Archive for March 8th, 2010

The Worst Performing Stocks of the Past 12 Months in 2009 – March 2010

Monday, March 8th, 2010

The past 12 months have been tough on a lot of companies, and a lot of investors have lost a great deal of money due to the fall of so many stocks. On the top of the list of bad stocks are the ones mentioned here. These are the stocks that have fallen the most since March of 2009, and the ones that show companies not weathering the economic storm well.

Over the past 12 months, these are the stocks that have fallen the most and cost their investors the most.

  • GameStop Corporation was doing quite well in March of 2009, but disappointing game sales and the loss of the chief financial officer of the company have hurt the company. Since last year, the stock of GameStop has fallen 22.9 percent, down to $18.08. A big drop came in February, when on one day the stock of the company fell 7.2 percent alone.
  • MetroPCS Communications was another stock doing well in 2008, but by 2009 the company was beginning to suffer trouble, including losing half their profits in the second quarter. The announcement of that loss caused the stock to fall 29 percent in one day. Currently, the stock has fallen by 54.9 percent from last year, down to only $6.38 currently.
  • Apollo Group Inc. has not fallen as far as other stocks, and it still trades high, but the company has had some difficult financial reports issued, showing that the company is in trouble. The company’s stock currently trades at $62.39, which is 6.6 percent below what it was trading at one year ago.
  • MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. was doing well when the stimulus package was announced, but with the decline in silicon prices, the company has taken a big hit going down 8.9 percent to $12.90. In one day in February, the stock took a big 15 percent hit alone due to poor earnings and losses for the fourth quarter of 2009.
  • Dean Food Corporation has fallen 16.4 percent to $16, which does not bode well for the largest dairy company in the United States. The company fell 14 percent in February alone due to the company not reaching its profit expectations forecast by the company for the month.

There are several stocks that are doing well and have improved greatly in the past 12 months. However, not all stocks are doing well and the companies mentioned here are companies that may continue to see economical trouble. When the lists of the worst performing stocks of 2010 are announced, you may see these companies listed again. That is unless the companies begin to rebound and find ways to increase profits and therefore, increase their stock price. Only time will tell to see if these companies see improvements on their stock prices. For those who invest in these companies, they can only hope the stock starts going up, after going down for a year.

Further Reading:

After Effects of Recession on US Economy

Is the second dip coming?

Energy Stocks Rising On NYSE in 2010

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Energy stocks have helped to increase the stock market’s overall value during the first week of March. Thanks to higher oil prices and demand in the energy sector, energy stocks appear to be good investments, and a safe investment during a troubled economic times like now.

Energy Stocks Are in the game now

Several sectors are proving to become good investments in the first quarter of 2010, including bank stocks (Bank Stocks Up in Q1 2010). Energy stocks are also becoming very popular and very profitable for investors. Thanks to higher oil prices and high production claims from energy companies, the stocks of energy companies are beginning to rise and they are bringing the Dow Jones up with them. Thanks to stocks like energy stocks, the Dow Jones has moved into positive territory for the year so far.

Crude Oil Prices Are rising

Crude prices are on the rise as the price of oil rose by 98 cents over the first week of March, settling in at $79.68. Several stocks within the energy sector are also providing to be bright spots including:

  1. BP: With its plans to boost its oil production, the company saw its stock rise to $54.
  2. Hercules Offshore Inc.: This company saw smaller losses than what was expected and the stock rose by 17 percent to $4.67 as a result.
  3. EQT Corporation is buying 58,000 acres in Pennsylvania for energy production for $280,000 and that has helped the stock rise by two percent to $45.75.

The production of crude oil is also rising by 700,000 barrels in the coming weeks, with the stockpile of gasoline increasing by 600,000 barrels as well.

Energy Stocks are here to stay

Many investors are looking for stocks to invest in, and while banks stocks are recovering, some see them as still too risky to go after. For the investors who want stocks that seem to be going up over the past year, energy stocks lead the way. While the energy stocks listed here are examples of stocks that have done well, they are by no means the only ones. ExxonMobil is the example of another company that has done well over the past year and shows no signs of slowing down.

Investing in today’s market can be worrisome, and that pushes many investors into safe territory like energy stocks. Proof of the improvement in the energy market is seen in the various oil indexes around the United States.

• The New York Stock Exchange Arca Oil Index rose by .6 percent
• The New York Stock Exchange Arca Natural Gas Index rose by .9 percent
• The Philadelphia Oil Service Index rose by .9 percent

The Dow Jones also rose thanks to the strength of the energy market, which gives hope for investors in the future.

Many people do not want to invest in the stock market these days because they see it as dangerous. However, there are many sectors that are doing well, with the banking and energy sector being two of the fastest growing.

Further Reading

Companies That will Rise After Recession in 2010

After-Effects Of Recession on US Economy

How does Oil Prices Fluctuate