It’s no secret that investors place a premium on lofty margins. If one business squeezes $0.15 in earnings from each dollar in sales and another manages just $0.10, the first company clearly has a big advantage. But there’s one thing even better than a… Read More

You could find a boring stock with a solid, dependable dividend. No problem. Or you might want to take your chances with some high-flying, hotshot growth company. Plenty of them have made lots of money, there’s no doubt about it. But the problem is… Read More

The financial crisis felled some banks. Others were left crippled and may never recover. Still others were hardly affected at all. Those institutions are the ones in the best position to profit going forward. Investors should look at these stable… Read More

Looking at the yields on junk bonds today, I’m reminded of a Joanie Mitchell lyric many years ago: “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till its gone.” In October 2008, the dividend yields for speculative-grade (junk) bonds were averaging 2,182 basis points above… Read More

How many companies have seen profits explode +86% in the past three months? I’ve found a company that’s making a killing in today’s economy. It’s also selling dirt cheap, at just seven times earnings. Best of… Read More

The recent announcement to host the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro is a major coup for Brazil. Much like the decision to host the 2008 Olympics in China, it is a signal that the country is an economic powerhouse that’s here to stay. Not to take anything away from… Read More

The stock market may seem chaotic and unpredictable — but there is some order, if you know where to look. Some things, history tells us, tend to repeat. One such instance happens every time the S&P 500 Index… Read More

If you think “widow and orphan” utility stocks are boring, then you’ve never heard of this one. It’s an electric utility that has increased its dividend each year for the past 20 years. Not only does it offer its shareholders an… Read More

I grew up in a diner. My parents have owned and operated Edelweiss restaurant in Auburn, Calif., for the better part of 30 years. I’m not a restaurant analyst, but I know first-hand how tough the business can be. Studies show one in four restaurants close in… Read More

As the world trained its eyes on Copenhagen last Friday to learn the location of the 2016 Olympic Games, I sat in a bar in Washington, D.C., with an old friend. We were waiting for the results of a different contest. The race we were interested in has far larger… Read More