Swiss Stocks: The Last Haven?

With the US markets crashing, most European markets in turmoil, Japan stagnating, and other areas of the world suffering due to the worldwide recession, where is an investor to turn? The Swiss franc is skyrocketing, while the currency for the rest of Europe is tanking. Since Switzerland is known for its neutrality, stability, security, and bank secrecy, maybe it is time to take a closer look at companies from a country that has been independent since 1291.

Here are some Swiss securities worth looking into. All of the stocks pay dividends except one, and all the dividend payers pay annually.

One such stock is Swisscom AG (SCMWY.PK), the largest telephone company in Switzerland, which has a yield of about 5% based on its latest annual dividend payment. The stock trades at 11.6 times forward earnings, and is traded on the Pink Sheets.

Credit Suisse Group (CS), one of the famous Swiss banks and the second largest in Switzerland, has a very favorable forward P/E of 6 and a Price Earnings Growth ratio of 0.8. (Remember: the lower the PEG the better the buy.) The stock yields 4.4% and trades on the NYSE.

Like chocolate? Nestle SA (NSRGY.PK) is a multinational packaged food company especially known for chocolate. It has a forward P/E of 14.6 and a PEG on the high side of 3.61. The stock yields 3.1% and trades on the Pink Sheets.

Syngenta AG (SYT) is in the business of seeds and crop production. It sports a P/E ratio of 18. The stock yields 2.5% and trades on the NYSE.

UBS AG (UBS) is Switzerland's other big bank. It's the second largest bank in Europe and is the world's largest manager of private wealth assets. It has a forward P/E of 13.

Novartis AG (NVS) is a developer and marketer of pharmaceuticals and health care products; its divisions also include Animal Health, Gerber, and CIBA Vision. One of its subsidiaries is Sandoz, inventor of LSD and manufacturer of saccharin. It has a forward P/E of 18 and a PEG of 1.3. The stock yields 1.7% and trades on the NYSE.

Roche Hldg. (RHHBY.PK) is the large pharmaceuticals and diagnostics biotechnology company. It has a forward P/E of 3.8.

ABB (ABB) is in the power and automation technology industry. It has a P/E of 11.1 and trades on the NYSE.

Logitech International SA (LOGI) ia the famous manufacturer of mice and other peripheral and personal interface devices for personal computers. It has a forward P/E of 9.9. The stock does not pay a dividend and trades on NASDAQ.

For free lists of more European stocks, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, where the lists can be downloaded, sorted and updated.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Nanotechnology is Big Business

The mathematical definition of 'nano' is one billionth; so for example, a nanosecond is one billionth of a second. Nanotechnology is the science of manufacturing and utilizing extremely small particles and devices, sometimes as small as single atoms and molecules. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter, which is approximately 80,000 times thinner than a human hair. Nanomaterials include carbon nanotubes used in electronics, body armor and cancer treatments, nanoclays which are used in composite materials, and nanoscale metals, alloys, and oxides, used in the energy and renewable energy industries.

WallStreetNewsNetwork.com just updated its list of over 40 different stocks that are involved in thenanotechnology field. They range from the microcaps (maybe these should be called nanocaps?) to the large multi-billion dollar corporations. For some of these companies, nanotech may represent only a small part of the business, such as Dow Chemical Co. (DOW), Eastman Kodak Co. (EK), EI DuPont de Nemours & Co. (DD), Ford (F), General Electric (GE), General Motors (GM), and Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ). Here are a few examples of companies involved in this fast growing field.

Amkor Technology Inc. (AMKR) is in the business of microelectromechanical systems, microelectronic assembly, and testing. The stock trades at 6.5 times forward earnings and has a very favorable PEG of 0.86.

ABB (ABB) has a nanotechnology research division relating to surface structures and material parameters. The stock has a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 15.9. The company also pays a yield of 2.0%.

Another dividend payer is Eaton Corp. (ETN) makes micro and nano connectors. The stock has a forward PE of 12.8 and a yield of 2.5%.

Cabot Microelectronics Corp. (CCMP) develops proprietary Advanced Nanoscale Surface Technology is designed to deliver Angstrom level finishes. The stock has a forward PE of 15.8.

An Excel list of over 40 nanotechnology stocks along with a description of their connections to nanotechnology, which can be downloaded, sorted, updated, and added to can be found at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author owned F at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com