The first half of 2009 has been nothing short of volatile for Wall Street. Between corporate bailouts, bankruptcies and unprecedented government spending, the news has been full of surprises. The assorted high-profile shenanigans of GM, AIG and others deserve their rightful place in the “Hall of Shame,” but there has… Read More
Results
Oil prices have dipped from their recent peak above $70 per barrel, and the price of another commodity suggests crude has farther to fall. A barrel of oil contains 5.8 million British thermal units (BTUs) of… Read More
Living in Canada, I see first-hand the impact of the falling U.S. dollar. From 2002-2007, the Canadian dollar soared uninterrupted over its stateside counterpart. Over that time, it usually cost me less and less to purchase anything in U.S. dollars… whether it be investments or even vacations. Even though I… Read More
China Mobile (NYSE: CHL) is the largest wireless telecommunications provider in China with a roughly 70% market share. The company serves more than 440 million customers with wireless and wireless data services. Catalyst(s): As noted earlier, China’s mobile phone penetration is… Read More
Coal. If you think coal is dirty and does nothing but emit greenhouse gases and wreak environmental havoc, you’re wrong. You’ve bought the hype. The fact is that, used properly, coal can be used to generate power with ZERO emissions. And the trick behind this technology is so simple, so… Read More
We first covered the Market Vectors Africa (NYSE: AFK) ETF back in our August 2008 issue of StreetAuthority Market Advisor. Africa is a mix of developing and frontier economies. On one end of the spectrum you have South Africa, which boasts of a stable… Read More
President Harry Truman once said he wanted to hire a one-armed economist. When asked why, he replied, so the economist couldn’t say “on the other hand.” For Barack Obama, finding a one-armed economist is even more pressing. Obama is faced… Read More
Just a few years ago, investors interested in profiting from a downturn in a specific corner of the market had to borrow shares from their broker, short individual companies — and then hope they didn’t pick a stock that went against the… Read More
There’s a word you hear all the time when people talk about their favorite stocks. “Skyrocket.” Maybe you’ve used it. I know I have. It’s the ideal visual, a perfect metaphor. But on Thursday, May 14 — just a few short… Read More
It didn’t take long. We went from hearing about swine flu mentioned in passing on the evening news to President Barack Obama announcing he wanted to commit $1.5 billion toward fighting it. In fact, it took less than a week. Before… Read More