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5 Things You Need to Know Before the Stock Market Opens (Correct)

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:52:36 EST

An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Apple holds its shareholder meeting today. The event will not be held until Thursday.

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- Contracting manufacturing activity in China and Europe leads your quick fix of company, market, economic and investing news for Wednesday, Feb. 22. Wednesday's 5 Biggest Stories

China's manufacturing activity spent a fourth straight month in contraction in February, with new export orders falling hard. Reuters ...

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U.S. Investors Brace for a Third Bailout in Greece

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:19:37 EST

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- Bill Stone, chief investment strategist at PNC Asset Management, isn't worried about more Greek bailouts to come as a second $172 billion rescue was finally completed after months of haggling. He says investors shouldn't be concerned either about the uncertainty that could grip equity markets.

The last-minute deal will see Greek debt holders swap their current bonds for new Greek bonds with maturities between 11 and 30 years. In exchange for taking a steep hit to the face value of the bond along with lower coupons, investors will also get European Financial Stability Facility notes. In total, investors would be agreeing to a 53.5% haircut and Greece's debt would be reduced by about $145 billion. It would also put off any disorderly default by Greece.

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5 Things You Need to Know Before the Stock Market Opens

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 06:48:54 EST

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- The second bailout for Greece, totaling $173 billion, leads your quick fix of company, market, economic and investing news for Tuesday, Feb. 21. Tuesday's 5 Biggest Stories

Greece wins a second, $173 billion bailout from the rest of Europe. So how soon until we start this process again for a third bailout? Bloomberg

Italian and Spanish yields fall after the Greek rescue announcement. But with Portugal missing out, the gains could be fleeting. Reuters ...

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40 Hedge Funds' Best Stocks Show the Way for 2012 (Update 1)

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:30:20 EST

TrimTabs data on hedge fund performance in December added in this update

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- Hedge fund managers tend to outperform during stock-market rebounds when individual investors are playing it safe. After a miserable performance during a volatile 2011, that outperformance is still missing as hedge funds pared risk and haven't participated in this year's rally.

Hedge funds, which cater to wealthy investors by chasing higher returns for bigger fees, did not live up to high investor expectations this year. Hennessee Group, an adviser to hedge fund investors, said its own hedge fund index fell 4.3% in 2011, compared with a flat finish for the S&P 500. Hennessee Group's hedge fund index perked up in January, rising 2.5%. However, that trailed a gain of more than 4% for the S&P 500. ...

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10 Best New Stock Ideas by Steven Cohen

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:28:54 EST

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- Need new investment ideas? Steven Cohen's SAC Capital hedge fund initiated 461 equity bets in the fourth quarter, including recent hot IPO Michael Kors Holdings and Reliance Steel.

Cohen's Stamford, Conn.-based hedge fund was founded in 1992 and has generated average annual returns of about 30% with a long-short equity strategy, according to The Wall Street Journal. As the largest investor in his own funds, Cohen usually earns more than $1 billion a year.

Steven A. Cohen (SAC Capital) ...

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6 Stocks Purchased by Billionaire Tepper Include Oracle, Apple

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:56:34 EST

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- Billionaire hedge fund manager David Tepper of Appaloosa Management is again dumping the same bank stocks that made him a fortune in 2009 and moving into beaten-down companies Oracle and Boston Scientific.

Thanks to prescient bets on Bank of America and Citigroup, Tepper's flagship fund more than doubled in 2009 after the market meltdown that was spurred by the collapse in financial stocks.

David Tepper (Appaloosa Management) ...

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Warren Buffett's Biggest Stock Investments

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:37:17 EST

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- Warren Buffett recently said that stocks will outperform gold and bonds, calling them the safest asset by far. He's putting Berkshire Hathaway's money where his mouth is, buying up shares of DirecTV and IBM.

In a Fortune article published last week, Buffett offered investors a preview of his upcoming annual shareholder letter. Buffett said equities will "prove to be the runaway winner," with the Oracle of Omaha talking down investments in gold and bonds. Regarding the latter, Buffett said bonds are a dangerous asset because they are currency-based and due to interest rate risk. Warren Buffett

During the fourth quarter, Buffett put some cash to work and bought several stocks. The billionaire investor opened a new position in dialysis services company DaVita, acquiring about 2.7 million shares, as well as Liberty Media. ...

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John Paulson Dumps Biggest Banks, Doubles-Down on Gold

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:09:39 EST

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- Paulson & Co. founder John Paulson wants to put 2011 behind him, given the huge losses his hedge fund amassed. The billionaire investor is seeking to rebound from an atrocious performance with new investments in companies including Delphi Automotive and United Rentals.

After earning a record $5 billion for a hedge fund manager with the help of gold and bank stocks, Paulson is now slashing some of those holdings to reduce exposure. His flagship Advantage Plus Fund plummeted 51% last year, according to several media reports that cite investors in the fund.

John Paulson (Paulson & Co.) ...

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Value Guru Surrounds News Corp., Jumps Into Biotech

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 07:00:24 EST

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- Seth Klarman, founder of Boston-based hedge fund Baupost Group , made only one big new bet in the fourth quarter: a small biopharmaceutical company called Targacept, according to the fund's latest 13F filing.

Klarman is a strict value investor who manages more than $20 billion and prefers to stay out of the media spotlight. Klarman's risk-aversion and his value-investment approach was documented in his 1991 book Margin of Safety: Risk-Averse Value Investing Strategies for the Thoughtful Investor, which was only in publication briefly and is considered the value-investing manual. It now fetches hundreds of dollars on secondary markets.

Seth Klarman, Baupost Group ...

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$22 Billion Hedge Fund Puts Its Money on a Stronger Economy

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 06:53:55 EST

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- Thomas Steyer, the billionaire environmentalist and founder of hedge fund Farallon Capital Management, has made a big bet on a rebound in the economy by buying energy and industrial stocks, including El Paso and Goodrich.

Steyer founded Farallon Capital in 1986 and has served as the fund's managing partner. Based in San Francisco, Farallon has about $22 billion in assets and uses numerous strategies ranging from credit to value to merger-arbitrage investments. The hedge fund has a disciplined approach to preserve capital, focusing on achieving risk-adjusted returns.

Thomas Steyer of Farallon Capital Management. ...

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Activist Hedge Fund Moves Into Netflix, Gold

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 06:44:33 EST

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- Barry Rosenstein, founder of Jana Partners, is best known as an activist investor. The hedge fund manager made intriguing moves in the fourth quarter, buying more shares of Apple and making an outsized bet on Marathon Petroleum.

In his role as an activist investor, Rosenstein has most recently targeted McGraw-Hill, the owner of Standard & Poor's. Jana Partners previously initiated a stake in the company and hoped to break it up to unlock value. In September, McGraw-Hill announced that it would separate into two public companies, notching another victory for Rosenstein.

Barry Rosenstein of Jana Partners hedge fund. ...

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5 Things You Need to Know Before the Stock Market Opens

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 06:24:11 EST

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- The contraction in eurozone economic activity leads your quick fix of company, market, economic and investing news for Wednesday, Feb. 15. Wednesday's 5 Biggest Stories

Eurozone GDP fell 0.3% in the fourth quarter after growing only 0.1% in the third quarter. MarketWatch

Here we go again: EU finance ministers call off an emergency meeting over Greece's second bailout. First Post ...

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5 Things You Need to Know Before the Stock Market Opens

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 06:53:28 EST

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- The Moody's downgrade of six European countries leads your quick fix of company, market, economic and investing news for Tuesday, Feb. 14. Tuesday's 5 Biggest Stories

Moody's downgrades Portugal, Italy and Spain and cuts the outlook for the U.K. and France. The market yawns. AP via AJC

Despite the downgrade, Spain easily auctions $7 billion in short-term debt. CBS ...

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Dividend Stocks Will Be Winners for a Whole Decade

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:30:00 EST

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- The dividend trade is crowded, with almost every investor on the hunt for high yields. Wells Fargo analysts, however, say companies may only now be catching on to how investors are selecting stocks based on dividends.

Dividend-paying U.S. shares have been a favorite for investors following a 20% decline in stock market indices late last year. With economic growth expected to plod along and interest rates likely to remain incredibly low, investors have been forced to look for yield and steady income in other places.

In 2012, though, the market has booked the best gains in a quarter century to start the year, led not by dividend stocks but small-cap and speculative companies. Investors, it seems, are comfortable taking on more risk as Europe continues to figure its way out of a massive debt crisis. ...

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JPMorgan's 24 Stocks That Are More Attractive Than Apple

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:11:19 EST

Story updated with Apple's stock hitting new record above $500 during Monday's trading session

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- The S&P 500 has rallied 6.6% in the first six weeks of the year, with Apple leading the charge. But not every stock in all leading industry has come along for the ride. That means investors can find opportunities in some of the laggards.

Professional investors, including TheStreet's Doug Kass, have joked that this is an "NBA" stock market: Nothing But Apple. That's because the maker of the iPhone and the iPad has seen its stock go parabolic, rising day after day to new all-time highs. Apple shares are up 23% this year and hit a record $503.83 on Monday, the first time the stock has crossed the $500 level. ...

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