Monday, March 26, 2007

We Finally Took The Hit With TBL

We started this experiment April 6, 2006 and now we have faced the music with Timberland (TBL), the first stock we bought. We sold it for a loss of 24.55% less than half and hour ago and it's currently trading below the price we got for it.

Click on the title of today's post for the Google Finance TBL page or click below for Bloomberg's.

Bloomberg TBL page

***
Business Owner Investment

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

AVR The Star Winner Again

Wow. Two great days in a row preceded by a good day. For a couple weeks there, things weren't looking so good, so this is definitely a much needed change.

Aventine Renewable Energy (AVR) is the Star Winner two days in a row. All of these stocks were up more than 2% today.

VCI up 2.36%

EGY up 2.41%

Candela (CLZR) up 2.42%

IUSA up 4.43%

AVR up 5.73%

Click on the title of today's post to see who was bubbling under a 2% gain.

***
Business Owner Investment

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Our Big Winners Starring AVR

Just in case someone thinks I'm a Pollyanna, click on the title of today's post to see what I assume is bad news about one of our stocks. Then, take a look at the winners.

I really like when a stock has more than a 2% gain in a day. I know that daily isn't usually that important unless you're a day trader, but it can be fun.

Because this is my first Big Winners post, I'm going to let InfoUSA slide in. You might remember that their Super Bowl commercial was possibly the only one that made money for the company, but many people who are not part of their target market didn't get it. I'm sure not reaching the people that they weren't trying to reach while getting their message across to likely customers is no skin off their nose. Just because many Super Bowl commercial watchers prefer entertainment and laughter doesn't mean those commercials actually achieved more sales. I still remember years ago when a guy I know thought that a car commercial was really dumb. I tried to tell him that Cadillac definitely wasn't aiming for him, but to no avail.

So, starting us off is InfoUSA (IUSA) with an uptick of 1.94% - almost 2% territory. Next is Vaalco Energy (EGY) - up 2.05%. Jackson Hewitt Tax Service (JTX) was up 3.10% today. Valassis Communications (VCI) - up 4.45%. And, today's star of our portfolio...

Aventine Renewable Energy! (AVR) up 6.42%.






***
Business Owner Investment

Monday, March 19, 2007

McClatchy Has The Time?

As in my previous post, I'm wondering about the time involved in making this latest news payoff.

The Sacramento Business Journal reported that McClatchy signed on with Corzen to better keep track of external market conditions that may affect revenue and expenses. The McClatchy Co. (MNI) owns CareerBuilder as well as The Sacramento Bee and The Miami Herald. We currently own McClatchy.

http://www.mcclatchy.com/

---
For those of you who have teenagers you would like to see graduate from college or university, I started a new blog with them in mind - Fgyp, pronounced Fuh-GIPE - For Great Young People.

http://fgyp.blogspot.com/

***
Business Owner Investment

If He Has The Time, Doctor, If He Has The Time

I'm a Star Trek fan from way back. I may be both a Trekkie and a Trekker in denial. I've never given myself those tags, but some people who are not fans think I know a lot about Star Trek.

Candela's progress reminds me of a scene in an episode ["Arena"] with Captain Kirk trying to outwit a reptilian creature called a Gorn. The advanced aliens [I was thinking Leptons, but Wikipedia assures me that they are Metrons.] that placed these two combatants on the same planet assured them that the raw materials to destroy their opponent and achieve victory for themselves and their crew exist on that planet.

While Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy watch helplessly on the ship's viewscreen, they notice that the components for gunpowder and many other minerals are plentiful if Captain Kirk can put the clues together. He does finally realize what he's got, but he's slowed by an injury caused by an opponent. After Kirk gathers diamonds and ingredients to make gunpowder, he has to build a primitive cannon to blast the thick hide of his opponent. Meanwhile, the extra strong Gorn gets closer and closer, moving in for the kill. As his shipmates watch from space, McCoy says something positive about Kirk figuring out the problem and being able to finish the task and save himself and the crew. Spock replies with what I guess is one of the top 20 lines remembered by fans of the original Star Trek series:

IF HE HAS THE TIME, DOCTOR, IF HE HAS THE TIME.

Candela made an acquisition recently which you can read by following the link below. Motley Fool seems to think that they are behind, but all is not lost. Read the Motley Fool article by clicking on the title of today's post.

Candela's symbol is CLZR and as of Friday's close, our holding is down 5.75%.

Will Candela achieve victory for themselves and their crew (shareholders)?

If he has the time indeed...


http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000191537&fid=942


As for my "Trekkiness" I did have to visit Google and Wikipedia to find some of the Star Trek information like "Arena" as the name of the episode and a couple other bits, but I admit that that quote is emblazoned in my memory forever. Visit the TinyURL/Wikipedia link below to read more:


http://preview.tinyurl.com/ytp4wt



***
Business Owner Investment