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Bulls & Bears | Cavuto on Business | Forbes on FOX | Cashin' In
Bulls & Bears
This past week's Bulls & Bears: Gary B. Smith, Exemplar Capital managing partner; Pat Dorsey, Morningstar.com director of stock research; Tobin Smith, ChangeWave Research editor; Scott Bleier, HybridInvestors.com president; Gary Kaltbaum, Kaltbaum & Associates president; Cheryl Casone, FOX Business correspondent and host of 'FOX Business Now' on Yahoo! Finance; and Marc Lamont Hill, professor of American Studies at Temple University.
Trading Pit: What's Next For This Very Volatile Stock Market?
A huge sell-off to end the week. The Dow dropping nearly 300 points on Friday. And the rest of the week just as crazy! Triple digit gains and losses. The blue chips swinging over 500 points in just five days! But the big question: what's next and what to do?
Tobin Smith: Don't panic! Come Monday we could be up 300 points just as easily as we were down 300 on Friday! This sell off was a market event and had nothing to do with the real economy. When the banks start to get better, we can all breath a sigh of relief and feel better.
Gary B. Smith: The next move for the Dow is up! People are rightfully scared right now. Volatile periods with big up and down days, normally signals that the market is about to change direction. We saw this back in late February/early March. There was a lot of choppiness in the market and then we went on a great ride! We are at that same point now.
Scott Bleier: This is very different from what we saw back in February. Big investors aren't confused and know exactly what they are doing. By selling stocks and bonds they are simply lessening their risks. Interest rates are going up around the world and oil prices are approaching all-time highs. But the profile of lessening risk is very clear. Everyone is expecting the Federal Reserve to come the rescue on Tuesday, but that's not going to happen. There may still be more downside and we may wind up giving back the gains we've made so far this year.
Cheryl Casone: The problem is the average investors don't know what to do. They are getting scared by all the negative headlines and are worried. But they need to look at the long term. Not one day or two weeks. We're going to have volatile days, it's not going to look good or feel good, but the average person needs to have a different psychology and invest over the long term.
Pat Dorsey: A lot of stocks are very cheap right now. You need to think about the bigger picture. Right now, corporate earnings and the economy look very strong. Fear is what drove the sell off. It is fear of a liquidity crunch, which if you don't need to borrow money, doesn't matter much. Cadbury Schweppes (CSG ) is down 20 percent the past few weeks. But last time I checked, people are still drinking Dr. Pepper and buying candy! Be greedy when investors are fearful.
Gary Kaltbaum: Volatility feeds on itself! Let's get back to reality here. There are a lot of things that are coming to fruition now that having been brewing for months. The credit crunch is here. We have gone to the opposite side of the lending spectrum—from giving money to almost anyone — to not giving it all! The market and the economy have been propped up on the lax lending of the past few years. The market is a forecast for the future and right now it may be telling us something about a slower economy down the road.
Dems Talk of Raising Taxes on Investors: Market Killer?
Forget the campaign trail, where tax hikes are the talk among Democrats. Democrats in the halls of Congress are looking to raise taxes on investors. Are higher taxes the worst thing for this very volatile market?
Tobin Smith: If you tax something more, you get less of it. We've learned that throughout history in Roman times, Egyptian times, and even the past three years—although Democrats won't admit it. This issue of trying to tax more is counterintuitive. You think that the more you tax, the more you'll have more, but it doesn't work that way! This only removes incentive and winds up taking away from people who really want to take risk and make things better.
Marc Lamont Hill: One of the critical issues we have to think about is our social disposition. Under small government and unfettered capitalism, we have let the rich off the hook at the expense of our most vulnerable people. By increasing taxes, we create programs and resources for people that don't have much. Hedge fund managers aren't going to walk away from their jobs — no one is going to walk away from the industry because their taxes increase. This is a necessary step. We lost $6.3 billion through hedge fund tax breaks. That money could have given 25 million children health care. This is what we have to keep in mind because these are the types of things that are at stake.
Gary B. Smith: All taxes are harmful. The approval ratings for Congress are even lower than President Bush. In fact, if you ask people what the federal government has accomplished, they couldn't come up with anything! Name three instances when Congress has worked well, efficiently, and effectively. You'd have a problem coming up with any. And I'll give you one: national defense! Are the majority of Americans happy with public education, health care, energy policy, or Social Security? Had Congress been a corporation, it would have been out of business years ago!
Stock X-Change
Stock sell-off or stocks on sale? Depends on your point of view. For Pat Dorsey it's bargain time!
If you want to see what Pat had to say about these stocks, click here.
Lennar (LEN )
CapitalSource (CSE )
Corporate Executive Board (EXBD )
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ )
Predictions
Scott Bleier's prediction: Granite Construction (GVA ) will help keep our bridges safe
Tobin Smith's prediction: Subprime Overkill! Municipal Mortgage (MMA ) up 30 percent by 2008
Gary B. Smith's prediction: Bank stocks are cheap! Citigroup (C ) up 30 percent by 2008
Pat Dorsey's prediction: One more bargain! Talisman Energy (TLM ) up 30 percent in 1 year
Bulls & Bears | Cavuto on Business | Forbes on FOX | Cashin' In
Cavuto on Business
On Saturday, August 4th, Neil Cavuto was joined by Ben Stein, "Yes, You Can Get a Financial Life" author; Charles Payne, "Be Smart, Act Fact, Get Rich" author; Pat Powell, The Powell Financial Group; Tracy Byrnes, NY Post Business Writer; Adam Lashinsky, Fortune Magazine; Jerry Bowyer, The National Review Online.
Bottom Line: Is Now the Best Time to Buy?
Neil Cavuto: Huge market swings have lots of people running for cover. But could now be the best time to buy and turn panic into profit? Let's get the "Bottom Line."
Ben Stein: Well, this market carnage is so wildly overblown. There's no reason for it whatsoever. The true rate of real estate defaults is minimal, including subprime mortgages. This economy is incredibly strong. This is a great time to buy stocks. The market has put Tiffany-priced stocks at Wal-Mart prices. Go for it.
Charles Payne: How could I not agree with Ben? I find it so interesting that just a month ago the big concern was that the economy was growing too fast. Then, all of a sudden the economy is growing too slow? I agree with Ben a thousand percent. People need to hang in there. If you have the nerve, go in there and start nibbling. Earlier this week, we saw a couple major reversals. That tells you there's a lot of smart money out there because that wasn't a couple of individual investors, that was a bunch of smart people buying on weakness.
Neil Cavuto: I talked to a lot of smart people this past week, Donald Trump among them, who said they've never seen an environment like this were people are stubborn to lend. So do you buy in the middle of that?
Pat Powell: I don't. I think that two weeks is an awfully short time for the correction to be over. I think we have a ways to go.
Neil Cavuto: So you're saying we need a correction?
Pat Powell: Absolutely! We need a correction. And I think we're only about halfway through it. I think it's going to be a tough month.
Tracy Byrnes: I agree with Ben and Charles. The future is good. The average guy cannot time the market. But, what he can do is take a risk assessment test. Were you able to sleep through the whole thing? Were you nauseous? Were you taking Dramamine because the market was going up and down and your portfolio couldn't handle it? If so, you need to reallocate or get out. This is not your game.
Neil Cavuto: Adam, what do you make of that?
Adam Lashinsky: I think Tracy is spot on. Look, you cannot time the market. There are two things we haven't talked about that we need to talk about. The volatility is not lying to us. It is what it is. It's a scary time. It's a choppy time. Even professional investors don't do a good job of investing in that volatility. We saw a huge hedge fund bail last week. That's what happens. It's hard for amateurs to do any better. The second thing is the private equity firms are going to be stepping aside a little bit. That's not good for a lot of stocks right now.
Neil Cavuto: Jerry, what do you make of that?
Jerry Bowyer: Ben's right on the size of this. Ferris Bueller should not have skipped school that day because he would have learned some good stuff. The mortgage default rate has gone up a miniscule fraction of a percentage. Now, there are some problems, specifically with private equity. Some of the stock depreciation came from private equity putting money into the system. And this is where Ben's wrong. He wants to increase the taxes on private equity. That would put a shock on the system.
Neil Cavuto: Ben, let me ask you. One thing you've been way ahead on is the falling dollar. Maybe reaction to that is what's making the market volatile?
Ben Stein: No, the markets are volatile because there's this panic attack getting spread through the media. There's no crisis in the credit industry. Less than one percent of mortgages are in default. That's a tiny loss compared to the size of the market. This is a giant, very successful economy. A falling dollar will have an affect, but not in two weeks. This market is way oversold. It's a very good time to buy.
Pat Powell: I'm shocked. I'm absolutely shocked at the excessive optimism on this panel. In fact, it makes me feel more confident than when I first came in. People have short memories. They're not necessarily remembering that we went through the same sort of thing last summer. We also had a correction in 2005.
Charles Payne: And at the end of the year, almost all those years were pretty fantastic!
Tracy Byrnes: You can't pull out.
Pat Powell: I'm not suggesting pull out because of this correction.
Neil Cavuto: You're saying you're going to be down before you're back up again.
Pat Powell: Absolutely up again. Long-term investors tough it out!
Charles Payne: Also, Adam kind of alluded to this when he said investors are having a hard time. You have to be careful with the words. Traders may be having a hard time, but if you're an investor… how can you be having a hard time over a two-week period? People mess up the terms! See, a lot of folks watching the show want to get in the market thinking it's going to move in a straight line. It doesn't always work that way. If you're in an investor, you buy throughout this correction.
Ben Stein: Absolutely.
Pat Powell: Market correction is normal and that's what you have to keep in the back of your mind.
Charles Payne: That's not optimism!
Neil Cavuto: Why are you yelling? You're scaring me.
(LAUGHTER)
Charles Payne: I don't know. I'm getting excited.
(LAUGHTER)
Adam Lashinsky: The stocks of the homebuilders and mortgage companies are not falling point-six or point-seven percent. They're down 30-40 percent. That is a dramatic reaction.
Ben Stein: That's a tiny bit of the market! Does anyone question that barring a nuclear attack that the market will be much higher and you will regret that you didn't buy?
Adam Lashinsky: No, I don't. But, we're talking about Monday morning.
Jerry Bowyer: The subprime mortgage market is a fragment of a fragment of a fragment of the American economy. It is so small, it is something like a rounding error when you include national wealth. I can't remember the last time I read a Wall Street Journal that didn't have a subprime story on the front page. That is why this market is oversold.
Head to Head: Dow Jones/News Corp Deal: Big Deal for Economy?
Neil Cavuto: The number one business newsmaker of the week: Rupert Murdoch. And no, it's not because he's my boss or that he won Dow Jones. It's simply because he's running with the deals while others seem to be running away from them. Does he see something in this economy that others are missing? It's time to go "Head to Head."
Charles Payne: Obviously, Rupert is a business visionary and he does see things well ahead of everybody else. Now, having said that, he's not the only one. There were other guys out there making mergers this week. The structures are tough and it's harder to get cheap money right now, but we've seen record amounts of acquisitions this year. They've slowed down, but I think a lot of businesses realize the economy is going to be strong for a long time.
Neil Cavuto: Ben Stein, he put a lot of money in a business that a lot of people say isn't worth a lot of money. What does that tell you?
Ben Stein: It tells me he takes a very, very long view. And he sees he can take some of the prestige and power of the WSJ and put it on the air and on the Internet. This guy is no Warren Buffet. He's not a genius at stock evaluations, but Rupert's a genius at looking very, very far down the road. And that's an amazing gift. I would say what Mr. Murdoch seems to have an idea that it's the long run that counts. And that is what investors have to be thinking! Ms. Powell is right, you can tell if the market's going to be up next week, but for ten years down the road, you should buy in now. And that's something Mr. Murdoch knows.
Neil Cavuto: Is that the message he's sending?
Pat Powell: I think Ben's got it right. When someone like Rupert Murdoch is spending, to a great extent his own money, he's taking a view and fitting it together strategically. This looks like a really, really great merger. Most of them don't. Wall Street is littered with terrible mergers: AOL/Time Warner and Merck having to sell-off Medco. There are very few mergers that actually work. This looks like it has all the aspects of being a winner.
Neil Cavuto: Tracy, don't you find it impressive how he takes Italians and grooms them for being anchors?
(LAUGHTER)
Tracy Byrnes: That's wild! That's why I love ‘em, as does my entire Sicilian family.
(LAUGHTER)
Neil Cavuto: I mean it's remarkable that an Australian saw that!
(LAUGHTER)
Tracy Byrnes: Everybody sees it, Neil. People have to remember that the M&A world works in cycles, just like the stock market. You buy and sell companies to grow your business. This can't go away. It has to happen for capitalism to continue. Companies want to get bigger, stronger, faster. This can't go away.
Adam Lashinsky: What this is teaching us is there are two kinds of acquisitions. There are financial acquisitions and there are strategic acquisitions. This is the time to make strategic acquisitions. CEOs can look at what Murdoch has done and say, "I need to figure out what fits really well with my business. And I don't have to worry as much as I had to six months ago about a Carlyle, Blackstone, or KKR out bidding me more that acquisition."
Neil Cavuto: But, there is a difference between a Rupert Murdoch who has the money in his arsenal and an outside investor who has to depend on outside lenders.
Charles Payne: Let's not forget about board of directors, either. I mean, Rupert doesn't have to fear the board like other guys.
Ben Stein: A Carlyle, Goldman Sachs or any of the giant investment firms can get as much money in their hot hands as they want. They may have to pay a tiny bit for more it, but they can get it.
Pat Powell: You have to be careful with the "me too" merger. You know everyone else is doing it, so me too.
More for Your Money
Neil Cavuto: With the market swinging up and down these days, finding a safe place to put your money's gotta be on your mind. Our gang says playing it safe can pay! It's time to get "More for Your Money."
If you'd like to see what each had to say about the stocks, click here.
Pat Powell: Constellation Brands (STZ )
Charles Payne: Fluor (FLR)
*Charles owns shares of this stock.
Tracy Byrnes: S&P 500 SPDRs (SPY)
*Tracy owns shares of this fund.
Ben Stein: iShares MSCI EAFE Index (EFA)
*Ben owns shares of this fund.
FOX on the Spot
Jerry Bowyer: Let private companies run our nation's bridges!
Tracy Byrnes: Parents will sue; stay away from Mattel (MAT )
Charles Payne: Gas prices drop; Target (TGT ) goes up!
Ben Stein: Scared of markets? Buy variable annuities!
Pat Powell: Let free markets fix subprime mess!
Adam Lashinsky: Private equity firms get hit with tax hike this year!
Neil Cavuto: Wall Street about to show EVERYONE the money!
Bulls & Bears | Cavuto on Business | Forbes on FOX | Cashin' In
Forbes on FOX
America's Stock Market: Still the Be$t in the World?
Steve Forbes, Editor-in-Chief: The market took a real hit in the last couple of weeks. But this is actually the time to get it. We're climbing "walls of worry". The fundamentals of the economy are still very good. Earnings are still coming in above expectations. Sure we have problems like trial lawyers, taxes and Sarbanes-Oxley, but still the fundamentals are strong. This is the time to get in, when other people are saying is it too late to get out?
Quentin Hardy, Silicon Valley Bureau Chief: There is quality in America but there is quality elsewhere as well. Many of the things that have powered the American economy involving technology and industrialization are now happening elsewhere in the world more powerfully so the relative gains will be stronger overseas. I'd say Americans tend to be under allocated. They put too much money in the U.S. markets and ignore foreign funds that could do well for them.
Elizabeth MacDonald, Senior Editor: You get half of your profits overseas here in U.S. multinationals so why not get the corporate governance protections that you don't get overseas? We have the most liquid, transparent market it the world. Corporate governance controls and accounting practices are great. There is a lot of volatility in foreign exchanges because there aren't those same controls and measures to protect investors that you have here in the U.S.
Lea Goldman, Associate Editor: You can love this country with your heart and soul, but that doesn't mean you have to commit portfolio suicide for it. If you want growth, head overseas. That's where the smart money is. And there isn't any shame in that. Make the money and then spend it here. That's patriotic.
Mike Ozanian, Senior Editor: Market timing is very tough. I think you need to be diversified. Not just with countries but with sectors of the economy. We saw people that were fully invested in tech in the late 1990s get creamed. It's also good to be diversified through different geographic regions around the world.
Victoria Barret, Associate Editor: You want exposure to geography and to different sectors of industries. But for most folks, investing abroad is very tricky. There is not a lot of transparency in these markets. There is a lot of volatility. You should invest in funds. Let someone make these decisions for you.
Be$t Use of Your Tax Dollars: Fix Bridges or Fix Health Care?
Victoria Barret: If any good can come out of this tragedy it's that this nation's infrastructure is ailing and old. The American Society of Civil Engineers says that a quarter of our nation's bridges are deficient in some way. This is where we need to spend. We need to invest in our country's infrastructure.
Elizabeth MacDonald: This is a terrible tragedy. If you want to get the revenues coming into the government to upkeep the bridges lift the cost of health care off of the middle class and all workers. Make them more productive so you have the revenues to fix the bridges and the infrastructure.
Steve Forbes: The question is how do you lower those health care costs? When government runs something it ends up spending more and stifling innovation. On both bridges and in health care, the more we get the private sector in, the better. Even independent authorities do better maintenance jobs than the government alone does.
Quentin Hardy: There is a terrible loss of life in our dysfunctional health care system right now. We're 26th in the world. Places with socialized medicine do much better. The economic loss to America, I hate to say it, is much worse that what you see in this bridge tragedy.
Lea Goldman: This country can not work without this infrastructure. We've neglected it. Infrastructure is the great equalizer in this country. That bridge collapse in Minnesota didn't just hurt rich people or poor people. It hurt everybody.
Mike Ozanian: A typical liberal argument, just throw money at it and it will get better. The federal government's budget is over $60 billion for transportation. What do states do? They take the money and they plow it into union pensions because that's how they get elected. The state of New Mexico used the money and built a launch pad for a space ship instead of using that money for infrastructure.
Flipside: Clinton and Obama Feud: Good for the Markets!
Michele Steele, Forbes.com Senior Reporter: The more Democratic infighting there is, the better for the markets. When they are fighting they are not talking about "smart money" being a new source for taxes. When they are not talking about taxes that's good for the markets.
Lea Goldman: In general I think differences in opinions are good. They are signs of a healthy democracy in action. This time around however, I think it's bad because it turns people off. It turns voters off to the Democratic Party in general and it sends them to the Republican Party. And if they win, we're going to see more of the same, a never ending war and outrageous spending.
Quentin Hardy: Diversity of opinions during a campaign and letting voters see a range of views is a good thing! A marketplace of ideas is healthy for all concerned.
Steve Forbes: I think this is bad for the markets only because it strengthens Hillary Clinton. Hillary is a formidable campaigner. Obama looks like a guy who is not prepped for the big time.
Victoria Barret: Obama has come across like a big naïve. He wants to exchange a best friend necklace with Kim Jong Il and go around the world as this peace bringer. He's baffled about nuclear weapons. He doesn't have a clear message. At this point, he should have these things straight. And Hillary has done great in the polls because of this recently. Long-term the markets don't know what to think about Hillary yet.
Informer: Be$t Stocks in America!
If you want to hear what each Forbes panelist had to say about their stock pick, click here.
Josh Lipton: Forbes.com Markets Reporter: Smith & Wesson (SWHC)
Mike Ozanian: Avon (AVP)
Michele Steele: CME Group (CME)
Elizabeth MacDonald: NVIDIA (NVDA)
Bulls & Bears | Cavuto on Business | Forbes on FOX | Cashin' In
Cashin' In
Our Cashin' In crew this week: Wayne Rogers, Wayne Rogers & Co; Jonathan Hoenig, CapitalistPig Asset Management; Dagen McDowell, FOX Business News; Jonas Max Ferris, MaxFunds.com; and Alexis Glick, Director of Business News for FOX News Channel.
Stock Smarts: Will Stocks End 2007 Up Or Down?
It's the question everyone is asking on Wall Street... After a jittery July and an already anxious August, where will stocks be at the end of 2007?
Alexis: I think the Dow will end the year at 14,200. I know we've pulled back from the levels we hit on July 19th. Cash, corporate earnings, and strong global growth will spell the picture. I'm one of the few in the minority who believe oil prices will pull back by late fall & early winter.
Dagen: If we end the year close to where we are now, that will be a 7-8 percent gain on the Dow for the year. That'll be good. I think we'll go down and then back up because of all the turmoil in the credit markets and mortgages. Plus, there are so many jitters out there. Those in the bond business and in lending are totally freaked out and can't quite figure out what is going on in the stock market. They think stock investors are a little too upbeat, at least for right now.
Wayne: I disagree. There's all this volatility in the market right now and we've got the problem with the credit crisis. The market is still down and I don't think it will recover that much. I see us closing lower at the end of the year.
Jonathan: The financials are collapsing and that's what worries me. This isn't just the sub-prime and mortgage lenders. Big banks and big financials are all so weak: Citibank (C), Bank of America (BAC), Bear Stearns (BSC), JP Morgan (JPM). If the market rallies, what will lead the way? It will be the multi-nationals like McDonald's (MCD) and Boeing (BA ) that were doing well before the whole credit crisis. Stocks in general could close higher, but I wouldn't be long in anything remotely financial.
Jonas: We're going down to where we were at the close of last year: about 12,500. The market has just gotten ahead of itself since then with a strong economy and super strong earnings. I see us going to go back to a normal earnings environment. The market's expensive, almost as expensive as in 1999, because companies are not going to earn the margins they are earning now.
Alexis: We are due for a further pullback, but I think we do see that whole winter rally. I agree that we will see and continue to see strength in those multi-national names. What about the dividend yield names?
Jonathan: They are death. That's just it. The utilities and the REITs that everyone bought for those safe dividends are "dreck" now.
Dagen: American investors have been pouring so much money in international stocks. If you are looking to put new money to work, and you've got enough cash, look at the big cap names. The big multi-national names like the Dow Diamonds (DIA ).
Wayne: I think international markets are a good place to find some stocks that will do well. I do still own PetroChina (PTR ). I like the Chinese stocks and some Indian stocks, which have done very well and will continue to do well. They have not suffered this volatility like we have had in the United States.
Jonathan: Just when you don't think the homebuilding stocks can't go any lower, they do. Beazer Home (BZH ) has been weak for months. I don't believe you catch falling knives.
Alexis: What about stock repurchases and the amount of cash? We are all talking about the credit markets. Believe me, there are issues there and I have a lot of friends who are trading them and seeing a lot of capitulation. Don't you think there are a lot of corporations out there who still do have cash on their books and are actively buying back shares?
Jonas: Many do, but some of that is because of boosted earnings that you've seen from things like the falling dollar. They don't know what to do with it. Dividends have already been increased, so they buy back stocks. That wealth is similar to the wealth that was created in tech and telecom that evaporated when those businesses had trouble. When these financial companies unwind, they will not be able to buy back stocks either.
Dagen: Buy backs are not dead. You saw it with Procter & Gamble (PG) in the past week. Then the deals aren't dead, like CheckFree (CKFR) getting bought by Fiserv (FISV ) this week.
Does America Want a "Nanny" State?
A warning from GOP front-runner Rudy Giuliani: Democrats want to raise your taxes to create a "nanny" state, which would bring big, expensive government programs like national health care. Is that what America really wants?
Jonathan: It gets back to the issue of: What is the role of government? That is to protect your individual rights. The government's role is not to feed, clothe, house, educate, and provide health care for you. Rudy is right. Many Democrats and some Republicans see this role of government that provides every element of life. It would be a terrible thing for our economy, our currency, and our American way of life.
Alexis: The government has gotten involved too much. At the end of the day, we want to make our own decisions. I agree with you, Jonathan. We would like to have a choice in health care. There are some major problems right now as far as big government is concerned and it cannot go any further.
Jonas: I think America does want a "nanny" state, at least a good part of it. That's the reason Democrats won the last election and why they'll probably win again in 2008. It's a growing audience. People are looking for the government to help take care of them.
Dagen: What we really need is a politician to come out and say: "you already expect a ‘nanny' state with social security, Medicare, Medicaid. These programs are going to swamp this country in a few decades. We've got to change the entire system."
Wayne: It's the cost factor. If everyone wants this service, and everyone is willing to pay for this service, that's something else. There are ways to do this. For example, a 401(k) type plan that could be done as a deductible item where people can buy their own insurance. I think Giuliani is on to something. There's no point in taking my dollar, sending it up to Senator Edwards to take out his quota, and then sending it back to me to pay for my health.
Alexis: It gives people options. It would make sense if you could do that through incentives.
Jonathan: It's about the freedom. If you want to say health care is a right, then you have to say your neighbors have an obligation to provide it for you. Then you don't have your own life, liberty and happiness. It's immoral.
Captiali$m: Best Way to "Cool" the Planet?
Capitalism is helping to cool down the planet? From Xerox's new environmentally friendly copy paper to automakers' hybrid cars, more and more companies are creating greener products without government mandate. Is capitalism the "cure", not the "problem"?
Jonathan: This new paper from Xerox is environmentally sound, but it's also economically sound. Innovations like this don't come from a government edict; they come from a company trying to make a buck. I just hope Xerox's motivation is making money, rather than trying to appease these wacko environmentalists. The company will make a lot more money because this paper is cheaper to ship and more efficient in terms of using the wood. I applaud them.
Dagen: There is a role of government in fighting global warming, even if it is just to influence. Look at the Energy Star program, which has been around for 15 years. It helped people cut utility bills by $14 billion last year, just by slapping labels on items like personal computers and refrigerators.
Alexis: I agree Dagen! It needs to be together. Businesses and the government working in conjunction to help the environment will make a big difference. I like that so many corporations are getting involved. It's a signal that they do want to make money, but they do have to help the environment.
Wayne: The Environmental Defense Fund has been enormously helpful in this area. It is led by businessmen who are trying to do something right for the environment in a practical and economically successful way. That is the way to do it.
Jonathan: Why don't they say a car has to get 300 miles per gallon? Industry can't always respond the way that a politician would want them to respond. The goal of these "greens" is not sustainable development, but no development.
Jonas: You can make the case for free market solving most problems out there, but no one owns the environment. It needs the government to help set the rules in order to protect it. Corporations are very efficient and they will be able to solve everything from the technology end.
Best Bets: Stocks the Crew Likes Even in This Crazy Market
To watch this segment in its entirety, please click here.
Wayne: America Movil (AMX ) (Friday's Close: $57.05)
Jonathan: CurrencyShares Japanese Yen (FXY ) (Friday's Close: $84.65)
Jonas: Pfizer (PFE ) (Friday's Close: $23.51)
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