Stocks Going Ex Dividend the First Week of December

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets. In flat or choppy markets, you have to be extremely careful, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

BlackRock, Inc. (BLK) market cap: $27.1B ex div date: 12/1/2011 yield: 3.6%

Cedar Fair, L.P. (FUN) market cap: $1.2B ex div date: 12/1/2011 yield: 12.5%

Hancock Holding Company (HBHC) market cap: $2.3B ex div date: 12/1/2011 yield: 3.5%

Itau Unibanco Holding SA ADR (ITUB) market cap: $35.0B ex div date: 12/1/2011 yield: 3.9%

Old Republic International Corporation (ORI) market cap: $1.9B ex div date: 12/1/2011 yield: 9.6%

Computer Modelling Group Ltd. (CMDXF) market cap: $322.9M ex div date: 12/2/2011 yield: 3.2%

CenturyLink, Inc. (CTL) market cap: $22.0B ex div date: 12/2/2011 yield: 8.1%

EarthLink, Inc. (ELNK) market cap: $636.9M ex div date: 12/2/2011 yield: 3.4%

Royce Value Trust Inc (RVT) market cap: $764.1M ex div date: 12/2/2011 yield: 7.0%

NV Energy, Inc. (NVE) market cap: $3.4B ex div date: 12/2/2011 yield: 3.6%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out the high yield utility stocks and the Monthly Dividend Stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

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

By Stockerblog.com

High Yield Entertainment Stocks

There's no business like show business. There are many aspects to entertainment: amusement parks, motion picture production companies, theater chains, television, sports, and many other areas. Show business has always been considered inflation-proof. When people can't afford to travel to Europe or on expensive cruises, they go to the movies, an amusement park within driving distance, or just a staycation, sitting at home watching TV.



There are numerous opportunities to invest in this sector, and many of them that pay dividends in excess of 2.5%. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com recently updated its free spreadsheet database of all the high yielding entertainment stocks and notes that pay dividends, with yields approaching as much as 7%.



One example is Cedar Fair LP (FUN), with the memorable stock ticker symbol. The stock yields 2.7%, and has been paying quarterly dividends since 1988. The dividend rate was recently increased by 11.8% over last years payout rate. Revenues for the latest quarter were up 3.2%, however the company recently generated negative earnings. Since the company is structured as a limited partnership, a K-1 will be issued instead of a 1099, so more tax paperwork involved.



Regal Entertainment Group (RGC) operates a chain of movie theaters throughout the United States in mid-sized metropolitan markets and the suburbs. The company has a forward price to earnings ratio of 19.3, and pays a decent dividend of 6.7%. Earnings for the latest quarter were up an incredible 625%.



Another motion picture chain that has theaters in North and South America is Cinemark Holdings Inc. (CNK), with a forward PE of 12.6, and an extremely generous yield of 4.2%. Earnings for the latest quarter were up over 1.8%.



You can check out a list of more than a dozen entertainment stocks and notes with yields above 2%, six of which yield more than 6%, all of which can be found at wsnn.com. Some of the stocks on the list are senior notes, which trade like preferred stocks.



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



By Stockerblog.com

Clod Computing Challenges The Cloud

Cloud computing is making a name for itself by challenging the cost of running traditional corporate data centers. But just as the cloud is reaching critical mass, a new challenger appears with an even lower cost model. They call it clod computing.

Just what is the “clod” and why is it cheaper? The business model is based on reducing infrastructure cost by getting computing resources for free. As explained by startup vendor Chip-On-A-Shingle, “A clod is simply a cluster of unwanted computers and peripherals all hooked together to create some really awesome processing.”

It’s true that there is a surplus of computers headed for landfills simply because they are no longer the new shiny thing. Most computers go to their graves perfectly functional. They’ve simply gotten too slow due to lack of memory or processing power to keep up with the latest software applications. Some are tossed for simple ugliness as UV exposure turns their once cream colored cases a nasty shade of orange.

“What gave me the idea,” said J. Unkmann, a pioneer in the new technology of OaaP (Obsolescence as a Platform), “was when I saw all these computers sitting out by the curb on trash day. It seemed like every other house had a tower or a monitor. They didn’t even bother putting them in the recycling bins. I got to thinking about all that processing power going to waste and decided to pick up a few and see what I could do with them.”

Unkmann’s breakthrough was in networking dozens, then hundreds, of old computer CPUs and selling the processing capability as a service. As he points out, “Any old 486 may not have much throughput, but when you have hundreds or thousands of cores you’ve got yourself a super-computer. I don’t dare take my array out of the country. The government has laws against exporting this advanced technology.”

Instead, Unkmann and a legion of similar visionaries are offering their services to anyone from caffeinated gamers to corporate IT departments. Unkmann’s below-ground data center has wooden racks filled from floor to ceiling with everything from old IBM PCs to brightly colored iMacs. The primary cost of the operation is electricity. “Heat could also be a problem, he remarked, but we live up North so it’s cold most of the time. Security isn’t much of a issue, either. Mom’s got a mean dog upstairs and the storm cellar door has been rusted shut for years.”

In addition to processor cycles, Chip-On-A-Shingle offers scalable storage as a service. “You can see how extensive our disk array is,” noted Unkmann pointing at a shelf stacked high with hard drives. “Some of these are only 40 GB or so, but people are throwing out computers with 250 GB drives these days. Just call up and tell me how many you want and I’ll plug ‘em in.”

Costs for clod computing are running considerably lower than those quoted by well known cloud service providers. J. Unkmann has flexible financing available that includes anything from PayPal contributions to bartering arrangements. “I’m most interested in PoD (Pizza on Demand),” he commented.

Connectivity arrangement are flexible, too. “We can wire up just about anything you want. Dial-up works just fine if you are on a tight budget. I’ve got maybe a thousand modem cards in a box over there. We can also go wireless. Just send me a time card for my prepaid phone.”

Major carriers and cloud service providers have been loath to embrace clod computing so far. But as the recession drags on, breakthrough ideas such as this may come to fill a very low end niche in the marketplace, until the economy picks up... hopefully by next April 1.

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the First Week of December

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets. In flat or choppy markets, you have to be extremely careful.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable Excel list of the stocks going ex dividend during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Flowers Foods, Inc. (FLO) market cap: $2.4B ex div date: 12/1/2010 yield: 3.1%

Cedar Fair, L.P. (FUN) market cap: $826.1M ex div date: 12/1/2010 yield: 6.8%

Qwest Communications International Inc. (Q) market cap: $11.9B ex div date: 12/1/2010 yield: 4.6%

Hancock Holding Company (HBHC) market cap: $1.2B ex div date: 12/2/2010 yield: 3.0%

CenturyLink, Inc. (CTL) market cap: $12.9B ex div date: 12/3/2010 yield: 6.8%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out the high yield utility stocks and the Monthly Dividend Stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

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

By Stockerblog.com

Happy 4th of July

Yo! Happy Independence Day from T1 Rex’s Business Telecom Explainer and the Founding Fathers:



Best wishes for a safe and happy 4th,

John

FCC Confiscates Remaining TV Channels For Twitter

Shocked and horrified by the geometrically expanding demand for wireless broadband services, the Federal Commfiscation Commission exercised its powers of eminent domain today and confiscated the remaining broadcast television channels not already sold at auction. Most surprising of all was the declaration that this rare and important spectrum is going to be dedicated exclusively to the text messaging service, Twitter.

FCC Chairman Lowon B. Andwidth explained that the Commission just completed an intensive study of Internet usage and found that the Twitter service is growing at such an astonishing rate that it will soon devour all available bandwidth. “While it is bad enough that Twitter will bring web browsing, video streaming, text messaging and email to a halt,” said Mr. Andwidth, “a far worse situation will occur when Twitter users have to take a number and get in line to post their tweets. I don’t want to be in Washington when that mob of anti-social networkers descends on Capitol Hill.”

In shortest supply is wireless bandwidth. Apparently, the lion’s share of cellular phone activity involves posting messages to Twitter rather than the growth previously expected from mobile video and web browsing. One young smartphone user was heard to exclaim, “Does anyone actually surf the Web anymore? Who has the patience to read blogs and web pages? Anything worth saying can be said in 140 characters or less.”

Twitter itself issued a 130 character statement expressing delight at the government’s pre-emptive action to prevent a massive Fail Whale epidemic from sweeping the nation, and requesting re-tweets. They vowed to expand server capacity to match the new wireless bandwidth capacity as best they can. TV stations that follow Twitter have already been tweeted to cease broadcasting immediately and return their licenses. The remaining stations will be getting old school telegrams. “It’s unlikely anyone will be inconvenienced by this change,” explained Chairman Andwidth. “Everybody is on cable and satellite by now, anyway.”

Expectations are that a swift coordinated move by the public and private sectors can ensure adequate messaging capacity at least until after the fall elections. After that, the FCC will likely look at shutting down other less important uses of the electromagnetic spectrum including most AM and FM music stations. “We may even have to shut down microwave ovens and garage door openers if we can’t keep up with texting bandwidth demand,” exclaimed an obviously frustrated chairman.

Also making quick moves to protect its interests, Google announced that it is going to take over non-wireless Internet service by offering 1 Gbps fiber optic connections to every city that performed ridiculous stunts to try to win Google broadband service for its residents. “All other cities that didn’t make fools of themselves will be getting 10 Gbps Google Internet access free of charge,” according to an unofficial Google statement. It went on to say: “There is only one acceptable day for any foolishness and that is April 1.”