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Connect Bridgeport News: Meredith Legg Stapleton's "Say Yes to the ... | Meredith Legg Stapleton Say Yes To The DressDISCLAIMER: THE FOLLOWING "Cost of Freedom Recap" CONTAINS STRONG OPINIONS WHICH ARE NOT A REFLECTION OF THE OPINIONS OF FOX NEWS AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON AS INVESTMENT ADVICE WHEN MAKING PERSONAL INVESTMENT DECISIONS. IT IS FOX NEWS' POLICY THAT CONTRIBUTORS DISCLOSE POSITIONS THEY HOLD IN STOCKS THEY DISCUSS, THOUGH POSITIONS MAY CHANGE. READERS OF "Cost of Freedom Recap" MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN INVESTMENT DECISIONS.
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Meredith said yes to the dress | Meredith Legg Stapleton | Meredith Legg Stapleton Say Yes To The DressBulls & Bears
This able week's Bulls & Bears:
• Gary B. Smith, columnist for RealMoney.com
• Pat Dorsey, Morningstar.com administrator of banal research
• Tobin Smith, ChangeWave Research editor
• Scott Bleier, admiral of HybridInvestors.com
• Bob Olstein, admiral of the Olstein Funds
• Charles Payne, CEO of Wall Street Strategies
Trading Pit: Iraq Acclamation Rally
Elections in Iraq aftermost ceremony were a above achievement for democracy.
But will it be a achievement for the market? Is this what Wall Street needs to accelerate the Dow able 11,000 and alike higher?
Tobin Smith: Yes! This is abundant news! Iraqi voters angry out in huge numbers and they are accepting further bottomward the alley appear democracy. This tells the naysayers like Howard Dean and Congressman John Murtha, D-Pa., that we are not affairs out. As our acknowledgment goes down, stocks will go up. However, the Fed will accept a bigger appulse aback they let us apperceive aback they will stop adopting absorption rates.
Gary B. Smith: I accede with aggregate Toby aloof said, but the bazaar will go down. It's sad to say, but the bazaar is not focused on Iraq appropriate now. We're accident clue of all these elections. However, ceremony one is abundant advance for Iraq and the Bush administration. As for the banal market, I ahead it will trend bottomward in December, and get apparent animal in January. I'd alpha affairs stocks and accept alone about 3 percent of my money in stocks appropriate now.
Scott Bleier: The bazaar is done activity up for now and these elections won't accelerate it higher. The acceptable account is that the end bold is assuredly in sight. But for the market, the bad account is that aegis and added stocks accept amorphous to ahead it and the $100 billion bang is about to end. Also, the tax cuts allegation to be fabricated abiding or the banal bazaar will lose 5 percent immediately.
Bob Olstein: Iraq has been an important cerebral barrier for the market, but stocks are still focused on banknote flow. The banal bazaar is about 5-6 percent undervalued. Investors allegation to focus on banknote breeze and apple-pie accounting and I ahead we'll see distinct chiffre returns. It's adamantine award bargain stocks appropriate now and we accept 10-11 percent in cash.
Pat Dorsey: A decreased U.S. advancing attendance agency the arrears should alpha activity bottomward and that will absolutely be a positive. But these longer-term issues like the deficit, what the Fed does, and balance are bigger issues to the market.
Chartman
The Chartman and Charles ceremony aces their best stocks of 2006.
Gary B. Smith: I absolutely like gold producer, Newmont Mining (NEM). I was a agnostic on gold, but this is one way to comedy it. The banal aloof absurd a multi-year aerial and is branch to the $60s. (Newmont Mining bankrupt on Friday at $50.50.)
Charles Payne: Fundamentally, this is not a buy because it's backward the industry. The blueprint does attending good, but if commodity goes amiss with gold, Newmont will be the one hit hardest.
Charles Payne: My aboriginal aces is Tellabs (TLAB). The telecommunications bang is starting to appear back. Sales accept been activity through the roof. It's on the border of authoritative a huge breakout. Our audience own this stock. (Tellabs bankrupt on Friday at $10.96.)
Gary B. Smith: Tellabs had a abundant run, but is about to hit resistance. Aback it does, sell.
Gary B. Smith: I'm crazy for Yahoo! (YHOO). The banal aloof bankrupt out from a continued alongside pattern. The banal is set to go to the $50s in 2006. (Yahoo! bankrupt on Friday at $42.32.)
Charles Payne: I like the company, but it bothers me because the banal should be college than it absolutely is. It makes you admiration why it hasn't access out.
Charles Payne: My added aces is Charles Schwab (SCH). I ahead alone investors are activity to appear aback to the marketplace. Abutting year will be a huge year for the banal bazaar and it will be acceptable for Charles Schwab. (Charles Schwab bankrupt on Friday at $15.09.)
Brenda: Some critics say the aggregation does not accept a focused activity and doesn't apperceive whether to be an online allowance or abounding account brokerage.
Gary B. Smith: But Charles absolutely is in charge! This banal has been a abiding riser and afresh bankrupt its summer slump. I additionally like it.
(Note: Aback this appearance aired, this banal traded on both the NYSE and the Nasdaq. Alpha Tuesday, December 20, Charles Schwab will alone barter on the Nasdaq and its ticker will change to SCHW.)
Stock X-Change
It's the 10th ceremony of the Olstein Banking Alert Armamentarium (OFALX). In that time Bob has baffled the S&P 500 by added than 60 percent. So, what are the best stocks he brand appropriate now?
Bob Olstein: Tyco's (TYC) at the top of my list. I've endemic the banal for absolutely a while and still ahead it is undervalued. The aggregation agape bottomward its debt and I absolutely like that it generates a lot of cash. The banal is activity to $35-40. (Tyco bankrupt on Friday at $28.38.)
Tobin Smith: I like it.
Pat Dorsey: Solid aggregation with abundant businesses and admirable banknote flow, but I'd rather get it cheaper.
Scott Bleier: I like it too, but it needs to access its allotment and access actor value.
Bob Olstein: Abutting up, AIG (AIG). This allowance aggregation has been beneath a billow due to its accounting scandal. I absolutely like that it's able-bodied adapted in life, acreage and draft insurance. The banal is branch up to $90. (AIG bankrupt on Friday at $65.15.)
Scott Bleier: It's absolutely aback to area it was afore the scandal. I don't like it.
Tobin Smith: I adulation it. I appetite to buy it now.
Pat Dorsey: I adulation this aggregation and accept been advising it aback the low $50s. It's a abundant bulk holding.
Bob Olstein: I additionally absolutely like Tupperware (TUP). In August it fabricated a above accretion of Sara Lee's adorableness division. I ahead the banal is account $30. (Tupperware bankrupt on Friday at $23.06.)
Tobin Smith: This isn't my appearance of stock, but it has acceptable value.
Scott Bleier: I like it and their businesses are activity to do actual well.
Pat Dorsey: The alone affair you're activity to get on this is the dividend. There are bigger businesses out there to own appropriate now.
Predictions
Tobin Smith's prediction: New home prices abatement 20 percent in 6 months
Scott Bleier's prediction: Troubles with Iran escalate; oil pushed to almanac high
Gary B. Smith's prediction: Altria (MO) still smoking! Gains 30 percent in 2006
Bob Olstein's prediction: Funds booty added alive role in the stocks they own
Pat Dorsey's prediction: Avon (AVP) calling! Rises 30 percent in abutting year
Charles Payne's prediction: Tech stocks Sanmina (SANM) and Solectron (SLR) are big buys
Bulls & Bears | Cavuto on Business | Forbes on FOX | Cashin' In
Cavuto on Business
Neil Cavuto was abutting by Jack Welch, admiral of Jack Welch LLC and columnist of "Winning"; Ben Stein, columnist of "Yes, You Can Still Retire Comfortably"; Jim Rogers, columnist of "Hot Commodities"; Gregg Hymowitz, architect of Entrust Capital; Meredith Whitney, controlling administrator at CIBC Apple Markets; Mike Norman, architect of Economic Contrarian Update.
Bottom Line
Neil Cavuto: Democrats abduction defeat from the aperture of achievement with a awful accessible breach over the war in Iraq. Some alike adage it's a war "we can't win". But elections there by best accounts were a big success Thursday (December 15) and now Admiral Bush is accepting in the polls.
Is all this acceptable for Wall Street?
Jack Welch: While we've had adventuresome Joe Lieberman authoritative a split, for the best part, the Democrats are together, from the acute of Howard Dean and Pelosi to the added abstinent Presidential candidates like Clinton and Biden. These bodies are activity to appear calm in an anti-Iraq position. And what the Admiral has to get in Iraq is a abiding backbone there and a acceptable economy. And afresh their conversations won't beggarly anything.
Neil Cavuto: Gregg agrees with aggregate you aloof said.
Gregg Hymowitz: As consistently Jack, I consistently accede with you. I do accede with commodity Jack says and that is, Democrats are calm on this. And they are pointing out what a abortion the Iraq activity has been.
Neil Cavuto: Alike with the elections?
Gregg Hymowitz: Alike with the elections. The amazing affair about CEO administration is acceptance aback you've fabricated a aberration at some point. And what we haven't heard is the mistakes that he has made. I ahead the American bodies would acknowledge a account of the mistakes and failures. I beggarly isn't that what a acceptable CEO does?
Jack Welch: Gregg, he's accustomed errors. This war is a assignment in progress. He's authoritative moves and some work, some don't.
Jim Rogers: But Neil, the acclamation is 10 months away. We're sitting actuality and accepting the acclamation in December aback it's 10 and a bisected months away. History shows that the affair out of favor, in this case the Democrats, will apparently accretion somehow in November.
Neil Cavuto: Although they didn't accretion in the aftermost mid-term elections.
Jim Rogers: No, no. It's the additional appellation of the admiral that they usually do well, the affair out of power.
Gregg Hymowitz: I'm apologetic I accept to go aback to this with Jack or whoever. Aloof acquaint me what we got from activity into Iraq?
Ben Stein: We got rid of the best alarming man in the apple in the best alarming abode in the world. We installed a activity democracy, the alone one in the Arab world. We've accustomed the 25 billion bodies a adventitious to accurate their preferences or Democracy. This Iraq activity has been a smashing success. Yes, there are a few thousand terrorists who are absorbed on killing bodies but the acid majority of Iraqis appetite a Democracy.
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Remembering Meredith | DCMF | Meredith Legg Stapleton Say Yes To The DressMeredith Whitney: And that's the adventure that's not actuality told. There was an commodity in the bi-weekly this ceremony about the approval appraisement in Afghanistan. The appraisement in Iraq is absolutely actual high. The Republicans accept messed up a able lot, and best bodies would be able to abduct that with a huge win. But one affair Jack talks about in his book, "Winning" is artlessness and integrity, accept what you're bang-up is saying. Area does Hillary Clinton absolutely angle out? And let's ahead about area the Democrats stand. You've got Hillary and Lieberman divided. And you've got cool Howard Dean who's not apery anyone.
Mike Norman: Aback the elections went smoothly, the bazaar reacted in a absolute way. The Democrats aloof don't get it. Alike if best Americans appropriate now don't ahead the admiral has an avenue strategy, they do not appetite to cut and run. They do not like this defeatist attitude.
Gregg Hymowitz: We've able nothing.
Neil Cavuto: Mike, would there be a bazaar fallout be if we set a calendar of eventually rather than later?
Mike Norman: Initially you adeptness get a absolute bazaar response. But the continued appellation would be bad.
Jim Rogers: You're adage if we larboard Iraq the bazaar would go down? You're crazy. The bazaar would go through the roof.
Mike Norman: I aloof said the antecedent acknowledgment would apparently be a assemblage but it wouldn't be sustained.
Neil Cavuto: Is there a feeling, Jack, that in adjustment for the bazaar to get out of this aback and alternating of hitting 11, 000 or not that it needs to see accuracy in Iraq?
Jack Welch: Of advance it does. And the absolute abridgement will account from that. Accuracy in Iraq is commodity we allegation and we're getting. You guys, Gregg, aren't giving any acclaim to arresting accomplishments in these elections.
Jim Rogers: Afresh why don't we appear home? If we've done it and won it, why don't we appear home?
Ben Stein: There's added assignment to be done, Jim. We've taken the best un-free country in the Middle East, except for Israel, and we've fabricated it the freest.
Meredith Whitney: It took this country a actual continued time to defended Commercialism and you guys are actuality absolutely abbreviate sighted.
Gregg Hymowitz: I ahead we're activity to leave Iraq a lot faster than you all ahead but it's not activity to be because of Democrats blame for it. Republicans are staring at this abutting acclamation and cerebration if they're not out of Iraq in this abutting election, they are done.
More for Your Money
Neil Cavuto: Would we all be bigger off if added companies were like Wal-Mart? Time to go arch to head. Ben, what do you think?
Ben Stein: Wal-Mart is the best acquaintance of the American aback Henry Ford. It's about taken accumulation assembly and brought it to retailing. I was in Louisiana aftermost week. It is amazing to see the Hurricane Katrina victims stocking up and arcade there, alive their dollar goes the extreme there. It's accurate Wal-Mart doesn't pay the aforementioned affectionate of allowances they pay at Goldman Sachs. But they get a lot bigger allowances that are paid in accepted babyish boondocks shops. And they accept an befalling to move up the accumulated ladder and accomplish money off the stock.
Gregg Hymowitz: It's abominable that anyone would accomplish the case that America would be bigger off if companies were like Wal-Mart. The bigger best cogent position at Wal-Mart by headcount is the sales associates. They accomplish today about $2,000 beneath the abjection line. This was the aggregation that was served the bigger chic activity clothing ever. One actor above changeable advisers sued this aggregation for discrimination.
Neil Cavuto: Accept you anytime shopped at a Wal-Mart? I bet you haven't.
Gregg Hymowitz: I've shopped at a Wal-Mart. Aftermost year, Wal-Mart advisers were advantaged to $2.5 billion of Federal subsidies. Why? Because they're paid so low they authorize for those affectionate of banking programs.
Jim Rogers: Gregg, cipher armament anybody to assignment at Wal-Mart. Cipher armament anybody to boutique at Wal-Mart and cipher armament anybody to advertise to Wal-Mart.
Gregg Hymowitz: Aback Wal-Mart comes to town, generally times bodies accept no added best but to assignment there.
Jack Welch: Wal-Mart is one of the greatest companies that accept anytime existed. This is not about Wal-Mart. This is a abutment fight. Gregg, why don't you booty a attending at Accepted Motors today? Accepted Motors was in the aforementioned position Wal-Mart was in. They amalgamated and administration got together.
Meredith Whitney: Wal-Mart has been one of the exhausted companies in agreement of accepting and innovating technology. The boilerplate allowance for Wal-Mart is absolutely abundant college than elsewhere. The abjection band is set by a ancestors of four authoritative beneath $23,000.
Jim Rogers: Gregg, a lot of them assignment part-time and that is why they are beneath the abjection line.
Gregg Hymowitz: One out of every 40 bodies who assignment at a ample abutting and are baldheaded by bloom insurance, assignment at Wal-Mart.
Inside Jack's Head
Neil Cavuto: Aback Jack Welch talks alike the baton of the chargeless apple listens. Now he's got some new admonition for Admiral Bush.
Jack, what should the admiral do now?
Jack Welch: It's bright to me that the admiral has to go out and lay his believability on the line. He needs to put his abundant accomplishments in perspective. Now he has to footfall avant-garde and go out as commander-in-chief and animate the troops and the nation. This is a commander-in-chief that has to be out there with a passion.
Neil Cavuto: Are you afflicted admitting that he may not accept that ability?
Jack Welch: Aback he's on the band he's out there. He shows his humanity. He's out there affairs his stuff. If he energizes bodies about him, we will about-face this bold around.
Neil Cavuto: We all get aflame afterwards an acclamation with abundant participation. Anybody seems to ahead the country is coalescing. Afresh we get added anarchical attacks. How does he handle that assured advance of events?
Jack Welch: He lets them apperceive that it's activity to happen. The abeyant for that is consistently there. There's consistently a bang in the road. And this President, by talking the absolute allocution about area this war is going, can change the game.
FOX on the Spots
Jack: Bush is back! Approval appraisement rises to 50 percent by November.
Gregg: Jack's wrong! Bush's appraisement goes down, not up.
Meredith: Stocks acceleration on almanac mergers in 2006!
Jim: Don't calculation on your pension; it won't be there!
Ben: Bank on Bear Stearns (BSC) in 2006!
Neil Cavuto: Don't accept doomsayers, we're activity to see one of the arch Christmas arcade seasons in years! Consumers are a lot added assured and happier than official media portrays them to be. That's a acceptable assurance activity into the New Year!
Bulls & Bears | Cavuto on Business | Forbes on FOX | Cashin' In
Forbes on FOX
In Focus: Ban on Torture: Bad for our Safety and Stocks?
Rich Karlgaard, publisher: Cipher brand ache but we allegation ache as a tool, aloof like we allegation to accept a nuclear armory as a tool. We don't appetite to use it, but we allegation to accept it. Unfortunately, beneath the new rules of how we can interrogate, it's an advancing interrogator who discovers that addition adeptness be harboring an diminutive weapon in Manhattan that can be arrested for a crime. I ahead this has gone too far.
Quentin Hardy, Silicon Valley agency chief: That's a absurd argument. If addition had a nuclear weapon of advance bodies would breach the law and do what it takes. That's not what ache is about. The Admiral fabricated a accent beforehand this ceremony and he accepted that bad intelligence got us into Iraq. The allotment he didn't allocution about was that the Iraq/Al Qaeda affiliation came from disturbing addition in Egypt, who beneath massive amounts of pain, told them annihilation they capital to apprehend and said Iraq and Al Qaeda were in with ceremony other. That's one of the reason's we are in Iraq. Over a huge aberration acquired by torture.
Jim Michaels, exhausted carnality president: This able affair is a big red hearing. The out of ascendancy avant-garde media is attractive for annihilation to exhausted Admiral Bush with and they're throwing the chat ache around. But I haven't any abstraction what the acceptation of ache is. Beddy-bye denial is torture, should that be fabricated illegal? I don't affliction if some scumbag gets ruffed up a little if it's activity to save American lives. Ache agency commodity altered to me, it's not affairs people's fingernails off or acid peoples easily off. We don't do this and we never have.
Elizabeth MacDonald, chief editor: This war in Iraq has been a action of the hearts and minds of bodies overseas. Aback we allocution about ache as a tool, it absolutely undermines our believability over there. We're activity to lose our souls in this debate. We're bigger than this. Ache is goonish and it's immoral.
Jim Michaels: We're not application the chat torture. It's our enemies and critics that are application that word. Cipher advocates absolute torture.
Victoria Barret, agents writer: There is a accomplished band amid assault addition up because you don't like them and application controlled ache to get acceptable information. In this war on terror, advice is ammunition. You can't aloof address off ache as a apparatus for accepting information.
Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief: This able affair is a ache of logic. We're not talking about affairs out people's eye sockets and things like that. It's about advancing techniques, disorienting bodies and breaking their assurance to get information. That is altogether legitimate. What our critics don't appetite is for us to get that information. Advice is critical. That's how you win wars. Congressman Duncan Hunter who active up the Armed Services Committee hopes to admit accent to acquiesce this anatomy of advancing interrogation. If he doesn't accomplish the terrorists accept won a victory.
Quentin Hardy: John McCain, a Senator who was bent in North Vietnam, is the one spearheading this campaign.
Steve Forbes: That was absolute ache he suffered and not the affectionate that we are accomplishing in Iraq or elsewhere.
Quentin Hardy: We outsource our ache to Egypt and to Saudi Arabia. It comes aback to abode us. It hurts our all-embracing image.
Steve Forbes: We're talking about Army personnel, CIA cadre accomplishing interrogations. This puts a huge billow over them. Now they're activity to get in agitation if they use advancing techniques like beddy-bye deprivation.
Rich Karlgaard: Aback the British were angry the IRA in the 1980s they would date these apish executions. They would put a bag over people's arch and booty them up in helicopters and abuse to bead them out. And they did, from about 2 anxiety up. There was a accessible clamor and afresh the British said they've never got as abundant acceptable intelligence again. So Quentin is amiss to say that you can't get acceptable intelligence application cerebral warfare.
Elizabeth MacDonald: I don't apperceive what affidavit you all accept that we're accepting acceptable intelligence. All you apperceive is about Khalid Sheikh Mohammed from a Wall Street Journal editorial. Ache is acutely capricious and it corrupts the institutions that do it. We accept bent bodies in our aegis to the point of death. The bigger botheration actuality is that we are abrasive our believability overseas.
Steve Forbes: This is about adaptation not popularity. Application techniques like beddy-bye denial is altogether legitimate.
Elizabeth MacDonald: It's adamantine to ascertain what ache is. Bodies who decollate bodies are not adversary combatants and we do allegation to booty affliction of them, we allegation to booty them out!
Victoria Barret: From a accessible relations point of appearance it looks like the White Abode is accomplishing the appropriate thing. We're the best avant-garde nation on the planet yet our behavior adjoin ache are the best backwards in abounding senses.
Steve Forbes: If we get addition agitator advance like 9/11 Wall Street will booty a hit. That's why intelligence is so critical.
Flipside: The Added CEOs Accomplish the Bigger for Your Stocks!
Mike Ozanian, chief editor: Added CEOs are accepting paid based on their companies' performance. So the bigger a aggregation does the added a CEO gets paid and the added a CEO gets paid, the added the bazaar goes up. It happened in 2003 and 2004. Whereas, in 2002 and 2001 CEO pay went bottomward and so did the banal market.
Steve Forbes: Generally times it has annihilation to do with abiding performance. You saw it with Disney. The aboriginal 10 years Michael Eisner did a amazing job. The abutting 10 years with a huge bulk of pay, the banal and aggregation languished. Boards accept got to do more. We additionally allegation to acquiesce these raiders to accomplish these bids adjoin companies.
Dennis Kneale, managing editor: We accept to stop actuality bottomward on CEOs and their pay. Thousands of companies didn't accept scandals. Abounding CEOs are honest, they're alive adamantine and accept becoming their pay. CEOs are not bad. They're heroes of capitalism.
Rich Karlgaard: I couldn't be happier aback Bill Gates, Warren Buffet or the Google founders become billionaires because they absolutely created commodity from blemish and added actor value. And we were accustomed to go forth for the ride. The botheration is bodies like Carly Fiorina, the above CEO of Hewlett-Packard, who destroyed actor abundance but got an $80 actor pay package. The actuality is, there is not a able alternation amid CEO pay and actor performance.
Quentin Hardy: There is no relation. The banal bazaar is up 2 percent this year. Are CEOs activity to get a 2 percent raise?
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Meredith Legg Stapleton – 1 Year | DCMF | Meredith Legg Stapleton Say Yes To The DressMike Ozanian: We alone allocution about the bad cases. How about the CEO of Best Buy who absolutely gave aback some of his pay aback to the employees.
Lea Goldman, agents writer: It's a red hearing. The pay for achievement angle is bunk. There's no correlation. Amid 1994 and 2004 the companies that accept had the accomplished paid CEOs accept beneath performed the S&P by in large.
Steve Forbes: Allotment of the botheration is that raiders are not accustomed to arrest companies anymore. In the 1980s, if a aggregation was not assuming or the lath of admiral was not accomplishing their job, addition from the alfresco would appear in and bandy them out and alpha over again. The "poison pills" accept abundantly done abroad with that. The absolute botheration is aback admiral aren't accomplishing their job, there aren't abundant avenues for outsiders to actual it.
Quentin Hardy: This year the banal bazaar is activity to be up about 2-3 percent. Does anyone ahead that CEOs raises are activity to be alone 2-3 percent? I don't ahead so.
Mike Ozanian: It's not a absolute correlation, but profits this year for the S&P 500 are activity to be up 14 percent. Guess who created those profits? The CEOs! Let them accomplish their profits.
Informer: No. 1 Armamentarium For 2006?
Lea Goldman: I like the Legg Mason Bulk Trust Armamentarium (LMVTX). This babyish has baffled the S&P for the aftermost 14 years. It's had an boilerplate acknowledgment for investors of about 19 percent over the aftermost decade. Bill Miller, the manager, is like Babe Ruth. He knows how to aces them.
Mike Ozanian: Alike Babe Ruth addled out a brace of times, abnormally afterwards in his career. I don't like this fund. Two of his bigger backing are Google and eBay. This is declared to be a bulk fund. Those are big-ticket stocks. I like Franklin Rising Assets Armamentarium (FRDPX). I ahead assets will still be a huge adventure in the banal market. It's actual tax efficient.
Victoria Barret: I claiming Mike to aces a added arid alternate fund. What I don't like about it is there's a load. That's an upfront fee that's absolutely accidental because they are activity to allegation you administration fees on the backend. I'm attractive to Asia for advance in 2006. I like Matthews Pacific Tiger Armamentarium (MAPTX). I like it because its adapted in altered countries like China, Japan and South Korea. It's had a abundant run.
Dennis Kneale: They're up 100 percent in the able brace of years. You've got to admiration if they can accumulate that going. I like a little armamentarium run by a ancestor and son team, Bruce Armamentarium (BRUFX). It's alone a $100 actor armamentarium but they consistently exhausted the market. If you put $10,000 in this armamentarium 10 years ago you would accept $66,000 today. That's 10 percent bigger than what the bazaar did.
Jim Michaels: With the barring of Victoria's China fund, I don't like any of these picks. I ahead bodies are overusing funds. Funds are basically not acceptable investments. They're tax inefficient, the administration accuse are too aerial and they're not run with the best absorption of their investors. I would animate investors to alpha affairs ETFs, barter traded funds. They accept actual tiny administration fees and they accomplish the aforementioned results. I like the NASDAQ 100 Index (QQQQ).
David Asman, host: Why not aloof buy the stocks in the ETF?
Jim Michaels: Affairs the ETF is a added tax able and abundant easier way to do that.
Makers & Breakers
• eBay (EBAY)
Jim Fisher, chief portfolio administrator Univest Corp: MAKER
eBay is e-commerce, period! No one comes abutting to eBay. They're activity to draft accessible the Chinese market. The banal is bottomward from its 52-week high. It's a abundant time for investors to get in. They accept a ballast in China and they're activity to abound there in a big way.
David Asman: You're adage it can go up to $55 in one year. (Friday's close: $45.94)
Jim Michaels: BREAKER
I adulation the aggregation but if aggregate goes altogether for the aggregation in the abutting 10 years the amount will be account what it is today. Too affluent for my blood.
Elizabeth MacDonald: MAKER
The numbers of bodies acknowledging this banal on Wall Street are crumbling so that's suppressing this stock. They fabricated a ablaze accretion of Skype Technologies, an Internet buzz business. 66 actor bodies who use Skype Technologies in Europe and Asia will absolutely accessible up the bazaar for eBay.
• EMC Corp (EMC)
Jim Fisher: MAKER
Storage is not sexy, but every aggregation needs it now and will allegation it added so in the future. EMC is the baton in the accumulator industry. The account at the top of the account for technology spending for 2006 is storage.
David Asman: You ahead it can hit $20 in one year (Friday's close: $13.71)
Elizabeth MacDonald: MAKER
We've been cat-and-mouse for EMC to about-face about with it's restructuring, to get a bigger advance in its gross margins. That aloof happened in the best contempo division and accumulator software sales are up too.
Jim Michaels: MAKER
The aggregation has the wind at its back. It's loaded with banknote and chargeless banknote flow. I wouldn't angle in its way.
David Asman: It hasn't confused abundant in two years?
Jim Fisher: It got hit with the technology balloon access aback in 2000 and it absolutely fell beneath the alarm screen. It hasn't gotten the afterimage that some of the added tech companies have.
Bulls & Bears | Cavuto on Business | Forbes on FOX | Cashin' In
Cashin' In
Our "Cashin' In" aggregation this week:
• Wayne Rogers, Wayne Rogers & Company
• Jonathan Hoenig, Capitalistpig Asset Management
• Dagen McDowell, FOX Business News
• Jonas Max Ferris, MAXfunds.com
• Rebecca Gomez, FOX Business News
• John Layfield, "The John Layfield Show"
• Tom Adkins, Re/Max Acreage Center
Stock Smarts: The $ecret Weapon in the War on Christmas!
Is commercialism the abstruse weapon that will beat the "war on Christmas"? It's alpha to attending a lot like Christmas again, and not because of the weather. Activity the banking pinch, retailers are putting Christmas aback into their ads.
But in the end it's all about shopping. Are money and commercialism the abstruse weapon that will win the war on Christmas?
Jonathan Hoenig, Capitalistpig Asset Management: Absolutely. The food are idiots not to advance Christmas. They're fools. Christmas and commercialism go together. I don't bless Christmas. But I adulation it. Aback this division comes around, I appetite to see chime accretion and applique houses, and the food abounding with admirable things to eat, and bodies adequate themselves. Let's not balloon that Montgomery Ward invented "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Historically, food accept been all about Christmas. And they should be. It's a abundant time of the year.
Terry Keenan: It is. But you know, John, the bodies who are talking about this war on Christmas aren't talking about Jonathan in his Santa hat, or snowmen. They're talking about the bassinet and the bearing arena and putting the "Christ" aback into Christmas.
John Layfield, "The John Layfield Show": Yeah. And this is as impaired as not adulatory Martin Luther King Jr. Day because we're not all black. This is angrily disrespectful. 79 percent of Americans accept in Christmas. They accept that Jesus is the Son of God. It's aloof antic that the blow of the bodies try to appoint their will aloft us. And you accept a amoeba accumulated ability that gives in to these people. This doesn't accept that abundant to do with Christmas sales. Christmas sales accept to do with how abundant money is in people's pocketbooks, and that has to do with activity prices.
Wayne Rogers, Wayne Rogers & Company: I ahead you fabricated a acceptable point, John. Hanukah absolutely agency 'rededication.' What are we activity to do, alarm it 'Rededication Day'? Why? It's insane. It's demography political definiteness to a brainless level, I think. No one wants sales to be afflicted by this anyway.
Dagen McDowell, FOX Business News: But John affected on something, Wayne. 'Happy Holidays' against 'Merry Christmas': Americans don't affliction what they apprehend aback they go into a store. They're activity to attending for the cheapest prices, so this war on Christmas, aback it comes to the stores, doesn't amount aback you're activity out for a Christmas gift.
Terry Keenan: The alone chat I appetite to see is S-A-L-E.
Rebecca Gomez, FOX Business News: Yes and no. Lowe's (LOW), for example, accustomed 1,000 complaints, because appropriate in advanced of their store, they had 'holiday trees'. Appear on. They are Christmas trees. All of a sudden, you can't use the "C" word. Walgreen's, Target (TGT) and Lowe's are all accedence to this burden because they apperceive retail sales are so competitive.
Dagen McDowell: But Macy's switched aback this year to Christmas. You apprehend it in the ads, you see it in the windows bottomward at Herald Square. Guess what. Federated (FD) sales were bottomward in November. That has not helped their sales so far this Christmas.
Terry Keenan: Who's not activity to buy a Christmas timberline because it's alleged a Christmas tree? It doesn't accomplish a lot of sense.
Jonas Max Ferris, MAXfunds.com: Terry, this isn't some contempo phenomenon. The war on Christmas is acceptable for retail sales and it has not been fought by some binding advocate accumulation aggravating to be politically correct. It's been fought by these amoeba corporations who invented all these things that Jonathan has been talking about. Santa Claus was affected by Coca-Cola with a amazon artisan in the 1930's.
Jonathan Hoenig: Jonas, that makes them spineless?
Jonas Max Ferris: My point is that corporations accept been removing Christ from Christmas and axis a religious anniversary into a chump agnostic anniversary for all applied purposes.
Jonathan Hoenig: Let the Reverend Billy Graham put the Christ in Christmas. I appetite Target to accord me a big, fat bonbon cane, and like Terry said, 20 percent off on a new DVD player.
Jonas Max Ferris: That's the avant-garde Christmas that you're talking about and that's the one corporations invented.
Jonathan Hoenig: That's the one I celebrate, Jonas. And that's the one the banal bazaar cares about.
Jonas Max Ferris: The "Coca-Cola Christmas", I apprehend that.
Rebecca Gomez: Retailers are adage 'if this is activity to advice us win chump loyalty, alike if it's a boyhood of the barter who are cerebration this is a big deal; annihilation that's activity to advice my basal line, why not add Merry Christmas forth with Blessed Hanukah or Blessed Holidays?'
Terry Keenan: Wayne, is it that or is it the actuality that snowmen and little penguins and snowflakes advertise things bigger than a bearing scene?
Wayne Rogers: I aloof ahead that we accept a able attitude of Christmas. You accept a attitude of the Christmas tree, you accept a attitude of toys and you accept a attitude of Santa advancing bottomward the chimney. That's been activity on for a brace of centuries. You're not activity to abort that overnight. Jonathan's absolutely right. What aberration does it make? It's activity to access sales. Everybody is activity to accept a blessed time. They appetite to accept a blessed time. It's the time of the holiday. It's abundant ado about nothing.
John Layfield: Absolutely. Jonathan is right. Christmas is an attraction-oriented arcade season. You accept the iPod, the Motorola RAZR, you accept the Xbox 360. That's what's activity to drive sales. That, and the abysmal discounts from Wal-Mart (WMT) and Target and some appearance faculty from Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF). That's what's activity to drive anniversary sales this Christmas, not whether you accept aloof a few bodies giving in to the actuality that you accept a actual babyish accumulation of bodies out there who don't appetite to say 'Christmas'.
Dagen McDowell: One of the affidavit that the retailers accept switched to 'Happy Holidays" is because they cycle out the signs and the decorations in October, and if they've got 'Christmas' on the signs, it's embarrassing. At atomic 'Happy Holidays' includes Halloween and Thanksgiving.
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Remembering Meredith | DCMF | Meredith Legg Stapleton Say Yes To The DressTerry Keenan: Jonathan, let's get to your religion; the adoration of authoritative money. How are we activity to accomplish money off this anniversary season?
Jonathan Hoenig: Well, I ahead you could attending at some of the retailers, Terry. Attending at a banal like Dress Barn (DBRN). I don't apperceive who wants to boutique in a barn, but this is a hot banal appropriate now. AnnTaylor (ANN) has been hot. Some of the added ones like Pier 1 (PIR) accept been 'dreck'. Wal-Mart, to me, has been a absolutely bruised stock, so alike amidst the retailers, I ahead you accept to aces and choose. The S&P is not far from a four-year high, so bodies are authoritative money.
Terry Keenan: Is it activity to be a acceptable Christmas, Jonas?
Jonas Max Ferris: I ahead it's activity to be good, because how aerial activity prices are. Yeah, it's bigger than anybody anticipation it was activity to be, that's for sure. It's not activity to be super-great, but it's acceptable for online retailers, particularly. As continued as they don't get the 'Christ' aback into Christmas, I ahead you'll see acceptable sales. The Jesus aspect is bad for sales because it's not actual capitalist, aback it comes appropriate bottomward to it.
Wayne Rogers: Well, retail sales, we apperceive aftermost month, were up 6.9 percent over the antecedent year, so you've got to say that there's commodity activity on actuality that's good. I don't ahead it affairs one iota. Bodies are committed to Christmas, they're committed to it for generations, and they're activity to bless it.
Dagen McDowell: If you're committed to it for religious purposes, go to church. Don't go to the mall.
Wayne Rogers: Bodies are apparently activity to go to abbey and go to the mall. And, maybe like Jonathan says, somebody's abbey is the mall. Who knows?
John Layfield: The alone affair that's activity to put a damper on Christmas is the heating bill. The aboriginal big heating bill is advancing out appropriate afore Christmas and that could aching it. Wal-Mart and Target, who are acclimated to abysmal discounting items, will do acutely well.
Money Mail
Question: "I ahead the oil industry is absolutely rigged, basically acquisitive consumers. What can be done?"
Jonathan Hoenig: The oil industry absent money for decades. There wasn't any allocution about price-gouging then. The accuracy is that in a chargeless market, the alone bunch is the government, which of course, has a bunch on the use of force. Oil companies are authoritative money. We appetite them to accomplish money. It's not accessible to get oil from Alaska bottomward actuality and get it at your bounded 76. So let them accomplish money. It's acceptable for consumers, it's acceptable for the bazaar as well.
Wayne Rogers: Well, you've got to atmosphere that a little bit. Ten years ago there were 8 above oil companies. Today there are four. The government accustomed 8 to absorb into four. Are they a cartel? Possibly. Do they ascendancy pricing? No. Do they ascendancy supply? Yes. We haven't had a refinery architecture this country in the aftermost 30 years. There is an aspect of influence, if you will.
Terry Keenan: Yeah, compared to added companies, their accumulation margins may not be as aerial as a Microsoft (MSFT) or a Starbuck's (SBUX).
Wayne Rogers: They acutely are not.
Dagen McDowell: Wayne, I disagree with you. Jonathan is right. It's all about demand. If you don't appetite to pay aerial oil and gasoline prices, about-face to abate cars. If everybody in this country did it, oil and gas prices would go down.
Wayne Rogers: But it's not about demand. It's about supply, because the appeal has backward abiding for the aftermost 10 years.
Dagen McDowell: Appeal is up.
Wayne Rogers: No. Appeal as a allotment of what that does to the amount is not that able an influence.
Question: "I bought the NASDAQ 100 shares (QQQQ) this year at $38.55. What do you ahead about the aces and tech in general?"
Wayne Rogers: I like tech. Already again, I ahead you can't aloof go and say, 'I'm activity to buy tech as a segment.' You've got to aces out assertive stocks in that.
Jonathan Hoenig: But Wayne, it's been so continued aback tech has absolutely formed that you say to yourself, 'can tech be working?' The accuracy is that this guy has a champ on. Anguish about the losers. The winners booty affliction of themselves. Let it ride.
Wayne Rogers: By the way, that's accurate whether you're in tech or not.
Dagen McDowell: Tech can be acceptable abutting year if the abridgement will about-face to business spending from chump spending. Tech is area it's at.
Question: "I bought Colonial Bancgroup (CNB) aback it was at $17. It's now in the mid-20's. Thoughts on the banal now?"
Dagen McDowell: It's not a buy or a sell, but a hold, artlessly because this banal has done so able-bodied over the aftermost 3 years. The aggregation has been growing abundant accoutrements for a decade. It's in some absolutely hot areas in this country like Nevada and Florida, so stick with it. Aloof don't buy any more.
Wayne Rogers: I accede with Dagen.
Jonathan Hoenig: Despite anybody adage that the flattening crop ambit was activity to aching the banks, commodity is alive here, Terry. The assemblage is on to commodity here. As continued as this isn't 5, 10 or 15 percent of his portfolio, authority the acceptable trades. I'd absolutely use a stop adjustment if this were a big allotment of my all-embracing kitty.
Best Bets: Wayne's Superstars: "Walk of Fame" Stocks From Hollywood Royalty
Wayne Rogers, beginning from accepting his actual own brilliant on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, is aback with the stocks that he says could be cool for you.
• Wipro (WIT)
Friday's close: $11.61
52-wk High: $12.85
52-wk Low: $8.80
Wayne Rogers: Wipro is an Indian technology company. It's headquartered in Bangalore. It's one of the greatest recipients of outsourcing in the aftermost 10 years.
Terry Keenan: But it hasn't done that well, because how hot the Indian bazaar has been.
Wayne Rogers: No. Well, the banal has done adequately able-bodied aloof this aftermost week.
Jonathan Hoenig: You know, Wayne, you and I accept been admonition these adopted arising markets for years. I'm torn, because tech is hot and India is hot, but do you ahead the adventure is out, though, on arising markets?
Wayne Rogers: No, I don't ahead so. I said that this banal has confused about 6-7 percent in the aftermost week.
Jonas Max Ferris: I like the outsourcing story, but I ahead that adventure is out added than arising markets. The banal is big-ticket and they accept some actual awe-inspiring business curve that they should apparently get out of. I ahead they're in soap and oil businesses.
John Layfield: They are a little abundantly valuated, but they've got actual little debt. They've got bags of cash. They accomplish a lot of money. I ahead it's a abundant pick. And with the mergers and acquisitions activity on in the apple today, this could be a takeover pick.
• Conseco (CNO)
Friday's Close: $23.10
52-wk High: $23.15
52-wk Low: $18.80
Wayne Rogers: I've talked about Conseco in the past. It came out of defalcation a brace of years ago, it's a big allowance company. They've angry the business around. Balance are up this aftermost year. I ahead it's accessible for a move.
Terry Keenan: It's confused up accurately aback you recommended it actuality a while back.
John Layfield: I ahead allowance stocks accept been disregarded to some amount by investors. I like AIG (AIG) and maybe MetLife (MET) a little better, but this is not a bad pick.
Jonas Max Ferris: I ahead the affectionate of mistakes that got this aggregation into defalcation are in some of its added business lines, so I don't ahead it's over. I'm not absolute on the stock.
Jonathan Hoenig: I wouldn't action insurance. I worry. There's a gap on the chart, Terry. I would apparently delay for a pullback, but Wayne's been in this affair and he's been authoritative money.
Genesee & Wyoming (GWR)
Friday's close: $35.32
52-wk High: $36.50
52-wk Low: $22.70
Wayne Rogers: It's a railroad. It's got bisected of its railroad assets in Australia and the added bisected are in the southeast. It has balance up 64 percent over aftermost year. I ahead it's a able one.
John Layfield: Go with a brilliant in this sector. Don't go with a 'Hot Lips' or a 'Radar' of the sector. Go with commodity like Canadian National (CNI) or Canadian Pacific (CP).
Cashin' In Challenge
If you ahead you can bout experience with our Cashin' In crew, starting in aloof a brace of weeks, you're activity to get your chance. Log on to foxnews.com/challenge. Advancing soon, you'll be able to assurance up for the 2006 'Cashin' In Challenge' powered by SmartMoney.com and go head-to-head with our experts.
Face-Off: Apartment Bazaar 2006: New Highs or Balloon Burst?
Is 2006 activity to be addition banderole year for the apartment bazaar or are we attractive at a balloon about to burst?
Tom Adkins, Re/Max Acreage Center: This is activity to be an aberrant year for absolute estate. I'll acquaint you why. First, the Fed is appealing abundant done hiking rates. Abiding ante are absolutely dropping. They're not activity up. If anything, they're activity to abide abatement slightly. Aback you accession concise rates, the abiding ante tend to go down. And, we're attractive at almanac net assets levels. It's still activity up 5, 6, 7 percent. If you amalgamate those two things, bodies accept added money to absorb and the amount to buy doesn't change, prices go up. It's activity to go up a lot this year.
Terry Keenan: It's gone up so much, John, that a lot of bodies can't allow their house. I ahead alone 17 percent of the bodies in California can buy the abode that they alive in appropriate now.
John Layfield: Yeah, there's a acumen that absolute acreage has gone up. Money goes area it's rewarded. In 2001, money abdicate actuality adored in the banal market. It was adored in absolute estate. You've got a assemblage of factors with a lower absorption amount and this artistic costs activity on. Homebuilders had their aerial in July. They all, but Toll Brothers (TOL), had their low in October. New homes and new starts are activity to be bottomward activity to be bottomward 5 percent abutting year. The numbers artlessly don't add up to this. Money is activity area it will be adored and it will not be adored in absolute estate.
Tom Adkins: 5 percent is not that abundant of a change and you're attractive at abatement and winter.
John Layfield: But you said it was activity to be activity through the roof. Activity through the roof is not 5 percent. That's headed to the basement.
Tom Adkins: It's snowing outside. I'm actuality in Philadelphia; one of the cities and the states that's activity through an amazing renaissance. It's snowing out there. Aggregate slows bottomward aback it snows. There is one added affair that's important. I like anecdotal actuality already in a while. I was sitting bottomward with one of my audience I awash a abode to a year and seven months ago. His wife says, 'hey Tom, how about if you buy that bigger abode over the backbone over there?' It's been a year and three abode and she wants to buy a new abode already.
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