When it comes to microprocessors, the discussion often begins and ends with Intel (Nasdaq: INTC), the $115 billion colossus (in market value) that has dominated the industry since it began. Following in Intel’s wake is lowly Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD), which has had innumerable brushes with death as… Read More

It’s that time of year. Millions of us are making New Year’s resolutions. Unsurprisingly, the most common resolution is to lose weight. I can’t think of but a handful of people who wouldn’t want to shed a couple of pounds. But despite our best… Read More

While you were away celebrating the holidays, the economy sprang to life. I can’t blame you for not noticing. After all, the holidays are supposed to be a festive time. And the U.S. economy has been stuck in the mud for an extended period. Read More

There’s a big debate in the commodities world: Which is a better investment, gold or silver? Gold usually gets much of the fanfare and stronger returns. But this was not the case last year, as silver surged 81%. Gold was only able to muster a 28% increase. Read More

What worked for investors in 2010 won’t necessarily work in 2011. And in light of StreetAuthority’s recent look at “8 Valuable Lessons We Learned About Investing” in 2010, I decided to take a look at how I would apply some of the lessons I’ve learned over the years to 2011. Here are five things you should look out for this year… 1. Look out for portfolio creep One of the challenges of a rising market is to know when to take profits. Instead, many of us hold on to our winners and bring… Read More

What worked for investors in 2010 won’t necessarily work in 2011. And in light of StreetAuthority’s recent look at “8 Valuable Lessons We Learned About Investing” in 2010, I decided to take a look at how I would apply some of the lessons I’ve learned over the years to 2011. Here are five things you should look out for this year… 1. Look out for portfolio creep One of the challenges of a rising market is to know when to take profits. Instead, many of us hold on to our winners and bring in fresh ammo to buy yet more stocks. Before you know it, you’re holding 15 or 20 stocks. (I once counseled an investor that asked me to look at his statement — and I told him right away that the 40 stocks he owned were far too many.) With the ever-rising market of the last two years, some investors likely have been buying a lot more than they have been selling. Yet you really need to own just six to 10 stocks that have a truly diversified portfolio. So if you’re above that figure, you should spend… Read More

China denied it for years. And it wasn’t until April of last year that the communist nation finally came clean. Finally, in the spring of 2010 — only after satellite images had been released of construction taking place — China officially told its Indian neighbor that it… Read More

This New Year, income investors like me will likely be finding some of the richest dividend yields overseas. As a general rule of thumb, foreign stocks often have higher dividend payouts than their U.S. counterparts, and pay a much larger dividend as well. While lately there’s… Read More

Although you have probably never heard of this company, chances are you use its technology every single day. Do you watch television, or use a computer? Have you bought an iPad or iPhone? Do you use a cell phone, digital camera or a GPS navigation system in… Read More

Ironically, some of the most highly-valued stocks in the Dow appear to hold some of the highest risk. That may come as a surprise when you consider that the broader markets (as measured by the S&P 500) have risen more than 80% from their early 2009 lows. Then again, if… Read More

As we enter 2011, investing abroad has become awfully tricky. Emerging market economies have been the shining stars of the past few years, and many of their stock markets have been on a tear. As I noted a few weeks ago,  some of them have seen their markets double in… Read More