Top Takes From RealMoney

The RealMoney contributors are in the business of trading and investing all day on the basis of ongoing news flow. Below, we offer the top five ideas that RealMoney contributors posted today and how they played those ideas.

TheStreet.com brings you the news all day, and with RealMoney's "Columnist Conversation," you can see how the pros are playing it on a real-time basis. Here are the top five ideas played today. To see all that RealMoney offers, click here for a free trial.

1. XOM Meeting -- Look Past the Smoke
By Frank Curzio
8:53 a.m. EDT

ExxonMobil (XOM Quote) will be hosting its annual shareholder meeting today. While the media will be focusing on useless topics like green initiatives and Rex Tilleson's $22 million salary last year (XOM posted a profit of $45.2 billion in 2008), I am more concerned with where the company sees oil and gas prices in the future.

The company just released a summary of its forecasts on GDP, population growth and energy demand through 2030. Hopefully this will be the focus and not Tillerson's joint CEO/chairman title.

No positions.

---

2. Plenty of Upside in Stocks, Not Sure About the Market
By Sham Gad
10:19 a.m. EDT

With the S&P around 900, the market is fairly valued at best. Unless earnings pick up for the rest of the year, the overall market is no longer the screaming bargain it was in March. With so many stocks up 2-3 times off those lows, the easy gains are gone for now.

However, there is intelligent money to be made still. Companies like Facet Biotech (FACT Quote), which Seth Klarman owns overs 10%, is trading for $9, zero debt, and $16 in cash per share. Fertilizer stocks, which have had a very impressive rally recently, are still good bets to make if you believe that arable land is diminishing and human mouths are increasing.

Eddie Lampert is doing a marvelous job at Sears (SHLD Quote) and continues to reduce the share count via buybacks, creating tremendous upside leverage for those who believe (as I do) that he is smarter than most of us.

No positions.