5 Buffett takes with large head

7:30 AM Buffett, Large, takes No Comments

| Meena Krishnamsetty and Matt Doiron, MarketWatch

Here are the largest holdings of Berkshire Hathaway from 30 March, who value investor appeal because of their low P/E-to-growth ratios.

Warren Buffett's company Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A), its first quarterly 13F with the Securities and Exchange Commission filed last month. We have found that 13Fs used can generate to develop profitable investment strategies - an average excess return by 18 percentage points per year including the most popular small cap stocks among the hedge funds).

And it is always useful to moves by buffet, to examine its success story in excavations on the market value.

We also like to screen submissions by investors such as Buffett, stocks to find the different investment criteria, such as to comply with (PEG) proportions with low P/E to-growth. The PEG ratio connects the price earnings multiple analyst expectations for future growth, and while analyst predictions are often inaccurate, the ratio provides a way to assess a stock upside potential.

Here is a quick investments in the Oracle of Omaha investment vehicle take on the top five at the end of the first quarter, had the five-year PEG ratios of 0.9 or lower.

The holding company increased their share of DirecTV (DTV) in the first quarter of 2013 to a total of more than 37 million shares to 10%. Comes with a final result ratio multiples of 13 and with sell-side forecast high profit growth in the satellite-TV company, the PEG in much less than 1.

However, we would note that only 8% last quarter compared to the first quarter of 2012 results Germany grew. DirecTV was one of the top favorites in southeastern asset management portfolio; This Fund is managed by billionaire Mason Hawkins.

Oil and gas refining and marketing company Phillips 66 (PSX) was an another Buffett's high head takes potential with the filing of the disclosure of more than 27 million shares. Downstream oil and gas companies see generally low earnings multiples in the current market environment and the relatively new ConocoPhillips is no exception with both forward also trailing P / ES (COP)-Dreher 8.

With analysts we a five-year PEG ratio of 0,7 Phillips is expected to improve long term earnings per share received 66 such increased by 80% in the last year. Gilchrist Berg, Steve Cohen, Colin Hall and Manish Chopra include PSX positions to hedge fund managers with an upward trend.

Berkshire reported a position of 25 million shares at General Motors (GM), unchanged from the beginning of the year. GM trading around 11 times trailing earnings. Many market participants, including a large part of the analysts, billionaire David Einhorn and apparently Berkshire team also believe that the automakers for high growth are set, how U.S. consumers replace an aging car fleet and improve economic conditions in other markets.

However, recent reports show lower sales and earnings at GM as a year ago. General Motors made our list of the most popular stocks among the hedge funds in Q1 2013 (check out the full top 10 list).

Buffett was $29 billion market cap oilfield equipment and service provider National Oilwell Varco (NOV) between January and March to buy. In this assessment, the stock is trailing and forward P/es 12 and 10, respectively, and analysts are looking for enough growth, there is a peg ratio of 0.9.

While sales in the first quarter of 2013 strongly up was, however, net profit fell by more than 20%, and so we should to examine it before buying. Viking global, managed by billionaire and Tiger Cub Andreas Halvorsen, initiated a position of 2.7 million shares during Q1.

A new position in Berkshire Hathaway portfolio for 2013 was the 6.5 million shares of Chicago bridge & iron (CBI), a $6.3 billion market cap companies, which provides infrastructure engineering services primarily to the energy customers.

The company stands to benefit increased production of natural gas and so, while the subsequent result is several rather high by 21 analysts believe that it actually unterbewertet-- the same assessment is only 12 times forward earnings estimates. Julian Robertson, Siddharth Thacker and Ricky Sandler put on the stock exchange.

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Growing scam takes aim at your car

10:00 AM growing, takes No Comments

| By Liz Weston

Staged accidents are on the rise and can be deadly. Here's how to avoid being a victim.

I admit it: I wasn't paying enough attention.

We were stopped at a light, waiting to turn right. The car in front of me started rolling, then abruptly slammed on the brakes. I plowed right into it.

My first thought was along the lines of "Oh, crap." The second was, "How much will my insurance premiums go up because of this?"

What I should have thought was, "Was this accident staged?"

Los Angeles, where I live, is a hot spot for this type of fraud. So are Florida, Michigan, Texas and New York, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which said questionable car accident claims have more than doubled since 2008.

In Nevada, fraudsters are targeting big rigs in the Las Vegas area, the NCIB says, with as many as 100 suspected staged accidents in recent months.

These crimes are far from victimless. A couple and their 2-year-old daughter died in Los Angeles several years ago after their station wagon was smashed between two big rigs in a fiery crash. Two men were sentenced to 11 years in prison each after pleading guilty to deliberately staging the accident, which started when the Mercury Cougar one defendant was driving slammed on its brakes in front of one of the trucks.

The bad guys typically target vehicles that appear well-insured, such as big rigs or new-model and luxury cars. Some investigators say the crime rings look for vehicles driven by women and the elderly, who are seen as less likely to stage angry confrontations.

Liz Weston

The methods they use aren't all that sophisticated. According to the Insurance Information Institute, some of them include:

The swoop and squat. The "swoop" car cuts off the vehicle in front of you, which "squats" or slams on the brakes.The panic stop. A passenger in the car ahead of you watches you, waiting for you to be distracted (by your phone, your kids, your drive-through meal) and then telling the driver to hit the brakes.The side swipe. This maneuver typically takes place where there are two turn lanes, with the victim in the inside lane. The other driver goes wide or appears to be going straight, waiting for you to drift into his lane so he can smack into you.The drive down. The neighborly seeming driver waves you in, or motions for you to proceed, then speeds up to hit you.
The cars triggering the crashes are often filled with people, the better to inflate medical claims. After even minor crashes, the occupants will claim soft-tissue damage and other problems.

The car I hit was full, but the occupants were texting teenagers who barely looked up from their devices when I asked if they were OK. "We're fine," they chorused. Insurance investigators say criminals rarely use kids, although they sometimes recruit unwitting passengers from day labor hangouts.

Another signal this wasn't a staged accident: The other driver's car was nicer than mine. It wasn't the kind of disposable beater often used in these crimes.

Also, we had been stopped at the intersection, which limited how much harm could be done. My bumper hit her trailer hitch, which trashed my license plate and nicked the hitch, with no other visible damage. The bad guys prefer crashes at higher speeds: on freeways or between intersections.

In the end, I got lucky. The other driver didn't even file a claim. But I got a pretty good wake-up call about the importance of defensive driving, which can go a long way in preventing an accident, staged or otherwise. That means:

Don't tailgate. Leave plenty of space between you and the car ahead of you so you have enough time to react. Guy in front deliberately slowing down to annoy you? Get Zen or change lanes.Dial down the distractions. Put away the phone, don't eat in the car, pull over to deal with your kids.Watch your turn radius. Many of us drift wide while turning, so make the effort to stay in your lane.Beware of friendly strangers. If another driver is motioning you to merge in, turn left in front of him or otherwise enter his lane, consider waving him on or at least go slowly so you have time to react if his motives aren't pure.
After any accident, you should record a bunch of information. Use your cellphone camera to shoot pictures of the vehicles and any damage. You can record driver's licenses and insurance card information the same way. Get the names and phone numbers of the other drivers and all passengers, as well as names and contact information of any witnesses. If police or emergency personnel appear, get their names and badge numbers.

If you suspect fraud, trust your gut. Call the cops and get a police report, even if the damage is minor, since that will make it harder for the other driver to inflate the claim. Tell your insurer about the incident and why you think it might be questionable. You also can call the NICB's toll-free hotline at 1-800-TEL-NICB (1-800-835-6422) to report the incident; your call can be anonymous if you want. Stopping this fraud won't just save insurers some money. You could be saving a life.

More from Liz Weston:

Liz Weston is the Web's most-read personal-finance writer. She is the author of several books, most recently "The 10 Commandments of Money: Survive and Thrive in the New Economy" (find it on Bing). Weston's award-winning columns appear every Monday and Thursday, exclusively on MSN Money. Join the conversation and send in your financial questions on Liz Weston's Facebook fan page.

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Dell drama takes new twist with 2 new buyout bids

6:30 AM buyout, drama, takes, twist No Comments

Michael Dell may have to hike the price he's willing to pay if he wants to take the computer company he founded private, thanks to competition from two new acquisition offers.

A special committee of independent Dell Inc. directors said Monday that it will negotiate with buyout specialist Blackstone Group and activist investor Carl Icahn over bids that rival an offer of more than $24 billion from CEO and Chairman Michael Dell and Silver Lake Partners.

The committee has determined that the bids could be superior to the proposal from Dell and Silver Lake, which amounts to $13.65 per share.

Blackstone proposed buying the Round Rock, Texas, company in a deal that would equate to more than $14.25 per share. Icahn wants to buy up to 58 percent of Dell's shares for $15 each.

Icahn Enterprises said in a statement its offer would allow shareholders "that believe, like us, that the future for Dell is bright," to continue with the company.

The special committee said Michael Dell is willing to work with third parties on alternate acquisition proposals.

"We intend to work diligently with all three potential acquirers to ensure the best possible outcome for Dell shareholders, whichever transaction that may be," said Alex Mandl, special committee chairman, in a statement.

That's good news for shareholders hoping for a higher price, and Dell Inc. shares climbed 3.3 percent, or 46 cents, to $14.60 in morning trading.

Dell and other PC makers are struggling as technology spending shifts to smartphones and tablet computers. Dell and HP, the top PC maker, are trying to adapt by making more tablets and diversifying into more profitable areas of technology, such as business software, data analytics and storage.

Michael Dell believes he will be in a better position to overhaul the company if he no longer has to worry about Wall Street's focus on profit fluctuations from one quarter to the next.

The special committee, which is made of four independent directors, spent more than five months evaluating options for Dell before deciding on the offer from Dell and Silver Lake. It considered changes to the company's business plan, a change in dividend policy and sales of all or parts of the business.

Silver Lake raised its bid six times by about $4 billion over the course of negotiations, and the committee said in a statement that it still recommends that bid while it evaluates the other offers.

Icahn, who has a $1 billion stock position in Dell, and other investors have criticized that bid as too low. Southeastern Asset Management, Dell's second-largest shareholder after Michael Dell, has asserted the company is worth closer to $24 per share.

The offer from Michael Dell and Silver Lake was announced in early February. Dell's board then set a 45-day period to allow for offers that might top that bid. That period expired Friday.

Many investors expected that a higher bid was in the works for the world's third-largest PC maker. Several buyout scenarios tying Blackstone to Dell were leaked to the media last week.

Shares of Dell had climbed nearly 40 percent so far in 2013, as of Friday's market close. That includes a rise of nearly 7 percent since the shares closed at $13.27 on Feb. 4, the day before the Dell-Silver Lake bid was announced.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Dow takes nosedive, closes below 13,000

5:00 PM 13000, below, closes, nosedive, takes No Comments

JeeYeon Park , CNBC

Stocks took a sharp nosedive in a post-election selloff Wednesday, with the Dow logging its biggest decline in nearly a year, prompted by concerns over the looming "fiscal cliff" and amid renewed worries over Europe's weak economy.

The Dow closed below 13,000 for the first time since early August, while the S&P 500 finished below 1,400.

“It’s now how quickly we can focus on the ‘fiscal cliff’ and coming up with a resolution—that's certainly the next item on the agenda for the market,” said Art Hogan, managing director of Lazard Capital Markets. "And you still have Europe."

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down more than 300 points in its biggest one-day drop in almost a year, dragged heavily by Bank of America and JPMorgan.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq also finished sharply lower. The CBOE Volatility Index, widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, jumped near 19.

All key S&P sectors ended firmly in the red, led by energy and financials.

Apple fell more than 3 percent, pushing the tech giant down a jaw-dropping 20 percent from its all-time high of $705.07 in mid-September. The stock is now trading in bear market territory.

Obama was re-elected president Tuesday night, put over the top by the crucial battleground state of Ohio following the most expensive election in U.S. history.

Meanwhile, ratings agency Fitch said Obama needs to move quickly to avoid the "fiscal cliff," adding that failure to address the issue would likely result in a downgrade in 2013. Moody's said it would make a decision following the budget negotiations, though going over the "fiscal cliff" would not immediately trigger a downgrade.

Wall Street had favored Romney and the Republican ticket in part because it preferred their approach of retaining tax cuts, and making spending cuts. The Obama Administration favors raising taxes on the richest Americans, and also increasing capital gains and dividend taxes.

Across the pond, European shares reversed their gains to close sharply lower following ECB President Mario Draghi's negative comments on the region's economy. Draghi said economic activity in the euro zone area is expected to remain weak and the slowdown may have reached Germany.

And the members of Greece’s parliament are expected to vote on a new package of austerity measures with the government’s majority under threat. If the bill doesn’t pass, Greece will not receive its next financial aid installment of 31.5 billion euros ($40.2 billion) on Monday.

“The U.S. election temporarily flipped worries over Europe, but Europe still has an important role in global markets,” said Quincy Korsby, market strategist at Prudential Financial. “They’ve obviously been a chronic condition, but it’s flare ups like today that grab attention.”

Among earnings, Macy's reported a higher profit, thanks to sales gains, and the department-store chain also boosted its full-year earnings guidance.

Time Warner edged higher after the media company posted better-than-expected earnings.

And Kraft Foods struggled to hold gains even after the newly independent food manufacturer reported a higher profit and affirmed its 2013 outlook.

Qualcomm, CBS and Activision Blizzard are among companies slated to post earnings after the closing bell.

Treasury prices slipped from session highs after the government auctioned $24 billion in 10-year notes at a high yield of 1.675 percent. Bid-to-cover was 2.59.

On the economic front, weekly mortgage applications declined last week as Hurricane Sandy battered the East Coast and disrupted normal business activity, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

And consumer borrowing expanded by $11.36 billion in September, according to a Federal Reserve report. Economists polled by Thomson Reuters expected a gain of $10.1 billion.

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Calif. Governor takes action as gas prices surge

10:30 AM action, Calif, Governor, prices, surge, takes No Comments

Now that refiners have been given the go-ahead to process a less expensive fuel blend, the average price of gasoline in California should go down about 15 cents a gallon. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

California Governor Jerry Brown is taking action in an effort to drive down the cost of gasoline as the state’s drivers cope with record-breaking prices at the pump.

For the third straight day Monday, the statewide average price for a gallon of regular rose to an all-time high, hitting $4.668, according to AAA.

That topped Sunday's price of $4.655 and Saturday's price of $4.6140, which broke the previous record high of $4.6096 per gallon set on June 19, 2008.

Brown on Sunday ordered state smog regulators to allow winter-blend gasoline to be sold in California earlier than usual to bring down prices. Winter-blend gas typically isn't sold until after Oct. 31. Few refineries outside the state are currently making summer-blend gas, putting the pressure on already-taxed California manufacturers.

Gary Kazanjian / AP

Luis Cuevas changes the gas prices at the Shell station off California State Route 99 as truckers deal with rising gas prices in Fresno, Calif.

A temporary reduction in supply has meant that in recent days California’s gas prices have surpassed those in Hawaii to become the highest in the nation.

In some locations, fuming motorists paid $5 or more per gallon while station owners had to shut down pumps in others.

A station in Long Beach had California's priciest gas at $6.65 for a gallon of regular, according to GasBuddy.com. Meanwhile customers at an outlet in San Pablo paid just $3.49, the lowest price in the state.

The average for a gallon of regular was $4.69 in Los Angeles, $4.71 in San Diego and San Francisco, $4.55 in Sacramento and $4.90 in Santa Barbara, according to GasBuddy.com.

The average price for a gallon of gas in the United States rose less than half a cent over the past two weeks, masking a decline in most regions and a sharp spike in California prices, according to a widely followed survey.

Gasoline prices averaged $3.8375 on Oct. 5, up from $3.8338 on Sept. 21, Trilby Lundberg, editor of the Lundberg Survey, said on Sunday.

Prices were down about 3 to 12 cents in most markets except the West, she said.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

In California, the average price per gallon of gas climbed 12 cents overnight to $4.61, matching the state record set in June 2008. Meanwhile, prices in other parts of the state are falling – so why are Californians getting hit so hard? NBC's Diana Alvear reports.

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Benetton takes show ad Pope Imam Kiss

10:51 AM Benetton, takes No Comments

Pier Marco Tacca / Getty Images of mysteries

Benetton moved quickly this image of Pope Benedict XVI an Egyptian Imam kiss from its new advertising campaign.

View the latest in a long series of provocative United colors of Benetton has images of world leaders (Photoshopped) – of which some is hard to imagine shaking hands - making out. 

If the sweater maker goal was creating controversy, task fulfilled. Only a few hours after the unveiling, Benetton reported pulled an ad view Pope Benedict XVI, a top of Egyptian Imam on the lips Kiss, after the Vatican "unacceptable condemned it as a provocation", the associated press.

The campaign also features President Barack Obama to always sugar Venezuela of the President noticed D.C. hater Hugo Chavez and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Kiss Kiss. These images were not yet added.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

"For the new campaign, Agency for communication research of internal communication Fabrica manipulated images of Heads of State and Government- – without her permission."

Alessandro Benetton, sone of the company founder, said the journal, perhaps insincere, he did not expect that to complain about, because that show a message of peace world leaders promote.

"While global love is still a utopia, but the invitation a worthy, ' not to hate", against the "culture of hate", is an ambitious but realistic objective "Benetton said in a press release."

The subject is noteworthy if for no other reason, as it fits the scaled back expectations of our time. (Is all you need love?) Hating it does us sorry, no money for the charity in the budget - as simply not around?)

Bennetton responded to questions about the campaign.

There is nothing new for Bennetton with controversy, jumpers, for sale, in particular for the support of AIDS awareness or racial tolerance.

Paintings: Benetton is campaign "UNHATE"

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