I’m pretty sure I’ve discovered the next winning “green” tech company. Not only does it have serious technology to bring to the table, it has the most powerful financial force on the planet backing it up. This company, which is developing the batteries that will be used in the next-generation… Read More

“Advertising is totally unnecessary. Unless you hope to make money.” – Jef I. Richards What’s true for companies is also true for investors. Advertising spending can be a leading indicator, one that provides valuable information on future stock-market leaders and laggards. Read More

Wall Street loves to make things hard. People are mystified by the black arts practiced in the world’s financial capitals. These sorcerers hold a secret that everyone from a lowly financial adviser to a big-time deal maker doesn’t want you to know . . . The secret: It’s not hard… Read More

You might not be familiar with the cigarette brands Liggett Select, Grand Prix, Eve, Pyramid or USA. But these brands have helped turn the company that makes them into an income powerhouse. Investing in cigarette companies isn’t for everyone. Millions die from tobacco-related illnesses each year, and that understandably turns… Read More

Investors hooked on green energy, government spending, and developing economies are looking in the right place. They just aren’t looking at the right stock. When the global economy slammed on the breaks, General Cable (NYSE: BGC) took it on the chin. It slid… Read More

China has had an impressive run. Its GDP has grown at double-digit rates while holders of Chinese stocks have earned triple-digit returns. While everyone else is talking about China, savvy investors should be asking where the next big growth story is. The investment company… Read More

Government spending cuts would utterly devastate most companies that rely on Uncle Sam for business. But there’s one company that would almost certainly earn hundreds of millions of dollars more if the federal government would make a very specific spending cut, one that lawmakers propose nearly every year. As the… Read More

The Dow recently crossed the 9,000 mark on the back of a solid start to the second-quarter earnings season, while the S&P is up +10% for the year. The market couldn’t have made it to this point without a few stocks seeing substantial gains. Here are three stocks that have posted triple-digit gains this year. After analyzing how they did it, I’ll tell you three more companies that will follow suit. OshKosh (NYSE: OSK) YTD Gain: +191.5% Industrial equipment maker OshKosh faced major headwinds due to the economic downturn,… Read More

The Dow recently crossed the 9,000 mark on the back of a solid start to the second-quarter earnings season, while the S&P is up +10% for the year. The market couldn’t have made it to this point without a few stocks seeing substantial gains. Here are three stocks that have posted triple-digit gains this year. After analyzing how they did it, I’ll tell you three more companies that will follow suit. OshKosh (NYSE: OSK) YTD Gain: +191.5% Industrial equipment maker OshKosh faced major headwinds due to the economic downturn, and its shares sank as low as $4.95 in March. But just when things seemed to be at their worst, OSK posted strong growth, and the shares began to climb. The catalyst was a $1.05 billion contract to build military vehicles for use in Afghanistan that protect against roadside bombs. The contract, initially for 2,000 vehicles, could lead to as many as 10,000 vehicles and $4 billion to $5 billion in revenue. The shares are now trading near $27. How it Got There: A major catalyst thanks to Uncle Sam. General Cable (NYSE: BGC)… Read More

Everything is relative, especially market valuation. A utility, for instance, with its steady, slow-growth business, is never going to command the earnings multiple of a rapidly growing biotech firm or high-tech upstart. That’s why it’s best to make valuation comparisons within industries. It’s also… Read More

Junk bond funds are up more than +20% off their March lows, and many of them still sport yields in excess of 10%. Though a double-digit yield is always tempting, now may not be the time to purchase high-yield bonds. Junk or “speculative-grade”… Read More