Tuesday, May 30, 2006

SIMPLE IS BETTER

(click to enlarge)
http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=$SPX&p=W&b=3&g=0&id=p64235656637

What IS crystal clear to me, is you can even have correction back to 75 WEEK EMA and STILL have a bull mkt! AS long as ????? all 3 of these MA’S are rising stacked on top of each other,

and when the 20 WK slices thru and down, this Bull is officially OVER IMHO, cause when Is the last time that crossover occurred? Back in 2000-2001

And UP again in 2002-2003, I don’t need to know anything more than that.

Duratek (How's my posse doing? or is it one hand clapping?)

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

PEBBLE BED REACTORS

May 23, 2006
Pebble Bed Technology and the Uranium Super Bullby Sol Palha
"Ability hits the mark where presumption overshoots and diffidence falls short." - John Henry Newman 1801-1890, British Religious Leader, Prelate, Writer
China has come up with a new nuclear technology called "pebble bed technology". Essentially power plants built with this technology could only do one thing if something went wrong and that would be to shut down. It would be impossible for these reactors to explode or melt down. The idea is rather simple. Balls of Uranium power these reactors and each ball of uranium is wrapped in an incredibly strong layer of silicon carbide. These spheres have a much higher melting point then the temperature inside the reactor could ever reach. So essentially it would be impossible for the reactor to meltdown or explode. This technology is in the test phase but if it works out as envisioned China will leap frog ahead of the US in this area and then one wonders if they would not export this technology to countries that could help them meet their energy needs. One such country is Iran; in 2003 Iran alone supplied China with over 14% of its oil needs. This figure is definitely substantially higher today. China is desperate for energy and they openly admit to this; when one is desperate for something one is willing to trade almost anything.
"We need every type of energy," says Zhang Zuoyi, head of the institute that helps run the pebblebed test reactor. "We are hungry." China's leaders won't listen to naysayers. They can't afford to.
Another point of interest is that China is about to embark on the biggest nuclear power building plant spree ever undertaken by any nation. Their goal is to derive roughly 4-5% of their Energy needs from Nuclear Power in the next 15 years. While this might sound small when compared to other nations this simple plan means that China will need to build roughly 45 nuclear plants in 15 years or about 3 plants every year. Imagine what effect this will have on uranium prices. Off course in the next few years they could come out with even better technology, which might mean even more nuclear plants. Right now the limiting factor is that no one has thought of coming up with a nuclear power plant assembly line. We are positive that one nation will adopt this idea and when they do installing a new plant will be something that takes months instead of years.
China's new pebble bed technology might be one of the reasons India is not too worried about the nuclear deal falling through with the United States. Not only is this technology superior but also it will most likely cost a lot less and they will not be pushed into a position of having to forcefully take a stance against Iran. Increasingly it appears that more nations are willing to stand up to the US and as the saying goes there is strength in numbers.
China is positioned to leapfrog the world in nuclear power precisely because it entered the race late. Until now, the country has built a hodgepodge of reactors with different technologies and safety features. But recently top leaders decided to build a newer infrastructure virtually from scratch based on the most advanced, and safest, technologies. Although the pebble-bed reactor is not yet ready for prime time, the government is buying equipment and designs that have never been built before. China plans to choose one design of three submitted by Areva of France, Atomstroy export of Russia and Westinghouse Electric for an $8 billion program to build reactors in the eastern province of Zhejiang. (Some industry experts say Areva will probably win, especially since the Chinese government may bristle at the recent takeover bid by Japan's Toshiba on Westinghouse.) The Chinese plan to work closely with the winner to learn how to design and operate the reactors. The goal is to use this technology as the basis for subsequent Chinese plants.
The most likely technology to export, of course, is the pebble bed reactor. All reactors, including the pebble bed, use uranium fuel to produce heat that is used to turn electrical turbines. In conventional so-called light-water reactors, the heat is generated by thousands of fixed metallic rods, which require elaborate cooling systems to keep them from overheating and backup cooling systems in case the primary ones fail. Furthermore, a conventional reactor must be housed in a concrete containment vessel to mitigate damage in case it overheats. In the pebble bed reactor, thousands of tennis-ball-size spheres coated in layers of silicon carbide, ceramic material and graphite each contain thousands of granules of the fuel, uranium dioxide. Because the pebbles dissipate heat so efficiently, say the designers, the fuel inside them couldn't possibly get hot enough to penetrate the graphite casing. The pebble-bed reactor, in fact, doesn't even have a containment vessel. Another advantage of pebble beds is that it's easier to make small plants and put them up quickly, which lends itself to China's plan of spreading plants around the hinterlands. Extracting fuel from pebble bed reactors to use for weapons would be difficult and expensive. Full Story
Conclusion
Even Ukraine which had renounced nuclear technology has decided that they need to build at least 15 plants over the next decade to prevent a repeat of the recent energy crisis when Russia cut of gas supplies to Ukraine. Almost every nation is slowly but surely embracing nuclear energy something that was once shunned. While we have many nations focussing on developing new technologies for nuclear power plants no one is spending the time and money needed to find new supplies of uranium and open up new mines. Current demand far outstrips the available supply and one can only imagine the uranium crunch that will be created in years to come unless a massive program to open up new mines and find new supplies of uranium is undertaken shortly. As usual a crisis that could have easily been prevented will be allowed to develop into a full blown disaster before something meaningful is done. The reasons are always the same; key big players are going to make fortune and the expense and misery of others. When the choice comes to down to money or doing the right thing 9 out of 10 times money wins. Hence make sure that you own the right companies and buy them at the right time as they are many useless so called uranium companies out there. One can also buy a great company at the wrong time. In order to win one has to buy at the right time and also sell at the right time.
"The principle of all successful effort is to try to do not what is absolutely the best, but what is easily within our power, and suited for our temperament and condition." - John Ruskin 1819-1900, British Critic, Social Theorist

Thursday, May 18, 2006

PAUSE THAT WON'T REFRESH

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aD_NO5xcEUzQ&refer=us REAL worl evidence of inflation, Fed is bixed in a corner.

Last 8 X Fed discount rate reached 6% (we are there now) there was severe market reaction.

Evidence of 90% or near so down volume yesterday, selling pressure hits a new yearly high.

Vix highest level in 8 months, are the PRO'S getting nervous?

I may be jumping the gun, (meaning getting moving avg confirmation) but stock market action just as we were about to take out OLD bull market highs, making me think Bear market may be back, worst action since cyclical bull began, IMHO

Don't ignore history, are you going to stay fully invested in an aging bull mkt?

Duratek

Saturday, May 13, 2006

REASONS

http://www.prudentbear.com/archive_comm_article.asp?category=Credit+Bubble+Bulletin&content_idx=54398

Doug Noland is THE place to go for raw data, and you WILL get something from this TOUGH read.

D

HOW MARKET TOPS ARE FORMED

Ethanol bull (PEIX) could be starting, remember ALL bulls correct, I think TOO many on board, it has been too easy, so a SHAKEOUT is coming, IMHO not bashing just MHO. certainly this stock has been hot.

BUT, if I am correct, and I am not alone, the top in the cyclical bull could be in.,,,and If I am correct it is very possible the bear rips ALL a new one....bonds MAY do better, but so far havent found bottom, a normal safe haven....gold sure has but WAY overbought will plummet in short order

IMHO A STEEP drop in commodities may signal tougher times ahead,,,,especially SILVER AND COPPER....used in all kinds of products....OIL fell as demand eased?

Utility avg usually tops 6-8 mnths ahead of DOW...it topped last OCT 2005. TRANS new ALL time high, but for 6 years DOW didnt agreee, and withing a snot shot this week it has run away from that new high (maybe it tries again)...NAZ topped months ago....so we dont have a unified market working to new highs together.
And we have VERY few of the Dow 30 close to 52 wk highs....and we have PLENTY of stocks off already by 20% or more....ad that % keeps rising.WHat is wrong with MSFT AMZN YHOO INTC DELL EBAY GOOG IBM GM WMT etc etc...many of these are making 52 wk LOWS Under your nose.
Insider selling is at a frenzy, whats their hurry? and here to http://finance.yahoo.com/q/it?s=PEIX Maybe I am wrong, but if your stocks are acting badly, take them out, shoot them, raise cash ....all IMHO

A BEAR has torn even the bears hide to hide....and hasnt it been easy to be a CRAMER?
Been 3 YEARS!!!! since last 10% correction......VIX is moving up, if that continues the PRO'S are getting nervous...you better too.

OK and dismiss me as a nut case, but remember the day you read this.....in the future.We are in a SECULAR BEAR trend, the FED and BUSH have fought it tooth and nail,,very well.....but it has grossly maladjusted our economy and made our "friends" STRONGER, helped build the Chinese Military too.Yeah, 10's of millions willing to work for $200 or less a MONTH!!! how they gonna afford OUR JUNK? oh yeah on credit?

You will figure out too late I am right, the trend may be changing back to the bear....and you cannot afford to drizzle saliva and let it rip you a new one..or can you?

Duratek

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

GOLD STANDARD, FED IN A BOX

1 M Chinese enter workforce every week (I think right? every day DOH!!?)
avg pay $190 aint gonna make them CONSUMERS instead of savers....as one astute Gov official said...." they need to be more like us!!! and us them!"
Chines official quoted as saying Gov needs to diversify TRILLION $$ reservese doubling maybe QUADUPLING GOLD reserves (reason for recent runup and iran)
State coffers in BLACK, new home buyers TRAPPED with rising costs for everything (cutting consumption or escallating debt or both) as the hidden tax PROPERTY TAX has sky rocketed with HIGHER asessments from housing BUBBLE, you wont see this OVER TAXXING refunded, GOV is OUT OF CONTROL with the taxes

Tarrif could be lifted on Ethanol, IMHO these stocks are VERY vulnerable if so (after speculative fever)

STocks should be near geared up as additive mandated for Summer driving season. Will the increased use of EThanol lead to INFLATION in the raw materials like CORN?

$700 gold? is this the "DATA" Fed is said to be looking at when meeting for rates? HOW does this go unnoticed? wouldnt INFLATION heat up and interest rates RISE sharply is the $$$ is NOT defended.

I think FED is in NO MAN'S LAND, a VICTIM......JAILED by their own hands/policies...NO WAY OUT.

A SEVERE correction at very least is LURKING.....none of us, anyone will see it coming as they stare at CRamer show.......

Up on deck? ATM snafu.......BUSH?repubs want EXTENSION of TAX cuts for RICH....and the AVG JOE gets killed by high energy, levitated Property taxes, and too high mortgages....the ATM tax etc.....etc....the DIV tax cut is for bleep.

Monday, May 08, 2006

"FOLLOW THE MONEY?"

http://www.contraryinvestor.com/moprinter.htm May commentary

When there isn't much to say I take a break, so let's catch up.

In a "floating on a sea of liquidity" and 8,000 hedge funds kind of market, it is not surprising to see a new high for move in Dow, and maybe all time high being less than 2% away, will follow......but all is NOT healthy.

As this rally goes into its 44th month from 2002/2003 lows, it becomes ever more LESS inclusive, and not all indexes have come along.

SPX and NAZ are far off their highs, Transports made new all time highs a year ago, without Dow confirmation, and in SEPT of 2005 the Utility index topped out!!! And can be a fore warning of end of the bull market.

What you must remember, is the rally from 2002 lows is in the context of a SECULAR BEAR MARKET, which will probably last up to the length of the preceding bull market, which means as long as 10- 20 years!

And there will be a few of these strong rallys, until the Bear has done its job and or run its course. Which is to restore ORDER, and the NORMS.

Dividend yields at near 2% is even LOWER than at any previous bull mkt top! At bear mkt bottoms near 6% is typical.

SPX earnings have been propped up from historic energy company profits and HUGE stock buyback programs.

Insiders are selling like mad.

It has been over 3 years since the mkt has corrected 10%.

Bear markets reduce speculation, volume on the BB (penny stocks) is DOUBLE what it was in 2000 !! DEBT has exploded, instead of consumers retrenching. Demand is being satiated, a gluttony, not pent up.

Housing has EXPLODED with excess speculation rampant and now unwinding.

I don't know if THE top is coming, but do feel some kind of important top is near, and we are now IN the dead zone for market, the seasonals nolonger supplying a tailwind.....IMHO caution is warranted.

Next update? when I feel like it.


Duratek