One of the biggest weaknesses of the Wall Street research model is that it tends to focus on stocks that are able to make the fastest upward move, failing to really look at which stocks could post strong returns over the long haul. As… Read More

I’ll confess. I’m not a huge fan of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). I can fully appreciate what they offer, but there’s just not enough upside with them most of the time. See, though diversification is usually the goal, more… Read More

When executives of a company step in and buy its stock, it can provide a glimpse into an overlooked or misunderstood value opportunity. Sadly, these insiders are often lousy market timers. They tend to acquire… Read More

Volatility is back. The markets slumped badly at the end of last week and have rallied considerably higher thus far this week. From solid corporate earnings to tepid economic reports to deepening troubles in Europe, there’s a whole lot of push and pull… Read More

And so the game continues. Heading into every quarter, analysts tend to tamp down their earnings forecasts, helping many companies to exceed the newly-lowered estimates modestly. During the past few years, this has enabled roughly 55% to 60% of companies beat the consensus estimates… Read More

As investors have become more and more sophisticated, the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio has begun to be viewed as a less-sophisticated, overly-simplistic tool. But sometimes, there’s power in simplicity. The fact of the matter is, the P/E ratio is still the ultimate “… Read More

Ask investment buffs why they spend so much more time researching and picking securities than most people, and they’ll probably tell you they want the best performance possible from their portfolios. They certainly don’t want to track the S&P 500, and they may not even be satisfied to beat it… Read More

Earlier this week, I looked at a range of commodity stocks that look quite attractive in relation to the value of their assets. I focused on Freeport McMoran (NYSE: FCX) as a clear example of a stock that looks quite appealing… Read More

Warren Buffett is back in the news, and not on the opinion pages about the so-called “Buffett Rule” that would subject high-income earners to additional taxation. Buffett is on Page One because he has prostate cancer. It’s Stage One, easily treatable… Read More

In 1994, the season finale of NBC’s popular sitcom, “Friends,” garnered an estimated 52.5 million viewers. Today, “The Office,” one of NBC’s most popular comedies, is lucky to have about 2.5 million viewers each week. The steady demise of network television has been a boon for cable… Read More