Sam Hopkins - Angel Publishing

India Solar Power Plan

As of Thursday, November 19, India has an official plan for building an extensive solar power network throughout one of the world's top developing countries.

With $19 billion in planned spending, the cabinet is directing the national political and corporate leadership to put more than a gigawatt of installed capacity in place by 2012. The pace of the rollout will have to pick up quickly, since the government is targeting 20 GW of solar generating capacity by 2022.

The plan will go into effect over three phases, using power purchase agreements (PPA) to stabilize demand while driving local production prices down. India's goal, as with China's own solar energy plan, is to develop top-to-bottom solutions for domestic industrial expansion. Quite simply, these emerging markets have their sights set on energy independence and international prominence in clean energy.

You can read about some of the international solar power stocks that will benefit from a broad-based global solar rollout, right here:

Solar Energy Stocks

-Sam Hopkins

The Green Millionaire Infomercial

Publisher's Note: This week, Green Chip Review's Nick Hodge and Sam Hopkins are on the research trail. Nick is in the San Francisco area at the GreenBeat 2009 venture capital conference, and Sam will be rubbing elbows with policymakers on Capitol Hill on Friday during the American Council on Renewable Energy's Phase II Policy Forum. They'll both have special reports for you next week. Today, though, Sam takes you inside a "green" infomercial that could lead millions off the track of real clean energy investment profits.

Good investing,

Jeff Siegel

Publisher, Green Chip Stocks

———

The Truth Behind this "Green" Media Scam

We've gotten a lot of questions at Green Chip Stocks lately about the "Green Millionaire" ads running on TV and online.

Namely, people ask, "Is this 'Green Millionaire' thing for real?"

The answer: Lowercase "green millionaires" are very real. They're entrepreneurs and investors who have sown their own money and harvested value from the global transition to clean energy.

The uppercase "Green Millionaire" you see on the web and during commercial breaks on CNBC is, by contrast, an insulting fraud.

Now, we're not territorial about the word "green." But a simple search reveals that the big book being touted in the Green Millionaire ads isn't a book at all — it's an e-book: more like a pamphlet you download from the net.

Second, the tips that could make you a millionaire by using that book are more Benjamin Franklin than Nigel Williams, the man behind the media campaign. If you drive less and insulate your home, you'll save money. If you buy a diesel car and convert fry grease to biodiesel, you'll save money.

Brilliant, right?

But where does that get you?

From all indications, reading those exact tips in the Green Millionaire book will get you nothing more than an e-mail subscription and recurring billing that is — by several published accounts — difficult to cancel.

People who want to save money (and yes, even make money), while doing their part to contribute to a cleaner energy economy, can invest in a plethora of listed companies.

Wind Grows Faster than Coal, Nuclear

Over the past year, energy production from wind has grown faster than coal, nuclear, and even natural gas.

In fact, the use of coal shrank 14.8% while wind surged nearly 40%. . . so you can imagine what the related stocks are doing.

I've found three wind stocks that will double as this trend continues. You can get access to them today.

The information that the "Green Millionaire" site and book claim to break as "hot tips" is neither hot nor tip-like in nature. Readers don't gain an edge, and they have no real interactive relationship with the Green Millionaire setup. This is public information, available all over the internet at government websites like www.epa.gov and even at Google's corporate Green Initiative site.

Green Chip Review, on the other hand, is a free e-mail newsletter delivering information about what kinds of investment opportunities are out there in cleantech, renewable energy, water, and infrastructure — information we provide without a bogus $1 processing fee for you to download a PDF or receive an e-mail.

We have a broad web presence on www.greenchipstocks.com, www.twitter.com/greenchiponline, and in all of the websites and newsletters that pick up our material on a regular basis.

Green Chip Stocks, Green Chip International, Alternative Energy Trader, and Alternative Energy Speculator are all stock recommendation services that you can choose to subscribe to in order to receive timely, specific information on carefully selected companies and their shares.

You can learn more by checking out our subscription services here: Green Chip Premium Portfolios.

Or, just keep reading Green Chip Review at no cost whatsoever, and we'll keep you supplied with top-notch market info.

As one GCR reader summed it up after a recent report:

"Great article and summary. What's really sad is that I have been getting better background information from you guys than I have from the news media and our elected leaders. Keep up the great work."

You can let your friends who are interested in green investing know to steer clear of the Green Millionaire scam by forwarding this e-mail.

Regards,

Sam Hopkins

Crisis Investing in Brazil

Publisher's Note: Very few people have the personal relationship with news that Wealth Daily International Editor Sam Hopkins does. Since Sam came to Angel Publishing in 2005, he's immersed himself not only in the technical analysis that goes into stock profit strategy, but also in the on-the-ground reality of what your money can do around the globe.

Today, you'll read about Brazil — a place where Sam has spent time developing contacts and a frame of reference for how money moves in one of the world's most dynamic markets. The same can be said about Sam's experience in China, Eastern Europe, the Middle East. . . and even Capitol Hill.

In fact, Sam will be reporting to you directly from this week's American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) Phase II Policy Forum in D.C. This gathering of top energy policymakers isn't like many Washington conferences that take place far from the guts of government, in a hotel conference room somewhere in Northern Virginia or Maryland's D.C. burbs.

ACORE will be right on the Hill, patched directly into decision-making officials and committees. As you read Sam's dispatches, you'll get the advantage of first-hand information that can tell you when, where, and why certain clean energy companies are set to benefit from Washington's national energy overhaul.

Stay tuned for more,

Brian Hicks

Publisher, Wealth Daily
———

Crisis & Opportunity in the Great Brazilian Blackout of 2009

Thousands of middle-class Brazilians slept on subway station floors on Tuesday night, November 10.

This wasn't a solidarity project to see what life is like for the homeless. . . It was the result of a blackout that hit nearly 70 million Brazilians in 800 cities.

The trigger? Three — count 'em, THREE! — transmission lines. Officials said on Wednesday that torrential rain and thunderstorm conditions caused a trio of high-voltage lines to simply collapse and in turn Itaipu, the world's largest hydroelectric dam, totally broke down.

That initial explanation is now in question, and as of Monday President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is pledging a full inquiry. But whatever happened brought one of the world's top emerging markets, enshrined in the BRIC pantheon with Russia, India, and China, into primitive darkness. One transmission failure plunged the proud hosts of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics into literal obscurity.

This is a problem whose solution requires urgent investment, and it may be a crisis investor's dream scenario.

I spent two weeks in Brazil this spring, chatting with folks in corner cafes, speaking with businesspeople, and learning about the country's ProInfa clean energy infrastructure expansion plan where international companies are set to play a major role. More on ProInfa in a bit. . .

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First, I have to tell you that I spent several days talking to friends of mine in Brazil, and reading the accounts of others who e-mailed the local Portuguese-language press about their individual ordeals. Each story is heart-rending, and I tell you sadly that they are more reminiscent of terror attacks than of major power outages.

Stories from the Great Brazilian Blackout of 2009

In Rio, Alessandra told the newspaper O Globo how she and her brother set out for a night on the town. Instead, they walked in complete darkness down a subway tunnel alongside the soccer stadium that will host the Cup final in four years. On arriving at the station, they waited hours longer without water, food, and the worst thing to lack during a disaster. . . news.

Jose, who lives in the world famous Copacabana beach district, experienced both the psychological and technological reality of a sudden blackout. He started to hear "the shouts of people asking for help because they were trapped in elevators, and cries of children who were afraid of the dark."

Fortunately, Jose had just turned off his computer when the lights started to flicker.

Nevertheless, countless computers were fried that night, destroying school work, music, and millions of dollars worth of business information. I can tell you first-hand that even in the hillside favelas (as the slums in Rio are called), there is a computer in nearly every home. Computers are a gateway to the world for a rising middle class around the world, and the demise of a PC can mean the death of a dream for students, artists, and others who saw a picture of a better future on their monitors.

Things won't be normal for a while. Traffic signals were still sending people at the wrong time on Wednesday morning in Rio, causing car crashes and pointing to just one lingering cost of the blackout.

Despite this nationwide infrastructure calamity, with all the money lost and Brazilians now terrified of what might happen during the World Cup and Olympics, international investors haven't lost confidence in Brazil.

Why the Lights Are Still Bright for Brazilian Stocks

The broadest indicator that I follow is the iShares MSCI Brazil Index, which is listed as an exchange-traded fund (ETF) on the New York Stock Exchange. NYSE: EWZ has gained nearly 10% since Monday, and the ETF barely dipped on the day after the power outage. EWZ rose by over 26% from mid-August to mid-November, nearly tripling the S&P 500 rally over the same period.

And this brings us to a major point you must understand if you want to outperform U.S. stock averages like the Dow and S&P. . .

Investors aren't bullish on China, Brazil, and other emerging markets despite their problems; they're bullish because solutions require money. You get your car repaired when something goes wrong, right? You only put in the money up to a point, of course, because the benefit of keeping the thing running has to outweigh the cost in the long run.

Brazil is in urgent need of investment from both domestic and international sources, and Brazil will get the money it needs. At the Renewable Energy Finance Forum in Rio this spring, I met plenty of suits who were licking their chops at the chance to put money into Brazil's energy infrastructure upgrades. . . and that was well before the Olympics were awarded to Rio!

Most appetizing to everyone there was Brazil's upcoming auction of national wind energy permits. I told you about it back in April, but it seemed far off.

Now, the December 14 Brazilian wind energy auction date is rapidly approaching, and dependence on hydroelectric generation has just caused an emergency that has scarred citizens and leaders alike (7 million Sao Paulo residents also lost water service Tuesday night due to the dam failure). Brazilians shudder to think about what would happen should a blackout of any size repeat in 2014 or 2016 when the sporting world gathers in Brazil.

Brazil's Upcoming Wind Energy Auction

ProInfa, the national renewable energy incentive campaign, will help integrate 2 GW of wind energy capacity at a cost of about $6 billion by 2012. The companies that get ahead in the December auction will have to move fast to get capacity up by 2014, which means more production, higher profile, and higher share price.

The New York Times cites Pedro Perreli of the Brazilian Wind Energy Association's amazement that overall, 441 proposals for over 13.3 gigawatts in Brazilian wind power have come in already from companies all over the world. That more than doubles what government and local industry officials anticipated!

Green Chip International readers are already profiting from two Brazilian clean energy and infrastructure stocks, and we're watching the run-up to Brazil's wind-only auction closely.

I'll also be in Peru soon, visiting wind power facilities and talking with people with knowledge of how these deals get done across South America.

First, you'll get a full report from me next week following the ACORE policy conference in Washington, D.C.

And if you want details on the stock plays that are sure to come out of GCI research on Capitol Hill and abroad, check out the service for yourself today. Just click here for your first special report.

Regards,

Sam Hopkins

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China Cleantech Investing

The China Securities Journal reports that cleantech, energy, and environment-related companies led China's benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up to start the week.

With President Obama's trip to China expected to focus heavily on pollution control, technology, and clean energy, mainland investors are optimistic that Chinese companies will be able to capitalize on international renewable energy and emissions targets.

Several stocks like Zhejiang Feida Environmental Protection Technology (600526.SS) hit their 10% daily appreciation limit, but enthusiasm would have sent those shares far past the government-imposed threshold.

That increase propelled the Shanghai Composite Index past 3,200, which is a psychological resistance point for that market much as 10,000 is significant to Dow Jones Industrial Average observers.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in China is also on the rise, signaling that not only residents of the Middle Kingdom but outsiders also view the country's growth rebound as a favorable time to put money on domestic energy and tech shares. FDI has increased in each of the past three months (Sept.-Nov.).

Finally, a big lesson from China's cleantech bull market is that not only giant state-owned enterprises (SOEs) like Sinopec (NYSE:SHI) are benefiting from international attention. The Claymore/AlphaShares China Small Cap ETF (NYSE:HAO) has quietly outperformed many leading mid- to large-cap exchange-traded funds that tap Shanghai, Hong Kong and Shenzhen shares.

The small-cap HAO fund (Chinese for "good," punnily enough) just broke the 100% mark since January 1, almost quintupling the Dow's run during the same period.

You can stay up to date on Chinese clean energy shares and their gains with the Grid Parity blog at www.greenchipstocks.com.

-Sam Hopkins

Brazil Blackout

Thousands of middle-class Brazilians slept on subway station floors on Tuesday night, November 10.

This wasn't a solidarity project to see what life is like for the homeless. . . It was the result of a blackout that hit 60 million Brazilians in 800 cities.

The trigger? Three — count 'em, THREE! — transmission lines. Officials say torrential rain and thunderstorm conditions caused the trio of high-voltage lines to simply collapse and in turn Itaipu, the world's largest hydroelectric dam, totally broke down.

Three is the magic number that can evidently bring one of the world's top emerging markets, enshrined in the BRIC pantheon with Russia, India, and China, into primitive darkness. Three downed lines plunged the proud hosts of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics into literal obscurity.

This is a problem whose solution requires urgent investment.

I spent two weeks in Brazil this spring, chatting with folks in corner cafes, speaking with businesspeople, and learning about the country's ProInfa clean energy infrastructure expansion plan where international companies are set to play a major role. More on ProInfa in a bit. . .

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Don't miss the next play — check out GCI for yourself and start investing in energy solutions to avoid future blackouts!

Regards,

Sam Hopkins

Brazil Wind Energy

Thousands of middle-class Brazilians slept on subway station floors Tuesday night.

This wasn't a solidarity project to see what life is like for the homeless. . . It was the result of a blackout that hit 60 million Brazilians in 800 cities.

The trigger? Three — count 'em, THREE! — transmission lines. Officials say torrential rain and thunderstorm conditions caused the trio of high-voltage lines to simply collapse and in turn Itaipu, the world's largest hydroelectric dam, totally broke down.

Three is the magic number that can evidently bring one of the world's top emerging markets, enshrined in the BRIC pantheon with Russia, India, and China, into primitive darkness. Three downed lines plunged the proud hosts of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics into literal obscurity.

This is a problem whose solution requires urgent investment.

I spent two weeks in Brazil this spring, chatting with folks in corner cafes, speaking with businesspeople, and learning about the country's ProInfa clean energy infrastructure expansion plan where international companies are set to play a major role. More on ProInfa in a bit. . .

There's only one reason President Obama is forking over billions for renewable energy.

And it's making insiders an absolute fortune!

Click here to find out what's really behind the push for renewable energy.

First, I have to tell you that I've spent the past two days talking to friends of mine in Brazil, and reading the accounts of others who e-mailed the local Portuguese-language press about their individual ordeals. Each story is heart-rending, and I tell you sadly that they are more reminiscent of terror attacks than of major power outages.

Stories from the Great Brazilian Blackout of 2009

In Rio, Alessandra told the newspaper O Globo how she and her brother set out for a night on the town. Instead, they walked in complete darkness down a subway tunnel alongside the soccer stadium that will host the Cup final in four years. On arriving at the station, they waited hours longer without water, food, and the worst thing to lack during a disaster. . . news.

Jose, who lives in the world famous Copacabana beach district, experienced both the psychological and technological reality of a sudden blackout. He started to hear "the shouts of people asking for help because they were trapped in elevators, and cries of children who were afraid of the dark."

Fortunately, Jose had just turned off his computer when the lights started to flicker.

Nevertheless, countless computers were fried that night, destroying school work, music, and millions of dollars worth of business information. I can tell you first-hand that even in the hillside favelas (as the slums in Rio are called), there is a computer in nearly every home. Computers are a gateway to the world for a rising middle class around the world, and the demise of a PC can mean the death of a dream for students, artists, and others who saw a picture of a better future on their monitors.

Things won't be normal for a while. Traffic signals were still sending people at the wrong time on Wednesday morning in Rio, causing car crashes and pointing to just one lingering cost of the blackout.

Despite this nationwide infrastructure calamity, with all the money lost and Brazilians now terrified of what might happen during the World Cup and Olympics, international investors haven't lost confidence in Brazil.

Why the Lights Are Still Bright for Brazilian Stocks

The broadest indicator that I follow is the iShares MSCI Brazil Index, which is listed as an exchange-traded fund (ETF) on the New York Stock Exchange. NYSE: EWZ has gained nearly 10% since Monday, and the ETF barely dipped on the day after the power outage. EWZ rose by over 26% from mid-August to mid-November, nearly tripling the S&P 500 rally over the same period.

And this brings us to a major point you must understand if you want to outperform U.S. stock averages like the Dow and S&P. . .

Investors aren't bullish on China, Brazil, and other emerging markets despite their problems; they're bullish because solutions require money. You get your car repaired when something goes wrong, right? You only put in the money up to a point, of course, because the benefit of keeping the thing running has to outweigh the cost in the long run.

Brazil is in urgent need of investment from both domestic and international sources, and Brazil will get the money it needs. At the Renewable Energy Finance Forum in Rio this spring, I met plenty of suits who were licking their chops at the chance to put money into Brazil's energy infrastructure upgrades. . . and that was well before the Olympics were awarded to Rio!

Most appetizing to everyone there was Brazil's upcoming auction of national wind energy permits. I told you about it back in April, but it seemed far off.

Now, the December 14 Brazilian wind energy auction date is rapidly approaching, and dependence on hydroelectric generation has just caused an emergency that has scarred citizens and leaders alike (7 million Sao Paulo residents also lost water service Tuesday night due to the dam failure). Brazilians shudder to think about what would happen should a blackout of any size repeat in 2014 or 2016 when the sporting world gathers in Brazil.

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Don't miss the next play — check out GCI for yourself and start investing in energy solutions to avoid future blackouts!

Regards,

Sam Hopkins

First Wind Utah

On Tuesday, the small town of Milford, Utah played host to a renewable energy watershed event of national importance.

First Wind, based in Boston, has finished building Utah's largest wind energy array near Milford.

From Massachusetts to rural Utah to Southern California, the Milford Wind Corridor buildout will advance the interests of First Wind, other connected companies like Wisconsin's engineering and construction firm RMT, and important local governments with ambitious clean energy targets.

The 203.5 MW wind farm led to $86 million in total spending and created hundreds of jobs during its first phases, and ongoing maintenance & operations will provide employment and energy security to the Milford area and the wind farm's customers.

As it happens, Utah's biggest city—Salt Lake City—is not the primary city-level consumer base that First Wind has lined up to tap its new western capacity.

The 97 turbines at Milford will generate power for the Southern California Public Power Authority under a 20-year purchasing power agreement (PPA) that guarantees energy to the SoCal grid and revenue to First Wind.

The city utilities of Pasadena and Burbank are also directly involved in the Milford project, and all parties involved are proving that top wind energy companies can be connected to hungry power markets and can be financed amply—Royal Bank of Scotland arranged $376 million in project financing for First Wind and its partners.

We'll keep you up to date with this important step in making the cities of the Southwest cleaner and less prone to power outages.

-Sam Hopkins

South Korea ETF

Sometimes, eating bugs is good for business.

At least that's the case in Seoul, South Korea, where two years ago I found myself biting reluctantly into a spoonful of beondegi. That's the Korean name for silkworm pupae that are sold like peanuts on sidewalks outside skyscrapers in the country's capital. I wondered how deals could get done with the air stinking of stewed insects. . .

But now, judging by South Korea's economic performance in 2009, I'm thinking Wall Street suits may want to start cooking up some creepy crawlers for themselves.

Korea (as I'll refer to it here, since North Korea produces nothing but nukes and fake Viagra), logged a surprising increase in Gross Domestic Product in the third quarter of this year. Its economy grew by 2.9% from Q2 to Q3, when the International Monetary Fund only expected a 2.1% uptick.

In turn, the IMF has revised its full-year 2009 outlook for the #4 economy in Asia to -1% instead of -3%, and South Korea is now favored over regional neighbors like Japan, China, and Australia to perform solidly in 2010.

Most strikingly, South Korea's economy is rebounding faster than any other country in the Group of Twenty leading industrialized nations (G20).

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That advantage bodes well for U.S.-based investors who tap the iShares MSCI South Korea Index ETF (NYSE:EWY).

Yet EWY isn't the whole story. Market watchers in other countries should note that even though the EWY exchange-traded fund is most easily accessible to Americans, the benefits of South Korea's market momentum over the next year may be felt most outside the U.S.

Which brings us back to bugs. . .

Growing KORUS and Korea's Free Trade Agreements

I walked through desolate downtown Seoul one evening, trying to find a pocket of air that didn't smell of beondegi. I was blocked in every direction by police cordons and that unfriendly odor. Throngs of Korean farmers had taken to the streets to protest the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.

As they rallied — munching on crunchy, warm bugs from foam cups — a few even threw bricks at the buses that brought in over 20,000 police officers and soldiers who lined the thoroughfares. Some signs read "NO FTA" in English, but otherwise this was a demonstration aimed squarely at Korean policymakers.

This is how the scene looked:

KORUS, as this FTA is called in D.C. shorthand, will phase out trade barriers and leave Korea's ports wide open to U.S. agricultural products with minimal or no tariffs to get in the way.

It has yet to be ratified by the Korean National Assembly or the U.S. House of Representatives, even though the executive-level ink has been dry since 2007.

Korea's head honchos on trade aren't waiting idly for Congress to come calling. South Korea already has free trade agreements with 16 countries; the European Union joined that list in October.

Other countries and economic zones from Peru to the Persian Gulf are also on track to open up to Korea, as they recognize we may soon see a repeat of the "Miracle on the Han River"—the period named for the waterway that flows through Seoul and the exponential economic growth that post-war Korea enjoyed from the 1960s through the 1980s.

That experience gives South Korea credibility to help guide the world's financial leaders to growth.

It's a good thing, then, that South Korea will hold the rotating chair of the G20 in 2010 and host the G20 Summit next November.

This month, Barack Obama will stop in Seoul after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Singapore and his visits to a handful of Asian countries. The 21-member APEC conference will provide a forum for South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak to strategize with the U.S. President about how both leaders can drive ratification of KORUS.

That dialogue will continue in Seoul when Lee and Obama hold bilateral talks, and voices within the Obama administration like U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk are indicating that the President will press Congress on KORUS, despite his opposition in the Senate and as a candidate for the White House.

As you might imagine, the key sticking point on KORUS for Obama and many D.C. delegates of rust-belt constituencies is cars. They say American cars won't get a fair shake in the Korean market, which produces Hyundai, Daewoo, and Kia for domestic and international sales.

With the iShares South Korea Index ETF, you can easily tap Korea's industrial base — autos and otherwise — and gain a major edge on the U.S. share market.

"COP-15"

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South Korea Exchange-Traded Fund Holdings

From January 1 through November 9, 2009, the South Korea ETF (NYSE: EWY) outperformed the S&P 500 by 63% to 19%!

The Korean ETF has even beaten its Hong Kong equivalent (NYSE: EWH) by over 7% during the same period.

EWY is stacked with conglomerates like Hyundai, LG, and Samsung, so you have plays on everything from hybrid cars to cell phones. They come cheap in this ETF, too. . .

EWY trades at an average price-to-earnings ratio of 13, compared to over 15.4 for S&P 500 components. The price-to-sales picture is even starker, with S&P sales currently being valued at more than twice equivalent sales from Korean companies!

We know from South Korea's superior growth in 2009 and stellar forecast for 2010 that most investors are miscalculating, and that you can profit from their folly. Domestic demand, strong exporters, and a high-tech entrepreneurial base are all driving Korean shares to huge returns.

South Korea's new success story is just beginning, and now is the time to start building a position in EWY.

My time spent in Seoul served me well. . . I know what not to eat and I know what good investments smell like, too. By traveling around the world, you can really get a sense of what makes foreign markets move and how you can profit — no matter where you are. I'd like you to come with me on the next trip I take by joining Green Chip International. Subscribers are now up 61% on closed positions and have more than doubled the U.S. rally with stocks we're still holding! To learn more, click here.

Regards,

Sam Hopkins

Australian Renewable Energy

The government of Australia is targeting four homegrown renewable energy companies with over US$214 million in assistance.

Petratherm, Geodynamics, Victorian Wave Partners, and Hydro Tasmania will all be able to use funding from the capital in Canberra to advance the country's renewable energy capacity. Australia has a national goal of generating 20% of its electricity from clean sources by 2020.

As it stands, clean means renewable. Even Australia—the largest coal exporter in the world—has not advanced clean coal technology to the point where it is a medium-term rival with wind, solar, and water-driven generation.

Petratherm (ASX:PTR) and Geodynamics Ltd. (ASX:GDY) are both Sydney-traded developers of hot rock geothermal energy, which Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and many companies hope to turn into the country's premier non-exportable clean energy resource.

Geothermal energy can't be loaded onto a tanker or put in a pipeline, so steam turbines will sent power straight to local cities and consumers. Fine-tuning of the new clean energy generation buildout process will come at sites like the 25 MW geothermal power plant Geodynamics is building in the state of South Australia.

The other two companies to receive pieces of the A$235 million pie Canberra dished out on November 6 were Hydro Tasmania and Victorian Wave Partners. The success of those two points to the Australian government's commitment to wave energy and hydropower as part of the continent-country's energy mix and advance toward the "20x20" target.

Geodynamics (ASX:GDY) shares rose by nearly 10% on the day's news, and Petratherm (ASX:PTR) doubled that, with a more than 20% gain on Friday.

-Sam Hopkins

The U.S. Army's New Solar Power Plant

It's the same U.S. military that guards Persian Gulf oil routes.

And it's now becoming a force in renewable energy's worldwide expansion.

Far from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Department of Defense is setting its own target list to achieve energy independence for the Army's biggest bases.

First, California's Fort Irwin has just begun a multi-year march toward 1,000 MW in solar energy capacity and self-sufficiency from the desert sun.

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Fort Irwin Goes Solar

No one would think you were crazy if you thought Fort Irwin — the Army's biggest training camp — was a Middle Eastern outpost. As a matter of fact, the Mojave Desert complex plays host to a sort of mini-Iraq, where hundreds of Iraqi actors are employed by DoD to accurately play out urban fighting scenarios soldiers may encounter during deployment.

Its 1000+ square miles of barren landscape also make Fort Irwin an ideal place to test aircraft, artillery, tanks. . . and even solar power.

In this map from the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), you can see that Fort Irwin's location smack-dab between Las Vegas and Los Angeles also puts it right in the middle of the country's highest average daily solar radiation: over 7,500 Watt-hours per square inch.

Those conditions mean you've got to drink a lot of water during training exercises, and you can bet air conditioners are whirring all day long nearly year-round. . .

So the Army commissioned Irwin Energy Security Partners — comprised of Spanish energy and infrastructure company Acciona's solar power division and Virginia-based Clark Energy Group — to reduce the drain Fort Irwin exerts on local generators like Hoover Dam, and to bring a massive power supply improvement inside the base boundaries.

The Army's International "Green Coalition"

You may not expect to see Madrid-traded Acciona (MAD: ANA) on a roster of the U.S. ground force's top energy developers. But Acciona's North American operations, which include water desalination and wind power, give the Spanish company a firm domestic base that the Pentagon sees as favorable to its own efforts. Acciona North America has its headquarters in Henderson, Nevada, just outside Las Vegas.

For the Fort Irwin solar power project, Acciona has teamed up with Clark Energy Group, an energy services company based in Arlington, Virginia, just outside D.C.

Clark is able to navigate the bureaucracy and get Acciona's concentrating solar power (CSP) technology into the military power mix.

A combination of solar thermal power and photovoltaic (PV) technology will contribute 500 MW of capacity by 2022, at a cost of about $2 billion. That should make Fort Irwin energy-independent as far as electricity is concerned.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Army officials have hinted at selling some of that output to area grids — especially if the solar plant is expanded to a full gigawatt under the Army's Enhanced Use Leasing (EUL) program. The EUL is the military equivalent to Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements that many emerging countries and cash-strapped cities have used to launch infrastructure improvements.

Under the EUL, which is administered in Baltimore, Irwin Energy Security Partners will lease Army land to install and operate the solar power plant. The consortium will cohabitate with the military with the goal of landing more contracts as the Pentagon shifts to sustainable energy on its bases.

Out in the brightest, driest reaches of the United States, more international clean energy companies with American HQs may find themselves involved in the Defense Department's "Green Coalition."

Israel's Ormat Technologies has its main North American offices in Reno, Nevada, just north of Fort Irwin. Ormat (NYSE: ORA) is already drawing steam from the ground to drive geothermal electricity generation throughout the West, and inclusion in Army energy plans could give another shot in the arm to Ormat shares, which are now holding just above support levels at $36.

Be it Acciona, Ormat, or another company that gains the most from the American military's forays into security through clean power, one thing is certain: the U.S. is now building an international coalition on renewable energy like none we've seen before.

We'll keep you up to date on which international green companies are set to benefit.

Regards,

Sam Hopkins

International Editor

P.S. Nick Hodge and I just issued another successful recommendation to Green Chip International subscribers. That's become the norm for GCI, as our current open positions now average a 45.9% gain. As for the ones we've closed out. . . they did even better — with a 58% payday. And we're working on more winners for you as we speak. Just take a look at this GCI special report today so you don't miss the next one: Profiting from International Clean Energy Expansion.

China Wind Power

United States Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said on Thursday that China is moving to allow more parts from foreign manufacturers to be included in the Middle Kingdom's domestic wind power projects.

As it stands, Beijing requires that 70% of the components in wind energy turbines erected around China be produced by factories within the country.

Locke couldn't say exactly when the rule would change, but after the 20th U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, America's top industrial diplomat did indicate that a policy shift is on the way.

That will be a boon to American wind energy component producers like American Superconductor (NASDAQ:AMSC), whose stock rose by over 10% in the week from October 26, compared to a 3% decline for the S&P 500.

China's loosening of domestic manufacturing requirements for wind power is also part of a bi-national wind power exchange that involves companies of all sizes.

In Texas, a consortium just announced a $1.5 billion Sino-American joint venture between Shenyang Power Group, Cielo Wind Power, and the U.S. Renewable Energy Group, a private equity fund. That collaborative effort will bring turbines from China to the Lone Star State via Chinese turbine maker A-Power Energy (NASDAQ:APWR).

Look for more news soon on the growing exchange in U.S. and Chinese wind power infrastructure expansion and the wind power stocks that could profit.

-Sam Hopkins

China Wind Power

United States Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said on Thursday that China is moving to allow more parts from foreign manufacturers to be included in the Middle Kingdom's domestic wind power projects.

As it stands, Beijing requires that 70% of the components in wind energy turbines erected around China be produced by factories within the country.

China's loosening of domestic manufacturing requirements for wind power is also part of a bi-national wind power exchange that involves companies of all sizes.

Look for more news soon on the growing exchange in U.S. and Chinese wind power infrastructure expansion and the wind power stocks that could profit.

-Sam Hopkins

Veolia Environnement Stock

Publisher's Note: Green Chip's Sam Hopkins is in New Orleans this week, reporting on the city's pressing water and transportation needs, and the company behind its massive infrastructure overhaul...
— Jeff Siegel

—————————————————

More than 200 years after the Louisiana Purchase, the French are about to run New Orleans again.

The fleur de lis still graces everything from garbage cans to football helmets in this tropical American city, and as I've found in the past few days while looking for companies that are making the most of the Big Easy's post-Katrina renaissance, the famed fleur isn't the only nod to the area's erstwhile European rulers. . .

$1.76 Million Per Megawatt

That's the going rate for wind energy.

And in the next 10 years. . . over 446,000 megawatts will be installed.

That presents a market worth $785 billion.

Click here to learn about 3 stocks that will easily double as that happens.

French multinational conglomerate Veolia Environnement (NYSE:VE) is becoming the company that handles New Orleans' most basic water and transportation needs.

Veolia has been a major player in this sea-level city's water distribution infrastructure since the mid-1990s. Veolia Water North America built the largest water treatment plant in the United States here in 1992. Today, the company continues to operate and maintain filtration facilities near the Mississippi River, whose connection to the Gulf of Mexico gave New Orleans its historical strategic importance, as well as its fresh water supply.

Now Veolia, which trades on the Euronext Paris market as VIE, is taking control of the city's famous streetcars and buses from the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (NORTA). NORTA has failed in its efforts to get public transportation back on track after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 (and Gustav and Ike in 2008), decimated the primary customer base for intra-city mass transit.

Veolia Takes Over Post-Katrina Transit

Consider this: the population of New Orleans is still about 30% lower than it was before Katrina, yet NORTA ridership dropped by 70% over the same period!

That's too low even for sea-level, and NORTA can't get the numbers up. So they're paying Veolia up to $600 million over the next decade to handle everything from payroll and pensions to network operation; security and timetables for the city system and its connections to surrounding parishes, as counties are called in Louisiana.

Perhaps most importantly, Veolia will take over the system's public relations, using lessons from Veolia Transportation's business in 70 countries to recover some of the 70% of customers NORTA lost.

To be fair, it's not all NORTA's fault. As you probably know, Katrina hit the poorest areas of New Orleans the hardest. The reason that many residents of places like the Lower Ninth Ward couldn't evacuate in time to avoid the storm and rising floodwaters is the same reason that NORTA ridership is down a full 40% more than the city's population. Those folks depended on mass transit to traverse the city and to escape it.

And we all remember the sight of entire bus fleets sitting chassis-deep in murky water, as the Superdome filled with panicked New Orleanians. As indelible as those images are to anyone who saw the disaster unfold on TV, the mental and physical scars of Hurricane Katrina are all the more apparent here.

Over four years after the storm and floods roiled, restaurants place post-Katrina recovery clearances in their front windows as if they were the standard bills of health. I've heard 10-piece bands sing songs about high water and helplessness, and I've seen signs saying, "Katrina broke our city and Capitalism isn't going to fix it."

But Katrina, among other things, demonstrated an epic failure of government at all levels to protect the citizens who bankroll it.

Veolia's job will be to prevent such breakdowns through effective disaster planning and management. If improvement comes through a "capitalist" five-year deal with an option to renew, so be it.

Beyond hurricane preparedness, Veolia is intimately involved in state and city-level efforts to bring federal stimulus money down to the Delta.

New Orleans: "Exhibit A" for Stimulus Funds

In February 2009, Newsweek called New Orleans "Exhibit A" for why a federal stimulus was not only needed to bring the world's richest country out of recession, but also to restore a basic level of service and civil life to one of its most precarious cities.

So far, 16% of Louisiana's federal stimulus money has been allocated to transit and water projects, according to the Louisiana Recovery Authority's website.

Transit and water projects are both right up Veolia's alley.

New Orleans is even seeking to expand Veolia's task by building three new streetcar lines. Estimated at around $150 million, the city wants federal stimulus aid to boost the project. Under the "Exhibit A" banner, New Orleans can legitimately say that by expanding service out to poorer areas, resettlement and reintegration into the local economy will be made possible for thousands of families now scattered all across the country.

Some of the currently un-served areas had older streetcar lines that were torn up, though the wealthier Uptown area kept its St. Charles conduit. So it's not an "If you build it, they will come" scenario, to paraphrase one of my favorite films. Instead, it's more a question of, "If we rebuild it, will they come back?"

People tell me this is the time of year to get work done in the Big Easy because you won't sweat too hard. It's not too muggy, and it's certainly not chilly enough for my temperate-zone bones to raise any objection. Veolia Environnement is bringing its international expertise and the weight of a conglomerate to New Orleans to rebuild old things and build new ones, too.

And as I reported a couple weeks back from California, Veolia is part of an expansive national consensus that infrastructure issues are paramount to economic vitality.

The market is looking wobbly right now, but if you want a piece of what Veolia is doing here and elsewhere, current levels around $32 give you a sound technical support base and an opportunity to start building a position in this water and transportation double-play.

As it happens, the Green Chip team is wrapping up a report on the newest addition to the Green Chip International portfolio. Like Veolia, it's a major force in some of the world's biggest markets for water services. But unlike Veolia, this is a country-specific play on an emerging market that investors are clamoring to get a piece of. This stock is a value investor's dream hidden by hype. You don't want to miss this winner.

Regards,

Sam Hopkins

Editor's Note: My colleague Nick Hodge will soon be attending GreenBeat 2009, the foremost event on the smart grid. Below are some details about the conference.

Call for submissions: Smart Grid innovators wanted! Renovating the power grid requires big ideas from start-ups, major technology companies and manufacturers, and university labs. Innovations will range from technologies that increase the grid's capabilities and efficiency, to new business models taking advantage of these new capabilities. To find out more about GreenBeat's Innovation Competition and to apply, click here.

Deadline to enter the competition is October 30, 2009. VentureBeat will name the top 10 innovations driving the future of the Smart Grid on November 19, 2009, at the GreenBeat 2009 conference. Keynotes include Al Gore and John Doerr.

Save 20% on your regular priced GreenBeat 2009 conference tickets.

Niger Delta Oil Fighting Ends

A persistent threat to oil supplies and contributor to the risk premium that helped push oil prices up in recent years seems to be dissipating.

Fighting in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta region has raged for years, as local militant group the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) demanded greater control over local resources.

MEND conducted targeted bombing campaigns that attacked onshore and offshore oil infrastructure at its arteries—pipelines—and MEND warned away foreign oil companies that didn't meet the group's conditions for dealing with delta communities.

Most foreign firms deal with Nigerian oil industry captains nearer the country's main city, Lagos.

Now, President Umaru Yar'Adua is close to finalizing a permanent cease-fire and amnesty agreement for MEND and smaller groups whose fighters total around 8,000 men.

On Monday, October 26, MEND announced the truce from its side, and the move lightened fears that the Niger Delta would continue to fall short on potential output by 1 million barrels a day. That is the amount that was essentially held hostage by the fighters and in turn dented realized worldwide capacity.

Oil dipped below $80 a barrel on Monday as the cool-down in the Niger Delta made news.

~Sam Hopkins

Investing in Nokia Stock

If it bleeds, it leads. . .

Be it the local 11 o'clock news or an international corporate brawl, tussles get top billing.

Today, the financial press is screaming about Finland's Nokia filing a claim against Apple, Inc. in U.S. federal court, saying the iPhone represents a breach of ten Nokia patents.

But as an investor, you're making a mistake if you just go for the corporate gore and ignore the revenue brewing in Nokia's backyard. . .

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Broadband Internet Becomes a Civil Right

You see, Finland just became the first country in the world to make high-speed internet a legal right for all its citizens. And it's going to be a boon for Helsinki-based Nokia, which is already the world's largest mobile phone maker and has plans to become a force in global broadband access.

As of July 2010, all of Finland's 5.3 million residents will become part of a sweeping national plan to increase internet access and stimulate a high-tech economic recovery. Internet Service Providers (ISP) in Finland will be required to do everything possible to allow Finns access to a steady stream of data. They'll flesh out delivery infrastructure like fiber-optic cable and beef up security mechanisms to ensure that new connections are safe.

The new national broadband mandate won't just stimulate PC makers that profit as previously unserved Finnish consumers step into the PC market — Finland's Ministry of Transport and Communications is allowing for the service requirement to be fulfilled through mobile devices like Nokia's soon-to-debut N900 smartphone.

Some of the patents that Nokia is taking before a judge in the Apple case relate directly to Nokia's new high-speed internet push and the Linux-based N900. Specifically, Nokia says Apple co-opted parts of its technology for both traditional telephony and wireless internet access.

Nokia Moves from 3G to 3D

Nokia plans to release a small computer called the Booklet 3G, named for the fast-spreading wireless broadband network now accessible in many countries.

The drive to supersede other smartphone and even PC makers will extend from Finland all the way around the world. . . and it will take things from 3G to 3D, as PC World magazine recently reported.

If you're lost in new surroundings, or just trying to orient yourself (as I was plenty of times during a recent trip to San Francisco), a smartphone like the iPhone or the Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) Blackberry can turn you into a flashing blip on your handheld screen, complete with street names and compass directions.

But finding yourself inside isn't nearly as easy. . . and we're not talking about introspection or soul searching here.
We're talking about knowing in which part of the shopping mall, doctor's building, or even construction site you are.

And that's what Nokia is aiming to achieve, as it builds on the 2007 acquisition of Navteq, a navigation software developer that competed on its own with GPS giants like Garmin (NASDAQ: GRMN).

PC World recently noted that with Navteq now the core of Nokia's Location-Based Services (LBS) division, the parent company can move forward with next-generation 3D mapping initiatives. Essentially, Nokia's status as the world's largest handset maker means that each phone can become a freelance surveying device that helps piece together pictures of inside spaces for the Navteq/Nokia database.

As of Nokia's acquisition, Navteq already had the largest mapping database on the planet — and the Finnish company may soon hold the most comprehensive interior coordinate system around.

Now to the Numbers. . .

Big ideas aside, Nokia is a creature of the global consumer goods market. Telecommunication plays a major role in our social and financial lives — one that won't go away, unless some sort of Armageddon knocks out the world's telecom nerve centers.

But companies like Nokia can't assume their market leadership will last 'til kingdom come. . .

And it's certainly not good news that Nokia just reported its first quarterly loss ever. Since 1996, the company has been growing and growing, but the iPhone suit against Apple strikes many as a sour-grapes effort to climb back into a smartphone scene to which Nokia paid too little attention.

Apple and Nokia are now part of a flame war that will probably end out of court, but not before millions in legal fees are generated and Nokia potentially diverts important resources from the task at hand: getting back to profitability.

I watched Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) doggedly pursue Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) in a similar way from late 2005 on, and AMD shareholders have nothing to show now but a share price that is down 64% over the past five years. Intel shares dipped into the red by 4% in the same time period, but we know who still holds the upper hand.

Nokia may be best off showing that Finland's tech economy (near Sweden, Denmark and Estonia, which gave us the highly successful internet phone software Skype and file-sharing service Kazaa), can be a template for a major worldwide expansion of broadband access. Nokia can take the helm of a global high-speed wireless web campaign through its existing consumer base — and the fact that its country is now a policy Petri dish for 21st century telecoms.

Nokia dropped by 16% in the month to October 22, while Apple gained nearly 10% — largely on the back of iPhone sales.

Frankly, Finland could be first in a long line of countries that will make broadband internet a civil right. Each nation that recognizes the importance of high-speed internet to economic growth will generate new momentum for profit growth at smartphone makers.

Whether on the desktop or laptop or in the pocket, you want to tap international broadband expansion in your own portfolio.

Regards,

Sam Hopkins

P.S. Smartphone patent disputes are one thing, but smart grid electricity development is leaving plenty of room for multiple companies to profit. . . from metering solutions to massive load monitoring systems that can shift a whole city's power balance and avoid blackouts. In rich and poor countries alike, progress means investment in new energy technology, and we're tracking a world's worth of spending in Green Chip International. To learn more, click here.

Solar Thermal Energy Companies

Siemens (NYSE: SI) is moving from country to country and from strength to strength in the renewables sector.

This month, the German engineering giant added Israeli solar-thermal company Solel Solar Systems to its Environmental Portfolio. Here, we'll see that Solel's recent progress and Siemens' green growth goals make this is a well-timed acquisition that points to further opportunities for large-cap clean energy investments.

Siemens shelled out nearly half a billion bucks ($418 million) for Solel, which has already established itself as a player in key clean energy markets.

$1.76 Million Per Megawatt

That's the going rate for wind energy.

And in the next 10 years. . . over 446,000 megawatts will be installed.

That presents a market worth $785 billion.

Click here to learn about 3 stocks that will easily double as that happens.

Solel currently operates 750 MW worth of installed capacity at 15 solar-thermal plants around Spain. The company got a $2.6 million grant from the Spanish government in September, meant to help the company finance Spain's first solar field component plant south of Madrid. There, Solel engineers will produce solar receivers that focus the energy generated at parabolic trough power plants.

Siemens will take on that project now, gaining a leg up in the country Ernst & Young ranks in the top 5 most attractive renewable energy markets in the world.

In Spain and elsewhere, Siemens will couple Solel's high-efficiency receiver production with its own market-leading steam turbine division.

Every bit of synergy helps Siemens push beyond its own advantageous German base — Germany is the #2 overall clean energy market in the world, according to E&Y's Q4 2008 All Renewables Index.

Globally, Siemens expects to take a big bite of the rapidly growing solar-thermal market, which it says will be worth 20 billion euros by 2020.

That's a figure that big companies can't say no to.

And the greening of Siemens, GE (NYSE:GE) and other industrial giants presents us with a new category of global mega-cap shares that are gradually becoming, well, Green Chip Stocks.

When Blue Chip Stocks Go Green

Now, being an industrial behemoth with a U.S. market cap of over $87 billion, Siemens dwarfs most pure plays on renewable energy. Some investors may like the underdog feel of clean energy stocks — after all, until the past few years, the mainstream media paid little attention to anything green. . . and oil prices didn't seem to justify high-dollar acquisition strategies like the one Siemens is currently pursuing.

Siemens isn't shelling out hundreds of millions for Solel on a whim. In fact, solar isn't even the primary motivation for this green grab, if you listen to Siemens CEO Peter Loscher. When the Solel deal was announced, Loscher said, "After the rapid and highly successful expansion of our wind power business, we now want to continue this success story in the solar sector."

Indeed, Siemens is bringing in wind turbine orders at an incredible clip for a recent market entrant. . .

On October 13, Siemens announced six new wind turbine orders in North America, worth over $900 million. A quarter of the 565 MW in turbines Siemens ships will head to Ontario, which has become the hub of Canadian wind energy market momentum. Wind-blown states like Wyoming, Oklahoma, and California (the nation's top renewable energy market), will get the rest.

This is big, and this is real. We've heard fair criticism of multinational firms that engage in "greenwashing," which means they put a ton of public relations money into magnifying relatively small moves towards sustainability. With emissions reductions mandates now being developed in national capitals ahead of the Copenhagen Climate Conference (COP-15) in December, even those baby steps by blue chips will evolve into long strides. So on one hand, Coca-Cola won't necessarily become a "green" company, but Atlanta executives will have to reevaluate their industrial logic like never before.

Siemens, on the other hand, is fusing its own in-house research and resources with valuable startups like Solel. Solar-thermal plant designers will now be able to source steam turbines and receivers from one company, which is huge. Easier procurement means economies of scale are achieved more quickly, costs come down, and more drawing-board plans move into the range of reality.

We've been keeping you up to date on the state of renewable energy finance throughout the credit crisis, and M&A is a major piece of the puzzle for keeping clean energy on track to provide more capacity and enable investors to profit (Wall Street-traded Siemens shares are up 67% in the past six months).

Rest assured, there's plenty more on the way when it comes to top-down industrial stimulus for clean energy stocks.

Regards,

Sam Hopkins

P.S. You've read about the evolution of clean energy and sustainability in Green Chip Stocks for years now. But there's another way to tell the story, and a new film highlights another area where the green shift is taking place. You can watch the whole video, Scraphouse, online right here.

Smart Grid Companies

The health care debate is hardly behind us, but Washington is starting to turn its policy-crafting attention to energy and climate issues. In fact, we are still near the beginning of a gradual shift in focus to debate that will favor smart grid companies in 2010.

Domestic and international political will are now decisively in favor of action to establish clean energy benchmarks every nation will be expected to meet.

The UN Copenhagen Climate Conference in December demands serious preparation to develop national goals, and the growing consensus among developed countries and even among U.S. states with renewable portfolio standards favors a 20% clean energy contribution to the worldwide energy mix by 2020.

States like Kansas that now have their own "20x20" mandates can't just start putting up wind turbines and slapping solar panels on roofs if they want to get to 20% renewables efficiently. . . first, smart states are looking into smart grid planning, and calling for some of the $4.5 billion in economic stimulus package funds available for extensive overhauls to electricity infrastructure.

Homeowners will be able to save money through off-peak consumption while potentially generating surplus that can be sold back to the grid. It's not a pipe dream, either.

On Tuesday, October 20, The New York Times featured Boulder, Colorado and its local utility Xcel, which claims to have made Boulder the "first fully functioning smart city in the world" through computerized household readouts and a nerve network of load monitoring sensors.

At the federal level, on October 16, the Senate approved a $33.5 bill to beef up the nation's clean energy and water resource infrastructure. Two days later, the Times highlighted the infighting now taking place among traditionally cohesive energy powers. As energy reform comes down the pike, it's coal vs. natural gas, natgas vs. oil, and all of them vs. renewables. . .

You know what rises above the fray, and can even unite them all? Smart grid companies! Their whole purpose is to balance multiple resource types as they patch into local grids.

No wonder we see such performance in smart grid stocks lately. EnerNOC (NASDAQ:ENOC) leads Comverge (NASDAQ:COMV), American Superconductor (NASDAQ:AMSC) and ABB (NYSE:LTD).

And all of them are beating the breakthrough Dow, even as it climbed 30% since late April.

Expect the smart grid market advantage to stay intact into 2010.

~Sam Hopkins

The Economist's 'Buttonwood Gathering'

Dear Reader,

Last week, while the Dow hit 10,000 and a wayward balloon captivated the American media, the newest member of the Wealth Daily team was in the thick of one of the world's most important economic conclaves.

Editor Adam Sharp attended the Buttonwood Gathering in New York to get a bead on where big money is looking to invest in 2010. Adam heard from White House Economic Adviser and former Harvard firebrand Larry Summers. He listened to hedge fund managers and finance ministers from around the globe, paying close attention as they spoke to each other in that club-like atmosphere.

They didn't think you were listening. . .

But Adam Sharp was taking careful notes and thinking of the best ways for you to stay ahead of the crowd when it comes to post-Buttonwood investing.

Enjoy Adam's insights, and prepare for plenty more hard-hitting, first-hand reporting like this in the weeks and months to come.

Sam Hopkins

—————————————————————-

The Economist's Buttonwood Gathering on "fixing finance" had no shortage of big names on stage. Speakers included Tim Geithner, Larry Summers, George Soros, Niall Ferguson, Robert Shiller, and Elizabeth Warren.

First off, assembling a conference with a slogan like "fixing finance" sets lofty expectations. And some of the speakers did offer realistic and sound ideas for reform. Elizabeth Warren, head of the TARP oversight committee, said we need "the toughest possible accounting standards," because "you can't trust anyone's books these days."

Get In for Less Than the CEO

One company could hold the key to our energy and water woes.

Buffett is in. So is T. Rowe Price. And the CEO of the company recently tacked on thousands of shares to his personal holdings.

They all think the stock is going much higher. And you can get in at nearly the same price they did today.

This report explains why the technology will be so valuable and how you can stake your claim today.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Warren's position is toothless; her role has no enforcement authority, after all.

This would prove to be a recurring theme throughout the conference. The speakers who had the best ideas were usually not in a position to act on them. The power-players, like Summers and Geithner, said little of substance, dodging the best questions from the audience.

Judging by the comments of White House Chief Economic Advisor Larry Summers, Wall Street won't see real change anytime soon. (Keep in mind, this is the same former Treasury Secretary who was instrumental in the push for the deregulation in the repeal of the Glass-Steagall act.)

Ironically, his speech was on the topic of bubbles. His position was that bubbles are impossible to predict, so we shouldn't even try to pop them. We can only prepare ourselves for when they do pop. He laid out the White House's financial reform plan, which I'll cover in more detail later this week.

Investing Insights

Nearly all the hedge fund managers I talked with said the U.S. market is toppy and may be overbought at these levels. While it is undeniable that we're in a bull market, many are content with their gains. After all, markets are up almost 60% from lows. Some are taking profits, but most said they are not eager to get short.

One manager I talked to said experience has taught him to be cautious after run-ups like this. He noted that the VIX (also known as "the fear index"), is at new lows for the year. This indicates people are getting too comfortable. . . and the bull run may be getting long in the tooth.

Others I spoke with are worried about a possible double-dip recession. Questions surround the Federal Reserve and what happens if/when they stop pumping trillions of dollars into the markets. If they decide to keep providing liquidity after their current plans expire, how long can they keep it up? At some point, will America's creditors balk, and refuse to buy more debt?

Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, was bullish on green technology. He endorsed the green sector as America's best shot for stimulating growth and creating jobs.

The dollar was another hot topic. Most attendees and panelists seemed to think we would see continued weakness.

Billionaire investor George Soros noted that there has been "a general flight from currencies." When asked whether the dollar would lose its reserve status, he took a page out of Winston Churchill's book and quipped, "The U.S. dollar is the worst reserve currency, except for all the alternatives."

On the subject of growth, Mr. Soros offered a not-so-rosy outlook. He stated that world growth is bound to be "flat for a number of years," and that "the U.S. will continue to drag on the world economy."

There was no shortage of great quotes during the conference, and I'll share some of the best ones with you later this week in Wealth Daily.

Until then,

Adam Sharp

P.S. Soros, Sachs, and other Buttonwood brains have zeroed in on cleantech and other elements of a low-carbon economy to direct their economic outlook. As they know, not billions but trillions of dollars will churn based on emissions-reduction efforts. This December in Copenhagen, related investments will get a booster shot. To find out exactly why, check out this special report Nick Hodge and Sam Hopkins have prepared for you.

California Water Crisis

Editor's Note: Right now, Sam Hopkins is on assignment in San Francisco, where — ironically — the state has had record rainfall. . . and yet water scarcity is actually its most persistent resource problem. Sam wraps up his week of travels to Nevada and California by bringing you on-the-scene coverage of water policy in his new report below... and how it could affect your portfolio. Throughout the fall, Sam will be bringing you plenty more "off-the-Richter" opportunities from his travel and network of global green investors.

Enjoy,
Jeff Siegel

California is about to unleash a deluge of spending — right into your portfolio.

Right now, state lawmakers here are pushing forward with a $9.4 billion bond initiative that will make precious water resources more accessible and secure. . .

At the same time, representatives in Washington are helping turn a trickle of money into torrents going to water stocks and ETFs.

Why is this being done now, and why is there so much money at stake for investors?

There's only one reason President Obama is forking over billions for renewable energy.

And it's making insiders an absolute fortune!

Click here to find out what's really behind the push for renewable energy.

It's mainly because there is so much money at stake for the Golden State, and for the United States as a whole.

The World's 8th Largest Economy is Thirsty

Even when stacked up against entire countries, California has the world's eighth largest economy.

The Golden State generates more than 12% of America's GDP, and its agricultural output is twice that of any other state.

All that is worth much more than just the sale price of the produce and dairy products that California's farmers send around the nation — the California Department of Food and Agriculture says the state's $33 billion/year ag industry leads to triple that amount in total economic activity.

That's a multiplier effect Sacramento can't afford to ignore. So Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has demanded a special session of the state legislature to change a dismal record of dawdling in the capital when it comes to water issues.

The Governator is calling for action on California's "crumbling water system," refusing to mince words about the status quo, since he knows that without water, nothing grows.

"Water is jobs for California, water is food, water is our future, water is our economy," he said in his weekly radio address.

We know that far beyond California, water infrastructure investments are now an essential part of any resource investor's portfolio.

$21 Billion and Counting in Water Upgrades

My colleague Nick Hodge has reiterated the reality and the inevitability of government-led water investment profits for years now. Most recently, Nick combed through pages of data from the federal stimulus package to pull out no less than $11.8 billion in commitments to water infrastructure upgrades across the country.

Include the pending $9.4 billion bond package currently being negotiated in California's State Capitol, and you've got over $21 billion within reach.

That's a big enough number to change the fortunes of dozens of companies, and you can capture bullish market movement easily via water ETFs.

Exchange-traded funds, like the First Trust ISE Water Index (NYSE:FIW), capture the performance of companies that operate from seaside to spigot.

FIW's holdings make money as they upgrade old pipes, filters, and irrigation setups, but they will do best developing brand-new systems to ensure water's flow through America's economic veins.

Of course, water is a worldwide issue. That's why FIW is tapping France's Veolia Environnement (NYSE:VE), whose reach lets you benefit from everything from San Francisco Bay Area projects to Abu Dhabi's $15 billion Masdar green city plan.

Whether you're reading this in the desert, on the coast, or at river's edge, you know how important water is to economic vitality and quality of life.

Why not make some money for yourself as governments spend to keep the H2O flowing clean and clear?

Nick Hodge and I are preparing a special report on what we think will be the most profitable water stock in the world over the next five years. It's based abroad, but it's as easy to invest in as IBM.

As a Green Chip International subscriber, you can get the first crack at this winner in just a few days, and of course you'll have access to a portfolio full of global growth stocks that harness cleantech, renewable fuels, and infrastructure stocks to keep your investment accounts from drying out.

Just click here to check out GCI for yourself, risk-free.

Regards,

Sam Hopkins

Wynn Macau Stock IPO

Investors aren't looking to Las Vegas for the ultimate "sin dividend" these days. . .

They're looking across the globe to the former Portuguese colony of Macau — "the Vegas of the Far East." Just across the water from Hong Kong and China, Macau is drawing the biggest casino developers in Sin City. Developers like Steve Wynn.

Wynn is building big in Macau, where gambling is legal and millions of nominally communist Chinese test fresh fortunes every year.

During a period of spectacular growth on the mainland, the number of visitors to Macau nearly tripled to 26 million in 2007 from just 9 million in 2000.

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Wynn Macau (HK:1128) debuted last week with the "first Las Vegas-style blended resort in Asia," drawing a 13% premium on its IPO price in the first several hours of trading.

That nearly equals the 14% one-year return on Wall Street's Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ:WYNN)!

It would be logical to say that Americans aren't apt to double down in uncertain economic times. . . but gambling is about anything but certainty.

And the fact is that Wynn's competitors like Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) have outrun Wynn during the current market rally. LVS is up 32% over the past year, including its own late '08 dive. With even chips on each a year ago, bets on LVS did a lot better than the same money on WYNN.

So, why didn't Wynn win?

Well, Steve Wynn built a new Vegas resort hotel called the Encore, just down the street from where I am right now. It bears the same signature flourish as his older Wynn hotel, and it looks pretty much the same. But the circumstances of Encore's opening could have led to disaster. . .

Bad Timing for an Encore. . . Better Timing for a Macau IPO

Encore opened just before Christmas 2008, right in the eye of the economic storm that hit late that year. Wynn kept his poker face, saying in January 2009 that he and his managers faced little more than a "room-pricing decision." The financial meltdown meant that instead of filling Encore with high rollers ("whales," as they call them here), you could get a $300 room for $179/night.

That's not just a room-pricing decision. . . that's a huge chunk of potential revenue left unrealized.

Things are looking up now, but Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ:WYNN) shareholders have been hobbled during the Wall Street rebound due to Encore's bad timing.

And as opposed to the inauspicious opening of Encore, Wynn Macau listed just after two positive developments for Macau casino companies:

First, the Chinese government relaxed travel restrictions on mainland residents and tour operators heading to Macau.

Then, after a dismal first half of 2009, September gaming revenue in Macau shot up by more 53% from the same month in 2008!

Now, Steve Wynn could have opted to channel new Macau money into WYNN to enhance his company's domestic market value. Instead, he opted to take Wynn Macau public in the market that gives international investors the most access to new Chinese wealth — the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

And we now have a pure play on Wynn's Asian operations.

Wynn Macau's IPO and a planned LVS Macau listing should enjoy tailwinds propelling them — instead of stiff resistance holding them back. That momentum may even help those companies' respective U.S. listings, as well.

Of course, there is still plenty of money to be made here in Vegas and in Vegas-related shares on Wall Street. There is a strong contingent of the investing community that loves to tap "vice stocks" in gambling, alcohol, tobacco, and other sectors considered "adult entertainment."

In my time here in Las Vegas, I'm digging deeper — talking to everyone from bartenders to career slot technicians to find you the best ways to make money in Vegas without ever having to touch down in this decadent desert.

As for Wynn Macau, it's part of a much broader trend. More and more online trading sites and traditional brokerages like E-Trade now allow you to access superior profit opportunities that are only available on foreign exchanges.

Hong Kong is becoming a premier international market, and you can't afford to ignore it. Ask your broker, or check your self-directed account for details on tapping HK-traded shares.

Regards,

Sam Hopkins

P.S. Investing in Hong Kong gives you access to much more than tangential Chinese gambling plays. In fact, Warren Buffett recently turned a $1 billion profit by investing in a Hong Kong-listed battery maker. I put a buy out on the same stock. . . and am now up over 500%. Seeking out fast-moving international plays can be a boon for any investor's portfolio. You may have missed Buffett's battery play, but the next international money-making opportunity is just taking shape.