Gaining: CBAK, FRPT

As mentioned in previous posts, we recently acquired CBAK and FRPT and both are performing very well for us. Since picking up a few shares of FRPT at $4.05 we see the producer of mine resistant vehicles holding steady:
We may continue to accumulate if we see a nice dip before January 1st. Foreign orders and Cheetah updates could propel this stock higher.
CBAK saw a nice pop today and then settled lower at the close. Our entry point here was averaged at $4.05 also:
We will hold both stocks going into the new year.
Also: Sold off ONNN @9.oo today for small gain.

FRPT: Buy On Panic?

FRPT is a stock I've kept my distance from ever since it fell below th $18 mark. The big boys started winning a bigger percentage of military contracts for vehicles and the shorts swarmed. But today, after again getting the short share of a total $2.6 billion in government spending, FRPT simply got bloodied up and my gut just told me to pick some shares up. I started a position at $4.05 and the price rose steadily through the day and closed at $4.93. We shall see how the story continues to unfold on Thursday. For now, a quick gut decision has made a small profit.

The Case for ONNN

ON Semiconductor (ONNN) came into my sights when I visited my brother in Scottsdale, AZ in November. In Phoenix they have a pretty nice looking facility I later discovered was HQ and when I saw their name on the building I made a mental note to check the stock upon my return home. So what do these guys do?
The answer: Power solutions and semiconductor devices. This you may already know. But let's look at some their customers. This was the big eye-opener for me. How about names like Apple, HP, Bosch, Delphi, Cisco, Dell, Honeywell, Intel, Motorola, Nokia, and Samsung just to name a few. They have a global logistics network in place to meet these demands. So how are they doing?
Lets look at Net Income.

PERIOD ENDING

31-Dec-06

31-Dec-05

31-Dec-04

Net Income

272,100

100,600

(123,700)

Pretty nice trend here. So why is the stock getting beat down of late?
Quarter 3 for ONNN didn't meet analyst estimates as there was a decline over last year same period and for the second quarter in a row. Add to this the overall sentiment of the markets lately and ONNN has certainly taken its lumps. So why am I enticed even though there is a chance that ONNN may not meet last years income numbers?
ONNN has just announced that they have agreed to purchase Amis Holdings. Amis supplies integrated circuits for the Auto and Medical fields. While the premium paid for Amis is a bit high, and the work to be done on Amis's low margins need some work, I like that ONNN is expanding their horizons and finding new revenue streams. With the lowest PE among their competitors I like ONNN to return to $11/share very soon.. I will be buying on every dip.

Fed throws the brakes on December rally

Did anyone jump off this cliff today? I'm sure most investors sure felt like it. Looks like some nice jagged rocks on the bottom to ease the decent as well. Well, after a nice 300 point free fall into the red abyss, I do as most investors do after the heart rate returns to normal: Put things in perspective. No the Fed did not make us feel nice and warm and feeling good about our economy leading into the holiday season. What the Fed did do however was gift wrap a big buying opportunity for the smart investor who realized a half percent rate cut was not coming. The investor who took a little off the table and has a little cash on the side for such an opportunity just got Christmas a little early this year.

Stocks to Watch: CBAK, VSR, ONNN, CC

Hope everyone is making money today.
Retailers are expected to release their numbers this week. Will it be a profitable holiday season? It's a sector I'm truly going to stay away from. Except for maybe Circuit City. I've always thought they had much better deals than Best Buy and I have to think I'm not the only one that sees that. Here's a retailer that has fallen this year from $25 to the $6 range and I see this moving up a point or two easy through the holiday run up.
I've recently started small positions in the following:
CBAK- Two new production lines now complete. They are rumored to be for supplying HP, but maybe there is a nice surprise in the coming weeks. This company has recently made moves for big growth in 2008.
VSR- Way oversold and tremendous backlog.
ONNN- Should rebound after getting beat down last 2 months.

TWRT Makes A Huge Move

It's official: My first stock double, and then some! TWRT has broken out to nearly $12 since our entry this spring at $4.35, mostly in the last 30 days. Acquisition of Brad Foote Gear Works, Inc., a manufacturer of gearing systems for wind turbine, oil and gas, and energy related industries, seemed to be the catalyst for the move. The deal closed on Oct 22 and TWRT has been on the move since the deal was announced back in August. Also acquired in this time frame was RBA, Inc., another fabricator of components for the energy related industry. TWRT has also strengthened its senior leadership team. TWRT is doing all the right things and I believe, good or bad, investors are starting to notice!

Current Holdings

My brother asked me to look into some speculative alternative energy stocks a few weeks ago and I started sifting through lists of small companies. I focused on the wind sector as it just made a lot more sense to me the long run. These are the two companies that grabbed my attention.
MMGW -Reports to be profitable very soon, patents on designs
TWRT -Ramping up for increased demand.
So we started a position in these two. My brother offered a "tip" in IOGH. So here are the current holdings:

MMGW @.60
TWRT @4.35
IOGH @.12
MKRS @.87
FRPT @18.38

FRPT is my fault...I should have sold at $30, but my love for this company just wouldn't let me sell. These guys are down, but not out and I expect the share price to rebound soon. As for IOGH, all I have to say is "Gee, Thanks for the tip, Bro!"
But, with the Dow retracing back to the 13.2K area I'll take my lumps with everyone else.

U.S. Marine Corps Impressed by FRPT Cheetah

DefenseNews.com gave FRPT some very credible feedback regarding its new "Cheetah" vehicle. Back on June 9th U.S. Marine Corps Commandant General James Conway visited the FRPT facility in S.C. and gave it a test drive.
“I’m excited about the latest addition to Force Protection’s family of MRAP Vehicles, the Cheetah,” Conway told the Marine Corps News, an internal publication of the Marine Corps, after the visit.
Read the full story here: Test Drive BoostsU.S. Marines’ Interest In Cheetah Vehicle
The Cheetah obviously made a pretty big first impression. The best part: Britain, Italy, and Turkey have also shown great interest. Pretty big news and much needed encouragement to stay long here.

FRPT, MKRS, Zecco

After dropping to the mid 20's FRPT fans got news Monday that the pentagon had approved the Army to purchase up to 17770 MRAP vehicles, up from the previous 7744 total allotment for the armed forces. This confirms what long term investors of the company already know: The pie is growing (from $7.4 billion to over $20 billion) and FRPT already has a 48% market share. This news coupled with the defense department announcement for another MRAP competition for improved vehicle design could not have hit at a better time. As of Thursday afternoon the stock was back in the low 23's.
MKRS: A stock that I have been watching and came across while studying FRPT. This stock has close to doubled since early June and has some momentum after posting great revenue for Q1. MKRS is developing a already great relationship with the Navy and is looking to market its products to other governments. MKRS specializes in electronic systems technology.
MKRS
I also recently opened a Zecco trading account. $0 commission trades, who can resist. As I fund and play around with the platform I will offer a review of the site. So far everything has gone very smoothly and I must say I am impressed so far!

Big Week for FRPT

The last time FRPT dropped below the 50 day MA and rode the 100 day MA we saw a nice upswing soon after. I'm hoping for a repeat of this action but there are several catalysts that could effect whether this happens.

1. Russel Index inclusion- More information to be released Monday, but had to effect the volume late Friday as total volume reached 12.6 million shares trades. With more shares in safe institutional hands this is a plus.
   
2. FRPT management has stated that if the DOD would like 12000 vehicles by Dec 08 they need the orders by July 1st. No orders=no ramp up for demand.
3. Orders to competitors has always shown a sharp decline in share price, although shareholders know they are coming and possibly this week due to congressional and public pressures. FRPT can not supply the entire demand of the DOD.
4. We are still waiting for the official 180 Buffalo order.

So it could shape up for a very exciting or deflating week, depending on news.

Welcome to Fast Fortune

The Stock Ticker above will show stocks that I am either invested in or am watching closely. We are starting from scratch. In future posts I will disclose assets and strategy but for now, a glimpse at what is to come.

1. Most posts will focus on stock discussions. Currently I hold a very small amount of shares of FRPT which I have owned since January. While we follow this stock to a hopeful double, we will research others that have a similar potential high growth rate.
2. Cash Reserve-Essential for a homeowner and father of two, very important if you are not one of these. We will discuss best practices and high yield savings account offerings to help make this possible.
3. Book reviews of selections I'm currently reading, helpful tips and practices, broker reviews, and maybe just some neat web links of things we find along the way.