I have been warning readers of my premium Mastering the Markets service for the past few weeks that mid-September looks to get ugly unless you plan on being short the market — which is my plan. Below is my time-cycle forecast for the S&P 500 for the next few weeks: This coming week looks to be a shorting opportunity. I will be selling into an expected rally that will last only until either the end of this week or early next week. Then, as you can see, if the time-cycle… Read More

I have been warning readers of my premium Mastering the Markets service for the past few weeks that mid-September looks to get ugly unless you plan on being short the market — which is my plan. Below is my time-cycle forecast for the S&P 500 for the next few weeks: This coming week looks to be a shorting opportunity. I will be selling into an expected rally that will last only until either the end of this week or early next week. Then, as you can see, if the time-cycle forecast proves to be correct, the market could begin a stair-step move from about 1120 to near 1020 — a decent opportunity to make money if the trend holds. #-ad_banner-#I prefer to buy inverse exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in falling markets, rather than shorting individual stocks. The reason is entirely due to risk. A positive exogenous event can occur at any time with any individual company that could push it from a declining trend to a spike higher. It is the risk of these potential upward spikes that put more risk on an individual short trade than I… Read More

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

The rumblings about a possible double-dip recession have begun. Investors are understandably worried about such a possibility, not only because it may happen, but because it would be unprecedented for the current generation of market participants. First, don’t panic. We aren’t there yet. What you can do,… Read More

To pull off a successful initial public offering (IPO), bankers need to drum up lots of interest. That’s bad news for companies that went public last month. Many investors and traders tend to take time off in August, and demand for… Read More

The Bush tax cuts are pre-set to expire at the end of this year. If nothing is done before then, taxes will increase for everyone earning more than $37,450 a year. So far, nothing has been done. On May 23, 2003, Congress signed the Jobs and Growth… Read More

Rapid hardware and software innovation are working to shift the world from a PC-centric focus to servers, smart phones and a stunning number of related technology devices. However, the demise of the computer is greatly exaggerated, and though growth isn’t as robust at it used to be, recent trends are… Read More

Executives at Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC), Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) and privately-held Cox Communications have taken their customers for granted for far too long. Even as consumer income has barely kept up with inflation in recent years, cable bills soar ever higher. Here in upstate New York, Time Warner gets $130 from me every month so I can get high-speed Internet access, a DVR and far more channels than I ever bother to watch. I have long vowed to cut the cord, as soon as it was practical. Read More

Executives at Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC), Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) and privately-held Cox Communications have taken their customers for granted for far too long. Even as consumer income has barely kept up with inflation in recent years, cable bills soar ever higher. Here in upstate New York, Time Warner gets $130 from me every month so I can get high-speed Internet access, a DVR and far more channels than I ever bother to watch. I have long vowed to cut the cord, as soon as it was practical. That day is finally here. Technologies are rolling out that will expand consumer’s choices. And most ominously for those big cable companies, many of those choices will be either free or far cheaper. Breaking it down As I look over my monthly cable bill, a few things stand out. I like to record shows and watch them when it’s convenient. Time Warner charges me $13 a month for the service. Trouble is, to get a DVR, I also need to get digital cable ($7) and the “Standard Service” ($43), which is largely comprised of obscure channels… 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

With a deal in place to acquire Burger King (NYSE: BKC) for a tidy $24 a share, investors are handed the opportunity to quickly assess how its rivals are valued. Any rivals selling at a sharp discount to Burger King’s price are likely to see renewed investor interest as the M&A action heats up in the sector. [Read: How Investors Should Handle the M&A Frenzy] Private equity (PE) firms like to buy underperforming companies. In recent years, Burger King has seen McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) and Yum Brands (NYSE: YUM) pull away in terms of… Read More

With a deal in place to acquire Burger King (NYSE: BKC) for a tidy $24 a share, investors are handed the opportunity to quickly assess how its rivals are valued. Any rivals selling at a sharp discount to Burger King’s price are likely to see renewed investor interest as the M&A action heats up in the sector. [Read: How Investors Should Handle the M&A Frenzy] Private equity (PE) firms like to buy underperforming companies. In recent years, Burger King has seen McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) and Yum Brands (NYSE: YUM) pull away in terms of same-store sales growth and sharply rising cash flow. Those companies are likely too large and too healthy to be of real interest to these turnaround specialists. For that matter, Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) is far too healthy — and richly valued — to hold any appeal. [More on Chipotle — and why you should short it] So I decided to take a look at three major chains that are underperforming and have major room for improvement. A fair deal… Read More