For the firms operating the nation’s leading mutual funds, times are tough and getting tougher. If you have money parked in their key funds, then be prepared to be dragged along for the ride. Net results are weak and could get even weaker, making this a bad time to commit… Read More

We’re less than a week away from a key milestone. The first half of 2011 will come to a close and investors will look ahead for what the second half of the year has in store. #-ad_banner-#The S&P 500 began the year at 1,260, rose roughly 110 points (or 9%) by early May and has since given back much of the gains. Looked at another way, the S&P 500 has risen roughly 3% this year, which is good for a 6% annualized gain. This is not especially impressive — but it could have been worse. With all… Read More

We’re less than a week away from a key milestone. The first half of 2011 will come to a close and investors will look ahead for what the second half of the year has in store. #-ad_banner-#The S&P 500 began the year at 1,260, rose roughly 110 points (or 9%) by early May and has since given back much of the gains. Looked at another way, the S&P 500 has risen roughly 3% this year, which is good for a 6% annualized gain. This is not especially impressive — but it could have been worse. With all the global headwinds in place, investors could just as easily have been looking at major losses in the first half of 2011. One thing’s for sure: the past will not be prologue. More than likely, the market is going to finally respond to some of the looming crises and turn down [“5 Economic Crises that Could Derail Your Portfolio”]. Or these issues may recede in importance, kicking off the next leg of a powerful bull market that began in March 2009 and lasted for more than two years. [“5 Reasons… Read More

Back in late April, I cautioned that summer trading can be quite tricky, noting that May is a good time to take profits because the market often weakens in June and July. Little did I know that the “summer swoon” would actually start in May. Since hitting a recent peak… Read More

#-ad_banner-#When President Obama’s armored limousine got stuck in Ireland this May as it exited the U.S. embassy, it was this towing company’s equipment that freed his vehicle, known affectionately as “The Beast.” Since receiving the president’s nod, Miller Industries (NYSE: MLR) — the world’s leading towing and… Read More

#-ad_banner-#When shares of recent initial public offering (IPO) Boingo Wireless (Nasdaq: WIFI) surged more than 20% on June 13, investors shouldn’t have been so surprised. After all, that was the day analysts were allowed to comment on the stock — the end of the 25-day “… Read More

In the fall of 2008, the global economy headed into freefall, helping to push the stock market down to such an extent that a second Great Depression appeared quite possible. Few would have guessed the global economy would be on the… Read More

In Scarcity & Real Wealth last month, I urged readers to be mindful of China’s ongoing fight to contain inflation. If I were forced to pick a single barometer that could predict the weather for all types of real assets, it would be China’s… Read More

Despite the market’s miserable performance during the past five weeks, corporate earnings as well as the overall economy have been improving on a quarter-to-quarter basis since mid-2009. The growth pace may be slowing now, but progress is still being eked out. Interestingly though, a few… Read More

The S&P 500 Index has been up nearly 92% since March 6, 2009. This impressive run has many market participants cheering for the rally to continue indefinitely. But as exciting as it may be to reference that 92% return, it is not very important, except for investors who bought… Read More

Currency investing by the “Main Street” investor, regular Joe’s and Jane’s like you and me, has exploded in recent years, thanks to the expansion of the exchange-traded fund (ETF) universe. Once the territory of hedge-fund managers… Read More