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Obama stock: Stem cell research benefits Geron (GERN)

This post is part of a series in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked financial experts to name their top stock pick if McCain or if Obama wins the election.

"If Barack Obama wins the presidency, one under-the-radar play would be embryonic stem cell research; Geron (NASDAQ: GERN) is the current leader in embryonic stem cell research among publicly traded companies," explains trading and investing expert Bill Martin in his BullMarket.com.

"Embryonic stem cell research in the U.S. is not restricted in any way, as is often popularly believed in this hotly contested debate. The real issue at hand is federal funding, and whether federal taxpayer dollars should be used to help fund the research.

"Currently, federal funding is only available to firms that won't create embryos for use in scientific research or clone them for any reason, and that are working with stem cell lines derived from embryos destroyed before August 9th, 2001.

"In addition, the stem cell lines must have been obtained from 'left over' embryos created solely for in-vitro fertilization purposes from consenting donors without any financial incentive.

"According to a September 2003 NIH report, the only publicly traded company of the more than a dozen institutions listed with stem cell lines that qualified for federal funding was Geron, which has been a pioneer in the field since 1999.

"Embryonic stem cell research is among three areas of concentration for the biotech firm, and it has a large number of related stem cell patents. Some of its major areas of focus include spinal cord injuries, heart disease, and diabetes.

"If Obama takes office, there is a pretty good chance that he and the Democrat controlled Congress will offer government funding for embryonic stem cell research. If this happens, expect Geron to head higher."

Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers a daily look at the latest market commentary and favorite stock picks and investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

McCain stock: Seismic firm CGG Veritas (CGV) shows where to 'drill, drill, drill'

This post is part of a series in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked financial experts to name their top stock pick if McCain or if Obama wins the election.

"One stock that could get a November bounce should McCain win is seismic firm CGG Veritas (NYSE: CGV); the Republican mantra has been 'drill, drill, drill' and this company helps find out where to do that," says Bill Martin in his BullMarket.com.

"If McCain wins office and is able to get Congress to pass his drilling initiatives for offshore drilling (one stronger than the bill that was just recently passed by Congress), the first step will be to find where exactly this oil is located.

"That is where French seismic company CGG Veritas comes in. It calls itself 'the world's leading international pure-play geophysical company.' The company was born in January of 2007 as the result of a merger of the former Compagnie Générale de Géophysique and Veritas DGC.

"The company provides seismic data and services to the oil and gas industry, and manufactures seismic equipment through its Sercel subsidiary for sale to other seismic companies.

"The company conducts seismic surveys on a contract and multi-client basis. The job entails acquiring, processing, and interpreting land and marine seismic data, and producing images of the subsurface in multi-dimensional and multi-component formats.

"Those pictures are used to identify new oil and gas structures and manage existing reservoirs. It also has up to 40 land-based teams that can be put in the field and can work in a variety of terrain.

"With CGG Veritas's stock beaten down -- despite solid earnings and guidance -- and trading at an attractive valuation, a McCain win could be the cure to its recent ills."

Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers a daily look at the latest market commentary and favorite stock picks and investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

Obama stock: Expanding biofuels from Brazil, Cosan (CZZ)

This post is part of a series in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked financial experts to name their top stock pick if McCain or if Obama wins the election.

"My pick for an Obama victory would be Cosan (NYSE: CZZ), a major Brazilian maker of ethylene from sugar; the company should benefit as the U.S. expands its use of alternative fuels," says Vivian Lewis, editor of Global Investing.

"Cosan will benefit from growing world demand for sugar. But it is also an alternative energy play because Brazil leads the world in production and distribution of ethylene, a policy undertaken after the first oil price shock of 1974.

"Obama is not happy with U.S. dependence on OPEC oil imports; and, obviously, the Brazilians are much less of a threat to our values, with the country now a democracy with free elections and a rather liberal economic policy.

"The U.S. ethylene market currently remains closed to Brazilian exports as we try to making the stuff from corn. But some of that nonsense may not survive.

"If the U.S. is serious about alternative fuels, then these alternative fuels should be as easy to import to the U.S. as crude oil, if not easier. After all, Brazil does not finance terrorists.

"While many have been focused on the falling price of oil, I forecast that the price drop will soon reverse.

"Meanwhile, the London-based International Sugar Organization says regardless of what happens to the world economy, demand for sugar will exceed supplies this year for the first time since 2006.

"Brazil is the world's top sugar producer, and it will use 56% of its production to make ethanol. Cosan management says they plan to increase production and expect the strengthening dollar to give an extra boost to earnings.

"In my view, Cosan is cheap. The stock was recently trading at half its 12-month high. It already ships its ethylene and sugar diesel fuel to European markets, which are more sensible about encouraging alternatives than is our current government in Washington."

Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers a daily look at the latest market commentary and favorite stock picks and investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

McCain stock: Bank on Barclays

This post is part of a series in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked financial experts to name their top stock pick if McCain or if Obama wins the election.

"McCain, a friend of Wall Street, would encourage investing through tax breaks, which ultimately means more profits for Barclays (NYSE: BCS), the British bank that has acquired Lehman Brothers' U.S. investment banking assets," notes Vivian Lewis in her Global Investing.

"Barclays is now investing hugely in the business of U.S. investing, having picked up the investment banking and asset management businesses of Lehman.

"Barclays got a bargain, cherry picking the bits of Lehman worth the most, including the HQ building in NY. It was required by British regulators to immediately issue a program for financing the acquisition to reassure markets worried about capital sufficiency.

"The new assets will beef up Barclays' U.S. presence (and its U.S. risk). The British bank already is a major player in the issuance of Exchange Traded Funds, a cheap and popular 21st century investment mode.

"Adding Lehman to the pot will further boost its prowess in this special part of fund management. Then too, the international connection will probably result in new business in managing money for other investors like high-net worth individuals.

Continue reading McCain stock: Bank on Barclays

Obama stock: Build gains from infrastructure spending, Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI)

This post is part of a series in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked financial experts to name their top stock pick if McCain or if Obama wins the election.

"If Obama wins, we would seek to profit from his plans to increase infrastructure spending; we would suggest investing in the Industrial Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLI)," says fund expert Doug Fabian in his Successful Investing.

"One sector that I think will perform well if Obama wins the election is industrial infrastructure. The Democratic candidate repeatedly has said that the nation needs to rebuild its aging infrastructure, including bridges, the power grid and our water delivery and reclamation system.

"I think there will be a lot of federal money doled out to the states for this purpose if Obama is president -- especially if the Democrats gain seats in Congress.

"One way to play this likely increase in infrastructure spending is via the Industrial Select Sector SPDR, an exchange traded fund focused solely on this area.

"This ETF includes companies from the following industries: building products, construction, engineering, electrical equipment and conglomerates.

"This fund normally will invest at least 95% of its total assets in common stocks that comprise the Industrial Select Sector Index."

Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers a daily look at the latest market commentary and favorite stock picks and investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

McCain stock: Fabian powers up with nuclear ETF, Market Vectors Nuclear Energy (NLR)

This post is part of a series in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked financial experts to name their top stock pick if McCain or if Obama wins the election.

"Go nuclear if McCain wins," says mutual fund and ETF expert Doug Fabian. Here, in his Successful Investing newsletter, the advisor looks at the Market Vectors Nuclear Energy (NYSE: NLR), an exchange-traded fund that focuses on the sector.

"What is likely to happen if McCain wins the White House? Well, based on what he has said so far in the campaign, I think we can make the following assumptions about the sectors most likely to thrive.

"When it comes to energy, we already have seen that McCain is a big fan of oil drilling. It is thus not a stretch to think that oil services and oil drilling firms are likely to thrive if the Republican takes power.

"McCain's other energy focus is nuclear, and that's good news for companies doing the yeomen work in the space. Once again, when it comes to getting invested in the best companies in a specific market sector, ETFs continue to be our best friends.

"The Market Vectors Nuclear Energy ETF is a fund designed to give investors exposure to the best companies in the nuclear energy sector.

Continue reading McCain stock: Fabian powers up with nuclear ETF, Market Vectors Nuclear Energy (NLR)

Obama stock: SunPower (SPWR) set to shine

This post is part of a series in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked financial experts to name their top stock pick if McCain or if Obama wins the election.

"An Obama administration is likely to be very aggressive in subsidizing and promoting alternatives, including a windfall tax on oil firms to support development of alternative energy; SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR) is our pick to play an Obama victory," says Elliott Gue in The Energy Strategist.

"Obama's energy plan calls for generating 10% of electricity from renewable sources by 2012 and 25% by 2025, an aggressive goal when you consider that less than 3% of America's power comes from non-hydropower renewables today.

"Obama has also proposed a windfall tax on oil companies that would be used to support the development of alternatives like solar and wind power.

"SunPower manufactures and sells photovoltaic (PV) solar panels for the residential, commercial and utility-scale markets.

"Residential and commercial solar systems are solar panels installed on the roofs of homes and businesses, designed to supplement power supply from the electric grid.

"And SunPower recently won a contract with Florida-based utility FPL to build the largest photovoltaic plant in North America, a 25 megawatt utility-scale plant in DeSoto County, Florida.

Continue reading Obama stock: SunPower (SPWR) set to shine

McCain stock: Nuclear plant build-out heats up Paladin Resources (PDN)

This post is part of a series in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked financial experts to name their top stock pick if McCain or if Obama wins the election.

"McCain has been a strong supporter of nuclear power and his energy plan calls for building 45 new nuclear power plants in the U.S. by 2030; our pick for a McCain victory is uranium miner Paladin Resources (Toronto: PDN)," says Elliott Gue in The Energy Strategist.

"McCain's plan would represent by far the most significant build-out of nuclear plants in more than three decades. He has an ultimate goal of building 100 new U.S. reactors. America's 104 existing plants account for about 20% of electricity generation.

"The U.S. is not the only country in the world considering a major expansion in nuclear power. Russia, India and China have already committed to a major expansion of their nuclear energy capacity. And nuclear is also enjoying a renaissance in other developed markets such as the U.K. and Italy.

"The main fuel for nuclear plants is uranium. Last year, mined uranium supplies only covered about 64% of global uranium demand; to make up the difference, utilities tapped secondary sources such as stockpiles and reprocessed nuclear warheads.

"But, secondary supplies are expected to decline sharply in coming years and the Megatons to Megawatts program for reprocessing Russian nuclear weapons into power plant fuel ends in 2013. Therefore, mined supply will have to ramp up to meet rapidly growing demand.

Continue reading McCain stock: Nuclear plant build-out heats up Paladin Resources (PDN)

Obama stock: Alternative solutions in defense and energy, AeroVironment (AVAV)

This post is part of a series in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked financial experts to name their top stock pick if McCain or if Obama wins the election.

"If Barack Obama wins, look to AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV), a company involved in both unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and alternative energy solutions," says tech and science expert Gregg Early, editor of The Real Nanotech Investor.

"For Baby Boomers or aviation fans, the founders of the company were the people that brought us the Gossamer Albatross in the 1970s, a human powered plane that flew over the English Channel.

"The company that formed from Dr. Paul MacCready's fascination of manned flight eventually transitioned into a business that focused on unmanned flight, more precisely unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

"This work on UAVs made the company a long-time partner with NASA in developing the concept of unmanned aviation.

"When 9/11 came, and we set off to war and birthed the Department of Homeland Security -- the largest agency built by the government since the Department of War -- UAVs became one of the hottest sectors in the armed force and homeland security.

"AeroVironment started getting a lot of those orders. What's more, the company has two other divisions.

"One focuses on 'architectural wind' power for urban settings. The other focuses on industrial/consumer electric vehicle charging systems as well as solar pump controllers that use solar power to pump water, run water purification, etc. in remote areas.

"Between next-generation defense products and alternative energy solutions, this company will doubly benefit from a president focused on technology and innovation to secure the U.S. competitive position in the world again."

Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers a daily look at the latest market commentary and favorite stock picks and investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

McCain stock: Israel's Elbit (ESLT) aids in defense

This post is part of a series in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked financial experts to name their top stock pick if McCain or if Obama wins the election.

"If John McCain becomes president, look to Elbit Systems (NASDAQ: ESLT); this company is one of Israel's top defense companies," explains high-technology and science-focused sector stock specialist Gregg Early in his The Real Nanotech Investor.

"Elbit is well respected throughout the world for its skilled work in a variety of defense sectors. It has significant operations in North America, Europe and, of course, the Middle East and the sub-continent of Asia.

"Its big growth sectors now are UAVs for defense/intelligence work and hardware and software upgrades for aircraft and helicopters, the latter being a core to the company's business for years.

"With the global economy slowing down, many nations prefer to hang on to their aging equipment rather than buy new, expensive fleets, train pilots and retrain all the service and maintenance workers.

"This company is already growing but a President McCain, who's a former military man and who sees the strategic value of our close ties with Israel as a fulcrum in the Middle East, would likely find key companies in the region to reward as an example of what cooperation with the U.S. can do. And defense is the best place to start."

Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers a daily look at the latest market commentary and favorite stock picks and investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

Obama stock: SunPower (SPWR) should shine

This post is part of a series in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked financial experts to name their top stock pick if McCain or if Obama wins the election.

"Through the campaign season, Barack Obama has spoken at length about the need to boost spending on alternative energy; if he was elected, that should be good news for solar power company SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR)," says Roger Conrad, editor of The Utility Forecaster.

"Obama has discussed both the need to increase U.S. energy independence and to reduce carbon dioxide emissions blamed for global warming.

"The real promise for Sunpower, a leading manufacturer of solar panels, is in constructing utility-scale plants. The first of these is a 280-megawatt unit to provide power for Pacific G&E. Utilities in more than two dozen states, including California, are moving to meet mandates to get up to 20% of power sold from renewable sources.

"That's likely to become a national mandate under an Obama administration. Unlike homeowners and small businesses -- the primary customers for solar panels -- utilities are basically recession-resistant customers capable of dishing out huge contracts.

"Sunpower's move in that direction takes it to a whole new level of sustainability and growth. The shares are down on the financial crisis, as bankrupt Lehman is holding shares that could dilute the stock by around 3%. That gives aggressive investors a new opportunity to buy up to 80."

Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers a daily look at the latest market commentary and favorite stock picks and investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

McCain stock: Income investors 'prefer' Comcast (CCW)

This post is part of a series in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked financial experts to name their top stock pick if McCain or if Obama wins the election.

"For his entire career, John McCain has been a friend of big communications companies; one income-oriented play on this industry that would benefit from a McCain vicotry is Comcast Corp 7% Preferred (NYSE: CCW)," says Roger Conrad, in The Utility Forecaster.

"John McCain has been an opponent of attempts to regulate how communications companies do business. With McCain as president, companies will enjoy less regulation over how they manage their networks.

"One good play on the industry now is Comcast Corp 7% Preferred, which at recent prices now yields nearly 9%.

"Dividends are backed by the company's strong free cash flow -- cash flow less capital spending -- which more than tripled in the second quarter of this year.

"Comcast has been battling the current Federal Communications Commission on how it manages broadband access, and more flexibility will mean greater profitability.

"The preferred shares have come off in the current financial crisis and present compelling value. Buy up to 22."

Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers a daily look at the latest market commentary and favorite stock picks and investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

Election bets: Advisors vote on McCain and Obama stocks

This post is part of a series in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked financial experts to name their top stock pick if McCain or if Obama wins the election.

Which stocks would benefit from a victory by either Senator John McCain or Senator Barack Obama? To help investors sort through the sectors and stocks best positioned to benefit in a post-election environment, we posed this question to some of the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

Importantly, this is not a partisan report; each participating advisor has provided a favorite stock for both candidates, focused not on political preferences but unbiased stock analysis. Below we feature those stocks and ETFs that the advisors believe will be the winners depending on which candidate prevails.

McCain Stocks:

Roger Conrad - Comcast (NYSE: CCW)
Gregg Early - Elbit Systems (NASDAQ: ESLT)
Elliott Gue - Paladin Resources (Toronto: PDN)
Doug Fabian - Market Vectors Nuclear Energy (NYSE: NLR)
Vivian Lewis - Barclays (NYSE: BCS)
Bill Martin - CGG Veritas (NYSE: CGV)'
Yiannis Mostrous - Lonking Holdings (OTC: CIMHF)
Carla Pasternak - Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund (NYSE: EVT)
Nate Pile - SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD)
John Reese - General Dynamics (NYSE: GD)
Nathan Slaughter - USEC (NYSE: USU)
Paul Tracy - Shaw Group (NYSE: SGR)
Kelley Wright - CenturyTel (NYSE: CTL)
Tom Vass - Molex (NASDAQ: MOLX)
Martin Hutchinson - Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC), Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK), EOG Resources (NYSE: EOG)

Obama Stocks:

Roger Conrad - SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR)
Gregg Early - AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV)
Elliott Gue - SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR)
Doug Fabian - Industrial Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLI)
Vivian Lewis - Cosan (NYSE: CZZ)
Bill Martin - Geron (NASDAQ: GERN)
Yiannis Mostrous - Dr. Reddy's (NYSE: RDY)
Carla Pasternak - Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (NYSE: KMP)
Nate Pile - Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL)
John Reese - American Eagle (NYSE: AEO)
Nathan Slaughter - Fluor (NYSE: FLR)
Paul Tracy - Market Vectors Global Alternative Energy (NYSE: GEX)
Kelley Wright - Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH)
Tom Vass - Ingersoll Rand (NYSE: IR)
Martin Hutchinson - Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX), First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR)

Favorite funds for defense & aerospace

"Defense stocks never looked more attractive than they do now," says Jim Powell, who looks at two favorite ways to play the defense sector.

In Global Changes & Opportunities Report, he says, "The drop in defense stocks has more to do with the overall bear market in stocks than to any problems within the sector itself."

"Recent quarterly earnings from many defense companies are up, with significant gains in revenues and earnings.

"Defense stocks have also been pushed down due to worries that the presidential election might go to Senator Obama, who is not expected to be a strong a supporter of the military. Historically, however, Republican and Democratic spending on defense has been about the same.

"Some investors may also be nervous about buying defense stocks if the U.S. is likely to reduce its presence in Iraq over the next few years.

Continue reading Favorite funds for defense & aerospace

New biotech bull? Bet on S&P Biotech ETF (XBI)

"Bull markets have been few and far between this summer; one of the few sectors that looks to have re-entered a bull trend is biotechnology," says international investing expert Nick Vardy.

In his Global Bull Market Alert, he explains, "The S&P Biotech ETF (ASE: XBI) looks to capitalize on this traditionally highly volatile and boom bust burdened sector." Here's his bullish assessment.

"Why the sudden merger and acquisitions frenzy in biotech? Put simply, 'Big Pharma' is cash-rich but innovation-poor.

"As patents on huge profit generators such as Pfizer's Lipitor expire, the traditional pharmaceutical industry is eager to refill its emptying drug pipelines.

"On the one hand, Big Pharma hopes giant acquisitions jump start pharmaceuticals' sputtering innovation machines. On the other hand, existing biotech blockbusters would also hedge against the coming collapse in earnings from drugs that are coming off patent.

Continue reading New biotech bull? Bet on S&P Biotech ETF (XBI)

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Last updated: October 08, 2008: 05:54 AM

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