In recent years, there has been a tectonic shift as Wall Street brokers leave their big firms to set up shop on their own. Generally speaking, such a move is bad news for the biggest clients as they are able to participate in hot IPOs and other transactions, and they… Read More

I have a chart that I want to show you. It’s nothing complex or hard to understand. In fact, I take pride in how simple it is to read. You’ll be surprised that the information shown in this chart is the result of just six months of… Read More

The United States and China have been locked in a dysfunctional relationship for far too long. We here in the states have been consuming Chinese imports at an ever-rising rate. And China has helped fuel our addiction by keeping its goods very cheap. It’s managed this by pouring much of… Read More

In recent weeks and months, we’ve seen a range of companies report solid quarterly results, yet their shares have steadily fallen in sympathy with the broader market. More than a few company executives have grumbled on conference calls that their company’s shares don’t get… Read More

It’s been a rough year for those in the branding business at big corporations. SEC investigations, massive product recalls and oil spills (among more traditional factors like competition and slowing sales) have taken a toll on the reputations, as well as the stock prices, of some of America’s most well-known… Read More

Right now, I’m in “pre-board” mode. That’s what I call the day before I go on vacation. Part of my mind is already swimming with all the fun things I’m going to do during my time off. But I’m also grounded by the work I have to… Read More

Anybody who’s ever divvied up a pizza understands that the more people at the table, the thinner the slices need to be to accommodate everyone. You don’t have to love pizza like I do to understand this principle. It’s the same with stocks. The more… Read More

Long before the days of growth stocks, investors used to search for value in stocks that were trading for less than the net assets on their balance sheets. It was a tried-and-true formula for protecting your downside while searching for upside. The stock market’s original gurus –… Read More

For as long as anyone can remember, the Federal Reserve has been tasked with keeping a close eye on inflation. But these days, Ben Bernanke and his peers are not worried about prices rising so much as they fear falling prices. Read More

Not all CEOs are as generous as Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) Steve Jobs. The company’s founder makes $1 a year (although he holds plenty of Apple stock), while a starting sales associate at one of his Apple stores makes more than $31,200. But Jobs is an exception, not the rule. Even… Read More