Eight Ways to Profit From the World’s Biggest Spending Boom
Back in the 1970s, environmentalists feared we were going to “blacktop the Earth.” It’s not likely that will ever happen. However, governments around the world do have plans to pave a good portion of it in the decade to come.
Default, Inflation, Higher Taxes — Choose One
When I look at the present economic environment, I am not encouraged. But if you really want me to be discouraged, talk to me about politics.
Even the Best Investors Make This Huge Mistake… Make Sure You Don’t!
Personally, I have just one rule: Avoid big mistakes. If I do that, I know I’ll be fine. I know I won’t “blow myself up” in my investments. Knowing that gives me peace. I can’t believe how many brilliant, successful people fail to do this one simple thing… and lose what they have… or even lose everything.
Investing for (or in) retirement gets harder
The newspapers are full of stories about how baby boomers who have squirreled money away are rethinking their investment approach, evidence coming from last year’s net outflows from stock funds and the fascination that many retail investors now have with bonds.
Dividends save the day — 10 stocks with strong up-trends and dividend growth
Everyone is aware that the market has been going through some tough times for the last few weeks. Major averages are off their peaks roughly 7% and a full-fledged 10% correction or worse is not out of the question.
What Stock Goes Up When the Market Drops, and Also Pays a Dividend
There are a couple stocks, actually Exchange Traded Funds or ETFs, which go up when the stock market drops, and on top of that, they pay a dividend. One of them is UltraShort Utilities ProShares (SDP), which utilizes futures contracts, options, forward contracts, swap agreements and similar instruments to seek a return that is twice the inverse of the daily performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Utilities index for a single day. This means that when utilities drop, this ETF should increase in price.
Get Energized With Energy ETFs
Energy is big business here in Texas. Just about everyone in the state knows someone in the industry, if they aren’t employed in it themselves.
The Biggest Threat to Investor Wealth! EVER!
While our federal deficit explodes and U.S. stocks sink, I’ve been actively meeting our readers on my personal blog to share ideas on how to build the optimal growth portfolio in trying times like these.
Volcker Rule: They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
If the Volcker Rule were posited as a panacea, much of the criticism that has been leveled by the bank lobbyists and their congressmen, and sincere critics who were surprised by its ungainly introduction into the reform deliberations, would be correct. However, I do not think it was, but I could be wrong.
Where Will The Gold ETF Bottom In This Corrective Cycle?
“Around two months ago I advised my partners to look for gold to drop to the 1040-1070 area in U.S. dollars. This followed my projection in early August of a gold rally from 900 to 1250 before the next top, and I was close as we hit $1,225 and rolled over.
European Sentiment Sours
European investors are getting antsy again after Monday’s quiet morning session. Stocks are losing their earlier gains partly as concerns mount about how banks and insurers will affected by possible sovereign-debt problems in Europe.
Stocks most likely to raise dividends
Dividend-paying stocks have outperformed their non-paying counterparts over the past 30 years. But even more impressive is the track record of companies that have increased their dividend payouts over that period.
Haiti’s untapped oil, gas and mineral wealth
Beneath the rubble and tragedy of Haiti lies what some geophysicists believe may be one of the globe’s richest zones for oil and gas hydrocarbons outside the Middle East. The same tectonic plates of North America, South America and the Caribbean that rub together to cause earthquakes, also form one of the world’s most active geological zones, and can push vast volumes of oil and gas up from the Earth’s mantle, according to economic researcher and anti peak oil theorist F. William Engdahl.
Why Can’t We Pop The Bubbles
Felix Salmon has a very smart post up today about liquidity and its role in creating bubbles. He quotes from an interview with Roy Smith a former Goldman banker:
Fortune 500 Firms in 1959 vs. 2009; 86% Are Gone
What do the companies in these three groups have in common?
International Paper is Hardly the World’s Cheapest Stock
In Friday’s game plan, I told you to keep an eye on International Paper, which just reported its fourth quarter today. This manufacturer of all kinds of paper from loose leaf and industrial package and container board, is a fabulous indicator of the global economy’s health.
Should Investors Go With Gold ETFs Or Gold Miner ETFs?
“What’s better: gold or gold mining stocks?” I’m asked this question often at cocktail parties, but people aren’t always pleased with the answer I give: “It depends.”
One Indicator That’s Unquestionably Bullish
Many economic indicators are sending mixed signals, but one stalwart is coming through crystal clear. And it suggests that U.S. stocks are poised for a strong showing in 2010.
Innovative Ways to Hedge your Portfolio in This Market
Last week, I unveiled in great detail the results of an incredibly innovative and effective (IMHO) way to hedge a portfolio and provide double-digit annualized gains in any market (fine print: so long as there is not a prolonged multi-month sustained one-way trend).
The Banks Still Won’t Lend
The Fed believes people businesses will borrow if they keep rates low. They won’t. The banks won’t lend. The Administration’s Small Business Administration doesn’t lend. And the banks are hoarding their money because the regulators are encouraging them not to lend. From yesterday’s New York Times:
3 Problems With the Biggest Bubble in History
So much speculation is being focused on asset bubbles – where they are, how large they may be, and how much time they have left – while a much bigger bubble looms. That bubble is China’s $2.4 trillion in foreign currency reserves.
