Wednesday, November 23, 2011

U.S. Equities: Fisher Capital Management Reports


As mentioned previously, stocks finished a volatile month in October with a volatile final week of trading, as investors began to question whether the market¹s impressive rally had surpassed the economy¹s ability to generate growth in output and profits.

To be sure, throughout the market’s impressive rebound, the technical picture for stocks gathered steam, as excess liquidity helped drive the market higher.

Fisher Capital Management, US Equities Reports: As one technical achievement passed another, we began to postulate that the market’s technicals appeared significantly better than its fundamentals.

Some of these concerns may be coming to fruition over the near term, as a few technical strengths appear to have softened in recent weeks. Indeed, as the S&P 500 Index approached the 1,100 level during the middle of October, the market ran into strong resistance, falling by approximately 5% from that high by month-end.

Fisher Capital Management, US Equities Reports: This may prove to be an important development because at 1,100, the S&P 500 was within about 20 points of achieving a 50% retracement, whereby the market could have recouped 50% of the loss from the October 2007 high of 1565 to the March 2009 low of 666. Given all the cash parked in money markets and shortterm Treasury bills, another surge or two above 1,100 is certainly possible. Yet 1,121 is a number that should be on the radar for all investors, because if it is achieved, very little technical resistance exists on the path to 1200.

In addition to the strong resistance, stocks failed to hold a key support level on the last day of October. The market’s 50-day moving average (DMA) was 1,052 heading into Halloween weekend, but investors were spooked by poor readings on personal spending and consumer confidence, resulting in a close (1,036) below the important 50- DMA level. An important test will be in the first several trading days of November to see whether or not the market can sustain its rally above this key support level.

Fisher Capital Management, US Equities Reports: This weakness was exacerbated by a surge in the market’s “fear gauge” toward the end of October. The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index, or VIX, which measures the cost of using options as insurance against declines in the S&P 500 Index, surged in the final few days of trading last month.

While the VIX had been at a 14-month low in the middle of October, the 25% jump at the end of the month suggests investor skittishness about market direction over the next several weeks, particularly as the catalyst of earnings season draws to a close.

Fisher Capital Management, US Equities Reports: Fortunately, the fundamental picture has brightened. Better than expected economic data suggests the possibilities for an improvement in corporate performance. Interest rates and inflation remain low, providing a healthy backdrop for corporations that have been very aggressive cutting costs from their expense structures.

Indeed, recent earnings news has been somewhat positive, with 70% of the companies in the S&P 500 Index having reported an average decline in earnings per share (EPS) of 12% for the
third quarter, exceeding expectations.

Fisher Capital Management, US Equities Reports: Given our projections for a “less spectacular” economic recovery in 2010, though, we continue to believe that consensus estimates for corporate profit growth of up to 35% next year are too high. Consequently, our operating EPS projections remain more than 12% below consensus expectations ($75.00) for 2010.

Businesses can’t cut costs forever, and at some point we believe revenue growth is a necessity to help justify valuations for a market that is already trading at a price/earnings (P/E) ratio of 16 to 17 times our $65.00 estimate for next year. Until we begin to see an improvement in the longer-term trends for housing, employment, credit, sales, and profits, we suspect the market will be unwilling to pay anything more than historically average P/E multiples (16 to 17 times) for a dollar of earnings. Therefore, we continue to believe the market, as defined by the S&P 500 Index, will likely be fairly valued within the current range of 1,050 to 1,100 over the next six months.

Fisher Capital Management, Korea is a leading global financial institution holding extensive relationships with financial institutions, institutional investors and corporations across the world. As a full service company Fisher Capital Management, Korea provides a full range of investment banking services including advanced risk management, corporate strategy and structure, plus raising capital through debt and equity markets. With this as our backbone we continue to provide a client service second to none.



LBX and Sumitomo Sumitomo (S.H.I.) Construction Co., Ltd. Acquires


Fisher Capital News Update: Keep updated on recent events, press releases and latest machineries to avoid scam.

FISHER CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT - Construction Machineries, Suppliers Directory and Others – 100% Ownership of LBX Company.

Sumitomo (S.H.I.) Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. (SCM), a leading manufacturer of hydraulic crawler excavators headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, announced today that effective as of April 30, 2010 it has acquired full ownership of LBX Company (LBX) headquartered in Lexington, KY.

LBX was originally formed as part of a global alliance between SCM and Case Corporation, and holds the manufacturing rights to SCM's excavator products in North and Latin America. LBX has been marketing and selling Sumitomo excavators, forestry, material handling and demolition products under the Link-Belt excavator brand name since the company's formation.

"This acquisition underscores SCM's dedication to LBX and the Link-Belt® excavator brand, and will contribute greatly to our success and expansion throughout North, South and Central America," stated Robert Harvell, CEO of LBX Company. "Over the years, our long-term relationship with SCM has been built on a solid foundation of providing superior product quality, innovative designs, and dedicated commitment to our dealer network and customers."

"We believe that this acquisition will allow both LBX and SCM to achieve our common long-term global growth strategies," said Kensuke Shimizu, President of Sumitomo Construction Machinery.

Since its formation, LBX has passed several growth milestones, including the creation of a corporate campus in Lexington, KY that includes a world-wide parts distribution center, product testing grounds, training facilities and testing and service bays. Additionally, the Link-Belt® excavator products have evolved to meet the needs of today's marketplace, including the introduction of new models such as the Link-Belt® 360 X2 Rubber Tire material handling excavator, which was unveiled at the ISRI Convention last week in San Diego, CA.

"We look forward to working very closely with SCM in the development of future products and our dealer network to further expand our position in the marketplace," Harvell said. The management team of LBX will remain in place.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Market Overview December 2009: Fisher Capital Management



Market Overview December 2009: Fisher Capital Management - Stocks closed lower in October for the first time in seven months, as investors questioned whether the huge rally off the March lows had exceeded the economy’s ability to generate growth in output and profits.

Indeed, equities capped off a volatile month (the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) experienced triple-digit moves in ten trading sessions!) with a volatile week, as the S&P 500 Index experienced its worst five-day span since early July.

For the month, the DJIA eked out a fractional gain, while all the other major equity market indices suffered losses. Small cap stocks, which had been among the performance leaders of the seven-month rally, experienced the worst hit, with the Russell 2000® Index falling by almost 7%. In another sign that the market may be growing skeptical of the “higher risk, higher reward” strategy, the NASDAQ Composite Index, dominated by technology holdings, declined 3.6% for the month.

Market Overview December 2009: Fisher Capital Management - Yet perhaps emblematic of the struggles experienced in the markets recently, growth stocks outperformed value in October, contradicting the idea that the pursuit of “risk” had become out of favor over the past several weeks. Moreover, the weakness in U.S. markets failed to extend beyond our borders last month, as developed markets (MSCI EAFE) experienced just a fractional loss, while the emerging markets (MSCI EM) managed to rise by up to 1%, adding to their impressive year-to-date (YTD) returns.

From a sector perspective, two of the three leading performers off the March lows (financials and materials) declined by the largest amounts in October, as investors appeared to lock in gains of approximately 150% for the financials sector and 75% for the materials sector. Despite the weakness in the technologyladen NASDAQ Composite last month, the higher-quality and larger-cap tech names comprising the S&P 500 Index’s information technology sector simply dropped fractionally. Rising oil prices pushed the energy sector higher by 3%, and the “defensive trade” was still evident within the consumer staples sector, which held on for a 1% gain.

Market Overview December 2009: Fisher Capital Management - In other asset classes, fixed-income was mixed last month. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note backed up by seven basis points, as traders likely moved funds elsewhere as the Federal Reserve concluded its $300 billion Treasury purchase program. The dollar continued to weaken, hovering near 14-month lows, which helped drive up the prices for oil, gold, and most commodities.

Fisher Capital Management Korea is a leading global financial institution holding extensive relationships with financial institutions, institutional investors and corporations across the world. As a full service company Fisher Capital Management Korea provides a full range of investment banking services including advanced risk management, corporate strategy and structure, plus raising capital through debt and equity markets. With this as our backbone we continue to provide a client service second to none.





The Boiler Room: GOLD CORPORATE MARKETING PARTNER Unilux Advanced Manufacturing


Unilux is the world’s original 5 pass forced draft bent tube boiler wit no room for inaccuracy. With over thirty years of manufacturing and operational experience in just about every industry requiring boilers, Unilux stands alone as the most pristine, highly engineered, ultimate quality boiler in it’s class. While the product speaks volumes, our success is our people; many with over 25 years at Unilux, we take enormous pride in every unit we manufacture. From immediate response to inquiries, performance data, drawings, product description and assistance with proper selection, everyone at Unilux has one important goal in mind…customer satisfaction. Unilux QA/QC boasts a stringent, internal program that emphasizes employee responsibility to safety, product and quality performance.

Richard Fisher of The Boiler Room: Unilux Advanced Manufacturing - Construction for all Unilux boilers starts with the vessel. All vessel material is controlled, ASME compliant material. Generous upper and lower drums are joined with large, external downcomer(s) allowing for maximum internal circulation. Tubes are a minimum 1.5” diameter, SA 178 Grade “A” material. Tube sizes up to 2.5” diameter are used for larger boilers. The Unilux housing is the most rigid available. Individual steel panels are manufactured with 11 gauge steel and reinforced by bending and welded stiffeners throughout. Refractory design is exclusive to Unilux. We utilize a three tier pour of different tolerance refractory for ultimate performance. All Unilux refractory is warranted for 5 years as standard. Finished insulated jacket panels are scratch resistant, polyester impregnated powder coat. Thermal losses from housing and jacket are 0.5 percent. The completed enclosure allows for up to +5” water column gas side pressure. All Unilux boilers are available with fuel burning equipment and control systems as desired.

Safety is paramount at Unilux. Every Unilux boiler has been engineered to be the safest, most efficient product available in its class.
At Unilux Boiler Corp., we engineer and manufacture bent water tube boilers of only the finest quality, built by experienced craftsmen and backed by a service history that is second to none. When others decline custom engineered projects, Unilux embraces the challenge with experienced, thought provoking ideas and the ability to assist engineers, contractors and end users with the most efficient, long lasting solutions to effectively meet their needs.

Fisher Capital Management: Market Performance – US Economy


Fisher Capital Management Report, Part 1 - Output growth exceeded what were once considered lofty expectations during the third quarter, as real GDP (inflation adjusted Gross Domestic Product) rose by a 3.5% annual pace from the previous quarter. To be sure, this was the first gain in economic activity after four consecutive quarterly declines in GDP. While technically this indicates an end to the recession, we point out that on a year-over-year (YOY) basis, economic activity has still declined 2.3%, yet it represents an improvement from the -3.8% YOY in the second quarter, the worst annual drop in seven decades.  The components of GDP were led by growth in personal consumption, which increased 3.4% as stimulus programs such as “Cash for Clunkers” allowed consumer spending to increase by the largest amount in two years. Home construction surged at an annual rate of 23%, spurred on by the $8,000 tax credit for first-time buyers. Another decline in business inventories also added to output, as did the growth in government spending (2.3%). Though businesses increased spending on equipment and software, fixed investment remained weak.

Market Performance, US Economy: Fisher Capital Management Report - As the positive effects of federal stimuli diminish, we continue to project an economic recovery that is “less spectacular” than in previous experiences. While output growth has improved as government programs spurred consumption relative to housing and autos, our concern rests on the economy¹s ability to sustain these rates of growth as government programs wane. Indeed, personal spending fell 0.5% in September after the “Cash for Clunkers” program concluded in August. Consumer confidence also weakened in October as the unemployment rate approached 10%. Until we experience a sustainable floor in housing and a ceiling on the unemployment rate, we suspect output growth will rely on exports, inventories, and government outlays, areas that we characterize as “cushions” for growth.

Market Performance, US Economy: Fisher Capital Management Report - As the unemployment rate lingers within the range of 10% and Fed policymakers remain committed to keeping interest rates low for an “extended period,” we look for real GDP to expand at an average rate of approximately 2.5% in 2010.

Fisher Capital Management, Korea is a leading global financial institution holding extensive relationships with financial institutions, institutional investors and corporations across the world.
As a full service company Fisher Capital Management, Korea provides a full range of investment banking services including advanced risk management, corporate strategy and structure, plus raising capital through debt and equity markets. With this as our backbone we continue to provide a client service second to none.