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Get
the Industry Scoop
The hotel
business has been in the dumps for years. But business is picking up,
and the hotel industry is expected to post a 25 percent profit increase
this year. That’s news that you can use. What’s best, I didn’t
have to fork over big bucks to find out.
Instead, I
found it in a report available free at National Real Estate Investor
(www.nreionline.com). NREI
covers the commercial real estate industry, which includes just about
every facet of the real estate business except single-family residences.
NREI is one of many industry trade magazines that make at least a
portion of their contents available free on their Websites.
It doesn’t
matter whether you’re interested in hotel stocks, insurance companies,
or chip makers; learning about industry trends before they become public
knowledge will help you make better investment decisions.
Here’s a
rundown on my favorite sites for industry analysis and commentary.
Retail
Traffic Magazine (retailtrafficmag.com)
describes current trends affecting retail stores and shopping malls.
RTM’s focus on interpretation, rather than just presenting news, makes
it especially useful for investors interested in shopping center REITs
(real estate investment trusts).
Many sites
offer tech industry news, but, in my view, The Register (www.theregister.co.uk)
does it best. The U.K. based site’s motto “Biting the hand that
feeds it,” describes its intentionally provocative approach. The
Register covers just about every sector of the tech industry, with
mostly original stories. It’s not a techie magazine, it focuses on the
business side of the industry. Even though The Register is based
overseas, most of its stories will be of interest to U.S. tech
investors.
Given last
year’s run up in oil prices, many investors are giving the petroleum
industry a close look. If you’re in that camp, the Oil & Gas
Journal (ogj.pennnet.com) is
your best bet for industry news. It’s full of news and statistics
about all sectors of the oil and gas industry including exploration,
drilling, production and processing.
While the Oil
& Gas Journal does a great job of covering industry news, it
doesn’t offer much interpretation or analysis of future trends. For
that, go to World Oil (www.worldoil.com).
World Oil offers feature stories about industry topics, and of special
interest to investors, plenty of analysis speculating about future oil
and gas prices as well as general industry trends.
The
healthcare industry is rapidly embracing information systems to reduce
paperwork and improve patient care. New systems allow a consulting
doctor anywhere in the world to view a patient’s medical history, lab
results, current condition, and treatment plans. Health Data
Management magazine (www.healthdatamanagement.com)
is written for healthcare executives responsible for implementing these
types of systems. It’s a good resource for investors interested in
tech companies serving this market.
Not only is Nation’s
Restaurant News (www.nrn.com) a
good place to learn about what’s happening in the restaurant industry,
I’ve also found it an excellent resource for spotting new and up and
coming restaurant chains.
Outsourcing
of jobs to India and other places around the world was a hot topic last
year. But despite the political uproar, outsourcing isn’t going away.
In fact, the trend is likely to accelerate this year. Outsourcing
Center (www.outsourcing-center.com)
is the place to get up to speed on the topic. The site covers both sides
of outsourcing; the overseas contractors as well as the U.S. firms that
are farming out the work.
Chain
Store Age (www.chainstoreage.com)
is written for retail store executives. It covers retail trends, changes
in technology, and other issues of interest to retailers. It’s a good
place to get a handle on what’s happening in retail and for spotting
firms supplying technology products to the industry.
Thanks to the
improving economy, the trucking business is enjoying strong growth. Transport
Topics (www.ttnews.com) is the
place to keep up with happenings in that industry.
I don’t
have enough room to cover all of the worthwhile industry magazines here.
But you can find hundreds more trade magazines in dozens of industries
at the Gebbie Press site (www.gebbieinc.com).
Gebbie publishes directories of industry trade magazines as well as
radio and TV stations, newspapers, in fact, just about every media
category. Gebbie sells its directories on CDs, but you can access a free
list of all magazines that have Websites by selecting “Magazines”
from the Media Links dropdown menu.
Click on an
industry link to see Gebbie’s list of industry trade magazines. The
lists are extensive. For instance, I found 15 magazines in the Baking
& Confectionary Section. When you see a magazine of interest,
click on its name to link to its Website.
Although some
have premium sections that require a subscription, all of the sites
I’ve described offer plenty of worthwhile free information. Be aware
that many require registration to see it.
Crunching
financial statement numbers is a necessary part of successful investing,
but it only tells you what happened in the past. Getting a handle on
what happens next is equally important. Visiting an industry site once
won’t make you an expert. But if you visit the sites on a regular
basis, over time, you’ll develop a good feel for industry trends.
published 1/23/05
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