WTF MARKET?!?

So we have taken for quite a bit of a ride this election season. Everyone is pumping fear into the media so, obviously, the market goes all over. Truth be told, I’d much rather play blackjack online instead of feed into this nonsense. I can have a ball with some online slots instead of dumping money into spec stocks like Pavilion Energy (PVRE.) I bought a few thousand of this penny stock a few weeks ago to watch it tank a bit, even though Google (GOOG) is backing it for the wind farm project off the coast of New Jersey. If the project goes through, it will be a huge home run for anyone involved including local bonds on the east coast since it will save people money with cheap power. And saving citizens money equates to better returns on municipal bonds.

I still have my PVRE hopes up though. Hopefully it will take a swing up to the Caterpillar (CAT) range in the next few years (which if you recall, we gave CAT the thumbs up around $30 / share and they are currently sitting pretty at around $80 / share. 266% profit if you listened to your old friends here at WTF Market.)

If that doesn’t play out, there are tons of small caps and pennies to bet on in the alternative energy world right about now.  It’s probably just a roll of the dice to get some money out of it, unless the southern US starts believing in global warming the demand won’t be enough for everyone to succeed.  But still, some of the better ones can get a treasury grant and the others can get gobbled up by a giant like General Electric (GE) or First Solar (FSLR.)

It’s kind of like living in online casinos in a way, isn’t it?

When dealing with penny stocks, it is like playing online slots. You buy in and sell out, hoping that the big players don’t screw you out of your share of the winning. At least with online gambling you have the rules displayed in front of you with all of the necessary disclosures and what not.

It makes no sense to me that with the current reporting of higher than expected profits that First Solar (FSLR) has to take another dive. They are a great company. They make super cheap thin solar panels for the southwest United States and Europe, and they make them well. The only negative news was that they are lowering their prices so they can compete better. SO WHAT! Competition is what leads industry to innovations! It is what drove the formation of a THIN solar film company as opposed to another run of the mill solar film company.

Once that news came out and the bears started attacking, I sold off half my stake. I know, I hate myself for doing it but whatever. It’ll go down to the bearish lows of $120 or $100 or even $90 and when it does, guess who will be there to snatch it up? Me.

That’s because I kept my profits in petty cash, and when the time comes I’ll be a quick $8 trading fee away from getting it at what will most likely be the 52-week low, hopefully around $90-100 when I’d like to get back in. I’ll probably even get double what I sold off which will be fun when it runs back up to $160-180 or even $200-220. That is the kind of money that you’re every day, working class day trader can take to the bank.

The funny thing is I bet it’ll all happen again in another year, just like it did last year.

So what do you do when you need some canvas printing done?  Do you go to the neighborhood store or shop, or do you check out some unknown online place?  I have always gone around the corner to some old Greek guy, who does a pretty great job but costs a fortune.  I’m starting to think that the best way to put photos onto a canvas is to go it online.

Canvas printing is definitely something that can be done on the cloud in 2010.  You can take a photo on your fancy digital camera, upload it to the cloud somewhere and order some square canvas prints online.  Seems like a pretty done deal.

Personally, though, I like a 3 panel canvas the best.  It just displays nicely when it’s finished.  It is a bit classier, in my opinion.

And that brings us now to the question of the day.  The million dollar question, if you will.  “What the F does this have to do with stocks?”  Relax, I’ll tell you.

This is a trend for the coming years (read: “long term investment”.)  Consumers are looking to do stuff like this for everything and there are companies popping up every day that help people get their lives on the cloud.  And what is a cloud?  Just another fancy word for server network.  Usually, provided by companies like Amazon (AMZM) and Akamai (AKAM) and connected with fiber optics provided by companies like Finisar (FNSR) on a system by Cisco (CSCO) running through ISP’s like AT&T (T).

Pick your winner out of the group.  Personally, I like Amazon because they are one of the most trusted online retailers and their AWS (Amazon Web Services) platform is enormously popular with web developers and system administrators alike.  I will have to pick them as the long term winner, but they are all a safe bet for a long hold.

People love nice looking cars. Cars stock from the factory look cool and all, but when you add some flashy or classy accessories people’s heads turn whether they like it or not. Who profits from this? The manufacturers, materials (AA), car companies (F) and retailers. Yay venture capitalists!

But who cares? I paid good money for my car, why should I modify it?

Performance, for one. Adding something as simple as a rear spoiler can help reduce drag and even add more torque by adding more weight and traction on your rear tires. Another is the look. Who doesn’t like the looks of a classy, non flashy carbon fiber or aluminum (here’s the materials and manufacturers part) rear spoiler anyway?

It’s a shame nice online stores for aftermarket accessories aren’t public or it would be an easy buy with the spike in car sales.

Adios, dear friend. You invented the concept of the smart phone, and alas you only have enough cash to last 3 more quarters. It’s a sad story, and there are theories to why it’s happening but that’s not why we’re here. We don’t ask “why is it failing,” we ask “how can we profit off this?”

Well, it’s a long shot but it may be possible. If Palm (PALM) gets bought out by someone, you can always get in on that all-stock purchase. It’s possible… Someone like Research in Motion (RIM) can use a brand boost. Or one of the many electronic conglomerates with horrid smart phone operating systems can standardize their line with Palm OS. Hell, even Microsoft (MSFT) can use the brand to help promote Windows 7 Mobile. I personally think that one of these will happen, but when and by who is anyones guess.

In order to profit from this monumental tanking, you’ll have to guess what the sale price will be and try to buy in on that. It won’t be too bad though. I’m betting Palm will be a penny stock on the Pink Sheets within a year and you can always gamble when its 20 cents a share. You’re call, but I’ll probably wait until around then to pull the trigger and hope I didn’t miss my shot or waste some money.