As the U.S. economy tries to sputter back to life, one important fact is increasingly clear: any rebound is likely to be muted as the country wrestles with persistently high unemployment and confidence-sapping budget deficits. That’s why it’s more important than ever to… Read More

It’s coming. You know it is. Another recession. A “correction.” A one-day meltdown. Whatever you call it, the stock market is a fickle goddess to those who hear her siren’s call. Question is, how secure do you feel about being prepared for when —… Read More

Investing in clean energy takes a very strong stomach. Share prices in this sector continually soar and plunge depending on whether investors are feeling optimistic or pessimistic. Although the industry may never live up to the grandest hopes that some had expected, it is clearly emerging as a viable business… Read More

A sleeping giant has awakened. One of the country’s oldest companies has reinvented itself. Once a stodgy old cyclical company, this Dow stock has used its deep pockets and global brand to create a juggernaut of earnings growth for the next… Read More

The BRICs are out-of-style. Brazil, Russia, India and China are already yesterday’s investing theme. And as it becomes increasingly apparent that the United States and Europe will be growth-constrained in the near future, investors are now checking out a new bloc of emerging economies called the CIVETS (Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey and South Africa). Growth in these countries has started to catch the attention of globally-focused money managers and, conveniently, there is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) focusing on each country that allows individual investors to own a piece. The… Read More

The BRICs are out-of-style. Brazil, Russia, India and China are already yesterday’s investing theme. And as it becomes increasingly apparent that the United States and Europe will be growth-constrained in the near future, investors are now checking out a new bloc of emerging economies called the CIVETS (Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey and South Africa). Growth in these countries has started to catch the attention of globally-focused money managers and, conveniently, there is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) focusing on each country that allows individual investors to own a piece. The question is, are these countries suitable for your portfolio? #-ad_banner-#Looking under the hood Over the years, I have had the good fortune to travel extensively and have brought back a few investing perspectives from my trips to Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt and Turkey (I’ve never been to South Africa). And after consulting with Nathan Slaughter, our resident ETF expert at StreetAuthority, here are my cursory thoughts: Vietnam — I was extremely impressed by this country during my visit in 2007. It is blessed with a low-cost but… Read More

The energy industry has been especially turbulent recently, and investors looking for opportunity in companies afflicted by the offshore rig explosion and subsequent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico are positioned right in the middle of the hurricane. I’ve spent some time in the hurricane and… Read More

Here’s a handy tip: Yahoo! Finance has a page with information on all sorts of bonds rates. The page makes it easy to see where bond yields are right now. Click here to see the list (be… Read More

U.S. banks had a great run. From December 1994 to December 2006, the KBW Bank Sector Index (an index of leading banks) soared nearly +400%. But the financial crisis ended that party. Now the index is at 1996 levels again. Read More

The United States isn’t yet teetering on the brink of insolvency like Greece — but it’s not for a lack of trying. In fact, we’re on an eerily similar path. According to the U.S. Treasury, our national debt is currently more… Read More

In times of crisis, investors invariably seek shelter in the almighty dollar. The perceived resilience of the U.S. economy has given the impression that we are simply too large a ship to sink. And although we are well past the scary times of 18 months ago, the global economy still feels dicey, and the dollar, which rallied sharply as the global economy crumbled, still remains fairly strong against the euro and the Chinese yuan. Yet as the global economy sputters back to life during the next year or two, the dollar… Read More

In times of crisis, investors invariably seek shelter in the almighty dollar. The perceived resilience of the U.S. economy has given the impression that we are simply too large a ship to sink. And although we are well past the scary times of 18 months ago, the global economy still feels dicey, and the dollar, which rallied sharply as the global economy crumbled, still remains fairly strong against the euro and the Chinese yuan. Yet as the global economy sputters back to life during the next year or two, the dollar is likely to resume its downward drift that had begun back in 2007 and 2008. If it weakens in a slow and steady fashion, it could help pave the way for a long-awaited export boom that finally reverses stubborn trade deficits and spurs a badly-needed employment surge in our nation’s heartland. Why the long-term bearishness on the dollar? Here are three reasons why… 1. For starters, our budget deficits for fiscal 2010 and 2011 are at record levels (on a non-inflation-adjusted basis). The amount of debt held by the public (that is, excluding intergovernmental… Read More