Trina (TSL) (FSLR) (JASO) (CSIQ) Close Up on Nuclear Perceptions

Solar companies have been jumping on the perception it's going to benefit from the troubled nuclear plant in Japan crippled by the massive earthquake. Companies like First Solar (Nasdaq:FSLR) Trina Solar (NYSE:TSL) JA Solar (NASDAQ:JASO) Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ:CSIQ) closed up Wednesday on the assumptions.

While there will be a temporary boost in the interest in so-called alternative energy, it will never be more than a fad and at the very best, a weak supplement to real energy sources that can handle demand. Natural gas will be one of the legitimate energy sources of the future when prices rebound. That will take time.

Investors will make money in solar in the short-term, as the media will continue to hit the solar thing hard because of its darling status with it.

But anyone who believes nuclear and coal-generated electricity is going away will suffer at best if they made investment decisions based on it.

Could you imagine Japan counting on solar energy and then has some cloudy days. Sorry about the blackouts and parts shortages around the world people. When the fantasy generated by the media ends, the solar stocks will come crashing back down to earth.

Canadian Solar Inc. closed Wednesday at $10.25, gaining $0.53, or 5.45 percent. JA Solar closed at $6.27, rising $0.12, or 1.95 percent. Trina Solar ended the session at $27.59, up $0.19, or 0.69. First Solar closed at $138.47, increasing $4.21, or 3.14 percent.

Toyota (TM) Slowing or Cutting Production Everywhere

Parts shortage from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan continues to hurt the auto sector, with Toyota (NYSE:TM) probably experiencing the worst of the damage, as parts shortages are resulting in its having to shut or cut back on production across the globe, with Europe and China being the latest added to the list.

On Tuesday Toyota said it will extend its production cuts at its factories in North America to the early part of June, suggesting shortages of models at Toyota dealerships.

In Europe there will be an eight-day halt in production for the same reasons.

The automaker added China will also experience a reduction in production from a lack of some parts. China factories will run at about 50 percent capacity through June 5.

Domestically, Toyota resumed car production at all of its plants in on Monday, but they will run at half capacity as well because of parts shortages.

Ford (NYSE:F), General Motors (NYSE:GM), Honda (NYSE:HMC) and Nissan have also said they're cutting back to one level or another at a number of their plants.

Toyota was trading at $77.09, up $0.97, or 1.27 percent, as of 2:21 PM EDT.

Gold Breaks $1,500 as Gammon (GRS) (ABX) (NCMGY) (AU) Close Up

After blowing past the $1,500 an ounce mark on Tuesday, gold prices settled just under the important psychological barrier at $1,495.10, as gold miners Gammon Gold (NYSE:GRS), Barrick Gold (NYSE:ABX), Newcrest Mining (OTC:NCMGY.PK) and AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) closed up on the day.

Gold prices settled just below $1,500 an ounce after hitting that level earlier Tuesday's session, helped by a weaker dollar.

The gold contract for June delivery rose $2.20 to settle at $1,495.10 an ounce, shy of its all-time and daily high of $1,500.50 an ounce. Spot gold prices dropped 50 cents, to close at $1,495.90 an ounce.

Silver prices for May delivery climbed almost a dollar to settle at $43.91.

Most of this is based upon the collapsing U.S. dollar, which pulled back again today, the tightening in China, sovereign debt crisis in Europe, unrest in the Middle East, inflation concerns and consequences of the Japanese earthquake.

Add to that the warning from rating agency S&P that the U.S. could have its debt downgraded if it doesn't deal with the growing debt crisis and you have a weak macroeconomic outlook favoring gold and other commodities.

AngloGold Ashanti closed Tuesday at $49.02, gaining $0.52, or 1.07 percent. Newcrest Mining ended the session at $43.35, up $0.20, or 0.46 percent. Barrick Gold closed at $54.23, rising $0.76, or 1.42 percent. Gammon Gold closed the day at $10.47, rising $0.13, or 1.26 percent.

Honda (HMC) North American Factory Slowdowns Extended

Honda Motor Co. (NYSE:HMC) announced late Friday it will extend the slowdown for its factories in North America by at least two more weeks, with early May cited as the earliest they'll resume prior production levels.

The cuts will be through at least through May 6, and Honda said there is no doubt there will be more cutbacks after that.

Shortages of vehicles made by Honda will come very quickly, as production is being slashed by up to 50 percent at the plants. Expectations are production will take a least several months to go back to pre-earthquake levels.

Honda employs about 21,000 workers in North America, none of which will be laid off the company says.

The majority of parts for its vehicles are produced in North America, but important parts are made in Japan, and those will keep production at lower levels for months.

Honda closed Friday at $35.96, gaining $0.70, or 1.99 percent.

Gammon (GRS) (JAG) (AXU) (KGC) Trade Mixed as Gold, Silver Rise Again

Shares of most gold miners were up as gold rose again Thursday, although Jaguar Mining (NYSE:JAG), Alexco Resource (AMEX:AXU), Kinross Gold Corp (NYSE:KGC) and Gammon Gold (NYSE:GRS) were trading mixed.

Gold for June delivery climbed $16.80 to settle at $1,472.40 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Silver jumped $1.427, or 3.6 percent, to $41.664 an ounce.

Spot gold was up 1.4 per cent to $1,474.30 an ounce, closing in on its record $1,476.21 set on Monday.

The collapsing U.S. dollar, tightening in China, sovereign debt crisis in Europe, unrest in the Middle East, increasing inflation and consequences of the Japanese earthquake are just some of the negative catalysts affecting the price movements.

The U.S. dollar was close to session lows, resulting in a further impetus to gold. The U.S. currency traded as low as 74.617, its lowest level since December 2009.

In base metals trading, May copper dropped 1.05 cents to settle at $4.284 a pound, July platinum increased $18.40 to $1,795.60 an ounce and June palladium was up $8.95 to $774.25 an ounce. May copper fell 1.05 cents to settle at $4.284 a pound

Kinross Gold Corp closed Thursday at $15.96, gaining $0.16, or 1.03 percent. Jaguar Mining closed at $5.15, falling $0.04, or 0.77 percent. Gammon Gold ended the session at $10.60, up $0.28, or 2.71 percent. Alexco Resource soared to closed at $9.65, rising $0.97, or 11.18 percent.

Hecla (HL) (SSRI) (GPL) (MGN) Trade Mixed as Gold, Silver Rise Again

Shares of most silver miners were up as silver jumped again Thursday, although Silver Standard Resources (NASDAQ:SSRI), Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL), Mines Management (AMEX:MGN) and Great Panther (AMEX:GPL) were trading mixed.

Silver climbed $1.427, or 3.6 percent, to $41.664 an ounce.

Gold for June delivery rose $16.80 to settle at $1,472.40 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Spot gold was up 1.4 percent to $1,474.30 an ounce, closing in on its record $1,476.21 set on Monday.

The collapsing U.S. dollar, tightening in China, sovereign debt crisis in Europe, unrest in the Middle East, increasing inflation and consequences of the Japanese earthquake are just some of the negative catalysts affecting the price movements.

The U.S. dollar was close to session lows, resulting in a further impetus to gold. The U.S. currency traded as low as 74.617, its lowest level since December 2009.

In base metals trading, May copper dropped 1.05 cents to settle at $4.284 a pound, July platinum increased $18.40 to $1,795.60 an ounce and June palladium was up $8.95 to $774.25 an ounce. May copper fell 1.05 cents to settle at $4.284 a pound

Great Panther closed Thursday at $4.16, gaining $0.16, or 4.00 percent. Mines Management closed at $2.88, up $0.02, or 0.70 percent. Hecla Mining ended the day at $9.53, up $0.34, or 3.70 percent. Silver Standard Resources closed at $33.98, rising $0.26, or 0.77 percent.

Aurizon (AZK) (TRE) (NCMGY) (AUY) Close Mixed as Gold, Silver Rise Again

Shares of most gold miners were up as gold rose again Thursday, with Aurizon Mines (AMEX:AZK), Tanzanian Royalty Exploration (AMEX:TRE),
Newcrest Mining (OTC:NCMGY.PK) and Yamana Gold (NYSE:AUY) trading mixed.

Gold for June delivery rose $16.80 to settle at $1,472.40 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Silver climbed $1.427, or 3.6 percent, to $41.664 an ounce.

Spot gold was up 1.4 percent to $1,474.30 an ounce, closing in on its record $1,476.21 set on Monday.

The collapsing U.S. dollar, tightening in China, sovereign debt crisis in Europe, unrest in the Middle East, increasing inflation and consequences of the Japanese earthquake are just some of the negative catalysts affecting the price movements.

The U.S. dollar was close to session lows, resulting in a further impetus to gold. The U.S. currency traded as low as 74.617, its lowest level since December 2009.

In base metals trading, May copper dropped 1.05 cents to settle at $4.284 a pound, July platinum increased $18.40 to $1,795.60 an ounce and June palladium was up $8.95 to $774.25 an ounce. May copper fell 1.05 cents to settle at $4.284 a pound

Newcrest Mining closed Thursday at $43.28, gaining $0.14, or 0.32 percent. Yamana Gold closed at $12.75, rising $0.27, or 2.16 percent. Tanzanian Royalty Exploration ended the session at $6.21, up $0.08, or 1.27 percent. Aurizon Mines closed at $6.89, rising $0.10, or 1.47 percent.

Semi's Shaky as (TXN) (INTC) (SNDK) (QCOM) (CY) Earnings Season Approaches

With growing uncertainty surrounding the semiconductor industry after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Texas Instruments (TXN) will be the first to report first-quarter earnings Monday, with Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) posting its quarterly results on Tuesday, followed by other chip companies reporting next week like Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM), SanDisk Corp. (NASDAQ:SNDK) and Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ:CY).

It appears guidance will be paramount to investor response, as the supply and demand picture could weigh heavily on the sector going forward.

The earnings report should be decent for most chip suppliers, as pricing for NAND and DRAM chips have been finding some strength. but there's no doubt the wafer supply chain is broken, and a new challenge are the power supply issues.

Consequently the current quarter looks very weak, and investors will look there rather than at last quarter's results.

Toyota (TM) Production Stopped at Five European Plants

Production at five plants in Europe will be halted by Toyota Motor (NYSE:TM) for several days in April in May based on a shortage of supplies from the earthquake in Japan.

According to Toyota, its Burnaston and Deeside plants in Britain, sites in Adapazari in Turkey, Valenciennes in France and Jelcz-Laskowice in Poland will close on April 21, 22, from April 25 to 29 and on May 2.

"Even if the supply chain has not yet been interrupted, short-term parts shortages are foreseeable," the company said,

This is probably one of the more benign effects on a market from the parts shortage fallout for Toyota and other Japanese auto makers, as Toyota has only a 4 percent market share in Europe, while Nissan has under 3 percent.

Expectations are things will get worse before they get better though.

Toyota Motor was trading at $77.96, up $0.76, or 0.98 percent, as of 9:58 AM EDT.

Ford (F) Expects Asian Production Slowdown

After taking some big hits on Tuesday early in the trading session, shares of Ford Motor (NYSE:F) rebounded some after the company said it may have to completely halt production in the Asia-Pacific region in the latter part of April, or a minimum, slow it down.

Probable parts shortages because of the earthquake in Japan continue to be the impetus behind the situation.

Ford said in a filing, “Should the supply of a key material or component from Japan be disrupted and an alternate supply not be available, we could have to reduce or temporarily cease production of vehicles, which could adversely affect our and Ford Motor Credit Co.’s financial condition and results of operations.”

Competitors Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE:TM), Honda Motor Co. (NYSE:HMC) and Nissan Motors (NSANY) continue to come to grips in their domestic market. Some analysts believe the Detroit car makers, including General Motors (NYSE:GM) and Ford, will be able to grow more market share as a result, but that doesn't seem to be as certain as some may think, as it doesn't matter how many parts are short, but what those parts will be and if they're interchangeable or have alternative sources.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) analyst Noriyuki Matsushima noted last week, “The full extent of damage to the supply chain and production disruption from the power outages are being underestimated by the market, and we would avoid the sector as things stand.”

I think he's right. It appears there is far too much optimism in the auto sector by analysts and media outlets, who seem to ignore the realities and focus on their own wishful thinking.

Ford closed Tuesday at $14.91, up $0.05, or 0.34 percent. In after hours the company was trading the same, as of 6:30 PM EDT.

ASML (ASML) Profits Expected to Rise

ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) starts the earnings season reporting from European technology stocks today, with expectations the company will turn a good profit on solid smartchip demand.

ING European semiconductor analyst Niels de Zwart said he sees this as the first look at the impact of the earthquake in Japan on the sector outlook.

He said, "While this could indicate companies see a limited impact, we believe it mainly reflects the limited visibility on the overall supply chain."

"While we do not expect a material impact from the Japan earthquake on our sector outlook for 2012, we might see some volatility during the earnings season due to comments on the Japan impact in the second quarter."

ASML closed Tuesday at $42.41, falling $0.49, or 1.14 percent.

Toyota (TM) Warns of Summer Car Shortages

In a warning message sent to auto dealers, Toyota (NYSE:TM) said it expects there to be car shortages in the summer months, citing consequences from the earthquake in Japan, which could limit shipments.

In a memo recently sent to dealers, the company said the amount of supply could be "significantly impacted" from recent events.

The company said they're still going researching the circumstances to make a determination on what production levels for May, June and July will be.

Major competitors like Ford Motor (NYSE:F), General Motors (NYSE:GM) and Honda (NYSE:HMC) have all been impacted by the disaster in Japan, and there remains a lot of questions for those company as well, although Japanese companies are expected to incur the most impact.

Toyota was trading at $77.30, gaining $0.80, or 1.05 percent, as of 1:46 PM EDT.

Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. (IVN) (RGLD) (EGO) Down as Gold Prices Drop

Gold prices took a breather Monday after soaring for several days, ending up with gold miners like Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. (NYSE:IVN), Royal Gold (Nasdaq:RGLD) and Eldorado Gold Corporation (NYSE:EGO) dropping in price.

On Monday gold prices closed lower, falling $6 to $1,468 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract had set a new all-time in the last session, reaching $1,478 a troy ounce.

June gold settlements were $1,468.10, down $7.90; Range was $1,465.40-$1,472.80.

Much of the recent jump in gold prices is based upon the collapsing U.S. dollar, pullback in China, sovereign debt crisis in Europe, unrest in the Middle East, deepening inflation and consequences of the Japanese earthquake are just some of the negative factors hitting the markets.

A stronger dollar on Monday pressured gold prices lower. The U.S. dollar battled back to gain lost ground from the euro, with the European currency trading at $1.4426, down from $1.4480 on Friday.

Ivanhoe Mines closed Monday at $27.52, falling $0.59, or 2.10 percent. Royal Gold closed at $53.11, down $0.63, or 4.58 percent. Eldorado Gold Corporation closed at $17.59, dropping $0.46, or 2.55 percent.

Goldcorp (GG), (HMY) (AU) Fall as Gold Prices Drop

Gold prices took a breather Monday after pushing up for several days, ending up with gold miners like Goldcorp (GG), Harmony Gold (NYSE:HMY) and AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) plunging in share price.

On Monday gold prices ended lower, dropping $6 to $1,468 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract had set a new all-time in the last session, reaching $1,478 a troy ounce.

June gold settlements were $1,468.10, down $7.90; Range was $1,465.40-$1,472.80.

Much of the recent rise in gold prices is based upon the collapsing U.S. dollar, pullback in China, sovereign debt crisis in Europe, unrest in the Middle East, deepening inflation and consequences of the Japanese earthquake are just some of the negative factors hitting the markets.

A stronger dollar on Monday pressured gold prices down. The U.S. dollar battled back to gain lost ground from the euro, with the European currency trading at $1.4426, down from $1.4480 on Friday.

AngloGold Ashanti closed Monday at $49.25, falling $1.84, or 3.60 percent. Harmony Gold closed at $15.08, down $0.48, or 3.08 percent. Goldcorp closed at $53.44, dropping $1.00, or 1.84 percent.

IAMGOLD (IAG) (EGO) (NXG) (SA) Rise as Gold, Silver Surge

Gold and silver prices are jumping again after leveling off for some time on unjustified optimism which has resulted in gold miners such as IAMGOLD (NYSE:IAG), Eldorado Gold Corporation (NYSE:EGO), Northgate Minerals (AMEX:NXG) and Seabridge Gold (Amex:SA) soaring with the precious metals.

On Friday gold prices soared to another new record, rising a high of $1,476 an ounce. Silver prices increased to a 31-year high, closing at 40.60 an ounce after reaching a high of $40.63 an ounce during the session.

The majority of this is based upon the collapsing U.S. dollar, pullback in China, sovereign debt crisis in Europe, unrest in the Middle East, worsening inflation and consequences of the Japanese earthquake are just some of the negative factors hitting the markets.

Strangely, many investors are acting as if these are some parenthetical events that have little bearing on the markets and commodity prices.

IAMGOLD closed Friday at $23.10, gaining $0.16, or 0.70 percent. Eldorado Gold Corporation closed at $18.05, rising $0.84, or 4.88 percent. Seabridge Gold closed at $34.23, jumping $0.71, or 2.21 percent. Northgate Minerals closed at $2.75, up $0.05, or 1.85 percent.

Goldcorp (NYSE:GG) (GRS) (IVN) Up as Gold, Silver Soar

Gold and silver prices are jumping again after leveling off for some time on unjustified optimism which has resulted in gold miners like
Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. (NYSE:IVN), Gammon Gold (NYSE:GRS) and Goldcorp (NYSE:GG) soaring with the precious metals. Ivanhoe is less impacted by gold alone because of it becoming a diversified miner.

On Friday gold prices hit another new record, rising a high of $1,476 an ounce. Silver prices increased to a 31-year high, closing at 40.60 an ounce after reaching a high of $40.63 an ounce during the session.

The majority of this is based upon the collapsing U.S. dollar, pullback in China, sovereign debt crisis in Europe, unrest in the Middle East, deepening inflation and consequences of the Japanese earthquake are just some of the negative factors hitting the markets.

Strangely, many investors are acting as if these are some parenthetical events that have little bearing on the markets and commodity prices.

Gammon Gold closed Friday at $10.50, gaining $0.33, or 3.24 percent. Goldcorp closed at $54.44, rising $1.25, or 2.35 percent. Ivanhoe closed at $28.22, jumping $0.08, or 0.29 percent.

Barrick (ABX), (GFI) (HMY) Jump as Gold, Silver Skyrocket

Gold and silver prices are roaring again after languishing for some time on unwarranted optimism which has resulted in gold miners like
Barrick Gold (NYSE:ABX), Gold Fields (NYSE:GFI) and Harmony Gold Mining (NYSE:HMY) soaring with the precious metals.

On Friday gold prices hit another new record, reaching a high of $1,476 an ounce. Silver prices rose to a 31-year high, closing at 40.60 an ounce, after reaching a high of $40.63 an ounce during the session.

Most of this is based upon the collapsing U.S. dollar, pullback in China, sovereign debt crisis in Europe, unrest in the Middle East, deepening inflation and consequences of the Japanese earthquake are just some of the negative factors hitting the markets.

Amazingly, many investors are acting as if these are some parenthetical events that have little bearing on the markets and commodity prices.

Gold Fields closed Friday at $18.55, gaining $0.40, or 0.40 percent. Barrick Gold closed at $54.37, rising $0.60, or 1.12 percent. Harmony Gold Mining closed at $15.56, jumping $0.23, or 1.50 percent.

AngloGold (AU), (NCMGY), (KGC) Shine as Gold, Silver Skyrocket

Gold and silver prices are taking off again after languishing for some time on unwarranted optimism, which has resulted in gold miners like Newcrest Mining (OTC:NCMGY.PK), Kinross Gold Corp (NYSE:KGC), and AngloGold (NYSE:AU) moving up with the precious metals.

On Friday gold prices hit another new record, reaching a high of $1,476 an ounce. Silver prices soared to a 31-year high, closing at 40.60 an ounce, after reaching a high of $40.63 an ounce during the session.

Most of this is based upon the collapsing U.S. dollar, pullback in China, sovereign debt crisis in Europe, unrest in the Middle East, deepening inflation and consequences of the Japanese earthquake are just some of the negative factors hitting the markets.

Incredibly, many investors are acting as if these are some parenthetical events that have little bearing on the markets and commodity prices.

Kinross closed Friday at $16.60, gaining $0.25, or 1.53 percent. Newcrest closed at $44.65, rising $1.36, or 3.14 percent. AngloGold closed at $51.09, jumping $1.61, or 3.25 percent.

Earthquake Rattles (LRCX) (KLAC) (AMAT) (VSEA)

Shares of Lam Research Corp. (LRCX), KLA-Tencor Corp. (KLAC), Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT), and Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates Inc. (VSEA) are all under heavy pressure today from the effects of the response to another earthquake in Japan.

This time it was a magnitude-7.4 earthquake, which also had a tsunami warning included with it. It was in the area that experienced the carnage from the 8.9 earthquake on March 11.

The broader market and other tech companies did reverse direction on the day after the news came out that there was another earthquake, dropping, while others somewhat shrugged off the news.

Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates Inc. was trading at $46.88, falling $1.91, or 3.91 percent, as of 12:42 PM EDT. Applied Materials Inc. was trading at $15.52, down $0.23, or 1.46 percent. KLA-Tencor Corp. was at $44.49, dropping $1.68, or 3.64 percent. Lam Research Corp. was at $53.95, down $2.37, or 4.21 percent.

IBM (IBM) (ADBE) (NVDA) Shrug Off Earthquake, Trading Up

Shares of top tech companies IBM Corp. (NYSE:IBM), Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) and Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) have mostly shrugged off the effects of the response to another earthquake in Japan, and are all trading higher on the day.

This time it was a magnitude-7.4 earthquake, which includes a tsunami warning in the area that experienced the carnage from the 8.9 earthquake on March 11.

The broader market and other tech companies did reverse direction on the day after the news came out that there was another earthquake.

Nvidia was trading at $18.13, up $0.67, or 3.84 percent, as of 12:33 PM EDT. Adobe was at $34.50, gaining $0.26, or 0.76 percent. IBM was trading at $164.23, rising $0.19, or 0.12 percent.