Justin Bieber Stock Index Outperforms the Dow Jones Industrial Average

Justin Bieber is the extremely popular young Canadian singer who recently appeared as a lead performer on the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on CBS (CBS). Since he was discovered on YouTube just a few years ago (where he appears in one of the most viewed videos in history), over 12 million of his albums have been sold. He also has more Twitter followers than any other person except for Lady Gaga.

One interesting aspect of famous and very popular celebrities, is that they can have an effect on the sales of the companies that they are connected with, such as television networks, record label, motion picture production companies, and companies with celebrity endorsements. If you take the prices of the stocks of those companies, an index can be defined which can be compared against a major stock index, such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

The stocks that Justin Bieber is connected with, when put into an index, is up 3.1% for the last six months, versus the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which is down 0.4%. Here are Bieber's stock connections:

Justin Bieber's record label is Island Records, a division of Universal Music Group, which is a subsidiary of Vivendi (VIVHY).

With Disney (DIS), he has a lot of connections. A Dancing with the Stars performer on ABC, a Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade performer, a So Random! performer, and an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition guest appearance, all Disney shows.

Viacom (VIA) is another big connection; he was in the School Gyrls film cast and True Jackson, VP both on Nickelodeon. Also, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never film, a Punk'd punker and a Silent Library game show contestant, both on MTV, a subsidiary of Viacom.

In addition to appearing on the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on CBS (CBS), he was also on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, another CBS show.

Of course, we can't forget the One Less Lonely Girl nail polish with the Justin Bieber endorsement sold exclusively at Wal-Mart (WMT).

For a free list of stocks in the Justin Bieber Stock Index, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Other celebrity stock indexes you may be interested in include the Heidi Klum Stock Index, the Eva Longoria Stock Index, the Angelina Jolie Stock Index, the Gisele Bunchen Stock Index, and the Supermodels Stock Indices.

Assumptions:

The Justin Bieber Index is a price-weighted index, similar to the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It includes reinvested dividends.

Disclosure: Author owned DIS at the time the article was written. No celebrity endorsement expressed or implied. The Celebrity Stock Index™ concept was developed by Fred Fuld III, former investment advisor, options market maker, vice president of a San Francisco money management firm, and university faculty member. He is the author of several investment books and is a contributor to numerous publications, including TheStreet.com, SeekingAlpha, and Nutricula Magazine.

By Stockerblog.com

More Dividend Increasers

The dividends keep increasing in spite of this dyslexic/schizophrenic stock market. Dividends are generally raised for one of two reasons: the company's earnings have been improving or the company's earning are anticipated to increase. Here are some companies that have recently boosted their dividend payout rate.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) increased by 10%

Hormel Foods Corporation (HRL) increased by 13.3%

J & J Snack Foods Corp. (JJSF) increased by 23.1%

McCormick & Company (MKC) increased by 9.7%

RGC Resources, Inc. (RGCO) increased by 2.9%

If you like stock lists like this, check out the many of the free lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The lists include stocks going ex-dividend this month, high yield utility stocks, and many others.

Another day of going nowhere as the Dow lost 14 points on light volume.  The advance/declines were slightly negative.  Not much else to say about today as we wait for the employment report on Friday.  It is curious that the US dollar has been heading lower here and we cannot get some type of stock market rally.  The summation index continues higher though.  GE was flat on the day and the volume was average.  No trades there for now.  Gold was lower again today despite the weaker US dollar.  This is not the usual relationship.  The precious metal futures were off $25.  The XAU however was actually up 1/8.  ABX and GG showed fractional gains, while NEM had a fractional loss.  Volume was average for the gold shares.  Perhaps we are at the beginning of the gold shares starting to outperform the metal itself.  But one day doesn't make a trend and it is probably just wishful thinking on my part.  I still own the January ABX calls at a loss.  Mentally I'm feeling OK.  Not exactly sure where the stock indices head from here but the technicals still remain overbought short term.  We are probably being held hostage by the waiting game for Friday.  We are also at the mercy of the headline risk out of Washington.  But that could move things either way.  So we stay tuned and keep a close watch on things.  Gold hasn't been acting well with the weaker US dollar and that is a problem going forward.  We will need to see gold hold the $1680 level or things will most likely head south rather quickly.  Hasn't happened yet.  We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Third Week of December

  Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets. In flat or choppy markets, you have to be extremely careful, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, the yield, and the market capitalization.

Cincinnati Financial Corporation CINF 12/17/2012 4.1% $6.5B

UIL Holdings Corporation UIL 12/17/2012 5.2% $1.7B

Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust RPT 12/18/2012 5.3% $616.4M

Blackrock Kelso Capital Corp. BKCC 12/18/2012 10.6% $724.3M

Alpine Global Premier Properties Fund AWP 12/19/2012 8.5% $746.7M

Campbell Soup Company CPB 12/21/2012 3.1% $11.4B

Portland General Electric Company POR 12/21/2012 4.2% $1.9B

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out the high yield utility stocks and the Monthly Dividend Stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Buying Dividends (Dividend Capture) book 25% Off
Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

A weak beginning to December as the Dow fell 60 points on pretty light volume.  The advance/declines were negative.  We are due for some downside to work off the overbought condition of the stock indices.  The question is if it turns into a retest of the November lows.  The summation index continues to the upside and that is a positive.  All eyes will be on the employment numbers Friday but that may not be as reliable as usual due to the big east coast storm last month.  GE was off 1/3 on light volume.  If GE is a precursor for the overall market as it usually is, then we will be heading lower this week.  If todays action is any indication.  Gold was up 7 bucks, which wasn't much considering the drop in the US dollar.  The XAU followed the overall market lower, down 3 1/3.  ABX off 3/4, GG fell 1 1/4 and NEM dropped 1 3/8.  Volume was relatively better in the gold shares and that is a negative.  When the US dollar is lower and the gold shares can't rally off of that, then we are most likely heading lower.  My January ABX calls are still in the red and losing more money.  Perhaps it is time to say goodbye to this trade but I will give it until the end of the week.  The gold shares would have to turn around soon to keep this trade viable.  Because at this point they look like dead money.  Mentally I'm feeling OK.  We've started the week lower for the stock indexes.  No beginning of the month money flows today.  Could be an interesting week.  Gold isn't looking so good after todays non action.  Could be that I will have to book the loss in the January ABX call trade and move on.  We'll see.  It hasn't been a good trading year for me and this trade would simply add to that fact.  We'll keep an eye on what happens overnight and take it from there.

Why are Tech Stocks Kicking Butt Amongst all the Fiscal Cliff Drama?

This is a guest blog from Rachel Fox, successful young stock trader, actress, and head blogger for Fox on Stocks. She recently provided Stockerblog.com with an extensive interview about stock trading. Check it out.

Why are Tech Stocks Kicking Butt Amongst all the Fiscal Cliff Drama?

In the stock market, nothing is ever true straight across the board. While there are some exceptions to this pattern, I’m seeing a ton of technology stocks doing well. While other stocks are falling because of the Fiscal Cliff, pumping and dumping and going crazy, over the past month, many tech stocks are dodging the bullets and doing just great.

Take a look at these numbers:

Facebook (FB): Up more than 18% over the last month, quite surprising after the post-IPO lock up expired on November 14th.

Yahoo (YHOO): Up more than 25% over the last 3 months, while the S&P dropped 3% over the past 3 months. Go Marissa!

Research in Motion (RIMM): Up more than 53% this past month. Sounds like a cheesy lounge night club.

Zynga (ZNGA): Up more than 4% this past month

They all happen to be in the technology sector and have all out performed the market by a very nice amount.

Q: Why did this happen?

A: Matt Gohd, senior managing director at WallachBeth Capital says, “Find a group of stocks that everyone hates, that are down significantly, and buy them,"

This seems to be what happened here. These technology stocks had been beaten down so much and had such low expectations, that when the tiniest piece of good news came out, the result was a nice bump in the stocks price.

What’s the moral of the story?

Even in troubled economic times, you can buy and sell stocks and make money. You may have to look to unpopular or downtrodden stocks to pick your Long Buy position, but those opportunities to make money are always there.

Check out the Rachel Fox interview about stock trading.

Stem Cells Developed from Blood: Top Stem Cell Companies

Stem cells therapies are currently used in bone marrow transplants that are used to treat leukemia, and scientists believe in the future, they can be used to treat cancer, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis. Researchers at the at the University of Cambridge have developed a way of producing stem cells with blood. The research was published in the Stem Cells: Translational Medicine journal. With all the controversy about embryonic stem cells, scientists are looking for alternative sources, such a teeth and umbilical cord blood.

Several companies are involved in some aspect of stem cells and stem cell research. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has turned up over a dozen stem cell stocks, and over half a dozen of which are generating profits.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals (ALXN) is a Connecticut based company with an $18.7 billion market capitalization that is involved in the development of biologic therapeutic products for the treatment of hematologic and cardiovascular disorders, auto-immune diseases, and cancer. The company licenses porcine embryonic stem cells for transgenic animals. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 85 and a forward PE of 42.6. Earnings for the latest quarter were up an incredible 40.6%% on a 44.2% boost in revenues.

Integra Lifesciences Holdings (IART) is a New Jersey based company that develops, manufactures, and sells medical devices, implants, biomaterials, and instruments to the stem cell, surgery, and soft tissue repair markets. The stock trades at 33 times current earnings, and 12 times forward earnings. However, earnings for the latest quarter were up a strong 17.5% on a 3.9% rise in sales.

Cellgene (CELG) is a $29.8 billion market cap company involved in the discovery and production of therapies designed to treat cancer and immune-inflammatory-related diseases. One of the company's main products is Thalomid, which is used for the treatment of erythema nodosum leprosum, a complication of leprosy. They also received a patent on placental stem cell recovery. The stock sports a PE ratio of 22 and a forward PE of 14. Quarterly earnings were up 13.7%% on a 13.6%% revenue increase.

For a free list of twenty stocks involved in stem cell research, along with some cord blood stocks, which you can download, sort, and update, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com