Sociedad Quimica y Minera (ADR)

• More Upside Potential for This Company on a Potential Buyout

  By Anh HOANG - April 30, 2013 | Tickers: BASFY.PK, ROC, SQM

  Recently, Barry Rosenstein, through his $5 billion activist hedge fund Jana Partners, accumulated up to 2.77 million shares of Rockwood Holdings (NYSE: ROC), accounting for around 3.5% stake in the company at the end of 2012. Jana Partners commented that Rockwood Holdings should be worth around $80 per share, a 24% premium to its current trading price of around $64.40 per share.

  Since the beginning of the more »

• Stock Alert: This One Looks Ready to Explode

  By Neha Chamaria - February 21, 2013 | Tickers: DD, HUN, ROC 130817C00060000, SQM

  I found Rockwood Holdings’ (NYSE: ROC) fourth-quarter earnings call particularly interesting because it said almost everything about what’s going to keep Rockwood’s stock moving in the near future. Yes, Rockwood’s stock might have gained 17% year-to-date, but it might just be the beginning. In one line, it will be a buy and sell story. As Rockwood buys and sells, you should consider buying ... the stock, that is more »

• Big Chemical Companies: Safe Havens or Lumbering Monsters?

  By Chris Hodge - January 8, 2013 | Tickers: APD, DD, SQM, DOW

  I've got a bit of ambivalence about big companies in general. On the one hand, they tend to be fairly stable because size grants a bit of leeway. There's a certain social proof that keeps people working harder to maintain a company that they believe can't possibly fail. But at the same time, it's really easy to get caught up in dogma and expect that things more »

• 1 Stock With a Twist You Shouldn’t Miss

  By Neha Chamaria - September 4, 2012 | Tickers: AGU, POT, RIO, SQM, DOW

  I played a game with some colleagues, where they had to say the first thing that came to their minds when I mentioned a word. I said lithium, and 80% responded with "electric car."  Okay, electric vehicles do have lithium batteries at their very core, but that’s just one of the uses of the metal, and certainly not the most important one. Otherwise, despite sales of electric cars growing more »

• A First Look at Lithium Plays

  By Steve Van Tiem - August 16, 2012 | Tickers: FMC, LIT, ROC 130817C00060000, SQM, TLH

  Beyond its use in pharmaceutical drugs and maybe the song of the same name by grunge rock legends Nirvana, I‘ve never given any thought to lithium, especially in the context of investing and investment ideas. Pharmaceuticals comprise only about 2% of the end uses for lithium, however, and the majority of global lithium supply is used for other industrial and technological applications. The metal, which occurs fairly abundantly in more »

• Investing Abroad: Chilean Stocks

  By Matthew Luke - August 6, 2012 | Tickers: BSAC, CNCO, LFL, SQM, VCO

  Diversification is the best defense against global uncertainty. Living abroad, that is one truth that I have come to appreciate more and more. With so much uncertainty in Europe and the rest of the world, we sometimes forget that truth. In these times of uncertainty, many investors seek the safety of good US companies, avoiding the rest of the world completely. Diversification means more than just different sectors of the US economy. Diversification also means foreign companies that will protect your portfolio from domestic risk.

• A Commodity that Packs a Charge.

  By Michael Mistaleski - July 26, 2012 | Tickers: FMC, ROC 130817C00060000, SQM

  Lithium is a commodity that can not be purchased on an exchange. The product is in growing demand for use in batteries for electric cars, cell phones and notebooks to name just a few. The continued growth in demand for high tech-tech gadgets with a need for lithium powered batteries makes it worth a look as an investment. Because of the demand for the product, companies have been able to more »

• The Growth of Lithium

  By Mary Posey - July 23, 2012 | Tickers: FMC, RIO, ROC 130817C00060000, SQM

  The growing popularity of devices that use Lithium batteries is turning into a boom for miners.  Prices for lithium have tripled since 2000 as more products, such as the iPad and Toyota’s Prius, are using the technology.  Lithium’s use in technology has been growing about 20% a year since 2000, and today accounts for 30% of global lithium demand.  Approximately 95% of the lithium market is controlled by more »

• How to Profit from Growing Lithium Demand

  By Andrés Cardenal - July 23, 2012 | Tickers: LIT, ROC 130817C00060000, SQM, TLTHF.PK

  Smartphones are a booming business all over the world, and tablets are in the first stages of what could be a gigantic market over the following years. These products require lithium for their batteries, and electric cars could mean another dramatic boost for lithium demand in the long term. Given an opportunity of this size, it makes sense to consider some alternatives to profit from growing lithium demand

  Lithium's more »

• Is it Time to Fertilize your Portfolio with Potash?

  By Meena Krishnamsetty - March 28, 2012 | Tickers: AGU, CF, POT, SQM, MOS |

  Just a few short years ago, agriculture chemical stocks found themselves front-and-center on investors’ radars, as well as the focus of momentum players. In particular, shares of Potash (NYSE: POT) soared from mid-teens to $80 in a span of 15 months from March 2007 to June 2008. The bubble popped as the global economic crisis revealed itself.

  Today, five years after its inaugural ascent into greener pastures and trading at more »

• Three Bargains: APL, POT, FCX

  By Declan Fallon - March 22, 2012 | Tickers: APL, CF, FCX, POT, SQM

  Bargain Hunting is a tricky business; in many cases one overpays for a lemon, but once in a while you can find a real gem.  It's finding these gems which makes swallowing the lemons all the easier.  Stock Picking is no different.  "Finds" can turn into disappointments; on the spin of a bad earnings release, a 'shock' news item, or simple bad timing.  But when a portfolio booster is more »