A couple of weeks ago, several of the nation’s banks underwent a so-called “stress test” to determine whether they were healthy enough to survive a major economic contraction without requiring new capital. Some failed, but most passed. Yet, even before the dust has settled from the good… Read More

(Editor’s note: the stop-loss for this trade has been revised.) The global energy picture is changing so fast that it’s getting hard to keep up. In just the last five years, we’ve seen: • Crude oil briefly spike above $140 a barrel in… Read More

Whenever financial markets start to sell off, I can’t help but remember the scene from “Trading Places” (perhaps the greatest investment business movie of all time) when Eddie Murphy discusses pork-belly trading strategy with stodgy commodities brokers Ralph Belamy and Don Ameche. Murphy’s streetwise character — Billy Ray Valentine —… Read More

Despite what any financial academic or index fund advocate tells you, the market isn’t perfectly rational. If it were, then it would be impossible to identify a stock that is meaningfully undervalued. There would literally… Read More

Even in the middle of summer, the high temperature in Svalbard, Norway rarely climbs above 45 degrees Fahrenheit. At night, temperatures often dip below freezing. In the heart of winter, temperatures can dip to as low as -30 degrees Fahrenheit — at that temperature water freezes almost instantaneously. Read More

Another week, another rally? The market began the current trading week on a high note once again, and it seems as if this bull just can’t be stopped. The S&P 500 has moved higher in 13 out… Read More

As the market rises steadily higher, it’s getting harder to find true bargains. And though a wide range of good stocks still have reasonably-priced shares, any market pullback would send most stocks lower from their 52-week highs.  … Read More

Despite widespread pessimism and a whole lot of volatility, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 have both gained roughly 25% a year for the past three years. I think the bull market could continue for quite some time, maybe another three or… Read More

Warren Buffett is no fan of short-term trends. Rather than focusing on the flavor of the minute, Buffett instead fixates on trends that will last decades. And then he makes a fortune off of them. Take his investment in Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), for example. Read More

The S&P 500 is up 11% year-to-date. But there is another rally that is getting less attention: U.S. Treasury yields have been on the rise. Short-term Treasury yields have inched up throughout 2012, while longer-term Treasuries have bumped up only… Read More