Do's and don'ts for shares - Haaretz

Subscribe to Print Edition

Sun., February 10, 2008 Adar1 4, 5768

Israel Time: 03:25 (EST+7)

web haaretz.com

Back to Homepage

Rosner's Domain

Diplomacy

Defense

Jewish World

Opinion

National

Print Edition

Advertising

Books

Arts & Leisure

Business

Real Estate

Easy Start

Travel

Week's End

Anglo File

Do's and don'ts for shares

By Sarit Menahem

Tags: Israel, Stock Market

The favorite stock among the analysts is without doubt Elbit Systems, which returned 70% in 2007, and 24% of the analysts think its stock will star this year too, thanks to its fat orders backlog and upbeat forecasts. (Elbit Systems stock, however, has lost 10% this year so far.)

Second is Teva, with 21% of the analysts. The drug company did well in 2007.

Another stockpick is fertilizers and bromine-products maker Israel Chemicals (ICL), but it moved from first to third place with 16% of the votes.

	Advertisement

The Israel Corporation got 10% of the votes, and Oil Refineries made its debut in the list of top stock picks with a 7% vote from analysts.

The list of stocks to shun includes many that have lost much ground in recent months, and stars in first place none other than Bank Hapoalim. It won the dubious distinction of having 18% of the analysts advise against picking it for your portfolio.

Analysts also advised against it in mid-2007, simply because they had cooled on the entire banking sector, but now it's "personal": the reason being Hapoalim's exposure to the mortgage and credit problems pervading world markets through its investment in derivatives. The bank has had to write off hundreds of millions of dollars in investments, and its stock has dropped by 22% since November.

VeriFone also figures highly on the list of the dogs: 13% think it's a stock to avoid, and it's already lost 60% of its value in the last two months because of a plunge in profitability, discovered after accounting mistakes were revealed.

Another stock in the doghouse is Lev Leviev's Africa Israel, with eight percent of the analysts unimpressed. For the last six months the stock has been highly volatile, and investors aren't thrilled with the frequent management changes, the last being the departure of CEO Erez Meltzer because of differences of opinion with controlling shareholder Leviev. There's still no permanent CEO in place and, possibly, investors may be dismayed at Leviev's decision to move his residence to London.

Bookmark to del.icio.us


	Will power
	Shas Minister Yitzhak Cohen says only a complete Gaza power cut will bring results.


	The cost of security
	U.S. estimate: Preparing Palestinian security forces for statehood will cost $7 billion.

Today Online


	Syria upgrades missiles thanks to Iranian support
	Responses: 407


	2 brothers, 8 and 19, seriously hurt in Sderot Qassam strike
	Responses: 421


	Palestinian PM: Peace deal with Israel 'unlikely' this year
	Responses: 155


	Editorial: Open the Rafah crossing
	Responses: 168


	B. Weinthal: Germany is the logical place to start embargo of Iran
	Responses: 121


	Hamas confiscates humanitarian aid trucks sent to Gaza
	Responses: 115

More Headlines
01:42 IAF kills Hamas man; 2 hurt in attack on Sderot


03:01 IDF: Hezbollah deploys rockets, missiles in south Lebanon


20:37 Hamas: W. Bank residents could breach border fence, enter Israel


20:32 U.K.: Gaza electricity cut risks harming humanitarian situation


22:49 Shas Min.: Only complete power cut in Gaza will bring results


22:02 Vilnius Catholics derogatorily portray Jews in holiday parade


21:04 PA negotiator: Peace deal possible in 2008 if sides honor commitments


20:53 Tennis: Israel takes 2-1 lead in Davis Cup match against Sweden


20:28 Israel complains to UN Security Council over rocket barrage


20:23 PA census: Nearly 4 million Palestinians live in W. Bank, Gaza, E. J'lem


01:48 Turkish lawmakers lift ban on Islamic head scarves at universities


02:12 Study: Soviet immigrants outperform Israeli high-schoolers