Back in late April, I cautioned that summer trading can be quite tricky, noting that May is a good time to take profits because the market often weakens in June and July. Little did I know that the “summer swoon” would actually start in May. Since hitting a recent peak… Read More

There’s a drama unfolding in the health care field that is as dramatic as the daytime soap operas. Lots of “he said, she said” has been tossed around, and just to add a little spice, a “bete noire” has also appeared on the scene to cause trouble. If this drama plays out a certain way, then shareholders of one or two of the companies involved may see a big windfall. The drama began back in 2006 when little-known Pharmathene (NYSE: PIP) sued Siga Technologies (Nasdaq: SIGA) for damages stemming from a broken business deal. Pharmathene had loaned… Read More

There’s a drama unfolding in the health care field that is as dramatic as the daytime soap operas. Lots of “he said, she said” has been tossed around, and just to add a little spice, a “bete noire” has also appeared on the scene to cause trouble. If this drama plays out a certain way, then shareholders of one or two of the companies involved may see a big windfall. The drama began back in 2006 when little-known Pharmathene (NYSE: PIP) sued Siga Technologies (Nasdaq: SIGA) for damages stemming from a broken business deal. Pharmathene had loaned Siga money to fund research into a vaccination against smallpox. The loan was presumed to be an interim step before the two firms eventually merged. At a minimum, Pharmathene hoped to at least be granted rights to Siga’s drug, known as ST-246. The two firms had even drawn up documents that appear to imply a merger discussion was the eventual expected result. Siga appeared to eventually lose interest in any deal, figuring that it no longer needed Pharmathene’s stronger balance sheet to help fund the… Read More

#-ad_banner-#When President Obama’s armored limousine got stuck in Ireland this May as it exited the U.S. embassy, it was this towing company’s equipment that freed his vehicle, known affectionately as “The Beast.” Since receiving the president’s nod, Miller Industries (NYSE: MLR) — the world’s leading towing and… Read More

In the last two weeks of May, short sellers boosted their bets on many companies. They hold a dim view for stocks in general during the coming months, as evidenced by the fact that short interest in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSE: SPY) and the iShares Russell… Read More

Thanks to space age, cutting-edge design, an enigmatic CEO and rabidly devoted customers, Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) can sometimes give off the aura of a cult. After all, people line up at God-awful hours of the night/morning to buy the company’s shiny little gadgets the first day they hit the market… Read More

#-ad_banner-#When shares of recent initial public offering (IPO) Boingo Wireless (Nasdaq: WIFI) surged more than 20% on June 13, investors shouldn’t have been so surprised. After all, that was the day analysts were allowed to comment on the stock — the end of the 25-day “… Read More

Oil and gas drillers have really perked up in the year or so since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill sloshed about 200 million gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico. As a group, these stocks have returned nearly 45% in the past 12 months and are up almost 6%… Read More

Active trading is a risky endeavor.  To stay one step ahead of the pack, active investors need to continually monitor existing stock holdings while also researching new investment ideas. It takes a lot of time, and for many, simply parking money into an index… Read More

#-ad_banner-#I have a chart I have to show you. Every once and a while, an opportunity like this appears. There’s no way to predict when it will happen. You simply have to be vigilant. The good news is that vigilance usually pays off. Read More

Who among us hasn’t wished for the stock-picking savvy of Warren Buffett? The stock portfolio of the legendary investor has significantly outperformed the market during his 60- year investing career. Buffett’s advice is so highly regarded that an wealthy avid follower recently paid $2.6 million just to have lunch with… Read More