Investing in any recent initial public offering (IPO) carries one obvious risk: You may be buying as insiders and underwriters are getting set to sell. By federal law, these folks are “locked up,” prevented from selling stock for 180 days after the… Read More

Last week, I told you about Chesapeake Granite Wash Trust (NYSE: CHKR) — a royalty trust paying a double-digit yield. Royalty trusts boast some of the highest yields on the market… Read More

The stock market is making things awfully uncomfortable for short sellers. The S&P 500 rose 11% in the fourth quarter of 2011, and is up another 5% this month. That mini-rally has pushed up a number of heavily-shorted stocks, and if history is… Read More

High dividend stocks can be terrific investments that provide income and growth potential, however, investors must be careful to avoid “dividend traps” — stocks that offer enticing high yields, but lack the fundamentals to maintain their… Read More

It’s a sure sign of optimism when investors finally respond to obvious deep-value plays. In early December, I lamented that the herd was ignoring a favorable legal verdict and robust balance sheet in support of memory chip maker Micron Technology (NYSE: MU). Read More

In discussing the retail sector, I’m constantly reminded of Einstein’s classic definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. This is especially applicable to consumer-electronics retailers. Historically, many of the names were typically regional players (The Wiz, Rex, CAMPO, Crazy Eddie are… Read More

For the second time in 20 years, companies are reaping the benefits of an economic scare. Back in the early 1990s, they shed costs in the face of uncertain business conditions. Hundreds of large companies deployed the phrase “corporate restructuring.” The downsizing, especially in terms of staff, ultimately led to… Read More

One of the most common mistakes income investors make is to look solely at yields. With the current yield on a 10-year U.S. Treasury Bond barely over 2% and most bank deposits earning… Read More

When it comes to global stock-market performance, strategists often speak of “decoupling,” which means the smaller but faster-growing economies in emerging markets have grown to the point that they are no longer beholden to investor sentiment about… Read More