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    • This year marks the 8th battle in the so-called "Console Wars," with the release of long-awaited sequels to Microsoft's (MSFT) XBox 360 and Sony's (SNE) Playstation 3. With Microsoft set to reveal at least some details of its new console next week ahead of June's E3, Breakout asked Wedbush' Michael Pachter to help handicap the high stakes battle for your living room TV.

      In the attached video Pachter says this round will be all about multimedia and Microsoft has the early lead. Pachter expects this to finally be the year when the gaming console becomes the long-awaited Trojan Horse for the living room. That doesn't just mean connecting to your digital content or being able to talk to your friends while gaming. We can do that now. It's not even going to be a matter of tweaking the Xbox Kinect or adding Skype features. Think bigger.

      Read More »from Microsoft’s Next-Gen Xbox Will Change the World: Pachter
    • It's been six months, 300 points and 21% since the S&P 500 (^GSPC) began its ascent into record territory. The astounding, unbending rise has left countless casualties in its wake, especially those who have waited, and waited and waited for the better entry point that never came.

      "It's extremely difficult to time this market," says Simon Baker, founder of Baker Ave Asset Management, in the attached video. "This is one of the most unliked rallies ever. The market continues to hit new highs and people are just getting more and more frustrated."

      His advice: Stop waiting and get fully invested in stocks.

      "Scared money does not make money. You need to be in equities at this stage," he says. "When the Fed, ECB and Japanese are throwing money into the market you need to be long U.S. equities."

      A large part of his resolve comes from the fact that too many people are currently waiting for a correction. In fact, Baker says half of the audience at a recent high net worth conference he was speaking at admitted they were waiting for a 5% correction.

      Read More »from Waiting for a Correction Will Cost You Big Time! Says Baker
    • European GDP data were released this morning, missing expectations and offering scant evidence of improvement for the troubled region. GDP for the 17-nation Eurozone dropped 0.2%, worse than the 0.1% expected contraction. The recession has now extended into a sixth consecutive quarter. As for the two stalwart nations on the continent, Germany saw 0.1% growth and France officially fell into a recession with a contraction of 0.2%. European markets had little reaction to the news.

      The optimists at the IMF point to the improvement last year. Germany, worried about picking up the tab for potential stimulus, seems to think things are going just fine as long as deficits are under control. According to Marc Chandler, head of global currency strategy at Brown Brothers Harriman, Germany's push for austerity is still carrying the day in Europe.

      History suggests Europe is reluctant to be dictated to by the Germans. If they object this time around they shouldn't look to the U.S. for help. As Chandler sees it America and the IMF are just fine with the current path. "For the first time in American history its alright for a hedgom to come in power in Europe," he says in the attached video.

      Read More »from Eurozone Recession Continues: Can Germanic Austerity Survive?
    • Insurance is a wonderful thing — especially when you need it. But it's definitely not free. In fact, the cost of protecting your assets in the stock market has become really expensive, which is why some investment pros are of the mind that the cost of protection just isn't worth it anymore.

      Put another way, better deals are currently available on cyclical stocks, rather than defensives.

      "Cyclicals are actually cheaper versus the valuation of defensives, or staples, more so than at any time over the last 15 years," says Simon Baker, founder of Baker Ave Asset Management.

      While he readily admits that these more conservative equity picks were all the rage in the first quarter, the "chase for yield" by people bailing on bonds has jacked up the price of these lucrative total-return picks. "All of a sudden they're a lot more expensive," Baker says.

      For his money, cyclicals are the place to be and now is the time to be in them. That is, "if you do believe like we do: that the economy is turning around and the global recovery is in place."

      He is particularly fond of Q1 laggards, such as material (XLB) and tech (XLK) and would advise investors to also "go along with strong themes," such as housing and its expected benefit to the financial sector (XLF).

      Read More »from It’s Too Expensive to Be Defensive: Baker

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