There is a clear downside to the impressive bull market we’ve seen during the last 22 months: it’s getting harder and harder to find real bargains. To ferret out value plays, investors are increasingly turning to stocks that have lagged the market, hoping to… Read More

As we move into 2011, economists increasingly believe that the United States and Europe will start... Read More

As we move into 2011, economists increasingly believe that the United States and Europe will start to see an economic rebound, joining China, Brazil, India and other emerging economies in a... Read More

Companies are doing everything in their power to make investors focus on the long-term. Monthly sales reports have been replaced by quarterly sales updates by many retailers, and quarterly forward guidance is increasingly being replaced by once-a-year outlooks that get incrementally adjusted throughout the year. That’s why this coming… Read More

With each passing year, investors need to change up their playbook. What worked in the prior year may not work this time around [See: “5 Pitfalls for Investors in 2011”] It’s pretty easy to find out what didn’t work in the past year. I ran a screen… Read More

I’m a Warren Buffett fan. After all, what’s not to love?   From 1965 to 2009, the “Oracle of Omaha” increased the book value of his Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A) portfolio by an average of 20.3% annually. He posted a loss in only two of those… Read More

The timing is right for dividend stocks. High-yielding dividend stocks are one of the few places left where income investors can harvest a solid income in this low interest rate environment. In addition, the recent extension of the Bush tax-cut laws has increased the favorable… Read More

In the constant search for high-yielding stocks, the utility space frequently comes up in the conversation. Sure, the sector is pretty boring and slow-growing overall, but it can be counted on for stable returns and above-average dividend yields. This consistency and the search for yield in… 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... 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... 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