Smart Stock on the Move - February 27

Bird Flu Stock:

• Novavax Inc. (NVAX): shares of malvern, PA based potential avian flu vaccine maker surged 11.72% or 62 cents to $5.72 on fear of global outbreak of the deadly bird flu. The stock has gained 46.48% since covered in November at $3.905 per share.

Solar Energy Stocks:

• SunPower Corporation (SPWR): shares of Sunnyvale, CA based solar cells and solar panel maker rose 9.15% or $3.63 to new high of $43.3. The stock is now 27.43% higher than coverage price of $33.98 in January.

Scoreboard - February 26

This week hydrgen cell stock has regained the lead again as President Bush released new alternative energy proposal which may boost business of alternative energy industry. As a result hydrogen cell stocks gained 5% and pushed overall appreciation to record high of 29.59%, not a bad performance for a portfolio which is on its second month. The hydrogen cell stocks going higher DESC which adds a dollar this week or 11% overall. Another big hydrogen cell winner is MCEL which adds 15 cents in one week or 10% to lift the overall gain to 15.65%.

The new comer to the top five this week is tamiflu stock probably due to spreading of the bird flu disease in more European countries. The tamiflu stocks ends up in the fourth place.

Here are this week's top five portfolio as well as the top five individual stocks. Please note that the overall amount is shows how much the portfolio is worth as if you invested $1000 for each stock:

Hydrogen Cell
Stock / Current / Start / Change(%)
DESC / 9.86 / 7.9 / +24.81%
HYGS / 3.96 / 2.67 / +48.31%
MCEL / 1.7 / 1.47 / +15.65%
Overall $3,893.22 +889.07 +29.59%

Brazil (Brazil1/Brazil2/Brazil3)
Stock / Current / Start / Change(%)
RIO / 48.63 / 40.3 / +20.67%
ITU / 32.32 / 23.49 / +37.59%
EWZ / 42.2 / 33.17 / +27.22%
BBD / 41.00/ 29.41 / +39.41%
GGB / 22.93 / 15.97 / +43.58%
SID / 30.1 / 21.36 / +40.92%
PBR / 91.55 / 68.77 / +33.21%
ERJ / 39.8 / 40.57 / -1.9%
TNE / 18.88 / 18.03 / +4.71%
NTEC / 5.47 / 5.41 / +1.11%
Overall $12,543.4 +$2482.46 +24.67%

India
Stock / Current / Start / Change(%)
TTM / 17.85 / 13.34 / +33.81%
IBN / 30.62 / 27.82 / +10.06%
WIT / 13.83 / 11.43 / +21%
INFY / 70.16 / 77.99 / -10.04%
REDF / 25.85 / 20.83 / +24.1%
SIFY / 12.82 / 9.47 / +35.37%
Overall $7,156.08 +1042.12 +18.99%

Tamiflu
Stock / Current / Start / Change(%)
TEVA / 42.26 / 38.35 / +10.2%
BRL / 66.8 / 56.8 / +17.61%
MYL / 23.21 / 19.94 / +16.4%
Overall $3,461.66 +$445.16 +14.76%

Nanotechnology
Stock / Current / Start / Change(%)
NANX / 7.12 / 6.01 / +18.47%
NGEN / 2.59 / 2.91 / -11%
ALTI / 3.41 / 2.42 / +40.91%
PXN / 17.64 / 17.17 / +2.74%
Overall $4,504.33 +$510.31 +12.78%

Top 5 Stocks
GIGM +75.93%
HYGS +48.31%
GGB +43.58%
SID +40.92%
ALTI +40.91%

Smart Stock on the Move - February 24

Hydrogen Cell Stocks:

• Distributed Energy Systems Corp. (DESC): shares of Wallingford, CT based hydrogen cell technonlogy company added 7.29% or 67 cents to $9.86 per share. The stock has gained 24.81% since covered last December at $7.9 per share.

Taiwan Stocks:

• GigaMedia Ltd. (GIGM): shares of Taipei, Taiwan based online gaming and social networking provider advanced 5.32% or 24 cents to $4.75 per share. The stock has surged 75.93% since covered last December at $2.7.

Voice Over IP Stocks:

• Delta Three Inc. (DDDC): shares of New York based Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service provider rose 5.96% or 18 cents to $3.2, now 21.21% higher from coverage price of $2.64 in December.

Stem Cell Stocks:

• Geron Corporation (GERN): shares of Menlo Park, CA based stem cell technology firm soared 14.96% or $1.21 to $9.30 per share as recent tests showed human stem cells prevent heart failure on a rat. The coverage of the stock began in mid December at $9.08 per share.
• StemCells Inc. (STEM): shares of Palo Alto, CA based stem-cell based therapies developer surged 8.43% or 30 cents to $3.86 per share as stem cell firms are on broad rally. The rally reduced the overall loss of the stock to 1.53% as the coverage began in mid December at $3.92 per share.

China Stocks:

• 51job Inc. (JOBS): shares of Shanghai, China based online human resource services company, similar to Mondster.com, surged 11.58% or $1.94 to $18.69 on rally of most Chinese Internet stocks. The stock has gained 4.65% since covered in January at $17.86 per share.

Smart Stock on the Move - February 23

Hydrogen Cell Stocks:

• Millennium cell Inc. (MCEL): shares of Eatontown, NJ based hydrogen battery maker surged 8.48% or 14 cents to $1.79 per share. The stock has gained 21.77% since the coverage price of $1.47 since December.

India Stocks:

• Rediff.com Ltd. (REDF): shares of India based Internet portal rose 7.88% to $26.28 per share, about 26.16% higher than coverage price of $20.83 in December.
• Sify Ltd. (SIFY): shares of e-commerce service provider in India added 72 cents or 5.95% to $12.82. The stock has gained 35.37% since covered in December at $9.47 per share.

Smart Stock on the Move - February 22

China Stocks:

• Baidu.com(BIDU): shares of Beijing based Chinese Internet Search Engine provider rose 5.88% or $3.04 to $54.73 as strong fourth quarter earning beating analysts estimates by 2 cents per share.
• TOM Online In. (TOMO): shares of Beijing based online advertising provider rose 5% to $22.06 per share on strong earning from Baidu.com. The coverage on the stock began in January at $21.26 per share.

Smart Stock on the Move - February 21

Nanotechnology Stocks:

• Altair Nanotechnologies(ALTI): shares of Reno, NV based nanomaterial producer rose 5.23% to $3.42 per share as the company prepared to present at the 17th Annual Wall Street Analyst Forum Biotechnology and Special Pharmaceutical Conference. The stock has rose 41.32% from the coverage price of $2.42 since December.

Bird Flu Vaccine:

• Novavax Inc. (NVAX): shares of Malvern, PA based bird flu vaccine maker surged 8.26% to $4.98 per share as the company announced release date of fourth quarter and year-end result and investor conference call. The stock has rose 27.53% overall since coverage price of $3.905 in November.

[Policy] Bush's New Energy Proposal - Solar Power

We Need Different Energy On Monday, February 21, President Bush outlined his energy propposals aiming to steer the nation away from depending too much on foreign imported oil.

Currently the US refineries are getting 60% of oil from foreign nations where some of these nations have unstable government that have fundamental differences with America. As Bush addressed "It creates a national security issue and we're held hostage for energy by foreign nations that may not like us".

One of the proposals seeks to increase investment in development of clean electric power sources and the Bush's tour to clean power producers including United Solar Ovonic plant which makes electricity-generating solar panels.

Speaking of solar panels, here are some companys involving in solar energy service:

• Applied Films Corp. (AFCO): the Longmont, Colorado based firm makes thin film deposition equipment for solar cells.
• DayStar Technologies Inc. (DSTI): the Halfmoon, NY based company develops Photovoltaic Foil used for producing solar energy.
• Energy Conversion Devices Inc. (ENER): the Rochester Hills, MI based alternative energy technology company develops Photovoltanics which converts sunlight into electricity.
• Evergreen Solar Inc. (ESLR): the Marlboro, MA based solar power products maker manufactures solar cell, solar panel, and solar system.
• SunPower Corporation (SPWR): the Sunnyvale, CA based comany manufactures solar power products including solar cell, solar panels and inveters to convert sunlight into electricity.
• XSUNX Inc. (XSNX.OB): the Aliso Viejo, CA based phtovoltaic technologies company produces Power Glass, a solar technology that enables glass windows to produce electricity from sunlight.

Scoreboard - February 19

After dropping back to the third spot, strong rally in the Brazil Stock Market lifted most ADRs in the U.S. Stock Exchange. As a result the Brazil stocks got an impressive overall gain of almost 8% in one week and bring the portfolio back to the first spot with overall gain of 24.2%. Last week's winner Hydrogen stocks actually gained an additional 4% this week yet the decent performance is overshadowed by superb Brazil stocks.

Here are this week's top five portfolio as well as the top five individual stocks. Please note that the overall amount is shows how much the portfolio is worth as if you invested $1000 for each stock:

Brazil (Brazil1/Brazil2/Brazil3)
Stock / Current / Start / Change(%)
RIO / 47.24 / 40.3 / +17.22%
ITU / 33.69 / 23.49 / +43.42%
EWZ / 42.1 / 33.17 / +26.92%
BBD / 41.83/ 29.41 / +42.23%
GGB / 22.02 / 15.97 / +37.88%
SID / 30.4 / 21.36 / +42.23%
PBR / 91.21 / 68.77 / +32.63%
ERJ / 38.9 / 40.57 / -4.12%
TNE / 18.53 / 18.03 / +2.77%
NTEC / 5.43 / 5.41 / +0.37%
Overall $12,495.3 +$2434.36 +24.2%

Hydrogen Cell
Stock / Current / Start / Change(%)
DESC / 8.96 / 7.9 / +13.42%
HYGS / 4.1 / 2.67 / +53.56%
MCEL / 1.55 / 1.47 / +5.44%
Overall $3,729.42 +725.27 +24.14%

India
Stock / Current / Start / Change(%)
TTM / 17.82 / 13.34 / +33.58%
IBN / 30.5 / 27.82 / +9.63%
WIT / 13.99 / 11.43 / +22.4%
INFY / 70.32 / 77.99 / -9.83%
REDF / 24.15 / 20.83 / +15.94%
SIFY / 12.28 / 9.47 / +29.67%
Overall $7,026.67 +1012.71 +16.84%

Taiwan
Stock / Current / Start / Change(%)
GIGM / 4.6 / 2.7 / +70.37%
EWT / 12.96 / 12.21 / +6.14%
TSM / 9.98 / 9.94 / +0.4%
UMC / 3.14 / 3.33 / -5.71%
AUO / 16.92 / 13.43 / +25.99%
TMIC / 30.31 / 33.74 / -10.17%
MXICY / 1.4746 / 1.29 / +14.31%
ASX / 4.52 / 3.9 / +15.9%
Overall $9,176.01 +$1,168.68 +14.6%

Nanotechnology
Stock / Current / Start / Change(%)
NANX / 7.38 / 6.01 / +22.8%
NGEN / 2.74 / 2.91 / -5.84%
ALTI / 3.25 / 2.42 / +34.3%
PXN / 17.95 / 17.17 / +4.54%
Overall $4,550.99 +$556.97 +13.95%

Top 5 Stocks
GIGM +70.37%
HYGS +53.56%
ITU +43.42%
BBD +42.23%
SID +42.23%

This week three of the top five stocks are Brazil stocks with each of them - ITU, BBD, SID gained around 40%. GIGM still hold the topo spot with 70% while HYGS advanced 3% to 53% and still got the second spot

[Biotechnology]Make Me Taller Please!

Wanna Get Taller? Watching the basketball player making a slam dunk is probably the most exciting moments in a game. Whenever I see those 6 or 7 footer flying on the court, I envy them not only having the jumping ability but also having the height. Right at 5 foot 6, I probably shouldn't complain too much as there are still a lot more people with the same or less height. Yet there are some people who would definitely complain about their height. Some of these have what we called endocrine disorder or IGF-1 deficiency. In plain English these people have growth disorder due to lack or deficiency of growth hormone.

Fortuntely with the advancing biotechnology, there are companys who have developed drugs to treat growth disorders. Imagine if these drugs hit the mass market the companys who developed the drugs would very likely become the new pharmaceutical giants. Here are the companys who have developed drugs for treating the disease:

• Insmed Inc. (INSM): the Glen Allen, VA based biopharmaceutical company develops drugs from the treatment of metabolic diseases and endocrine disorders. On December 12 of 2005 Insmed received approval from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its drug IPLEX for the treatment of growth failure in childrewn with severe primary IGF-1 deficiency or with growth hormone gene deletion. The company is expected to launch IPLEX to the market by the second quarter of 2006. The stock, currently trading at only $2.33 per share has gained more than 50% since the announcement and could go hire as the launching date getting closer.
• Tercica Inc. (TRCA): the Birsbane, CA based firm also received approval of its growth disorder treatment drug Increlex in August, four month earlier than its rival Insmed. However the stock plunged 33% in one day to new 52 week low of $6.4 on the day the competitor got OK from FDA on the endocrine disorders treatment drug. On Wednesday, February 15 the company reported wider net loss for fourth quarter due to higher intellectual property litigation expense and pre-launch commercial activities for Increlex. To maintain the financials at a healthier level, the company announced in late January to sell another 5 million shares.

Both these companys are still in need of cash prior to the mass commercialization of their blockbuster drugs. Investing in these stocks incurs risks yet the return could be sweet as the company began to cash in on the sale of the drugs.

Smart Stock on the Move - February 16

Brazil Stocks:

• Banco Itau Holding Financeira S.A. (ITU): shares of Sao Paulo based banking service provider were up 6.28% to $34.04 on broad rally of Brazil stocks. The stock so far has been up 44.91% from coverage price of $23.49.
• Banco Bradesco S.A. (BBD): shares of leading financial institution in Brazil surged 7.99% to $41.9, gaining 42.47% from coverage price of $29.41. The company is expected to announce fourth quarter result on Thursday, February 23.
• Gerdau S.A. (GGB): shares of Porto Alegre based steel producer and distrubtor rose 5% to $22.24, up 39.26% from coverage price of $15.97.
• Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (SID): shares of integrated steel producer were up 6.68% to $30.51 as most Brazil stocks went up sharply today. The stock has been up 42.84% from coverage price of $21.36.
• Petroleo Brasileiro (PBR): shares the state-run oil company in Brazil surged 6.3% to $89.98 on anticipation of record profit for the fourth quarter; so far the stock has gained 30.84% from coverage price of $68.77.
• Tele Norte Leste Participacoes S.A. (TNE): shares of Rio De Janeiro based telecommunication company advanced 6.72% to $18.9 per share. The coverage of the stock began in late January.

Taiwan Stocks:

• AU Optronics Corp. (AUO): the Taiwan based TFT-LCD maker rose 5.04% to $17.30 as Taiwan's Weighted index gained 1.44%. The stock has gained 28.82% from coverage price of $13.43 in December.

[Foreign] Japan Stocks Part II

Earlier in January we introduced some blue chips stocks from a rebounding economy - Japan. Since then stocks like electronics giant Sony(SNE) has gained 12.98% (from $41.99 to $47.44) while automaker Nissan has added 11.35% (from $20.88 to $23.25).

Here are some more Japan stocks that you may want to take a look at:

• Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. (MC): most people probably don't know what Matsushita is. However its North America company - Panasonic is very well known as the brand fills the family room with its home entertainment system and bedroom with its stereo system. The stock is trading near 52 week high of $21.46 per share, up more than 40% from a year ago.
• Internet Initiative Japan Inc. (IIJI): the Tokyo based ISP(Internet Service Provider) company offers dial-up and high speed Internet access in Japan. Last Friday at the 10th of February the company announced its 2005 third quarter earning of $100.7 million, up 15.7% from same quarter of previous year and net income of $10.1 million, up 80.3% from 2004. After soaring from $3 to $13 per share in one month last May the stock has been trading near the $10 range. The stock is currently trading at P/E ratio of 20.42 at $10.27 per share.
• Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp. (NTT): the Tokyo based telecom firm fofers fixed line and mobile voice services in Japan. The company generates revenue of $91.23 billion with income of $4.16 billion compare to revenue of $75.11 billion of Verizon. The stock is relatively cheap, currently trading at $21.6 with P/E ratio of 7.58 compare to industry average of 15.65.

Smart Stock on the Move - February 14

Nanotechnology Stocks

• Nanophase Technologies Corp. (NANX): shares of Romeoville, IL based manufacturer of nanocrystalline materials rose 5.15% to $7.35, about 22.3% higher than coverage price of $6.01 in early December.
• Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. (ALTI): shares of Reno, NV based nanomaterial maker advanced 6.22% to $3.26 per share, gaining 34.71% from December's coverage price of $2.42 per share.

Voice Over IP Stocks

• Delta Three Inc. (DDDC): shares of new York based voice over ip (VOIP) telephony services provider added 15 cents or 5.45% to $2.9 per share on anticipation of strong earning. The stock has gained 9.85% since it was covered on December 7.

Smart Stock on the Move - February 13

China Stocks:

• China Energy Savings Technology Inc. (CESV): shares of Hong Kong based energy saving products maker surged 13.46% to $7.84 per share. The stock was covered in the article on January 10.

Scoreboard - February 12

Although most Brazil stocks have hold on to the gain, since new stocks have been added to the portfolio, the overall gains of the Brazil stocks have been diluted. Therefore, at the second week of February, Brazil stocks have slipped from first spot from last week to third spot this week. On the other hand, strong performance from India's Internet stocks REDF and SIFY helped pushing overall gains of India stocks up 5% from 12.6% last week to 17.4% this week and took the second spot. Taiwan stocks this week advanced one percent thanks to decent performance from semiconductor testing firm ASX and LCD panel maker AUO which offset the pull back of MXICY.

Here are this week's top five portfolio as well as the top five individual stocks. Please note that the overall amount is shows how much the portfolio is worth as if you invested $1000 for each stock:

Hydrogen Cell
Stock / Current / Start / Change(%)
DESC / 8.68 / 7.9 / +9.87%
HYGS / 4.01 / 2.67 / +50.19%
MCEL / 1.51 / 1.47 / +2.72%
Overall $3,632.91 +628.76 +20.93%

India
Stock / Current / Start / Change(%)
TTM / 16.9 / 13.34 / +26.69%
IBN / 30.92 / 27.82 / +11.14%
WIT / 14.1 / 11.43 / +23.36%
INFY / 73.39 / 77.99 / -5.9%
REDF / 25.08 / 20.83 / +20.4%
SIFY / 12.2 / 9.47 / +29.04%
Overall $7,060.55 +1046.59 +17.4%

Brazil (Brazil1/Brazil2/Brazil3)
Stock / Current / Start / Change(%)
RIO / 46.83 / 40.3 / +16.2%
ITU / 31.58 / 23.49 / +34.44%
EWZ / 39.5 / 33.17 / +19.08%
BBD / 38.47/ 29.41 / +30.81%
GGB / 20.28 / 15.97 / +26.99%
SID / 27.7 / 21.36 / +29.68%
PBR / 84.1 / 68.77 / +22.29%
ERJ / 37.43 / 40.57 / -7.74%
TNE / 17.32 / 18.03 / -3.94%
NTEC / 5.42 / 5.41 / +0.18%
Overall $11,753.76 +$1692.82 +16.83%

Taiwan
Stock / Current / Start / Change(%)
GIGM / 4.7 / 2.7 / +74.07%
EWT / 12.95 / 12.21 / +6.06%
TSM / 10.25 / 9.94 / +3.12%
UMC / 3.21 / 3.33 / -3.6%
AUO / 16.39 / 13.43 / +22.04%
TMIC / 32.8 / 33.74 / -2.79%
MXICY / 1.37 / 1.29 / +3.12%
ASX / 4.46 / 3.9 / +14.36%
Overall $9,199.52 +$1,192.19 +14.89%

Nanotechnology
Stock / Current / Start / Change(%)
NANX / 7.31 / 6.01 / +21.63%
NGEN / 2.73 / 2.91 / -6.19%
ALTI / 3.26 / 2.42 / +34.71%
PXN / 17.87 / 17.17 / +4.08%
Overall $4,535.42 +$541.4 +13.56%

Top 5 Stocks
GIGM +74.07%
HYGS +50.19%
ALTI +34.71%
ITU +34.44%
BBD +30.81%

The top 3 stocks remains the same as last week while ITU added 10% this week and took the fourth spot and BBD added 2% to grab the fifth spot

Smart Stock on the Move - February 10

Taiwan Stock:

• GigaMedia Ltd. (GIGM): the Taiwan based broadband and digital media company is on the second consecutive session of rally posting nother 8.05% gain in stock price after plunging from 52 week high of $5.63 to $4 in two weeks. The stock is now trading at $4.7 per share.

New Technology Stock:

• iRobot Corp. (IRBT): shares of Burlington, MA based home cleaning robots maker rose 6.19% to $32.13 after three weeks of slide which took the stock from $38 per share back to $30 per share on Thursday, February 9.

Stem Cell Stock:

• StemCells Inc. (STEM): shares of Palo Alto, CA based stem cell research firm rose 5.26% to $3.8 after half year of sliding which took the stock $6 to around $3.5 per share.

Smart Stock on the Move - February 9

Taiwan Stocks

• Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. (ASX): shares of semiconductor packaging and testing provider surged 10.14% on Citigroup upgrades from Hold to Buy. The stock ends the day with new 52 weeks high of $4.78 per share, up 22.56% from coverage price of $3.9 last December
• GigaMedia Ltd. (GIGM): shares of broadband Internet service and digital entertainment provider rose 7.14% after straight sessions of losses which sends the stock from 52 week high of $5.63 back back to Wednesdays close of $4.06 per share within a month. The stock is now trading at $4.35 per share, up 61.11% from coverage price of $2.7 in December of last year.

Smart Stock on the Move

India Stocks

• Rediff.com India Ltd. (REDF): shares of India Internet portal rose 13.18% to new 52 week high of $31.18 per share, a 49.69% gain since the stock was covered in December at $20.83 per share.

Taiwan Stocks

• AU Optronics Corp. (AUO): shares of Taiwan based liquid crystal display (LCD) panels maker gained 12.12% to $16.74 per share, about 24.65% higher from coverage price of $13.43 in December.

Satellite Radio

• On2 Technologies Inc. (ONT): shares of the XML satellite video partner surged 13.58% as the stock bounced back from recent sell off which pushed the shares from 52 week high of $1.48 in January all the way down to $0.81 in the previous session

China Stocks

• Baidu.com(BIDU): shares of Google of China rose 8.99% after reaching new low of $44.44 in the previous session.

[Foreign] Korea: Big Come Back

Financial Storm Years ago Corporate Korea was laughing stock as many of the mega enterprises went bankrupt due to over expansion and mounting debts. The series of bankrupcy of the major Korean corporations, whose sales revenu marked 97% of Korea's GDP, trigger sell-off in the stock and currency market. The financial storm, in which Korea Won plunged to all time low of 2067 to 1 US dollar, forced the Korean government to implement major surgical operation to very illed financial and business structure which in the beginning result in closing of more corporations and many financial institution with bad loans. Finally the operation worked.

Today Corporate Korea stands tall as one of the most exciting growing market of the world. The electronic twin towers of Samsung and LG have grab major maket shares in home appliance, personal entertainment and cell phones. The Big Auto Hyundai, once considered an unreliable brand, has been making high quality vehicles and has began to penetrate the high end market. On the other hand the broadband and online game subscribers have been growing rapidly within the nation making it one of the most net-literate nation of the world.

Now let's take a look at some of the exciting Korea companys traded in US stock exchanges:

• SK Telecom Co. (SKM): the Seoul based company provides wireless telecommunications services in Korea. The company is the largest operator in the nation in terms of revenue of 11 billion. The stock has been on a rally recently and now is trading at new 52 week high of $24.1 per share.
• LG Philips LD o. (LPL): the Seoul based liquid crystal display maker produces panel for desktop monitors, laptop as well as handheld devices. The company earned revenue of 10.47 billion, almost twice as much as its rival AU Optronics(AUO) of Taiwan. The stock is now trading at $23.37 per share, up $5 from 52 week low of $18 last October.
• Kookmin Bank (KB): the largest commercial bank in Korea with 1144 branhes generating annual revenue of 14 billion. The stock has rose 100% in the past year from last January low of $37 per share to last months high of $80 per share. The stock is trading at near 52 week high of $77.39 per share.
• Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEP): the Seoul company generates and provides electricity to industrial, commercial and residential customers, basically the backbone of the growing Korean industry. The company has generated annual revenue of 26 billion with 10% revenue growth every quarter. The stock is currenlty trading at $21.35 per share up 50% from a year ago.

Smart Stock on the Move - February 7

Hydrogen Cell Stocks

• Distributed Energy Systems Corp. (DESC): shares of the Wallingford, CT based hydrogen cell maker was off 7.74% to $9.3 per share. The stock is still 17.72% more from the coverage price of $7.9 on December 22.

Brazil Stocks

• Companhia Siderugica Nacional (SID): shares of Brazil steel producer dropped 6.02% to $26.08 per share on analyst downgrade. The stock is 22.1% higher compare to coverage price of $21.36 on December 27.

Nanotechnology Stocks

• Nanophase Technologies Corp. (NANX): shares of nanocrystalline materials manufacturer were down 6.66% to $7.15 per share on profit taking. The stock has been up 18.97% since coverage price of $6.01 since December 1.

Taiwan Stocks

• GigaMedia Ltd. (GIGM): shares of Taiwan based entertainment and broadband Internet service provider lost 8.17% to $4.16 per share, marking the six consecutive down session. However the stock is still trading 54.07% higher than the coverage price of $2.7 on December 6.

China Stocks

• Sohu.com (SOHU): shares of China based Internet portal surged 17.46% to $22.67 per share on strong fourth quarter results which beats Wall Street estimates. The stock is now up 18.26% from coverage price of $19.17 on November 29.
• Ninetowns Digital World Trading Holdings Ltd. (NINE): shares of Beijing based enterprise software maker rose 9.34% to $6.79 per share, up 15.48% from coverage price of $5.88 on January 10.

[Policy] More Budget on Defense

New Budget Today President Bush is sending Congress $2.7 trillion budget which gives huge boost in defense and homeland security spending. If the new budget plan does pass through then we should see many defense stocks benefiting from it.

Let's take a look at some of the major company in the the defense industry:

• General Dynamics(GD): the Falls Church, VA based company makes combat system for army and marine. President Bush on Monday asked Congress for $3.36 billion for new destroyers built by Northrop Grumman and General Dyamics, $840.4 million for two Littoral Combat ships and $2.62 billion for one nuclear attack submarine. The stock is currently trading at P/E ratio of 16.22, lowest among its major competitors and the stock price is trading near 52 week high of $117.1 per share.
• Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC): the Los Angeles, CA based company makes air defense, and navy ships such as aircraft carriers. The new Bush administration's budget proposal includes destroyers and submarine from the company and General Dynamics. The stock is trading around 52 week high of $63.24 per share and has been on a rally since November last year from below $55 per share.
• Boeing Co. (BA): the Chiccago, IL based company develops commercial and millitary aircrafts. The new propsed budget plan includes $3.5 billion for 42 advanced F/A-18 fighter jets build by the company. The stock is currently trading near 52 week high of $71.14 per share at P/E ratio of 22.21.

Scoreboard - February 5

February Begin The first week of February ended with continue strong performance from Brazil stocks, hydrogen cell stocks and nanotechnology stocks. Although overall gains of Taiwan stocks has reduced, the portfolio still holds on to the same spot as last week. The new comer this week is India Stocks which got superior performance from TTM with 20% gain, WIT with 24% gain and SIFY with 13% gain.

Here are this week's top five portfolio as well as the top five individual stocks. Please note that the overall amount is shows how much the portfolio is worth as if you invested $1000 for each stock:

Brazil (Brazil1/Brazil2)
Stock / Current / Start / Change(%)
RIO / 48.85 / 40.3 / +21.22%
ITU / 29.14 / 23.49 / +24.05%
EWZ / 39.62 / 33.17 / +19.45%
BBD / 37.75/ 29.41 / +28.36%
GGB / 20.72 / 15.97 / +29.74%
SID / 29.52 / 21.36 / +38.2%
PBR / 88.75 / 68.77 / +29.05%
Overall $8,970.42 +$1916.23 +27.16%

Hydrogen Cell
Stock / Current / Start / Change(%)
DESC / 10.09 / 7.9 / +27.72%
HYGS / 4.08 / 2.67 / +52.81%
MCEL / 1.48 / 1.47 / +0.68%
Overall $3,817.83 +813.68 +27.09%

Nanotechnology
Stock / Current / Start / Change(%)
NANX / 7.63 / 6.01 / +29.96%
NGEN / 2.91 / 2.91 / +0%
ALTI / 3.51 / 2.42 / +45.04%
PXN / 18.33 / 17.17 / +6.76%
Overall $4,780.39 +$786.37 +19.69%

Taiwan
Stock / Current / Start / Change(%)
GIGM / 4.74 / 2.7 / +75.56%
EWT / 12.98 / 12.21 / +6.31%
TSM / 10.28 / 9.94 / +3.42%
UMC / 3.09 / 3.33 / -7.21%
AUO / 15.01 / 13.43 / +11.76%
TMIC / 31.5 / 33.74 / -6.64%
MXICY / 1.47 / 1.29 / +13.95%
ASX / 4.19 / 3.9 / +7.44%
Overall $9,051.07 +$1,043.74 +13.03%

India
Stock / Current / Start / Change(%)
TTM / 16.1 / 13.34 / +20.69%
IBN / 30.36 / 27.82 / +9.13%
WIT / 14.27 / 11.43 / +24.85%
INFY / 74.81 / 77.99 / -4.08%
REDF / 23.22 / 20.83 / +11.47%
SIFY / 10.78 / 9.47 / +13.83%
Overall $6,771.72 +757.76 +12.6%

Top 5 Stocks
GIGM +75.56%
HYGS +52.81%
ALTI +45.94%
SID +38.2%
ESC +30.57%

The hots stocks of the first week in February are HYGS from Hydrogen Cell stocks which advanced to 52.81% gain from 36.07% gain in the previous week and SID from Brazil stocks which went from 26.87% gain in the previous week to 38.2%.

Smart Stock on the Move - February 3

Tamiflu Stocks

• Mylan Laboratories Inc. (MYL): shares of the pharmacuetical firm surged 10.47% to $21.32 on strong third quarter. Coverage on the stock began on November 7 when the stock was trading at $19.94 per share.

Voice Over IP Stocks

• Level 3 Communications Inc. (LVLT): shares of voice over ip service provider rose 5.71% to $3.7 per share. The stock has been up 24.58% since the coverage began at $2.97 per share on December 7.

China Stocks:

• Ninetowns Digital World Trade Holdings Ltd. (NINE): shares of Beijing based enterprise software maker skyrocketed 23.84% to $6.7 per share. Stock is now up 13.95% from the coverage price of $5.88 on January 10.
• China Energy Savings Technology (CESV): shares of Hong Kong based energy-saving product maker rose 14.93% to $7.85 per share.

It's Tax time!

Tax Time We are in the beginning of February and also in the mid of the busy tax filling. Traditionally we just go to the regional library and grab the 1040 form to fill up the tax form manually (yup, I've done it before) or for the more complicated cases bring all the documents to accountant in order to save tax. However now a days with the advancing technology we have the choice of filing the tax with easy to use software or even filing the tax online thur the Internet.

Today let's take a look at some of the companies offering electronic tax filling.

• Intuit Inc. (INTU): the Mountain View, CA based software firm makes popular TurboTax for tax preparation, QuickBook for bookkeeping and Quicken for financial management. The company also offers online version of TurboTax for online tax filing. For the season ending January 7, the firm has sold total of 1.6 million units of TurboTax, a decline of 2% compare to prior year. However the company is bullish for this year as IRS expects individual tax filing to increase 1.5 million and the firm expects to attract new customers. The stock is currently trading at $52.23 per share and P/E ratio of 25.39. Intuit is expected to file earning on February 16.
• H&R Block Inc. (HRB): the Kansas City, MO based firm offers income tax preparation software as well as branch offices for face to face income tax service. The company has generated revenue of $4.61 billion with quarterly revenue growth of 11.6% compare to Intuit's revenue of $2.09 billion and 20% quarterly revenue growth. However the stock is currently trading at a discount of lower P/E ratio of 13.14 at $23.83 per share, near the 52 week low, a more attractive deal than the competitor.
• Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. (JTX): the Parsippany, NJ based firm provides income tax preparation service thru its 4,871 franchised office and 613 company-owned offices nationwide. The income tax preparation is done thru ProFiler, the company's income preparation tax software. The company generated far less revenue of 231 million than its competitor H&R blocks yet has higher operation margin of 37%, compare to 21% of H&R block. The stock is trading at higher P/E ratio of 19.86 or $25.3 per share, about 10% more than the same time last year.