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If you need proof of how hot Latin America is right now, just take a look at the recent list of Forbes billionaires -- Microsoft (MSFT) founder Bill Gates was bumped from his perch at #1 by Mexican telecom mogul and America Movil (AMX) owner Carlos Slim.

 

What’s more, Brazilian mining and oil tycoon Elke Batista (#8 on the list of richest men) has openly declared that his goal is to be the world’s richest man. Seems like he’s on his way, since he was this year's biggest gainer on the "Forbes" list with a $19.5 billion increase in his personal piggy bank.

 

These Latin American billionaires show the strength of the region. There are sure to be many more billionaires being made in this emerging market -- and plenty of profits for investors to share in. To help you get your share, here’s my top Latin American stock.

 

By Jim Cramer, TheStreet

 

Upside. That's why I like these natural gas players so much.

 

I have been saying that Devon Energy's (DVN) going to get a good price for its international properties, but the $7 billion price tag that BP (BP) paid is 40% more than I thought possible. It is a monster deal, and it allows Devon to develop all of its big U.S. properties without breaking the bank or needing more equity a la EQT (EQT) . . .  although I badly want to be in that secondary.

 

Devon's either a huge believer that President Barack Obama will see the light on natural gas or that he is a one-termer and the next president will embrace nat gas as a cleaner fuel than the president's "clean coal" choice. I had worried that Devon was adopting a bet-the-farm strategy on this U.S. gambit. But now that it got about a quarter of its market cap in cash from BP, the risky nature of the domestic plan is now off the table.

 

On Friday, I wrote here about my top Chilean stocks that were unshaken by the earthquake. These companies clearly show the opportunity in this Latin American country even as it digs out of the rubble from a severe 8.8-magnitude earthquake.

 

I’ve been looking at a lot of data recently regarding the stock market in the wake of massive earthquakes in Chile and Haiti, and I started to wonder if it’s common for Wall Street to stay so cool in the face of severe disasters. After some research, I was surprised that the answer is a resounding “yes!” Let me show you with several brutal events that failed to shake the market:

 

Very interesting, if true, from the Financial Times: U.S. regulators have told banks not to increase dividends or buy back shares until the industry gets more stable.

If that's the case, the move could delay by months the return of capital to shareholders, the FT reports.

"Regulators are gun-shy at this stage, partly because they fear that giving the green light to healthier banks to return cash to investors would prompt demands from more troubled institutions to do the same," one Wall Street executive told the newspaper.

Oh, please. 

I'm going to take my own advice (see this post) and use this rally to sell GulfMark (GLF). 

I think fundamentals in the oil industry have turned if not against, then at least away from, this provider of offshore service vessels to drilling operations.

Several oil producers are talking about cutting back on their North American drilling operations, and while this is primarily directed at land drilling, I think it has a spillover into capital budget for all of North America. (For the surge in dry holes, see this post).

Unfortunately for GulfMark,

 

Starbucks (SBUX) certainly changed the way we drink coffee in America. It turned the beverage into an experience, a luxury -- something that we actually would pay $4 for.

But a new crop of coffee companies think they can do it better, and they're elevating the experience in a movement being called coffee's "third wave."

Third wavers are "changing the idea of coffee from a staple commodity, like corn or sugar, to something closer to wine, with seasons and terroir and varietals as different as Burgundy chardonnay and Austrian riesling," writes Josh Ozersky in Time magazine.

Are these new stores a threat to Starbucks? 

It's no secret that Barclays (BCS) and its London parent made out like bandits when the bank purchased the U.S. operations of then-imploding Lehman Brothers. Now, there are reports that the bank is shopping for a U.S. retail banking operation with a market cap in the $10 billion-$30 billion range.

So which banks are the most likely takeover targets?

 

Investors haven't made any money since Jeffrey Immelt took over General Electric's (GE) nine years ago, writes Brett Arends of WSJ.com. He calls the company a "disaster" under Immelt.

GE shares were about $40 when Immelt took over, Arends writes. Now they're at $16.45.

Certainly, not all of that decline can be blamed on Immelt, who is GE's chairman and chief executive. But what's got Arends in a knot is that during his time in charge, Immelt has received $90 million in salary, cash and pension benefits. 

This post comes from The Motley Fool's Rich Smith.

 

It's the nightmare of every investor: buying a rocket stock just before it takes a nose dive.

 

While stocks often rise for a reason, sometimes the rise becomes the reason. Despite being cautioned against it, investors often buy hot stocks, trusting momentum to keep 'em moving higher.

 

Problem is, if the price goes up too much, even a great company can be a lousy investment.

• See how the dollar's doing today

Below I list a few stocks that have soared over the past year but might be ripe to fall back to Earth.

 

Gun sales have been strong as owners stock up for fear new controls are on the way. But gun stocks haven't climbed as much as you'd expect.

 

Smith's earnings report could give them a boost.

 

So far, investors betting on stocks of gun manufacturers like Smith & Wesson (SWHC) and Sturm Ruger (RGR) to move higher because of fear President Obama will tread on gun rights have to be a little disappointed.

 

Yes, shares have gained 60% and 80% respectively since the Obama administration took office, amid strong sales and many reports of gun owners stocking up. But during a rally in which many stocks have posted similar or better results, the numbers aren't entirely spectacular.

 

Perhaps Thursday’s earnings announcement from Smith & Wesson will set shares on a path higher?

 

 

Bank of America (BAC) just announced it will stop charging overdraft fees of $35 for most of its debit card customers. You may think that if you pay your bills on time and don't suffer overdraft fees that the changes  don’t apply to you. Well, think again.

 

"Serial overdrafters" who constantly spend more than they have are big business for banks -- overdraft charges and related fees generate $1.77 billion a year.  Without that revenue stream, these financial companies are going to have to find another way to make their cash. That could mean higher expenses for even responsible customers.

 

By Joseph Woelfel, TheStreet

 

Google (GOOG) has opened a new online store for integrated business applications.

 

The Google Apps Marketplace allows customers "to easily discover, deploy and manage cloud applications that integrate with Google Apps," the company said in a blog post.

 

Google said more than 50 companies are now selling apps at its store, including Intuit (INTU) and Concur Technologies (CNQR).

 

• Check out 10 small-cap stocks with a dividend yield of +10%

 

By Jim Cramer, TheStreet

 

The most trenchant moment of the whole day Tuesday may have been some interview I heard with still one more fund manager who came on TV and was asked why the public isn't involved with this market.

 

I always listen with one ear, but the answer I heard was something like, "Why should you expect them to be? They have had two 50% declines in 10 years, and they won't be fooled again."

 

Yep, the public is unwilling to be "fooled again." The public has been destroyed by the stock market repeatedly, and you have made no money at all if you have stuck with the passive strategies advocated by both the professors and the professionals.