It’s the sixth such tome from Mary Buffett, who was, a long time ago, married to Warren’s son Peter, a musician. The new book will examine Buffett’s management secrets. This is silly. Buffett is a renowned investor — and for good reason — but… Read More

When Princess Diana died, all I really wanted was a movie rental.   I would have paid almost anything for it: I was in the hospital for an appendectomy, and, after 48 hours of nonstop Diana coverage, I was ready for the doc to remove my brain, too. Read More

Short sellers have big stature on Wall Street. The “short” part doesn’t have anything to do with their physical height but it has much to do with their psychological and practical approach to the market. While most investors buy stocks to benefit from rising prices, shorts sell… Read More

On May 28, 2003, former President Bush signed into law the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act. One major provision of this law was to reduce the tax rates on certain dividends from as high as 38.6% down to 15%. But unless this tax break is extended, which seems… Read More

If you couldn’t tell from a quick scan at your local supermarket, it’s not uncommon for a handful of companies to dominate a specific product category. Companies talk about all types of business objectives, from R&D spending to supply chain initiatives to product development. But at the end of the… Read More

Unemployment hit 10.2% in October. That’s only the second time that figure has ventured into double-digit territory since World War II. And it may get worse. Many economists predict the unemployment rate won’t peak until mid-2010 at 11%. That’s bad news for most sectors… Read More

Emerging markets have been the success story of 2009. While more developed economies such as the United States and Europe have struggled to recover, countries like Brazil, Russia, India and China are on a roll. Country (… Read More

Today’s home sales report might not have caught your eye, but the news is good and worth reviewing for investors looking for potential market-beating gains. Existing-home sales in October jumped a record +10.1% from the previous month. Sales are up +23.5% since their October 2008 low, which also marks a… Read More

Something’s got to give. At a time when the aging of the U.S. population is beginning to accelerate, the construction pace of new housing and care facilities for seniors is shrinking. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of Americans 65 and older will grow +36%, compared with a growth rate… Read More

Some things are universally true. No one ever went broke taking a profit, for instance. Also: Companies that offer lower costs always have a significant competitive edge. This is becoming especially true for companies in the health-care field as cost becomes an ever… Read More