The emerging markets that we’ve come to know so well, the BRIC countries, are finally coming to an end — at least, as emerging markets.  China and Brazil are moving away from having industrial economies and are becoming ever more consumption-driven. India continues to suffer from a depreciating rupee and a poor economy, and Russia remains an unpredictable political quagmire.#-ad_banner-# A paradigm shift in global industrial manufacturing is beginning to take place, and areas like Indonesia, West Africa and Latin America could emerge as the next… Read More

The emerging markets that we’ve come to know so well, the BRIC countries, are finally coming to an end — at least, as emerging markets.  China and Brazil are moving away from having industrial economies and are becoming ever more consumption-driven. India continues to suffer from a depreciating rupee and a poor economy, and Russia remains an unpredictable political quagmire.#-ad_banner-# A paradigm shift in global industrial manufacturing is beginning to take place, and areas like Indonesia, West Africa and Latin America could emerge as the next bull markets for investors. As the U.S. economy rebounds, it will undoubtedly remain consumer-driven, which is good news for one country in particular.  The U.S. accounts for 78% of this country’s exports, with the five largest U.S. import categories last year being electrical machinery ($56.8 billion), automobiles and parts ($53.5 billion), machinery ($42.3 billion), mineral fuel and crude oil ($39.9 billion), and optical and medical instruments ($10.4 billion).  Unlike the slowing growth in China, this country’s GDP… Read More

They are a rarity on the market today. Most of the headlines over the summer have been about how the stock market is nearing all-time highs… making it difficult for investors to find a good entry point… Read More

The recent pullback in the stock market brings a silver lining for some companies. Those firms that have announced new or extended stock buyback programs can now retire more shares for… Read More

This has been an interesting year in the stock market. As the market has been lifted to all-time highs by an accommodative monetary policy and an economy starting to fire on all cylinders, long-term investors have profited handsomely during the first half of the year. A pullback in August led the Dow Jones Industrial Average to drop nearly 1,000 points before stabilizing in the 14,800 range. Despite this… Read More

This has been an interesting year in the stock market. As the market has been lifted to all-time highs by an accommodative monetary policy and an economy starting to fire on all cylinders, long-term investors have profited handsomely during the first half of the year. A pullback in August led the Dow Jones Industrial Average to drop nearly 1,000 points before stabilizing in the 14,800 range. Despite this setback, stocks are still showing signs of strength that should last for the rest of the year.#-ad_banner-# But the fuel powering the stock market has its drawbacks: Low interest rates and accommodative policy have sent yields to ultra-low levels while boosting stocks. In fact, income investors have become so frustrated by the lack of yield that this year’s investing theme can be summed up in four words: the search for yield. I learned from… Read More

This week, my Maximum Profit system flashed a cautionary signal, one I think all investors need to know about. Right now, the stock market faces an unusual amount of… Read More

I talk with a variety of investors on a daily basis. I truly enjoy the interactions as I often learn something new. In addition, the conversations provide a real-time feel for the day’s investor sentiment. One recent conversation with a seasoned… Read More

Gold is on the rise. The commodity has seen a dramatic surge over the past two months since hitting bottom in late June. Investing in the metal itself or in a fund like SPDR Gold Trust Shares (NYSE: GLD) are both great ways to play this trend. But considering the historic lows that we’ve seen in gold producers, even bigger… Read More

Gold is on the rise. The commodity has seen a dramatic surge over the past two months since hitting bottom in late June. Investing in the metal itself or in a fund like SPDR Gold Trust Shares (NYSE: GLD) are both great ways to play this trend. But considering the historic lows that we’ve seen in gold producers, even bigger gains could be made by investing in gold miners. One of the easiest ways to do this is through the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (NYSE: GDX). Right now, GDX is the cheapest it’s been since 2008. David Einhorn, the billionaire fund manager, is one of the biggest GDX shareholders. His hedge fund Greenlight Capital currently owns 8.8 million shares, making him the fund’s fifth-largest institutional… Read More

They’re on fire this year. Right now, top companies — from IBM (NYSE: IBM) to Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) — are giving shareholders more bang for their investment buck with a special kind of “… Read More

There’s a supercomputer at the University of Tennessee that can predict the future. Sort of. “Nautilus” scans tens of millions of news articles and archives from around the planet in search of emotive words — words such as “angry,” “tense,” and “concerned.” Words that convey emotions rather than facts.#-ad_banner-# The… Read More