Chinese Academic’s Rare Earth Forecasts at Odds with Industry Experts

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha. Click here to read the entire piece.) Last week, an article from China Daily titled “Rare-earth supplies expected to grow” was blamed for the weakness in several rare earth stocks like Molycorp and Lynas Corp. Ltd on June 16th. The article contains … Read more

Evergreen Solar Confirms Its Scramble to Avoid Bankruptcy

(This is a partial excerpt from an article I published on Seeking Alpha. Click here to read the entire piece.) When Evergreen Solar (ESLR) issued a dire earnings warning, I speculated that the company is flirting with bankruptcy. Tonight, ESLR reported quarterly earnings for the quarter ending April 2, 2011 and confirmed that it is … Read more

China’s Inflation Could Be Worse but Stimulus Money Is Sitting In Investments, Not Consumption

Originally posted on “Inflation Watch“… Nightly Business Report produced a short video segment describing China’s inflation woes (transcript included) called “China’s Inflation Battle.” The commentator identifies China’s RMB¥ 4 trillion stimulus program (around $585B USD at the time) as the original source of the inflation and takes us to Pengshui, 1000 miles from Beijing, to … Read more

Chart Review: Finisar, JDSU Could Be Ready for Bounces, F5 Networks

Finisar (FNSR) was punished with a 39% one-day loss last week after announcing disappointing guidance for the current quarter that included the extremely poisonous phrase “…a slowdown in business in China.” The tremendous price drop combined with record trading volume of 40.4M shares displayed all the classic markings of complete abandonment by institutions and large … Read more

Silver Wheaton CEO Not Thinking About Hedging Silver Until $50

The number $50 per ounce appeared in another discussion about silver. I first came across this target in James Turk’s theory about three stages for silver’s bull market with stage 2 beginning at $50. This time $50/ounce came up in an interview with Silver Wheaton’s CEO, Peter Barnes, as he discussed SLW’s earnings results on … Read more

Time to Ride Ener1 Again

When Ener1 (HEV) chairman and CEO Charles Gassenheimer appeared on CNBC in November to discuss how his company will benefit from Democrat and Republican cooperation on energy policy, the stock got a nice 4% pop on the day. Last week, HEV announced a major joint venture deal with China’s number one automotive components company Wanxiang … Read more

Evergreen Solar Remains A Very Speculative Bet On Survival

Evergreen Solar’s sudden resurgence in October remains a mystery to me. Nothing in the recent third quarter earnings report explains the sudden return of enthusiasm to the stock. On the other hand, there was just enough reassurance in the report to once again suspend fears of the worst outcomes. ESLR remains a speculative play on … Read more