Most of these people are down this week; not sure why.

George Soros -17%
Warren Buffett -13%
Jim Cramer -19%
Suze Orman +8%
Al Gore -2%
Robert Kiyosaki -31%
Bill Gates +1%
Maria Bartiromo -2%
Erin Burnett +6%
T. Boone Pickens +14%
Carl Icahn 0%
Stockerblog -49%

One way to define cloud computing is having your programs and data stored remotely on a server far away, instead of on individual computers. As long as you have an Internet connection, you can have a fairly dumb computer ans still utilize cloud computing. The clouds are simply the servers of companies that provide this service, and those servers can be located anywhere in the world. If you have Yahoo (YHOO) mail, Google (GOOG) gmail, or hotmail, then you are using cloud computing in a small way. You don’t have the email servers in your office or home, you use the Yahoo or Google servers. Many colleges and universities are turning over their student email services to Google, which saves them money on servers and saves on staffing for support.

These same benefits apply to the private sector, especially when you extend it to data storage and computer software. You don’t need a technician to come out and install new software to each employees’ station. You don’t need a bunch of network administrators monitoring the company’s servers. You don’t need to periodically upgrade computers. You don’t need to own a bunch of servers. You cut down on the costs and issues relating to the disposal of old computers and servers. You don’t need to deal with data security, as that is the job of the cloud computing company. The benefits of clouds are extensive, and there are over 25 stocks in the cloud industry to choose from, according to the Cloud Computer Stock list at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, including companies involved in server farms and outsourced storage systems.

Cloud computing as a growing industry now appears almost every day in the financial press. And the interest from investors has been significant. Take for example Salesforce.com (CRM), which is up over 600% since it started trading in 2004.

Salesforce.com is a provider of customer-relationship management services that has promoted ‘the end of software’. Salesforce has customers of all sizes, including Corporate Express division of Staples (SPLS), Daiwa Securities (DSECY.PK), Expedia (EXPE), Dow Jones Newswires subsidiary of News Corp. (NWS-A), SunTrust Banks (STI), and Kaiser Permanente. Salesforce trades at a lofty 89 times forward earnings, debt in the amount of $495 million, with over $769 million in cash. The company just reported a quarterly sales increase of 29.8% year over year, with a 1.8% increase in earnings.

VMware (VMW) is another major cloud and virtualization player. Its product VMware vSphere is a cloud computing data center platform. It sports a forward PE ratio of 49.6. The company has $450 million in debt with $2.9 billion in cash. The company reported that latest earnings increased an incredible 121.4% in earnings on a 45.8% increase in revenues.

Citrix Systems, Inc. (CTXS) provides on demand applications and online services, including GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, GoToTraining, GoToAssist, and GoToMyPC. This debt free company has $902 million in cash and carries a forward PE of 30. The latest quarterly earnings were up 64.3% on a revenue increase of 17.8%.

To access a free Excel spreadsheet database of numerous companies involved in cloud computing in some way, that can be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to wsnn.com. You can also get info on the green aspects of cloud computing from my book The Green Light on Green Stocks: A Quick Guide to Green Investing and Making Money in Alternative Energy Stocks, in which I described cloud computing as a green industry and a way of providing money saving services to many corporations.

Disclosure: Author owns YHOO.

By Stockerblog.com

If you want to get ready for travel during the Christmas season, you might want to check out the following:

Don’t Touch My Junk! Hands Off! T-Shirt

Lead-lined underwear

Don’t Touch My Junk TSA Pat Down Airport Pinback Button Badge

The book I Might As Well Be Naked: How to Survive Airport Screening With Your Clothes On

By the way, a friend told me about a possible money making idea. Apparently, there is some type of equipment that if located within the vicinity of the Backscatter X-ray machines, can pick up the signal of the images that those machines generate. (I haven’t yet verified this, but maybe one of my readers can find a link to such a device.) So someone sits in their car at the airport parking lot with one of those devices, then runs the X-ray image through Photoshop, converts it from a negative to a positive, emails the picture to a co-worker at the location that the passenger will be arriving, the co-worker prints it out on glossy paper, stands outside the luggage area, and sells the nude picture of the passenger for $20 as they exit so the traveler can have it as a personal souvenir of the travel experience, similar to what they do at the amusement parks. Any entrepreneurs out there that want to make some money during the Christmas travel season?

So what is cloud computing? It is having your programs and data stored remotely, ‘in the clouds,’ instead of on individual computers. As long as you have Internet connection, you can have a fairly dumb computer ans still utilize cloud computing. So where are these so-called clouds? They are basically, in very simple terms, the servers of companies that provide this service, and those servers can be located anywhere.

Do you have Yahoo (YHOO) mail, Google (GOOG) gmail, or hotmail? Then you are using cloud computing in a small way. You don’t have the email servers in your office or home, you use the Yahoo or Google servers. As a matter of fact, many public universities are turning over their student email services to Google, giving students a type of gmail account. It saves them money on servers and saves on staffing for support.

These same benefits apply to the private sector, especially when you extend it to data storage and computer software. You don’t need a technician to come out an install new software to each employees’ station. You don’t need a bunch of network administrators monitoring the company’s servers. You don’t need to periodically upgrade computers. You don’t need to own a bunch of servers. You cut down on the costs and issues relating to the disposal of old computers and servers. You don’t need to deal with data security, as that is the job of the cloud computing company. The benefits of clouds are extensive, and there are over 25 stocks in the cloud industry to choose from, according to the Cloud Computer Stock list at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, including companies involved in server farms and outsourced storage systems.

Salesforce.com is a provider of customer-relationship management services that has promoted ‘the end of software’. Salesforce has customers of all sizes, including Corporate Express division of Staples (SPLS), Daiwa Securities (DSECY.PK), Expedia (EXPE), Dow Jones Newswires subsidiary of News Corp. (NWS-A), SunTrust Banks (STI), and Kaiser Permanente. Salesforce trades at a lofty 76 times forward earnings, debt in the amount of $476 million, with over $742 million in cash. The company just reported a quarterly sales increase of 30% year over year, with a one cent drop in earnings per share.

VMware (VMW) is another major cloud and virtualization player. Its product VMware vSphere is a cloud computing data center platform. It sports a forward PE ratio of 45. The company has $450 million in debt with $2.9 billion in cash. The company reported that latest earnings increased an incredible 121.4% in earnings on a 45.8% increase in revenues.

Citrix Systems, Inc. (CTXS) provides on demand applications and online services, including GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, GoToTraining, GoToAssist, and GoToMyPC. This debt free company has $902 million in cash and carries a forward PE of 29. The latest quarterly earnings were up 64.3% on a revenue increase of 17.8%.

To access a free Excel spreadsheet database of numerous companies involved in cloud computing in some way, that can be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to wsnn.com.

Disclosure: Author owns YHOO.

By Stockerblog.com

This domain name has had a notorious history, including being hijacked through identity theft, and Kremen spent a long time in court getting it back. You can read all about the history of the domain in the book Sex.com: One Domain, Two Men, Twelve Years and the Brutal Battle for the Jewel in the Internet’s Crown (Volume 2) and the book The Sex.Com Chronicles: A White-Hat Lawyer’s Journey to the Dark Side of the Internet.

Don’t forget to check out the Top Domain Names are Owned by Publicly Traded Companies.

This domain name has had a notorious history, including being hijacked through identity theft, and the true owner spent a long time in court getting it back. You can read all about the history of the domain in the book Sex.com: One Domain, Two Men, Twelve Years and the Brutal Battle for the Jewel in the Internet’s Crown (Volume 2) and the book The Sex.Com Chronicles: A White-Hat Lawyer’s Journey to the Dark Side of the Internet.

The deadline to contact sedo, if you are interested, is September 21.

For example, the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange and the Tokyo Stock Exchange have a partnership which involves sharing of investment and technology information. Nike (NKE) has been manufacturing in Vietnam for over 12 years. Intel (INTC) also has operations in Vietnam.

So how do you buy Vietnam stocks? You would need to have access to the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange, if you are interested in buying individual Vietnam stocks directly, such as:
Tienphong Plastic Joint Stock Company (HST:NTP) plastic pipe manufacturer
Ho Chi Minh City Infrastructure Investment (HCM:CII) infrastructure development
Phuong Nam Culture Joint Stock Corp. (HCM:PNC) media company
Tuong An Vegetable Oil Joint Stock Co (HCM:TAC) food products
Do Thanh Technology Corp. (HCM:DTT) plastic products

However, there are a couple other ways of investing in Vietnam stocks. The Vietnam Opportunity Fund (VTOPF.PK) (VOF.L) is one of the largest Vietnam closed end funds, and it trades on the London Stock Exchange and occasionally on the Pink Sheets in the United States. The fund is up about 4.9% over the last three months.

Vietnam Holding Ltd. (VNMHF.PK) (VNH.L) is another closed end investment fund managed by Vietnam Holding Asset Management Ltd., with offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. It also trades on both the Pink and the London Stock Exchange. They invest primarily in privatized State Owned Enterprises. The fund is up 14.3% over the last three months.

There is also a bank in the United States that specializes in providing banking services to the Vietnamese business community in Southern California, called Saigon National Bank (SAGN.OB). Latest reported earnings were negative.

Dot VN, Inc. (DTVI.OB), the domain registrar for the Vietnam [.VN] country domain, is a San Diego company, which also has offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and has a deal with the Vietnam Internet Network Information Center to register and sell the Vietnam country code Top Level Domain, and works with numerous domain resellers, such as VeriSign Inc. (VRSN) and Melbourne IT Ltd. (MLBEF.PK). The company has been in business since 2001. Latest reported earnings were negative.

An easier way to invest would be through the Market Vectors Vietnam ETF (VNM) which invests in various Vietnamese companies. During the last three months, the fund was down.

To see articles on other stocks from countries around the world, check out WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Author does not own any of the above. Many of the Vietnamese stocks described above are very low cap and should be considered very speculative.

By Stockerblog.com

Asthma.com Glaxosmithkline plc (GSK)
Book.com Barnes & Noble, Inc. (BKS)
Books.com Barnes & Noble, Inc. (BKS)
Baby.com Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Cat.com Caterpillar Inc. (CAT)
Flowers.com 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. (FLWS)
Flu.com MedImmune, division of AstraZeneca plc (AZN)
Gift.com J. C. Penney Company, Inc (JCP)
Icecream.com Nestle (NSRGY.PK)
Loans.com Bank of America Corporation (BAC)
Movie.com Comcast (CMCSA)
Movies.com Comcast (CMCSA)
Pets.com Petsmart Inc. (PETM)
School.com Office Depot, Inc. (ODP)
Tv.com CBS (CBS)
Video.com Disney (DIS)

By Stockerblog.com

George Soros +511%
Warren Buffett +24%
Jim Cramer +14%
Suze Orman +3%
Al Gore 0%
Robert Kiyosaki -1%
Bill Gates -2%
Maria Bartiromo -4%
Erin Burnett -36%
T. Boone Pickens -42%
Carl Icahn -94%
Stockerblog -8%

In these tough economic times with jobs in jeopardy, health coverage in doubt, and markets in turmoil, it is difficult to pause and think constructively about investing for retirement. The best time to start is now, particularly if you are young, but for older Americans, the pressure is on due to recent losses sustained when stock and real estate bubbles burst. However, the desire for quicker and bigger gains only sets us up psychologically for the carefully designed plans of a clever scam artist.

How do you protect yourself from investment fraud? You are your first and last line of defense when it comes to fending off con artists. You must know your business partners, become alert to the warning signs, and be aware of the more common pitches that are made from time to time.

Business Partners

Lessons learned in the forex trading industry are illustrative of the issues here. An excellent forex demo account was no indication of financial safety or soundness. Fraudulent brokers made off with millions. The Internet has enabled online trading with business partners we never see face-to-face. Make sure your bank has a strong balance sheet, and that your broker is above board and onshore. Consult your banker or broker for advice on every investment deal.

Warning Signs

Some signs, though obvious, need repeating. Here are a few tell-tell signs:

Unsolicited offers by any medium should be questioned or avoided;
If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is;
If there is little or no risk, then why isnt everyone doing it;
If there is urgency for action, slow the process down or walk away;
Swindlers love to talk to prevent you from asking questions;
If there is nothing in writing to explain it, then why consider it;
Swindlers love to sell overly complex securities avoid them;
Con Artists try to gain your confidence by looking professional;
Referrals from friends Swindlers thrive on these, so beware.
If asked for a blank check or to wire funds, avoid at all costs.

Actual Scams Often Repeated

The criminal element is very organized and educated in the art of deception. The FBI assesses the annual take by crooks to be $400 billion. It is not the elderly that are the most prone to the scam trade. Department of Justice studies conclude that anyone with a little college or a college degree is more susceptible to scams than anyone else. Three of the most frequent scams that seem to repeat every season with minor refinements to increase their appeal are as follows:

1. The Ponzi Scheme: The swindler pays high returns early to his clients so they will tell their rich friends about his great performance. Referrals pore in. The swindler does not have to solicit anymore. New deposits pay returns, after he transfers his take to an undisclosed account. Bernie Madoff and Kenneth Starr are recent news-makers;
2. The Pump-and-Dump: A crook acquires a large quantity of low-valued shares, and then employees a boiler shop to call people and spread inflated news about the company. New buyers rush to buy, thus driving up the price. The crook sells his stock, pocketing a large profit. The stock price plummets, leaving new investors confused and with large losses.
3. The Tipster: The Tipster calls 100 people, tells them he does not want their money, but passes along a tip to gain confidence. He tells half that the stock will rise, and the other half that it will fall. The next day, he now has 50 marks that believe he has insider knowledge. He may continue with this charade until he asks you for money for a sure thing.

Concluding Remarks

Investment fraud generally happens to those people who are the least prepared or who suspect it the least. Greed is the common theme. Protect yourself by heeding the warning signals and being aware of the most typical approaches that may come your way. Do your due diligence on your banker and your broker, and they will also protect you from the unscrupulous thieves that prey on the unsuspected.