Opinion on  BP plc (BP)     Sector: Energy  >  Industry: Oil & Gas - Integrated
Mayor’s Picks - August 2007

This was one of the weirder months in the past few years. Mortgage news brought the market down nearly 10% and then it jumped back up. If you read last month’s picks I hope you used that as a buying opportunity. I added to my holdings of PCU and I’m already up 20% in just a few days. Gotta love the market. For the next few months things should settle down as earnings will be coming out in October and no one expects an earnings dive. If that happens we’re in trouble but the mortgage market will only affect certain companies in a big way. So keep investing in solid companies, and listen to The Mayor for market beating results (12 straight months). On with the show….

1 Month Return -2.86%, S&P -3.42%

2 Month Return -0.69%

3 Month Return +12.17%

4 Month Return +15.84%

5 Month Return +22.06%

6 Month Return +10.13%

7 Month Return +13.97%

8 Month Return +9.31%

9 Month Return +20.21%

10 Month Return +19.87%

11 Month Return +29.74%

12 Month Return +46.19%

STOCK SYMBOL (Current Price, Monthly % Change) - Rating - Comments

AAPL (132.51, -3.49%) - Buy - Apple will be a mainstay for months to come so don’t be surprised to see them top the list. What can I say bad about Apple right now? Mac’s are going well, iPods are bringing stability to earning (because they’re accounting for sales over the 2 year contract) and the iPod, iTunes combo are kicking everyone else in the rear. I can’t think of anything not to love. It’s also The Mayor’s biggest holding. That’s money where my blog is.

PCU (99.14, -13.38%) - Buy - Southern Copper is my materials pick. They pay a huge dividend and have new capacity set to open in the next two years. Solid stock for the portfolio.

PRTY.L (26.25, -10.26%) - Buy - I still like the profitability and the potential of online gaming. I’ve picked this before and it’s been up and down but if you can endure the ride you can make a lot of money.

LVS (99.37, +18.38%) - Buy - LVS has the best pipeline of projects in gaming. There is a huge development in Macau along with an incredible development in Singapore. Their second Macau casino opens in less than a week and once investors see how successful it is you can bet the stock will go up. Again this might be a wild ride but surely a profitable one.

BAC (51.65, +8.21%) - Buy - Bank stocks have been battered so much lately that it’s time to buy. With the announcement they purchased a 10% stake in Countrywide yesterday the stock jumped but I still like the prospects for the future. Bank of America is the largest retailer and is the best value in banking right now.

BRK-B (3939.00, +8.05%) - Buy - When markets are down Warren Buffet’s Berkshire stays up. This company is virtually recession proof and will maintain great growth. This is still a buying opportunity for a great stock.

QSII (38.81, -0.89%) - Buy - Leader in medical systems. The industry is growing and Quality Systems is a leader.

BP (65.27, -9.18%) - Buy - BP has hit some rough patches with oil leaks and other bad PR. I don’t think gas prices will go down in the future so oil is a great play and I like BP the best. The value is there.