Dallas, Texas, Aug. 13, 2011 (Press Release via PR Newswire) –- The financial crisis continues to loom and stock market uncertainty lurks at every turn. Traditional investors are watching their money disappear. That’s why Domestic Development Company is conducting a weekly investment webinar series designed to show investors how to invest in oil with a self-directed real estate IRA.

These webinars will help investors to regain control over their money with low-risk investments, superior tax credits, high annual returns and long-term cash flow.

“These solid IRA investments put the investor back in control,” says Charlie Havens, CEO, Domestic Development Company. “Other retirement accounts like 401(k) s prevent investors from having any input regarding where the best investments are. And, large ‘hidden’ fees are taken from these retirement accounts so when investors see their ‘real’ balance sheet they are severely disappointed.”

The self-directed real estate IRAs begin Wednesday, August 24 and take place every Wednesday thereafter. In addition, one-on-one personal conference calls are available by appointment during regular business hours.

Havens adds that investing in oil real estate is a win-win for all parties involved.

“Oil is energy and we will always need energy, as well as the 6,000 plus products we use every day that are made from petroleum products, including everything made of plastics,” adds Havens. “It’s a safe place to invest and returns average 15 to 45 percent. We are also planning to hire about 300 people in the next few months, so when people invest in oil with a self-directed real estate IRA they are also investing in U.S. job growth.”

While some people may prefer to stick with investments such as gold, gold does not offer the same benefits as investing in oil. Investing in oil provides a monthly cash flow and a tax advantage; gold does not. In this market, these are unprecedented strengths.

This webinar series will show investors how to invest in oil; how to regain control of their financial future; and how to distance themselves from volatile government and stock market investments.

China is the number one driver of crude oil demand right now. They’re growing their oil demand by 800,000 thousand barrels a day. Of the 1.3 million barrels of world oil demand growth, 800,000 barrels is from China.

With an increasing demand of energy from a country of 1.34 billion people, this incredible daily increase brings incredible opportunity. Remember folks, crude oil is a commodity and, as an investor, this is an obvious supply-demand opportunity.

$150 Oil on the Way? – Barron’s Senior Editor Mike Santoli Gives His Outlook For Oil Prices.

With oil prices increasing to their highest level in 2 weeks Tuesday, should you invest in oil? Commodities have bounced back a bank’s increased 2012 price forecast added to expectations for a rebound from a slowed economic climate.

Crude prices joined in gains for commodities, with the 19-commodity Reuters-Jefferies CRB index up more than 1.5 percent, after slipping nearly half a percent Friday and trending weaker in June and the 2nd quarter.

“We may be seeing some running to commodities as a safe haven. When in doubt about all the currencies, move into commodities. And the sector was a little oversold coming out of the holiday,” said Phil Flynn, analyst at PFGBest Research in Chicago.

The oversubscribed sale of U.S. crude reserves last week also had oil analysts and investors assessing whether it reflected tighter global oil supplies than recent assessments. New orders received by U.S. factories bounced back in May, although by less than expected, but the report added to data suggesting manufacturing is normalizing after being dampened by supply chain disruptions from the March earthquake in Japan.

Brent outpaced U.S. crude even as both ran well below their 30-day averages. Barclays Capital raised its 2012 forecast for Brent by $10 to $115 per barrel, and upgraded its 2012 forecast for U.S. crude by $4 to $110. The bank left its Brent forecast for 2011 at $112 but cut its 2011 forecast for U.S. crude by $6 to $100.

“The increase in expectations is due to a forecast further reduction in global spare capacity in 2012, together with a significant intensification of the geopolitical background to the oil market,” Barclays Capital said in a note.

Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2011/07/05/oil-climbs-to-2-week-high/#ixzz1RGEqzuT4

United States Securities and Exchange Commission judge postponed a hearing for Rajat Gupta, the former
Goldman Sachs Group director scheduled to face accusations that he leaked inside information about the company.

Chief Administrative Law Judge Brenda P. Murray granted a six-month stay of the proceeding, which was scheduled for July 18, according to a June 20 order posted on the SEC’s website. The SEC said elsewhere on its website that the hearing had been “postponed indefinitely.”

Gupta, 62, was accused by the SEC in March of having passed confidential information to Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam in 2008 about Berkshire Hathaway Inc.’s $5 billion investment in Goldman Sachs. Rajaratnam, who was convicted May 11 of directing an insider-trading ring, faces almost 20 years in prison at his July 29 sentencing. Gupta, a former McKinsey Co. managing partner, isn’t facing criminal charges.

Rather than pursuing claims against Gupta in federal court, the SEC filed an administrative proceeding, which is heard by a judge employed by the agency. Gupta, who has denied the claims, sued the SEC in March, saying the administrative action would deny him the right to a jury trial.

A phone call to Gupta’s attorney Gary Naftalis wasn’t immediately returned. In the March lawsuit, Naftalis said “Gupta denies all allegations of wrongdoing and stands ready to mount a defense against each and every one of the commission’s charges.”

John Nester, an SEC spokesman, declined to comment.

Conference Call

According to the SEC, Gupta called Rajaratnam immediately after a September 2008 conference call during which the Goldman Sachs board considered and approved an investment by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway as well as a public offering.

Within a minute of Gupta’s call, Rajaratnam arranged for Galleon funds to purchase more than 175,000 Goldman Sachs shares, the SEC said. Galleon sold the shares the following day after the information became public, making illicit profits of more than $900,000, the SEC said.

Gupta stepped down from the Goldman Sachs board last year and has also resigned from board positions at other companies, including Procter Gamble and AMR Corp.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Joshua Gallu in Washington at jgallu@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Lawrence Roberts at lroberts13@bloomberg.net

Article source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-30/gupta-trial-postponed-indefinitely-in-sec-insider-trading-case.html

Cristo Redentor

Goldman Sachs is looking to boost its workforce in Brazil in an effort to expand its footprint in the emerging markets. ^[1] The bank is targeting growth in high margin businesses such as convertible debt and the securitization of receivables in the booming investment banking sector in the Latin American nation.

Other investment banks such as JPMorgan , Bank of America, UBS, Credit Suisse and Citigroup also have significant presence in the region.

Brazil – An Attractive Investment Destination

Brazil has posted impressive growth in agriculture, mining, manufacturing and service sectors to become one of the fastest growing economies in the world. ^[2] Investment banks are increasingly turning toward growing markets to increase their revenues, and Brazil has become one such important destination.

The Brazilian market is currently dominated by local banks such as Banco Itau BBA SA and Banco BTG Pactual SA that are using their strong local presence to maintain a stronghold on the market. ^[1] Other investment banks such as UBS are trying to gain market share by acquiring local firms to increase their penetration in the fixed income and securities markets. ^[3]

Goldman Sachs is relatively a new-comer to the Brazilian market. It commenced full operations in the country only in 2009 and hence may face tough competition from established players. ^[1] The bank intends to overcome this handicap by targeting high margins segments and may look to leverage its relationships with private equity firms to shore up business. Goldman Sachs is the leading advisor to private equity players, and has been leading this space for over past five years with a 34% share of the total mergers and acquisitions deals involving PE firms. ^[4]

Growth in Investment Banking Operations in Brazil

Bloomberg reports that total mergers acquisitions (MA) transactions in Brazil stands at approximately $53.5 billion in 2011. ^[1]. According to its data, Goldman Sachs is now among the top 10 MA and equity sales advisors in the country ranking fourth in Q1 2011. Goldman Sachs’ MA advisory contributes to 8% of our $164 price estimate for its stock – implying a 25% premium over the current market price. We estimate that the firm will increase its market share in global MA advisory to 25% by the end of our forecast period.

Goldman Sachs is also currently managing two IPOs that are expected to hit the market later this year. ^[1] It ranked the 9th largest equity underwriting business in 2011. We expect Goldman Sachs’ equity underwriting business to contribute to 60% of the revenues from its equity underwriting and debt origination division, which contributes approximately 7% to our valuation of the company.

Click here for our full analysis of Goldman Sachs

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Article source: http://blogs.forbes.com/greatspeculations/2011/06/30/goldman-sachs-sambas-into-brazilian-investment-banking/

According to a state filing on Wednesday, The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS – Analyst Report) intends to lay off 230 workers in New York State due to economic reasons. The layoffs will be executed during the fourth quarter of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012.

The State Department of Labor made The New York State Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, known as the WARN Act, effective on February 1, 2009.

Under the provisions of the law, New York-based companies having 50 or more workers in New York State are required to give 90 days notice to the State if they are planning to reduce the local workforce. Further, the law requires prior notices for plant closing, large layoff, relocation, or reduction in working hours.

The law was enacted with the intention that the Labor Department will have sufficient time for the retrenched employees, in providing them information regarding unemployment insurance and other resources.

Goldman’s New York layoffs represent less than 1% of its 35,400 employees as of March 2011. The layoffs would be in addition to the company’s annual retrenching of workers, who perform in the bottom 5% or so. However, Goldman is also hiring employees in China, India and Brazil following growth in such markets.

Goldman coupled with other large Wall Street banks have started reducing their workforces to cut costs following the slowdown in economic and market activity. Further, some large Wall Street banks are laying off employees due to weak trading volumes and stringent regulations on some parts of their business.

Other Wall Street banks planning layoff include Barclays Capital and Credit Suisse Group AG as they are struggling with reduced revenue from trading stocks and bonds. Further, according to a regulatory filing, Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (BK – Analyst Report) also informed the labor department about its plans of cutting 124 jobs in its treasury services operations lockbox. The jobs cut will take place in segments beginning July 1, 2011 and continue through March 31, 2012.

In March 2011, Wells Fargo Company (WFC – Analyst Report) also announced that it will lay off approximately 200 employees, including 82 employees in San Antonio, 30 in Addison and 67 in Bedford, Texas in its home mortgage division.Wells Fargo employs about 13,000 people in metro Des Moines.  The company’s Home Mortgage division, which is based in West Des Moines, captures approximately 25% of the U.S. home lending market.

Wells Fargo also announced the elimination of 68 positions at a Vancouver call center, which supports collection of loans for Wells Fargo Financial division, the company’s consumer finance subsidiary. The action followed as the customers are paying down debt, eliminating the need for debt collectors.

Bank of America Corp. (BAC – Analyst Report) also announced jobs cut of approximately 100 employees in its consumer and small business banking unit as of March 2011. The layoffs form a part of BofA’s ongoing efforts to overhaul its consumer banking unit.

We believe that the present job cuts will enable Goldman to reduce expenses, alleviating bottom-line pressure.

Goldman currently retains its Zacks #4 Rank, which translates into a short-term Sell rating. However, considering the fundamentals, we are maintaining a long-term Neutral recommendation on the stock.

Copyright 2011 Zacks Investment Research

Zacks Investment Research is one of the most highly regarded firms in the investment industry. The guiding principle behind our work is that there must be a good reason for brokerage firms to spend billions of dollars a year on stock research. Obviously, these investment experts know something special that may be indicative of the future direction of stock prices. From day one, we were determined to unlock that secret knowledge and make it available to our clients to help them improve their investment results.

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The reality of the energy market is that investing in oil and other carbon based fuels will remain very profitable for decades to come. With roughly 70% of each barrel of oil being used for our domestic transportation needs, we can begin to scratch the surface of the enormous complexities a new energy source will bring.

How viable is alternative energy vs oil to power our vast transportation needs?

Oil Investors Profit

Everybody would all love to see a world powered by renewable energy sources, but is it possible today? Over many years and with the right planning, we will develop intermittent renewables without storage. At some point, however, we’ll need to develop both short-term and long-term storage technologies to help stabilize the grid. Storage is often seen as the “Holy Grail” of technologies for integrating wind, solar and other renewable energy sources with emerging applications and we have to ask whether these technologies are ready for large scale commercial applications.

You see it all over the media, ‘people want electric cars’. Well, those electric cars need to be plugged into the wall which is still powered by electricity generated by a fossil based fuel, whether it’s a natural gas power plant or a coal based power plant. You simply can’t get the same efficiencies from alternative energy as you can with carbon based fuel.

The “unintended consequence” of electric cars will be, how much money will it cost to recharge your car on a daily basis? You see the reduction of energy output with the closing the coal power plants and as Obama states, “under my energy plan, energy prices will necessarily skyrocket”. Did you get your first electric bill this summer after running you air conditioner for a month? With the high cost of energy and the large drain for recharging an automobile each night, one can only imagine the net costs for owning electric cars.

Alternative energy options may be fine for generating electricity to an individual home, but it’s not going to solve our energy consumption needs for the transportation sector.

Now we have all heard of T. Boone Pickens, he talks about how he’d like to see all tractor trailers outfitted to burn natural gas. Well, that is still a carbon based fuel. There is no real way to power our transportation needs with hydro or nuclear power, so you’re really still reliant on that carbon based fuel. And we look at the implications of that being, we’re still in a secular trend for the energy sector. Whether it’s the old integrated oil companies, whether it’s exploration or production companies, those are not a dying industry as you would gather from the street and government.

Should you invest in oil and gas?

As of today, there is absolutely no commercially viable alternative energy source. Assuming the correct technological advances occur, our sources within the Department of Energy say it will likely be another 15 to 25 years before we will be able to develop commercially viable alternate energy. From that point, consider the following. How long will it take to retool America once alternative energy is commercially viable? It took the United States over 100 years to develop our current energy infrastructure we enjoy today.

Another important variable that must be recognized is the use of  ‘false flags’. There are some carnival-like fanatical environmentalist, as well as, many of the same from our government who allude to the opinion that we are just moments away from having this green utopia. This is not at all factual.

For the foreseeable future, green energy will not be the next new large scale energy sources coming to the marketplace. Take advantage of the fact that it is still time to invest in oil and gas from domestic drilling and production companies.

Head of commodities research at Morgan Stanley, discusses the outlook for crude oil, wheat and corn prices. Allidina talks with Scarlet Fu on Bloomberg Television’s “InBusiness.”