Our panelists give you the scoop on all the inside business information before you hear it anywhere else in The Informer segment:
Bob Lenzner (national editor): Avoid Middle Eastern and Russian oil by buying from companies that have oil reserves in North America. Some companies to look for are Burlington Resources (BR), EOG Resources (EOG) and Phillips Petroleum (P). These companies are cheap and they sell for far less than what their value is in oil in the ground.
Dennis Kneale (managing editor): To quote a song that all of us might know...War, war, what is it good for? Absolutely...AOL Time Warner (AOL). Their cash flow is enormous. They've got the best collection of assets and they're the biggest in cable.
Lisa DiCarlo (Forbes.com senior editor): Even after a $5 billion bailout by the Federal government, airlines are still having a problem recovering. Two specific airlines in trouble are US Airways (U) and America West (AWA). I think a year from now these companies will be out of business or bought by larger companies. Two winners are Southwest Airlines (LUV) and Alaska Air (ALK). These guys are the Dell computer of the airline industry.
Elizabeth MacDonald (senior editor): It seems that chipmakers are doing a lot of insider trading lately. There might be some recovery around the corner, though it's not a consensus yet. For example, the CEO at Applied Micro Circuits (AMCC) did insider trading of 650,000 shares at a price range of $6.44 - $9.95 worth $5.1 million.
Lisa DiCarlo: I think it's a little too early to buy into the chip stocks now. I think you need a strong stomach to get into these stocks.
Elizabeth MacDonald: The buying is up 4 times what it was in the third quarter, versus what it was in the second quarter. I think that's a strong sign. I'm not saying act on it now but watch this one closely.
Makers & Breakers
General Electric (GE)
Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
David Elias, Elias Asset Management: General Electric (GE) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB) are companies that have survived depressions, recessions, a president being assassinated. In other words, they know how to get through tough times like the ones we're going through right now.
General Electric (GE)
Jim Michaels (editorial vice president): BREAKER
I like GE. I think it should be a core holding in anyone's 401K. But I think it will be cheaper if you wait.
Dennis Kneale (managing editor): BREAKER
I think the future for this stock is a lot more pessimistic than anyone realizes. The legendary Jack Welch is gone and Jeffrey Immelt has completely restructured this company.
David Elias: MAKER
This is a great mutual fund. GE is in about nine different businesses and they're doing great.
David Asman: Okay, let's move on to Kimberly-Clark.
David Elias: MAKER
Kimberly - Clark (KMB) will probably grow 10-12% a year. The company has been paying a dividend since 1935. It's a real solid company with solid management.
Dennis Kneale: MAKER
When we started this segment we said these companies have been around for 100 years. A year ago, we would've held that against a company and now that's a good thing. This is a fine solid company whose products will sell for a long time.
Jim Michaels: MAKER
I'd like to be the contrarian but this is a good solid stock in these bad times.
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