I've spent the last few weeks studying the potential winners and losers in case interest rates keep rising. Here's what I found... Read More
Analyst Articles
Forget Uncle Sam: The U.S. is Still SWIMMING in Natural Gas — and Investors Can Still Profit
March 20, 2012
On Jan. 26, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released a report showing the United States had about 482 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of recoverable natural gas reserves in shale formations (not counting conventional basins). That’s a big number by any measure — enough to fuel U.S. Read More
What I learned From a Well-Known Stock up 3,212%
March 20, 2012
During the early 1970s, an Oregon track coach by the name of Bill Bowerman changed the world in his kitchen. Trying to develop a new running shoe that would help his athlete’s grip the surface of the track, Bowerman poured liquid… Read More
A Major Shift Could Drive Stocks in Coming Years
March 20, 2012
Many investors have been surprised by the steady advances in the stock market since it bottomed out three years ago. They shouldn’t have been. History predicted it would happen. Exiting a major economic slowdown, companies cut costs… Read More
In the week of March 12, the Federal Reserve gave the nation’s major banks their third so-called “stress test” to determine whether they would survive another collapse of the financial system like the one suffered in 2008. Overall, the group passed the test, with 15 of the 19 undergoing… Read More
Wall Street strategists try way too hard to deliver a precise forecast of where the market is headed. They look at price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios, projected sales and profit growth rates,… Read More
The Money-Making Magic of Compound Interest
March 19, 2012
Albert Einstein called it “the greatest mathematical discovery of all time.” For those who carry hefty debt on their monthly credit card bill, Einstein’s law of financial physics is not good news. But for the savvy investor, the principles of compound… Read More
This 14%-Yielder Teaches an Expensive Lesson
March 19, 2012
A few years ago, a small Canadian energy producer called Paramount Energy Trust sported a yield of close to 14%. That sort of yield would have been tempting to many investors. Formed in 2003, the trust had a… Read More
I’m Selling My Stake in this Recent IPO
March 19, 2012
To succeed in a new business, companies look for opportunities with little competition and wide barriers to entry. When I took a position in Zipcar (Nasdaq: ZIP) in late January, I saw the burgeoning car-sharing company checking only one of those two boxes. Competition was minimal, excepting a half-hearted entry… Read More
In 2011, the large health care and pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) generated $13.9 billion in free cash flow and maintained its “AAA” credit rating. The drug maker Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) had more… Read More