It’s one of the rarest metals on the planet… 30 times more rare than gold. It takes anywhere from 7 to 12 million tons of raw ore to produce a single ounce of the metal. In 2009, miners extracted 64 million ounces of gold; stockpiles of this metal grew by just 6 million ounces. And I use the word stockpile figuratively, because unlike other metals there are typically little to no above-ground supplies of this rare and valuable metal. That’s because demand often outpaces supply. In 2008, the world consumed 7.3… Read More

It’s one of the rarest metals on the planet… 30 times more rare than gold. It takes anywhere from 7 to 12 million tons of raw ore to produce a single ounce of the metal. In 2009, miners extracted 64 million ounces of gold; stockpiles of this metal grew by just 6 million ounces. And I use the word stockpile figuratively, because unlike other metals there are typically little to no above-ground supplies of this rare and valuable metal. That’s because demand often outpaces supply. In 2008, the world consumed 7.3 million ounces of the stuff, compared to production of just 7.0 million ounces. We need every ounce available and then some. So why is this metal needed at all when it’s expensive, rare, and hard to mine? Above all, platinum owes its popularity to chemistry. You’ve probably heard of catalytic converters. Internal combustion engines would spew tons of noxious pollutants without these miraculous devices, which convert hydrocarbon exhaust into carbon dioxide and water vapor. Well, platinum group metals (PGMs) are the catalyzing agent — and try as they might, automakers have never found a… Read More

Last month, the world’s top high-tech manufacturers gathered in Las Vegas for the annual Consumer Electronics Show. They hobnobbed. They exchanged business cards. But most important, they introduced their latest innovations to the world. Remember, this is the venue where we got our first real glimpse of… Read More

Quick spurts of 50%, 75% or more aren’t uncommon. HiSoft Technologies (Nasdaq: HSFT) has surged 200% since it happened to their stock. JinkoSolar (NYSE: JKS) is already up more than 155%… in a matter of less than nine months. The best news?… Read More

There aren’t many companies that can say they’ve paid dividends every year for the past four decades. Fewer still are those that have raised their dividends in every single one of those years. Of that elite group, I know of only one company that has hiked its… Read More

Every U.S. state boasts its own unique claim to fame. Louisiana has Mardi Gras and Cajun food. Florida has sugar-white beaches and Disney World. And Alaska has millions of acres of beautiful, untamed wilderness. Of course, Alaska also has something else deep underground: Crude oil — lots of it. Every day, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline carries about 670,000 barrels of oil from North Slope production grounds south to Valdez, where it’s loaded into waiting tankers. That represents about 15% of the nation’s total oil output. Thanks to the riches of Prudhoe Bay,… Read More

Every U.S. state boasts its own unique claim to fame. Louisiana has Mardi Gras and Cajun food. Florida has sugar-white beaches and Disney World. And Alaska has millions of acres of beautiful, untamed wilderness. Of course, Alaska also has something else deep underground: Crude oil — lots of it. Every day, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline carries about 670,000 barrels of oil from North Slope production grounds south to Valdez, where it’s loaded into waiting tankers. That represents about 15% of the nation’s total oil output. Thanks to the riches of Prudhoe Bay, every man, woman and child living in the state receives an annual royalty dividend distribution — last year’s check was $1,281. But if the Department of Energy (DOE) is right, then Alaska could soon relinquish its title as America’s largest oil producer – so I’ve already set my sights on its successor. The latest projections from the DOE have Alaska’s daily production rates slipping to 450,000 barrels within the next seven years. Meanwhile, output from the oil-rich Bakken Shale of North Dakota could potentially climb to 700,000 barrels a day by 2015 — more aggressive… Read More

Pop Quiz: This versatile metal, which is light enough to float on water and soft enough to be cut with a knife, has commercial applications ranging from pharmaceuticals to rocket fuel. If you said lithium, go to the head of the class — and bonus points… Read More

It never ceases to amaze me. Each January, my staff and I breath a collective sigh of relief with the start of each new year. It’s not because we’re glad the holidays are over, but rather because it means that the exhaustive research we put into our annual Top 10 issue for my Market Advisor newsletter is finally over. You see, my staff and I put in countless hours, starting months in advance to ensure that the annual Top 10 issue has only the absolute best picks that we think will pummel the market in the coming year. Read More

It never ceases to amaze me. Each January, my staff and I breath a collective sigh of relief with the start of each new year. It’s not because we’re glad the holidays are over, but rather because it means that the exhaustive research we put into our annual Top 10 issue for my Market Advisor newsletter is finally over. You see, my staff and I put in countless hours, starting months in advance to ensure that the annual Top 10 issue has only the absolute best picks that we think will pummel the market in the coming year. After all, we’ve got a lot to live up to. StreetAuthority co-founder Paul Tracy started this tradition for Market Advisor back in December 2002. Incidentally, that inaugural list of recommendations went on to deliver an impressive return of 38.4% in the next 12 months. And every December since, my team and I have presented readers with a fresh batch of our best and brightest ideas for the year ahead.  Aside from the crash of 2008, these picks have outpaced the benchmark S&P 500 every single year — and by no small margin. Read More

Precious metals are skyrocketing. An ounce of gold, selling for less than $300 a decade ago, now changes hands at more than $1,400. Investors of all types are worried that the Federal Reserve is putting us on the road to currency devaluation and soaring… Read More

$2.8 billion. That’s the amount grossed by James Cameron’s “Avatar” since its release in late 2009. That makes “Avatar” the highest-grossing film of all time, earning nearly $1 billion more than the No. 2 film, “Titanic.” But “Avatar” isn’t alone in recent films making a big splash. In fact, three of the top six grossing films of all time have been released in the past 13 months. What’s causing these skyrocketing sales figures? Certainly inflating ticket prices have a lot to do with it, but a quick look… Read More

$2.8 billion. That’s the amount grossed by James Cameron’s “Avatar” since its release in late 2009. That makes “Avatar” the highest-grossing film of all time, earning nearly $1 billion more than the No. 2 film, “Titanic.” But “Avatar” isn’t alone in recent films making a big splash. In fact, three of the top six grossing films of all time have been released in the past 13 months. What’s causing these skyrocketing sales figures? Certainly inflating ticket prices have a lot to do with it, but a quick look into “Avatar’s” success shows an even bigger force at play… 3-D technology. Avatar made a splash by being made specifically for 3-D presentation. That led to 81% of its U.S. sales coming from the pricier tickets to 3-D viewings. Clearly, consumers are enamored with immersive 3-D visuals. In fact, 3-D movies share of domestic ticket sales climbed from 2% in 2008 to 11% in 2009. That’s a five-fold surge in one year. This year should see an even greater share go toward 3-D. This trend isn’t going away — nor is it limited to… Read More

Just a little more than a decade ago, most investors wouldn’t put a dime in this emerging country, even if they were using someone else’s money. But plenty can change in a short amount of time, and today the story is vastly different. Now… Read More