I don’t know about you, but in the first two weeks of February there is always this nagging feeling in my head that I am forgetting something. Do you get that? Then, inevitably, my wife will hand me a red envelope and it will dawn on me that once again,… Read More

A rising market and a still-slow economy have created a real conundrum. Should you focus on the increasingly smaller group of deep-value stocks, or should you step on the gas, searching for stocks that are set for… Read More

Bill Ackman may not be a household name in the world of investing, but he should be. For starters, he became a billionaire through the successful management of hedge funds and by concentrating his bets into a small handful of opportunities he thinks will pay off big. This was the… Read More

The U.S. consumer remains in a precarious state. Wages are rising at a slow pace, keeping many workers from boosting their earning — and spending — power on an inflation-adjusted basis. In fact, consumers may start to feel that they are losing ground if gasoline prices hit $4 a gallon… Read More

Every time the market swoons, the level of insider buying picks up sharply. It’s the natural reflex company officers and directors have in a bid to defend their stock. Trouble is, these folks don’t have the greatest track records. If the market falls… Read More

It has yet to happen, but some day a public company could reach a total market capitalization of a trillion dollars. Think it can’t happen? Consider that in this era of a global… Read More

There’s one huge risk in investing on the short side of a heavily-shorted stock. If short sellers are forced to cover their positions by buying back borrowed shares, then they unwittingly help spur a buying frenzy, pushing a stock up quickly. With the… Read More

Prior to the 2007 meltdown of the subprime lending market, hedge-fund manager John Paulson was a name with a solid reputation for performance, but not necessarily put on the same pedestal with the likes of George Soros or Warren Buffett. The primary fund he… Read More

My car was totaled last year when another driver’s brakes failed. This story had two silver linings. No one was hurt. And I made money on the accident. Before I bought that car in early 2008, I hunted around for the best deal. I spent weeks looking… Read More