In the late 1700s, miners in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) discovered a curious new mineral. They named it pechblende by combining the German word pech, which means “pitch” or “bad luck,” with the word blende, which means “mineral.” The first scientist to analyze “pitchblende” was a German chemist named… Read More

It’s pretty safe to say that there is just one global index that has managed to double in the past three months. The fact that it is involved in the still-weak commodities sector makes the spike all the more stunning. I’m talking about the… Read More

I want to show you a surprising statistic. It’s nothing tricky or complicated. In fact, it’s really simple and straightforward. My long-time readers know that I’m always on the lookout for “secrets of the pros.” I love to look at the wealth rich people… Read More

I live in the Northeast region of the United States. Having purchased a home in 1998, I experienced firsthand the wild price appreciation between then and early 2006.  Homes in my neighborhood tripled in value during this heady time. Nothing seemed financially impossible… Read More

With the Federal Reserve standing pat this week, the S&P 500 index has reached another all-time high. Yet this bull market is proving to be even more fertile for investors in small-cap and micro-cap… Read More

With the threat of a U.S. strike against Syria postponed, a major overhang for the overall market has been removed. The S&P 500 index has again rallied back above its 50-day moving… Read More

In 2008, Apollo Global Management (NYSE: APO) co-founder Joshua Harris was on a losing streak. The firm’s $430 million investment in big-box retailer Linens N’ Things went south when the company filed for bankruptcy. Read More

Energy is vital for every nation in the world — yet no other sector gets as much bad press.  According to 2011 statistics from BP (NYSE: BP), oil is the predominant source of energy production around the world, followed by coal, natural gas, renewables and nuclear. The energy sector is… Read More

Let me ask you a question… Who is the most successful investor of all time? I’m guessing most of you are thinking Warren Buffett. But you’re wrong. Buffett’s annualized return (as measured by growth in book value) is… Read More