If you’re a skeptic, then you probably get a little nervous when you see lots of headlines about a stock or industry that are all positive. To the skeptical investor, this suggests an investment has peaked and is set to drop. Well, it’s like that right now in one popular… Read More

There’s nothing like being punished twice for something, which is sort of what happened to one big technology firm recently. On May 16, the company’s stock fell nearly 5% ahead of a scheduled earnings report, thanks to a leaked internal memo from the CEO forewarning of a tough third quarter. The CEO’s concerns officially became public the following day, and the stock resumed its slide for a total loss of about 10% since the initial leak. Sound familiar? I’m describing the latest of several recent setbacks suffered by the world’s No. 1 PC… Read More

There’s nothing like being punished twice for something, which is sort of what happened to one big technology firm recently. On May 16, the company’s stock fell nearly 5% ahead of a scheduled earnings report, thanks to a leaked internal memo from the CEO forewarning of a tough third quarter. The CEO’s concerns officially became public the following day, and the stock resumed its slide for a total loss of about 10% since the initial leak. Sound familiar? I’m describing the latest of several recent setbacks suffered by the world’s No. 1 PC maker, Hewlett-Packard Co (NYSE: HPQ).  Two straight quarters of reduced full-year earnings guidance from management have also weighed on HP. The bad news hit before the stock even had a chance to fully recover from the scandal last August in which prior CEO Mark Hurd abruptly resigned amidst allegations of sexual harassment — a situation that led to the replacement of a third of HP’s board of directors. Considering these recent troubles and the fact that the PC business in general has been struggling with soft consumer demand, you might assume HP is a stock to avoid. You’d be… Read More

The stock market’s a great place to invest for the long haul, but the rollercoaster ride sure does get old sometimes, doesn’t it? That’s why I’m always looking for stocks that can enrich shareholders with as little volatility as possible. To find them, you generally have to… Read More

#-ad_banner-#It seems I struck a chord in my April 29 article “A Utility Stock with Triple-Digit Upside,” which described Chinese electric utility Huaneng Power International (NYSE: HNP). The article got a very strong response, though I admit I’m not surprised. Why? Huaneng is about as close as… Read More

Here’s something many investors probably don’t know about major drug makers like Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), Bristol-Meyers Squibb (NYSE: BMY), Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) and others (collectively known as Big Pharma): They’re a lot like the major car companies. To save money back in the 1970s, the auto… Read More

#-ad_banner-#If you can handle risk, I’ve found a potentially very lucrative investment idea for you — a stock that could triple your money, or better, in the next three to five years. The stock’s risky for a couple reasons. First, it’s a small cap. As you probably… Read More

What would you do if you had a stock that returned 20 times your initial investment over a span of two decades? Would you sell some or all and lock in the huge gain? That would seem reasonable. After all, the stock may have run its course. Read More

If you invest for growth, I’ll bet you hardly ever bother to check out the utilities sector. Why would you? Utilities are mainly for income, right? It all depends on where you look. If you expand your search to other continents, you may uncover utility stocks offering… Read More

As the past couple years have shown, U.S. equities are once again a prime source of attractive returns. But they’re not the only — or necessarily the best — source. Like many market watchers, I believe the highest long-term returns are to be had in developing countries… Read More

If you’re seeking worthy biotech stocks, don’t let the industry’s high price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 28 deter you. Though generally expensive, the biotech sector still has great values. In fact, there are biotech stocks with P/E ratios less than half the… Read More