Most industry-leading retailers are household names. In apparel, there is Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS). In consumer electronics, there is Best Buy (NYSE: BBY). And in home goods, companies such as Home Depot (NYSE: HD) and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) maintain high levels of… Read More

Carla Pasternak, editor of Street Authority’s High-Yield Investing, calls it “the most dramatic turnaround in U.S. history.” And millions of people across the country are reaping its benefits, increasing their net worth, while reducing the stress point that used to cause many to lose sleep at night. I’m talking about the clear recovery taking place in the residential and commercial real estate markets.#-ad_banner-# The latest read on the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price… Read More

Carla Pasternak, editor of Street Authority’s High-Yield Investing, calls it “the most dramatic turnaround in U.S. history.” And millions of people across the country are reaping its benefits, increasing their net worth, while reducing the stress point that used to cause many to lose sleep at night. I’m talking about the clear recovery taking place in the residential and commercial real estate markets.#-ad_banner-# The latest read on the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, a leading home-value index that tracks prices in 20 residential markets, showed that home values rose 4.3% in October 2012 from the previous year, ahead of estimates looking for 4% growth. That follows the trend that has been in play for the past 12 months, with home prices showing steady gains through most of the year. And sure to fuel the rebound in home prices is the recent settlement of a massive lawsuit against 10 major U.S. banks and mortgage companies brought by the federal government. Not only is… Read More

Most industry-leading retailers are household names. In apparel, there is Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS). In consumer electronics, there is Best Buy (NYSE: BBY). And in home goods, companies such as Home Depot (NYSE: HD) and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) maintain high levels of visibility that fuels interest from consumers and investors. But behind the scenes, there is a secret retailer that is crushing the competition, seeing huge gains in earnings and jumping higher on the chart. In fact, earnings have been growing so sharply,… Read More

Most industry-leading retailers are household names. In apparel, there is Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS). In consumer electronics, there is Best Buy (NYSE: BBY). And in home goods, companies such as Home Depot (NYSE: HD) and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) maintain high levels of visibility that fuels interest from consumers and investors. But behind the scenes, there is a secret retailer that is crushing the competition, seeing huge gains in earnings and jumping higher on the chart. In fact, earnings have been growing so sharply, shares are up almost 100% in just two years. Take a look at the market-beating rally below… But just because early investors have seen big gains doesn’t mean the growth story is over. With the bullish trend still well in play and management confident, Tractor Supply (Nasdaq: TSCO) can continue to grow its store count and still leave plenty of room for investors to profit.#-ad_banner-# This little-known industry-leading retailer… Read More

It looks like Carl Icahn was on to something. Last year, he tried to acquire the The Greenbrier Companies (NYSE: GBX) for $22 a share, an offer that was subsequently rebuffed by management. In November, I cautioned that it was unwise to follow… Read More

It looks like Carl Icahn was on to something. Last year, he tried to acquire the The Greenbrier Companies (NYSE: GBX) for $22 a share, an offer that was subsequently rebuffed by management. In November, I cautioned that it was unwise to follow Icahn into this crowded stock because once he loses interest (as he often does when pursuing his prey), shares tend to wilt.  And that’s precisely what happened with Greenbrier. Read More

It looks like Carl Icahn was on to something. Last year, he tried to acquire the The Greenbrier Companies (NYSE: GBX) for $22 a share, an offer that was subsequently rebuffed by management. In November, I cautioned that it was unwise to follow Icahn into this crowded stock because once he loses interest (as he often does when pursuing his prey), shares tend to wilt.  And that’s precisely what happened with Greenbrier. Yet we can add a fresh twist to the much-ballyhooed “Icahn effect.” The legendary investor may be known for too many head fakes, but after he walks away, then real value may emerge. Indeed, it now looks as if Icahn was on the right track in his ardor for this stock, as just-released quarterly results show. As it turns out, Greenbrier and another transportation firm, Wabash National (NYSE: WNC). may be shaping up to be top gainers in 2013.#-ad_banner-# Replacing the fleets Greenbrier, a leading provider of railroad cars, and Wabash, a top provider of truck trailers that ply… Read More

If the winter blues have you thinking of heading off to a warm, sunny destination, you might find a hotel, flight or car rental deal through the online travel site, Expedia (Nasdaq: EXPE). Expedia is the largest online travel agency in the United States, based on bookings. It generates the… Read More

If the winter blues have you thinking of heading off to a warm, sunny destination, you might find a hotel, flight or car rental deal through the online travel site, Expedia (Nasdaq: EXPE). Expedia is the largest online travel agency in the United States, based on bookings. It generates the majority of its revenue from offering cut-throat deals on hotels, flights and car rentals.#-ad_banner-# The company doesn’t just appeal to cost-conscious U.S. travelers. Expedia is gaining international popularity, too. In the past five… Read More

If the winter blues have you thinking of heading off to a warm, sunny destination, you might find a hotel, flight or car rental deal through the online travel site, Expedia (Nasdaq: EXPE). Expedia is the largest online travel agency in the United States, based on bookings. It generates the majority of its revenue from offering cut-throat deals on hotels, flights and car rentals.#-ad_banner-# The company doesn’t just appeal to cost-conscious U.S. travelers. Expedia is gaining international popularity, too. In the past five years, revenue from international markets has nearly doubled. Europe and Asia-Pacific are particularly hot growth spots. Travelers there, especially from emerging markets in Asia, are seeing a rise in their disposable income, allowing them to spend more on getaways. In addition to international expansion, strategic sell-offs, acquisitions and collaborations have led to Expedia’s growth. About a year ago, Expedia spun off the travel site TripAdvisor (Nasdaq: TRIP). More recently, the company’s corporate travel management branch, Egencia, acquired the Nordic-based travel management company, VIA Travel. The move helped expand Expedia’s European corporate travel… Read More

The mobile market is huge. And in the past few years, it has been growing exponentially across the globe. Mobile technology is constantly reshaping how we interact in our daily lives. From smartphones to tablet computers, can you think of anyone who… Read More

The trend is your friend. It’s one of the most basic and powerful concepts of investing. The past four years have been a great example of that. After rebounding sharply In March of 2009, the averages have been on a miraculous… Read More

[Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in Insider, which is a free publication for StreetAuthority subscribers.] Last Monday, I asked each of the StreetAuthority stock market strategists to… Read More