The summer sun is seducing stir-crazed American families tired of penny-pinching. Add to that a strong dollar and I predict that those who can will travel.

Now, as swine flu continues to make the news, it will perhaps prompt some to avoid cruise lines and foreign travel to “high-risk” destinations.

That leaves European and domestic travel and as airlines have taken a hit lately, I chose that industry to sort through for just the right bargain.

JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ:JBLU), Deutsche Lufthansa AG (ADR) (OTC:DLAKY) and Air France – KLM (ADR) (OTC:AFLYY) look to be ready to bounce, but not as high as these two airline stocks…

Cleared for takeoff

On the domestic front, AirTran Holdings Inc. (NYSE:AAI) has felt the recession like other airlines. It announced earlier in the week that it anticipates a drop in second quarter revenue of perhaps as much as 7%.

And like its competitors, it will seek to mitigate the loss by cutting capacity around 8%.

But Airtran is small and consolidated. But the most compelling aspect of this stock is its fundamentals. Its got a forward P/E of 5.52 and a tiny PEG of .18.

The price and most importantly, the timing, are just right to invest in this company.

I recommend you buy shares of AirTran Holdings Inc. (NYSE:AAI) at or under $5.75 and hold on for 20% gains in the next 6 months.

My other pick is British Airways plc (ADR) (OTC:BAIRY). To cope with declining business, the company asked pilots to accept a pay cut in return for shares. The pilots agreed.

I think they were right to… The companies P/E of 4.02 is just where I like it to be, and the current share price is under half of its 52-week high.

British Airways is set for a rebound.

I recommend you pick up shares of British Airways plc (ADR) (OTC:BAIRY) under $23 and hold on for at least 20% gains in the next 6 months.

Source: The Best Way to Play a Strong U.S. Dollar

Penny Stock Winner #1: Digital Ally, Inc. (NASDAQ:DGLY)

Ready to benefit from stimulus buying

Digital Ally, Inc. supplies video imaging and storage products for security and law enforcement applications.

When I first mentioned this company to TFN readers back in January, its revenues had increased 65% over the year prior.

The stock then climbed over 15% until March when the company accompanied their stellar results with grim predictions for the future.

Delays with some of their products and declining economic conditions caused them to suspend their fiscal year 2009 guidance.

The share price came crashing down within days and hasn’t recovered.

The perfect purchase price

Now is a great time to pick up shares (or buy more shares, if you’re still holding on from our original recommendation).

As the stimulus money for local police departments and other law enforcements agencies gets doled out, Digital Ally should see profits rolling in.

Then there’s the international market…

In mid-April, the company signed a lucrative contract with the British Airport Authority for Digital Ally’s DVM-500 in-car surveillance systems.

The company is also launching a pilot program for its equipment with the Saudi Arabian Police.

Proactive approach

Digital Ally received repeated requests for assistance from U.S. police departments and other services in relation to how they could receive federal funding for their products.

The company has now pulled together instructions and resources to assist agencies to prepare the paperwork they need for grants to purchase the company’s products.

I recommend you buy shares of Digital Ally, Inc. (NASDAQ:DGLY) under $2.25 and hold on for double-digit gains by the end of the year.

Penny Stock Winner #2: ThermoGenesis Corp. (NASDAQ:KOOL)

Supplying today’s stem cell research

ThermoGenesis Corp. processes, stores and supplies stem cells retrieved from bone marrow, blood and tissue. Their clients include researchers, hospitals and blood banks.

The biotech’s automated, semi-automated and single-use products allow for the retrieval of autologous stem cells and would-healing proteins from a patient’s blood in less than one hour.

The future of medical treatment

Research indicates that stem cells instinctively go to an injured area and aid in the repair process.

Stem cells use as a standard treatment is not as far off as you think…

Just a few weeks ago, for the first time in the U.S., a stroke patient was treated with his own stem cells. The patient has missed the three-hour window for the standard clot removal treatment.

Knowing of the research regarding the possible regenerative quality of stem cells, medical personnel removed bone marrow stem cells from his leg, purified and intravenously returned them.

Other items of interest:

• ThermoGenesis’s subsidiary, Vantus Veterinary Stem Cell Laboratories, is tackling equine health by harvesting, processing and preserving stem cells of horses for the orthopedic injury therapies.
• The company recently brought J. Melville Engle on board as CEO. With 30 years of management experience in the healthcare industry, Mr. Engle should be able to bring the company to the next profitable level.

I recommend you pick up shares of ThermoGenesis Corp. (NASDAQ:KOOL) under $0.80 and hold on for 20% gains by the end of the year.

Penny Stock Winner #3: Denison Mines Corporation (TSE:DML)

Long-term uranium gains

Canadian Denison Mines’ share price has remained low large due to weak uranium prices.

In mid-April, 19.9% of the company was sold to Korea Electric Power Corp. (NYSE:KEP). KEPCO will also receive 20% of its annual production through 2015.

This greatly reduced the company’s debt levels.

Later in April, Denison announced it had signed a contract to provide 5 million pounds of uranium over 5 years beginning in 2011 to an unnamed customer.

The miner has another three long-term sales contracts and is aggressively looking for more.

Get in while the getting’s cheap

Uranium prices appear to be ready to climb once again.

Perhaps because of the world sees uranium as the lesser of evils for their energy needs.

This is the most speculative of our plays, and you need to be able to buy off the Toronto market, but it’s worth your consideration.

I recommend you buy shares of Denison Mines (TSE:DML) under $2.50 for 20% gains.

Source: Three Penny Stocks You Need to Own Now

This from Laura:

Lithium is becoming the commodity of choice for investors — for good reason. Car makers are choosing lithium-ion batteries for their much-anticipated hybrid and electronic vehicles. And the $2 billion the U.S. intends to invest in that technology will help ease the way.

At car shows globally, everybody’s talking lithium…

• GM announced it would build a plant to manufacture lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries for the Chevy Volt scheduled to debut in 2011.
• BMW plans to launch its remodeled Li-ion battery-powered 750i luxury sedan to the Japanese in 2010. This year, the company is producing 500 all-electric MINI Es, also with Li-ion batteries, for leasing in select cities.
• Toyota (NYSE:TM) hopes to launch plug-in hybrid Priuses with Li-ion batteries later this year.
• Mercedes-Benz anticipates launching its S400 Blue HYBRID with a Li-ion battery next year.
• The (NYSE:F)Ford Escape plug-in hybrid with the same power technology is slated for 2012.
• Then there’s the Tesla Roadster, Chyrsler EcoVoyager, Dodge ZEO, Jeep Renegade and the Saturn Flextreme.

Government money to the tune of $2 billion has been earmarked for hybrid technology. And with the greater demand for all these Li-ion car batteries, miners, processors and battery manufacturers stand to profit.

Read the Full Article Here: Lithium stocks on the rise

Apartment rentals are down for the first time in six years and nearly 96% of renters surveyed said they would be moving this year. Most said it was due a desire to be in a new neighborhood or city, but many simply wanted more for their money.

Then there’s the real cost-saver of rooming with another and splitting the bill. Listings for roommates on craigslist.org increased from 255,900 in 2007 to 421,000 in 2008.

A quick look at the Dow Jones Equity All REIT Total Return Index shows REITs crashed right along with the market in September.

These Trusts used to lay the investor’s golden dividend egg. If REITs distribute 90% of their income, they are not required to pay corporate taxes… so pay out they did.

But this profitable goose is cooked…

None of the following multifamily REITs have reclaimed anywhere near their Fall of 2008 share price. A quick snapshot of some of the bigger players since Oct. 1, 2008 is telling…

- American Campus Communities, Inc. (NYSE:ACC), Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS), and Senior Housing Properties Trust (NYSE:SNH) are down over 30%…

Read the full article here at TFN: Avoid Apartment REITs

We said, “Unmanned surveillance and intelligence-gathering technologies will play an even greater role as a new administration seeks to remove U.S. troops out of harms way.” Read the full article here: http://www.todaysfinancialnews.com/editors-pic/argon-st-stst-may-hold-the-key-to-future-earnings-in-a-war-weary-world-6327.html

In a conference call today, Argon ST executives announced that their Q1 2009 results have topped analysts’ estimates.

First quarter revenue came in at $84 million — 13% higher than the same period last year. Analysts had anticipated revenue to come in at $83.1 million.

Operating income was also up 13% from Q1 of 2008 at $7.6 million.

Fully diluted earnings per share was 24 cents on 22 million shares, whereas analysts had predicted just 22 cents. The first quarter of last year earnings was 19 cents on 22.3 million shares.

Best of all, the company is maintaining its 2009 fiscal year guidance numbers of $375 to $395 million in revenue, $34 to $38 million in operating income and $48 to $53 million for the adjusted EBITA.

The news has sent the share price up about 10% today. Our recommended entry price was at or under $19. If you got in then, I recommend you sell when the stock hits $22.80 and bank the 20% gains.

Source: Q1 Profits Up for TFN Editor’s PIC Argon ST (STST)

Typically, antibiotic therapy is immediately administered to kill the anthrax bacteria. But such treatment doesn’t address the lethal toxins that may have already been released into the victim’s bloodstream and tissues.

Human Genome Sciences (NASDAQ:HGSI) conducted research that showed its antibody drug ABthrax improved survival rates by 64% for animals exposed the lethal doses of anthrax spores.

And if given prior to exposure, 100% of the subjects survived.

The drug has been tested on human volunteers and was found to be generally well tolerated.

The government bought it

The Maryland-based biotech announced its first delivery of 20,000 doses of ABthrax to the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile on Feb. 2.

The price tag? A cool $150 million.

Not bad for a company with just a $303 million market cap.

And investors took notice… HGS’ share price is slowly retreating from a 50% leap on the news.

But wait! There’s more…

A pipeline full of potential

The small cap has two treatments in Phase III clinical trials, one for hepatitis C (Albuferon) and another for lupus (LymphoStat-B).

HGS is working on their TRAIL receptor antibodies to fight cancer by, in essence, programming malignant cell death.

The company also has financial rights to three products produced by GlaxoSmithKline — at least one of which is in a Phase III clinical trial (Darapladib for the treatment of chronic coronary heart disease).

I have to agree with the wise John H., this one’s a winner.

I recommend you buy shares of Human Genome Sciences (NASDAQ:HGSI) at or under $2.50 and hold on for at least 20% gains in the next 8 months.

Source: An up and coming biotech: Human Genome Sciences Inc. (HGSI)

This from Today’s Financial News:

Much of our popular technology is powered by lithium carbonate.

The compound has been used in the creation of heat-resistant glass, ceramics and alloy for aircraft.

It also sees effective use as a mood stabilizer and treatment for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).

But it’s the rechargeable power needs of modern technological devices that made this lightest of all minerals a serious commodity for investors.

Lithium’s value has climbed with the sale of each laptop, PDA, cell phone, and iPod it inhabits.

Whether the motivation is gas prices, a desire to lower one’s carbon footprint, or a reluctance to further enriching nations in the Middle East, demand has increased for hybrid vehicles.

The ONLY practical option for rechargeable vehicles is the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery.

Now, I say that knowing that Toyota has delayed the installation of Li-ion batteries due to some safety concerns it’s working on resolving. The corrosive quality of lithium gives it the potential to short-circuit in batteries and catch fire.

And there are aging issues with Li-ion batteries and the technology to recycle them is not in place.

These challenges have researchers at hundreds of companies competing to perfect their version of the battery.

But what makes Li-ion batteries so perfect for cars is that they are lightweight and can store more than twice the amount of energy (110 –130 watt hours per kilogram) when compared to its biggest competitor, nickel-metal-hydride (NiMh) batteries.

They also lose power at a slower rate than other batteries between uses.

In August 2008, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. announced it was partnering with GS Yuasa to complete a manufacturing plant for lithium-ion batteries. The company anticipates that demand will increase fivefold to meet the needs of electric vehicles. The new facility is slated to open in the spring – the same time the company expects to launch its Mitsubishi I-MiEV electronic compact car.

Nissan will use Li-ion batteries for the 65,000 hybrids they hope to manufacture by 2010.

Most of the next generation hybrids like GM’s Chevy Volt and Saturn Vue Green Line, and Mercedes’ hybrid version of its S-Class sedan, are planning to use Li-ion batteries.

About the element

Though not uncommon, lithium appears in low concentrations and is typically interwoven with other minerals.

The largest commercial deposits currently mined are in Chile and Argentina. China, Russia, Australia and the U.S. are working to pickup production.

And the amount of lithium carbonate required for a car battery is about 100 times that needed for a laptop.

Bottom line?

• Lithium demand will skyrocket as more and more hybrids roll down the assembly line.
• Current processing potential is limited, making it vulnerable to market disruption.

And limited supplies could mean big profits for lithium miners and processors.

How to play this soon-to-be strategic commodity

In current market conditions, it is possible this renewable technology cannot be explored to the degree anticipated.

But in the longer term, investing in this evolution could bring triple-digit gains in just a few years.

The best way to play it?

New manufacturers are cropping up daily with ever-improved versions of the Li-ion battery. The competition is fierce and it’s difficult to know who will come out on top.

Instead, for our first pick, we are going directly to the source…

Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (ADR) (NYSE:SQM) is based in Chile and is a leading producer of lithium carbonate. The company also sells specialty plant nutrition products, iodines and derivatives and other industrial chemicals.

This past October, the company reported a revenue growth of 56% for the first 9 months of 2008 when compared to the same period in 2007.

Website: http://www.sqm.cl/aspx/en/Default.aspx
Market Cap: $7.04B
P/E: 16.42
Forward P/E: 13.58
Recommendation: Buy shares under $30 and hold for the long-term.

Our second selection is a supplier of the battery manufacturers…

Polypore International, Inc. (NYSE:PPO) is a U.S.-based manufacturer of mono- and multilayer membrane separators for lithium batteries – including those used in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).

Website: http://www.polypore.net/
Market Cap: $316.83M
P/E: 7.07
Forward P/E: 9.28
Recommendation: Buy shares under $8.25 and hold for the long-term.

Both these companies have good fundamentals and great potential. We urge you to check them out and see if they are right for your portfolio.

Source: Lithium: The commodity with a profitable future

This from Today’s Financial News:

We’ve already taken double-digit gains on Aastrom Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTM),  Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS), and Geron Corporation (NASDAQ:GERN).

But these stocks are by no means done with their upward momentum.

Biotech companies continue to be a great investment – and these three are some of the best out there.

As the market takes another hit and these stocks artificially deflate, I recommend that TFN investors should again pick up shares.

And I’ve found another company that I believe is on the verge of a breakout.

But first, what’s so great about the three companies I selected in November? Let’s review…
Aastrom Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTM) develops products for the repair or regeneration of human tissue. It’s proprietary Tissue Repair Cell (TRC) technology involves autologous, mixed-cell products containing stem and early progenitor cells to treat cardiac and vascular tissue regeneration.

The company launched Phase II IMPACT-DCM clinical trials for the evaluation its Cardiac Repair Cells (CRCs) in the treatment of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) or congestive heart failure. DCM is a contributing factor in at least 250,000 deaths each year.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave Aastrom’s CRCs the Orphan Drug Designation. That means expedited FDA review, a reduction of filing fees, possible tax credits, and the right to seven years of marketing exclusivity once the product receives FDA approval.

I recommend you buy shares of Aastrom Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTM) under $0.85.

Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS) has developed an INTERCEPT Blood System to find and inactivate blood-borne pathogens in donated blood components to be used in transfusions.

The INTERCEPT red blood cell system uses the small molecule S-303 to bond with the nucleic acids of pathogens and prevent their replication. A pH change is required to allow the bonding and thereby blocking the DNA and RNA to prevent replication.

This would destroy transfusion-transmitted infections from viruses, bacteria, and parasites.

For platelets and plasma, the same result is achieved by using the molecule amotosalen HCI and ultraviolet A light instead of a pH change to block the replication of pathogens.

This technology could truly revolutionize blood component donation.

The system is currently being used on both platelets and plasma collected in Europe and the Middle East.

The company is preparing for European Phase III clinical trials and will be working with the German Red Cross to commercialize their INTERCEPT system for red blood cells. And it’s initiated Phase I clinical trials for the same system in the U.S.

I recommend you buy shares of Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS) at or under $2.

Geron Corporation (NASDAQ:GERN) has seen a nice jump in stock price of late and it’s no wonder.

DNA at the end of chromosomes is called the telomere. It has been suggested that the manipulation of the telomere could do everything from stopping the aging process in cells to treating and containing cancer.

It’s telomerase activity that stabilizes cancer cells and allows them replicate indefinitely.

The researchers at Geron believe they can instruct a patient’s immune system via autologous dendritic cells how to identify and attack cancer cells while sparing other, non-threatening cells. (Dendritic cells are the antigen-presenting leukocytes that initiate the primary immune response.)

They achieve this by introducing telomerase characteristics specific to cancer cells. An immune response then occurs when cells are found with those telomerase characteristics.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) entered an agreement with Geron for the exclusive research, development and commercialization of the company’s vaccines targeting telomerase. In December of 2007, Merck initiated a clinical trial of the Geron-created vaccine GRNVAC1.

And that’s not all this company has up its sleeve…

Geron is collaborating with the University of Oxford on a variation to GRNVAC1 called (unoriginally) GRNVAC2.

Here, instead of isolating dendritic cells in each patient, the researchers are attempting to produce them from human embryonic stem cells.

This could act to prevent an immune response against an antigen by instructing the immune system to tolerate it.

On the therapy side of things, Geron’s drug GRN13L seeks to inhibit telomerase activity, thereby destabilizing and causing the death of the cancer cells.

In early December, an interim analysis of GRN163L Phase I clinical trials for the treatment of patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma showed promising results.

This malignancy of plasma cells typically arises in the bone marrow and goes on to impact tissues and organs.

For two patients in the study, the bulk tumor fraction of bone marrow decreased by 78% and 48% respectively.

In addition, activity from the telomerase in the myeloma stem cell-containing fraction of the patients’ bone marrow dropped by 33% and 63%, respectively.

Geron is also working on treatments for heart disease, spinal cord injury, osteoarthristis and more. Check out their website for more details.

I recommend you buy shares of Geron Corporation (NASDAQ:GERN) at or under $6.

But there is another biotech stock I believe to have big potential…

Cytori Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CYTX) develops, makes and markets regenerative therapy from adipose tissue (fat tissue).

Adipose tissue has been found an extremely good source for adult stem and regenerative cells.

Cytori is working on using this technology in the treatment of conditions such as cardiovascular disease and gastrointestinal disorders, and in reconstructive surgery and radiation-induced tissue injuries.

Its Celution 800 System product for reconstructive surgery has hit record sales in Europe.

The Celution 900 System cryopreserves a patient’s own stem and regenerative cells is being marketed worldwide.

These systems process the patient’s cells at their bedside, as they are needed.

The company’s StemSource cell banking is very popular in Japan. And interest is picking up everywhere.

Banking one’s cells for future needs could soon become common practice.

To read a more thorough breakdown of what the company has in the works, go to its website.

I recommend you buy shares of Cytori Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CYTX) at or under $5.

Source: Four biotechs set to soar

Here’s my take on what that means…

The scientists at Isis seek to treat disease by first identifying the sequence of a gene known to have a causative role in that disease.

They then synthesize a strand of nucleic acid (DNA, RNA or a chemical analogue) to bind to the messenger RNA (mRNA) produced by that gene and to modify it or in effect, turn the gene “off”.

It’s that synthesized nucleic acid that is called an “antisense”. (The unblocked gene’s mRNA is called the “sense” sequence.)

The folks at Isis have been working with this technology for years. Back in 1998, the company received marketing clearance for the world’s first antisense drug. That same drug, Vitravene (now marketed by Novartis), has been approved by the FDA for the treatment for cytomegalovirus retinitis.

Antisense drugs could prove the key to the treatments of various cancers, diabetes, ALS, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, etc…

But why invest today?

It was announced just this morning that Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) will be exercising an option to purchase Ibis Biosciences, Inc., a subsidiary of Isis, for $175 million. This is in addition to payments for post-closing sales of Ibis systems and equipment.

This will bring a nice boost to Isis who just last quarter, saw a net profit margin of 5.32%. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but actual profits for drug discovery outfits aren’t always the norm.

I recommend you buy shares of Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISIS) at or under $13 and hold on for double-digit gains.

Source: It’s time to buy Isis Pharmaceuticals (ISIS)

Our closed recommendations (i.e., stock recommendations with specific buy and sell recommendations), we recorded average gains of 24.1%, with an average holding period of 27 days.

Some gains in particular were truly stellar…

· 50.1% on Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:SWHC)
· 87.1% on National City (NYSE:NCC) Jan 2.5 calls
· 79.6% on Boeing (NYSE:BA) Feb 55 puts
· 190% on Boeing Aug 90 calls
· 55.5% on Rex Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:REXX)

But now it’s time to throw in the towel on some duds…

The shipping sector sank with the global recession. If you are still holding any, it’s time to unload shares of:

· China COSCO Holding (PINK:CICOF)
· Diana Shipping Inc. (NYSE:DSX)

Energy explorers’ and drillers’ share prices have probed new depths of late with oil prices hovering around $50. Ditch any shares you might have of:

· Grand Tierra Energy Inc. (AMEX:GTE)
· Parker Drilling Company (NYSE:PKD)
· Royal Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROYL)
· Pyramid Oil Company (AMEX:PDO)

With the delay in the production of the Nano continuing to impact stock price, let’s put the breaks on this Indian carmaker. Let go of any shares you might have of:

· Tata Motors (NYSE:TTM)

As gold fluctuates, this Canadian/Chinese gold miner is no longer a good investment. Lose any shares you might have of:

· Jinshan Gold Mines Inc. (TSE:JIN)

We suggested that readers with the stomach for risk might want to pick up shares of this troubled banker in case of a buyout. No such luck. Dump any shares you might have of:

· IndyMac Bancorp, Inc. (OTC:IDMCQ)

A great seasonal brew and a recession didn’t help this beer maker. If it’s in your portfolio, sell:

· Craft Brewers Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOOK)

Not that any of those stocks represent bad companies. Far from it! If this were a normal market environment, we’d have no problems holding on to most of them. But reason and rationality have departed from the markets… and it might take months or even years for the prices of these stocks to even get close to our original buying range.

Source: Drop these losers from your portfolio