The Solar Fun is Done For Now

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on February 15, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) I hope my fellow solar enthusiasts enjoyed 2012’s solar run while it lasted. Solar stocks went on a tear to start the new year, but now the fun is done. Reality … Read more

Using Debt-to-Equity Ratios to Identify Potential Survivors of the Solar Downturn

This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November 28, 2011. Click here to read the entire piece.) In “5 stocks for the solar surge“, Jim Jubiak at MSN Money lays out some interesting groundrules for taking advantage of the downturn in solar to buy companies on the cheap. … Read more

Picking Through the Rubble Of Solar Stocks (Priced for Recession)

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha. Click here to read the entire piece.) The shorts completely nailed solar stocks across the board in 2011. {snip} Please click on the charts to enlarge them. Source: NASDAQ.COM Solar bears have been very vocal, and very correct, in predicting a severe … Read more

Chart Review: Tops and Bottoms – CAT and LDK

July has continued a healthy recovering from the June lows for many stocks. However, some stocks have remained stuck in stock market purgatory. Today’s chart review shows two examples of this dichotomy. The extra bonus is that the stock in recovery mode, Caterpillar (CAT), has apparently topped while the stock stuck in purgatory, LDK Solar … Read more

Profiting from Physical Assets in a Resource-Constrained World – Rules and Picks (Part 2 of 2)

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} This piece is a follow-up post to “Preparing for Profits in a Resource-Constrained World” (Part 1) in which I discussed the implications of Jeremy Grantham’s fundamental thesis of a new world where resources are … Read more

Solar’s Debt-to-Equity Ratios Remain OK but Shorts Ramp as Disappointing Earnings Mount

(This is an excerpt from an EXTENSIVE article I published on Seeking Alpha. Click here to read the entire piece.) Just when you thought solar earnings could not disappoint the market any further…{snip}…LDK provided a pre-announcement that contained the news that the company canceled a debt offering because interest rates are higher than expected. This … Read more

After Two Years and 200 Companies, Total Group Picks SunPower – A Watershed Solar Deal With More Upside

(This is an excerpt from an article I published on Seeking Alpha. Click here to read the entire piece) Perhaps it is not a good idea to use the term “watershed” twice in a year when referring to solar stocks, but it seems to me that Total Group’s acquisition of a 60% controlling stake in … Read more

Another Solar Sell-Off and Another Round of Solar Buys

Higher oil prices are not helping solar stocks. Instead, earnings disappointments and hand-wringing in Italy over solar subsidies and policy have put downward pressure on almost the entire sector. While it seems the second half of 2011 could be rough for solar stocks, the current sell-off seems to be creating some buying opportunities. First Solar … Read more

LDK Solar Sends Sales Guidance Soaring

LDK Solar has started off the new year for solar with a bang. The company significantly raised guidance for both the fourth quarter of FY10 and the entire FY2011 with particularly strong expectations for the module business. Here is a listing of the new sales guidance compared to the old guidance: Revenue 4Q10: $870-910M from … Read more