One of the curious aspects of the recent rebound in the IPO market is the heavy slate of China-based companies in the mix. It remains pretty hard for U.S.-based companies to line up a deal, but investment bankers have had little trouble if the… Read More

If you started the year with three wishes and one of them was for more consistency from the energy sector, you wasted a wish. Although many energy stocks are up this year, by double-digits in some cases, others are flat and still others are down (also by double-digits in some… Read More

The day will come when a public company becomes worth $1 trillion. It’s a big number to swallow, but I think it’s possible… When I say a company will one day become “worth $1 trillion,” I’m referring to when a company reaches a… Read More

In global economics, there are several emerging truisms. Growth is likely to be somewhat muted in the West as efforts to reverse massive budget deficits will create a drag as governments tax more than they spend. A second truism: emerging market economies have come a very long way in a very short time, and they’re unlikely to revert to their old habits that stifled growth. [See: “Forget About BRIC — Buy These Emerging Economies Instead”] The third truism: these upstart economies are likely to stumble on their way to a higher plane. The biggest concern:… Read More

In global economics, there are several emerging truisms. Growth is likely to be somewhat muted in the West as efforts to reverse massive budget deficits will create a drag as governments tax more than they spend. A second truism: emerging market economies have come a very long way in a very short time, and they’re unlikely to revert to their old habits that stifled growth. [See: “Forget About BRIC — Buy These Emerging Economies Instead”] The third truism: these upstart economies are likely to stumble on their way to a higher plane. The biggest concern: inflation. It’s just appearing now, and could well get much worse in 2011. And if that happens, many of the world’s hottest stock markets — many of which have doubled or even tripled in the past two years — could be hit by profit-taking. In recent days China has expressed increasing concern that inflation is starting to percolate. The government is seeking to rein in bank lending and has also started to impose price controls on key foodstuffs. But China is lucky. Its economy has so many hidden strengths, its… Read More

With interest rates near the lowest point in generations, the hunt for high yields continues in haste. Right now, strong income investments can increasingly be found in an unlikely place — real estate. Real estate investment trusts or REITS have typically been solid income investments… Read More

Despite the recent financial crisis, worldwide industrialization is increasing at a never before seen pace. Asia and Latin America are the fastest growing regions of the world, led by China and Brazil. These two hyper-growth regions make perfect trading partners. China doesn’t have enough raw materials to… Read More

As should be no surprise, there has been a wealth explosion in China. From 2003 to 2009, private wealth has grown at a compound annual rate of +24.8%. Even during the global financial crisis of 2008, private wealth grew by +8.3%. The rest of the world saw an -11.7% plunge. Read More

China hogs most of the headlines these days, given it represents an extremely compelling growth market for investors. I recently explained why investing in other countries can make more sense, naming India as an example of a country that may have more compelling long-term prospects for investors. But it doesn’t… Read More

Much has been made of last week’s General Motors (NYSE: GM) IPO. But while everyone has been talking about GM, there is a car company that offers absolutely explosive growth that should be on your radar screen. The high growth segment… Read More

Investing guru Warren Buffett doesn’t think much of diversification . In his view, it’s for investors who don’t really know what they’re doing. Those who do can actually lessen risk by betting big on a few investments they thoroughly understand, Buffett asserts, and will earn the greatest returns in the… Read More