My 14-year-old son is currently in the throes of his first girlfriend. They’ve been classmates from time to time since they were four, but now that they are starting to notice each other, they mostly communicate through text messaging. They don’t talk at school or pass… Read More

Whenever I need inspiration for a new stock idea, I think about Levi Strauss.#-ad_banner-# Yes, Levi Strauss — the man who invented blue jeans. As a scrappy European immigrant to the land of opportunity, Strauss went West during the California Gold Rush in the mid-1800s seeking his fortune. But he… Read More

PIMCO CEO and all-round market egghead Mohamed El-Erian coined the term “the new normal” during the financial crisis of 2008. El-Erian’s new normal is defined by slow economic growth, persistent… Read More

Despite popular opinion, I’ve never been a big believer in investing in gold. There’s a reason gold is the currency of pirates, drug dealers and James Bond villains. I… Read More

OK, I’m always the first to admit it. When it comes to investing in Chinese stocks, I’m a bit of a skeptic.  That’s why I’ve opted to get investment exposure to… Read More

OK, I’m always the first to admit it. When it comes to investing in Chinese stocks, I’m a bit of a skeptic.  That’s why I’ve opted to get investment exposure to China only through mega-multinational companies such as PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) or General Electric (NYSE: GE).#-ad_banner-# I’ve always sided with the bears, who contend China’s economic numbers can’t be trusted because the command-and-control nature that the government has over the economy. Read More

OK, I’m always the first to admit it. When it comes to investing in Chinese stocks, I’m a bit of a skeptic.  That’s why I’ve opted to get investment exposure to China only through mega-multinational companies such as PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) or General Electric (NYSE: GE).#-ad_banner-# I’ve always sided with the bears, who contend China’s economic numbers can’t be trusted because the command-and-control nature that the government has over the economy. However, I’m also a big fan of emerging markets and telecom stocks. That’s why I just can’t deny the relevance of state-owned China Mobile Ltd‘s (NYSE: CHL) role in this investment theme. With nearly 600 million subscribers, China Mobile holds the position as the world’s largest wireless provider by market capitalization, with a whopping $227 billion. China’s economic growth has resulted in a rising middle class and telecom providers are usually one of the first sectors to benefits from this rise. Read More

[Editor’s note: In honor of the New Year, we at StreetAuthority thought it might be worth looking back at some of our most popular articles of 2012. This article was originally published on Nov. 15.] With the drama of the presidential election behind us, it’s time for… Read More

[Editor’s note: In honor of the New Year, we at StreetAuthority thought it might be worth looking back at some of our most popular articles of 2012. This article was originally published on Nov. 15.] With the drama of the presidential election behind us, it’s time for investors to focus on the real task at hand: How investments will pan out next year, particularly in the energy sector. After all, energy has a role in just about every good produced and service… Read More

[Editor’s note: In honor of the New Year, we at StreetAuthority thought it might be worth looking back at some of our most popular articles of 2012. This article was originally published on Nov. 15.] With the drama of the presidential election behind us, it’s time for investors to focus on the real task at hand: How investments will pan out next year, particularly in the energy sector. After all, energy has a role in just about every good produced and service rendered in this country.  Being the contrarian investor that I am, I think 2013 could mark the end of triple-digit prices for oil. The good news is energy investors don’t have to panic. There are plenty of opportunities to profit from cheap oil. Black gold’s last “hurrah…” From its 2008 peak near $133 per barrel, oil has settled back to around $90 per barrel — a nearly 34% drop. But the best way to track oil… Read More

Editor’s Note: Here at StreetAuthority, we’ve been talking about the best way to build a retirement portfolio. Simply put, our conclusion is that, regardless of what stage of life you’re in, the best way to do this is with what we call Retirement Savings… Read More

In grade school, my teacher had an old 1960s Vietnam War protest poster taped to a filing cabinet that read: “What if they gave a war… and nobody came?”#-ad_banner-# If we applied this rationale to today’s market, then it would be… Read More