Why 4pm Today Is The Most Important 4pm Of The Year

The Harbor Investment Conference, which took place yesterday in New York City, has placed a media embargo on stock picks that will be lifted today at 4:00 PM. No stories or stock picks have been released from the conference yet. At 4:00pm EST today, investors should be on the lookout for sudden movements in securities that were discussed at the conference. Benzinga will release a number of stories at precisely 4pm today about the topics and stock picks that were mentioned. Of all days in the year, investors should be particularly concerned about what happened yesterday inside the Harbor Investment Conference in NYC. The Harbor Investment Conference in New York City was no meaningless gathering; as of December 31, 2010, the eight stocks which were recommended at the previous conference were up 39%, compared to the S&P 500 (14%) in the same timeframe. The conference was yesterday from 12-5pm EST, so be on the lookout for stocks that have strong moves, including those listed below. It is clearly in investors' best interest to be aware of the stocks that may be recommended as a result. Secrecy was high this year, as the conference imposed a media embargo on attendees. Nevertheless, Benzinga sent a representative to the Harbor Investment Conference today, so stay tuned today at 4:00pm for the stories from our live, in-person coverage. For a comprehensive list of speakers for the conference yesterday, click here. Bill Ackman of Pershing Square Capital Management spoke. Todd Sullivan, co-founder and managing partner of Rand Strategic Partners and ValuePlays.net was in attendance as a speaker this year. Some of Sullivan's more famous holdings include General Growth Properties GGP, Jamba JMBA, iGo IGOI, and the Dow Chemical Company DOW. General Growth Properties was likely of interest yesterday as Bruce Berkowitz of Fairholme Capital sold off some of its stake to Brookfield Asset Management BAM in mid-January, according to SeekingAlpha. This could be interpreted as a sign that General Growth Properties is now trading at fair value and may not be a good entry point for investors. As Benzinga readers are already aware, Berkowitz spoke at the conference as well and a likely topic was St. Joe JOE, a stock that has long been debated between Bruce Berkowitz of Fairholme Capital and David Einhorn of Greenlight Capital. Einhorn and Berkowitz have entirely opposite views on St. Joe: Einhorn is short and thinks the stock is grossly overvalued, while Berkowitz believes St. Joe is almost as safe as a land trust and "would like to buy the whole company," according to an earlier statement. This has been a battle of the industry titans for some time, and investors will be very interested in what Berkowitz said on Thursday. The Harbor Investment Conference raises funds annually for the Boys and Girl Harbor, a respected social charity. Neither Benzinga nor its staff recommends that you buy, sell, or hold any security. We do not offer investment advice, personalized or otherwise. Benzinga recommends that you conduct your own due diligence and consult a certified financial professional for personalized advice about your financial situation.