In the study of physics, momentum is the product of the mass and velocity of an object. That’s not a bad way to define the term when descrialink_72192ng a company’s earnings, either. When a company’s per-share earnings grow, it means revenue is growing… Read More

Most people think competition is good, and it usually is — for consumers. For established companies, however, the story is different. Companies that must face competition — which is very nearly all of them — must constantly worry about the quality of their goods or services, changes in consumer preferences,… Read More

Cash is king. You’ve heard it before. So it makes sense that companies with growing free cash flow could thrive in just about any environment. This screen looks for the money — and the dividends. First, companies need to have cash on the… Read More

An unlikely group of stocks have led the market and gained +123%, +162%, +535% — even +7,233% this year. They still have room to climb. These companies defied Wall Street’s expectations as consumers clamored for a product they just couldn’t live without. It’s not oil. It’s not drugs either. A… Read More

Back in 1986, Halley’s Comet streaked through the sky, Bill Buckner broke the hearts of Red Sox fans in the World Series, and the U.S. government passed a landmark tax reform act. You may not remember that last event, but more than two decades later it still has a profound… Read More

I’d bet that most Investor Update readers know about the S&P Dividend Aristocrats Index. To be included in this index, an S&P 500 company must have raised its dividend annually for at least the past 25 years. Read More

High dividends are a great way to generate cash flow and increase total return in an uncertain market. But where can an investor find companies that make enough money to support a high dividend in a rough… Read More

Free. There may be no better word in the English language. A new breed of exchange-traded fund offers accountholders at one of the world’s biggest discount brokerages free trades for life. Cheap, liquid, and diversified, ETFs are popular investment vehicles. They’ve seen a… Read More

The emergence of China and other developing markets has exponentially and permanently increased the trade of goods across the globe. In the past decade alone, world trade has exploded to a level far beyond what the world has ever known. Then came the financial crisis. Read More

Nearly 1,000 U.S.-listed companies offer Dividend Reinvestment Plans or “DRIPs” as a way for shareholders to accumulate shares without using a broker. These plans allow investors to automatically use their dividends to buy more shares of the company’s… Read More