into the bed of economic prediction models. But, housing is an evergreen topic and a ready harbor for those who have no other numbers to obsess over.
The Administration�s theory is that the numbers on mortgages and home values are bound to get better. Its� d
efense is simple. Enough money is being put into the economy to drive job creation, which drives income, which creates a larger pool of people who can afford homes. In addition to that, the government is going to make financial aid readily available to individuals of good character with strong references so that they can make their mortgage payments. To paint the picture even rosier, the Fed will buy up paper in the open market and that paper will bear a close enough relationship to bank rates for real estate lending that it will push mortgage costs down.
The system for saving housing is so perfectly built that it cannot not possibly fail. It has powerful dynamics to create demand which will meet a supply of homes available at prices which must be in the process of bottoming. The reasoning here becomes circular. Housing prices are finding a floor because of the government�s help to create demand. The actual issue of whether people will buy homes is left out of the equation.
Also left to the side in the government�s calculus is the fact that people who have homes now may not pay their mortgages on time, and, in some cases, will not pay them at all. Those numbers are rising and not falling, which undermines the premise that the federal government can control anything that it wants to control.
According to Reuters, �Dan Adams, president of U.S. Information Systems for Equifax Inc, reported that 7 percent of homeowners with mortgages were at least 30 days late on their loans in February, an increase of more than 5! 0 percen t from a year earlier.� And, nearly 40% of subprime borrowers are behind by a month, which is also up significantly from 2008.
The government�s predictions have trouble taking panic and turning it into a number or a digit, so its calculations will always be well off the mark.
The government is not alone in having trouble finding the key to the housing disaster. Almost all of the arguments and forecasts about residential real estate run in circles which may be why it is so hard to tease out what the real issues are. Only three things are certain. The first is that housing prices are still falling. The second is that mortgage rates are at remarkably low levels. And, the third is that delinquencies are rising.
What cannot be known but can be inferred from the information available now is that the perception of potential home buyers is that prices will go lower. Home buyers are not jumping into the market the way stock traders did a month ago when they were convinced that the S&P was as low as it would go.
About six or seven years ago, many people stopped buying houses as places to live in for ten or twenty years and began to look at them as investments. When that started to happen, what a house was worth went from becoming a number people looked at when they burned their mortgages after being in their homes for thirty years to a figure that they checked with their realtor or online once a week. At that point, the comfort of owning a home began to disappear and the instability of the housing market entered the system.

How solar panels produce electricity

Solar panels make life less complicated for everyone with their advanced technology to convert the sunshine into electricity. Solar panels may not have received the due attention during the last couple of decades, they have still come up a great distance. The solar panels make it easy to utilise green power without getting into the problems with non-renewable and fossil fuel resources for our daily energy use.
With PV cells, you only need to buy the kit, pay for installation and spend some ignorable quantity of maintenance. With this done, you won't have any more Problems. You'll be getting free electricity in your office or home, whatever is the place of installation.
The solar panels are used for solar energy as well as solar heating. If you look into the details of solar panels, you will understand that both these cells work on the same beliefs of solar energy. They intake the power from the sunlight and change it to another kind of power, electrical or heat energy, as the case may be.
When light falls on the surface of the solar panels, the photons from the light fill in the holes in the surface. These holes and P type holes. Remember, this occurs on atomic level so you won't be well placed to see anything going on there on the surface of the solar panels.
The solar panels will work great when daylight has high-intensity. On the other hand, the potency of solar panels will lower when the daylight magnitude decreases. Generally, the weather makes an important impact on the potency of solar cells. Therefore , you've got to make sure that you are asking a solar installer company to survey the place before installing any solar panels. This way you will know whether you want a high potency PV cell or a regular one for your home or office.
Greg Dickson is the head of marketing for the Solar Powered Folk. The Solar Powered people are professionals in providing detailed info about solar panels, PV cells and solar energy and how ! this wil l help peoples lives. If you are looking to use the feed in price list then make sure you visit our Solar Installers directory.

These stocks hit the ground running with tremendous gains

It doesn’t seem that long ago — but really, it’s been a full three months — since InvestorPlace analyst Daniel Putnam gave us his thoughts about the Best Breakout Bets for Q1 2012. He looked at a number of stocks that were near 52-week highs and had potential to break to the upside if the market strengthened.
And boy, did it get strong. Take a look at the performance of the three prominent benchmarks during the first quarter of 2012:

• Dow Jones Industrial Average: +8.1%
• S&P 500: +12%
• Nasdaq: +18.7%

Needless to say, more than a few stocks headed north. So now, let’s take a look at the top five performances from Putnam’s list of stocks poised to break out:

No. 1: Priceline

William Shatner made the right decision to become a spokesman for online travel and leisure giant Priceline (NASDAQ:PCLN), who led the way with a whopping 53% first-quarter gain. Revenue growth is fueling the PCLN shares, and analysts expect a bang-up first quarter on the heels of last year’s Q4 results, which showed a 36% year-over-year increase. PCLN is well-positioned for a continuation in the trend, as their investments in Booking.com and Agora.com are paying dividends in the respective growing European and Asian online travel markets.

No. 2: Rackspace

Not only is Rackspace (NASDAQ:RAX) playing in the cloud, but its stock price is way up in the air too, finishing Q1 up 34%. RAX operates in the hosting and cloud computing industry, offering its products under the Fanatical Support brand. The company’s Open Stack platform model draws rave reviews from analysts and customers, and analysts believe the company is gaining in the all-important enterprise market space, according to Investors.com. With the cloud computing model al! l the ra ge and most decidedly the future, the Houston-based company has the potential to keep rising.

No. 3: Las Vegas Sands

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS), the leading global developer of destination properties and resorts, doubled down on its bets and came out with a 33% first-quarter gain. Chairman and Chief Executive Sheldon Adelson is not just spending his time helping out with the Newt Gingrich campaign — the company is busy opening the new Sands Cotai Central in Macau, too. Meanwhile, the entertainment empire is forecast to grow earnings per share to $2.57 in 2012 — up from 2011�s $2.06, and 98 cents in 2010. The stock price has more than doubled over the past 12 months. Like Las Vegas itself, LVS keeps getting bigger and better.

No. 4: Foot Locker

March Madness descended on the nation in March, and Foot Locker (NYSE:FL) was one of the prime beneficiaries, riding the wave to a 30% Q1 gain. The company operates in two segments — stores and direct-to-customer sales — and sells footwear and apparel through its 3,402 stores worldwide. It has all added up to a whopping $5.62 billion in merchandise in 2012, and year-over-year increases in earnings and revenues over the past three years. A mild spring in the Northeast helped out retailers selling sports gear and equipment, and with spring in gear and summer on the way, FL should continue to benefit from consumers getting out and playing.

No. 5: Chipotle

The ever-expanding chain of Mexican burrito restaurants is the “laggard” of our group, but when your stock is up 24% in three months, you have nothing to complain about. In fact, Chipotle (NYSE:CMG) has climbed almost tenfold during the past three years, and claims a market value of just north of $13 billion. CMG expects to open another 160 restaurants during the course of 2012, so it appears growth will continue onward, with last year̵! 7;s $2.3 billion in sales left in the dust. CMG isn’t without some detractors, but for now it is one of the big breakout stories of 2012.
Marc Bastow is an Assistant Editor of InvestorPlace. As of this writing, he did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.

FPIC Insurance Group, Inc recently Stroke its 52 Week High Price - NASDAQ:FPIC

FPIC Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:FPIC) achieved its new 52 week high price of $41.95 where it was opened at $41.90 UP 0.27 points or +0.65% by closing at $41.85. FPIC transacted shares during the day were over 67,331 shares however it has an average volume of 27,502 shares.
FPIC has a market capitalization $351.41 million and an enterprise value at $374.02 million. Trailing twelve months price to sales ratio of the stock was 1.80 while price to book ratio in most recent quarter was 1.31. In profitability ratios, net profit margin in past twelve months appeared at 14.26% whereas operating profit margin for the same period at 25.26%.
The company made a return on asset of 3.10% in past twelve months and return on equity of 10.06% for similar period. In the period of trailing 12 months it generated revenue amounted to $194.26 million gaining $21.98 revenue per share. Its year over year, quarterly growth of revenue was -2.80% holding -13.60% quarterly earnings growth.
According to preceding quarter balance sheet results, the company had $126.37 million cash in hand making cash per share at 15.05. The total of $48.94 million debt was there putting a total debt to equity ratio 18.33. Moreover its current ratio according to same quarter results was 3.11 and book value per share was 31.79.
Looking at the trading information, the stock price history displayed that its S&P500 52 Week Change illustrated 4.59% where the stock current price exhibited up beat from its 50 day moving average price $41.73 and remained above from its 200 Day Moving Average price $38.37.
FPIC holds 8.40 million outstanding shares with 7.74 million floating shares where insider possessed 5.56% and institutions kept 78.40%.

QCOM: Was SEC Matter Properly Disclosed?

Interesting article this afternoon regarding Qualcomm (QCOM), which comes to us by way of TheFlyOnTheWall (thanks, folks!) by one John Gavin, a CFA, over at the site disclosureinsight.com, regarding accounting matters.
Gavin’s post doesn’t discuss any details of any accounting practices. Rather he focuses on the fact that Qualcomm didn’t disclose until late 2010 events that would seem to have been material, including a company whistleblower having approached Qualcomm’s audit committee of its board of directors, and the SEC in September of that year having initiated a formal probe into the matter raised.
Gavin’s position is that the delay in the disclosure of the several incidents from 2009 to 2010 represents a breach of trust on the part of Qualcomm management:

The bottom line is this. Qualcomm is a public company that has disclosed a material risk factor investors cannot analyze. To our view, that means management trust has been compromised as they could give investors what�s needed to analyze this exposure, but chose not to. Investors will have to decide on their own if that is the kind of risk that lets them sleep at night.

Qualcomm shares today are up 31 cents, or half a percent, at $55.58.
Much of what Gavin discusses is interesting but beyond the scope of my knowledge of the matter. I have a request in to Qualcomm for any clarification or comment on the matters Gavin raises.

SEC Proposes Consolidated Audit Trail, Clears New Municipal Securities Rules

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday, May 26, proposed a new rule in reaction to the May 6 market plunge requiring self-regulatory organizations (SROs) to establish a consolidated audit trail system that would enable regulators to track information related to trading orders received and executed across the securities markets. The SEC also voted unanimously to approve rule changes improving the quality and timeliness of municipal securities disclosure.
SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro said that if adopted, "this consolidated audit trail would, for the first time, allow the SEC and other market regulators to track trade data across multiple markets, products and participants in real time. It would allow us to rapidly reconstruct trading activity and quickly analyze both suspicious trading behavior and unusual market events."
Last year, the SEC says it set up an agency-wide task force to carry out the audit trail initiative and begin the process of developing the rulemaking proposal recommended to the Commission on May 26. The SEC says its proposal seeks public comment and data on a broad range of issues relating to a consolidated audit trail.
The same day, the SEC approved rules designed to provide enhanced information to municipal securities investors by further regulating those who underwrite or sell such municipal securities.
As it stands now, municipal securities, such as municipal bonds, are exempt from the disclosure requirements of the federal securities laws, the SEC says. As such, the SEC's statutory authority is limited. Today's measures, the SEC says, "will strengthen existing requirements for the scope of securities covered, the nature of the events that issuers must disclose, and the time period in which disclosure must be made." The compliance date of the new rules is December 1, 2010.
"These rule changes will enable investors to make more knowledgeable decisions about municipal securities by requiring more timely and relevant information on an ongoing basis," Schapiro said. "Although I believe that the SEC's regulatory authority over the municipal securities market should be expanded in order to better protect investors and issuers alike, these measures represent an important improvement within our present statutory authority."

Top Energy Stocks For 2012

The market has been on fire since the dark days of the financial crisis. The S&P 500 has soared an astounding 85% since the lows of March 2009. Market returns have been propelled by more cyclical sectors like technology and consumer products, while the more defensive sectors have badly lagged the market. In short, it's the go-go stocks that have been the first to benefit in the post crisis market, but things might be changing...
The bull market has gotten long in the tooth while at the same time uncertainty is growing as the Middle East erupts in turmoil. Oil prices are soaring near $100 a barrel from just $85 a month ago and may climb still higher, threatening economic recovery.
It may be time for investors to look at defensive stocks that can perform in any economy. Health care, more specifically major drug manufacturers, earn consistent income in any economy and, best of all, pay fat dividends.
Health care stocks have their critics, however. Most large drug companies are facing steep patent cliffs and an accompanying fall in revenue in the years ahead. In addition, uncertainty regarding health care legislation and possible higher costs going forward are weighing on prospects.
However, these problems are largely factored into share prices already.

Three stocks in particular stand out as having strong business prospects, cheap valuations and high dividends.

Top Energy Stocks For 2012:Airgas Inc. (ARG)

 Airgas, Inc., through its subsidiaries, distributes industrial, medical, and specialty gases, as well as hardgoods in the United States. The company offers various gases, including nitrogen, oxygen, argon, helium, and hydrogen; welding and fuel gases, such as acetylene, propylene, and propane; and carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, ultra high purity grades, special application blends, and process chemicals. Its hardgoods products comprise welding consumables and equipment, safety products, and construction supplies, as well as maintenance, repair, and operating supplies. The company also engages in the rental of gas cylinders, cryogenic liquid containers, bulk storage tanks, tube trailers, and welding and welding related equipment. In addition, the company manufactures and distributes liquid carbon dioxide, dry ice, nitrous oxide, ammonia, refrigerant gases, and atmospheric merchant gases. It serves repair and maintenance, industrial manufacturing, energy and infrastructure construction, medical, petrochemical, food and beverage, retail and wholesale, analytical, utilities, and transportation industries. The company operates an integrated network of approximately 1100 locations, including branches, retail stores, packaged gas fill plants, specialty gas labs, production facilities, and distribution centers. Additionally, it provides retail solutions to retail customers, such as florists, grocers, restaurants and bars, tire and automotive service centers, and others. The company markets its products through multiple sales channels, including branch-based sales representatives, retail stores, strategic customer account programs, telesales, catalogs, e-business, and independent distributors. Airgas, Inc. was founded in 1982 and is based in Radnor, Pennsylvania.
Advisors' Opinion:

• By Tom Bishop At 2011-9-8
  Airgas Inc. (NYSE:ARG) was also the subject of a takeover bid, this one a little unwelcome. The company received a bid from Air Products (NYSE:APD) at $60 per share, a 38% premium from where the stock had been trading.
  
  Airgas rejected the offer claiming that the offer "very significantly undervalues Airgas and its future prospects and is not in the best interests of Airgas stockholders." Airgas finished up 39% in February 2010, and is currently trading at $65 per share as the market is anticipating a possible higher bid.

Top Energy Stocks For 2012:Atwood Oceanics Inc. (ATW)

 Atwood Oceanics, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in offshore drilling, and the completion of exploratory and developmental oil and gas wells. The company owns semisubmersible rigs, semisubmersible tender assist rigs, jack-up drilling rigs, and submersible drilling rigs. As of November 22, 2010, it operated nine mobile offshore drilling units located in offshore southeast Asia, offshore Africa, offshore Australia, offshore South America, and the Mediterranean Sea. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Top Energy Stocks For 2012:ConocoPhillips (COP)

 ConocoPhillips operates as an integrated energy company worldwide. The company?s Exploration and Production (E&P) segment explores for, produces, transports, and markets crude oil, bitumen, natural gas, liquefied natural gas, and natural gas liquids. Its Midstream segment gathers, processes, and markets natural gas; and fractionates and markets natural gas liquids in the United States and Trinidad. The company?s Refining and Marketing (R&M) segment purchases, refines, markets, and transports crude oil and petroleum products, such as gasolines, distillates, and aviation fuels. Its Chemicals segment manufactures and markets petrochemicals and plastics. This segment offers olefins and polyolefins, including ethylene, propylene, and other olefin products; aromatics products, such as benzene, styrene, paraxylene, and cyclohexane, as well as polystyrene and styrene-butadiene copolymers; and various specialty chemical products comprising organosulfur chemicals, solvents, catalysts, drilling chemicals, mining chemicals, and engineering plastics and compounds. The company?s Emerging Businesses segment develops new technologies and businesses. It focuses on power generation; and technologies related to conventional and nonconventional hydrocarbon recovery, refining, alternative energy, biofuels, and the environment. This segment also offers E-Gas, a gasification technology producing high-value synthetic gas. ConocoPhillips was founded in 1917 and is based in Houston, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:

• By Hawkinvest At 2012-2-23
  
  ConocoPhillips (COP) is a leading oil and gas company involved in exploration, production, refining, and transportation of petroleum products. ConocoPhillips appears undervalued, as it offers a solid dividend yield and a price to earnings ratio of just about 9 times earnings. This stock could have an upside catalyst in the coming months, as the comp! any plan s to spin-off the refining division, which will become a separate, publicly traded company called Phillips 66. This company has extensive oil reserves which can grow as the company makes new finds, and these reserves also grow more valuable as the price of oil trends higher. This stock has been rising, so waiting for pullbacks makes sense. Recently, it's been possible to buy Conoco shares at below $70 per share, and that would be a very attractive entry point.
  
  
  Here are some key points for COP:
  
  
  Current share price: $73.83
  The 52 week range is $58.65 to $81.80
  Earnings estimates for 2011: $8.27 per share
  Earnings estimates for 2012: $8.75 per share
  Annual dividend: $2.64 per share which yields 3.6%
• By Fabian At 2012-2-21
  ConocoPhilips(COP) is a close second. This is a Warren Buffett darling that will benefit from its spinoff of refining assets some time in 2012.
  Conoco also continues to pay a consistent and reliable 3.75%. Note that COP has underperformed the rest of the sector recently. Correlations are normally so close that such an underperformance by one stock can point the way to value.
• By Dave Friedman At 2011-9-23
  Institutional investors bought 49,282,090 shares and sold 75,744,640 shares, for a net of -26,462,550 shares. This net represents 1.79% of common shares outstanding. The number of shares outstanding is 1,479,330,000. The shares recently traded at $65.51 and the company’s market capitalization is $89,946,840,000.00. About the company: ConocoPhillips is an international, integrated energy company which operates in several business segments. The Company explores for and produces petroleum, and refines, markets, supplies, and transports petroleum. ConocoPhillips also gathers and processes natural gas, and produces and distributes chemicals and plastics.

Top Energy Stocks For 2012:Sunoco Logistics Partners LP (SXL)

 Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P. engages in the transport, terminalling, and storage of refined products and crude oil, as well as the purchase and sale of crude oil in the United States. Its Refined Products Pipeline System segment owns and operates approximately 2,200 miles of refined product pipelines that transport gasoline, heating oil, diesel and jet fuel, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). This segment also includes approximately 100-mile refined products Harbor pipeline, and 50 miles of inter refinery pipelines; and various joint venture interests in refined product pipeline companies. The company?s Terminal Facilities segment consists of 42 refined product terminals with an aggregate storage capacity of 7.2 million barrels, primarily serving the Refined Products Pipeline System; the Nederland Terminal, a 20.2 million barrel marine crude oil terminal on the Texas Gulf Coast; a 2.0 million barrel refined products terminal serving Sunoco?s Marcus Hook refinery near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 1 inland and 2 marine crude oil terminals with a combined capacity of 3.4 million barrels, and related pipelines that serve Sunoco?s Philadelphia refinery; and a 1.0 million barrel LPG terminal near Detroit, Michigan. Its Crude Oil Pipeline System segment gathers, purchases, sells, and transports crude oil principally in Oklahoma and Texas. This segment consists of approximately 4,900 miles of crude oil trunk pipelines; approximately 500 miles of crude oil gathering lines; approximately 110 crude oil transport trucks; and approximately 100 crude oil truck unloading facilities. This segment also holds a 91% interest in the Mid-Valley Pipeline Company that owns approximately 1,000 miles of crude oil pipelines; a 60.3% interest in West Texas Gulf Pipe Line Company, which includes approximately 600 miles of crude oil pipe; and a 37.0 percent undivided interest in the 100-mile Mesa Pipe Line system. The company was founded in 2001 and is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Top Energy Stocks For 2012:Permian Basin Royalty Trust (PBT)

 Permian Basin Royalty Trust owns overriding royalty rights in mineral properties in the United States. It holds a 75% net overriding royalty interest in the Waddell Ranch Properties located in Crane County, Texas; and a 95% net overriding royalty interest in the Texas Royalty Properties in Texas. As of December 31, 2009, the Waddell Ranch properties contained 372 net productive oil wells, 87 net productive gas wells, and 131 net injection wells; and the Texas Royalty properties consisted of approximately 125 separate royalty interests containing approximately 51,000 net producing acres. The company was founded in 1980 and is based in Dallas, Texas.

Top Energy Stocks For 2012:SM Energy Company (SM)

 SM Energy Company, an independent oil and gas company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, exploitation, development, and production of natural gas and crude oil in North America. Its oil and gas reserves and operations are concentrated primarily in the Rocky Mountain Williston basin; the Mid-Continent Anadarko and Arkoma basins; the Permian basin; the productive formations of east Texas and north Louisiana; north central Pennsylvania; the Maverick Basin in south Texas; and the onshore Gulf Coast and offshore Gulf of Mexico. As of December 31, 2009, the company had estimated proved reserves of 53.8 million barrels of oil and 449.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas. SM Energy Company was formerly known as St. Mary Land & Exploration Company and changed its name to SM Energy Company on June 1, 2010. SM Energy Company was founded in 1908 and is based in Denver, Colorado.

Up-Trend Outlook: OTIV, SONO, CKXE

Trends, Charts and Exclusive Opinion

Three Stocks to Watch Closely as they Trend Up

OTIV: New Biometric-based Electronic ID Cards Boost Top-Line

SONO: Board authorizes up to $150 million Repurchase of Stock or Notes

CKXE: Elvis Presley�s 75th Birthday Celebration Pushes Stock Higher

Gaining 7.73% this morning is On Track Innovations Limited (OTIV) http://www.oti.co.il/ currently trading in the $2.32 range. OTIV easily surpassed its 3-Month average daily trading volume of 221,402 shares early in todays session. OTIV has a 52-week high of $3.04. OTIV is widely held by insiders and institutions with trailing twelve month revenues of $35 million+.
OTIV has a 1-Year floor of $1 with some support at $1.50. The spike into its current range is based on a new Top-Line contract for $30 million. OTIV is a near-term (3 Mo) �Watch Closely� stock for me. If OTIV can bring in another deal in the next three months; I think the bottom will reset near the $1.50 range and the stock could pick up its approximate 72 cent spread between the current price and its 52-week high.� ����
OTIV, a maker and seller of microprocessor-based smart card solutions for homeland security & e-ID systems, and petroleum payments signed relating to a national e-ID program with total consideration that exceeds $30 million. 2010 revenues are expected to be over $20 million. An advance payment has been received to support the initial stages of the project which have already commenced.
The co ntract is based upon an OTIV pilot program that provides for the supply of new biometric-based electronic ID cards and other official documents (relating to birth, contact info and the like). The deal is an end-to-end turnkey solution based on OTIV�s Magna platform. The day after the contract announcement, research house Feltl & Company upgraded OTIV from �Hold� to an outright �Buy�. In addition to its �homeland security� applications, the OTIV MediSmart product to manage medical information has the potential for a �break-out� product considering the healthcare bill shift to virtual information.

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Gaining 6.47% this morning is SonoSite Inc., (SONO) http://www.sonosite.com/ currently trading in the $27.76 range. SONO has a 3-Month average daily trading volume of 129, 972 shares. SONO has a 52-week high of $29.16 set on 10-19-09. SONO has trailing twelve month revenues of $227 million and something I really like about this stock; trailing twelve month diluted EPS of $0.93 during the �great recession�. What gives me some minor concern about SONO is that while it is widely held by institutions, the short-sellers seem to have gotten a hold of it; with a reported public float of 16.91 million shares, the SONO short percentage of the float as of 12-15-09 is over 10%. SONO has a 3-Month floor of $23 with some dips at $22, but with strong support at $23 and good support at $24.
I believe the 3-Month period dip from $28 down to $22 was caused by the shorters downward pressure, but SONO has surged back to the $28 range and that resiliency is a very encouraging investment barometer. SONO is a near-term �Watch Closely� stock for me. If the Company can keep the trend moving up, regardless of the incremental change, and it nears its high, that will get some of the shorters out and give it room to advance to a new high.
SONO announced today that its Board has okayed a repurchase up to $150 million of the Company�s common stock or outstanding convertible notes for cash. In connection with the repurchase authorization, the company will purchase up to $100 million of the Company's common stock through a modified �Dutch Auction� tender offer. SonoSite intends to commence the tender offer during the week of January 18, 2010. Under the terms of the proposed tender offer, SonoSite shareholders will have the opportunity to tender some or all of their shares at a price within the range of $26.10 to $30.00 p! er share .
Another sign of strength for SONO is its recent, preliminary look at its Q4 results. SONO (which makes hand-carried ultrasound devices) management said its revenue edged down in Q4 due to a decrease in orders from military customers. Management said that based on preliminary results, its Q4 revenue totaled about $69 million, down from $70.2 million a year earlier. Very, very good considering its Q3 decreases. Management also said SONO gained $4 million in revenue from CardioDynamics, a diagnostic device maker it acquired in August, but other sales fell 7% percent, mostly due to declining military orders and that exchange rates were favorable in the fourth quarter and boosted its revenue by 4%. SONO markets four of its hand-carried ultrasound systems to military customers.

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Gaining 7.21 % this morning is CKX Inc. (CKXE) http://www.ckx.com/ currently trading in the $5.58 range. CKXE has a 3-Month average daily trading volume of 157,170 shares. CKXE has a 52-week high of $8.24 set on 06-05-09. CKXE is widely held by insiders and institutions with trailing twelve month revenues of $285! million and a positive, corresponding diluted EPS of $0.13. CKXE has a 3-Month floor of $5.50 with a few dips into the $5.25 range, but good support at $6 and some support at $6.25. CKXE is a near-term �Watch Closely� stock for me. The stock is currently riding high with the 75^th Birthday of Elvis (a licensee) on television everywhere.
I�m not quite sure what can propel the stock back towards it high after all the celebrating has calmed down. It is a year long celebration, and rightly so, but the initial media coverage has just been... massive. The mid-October drop in price was a reaction to the CEO selling 7.85 million�of his personally owned�shares to a well-known investment fund at a price of $6.75 per share. Whenever management sells (for other than medical reasons) it never bodes well with shareholders and shakes their confidence.� �
On two positive notes, in early 2010, a new "Elvis Yourself" Facebook application will launch via Elvis� official Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/elvis. The new�application will allow Elvis fans and Facebook users to combine their photos with fun Elvis-themed imagery to create�a unique�profile picture for their Facebook page and on 12-15-09, Cirque du Soleil, in partnership with Elvis Presley Enterprises, a CKXE company, unveiled its latest resident show Viva ELVIS, at ARIA Resort & Casino, at CityCenter in Las Vegas.

Invest In A Launch Monitor For The Future Of Your Business

Have you been considering getting a launch monitor for your indoor golf business? There are a lot of advantages to owning one of these, and you have a lot to gain financially if you decide to invest in one.
You may not even be aware of just how advanced these machines have gotten recently. It used to be that these machines got used primarily by trainers for educational purposes. They are still perfect for this type of use; however they are so much more now than what they used to be.
Technological advancements have turned these training machines into great sources of entertainment for golf enthusiasts. They have become so realistic that it feels like you are actually standing at a real life golf course when you are using one!
Plus, there have been quite a few advancements regarding the software used in these machines. Do you offer golf clubs for sale at your place of business? If so, you can significantly increase your sales with the use of the club fitting software that will be included with your launch monitor. Just imagine how many more people will be inclined to make a purchase once they have had a machine determine the right clubs for them through scientific analysis! People tend to trust the suggestions that they receive from these machines, so you will sell a lot more golf clubs when you offer this software to your customers.
You can benefit everyone involved when you have a trainer come in and work with your customers on the launch monitor. The advanced software offers advanced analysis of an individual’s swing, which can be quite beneficial to both the trainer and your customers. Once the trainer is able to correctly identify where the person’s weaknesses lie, it will be much easier to determine a course of action for correcting the issue. You customers will see their game improve much faster with the use of the advanced analysis offered by the monitor.
Your trainer will be able to offer extended and flexible training hours that people would not be abl! e to get at an outdoor golf course. This is because of the fact that an outdoor golf course has to close down for the night, so many people who work are unable to get to the golf course before they close. Additionally, training appointments will never have to be cancelled due to rain or unpredicted weather conditions. Plus, you can offer training all through the cold months when all of the outdoor golf courses are closed for the winter.
Your trainer will love the fact that there will not be any rental fees to pay like there would be at a regular golf course. This is especially true because the trainer can still charge the same amount for lessons, but they will essentially be making more since they aren’t paying out of pocket for any rental fees.
As you can see, having a launch monitor will be beneficial to your business in many ways, so it would be well worth it to make the investment for the future of your business.
Next, find out more about Launch Monitor now!

(GBLHF, CTIB, CXDC, FHCO) Stocks in Review by DrStockPick.com

Global Hunter (GBLHF.PK)
Global Hunter’s focus is on strategic and base metals, with an advanced stage copper oxide project in Chile and a highly prospective molybdenum property in British Columbia, Canada. GBLHF teams are working on developing the Corona de Cobre property in Chile and the Rabbit south property in British Columbia.
La Corona de Cobre, Chile:
+18,000 hectare land package in coastal belt of Andean Cordillera of Chile on the Atacama Fault Zone.(”Chilean Iron-Copper Belt”)
Project Highlights
- Copper oxide deposit, leachable
- Existing NI 43-101 Resource Estimate (225 million pounds of copper)
- Management with proven track record
- Highly qualified technical team
- Low operating costs of appr. $ 1.00/lb (preliminary calculation)
- Substantial upside potential (resource covers less than 0.1% of total area)
Rabbit South, British Columbia:
1,900 hectare land package between two of British Columbia’s most successful copper mines (Afton and Highland Valley)
Project Highlights
- 1,900 hectares 26km from Kamloops, British Columbia, between the Afton and Highland Valley copper mines
- 86 holes drilled on property from 1979 to 2005
- Two large target areas identified
- Recent drilling confirms presence of wide-spread near-surface molybdenum mineralization
Molybdenum is a transition metal in Group 6 of the Periodic Table between chromium and tungsten. Although molybdenum is sometimes described as a ‘heavy metal’ its properties are very different from those of the typical heavy metals, mercury, and thallium and lead. It is much less toxic than these and other heavy metals. Its low toxicity makes molybdenum an attractive substitute for more toxic materials.
Compounds of molybdenum which are commonly encountered have molybdenum in its highest oxidation state, VI, for example molybd! enum tri oxide, MoO3, sodium molybdate, Na2MoO4.2H2O, and ammonium di- and heptamolybdate, (NH4)2Mo2O7 and (NH4)6Mo7O24.4H2O. In aqueous solution molybdenum(VI) is present as the simple molybdate, [MoO4] 2- ion which is like sulfate or, depending on the concentration and pH as a polymeric polymolybdate ion. The lower oxidation state, IV, is found in the commonest ore of molybdenum the disulfide, MoS2. Molybdenum (IV) also forms an oxide, MoO2. The redox chemistry of molybdenum-oxygen compounds, as in selective oxidation catalysts and molybdenum oxidase enzymes, has molybdenum cycling between oxidation states (VI) and (IV).
For more information please visit official website of GBLHF.PK: www.globalhunter.ca/homeabout.html
CTI Industries Corporation (NASDAQ:CTIB), a manufacturer and marketer of packaging and storage bags and pouches, metalized balloons, latex balloons, novelty items and printed and laminated films, announced that it has entered into a Trademark License Agreement with S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. (”SC Johnson”) under which CTI will be licensed to manufacture and sell a line of vacuum sealing machines and pouches under the Ziploc� brand and trademark. The licensed product line will include vacuum sealing machines manufactured for CTI and pouches manufactured by CTI for use in the home to vacuum seal food items.
CTI Industries is one of the leading manufacturers and marketers of metalized and latex balloons, develops, produces and markets bags and pouches for storage and packaging applications and produces laminated and printed films for commercial uses.
China XD Plastics Company Limited (NASDAQ:CXDC) announced that the Company’s shareholders voted upon all the proposals as recommended by the board at the 2011 annual shareholders meeting held in Sanya, China on December 14, 2011. The following three proposals were approved by the Company’s shareholders at the 2011 annual shareholders meeting: Ratify setting the authorize! d number of members of the Board of Directors (”the Board”) at nine members. Elect a total of nine directors to the Board of the Company, including two directors elected solely by the holders of the Company’s Series D Preferred Stock, to serve until the next annual meeting of shareholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Ratify the appointment of KPMG as the Company’s independent auditors for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2011.
China XD Plastics Company Limited, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Harbin Xinda Macromolecule Material (”Xinda”), develops, manufactures, and sells modified plastics, primarily for automotive applications.
The Female Health Company (Nasdaq:FHCO), announced that it has received an order from UNFPA for 20 million FC2 Female Condoms for Brazil . Delivery under the contract is expected to commence in March, 2012 and conclude within fiscal year 2012.
The Female Health Company, based in Chicago, Illinois , manufactures and markets the FC2 Female Condom� (FC2), which is available in the U.S. and in about 120 other countries globally.

Papa Johns looking to cash in on what may be a new holiday tradition

Roses are red, violets are blue, chocolates are great but a heart-shaped pizza says, �I love you�. And nobody knows this better than Papa John’s (NASDAQ:PZZA). From now until Valentine�s Day, couples can romance each other with this nationwide campaign that sold over 60,000 heart-shaped pizzas last year.
Valentine�s Day is traditionally one of the busiest days for restaurants, so the minds at Papa John�s figured the need for lovers to heat things up on their plates must be commensurate with their need to heat things up in other places. With a 230% increase in Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) searches for “heart-shaped pizzas” since January, restaurant pasta fazool may just be eschewed for a romantic pizza pie in years to come.

That�s amore!
– Andrew Lander, InvestorPlace @andrewlander
For the full story, read the Papa John�s press release and check out CNN Money.

LPL Financial's IPO: The Impact on Recruiting

While LPL Financial has been grooming itself to go public for a long time, the move announced June 4, is bound to bring changes, both to its advisors and to its recruiting efforts. What might those be?
Jonathan Henschen of Henschen & Associates in Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota, said it might lead to higher expenses and lower payouts. "In my view," he explains, "publicly traded broker/dealers are trying to get upwards of 15% out of the B/D to drive the stock, whereas privately owned B/Ds, if they can run the firm, pay advisors, and come out 3% to 4% ahead, are content. Do the math."
Publicly traded companies, he says, also have more miscellaneous expenses, and while they can offset some of those expenses because of economies of scale, "they have higher expenses than many B/Ds I work with."
Mitch Vigeveno, of Turning Point, Inc., in Safety Harbor, Florida, points out that such might not be the case with LPL. While he says that running an independent B/D is "fundamentally a small-margin business ... they do as a self-clearing organization pick up all the ancillary revenues that all the others have to give to Pershing and [others]. They make money on debit accounts, margin, and money market accounts."
Two possible lures in recruiting, says Vigeveno, may be the value of stock options and the fact that LPL's goal of paying down debt "may put them in a financial position to do things that some of the smaller independents can't do."
A possible negative, he says, is the possibility that the interests of the stockholders may be put ahead of those of advisors. Henschen agrees, saying that he's curious about what their pricing will be like after they go public.
He also wonders how LPL advisors will be affected. "You have to satisfy stockholders. How will that affect [advisors]? Will it affect payouts or cutting commissions? Economies of scale and soft dollars from vendors aside, it gets to a point of being between a rock and a hard place. It may affect [LPL advisors] in expenses and payouts, and . . . administrative fees on advisory platforms."
Vigeveno adds that some advisors will look at the change--and the possible loss of independence--and say that, since LPL will be bigger, " 'I'm out of here after I get my stock options.' Some will find it less interesting as a company if it's more interested in taking care of stockholders. Some want to be with smaller companies for more attention and support." LPL is already competing with the wirehouses, he says--"they're in the RIA space"--and its size will strengthen its financial position.

Investment Options In Dubai, UAE

United Arab Emirates, in its own way, has presented the world a great deal of investment opportunities. In spite of a prolonged world wide recession, UAE has yet again started to emerge as an investment hub for many of the keen investors.
According to a report cited in Arabian Business Website, Dubai remains the most attractive city in the Middle East for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), despite the recent speculation over the emirate’s ability to pay its debts. Over air traffic situation in Dubai specifically and UAE in general has improved considerably from last year i.e. around 8.7% more than it was in August 2009, which can be read as people have started to regain their confidence in UAE market, for shopping maybe, but definitely a portion of that will add to investments.
Now let’s have a look at different investment options in Dubai.
National Bonds is a wonderful option for investors who have more inclination towards saving their money than investing. They had a profit percentage of 3.5% in 2009, and average stays almost the same. With your money completely safe, you can earn a reasonable percentage of profit along with monthly prizes which have attracted many residents.
For investors who are interested in Shariah Compliant investment options find this another reason to invest in national bonds.
Gold is a universal investment option. Although many would argue Gold has reached its high and now its time for the shining metal to jump down, I would predict a 5% further increase in Gold price before we can actually say that Gold has reached its maximum price. From an article in Financial Times I got to know that Central Banks are planning to buy 15 tonnes of the barbarous relic in 2010, flipping them from net sellers to net buyers for the first time in 20 years, a large Hedge Trader in Gold Anglo Gold Ashanti is spending $ 1.375 Billion to take its gold hedges off. And Doll! ars has had so many downward hits this last year and before that it is going to take so much time to recover, if ever, to come back to that standard strong Dollar it was once. Further people are getting more wary of the fact that they want to store something tangible, something that has a pure ‘value’ in itself, and is something that can be trusted upon no matter how low the world economies grow.
Even if the prices go down, but you have a long investment horizon, gold remains the best option -Secure and Tangible in terms of Value.
Starting a Restaurant is one of the options I’ve personally considered and worked on and have a detailed Business Plan available-A Pakistani Restaurant in Dubai/Sharjah. Reasons behind this are many. Firstly, I already mentioned that inflow of people in UAE has increased considerably and no matter whatever purpose these people are coming for, their presence increases the Foot-Fall in shopping areas, streets and entertainment areas of the city. And as we all know restaurant business is directly related to the foot-fall and people passing or living in a certain area, is a best option to start with.
Further, restaurant business is something that has done very well in Dubai for a long time. I have observed Pakistani and Indian restaurants with a small Set-Up but when I, roughly, tried to figure out using my past experience of working in a French Restaurants chain as a chief accountant and also detailed analysis of the restaurant industry, their Net Profits were never less that 50% per annum for almost 80% of those restaurants.
Buying Property in Dubai might seem a harsh suggestion based on what has happened with the real state sector in UAE in recent past. But my reason for suggesting this for any resident who is intending to live for a much longer term in Dubai, buying a property is a much better option that paying a fortune in rents. In addition, it is presently up to 40% cheaper to buy than to rent, so buying a big villa costs the same as rentin! g a smal l one. The 10% down payment on a new villa is the same as the upfront annual rent payment. Rental yields of up to 10% are achievable in Dubai compared to under 5% in Central London.
Even if you plan to live in your home country, you can take advantage of the rents from your property in Dubai, which are Tax Free- very rare anywhere else in the world.
These were few of the options I recommend. Further, there are varied options. Like buying shares of NBAD, which has done so well in the recent past and seems to be doing so in the future. Venture Capital Investing where so many people have ideas but lack the required capital. Dubai is a much safer place for Venture Capital Investing because of its strong and clear laws about Business Relationships.
Crux is, Dubai has become a Business Hub, and yes it was much affected with the recession like all other metropolitan cities of the world, and have started to regain its confidence in the world wide investors which is evident from the fact that so many companies have recently registered in Dubai specifically and UAE in general.
Muhammad Khurram Shahzad is a Chief Accountant and a Business Advisor in one of the rapidly expanding IT solution firms in MENA region. He writes on different investment and finance related topics in blogs, articles and other forums.