12 reasons to be bullish
Happy Anniversary! With North American equity markets up roughly 60% since the lows of March 9, 2009, there are plenty of opinions on where stocks are going and why. As Ian McGugan wrote in Tuesday’s Financial Post, the optimists believe the U.S. economy is going through a transformation that will see it speed ahead just as fast as it did before the crisis.
The 3 most IMMINENT disasters. How to survive …
Of all the major disasters and threats to your security ahead — and all the major profit opportunities — three stand out as the most imminent of all:
Water Stocks: A Few of My Favorite Things, Part I
Water – I’ve been urging my subscribers to invest in water stocks for several years…and Hyflux is one of my favorites. Hyflux (HYFXF: OTC Bulletin Board) operates in China, Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East and North Africa. It is involved in a variety of water projects, from desalination to recycling.
The Opportunity to Make Money Is Just Too Great to Pass Up
“So let me get this straight…” said the tuxedo-clad gentleman as he cut into his filet mignon. “You trade stocks?”
“That’s right.” I said.
“For a living?” he asked.
“Right again.” I replied.
“So you have no customers, no employees, no product, no inventory, and no marketing to deal with?”
“None of that,” I responded. “Plus, I can do it from anywhere in the world just about any time of the day.”
“It seems to me,” the gentleman continued, “that you have a dream job.”
Virginia Hands Out 6996 Traffic Tickets In One Weekend In An Effort To Raise Revenue For The State Government
In the old days, police officers wrote traffic tickers primarily to keep people safe and to prevent citizens from breaking the traffic laws. But in the new Amerika, all of that has changed. Now traffic tickets are primarily viewed as a revenue raising tool for state and local governments.
These Biotech ETFs Gain Access To A Broader Array Of Biotech Companies
“Last week a number of biotech players, including Millipore (MIL), OSI Pharmaceuticals (OSIP), Intermune (ITMN) and Sequenom (SQNM) turned in double-digit gains in the volatile health care subsector. On the other side, health care stocks do fall, leaving investors with a bitter taste. For example, when Medivation’s (MDVN) Alzheimer’s drug failed in a late-stage trial last week, shares of the firm fell over 65% in a single session. Given such violent swings, ETF companies have adopted some unique approaches for investors in the biotech industry,” Don Dion Reports From The Street.
Germany: The “Must-Invest” Economy
If you’re a U.S. investor, you can’t be happy about the prospects for your portfolio. After all, you’re mostly trapped in an economy with a gigantic and dangerous financial-services sector, a central bank that can’t stop itself from printing money and a government that overspends wildly.
Investors Who Lost In Madoff and Stanford Schemes Want Government to “Make Them Whole”
These are, by and large, relatively well-to-do people who were considered ‘qualified investors,’ or ought to have been. They were able to place large sums of money in obviously risky investments seeking abnormally high rates of return, which they did receive for many years.
Brazil’s Growth Miracle
An old joke in emerging market circles says that Brazil will always be the country of the future. However, strong global demand for commodities, low international interest rates, much-needed reforms and positive investor sentiment suggests that Brazil’s time has finally come and it is set to embark on a “growth miracle” for the next five years or more.
Face-off! Making a Fortune by Trading
With this article I am initiating a new series called “Face-off.” My mission is identifying and writing about the best sources on a topic — finding expertise and explaining arguments. This is in sharp contrast to most others who purport to be experts on nearly everything. By comparison, my claim is quite modest!
Jim Rogers is long the euro
Famed investor Jim Rogers talked to Damien Hoffman at Wall Street Cheat Sheet and shared his thoughts about the future of the common currency in this interview:
How to Profit From the “Fertilizer Wars”
There’s nothing like scarcity and supply disruptions to fuel violent price spikes. And there’s nothing like the basic human needs for food and water to light that fuse. Today’s world food supplies run on razor-thin inventories. While the food riots of 2008 have all but disappeared from our short-term memories, the threat of them returning grows stronger with every passing day.
Gold Falls To Test Support
With commodities retracing their recent gains, gold has fallen back into the trading range. The question is whether weakening momentum will take the price below support at $1116.
As Good As Gold VIX
So, love getting confused by VIX futures? Well, you’re in luck. Someday soon, you’ll be able to get perplexed Volatility Futures in a host of products, thanks to the CME. (hat tip Abnormal)
From the Greenspan Put to the Kohn Put: Our Brilliant Central Bankers
Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Donald Kohn announced his retirement on March 1, 2010. In his obligatory lament, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke was half right: “The Federal Reserve and the country owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Don Kohn.” What is good for the Fed is generally not good for the country. The influence of Donald Kohn supports this view.
Is Investor Demand For The Gold ETF Really That Strong?
Last Friday, gold closed up 1.5 percent for the week to end at $1135.20/oz, thanks to a U.S. dollar that couldn’t decide if it was strengthening or weakening. Of course, whether the gains continue remains to be seen, but for gold bugs, it seems one thing is certain: Gold demand has never been higher.
Gravest Dangers and Greatest Profits
We now face the gravest financial dangers — and the greatest profit opportunities — in two generations. But before I tell you about what the future could bring, let me tell you how my family and I have come to this place and time.
The Dividends Are Flowing Again …
Last year’s dividend numbers were the worst in more than half a century, as corporations large and small struggled with a lack of financing, weak economic conditions, and poor earnings. But now, things are finally looking up …
Short Sales and 2nd Liens
A couple of articles tonight that fit together with my earlier post: Housing: A Tale of Boom and Bust and a Puzzle The puzzle is when the banks will start moving ahead with distressed sales (foreclosures and short sales).
Recipes for Sweet Returns
America’s top wealth-management firms are recommending increased allocations to foreign stocks. Barron’s Clare McKeen reports.
The Dividend Stock Recovery: Get Ready for a High-Yield Bonanza
It’s been a tough time for income investors lately. Ten-year Treasuries pay less than 4%. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index yields just over 2%. Money market fund returns are microscopic, paying an average of just 0.05%. (At that rate, it will take your money one thousand years to double.) What should you do?

