The ancient city of Istanbul is one of my favorite places in the world. The beauty, commerce and dining opportunities of this famous port city are unmatched. Considered a central hub between the Eastern and the Western economies, Istanbul thrives on diversity… Read More

As I noted in this recent column, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that focus on homebuilders, biotechs and banks have been among the top domestic performers of 2012. Considering “a body in motion tends to say in motion,” some of these ETFs may well… Read More

With the major market averages up about 10-15% thus far in 2012, it goes without saying that many exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have risen by a similar amount. But a handful… Read More

After World War II, a new U.S. economy and the desire to put money away against another Great Depression drove the investing public to mutual funds. Today, more than 44% of U.S. Read More

Stocks started this week off strong, with the major averages surging nearly across the board. The gains in the market also included stocks in the tech sector, which haven’t kept pace with the broader market in recent weeks. Yet one subsector… Read More

Every once in a while, traders seem to forget that market prices move up and down and start expecting to see a move in one direction last forever. In the late 1980s, many traders assumed that the Japanese stock market was… Read More

“Junk Bonds? Didn’t those risky things go the way of the DeLorean, Gordon Gecko and Michael Milken back in the 1980s?” That snarky question was recently asked my trading partner during a recent conversation about long-term investments.#-ad_banner-# It’s true that junk bonds are considered… Read More

Outspoken entrepreneur and real-estate mogul Donald Trump is well known for stating that he doesn’t like gambling. Instead, he says he prefers to own the casinos — The Trump Taj Mahal Casino resort, Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino and the Trump Marina Hotel Casino, all in Atlantic City, N.J., to… Read More

Currently, a number of indicators favor the downside in the overall stock market. Today, we’ll focus on the Nasdaq 100 for a trade that sets you up to profit twice as much as… Read More

If you’re a commercial real estate enthusiast, then you know the real estate investment trust (REIT) sector has been hot. Even with a simple index fund like Vanguard’s REIT Index ETF (NYSE: VNQ), you could’ve made nearly 23% annually on the sector during the past three years, including fund expenses.#-ad_banner-# Many individual REITS have done even better. General Growth Properties Inc. (NYSE: GGP), a large rental property… Read More

If you’re a commercial real estate enthusiast, then you know the real estate investment trust (REIT) sector has been hot. Even with a simple index fund like Vanguard’s REIT Index ETF (NYSE: VNQ), you could’ve made nearly 23% annually on the sector during the past three years, including fund expenses.#-ad_banner-# Many individual REITS have done even better. General Growth Properties Inc. (NYSE: GGP), a large rental property and shopping center owner, for instance, has delivered an astounding three-year annualized return of 64%. Extra Space Storage Inc. (NYSE: EXR), the nation’s second-largest owner and operator of storage facilities, has returned 51% a year for the past three years. That’s wonderful, and it’s exactly the sort of performance we all hope for. But it also means you should be extra careful about generally sky-high REIT valuations. The MSCI U.S. REIT Index, a commonly used proxy for the entire U.S. commercial real estate industry and the benchmark… Read More