September and October sure have been kind to investors, with the major indices up more than +10% and some individual stocks up +30% to 40% since late August. Back then, it was easy to spot bargains after a summer swoon. Nowadays,… Read More

Value stocks have long been regarded as safer investments than growth stocks. They tend to sport lower valuations and are often dogged by low expectations. So any stumbles can be taken in stride. But investors need to do their homework before pouncing on a value stock too quickly. A little… Read More

“Strike while the iron is hot,” is the new catchphrase in Private Equity (PE) circles. Conditions are perfectly in place to do deals, and you can expect to hear of many more this winter. Just this week, Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO), Wendy’s/Arby’s (NYSE: WEN) and Seagate (NYSE: STX) are surging on… Read More

One of the most interesting indicators used in the financial markets is the Baltic Dry Index (BDI). The index, created and maintained by the London-based Baltic Exchange, measures the price of shipping raw materials such as iron ore, coal and grains around… Read More

It’s not easy following in Jack Welch’s footsteps, who practically wrote the book on how to grow a business. Ever since taking the reins in early 2001, Jeff Immelt has consistently paled by comparison, having little to show for his first decade at the helm of General Electric (NYSE: GE). On a compounded basis, sales have grown less than +3% annually during his tenure. But all that is about to change. GE is almost done repairing the damage that was wrought by the global economic carnage of 2008, and the company is again gearing… Read More

It’s not easy following in Jack Welch’s footsteps, who practically wrote the book on how to grow a business. Ever since taking the reins in early 2001, Jeff Immelt has consistently paled by comparison, having little to show for his first decade at the helm of General Electric (NYSE: GE). On a compounded basis, sales have grown less than +3% annually during his tenure. But all that is about to change. GE is almost done repairing the damage that was wrought by the global economic carnage of 2008, and the company is again gearing up to play offense. You won’t notice it in the near-term, as GE’s revenue is expected to shrink a bit more in 2010 and 2011. But the stage is now being set for a robust return to growth in 2012 and beyond. Immelt is counting on three factors to propel growth. First, he’s decided to step up R&D funding from 3% to 5%. That means GE will be spending more than $30 billion every year to ensure that each of GE’s operating divisions have industry-best products. Second, he’s breaking out GE’s checkbook. Already in October, GE has… Read More

It’s little secret that China is one of the fastest-growing countries in the world. It already boasts the world’s largest population of nearly 1.4 billion citizens, and through the first half of this year, its economy grew by +11.1%, which comes despite a global… Read More

Think the weakening auto sales trend in the United States is an omen of unpleasant things to come, economically speaking? If so, then investors may want to slice the numbers in a way the media isn’t — car sales are still trending bullishly by most measures, even if nobody’s talking… Read More

An extremely valuable investment strategy is to keep tabs on what the major players on Wall Street are doing with their money. Warren Buffett, George Soros, Bill Gross, Mario Gabelli and Jeremy Grantham quickly come to mind — especially considering they are more than willing to put their own money… Read More

The world is changing fast. Economic dominance is undergoing an epic shift. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the gross domestic product (GDP) of the world’s emerging… Read More

The late-1970s was witness to one of the most remarkable gold rallies in history. From a low of $100 per troy ounce in 1976, prices rose to a then-record $873 by 1980. The culprit? Double-digit rates of inflation. Read More