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Joseph Porter

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  • The PC OS War

    By Joseph Porter - May 14, 2013 | Tickers: AAPL, GOOG, MSFT

    While rumors of the death of the PC may be (to paraphrase Samuel Clemens) greatly exaggerated, it is true that there is now something of a war being waged between three operating systems: Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) OS, Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows (8, in particular), and Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android. Can they coexist, or will we soon be saying "The ------ OS is dead" (fill in the blank with more »

  • Mining for Gold...Mines, That Is

    By Joseph Porter - April 30, 2013 | Tickers: EGO, GG, IAG, PAAS

    Over the past six months, the price of precious metals has been sliding downwards. In particular, gold has seen a drop of almost 25%, while silver has decreased in price by almost 33%; the devaluation has been rather dramatic in recent weeks:

       

    In the period from April 9 to April 17, silver dropped more than 15%, to $23.34 from $27.51. Gold saw a similar drop from April 5 more »

  • Microsoft: Scapegoat to an Industry

    By Joseph Porter - April 12, 2013 | Tickers: AAPL, GOOG, MSFT

    PC shipments for the first quarter of 2013 dropped 14%, with PC makers moving just over 76 million units.  The decrease is apparently the largest such drop since tracking shipments began in 1994 (according to Bloomberg).  Writing for Bloomberg, Aaron Ricadela wastes little time in identifying the company to which everyone's fingers seem to be pointed in directing blame, to a large extent, for the decline -- Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFTmore »)

  • Rough Waters Off Greece

    By Joseph Porter - March 26, 2013 | Tickers: DCIX, DSX, NMM, RNO

    I am always on the lookout for a solid company offering a double-digit dividend yield.  While examining some opportunities recently, I compared three shipping companies operating out of Greece: Diana Shipping (NYSE: DSX), Diana Containerships (NASDAQ: DCIX), and Navios Maritime Partners (NYSE: NMM).  Each of these companies looks like a good investment - but are they?

    The fundamentals:

     

    Navios Maritime Partners

    (NMM)

    Diana Shipping

    (DSX)

    Diana Containerships

    (DCIX)
    Market Cap.  845 more »

  • The PC Is Dead! Long Live the . . . Uh . . . PC!

    By Joseph Porter - February 7, 2013 | Tickers: AAPL, DELL, HPQ, IBM, LNVGY.PK

    "The King is dead!  Long live the King!" is a pronouncement that has its foundations as far back as 13th century England, and is based on a principle adopted to avoid civil war: upon the death of the reigning monarch (then, Henry III), the monarch's heir (then, Edward I) is considered to immediately ascend to the throne, leaving no period where there is no legitimate ruler (Edward was fighting more »

  • Low Debt and High Expectations

    By Joseph Porter - January 25, 2013 | Tickers: DCIX, DSX, RNF, RTK, RNO

    The first things I look at in any potential investment - and especially young companies - are the company's debt/equity ratio and its quick ratio.  If debt/equity > 1, and/or if quick ratio < 1, the company had better have stellar figures elsewhere, or my money is going elsewhere.

    If used right, debt can be an effective tool in growing one's business.  It can also be a way to more »

  • The Healthcare Dogs of the Dow

    By Joseph Porter - January 9, 2013 | Tickers: JNJ, MRK, PFE

    Every once in a while I like to look at the "Dogs of the Dow" to see how they're faring.  It just piques my interest to see how well a strategy based on nothing more than a company's dividend yield is performing.  The history of the "Dogs" is impressive, of course - an average yield of more than 14% growth compared to the Dow's 11%-plus, over the more »