Hurricane Katrina Brings Investment Opportunities

Hurricane Katrina, although catastrophic and deadly, has brought about many investment opportunities in the past few weeks, according to the Waco Tribune-Herald.

FEMA had begun making agreements with the makers of mobile homes, in an effort to provide shelter for those who have suffered losses from the hurricane.

Due to the fact that food production in the areas affected by the hurricane was disrupted, production opportunities have risen in other places.

"One local company that could get a short-term benefit from the hurricane is Pilgrim's Pride," surmised Todd Stoner, of Disciplined Investors of Waco. "Some chicken production and supplies have been hampered by the storm, and chicken prices have gone up."

Those companies that deal with construction, or provide building supplies are expected to see an up in returns in the next few months.

Electric supplies, stone masonry, wood, roofing materials; anything that is connected to constructing a home should see booms.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Baltimore-based Williams Scotsman International is expected to gain from Katrina. The company sells and leases modular classrooms and office space.

On the other hand, not all companies are benefiting from the hiatus of the hurricane. Las Vegas based-Global Cash Access Holdings - a company that provides cash access servicing - has already lost somewhere between $800,000 and $2 million in cash and equipment during the hurricane. The company expects its revenue to decline for the rest of this year and well into the next   

The staff of Money Management Executive ("MME") has prepared these capsule summaries based on reports published by the news sources to which they are attributed. Those news sources are not associated with MME, and have not prepared, sponsored, endorsed, or approved these summaries.

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