Top Stocks

By Laurie Kulikowski, TheStreet

 

Citigroup (C), which reports first-quarter results on Monday, has been cleaning up its balance sheet and catching up to other banks. But now that it's battled back, where does it go from here?

 

The improvement began in early March when a number of respected voices, notably fund manager Bruce Berkowitz and independent research firm CreditSights, made favorable comments about the company. The trend has continued on the success of the company's Primerica (PRI) initial public offering. 

 

Bank stocks in general have outperformed, buoyed by the perception that the economy is on stable ground, and Wall Street's belief that credit costs reached an inflection point in the first quarter.

 

After steep declines in February video game sales, we learned late this week that March video game sales were up 6% over last year, breaking the steep declines seen after the holiday season.

According to the NPD Group, video game sales hit $1.52 billion for the month and featured a more than 10% jump in video game software sales -- much better than the +3% gain that was expected.

• Electronic Arts (ERTS) Needs Tiger Woods

Some folks were surprised by this -- but that’s because they don’t know the industry.

 

By Jim Cramer, TheStreet

 

Blowout fatigue. Blowout Intuitive Surgical (ISRG). Blowout Google (GOOG). Blowout Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). But not blowout enough and not guidance enough, and it's time for a haircut.

 

I guess.

 

As I go over these quarters, and I will go over them again today and again this weekend, I am looking not to buy any of them. I haven't liked Google since its stance on China (I like 'em as guys, not as a company), I missed the last 200 points in ISRG so I don't even have the standing to comment and I like Intel (INTC) much more than the more expensive AMD.

 

The recent economic indicators prove that the American consumer is not dead. Most recently, last week a +9.1% jump in same-store sales for retail stocks fueled optimism on Wall Street.

• Consumer spending tops 2008 peak . . . really!

But what will really knock investors' socks off going forward are strong sales manifesting in the upcoming Q1 earnings reports from major retail stocks.

To get you in to the best stocks ahead of their earnings reports, here are my top two online retail stocks that I think you should purchase before their quarterly reports.

 

As the bidding for the arthouse studio Miramax came down to the wire this week with financier-brothers Tom and Alec Gores inching closer to the prize, many in the movie business were left pondering the ambitions of these two obscure billionaires.

Their aim, say those who are close to them, is to build a major Hollywood presence. But until they snag the asset that will put them on the map, they're staying as far from view as possible.

• Related: Weinstein Ups Miramax Bid at Secret Weekend Meeting

Everyone knows their rivals Bob and Harvey Weinstein. Only too well.

But Tom and Alec Gores -- 147 and 220 on Forbes’ richest Americans list, respectively -- have led lives at least as dramatic as the Weinsteins, and their ambitions in the entertainment industry may be just as grand.

 

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

 

You love buying your shirts when they go on sale. And who can resist a buy-one-get-one-free offer? So when our stocks go on sale, why do we bemoan their low prices?

 

Smart investors like Warren Buffett and Marty Whitman are delighted when companies they like are selling at bargain-basement prices. For them, these stocks become no-brainer buys.

• Check out hot ETFs

The investors in the MSN CAPS community also like a bargain. Below, you'll find three companies whose shares earlier this week were selling at least 50% below their 52-week highs but which retained favorable four-star ratings. Consider it a buy-one-get-one-free sale on stocks.

 

Is it really true that 47% of American households don't pay federal taxes? That's become a hot topic of debate leading up to Tax Day.

David Leonhardt at the New York Times does a nice job breaking down the numbers. His conclusion? Actually, only about 10% of households pay no net federal taxes.

The confusion here comes from the fact that several taxes fall under the "federal" umbrella: payroll tax, investment tax and of course income tax, as well as taxes for gas, cigarettes and other items.

If you just look at one category -- income tax -- then yes, it is true that 47% of American households don't have to pay it for 2009. 

With Brazil's central bank likely to start raising interest rates at its April 27 meeting, I'm going to cut my short-term exposure to my favorite developing market by selling Market Vectors Brazil Small-Cap (BRF). 

I've got an 8.3% gain in the exchange-traded fund (ETF) since adding it to Jubak's Picks on Feb. 1.

The betting among economists is that the central bank will raise its target Selic rate from the current 8.75% to 11.25% by the end of 2010 to reduce inflation that's now running at 5.2%. (For more on Brazil and inflation, see this post.)

 

The number 501 is synonymous with Levi Strauss & Co. and its signature blue jeans. But if the company has its way, a new number will be tied to the brand -- $198. That’s how much Levi's think it can sell a new line of high-end jeans for at retailers worldwide.

 

The 157-year-old company is trying to reinvent itself as an edgier brand suitable for the runway catwalk -- and commanding high-fashion prices as a result. It’s pushing forward with boutique stores, including a flagship outlet in London, and renaming its pricier labels to look more like a company that caters to jet-setters and clubgoers instead of couch potatoes and landscapers.

But the real question is, can Levi Strauss & Co. rebrand itself as a premium clothing company -- and if it can, is the current era of tight-fisted consumers the right time to do so?

 

UPS (UPS) shares are flying today, up some 6% to surpass $69 after the company reported blowout quarterly numbers.

The news should cheer investors across the board, even those who don't own shares of UPS. The stock is considered a bellwether, Bloomberg reports, since UPS transports a wide range of goods across the globe.

"UPS is hitting number I didn't expect to see from them until 2011," one analyst told Bloomberg. 

By Althea Chang, MainStreet

 

American tax dollars are paying for some surprisingly wasteful government projects, according to one watchdog group.

 

Just as last-minute tax filers rush to complete their returns, taxpayers wait on delayed refunds and the federal deficit grows, Citizens Against Government Waste has published a list of wasteful government initiatives sapping funds from the federal budget.

 

In addition to being somewhat vague, descriptions of some of the pork-barrel spending get pretty strange, says CAGW, which calls itself a nonpartisan watchdog group. For instance, more than $4.8 million has been set aside for “wood utilization research,” according to the CAGW Pig Book.

 

 

 By Gregg Greenberg, TheStreet

 

Rob McIver, manager of the Jensen Portfolio (JENSX), says investors should consider drug stocks now that the government has passed the health care reform bill.

 

The $2.6 billion fund, which is rated five stars by Morningstar (MORN), has returned 42% during the past year, beating 62% of its large-cap value peers. The fund has gained 1% annually, on average, during the past three years, outperforming 85% of rival funds.

 

Welcome to TheStreet's Fund Manager Five Spot, where America's top mutual fund managers give their best stock picks and views on the market in a five-question format.

 

Sure, we gained more than 100 points on the Dow. But only a 1% gain on the S&P? Despite great numbers from a rail, a bank and a semiconductor, or should I say, the rail, the bank and the semiconductor companies that define this economy?

 

As a bull, I am willing to admit that I thought this trio was worth more to the market. But you know what? I like the skepticism. I didn't hear a good word from a bear about Intel (INTC). No conversions. I heard more about derivative legislation and how it would hurt bank profits than about JPMorgan's (JPM) earnings (although I see that Mike Mayo upgraded it, which bothered me). CSX (CSX)? Let's see, that one had some impact, but I think you won't see the real impact until we get UPS (UPS) open today.

 

Consider this: Just 7% of all Indians brush their teeth at least once a day. If you’re thinking about personal hygiene, you’re probably grossed out.

• Get Louis Navellier's Best India Outsourcing Stocks

But if you’re thinking about global investing you’re seeing dollar signs. It means more than a billion Indians haven’t yet begun a daily ritual that is already commonplace around the world!

There is one stock out there right now that has the Indian oral care business essentially cornered, with a whopping 50% market share. That means 600 million Indians are using this company’s toothpaste right now -- almost double the entire population of the U.S.!

 

Blow out quarter. Stunning increase in guidance. A totally justified 4.3% gain in the after-hours market on the day it announced earnings.

Now we'll see if Intel (INTC) can juice the rest of the technology sector. Look to see how Microsoft (MSFT) reacts, for example.

After the market closed on Tuesday, Intel announced earnings of 43 cents a share. That was 5 cents above Wall Street projections.