This was a great article outlining the improving conditions in the U.S. auto sales market.  Of the three stock mentioned we at T&T Capital Management believe that GM offers the most compelling opportunity.  Europe has been a huge problem for the company, but if U.S. sales perk up over the next several years GM has...Read More

Provisions for loan losses in Spain continue to rise deepening the financial problems in the European economy.  Unlike in the United States many of these banks haven’t raised the necessary capital but instead merged with other larger banks.  The EU needs to have mechanisms in place to recapitalize the banks and stimulate growth. If banks...Read More

France Telecom (FTE) is one of our favorite European stocks at T&T Capital Management.  The stock has been battered due to increased competition particularly from Illiad’s “Free” network.  The lower cost operator is stealing market share away from FTE, and investors are concerned that it could negatively impact margins.  In looking at the history of...Read More

It seems like energy producers are finally taking the steps needed to create a bottom in natural gas.  I’d suspect we are close but maybe not quite there yet as demand still needs to pick up a bit more.  The fact that oil prices are so high and natural gas prices are so low seems...Read More

In a very average economic climate the European banks put out excellent numbers this week.  I was particularly impressed by Barclays and Santander’s respective performances.  It seems like Barclays investment banking operations are starting to perform better, and Santander’s Latin American operations are still thriving.  Santander could be a compelling investment at these levels.  As...Read More

Nouriel Roubini and George Soros are exactly right.  Europe needs to grow as it is impossible to shrink out of an over-leveraged economy.  The ECB should be buying bonds and increasing the money supply to depreciate the Euro.  This would boost exports and decrease the severity of the recession. http://www.cnbc.com/id/47168723 INVESTING IN THE FINANCIAL MARKETS...Read More

Any thoughts of the U.K. sidestepping the slowdown in Europe were officially dismissed today by the indication that the U.K is indeed back in recession.  The U.K. has done an excellent job reducing government expenditures, but like it most European countries growth is a problem. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304723304577365301140802744.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection INVESTING IN THE FINANCIAL MARKETS INVOLVES RISKS. OPTIONS ARE...Read More

While the headline number on durable goods was not very positive this morning, it was distorted by a decrease in government spending on aircraft.  Excluding that the numbers were up primarily on strength in the automotive sector.  While economic data has not been as positive as the data earlier in the year the economy is...Read More

Europe needs to come together to understand that austerity without growth is not enough.  While peripheral Europe cannot afford to increase their government spending, Germany as the leading nation must come forward to aid growth.  This means providing more flexibility for the ECB to issue bonds assisting in the financing of EU nations, which would...Read More

Europe scored a minor victory last week with the boosting of the IMF’s capital, but it is very important that the ECB and the individual governments come up with a strategy to recapitalize the banks similar to how the U.S. did with TARP.  The banks should first be able to try and raise capital on...Read More