The Motley Fool's CAPS investing service is a great way for investors to work together to beat the market -- and maybe get famous while they're at it. Among its features, CAPS lets users blog about their picks, investing strategy, market view, their favorite college football team, or whatever floats their boat.
As the CAPS blogosphere continues to grow, players are adding more great content on a daily basis. To make it easier to find some of the gems out there, I've dug through the past week's posts to find some of CAPS' best insights. Of course, with room for only seven posts here, I can't possibly cover all of the great stuff in the CAPS blogosphere. So when you're done here I highly recommend heading over to CAPS and checking out what some of the other investors have to say.
Are buybacks worth it?
Generally, buybacks are considered a shareholder-friendly move, allowing management to "return" cash to shareholders by buying back shares. Not everyone is convinced, though. Buyback skeptic and CAPS All-Star dwot set up a portfolio just to track the performance of companies like Exxon (NYSE:XOM) and EMC (NYSE:EMC) which were buying back stock earlier in the year. Her conclusion? Click through to find out.
The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated -- signed, the American shopper
Former retail stock stars like Coach and Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) have been beaten to a pulp on the expectation that the U.S. consumer is going to go into an extended hibernation. CAPS blogger stockpower, speaking for the American consumer, isn't quite as convinced. Rather, he thinks that spending will go back to normal, layoffs will level off, and it will be a good holiday season. Head over to his blog to get the color behind this bold prediction.
REIT, time to short aggressively?
We hear a heck of a lot about residential real estate, but real estate investment trusts (REITs) haven't had quite the same headline exposure. CAPS blogger cbwang888 believes troubled times may be ahead for the broad category of REITs, and thinks shorting may be in order. Take a peek at cbwang's blog to find out the reasoning.
Are shipping companies undervalued?
CAPS blogger UltimateAnalyst thinks that there may be big opportunity in shipping stocks like Excel Maritime and DryShips. He cites the hefty dividends that these stocks sport and the high asset values on the balance sheets. Click through to UltimateAnalyst's blog to find out why else he thinks this sector is worth a look -- as well as why fellow CAPS members think shipping is beaten down for good reason.
High yield, part deux!
If you were a fan of the original TMFHighYield dividend-focused portfolio, then get ready for the sequel -- TMFHighYield2. This fresh portfolio has the same focus as the original high-yield portfolio, but gives investors some new high-yielding stocks to consider, including Dow Chemical (NYSE:DOW) and 3M (NYSE:MMM). Click through to see TMFHighYield2's full portfolio.
Petrobras or Chesapeake?
CAPS member FSUSully has tapped the CAPS community for some investment insight -- which is the better pick, Chesapeake Energy (NYSE:CHK) or Petrobras (NYSE:PBR)? Both are rated five stars by the CAPS community, but each is a very different energy business. Have a take on which is better? Want to see the opinions of others? Head over to FSUSully's blog!
This year on Wall Street
Think it's been a crazy year on Wall Street? Well you haven't heard the half of it until you've read outoffocus' blog. Head over to find out what I mean.
And that's our round-up for this week. Be sure to check back next week for more great blogging action. In the meantime, why not head over to CAPS and add your two cents to the community pool?
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