Famous consumer advocate Ralph Nader has renewed his efforts on behalf of common shareholders of bailed-out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, reports TheStreet.com.
» Read MoreAre short sellers right for targeting Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae?
Manny Weintraub of Integre Advisors says yes. He spoke with CNBC Friday about the government-backed giants, saying that there are a lot of mortgages guaranteed, but not much equity...
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Learn more:
- Fannie Bailout = Weaker Dollar?
- Video: Jim Cramer's Fannie/Freddie Take
- Special Report: Fannie & Freddie Fallout
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It's been an awful week for stocks, but Evan Smith insists it's a perfect time to buy.
His five-star U.S. Global Investors fund is up an impressive average of 42.73 percent over the last five years, and even shows a 5.77 percent gain year-to-date.
Stocks are not all he's bullish on, either.
"We're still favorable on a long-term cycle for commodities, oil, base metals, basic materials, as the infrastructure build-out in emerging markets is continuing to consume these materials," he told CNBC. "We think that will continue well into the future."
So what about stocks?
Recommendations:
Topping his list are a couple of oil-related stocks, exploration and development company BPZ Energy and Hornbeck Offshore, which provides oilfield supplies and transportation.
"This company has tremendous metrics," he said of BPZ. "I just toured their properties last week in northern Peru; outstanding management team, large acreage package, and they're doing wonderful things down there."
He also likes fertilizer producer Potash.
"Potash has been a tremendous performer," he said. "The fertilizer business, on a global basis, is in outstanding shape. I think the stock sees at least 50 percent upside from here."
A U.S. government bail out of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could cause a further weakening of the dollar, Manus Cranny from MF Global told CNBC Friday.
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Learn more:
- Video: Jim Cramer's Fannie/Freddie Take
- Bernstein: What Fannie & Freddie Are Telling Us
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Jeffery Saut, chief investment strategist at Raymond James, and Allan Nichols, equities strategist at Morningstar, shared their insights on dividend stocks.
Nichols says there generally is “more stability internationally” than in the U.S., especially in the big cap names.
Saut recommends:
Linn Energy – “It has an 11 percent dividend.”
Magellan Midstream
Schering Plough – “Has a 7 percent dividend yield even though the shares have rallied from about 150 in March, to roughly $200 a share right now.”
Saut cautioned investors about the financial sector. “We have avoided financials for years. I haven’t been able to figure out the bank accounting for the past seven, eight years -- so we’ve totally avoided them.”
Jeffery Saut, chief investment strategist at Raymond James, and Allan Nichols, equities strategist at Morningstar, shared their insights on dividend stocks.
Nichols says there generally is “more stability internationally” than in the U.S., especially in the big cap names.
Nichols recommends:
BP
BT Group
Royal Dutch Shell
France Telecom
Nichols commented that all the above-mentioned companies are mainly based in Europe, “but they have widespread assets throughout Europe, around emerging markets, and throughout the world.”
ETFs (exchange-traded funds) are gaining as ways to play energy and commodities.
Trader Talk blogger Bob Pisani reported on three new Powershares energy ETFs that investors should know:
- Global Wind
- WilderHill Clean Energy
- Global Nuclear Energy
Generation Y has some unique investment opportunities around the world, according to James Moffett.
The chairman of Scout Investment Advisors singles out companies based in Ireland, Brazil, and Finland as major opportunities for younger investors with longer time horizons.
Recommendations:
Moffett's list begins with Anglo-Irish Bank.
"They're a sound, old-fashioned bank, in the sense that their credit culture is good, they look for collateral and cash flow on their loans, and so far, their earnings have held up," he told CNBC. "They're available at four times earnings."
He also likes Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer.
"They're making more planes and...their earnings are expected to be up this year," he said. "That's where the action is in the aircraft business: The regional jets that are flying nonstop point-to-point, as opposed to the bigger jets doing hub-and-spoke."
And last, but not least, there is Nokia, the global giant of mobile communications.
"That's your basic cell-phone company," he said. "They keep coming through with new products...their earnings are coming through...they're at 12 times earnings, which for them is a historically cheap P/E ratio."
The fire down under: Australian stocks are trading at their highest levels in more than two years.
Don Williams, fund manager at Platypus Asset Management, and Greg Canavan, head of economic research and securities analysis at Fat Prophets, offered CNBC their favorite stocks.
Disclosures:
Disclosure information was not immediately available for either Don Williams, Greg Canavan or their respective companies.
Basic materials and the power to use them offer strong opportunities for investors, according to Kent Croft.
He's also enthusiastic about a familiar technology name.
His five-star Croft Value Fund is up an average of 12.37 percent per year over the last five years.
Recommendations:
Croft likes what he sees as the under-appreciated companies likely to be involved in the rehabilitation of the nation's electric grid.
"Half the grid, or 1.1 million miles of it, was constructed between 1948 and 1970, and that equipment has basically a 40- to 50-year useful life," he said. "We're having increasing strains on the grid; we think (there are) certain companies that will have good growth rates going forward: General Cable, Quanta Services, and ABB."
Croft also fits Cisco Systems into his scheme.
"Broadband capacity...is going to continue to be used up and be constrained, and Cisco's at the heart of all that," he said. "We think it's a very reasonable long-term investment right now."
Basic materials and the power to use them offer strong opportunities for investors, according to Kent Croft.
He's also enthusiastic about a familiar technology name.
His five-star Croft Value Fund is up an average of 12.37 percent per year over the last five years.
Recommendations:
His basic-materials theme focuses on timber.
"We think there's a number of stocks there -- Weyerhaeuser, Plum Creek, Potlatch, where the...values of the timber assets are not being realized in the share price," he said. "These companies...look very cheap, especially on a long-term basis."
Croft also likes what he sees as the under-appreciated companies likely to be involved in the rehabilitation of the nation's electric grid.
