There's no doubt that Motley Fool CAPS is a great way to quickly get other investors' takes on a specific stock -- for instance, Johnson & Johnson's (NYSE: JNJ ) perfect five-star rating. CAPS also offers a screener tool that lets you quickly find stocks based on various metrics, including their CAPS rating.
But if you're looking for some meatier discussions on stocks, the economy, and just about everything else under the sun, CAPS blogs are the place to turn. I've sorted through the blog posts that have hit the CAPS wires and picked out a few that aren't to be missed. Mind you, there's plenty of other good content that I haven't included, but this will give you a good start.
Source: Motley Fool CAPS.
I think you should check out all of these great posts, but let's dive into just one of them for now.
A safe port?
TMFDeej believes that power companies are a good place to wait out the current economic downturn. Although noting that power companies tend to be capital intensive and may find it tough to secure financing in this economy, he also notes that power consumption tends to fall far less than discretionary purchases do during tough times. Deej also lays out his "growth kicker" for the industry -- the potential for some sort of system that rewards renewable energy.
The argument makes sense. With electric utilities you have relatively stable demand, nice dividend payouts, and the potential for some notable drivers for the future. On the latter point, not only could we see a renewable-energy push, but also any serious uptake of electric cars would bolster the demand for electric power.
Alhough the Electric Utilities tag on CAPS has fallen by almost 17% over the past year, that's a pretty stellar performance, considering the S&P 500's 40% plunge. Duke Energy is one of the top picks of that group, and it's joined by fellow five-star favorites El Paso Electric and Exelon (NYSE: EXC ) . Some CAPS members, such as All-Star danteps, disagree with Deej's conclusion on electric power stocks, but an overwhelming number agree with his take. Speculator5252 gave Duke Energy a thumbs-up last month: "People have to pay their electric bills no matter where they live. Plus the company pays a nice dividend and is one of the larger utilities incorporating alternative energy into their portfolio."
To read TMFDeej's full assessment, check out his blog.
And now for something completely different
Most CAPS blog posts stick to the topic of investing, but there's no harm in straying every once in a while. Last week I left you with a laugh, so this week we'll go in a different direction and hit the world of sports. For the Ultimate Fighting Championship fans out there, CAPS All-Star MG80 has taken a break from making winning CAPS picks to review previously posted predictions for UFC 94. Now if only we could get Georges St.-Pierre to beat Mr. Market into submission.
Haven't had your fill of blogs yet? Head right into the heart of CAPS' blog central.
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