Thursday, January 1, 2009

2009 - Ideas For The Year

Welcome to 2009!
The past year has been a rough ride, and I imagine that many of you (like me!) are considerably worse off than you were a year ago. The events of 2008 exposed many weakness in both the national and global economies leaving bankruptcies, falling sales, job losses, lower real estate prices, foreclosures.... the list goes on.... and it ain't pretty!

There are many challenges that lie ahead in 2009, but with them come many opportunities for those looking in the right places. There is money to be made in 2009, but it may not come as easily as in years past.

The purpose of this post is to make a few picks for the year which I will review at the end of each month. In the coming few weeks I will post further thoughts about each of the picks. The purpose of this exercise is to provide ideas for your own research, some potential opportunities for 2009, as well as some companies I feel are best avoided. I will focus on specific companies in this instance, although later in the year I may look in more depth at specific sectors, or the economy as a whole.

My Long Picks for 2009, with 12/31/08 closing prices

Highveld Steel and Vanadium (HSVLY) - $7.68
Chase Corporation (CCF) - $11.29
Versar, Inc. (VSR) - $4.12
Natural Resources Partners LP (NRP) - $17.45
Hugoton Royalty Trust (HGT) - $16.05
UFP Technologies (UFPT) - $5.29
Anadys Pharmaceuticals (ANDS) - $1.57
Yanzhou Coal (YZC) - $7.52
Ecology & Environment (EEI) - $11.98
Quicksilver Gas Services LP (KGS) - $9.48
Urban Outfitters (URBN) - $14.98
Dorchester Minerals LP (DMLP) - $15.87
Himax Technologies (HIMX) - $1.61
Raven Industries (RAVN) - $24.10

My Short Picks for 2009, with 12/31/08 closing prices

Citigroup (C) - $6.71
Bank of America (BAC) - $14.08
LaCrosse Footwear (BOOT) - $12.48
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (RRGB) - $16.83
Office Depot (ODP) - $2.98
Ann Taylor Stores (ANN) - $5.04
Mercantile Bancorp (MBR) - $10.55
Circuit City (CCTYQ) - $0.13
La-Z-Boy (LZB) - $2.17
Build-A-Bear Workshop (BBW) - $4.86
Smurfit Stone Container Corporation (SSCC) - $0.26
Converted Organics (COIN) - $3.54

Well, I will review the list at the end of January to see how my picks and pans are performing. Until then, happy investing!

Disclosure: At the time of writing the author held shares in Himax Technologies (HIMX), Hugoton Royalty Trust (HGT), UFP Technologies (UFPT), and Versar, Inc. (VSR).

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