7-2-08

I've been responding to a new batch of questions posed by members of the Stockpickr community on Stockpickr Answers.

Anybody can ask, respond or comment at Stockpickr Answers; the top responders get ranked in our "Top Analysts" section. Here are a few questions I've recently answered. (Note: You may have to scroll through several answers to see my response.)

If Israel follows through with any of its plans on Iran as stated in
the news, what effect will it have on oil? How high?

Click here for Altucher's answer to this question.

I think the Dow Jones is a very poor indicator of the market. Both the Nasdaq and S&P 500 have been beaten down but have
held their lows. The Dow is supposed to be the blue chip, the safe play, yet it has been beaten down more than the tech-heavy Nasdaq. The Dow is filled with too many bad financials and companies that have no growth. Look at some of the Dow's worst: AIG (AIG), American Express (AXP), Citigroup (C), JPMorgan (JPM), Pfizer (PFE), Merck (MRK), Home Depot (HD), General Motors (GM), General Electric (GE), Boeing (BA), 3M (MMM), United Technologies (UTX). Look at the Dow's oil companies. They are flat, while the barrel hits new highs weekly.

Isn't it time they did an overhaul and made some big changes to the Dow?

Click here for Altucher's answer to this question.

What's the difference between calls and puts?
Click here for Altucher's answer to this question.

The so-called "recession proof" Coca-Cola (KO) is getting killed and taking me with it. I'm down 12%, and Cramer mentioned KO and 30s in the same sentence, which
sent chills down my spine.

Cut my losses now or wait until the Summer Olympics to see what's happening?
Click here for Altucher's answer to this question.

For an archive of James Altucher's Stockpickr answers, go to www.stockpickr.com/answers/ and type "James Altucher" under "search for questions." Select "Username - Answered" from the dropdown menu at right, and click "search." The most recent questions will appear first.

At the time of publication, Altucher and/or his fund had no positions in stocks mentioned, although positions may change at any time.

James Altucher is president of Stockpickr LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of TheStreet.com and part of its network of Web properties, and a managing partner at Formula Capital, an alternative asset management firm that runs a fund of hedge funds. He is also a weekly columnist for the Financial Times and the author of Trade Like a Hedge Fund, Trade Like Warren Buffett and SuperCa$h. Under no circumstances does the information in this column represent a recommendation to buy or sell stocks. Altucher appreciates your feedback; click here to send him an email.

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