• Top Stocks Bought by Clubs in October 2011
• Is Another Recession Ahead?
• Members "Over-the-Limit" and How to Cope

Top Stocks Bought by Clubs in October 2011

The passing of Apple founder Steve Jobs appeared to have not much of an impact on Apple's stock, at least in the eyes of America's investment clubs. For the second month in a row, Apple, Inc. topped the list of stocks purchased by investment clubs as ranked by the myICLUB Investment Club Top 40.

Each month, the myICLUB Investment Club Top 40 ranks the top 40 stocks bought, held, and sold by investment clubs, both according to the number of clubs and by the total value of shares. As the leading provider of tools and accounting solutions for investment clubs, myICLUB.com is used by more clubs than any other product. The myICLUB Investment Club Top 40 takes the pulse of investment club investing decisions, offering a source of ideas for clubs and other investors.

Rounding out the list of "high-interest" stocks for the month are McDonald's, Amazon (up from #42 last month), Corning, Intel, Ford Motor, Teva Pharmaceutical, Johnson & Johnson (up from #34 last month), LKQ Corp., and CSX Corp.

View the myICLUB Investment Club Top 40 for October 2011.

Is Another Recession Ahead?
from the Investor Advisory Service

The headlines in popular media suggest that the U.S. economy has re-entered recessionary territory. The volatility of the stock market may seem to suggest a similar possibility. The only problem with this story is that the actual economic indicators tell a different tale.

Consumer spending makes up about 70% of the U.S. economy and seems to be doing well. Retail sales grew solidly in July, up 8.5% over the past year. In the most recent report, sales for May and June were revised somewhat higher than the original figures. Surveys of consumer sentiment point to despair, but we follow what people do with their money rather than what they tell a pollster. The fact is, they are still out spending even as they wring their hands over the economy.

Manufacturing also appears to be growing steadily, though employment was dead flat in August. The statistics paint a picture of an economy that is growing at a very modest rate, but growing nonetheless. Second quarter gross domestic product grew at an annualized rate of just 1%. Slow and unsatisfying growth is still much different than a recession....

Read more....

Members "Over-the-Limit" and How to Cope
by Doug Gerlach,
President, ICLUBcentral Inc.

Anyone who grew up with a sibling knows all too well two of the primary causes of intrafamilial arguments: “He won’t stay on his side!,” commonly arising from automobile backseat territory disputes, and “Her piece is bigger than mine!,” caused by the minute differences in size resulting from the slicing of cake, pie, pizza and the like.

For grown-ups, these two sources of conflict are less of a concern, though I myself will admit to coming close to a skirmish as a result of an airplane seatmate taking too much liberty with a shared armrest. In investment clubs, however, questions about the size of a member’s capital account, particularly when the size of that account breaches the club’s defined maximum, often do arise.

Annie T. of the Women’s Invest­ment Network of Scotts Valley, Calif., writes to ask: “We have two members whose valuation ex­ceeds the 20 percent maximum ownership of club assets as required by our standing rules, at 20.7 percent and 21.6 percent. Do you have a recommendation for reducing their ownership?

Read more....

November 3, 2011

We're ICLUBcentral Inc. We develop high-quality software products and web services for individual fundamental investors, and powerful accounting tools used by the majority of US investment clubs. Address: 711 W. 13 Mile Rd Madison Heights, MI 48071 ICLUB Links: ICLUBinsider Past Issues Start A Club myICLUB.com Investor Advisory Service Complete Roster Training Events Calendar: First Tuesday of each Month: Toolkit 6 User Group led by Doug Gerlach, ICLUBcentral Inc. Third Tuesday of each Month: New Investment Club Orientation led by Doug Gerlach, ICLUBcentral Inc. Doug Gerlach will also be speaking at the following events: Nov. 4-5, 2011: Puget Sound BetterInvesting Chapter Education Conference; Mercer Island, WA Doug Gerlach, Speaker Nov. 10-12, 2011: AAII Investor Conference; Las Vegas, Nevada Doug Gerlach, Speaker ICLUBCentral, Exhibiting Nov. 15, 2011: Investment Club Operations Webinar;When to Sell a Stock (and When Not to) Doug Gerlach, Speaker Dec. 1, 2011: Retail Investors Conferences; Doug Gerlach, Speaker Dec. 6, 2011: Toolkit 6 User Group Webinar;Margins of Safety: Analyzing Profitability in Toolkit 6 Doug Gerlach, Speaker Dec. 20, 2011: Investment Club Operations Webinar;Closing the Club's Books & Preparing for Tax Season Doug Gerlach, Speaker Submit Your Event! Like 7-Eleven, we're not always doing business, but we're always open — go to the ICLUB Store and outfit yourself with the simple, yet powerful tools and services that smart investors have been using to grow their portfolios since 1989. Got a Problem? Support is here to help. You can reach them M-F, 9:30 AM-6:00 PM at 877-33-ICLUB (877-334-2582), or use the e-mail web form at ICLUB Support.

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