| August, 2013 “It’s here that companies like Solyndra are leading the way toward a brighter and more prosperous future.” ~ the teleprompter "The founder of bankrupt solar panel maker Solyndra will likely avoid criminal charges even if charges are brought against other former executives of the company, according to several people familiar with the investigation." ~ Reuters |
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The Professional Opinion - DJ 14810.31 
Buy Recommendations None. Everything is rated as a hold, as is usually the case. Switch Recommendations  The intent here is to shorten the duration of the bond funds in the portfolio, lessening interest rate risk.  Apparently this 'Lion' fooled many a Chinese zoo spectator........that is until the 'Lion' barked. |
 Note: Gains or losses shown here with the exception of mutual funds are from the original purchase date, not yearly returns. |
 The month has been an interesting one. Market volatility due to a presumptive 'tapering' and companies guiding lower has introduced more volatility, presenting some great buying opportunities. I was able to add to my positions in Kohls and Blackstone as a result of JC Penny's blowing itself up. Even had a bit left over to do some speculating on Rite Aid and Bazaar Voice! But, that's it for me this month. I'm just asking to get another trading restriction under my belt if I don't take a sabbatical.  |
Bottom Fishing the Drug Stores    The last time I visited one of these stores, I saw a hodge-podge of items which seemed to be randomly placed in available space. One one side of an aisle one one might see toiletries and on the other, liquor. Walking further down the aisle one might find kid's toys placed across from greeting cards. I thought the store was a mess. This afternoon I walked into another Rite Aid store and thought that someone was finally doing something right. Greenlight Capital, a hedge fund recently took a large position (not sure if it was long or short) and two other large investors exited the investment. Given that Rite Aid's best quarter is usually the 'Back to School' quarter, I thought this stock a reasonable speculation for the short term. We shall see if this actually pans out........... Listen to the Monkey - A Bazaar Voice  So, after two months how are the monkey and analyst portfolios doing? I find this rather discouraging. A monkey throwing darts at a stock page is doing much better than my cherry-picked portfolio. One of the stocks in the monkey's portfolio which has been on a tear is BV and.....what the heck is a BV? Couldn't be Black Velvet.........   Bazaar Voice as a concept I am having trouble wrapping my head around. From what I gather, its software analyzes customer comments and allows companies to interface with those customers on a personal level. It appears to be a ratings service with some high-value clients:   There is some DOJ litigation going on regarding the acquisition of another marketing company and from what I've read, something has an odiforous quality and in my opinion, it is emanating from the DOJ. I would tend to think BV should prevail, but who knows. So what does Schwab think about Bazaar Voice?  Schwab doesn't have much of an opinion on this one. I wonder what the analysts are saying:  I dunno - I think as a small speculation this could be interesting, considering the company reports in early September. On one hand, I don't see much here that impresses me at all. On the other hand, the monkey has been doing very, very well. So,,,,,,,,I guess I will swallow my pride and go with the monkey!! Don't forget to look for Investments...uh... Speculative Opportunities in your own Back Yard  A general rule of thumb with true 'penny' stocks, is that if you are planning on investing in one, it is just as easy and more entertaining to take those dollars outside and light them up one by one until they are all gone. At least you would get a cheap fireworks display. However......every once in a while, something turns up that actually bears further investigation.  This is not a typical 'shell game' penny stock but it is also listed on the TSE, an exchange famous for penny stock scams. Western Lithium aims to do basically to two things, produce lithium for batteries and produce a drilling clay-mud for fractional drilling. They have leases in Northern Nevada but have not yet obtained BLM approval to mine. It does look like they will get it in early 2014. The company is investing money and moving ahead with the project: Corporate News Releases Aug. 28, 2013 - Western Lithium Successfully Completes Bulk Sampling of 3,000 tons of Hectorite Clay July 18, 2013 - Western Lithium Commences Bulk Sampling at its Kings Valley Hectorite Clay Site in Nevada July 10, 2013 - Western Lithium Purchases Established Industrial Site in Fernley, Nevada, to operate its Hectatone™ Organoclay Plant PDF Here I know Fernley well and WLC bought space in the industrial complex where there is also an Amazon and a Sherwin Williams distribution center. I also know where the claims are. I also know Argonne National Labs in Idaho where the scientists there spent time evaluating the lithium samples with Western Lithium's scientists. Western Lithium Web Site Looking at this thing again, an investment of 5K will get me around 30K shares at .16 apiece. That's the tempting thing about the real penny stocks.... If all the 'ifs' line up and WLC can produce a product that other companies will actually buy, those penny shares could garner some real value.  Digging up Samples  Warehouse Space  Excavation.  Chicom Chickens seeking refuge from flood waters. |
