Advisor:Moving From Market Pessimism-plus the nuanced view from Chase

Anticipation is the key word in the market today,according to Michael Yoshikami,CEO of YCMNET Advisors in Walnut Creek,California.The sentiment is so pessimistic,even meeting expectations will be seen as victory.I think analyst sentiment will shift to more positive.
Stock prices have been based on a catastrophic scenario.The news has been getting better.Europe might actually be stabilising.The economy is slowly recovering.
I think banks are beaten down right now.They're extraordinarily cheap.They have really deleveraged their balance sheet.I think they're poised for a rebound,Mr.Yoshikami noted.
JP Morgan Chase and Qualcomm are among Mr.Yoshikami's top picks.
Jamie Dimon,JP Morgan Chase CEO,thinks it's a mild recovery,but that it seems to be broadening.Charles Gasparino of Fox Business has a lot of respect for Mr.Dimon as being one of the smartest people on Wall Street.Although he's optimistic,there are a lot of hedges in Jamie Dimon's position.For example,although portrayed by the media as predicting a housing recovery in 2012,Mr.Dimon believes we still have a little ways more to go down in housing.With regard to the new financial regulations,although Mr.Dimon doesn't mind banks being required to put more capital aside,he feels the Dodd-Frank bill is squeezing a lot of business out of Wall Street,Fox Business analyst Charlie Gasparino points out.
JP Morgan Chase disappointed Wall Street with its recent Q4 earnings report,missing the Street's estimates.
JP Morgan Chase(JPM),Qualcomm(QCOM)

Brazil Still A Force

U.S. equities will be higher.We think the markets are still gonna rally,says Michael Yoshikami of YCMNET Advisors,and the emerging markets are gonna continue to do well with their commodities.Singapore is the Switzerland of Asia.
We think Brazil is still an impact story.There is enough appetite for Latin America from U.S. companies.You can't put everything in Asia.Brazil is gonna continue to be a major trading partner with China,and that's gonna drive that economy.U.S. companies see a slow GDP story in the U.S.
Gold will reach 2,000 dollars an ounce.You buy gold for scepticism about the markets and as an inflation hedge.Food is going to be huge in demand.Commodities need to be part of an investor's portfolio,in Mr.Yoshikami's opinion.
YCMNET Advisors is a wealth management firm located in Walnut Creek,California.It was named one of Barron's Top 100 Independent Advisors for 2010.
iShares MSCI Brazil Index Fund(EWZ)

Which Markets To Favor

With regard to the stock market,YCMNET Advisors thinks break-out talk is a little premature.Michael Yoshikami,President and Chief Investment Strategist of the firm,is not excited,but cautiously optimistic.He thinks we should start throwing out the idea that certain months are good ones for the market.In 2011,Dr.Yoshikami thinks equities will outperform fixed income.
He does think we're gonna see us in the midst of a very sluggish,slow recovery.YCMNET is looking at Indonesia,Malaysia,Singapore and China-with caution toward China because of valuation.They also favor U.S. companies active in those markets.
YCMNET Advisors was named by Barron's magazine as one of their Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors for 2010.President Michael Yoshikami,PhD,CFP,is a frequent guest on business television.His firm is located in Walnut Creek,California.

Defining Financial Reality

Asia in general is the strong point of the global economy,says Michael Yoshikami,Chief Investment Strategist at YCMNET Advisors.He's thinking investors are getting over their initial panic over Greece.Not everything is going wrong,though Europe is essentially seen as an economy that's going to be struggling for years and years.He doesn't think the U.S. and China are gonna destroy each other.They're gonna work together to succeed.
If you're in a trading range,you watch for opportunities now that every thing's been trashed.There's way too much concentration on BP;Exxon Mobil and Chevron have some promise as investments.You have to get away from seeing the market as reality.The market is reaction plus sentiment.The economic fundamentals are reality,Mr.Yoshikami believes.
BP plc(BP),Exxon Mobil(XOM),Chevron(CVX)

Believing In The Bull

Michael Yoshikami of YCMNET Advisors believes in the current bull market.He thinks there's still money to move into it.There's some risk in it,but he doesn't think you want to sit this one out.Sentiment is gonna get the individual investor in.Market sentiment is still pretty negative,but the news is not as bad as people think,and that's gonna drive the market.
Mr.Yoshikami thinks unemployment is the biggest risk.If the numbers stay at 9-10% and the stimulus unwinds out of the system,that's gonna hurt.For now,all the negativity is starting to go away.The retail investor is starting to feel panic at having waited so long to get back in.You're gonna continue to see confirmation of the uptrend.
He really doesn't think the Greek debt problem is resolved.He thinks they're just pushing the ball forward.There's not gonna be a default,but,long term,it kicks the can down the road,in Michael Yoshikami's opinion.

Asia Crucial To Portfolios

A combination of U.S. and international equities are recommended by Michael Yoshikami of YCMNET Advisors.You can use exchange-traded funds for exposure to individual countries.Go for tailwind industries such as services and tech-services that can spread across borders,such as IBM provides.Overall,Gross Domestic Product growth is gonna be less,so you need to be more selective about how you invest,Mr.Yoshikami cautioned.Watch out for stagflation,buffering your portfolio with commodities exposure.Invest in Asia-but not just China,he added. As financial regulation increases in the West,Asian institutions may capitalize on the situation.Strict reforms can stifle innovation and entrpreneurship.Hong Kong had more initial public offerings last year than New York.It stands to benefit even more as the West struggles with the aftermath of the financial crisis,in YCMNET's view.