MORE GOOD NEWS FOR MY STOCKS

Credit Suisse Group (CS:NYSE) announced plans this week to gradually increase their dividend along with their cash reserves.  They are building cash reserves to meet the stricter standards in the banking industry.  Shareholders recently sent the stock price plummeting when the company cut dividends to build cash.  Since CS is one of my core holdings in my taxable portfolio, I'm thinking now might be a good time to increase my holdings in this stock.  Buy while it while it's on sale. 

LATEST ADDITIONS TO MY PORTFOLIO

Added shares of telecom Windstream Corporation (WIN:NASDAQ) to my taxable stock account.  It's been a great performer for my portfolio and I like the dividend (currently 8.06% on their recent share price of $12.39).  Windstream is one of my long term holdings. 

For my IRA account I purchased shares of Credit Suisse Group (CS:NYSE).  They currently pay a dividend of $1.78 which represents a yield of 3.84% on their recent share price of $46.66.  While it's not the highest yield, I think they have good prospects for increasing dividends in years to come.  CS is one of my long term holdings for my IRA account. 

I'm happy with the way the markets have been moving of late, although I'm not too optimistic that the upward trend will continue.  I'm thinking a lot hinges on the direction of the November elections.  Should the Democrats retain control of both houses, which seems unlikely, I'd expect a prolonged drop in equities.  If the GOP manages to rest control of both the House and the Senate, I expect the stock market to react quite favorably, at least through the first part of 2011.  Aside from the above scenarios, the only real market mover that I foresee would be a dramatic increase in new jobs, which I believe is highly unlikely.  Should the jobs situation get worse, it would present another tremendous buying opportunity when equities bottom out.  At least for those who still have money and the courage to invest in stocks.

CREDIT SUISSE LATEST ADDITION TO MY PORTFOLIO

I've decided to add shares of Credit Suisse (CS:NYSE) to my regular stock account. The principle activity of Credit Suisse Group is the provision of global financial services including a range of banking and insurance products. The company has earnings per share of $5.05 and pays a dividend of $1.78 which represents a 4.15% yield on their recent price of $43.01 per share. They carry a price to earnings of 8.5 and their current stock price is well below the 52 week high of $60.08. Operating out of Switzerland they are a global presence in banking with a terrific franchise name. I'm thinking it will make a great dividend play with possible capital gains as well.

While I may not have the kind of money to open a Swiss bank account, I do like the idea of owning shares in one of the largest and best known Swiss banks in the world. I also like the idea of increasing my diversification outside the United States.