Jul
21
2008
Sorry, but you’ve just run out of excuses…
There is not a single reason left for you avoid emerging-market oil, and here is perhaps the safest way for you to play it.
We’d been watching oil-services giant Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) for a while. When it announced Q2 earnings on July 18th, we knew it was time for our emerging-market investors to get in on the action.
The commodities boom in emerging markets is real. It’s making the rich even richer, but more importantly multitudes of poor people are getting a crack, often for the first time, at an upwardly mobile life that bubbles up through the entire economy. Once this starts to happen in developing countries, you want to get in on it.
Certainly, emerging markets are working quite well for Schlumberger.
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Jun
25
2008
Ask yourself this…
If the U.S. housing market is at rock bottom, how can heavy-equipment maker Caterpillar, Inc. grow its sales by 13%?
The answer is simple: emerging markets.
In April, Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) announced surprisingly strong results and a 13% surge in Q1 profits. Caterpillar’s work-around to the U.S. housing crunch is an aggressive push into emerging markets.
Countries such as China, India and Russia contributed to the company’s 30% leap in international sales. By contrast, North American sales rose a paltry 4%. Sales and revenues outside North America represented 58% of total sales and revenues in Q1 — up from 53% of the total a year ago.
Naturally, Caterpillar is increasing its commitment to emerging markets. In addition to China and India, the company is focused on the Commonwealth of Independent States — or the former Soviet Bloc.
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