Does a rising tide lift all boats? No, but it does lift most of them.  Some stocks aren’t getting much attention in this surging bull market, and it’s often up to insiders to help these stocks get attention.  Here are three stocks with recent solid clusters of insider buying. (All data is courtesy of InsiderInsights.com.) Calamos Asset Management (Nasdaq: CLMS) I’ve come across this asset management… Read More

Does a rising tide lift all boats? No, but it does lift most of them.  Some stocks aren’t getting much attention in this surging bull market, and it’s often up to insiders to help these stocks get attention.  Here are three stocks with recent solid clusters of insider buying. (All data is courtesy of InsiderInsights.com.) Calamos Asset Management (Nasdaq: CLMS) I’ve come across this asset management firm on several occasions in recent months, as it has appeared on my screens regarding companies with share buybacks, strong free cash flow yields, solid dividend yields and a valuation near book value. Now you can add insider buying to that list. Company founder John Calamos Sr., who launched the firm in the 1970s, has been actively buying shares for two straight months. In that time, he’s picked up more than 300,000 shares at an… Read More

Does a rising tide lift all boats? No, but it does lift most of them.  Some stocks aren’t getting much attention in this surging bull market, and it’s often up to insiders to help these stocks get attention.  Here are three stocks with recent solid clusters of insider buying. (All data is courtesy of InsiderInsights.com.) Calamos Asset Management (Nasdaq: CLMS) I’ve come across this asset management… Read More

Does a rising tide lift all boats? No, but it does lift most of them.  Some stocks aren’t getting much attention in this surging bull market, and it’s often up to insiders to help these stocks get attention.  Here are three stocks with recent solid clusters of insider buying. (All data is courtesy of InsiderInsights.com.) Calamos Asset Management (Nasdaq: CLMS) I’ve come across this asset management firm on several occasions in recent months, as it has appeared on my screens regarding companies with share buybacks, strong free cash flow yields, solid dividend yields and a valuation near book value. Now you can add insider buying to that list. Company founder John Calamos Sr., who launched the firm in the 1970s, has been actively buying shares for two straight months. In that time, he’s picked up more than 300,000 shares at an… Read More

With the market rally showing no signs of cooling off, it has become quite risky to short stocks.#-ad_banner-# Indeed, many hedge fund managers that tend to make a living from short selling have moved to the sidelines, waiting for the market to switch direction before loading up on shorts. It’s a wise move to preserve both your capital and your sanity. Still, not all short sellers have abandoned… Read More

With the market rally showing no signs of cooling off, it has become quite risky to short stocks.#-ad_banner-# Indeed, many hedge fund managers that tend to make a living from short selling have moved to the sidelines, waiting for the market to switch direction before loading up on shorts. It’s a wise move to preserve both your capital and your sanity. Still, not all short sellers have abandoned ship, and some of them are making increasing bold bets. You may not want to follow their lead — just yet — but it’s instructive to see which stocks they are targeting. If you own or are thinking of buying one of these stocks, the rising short interest should give you pause. Here are seven stocks (and funds) seeing big changes in short interest in the two week-period that ended June 28. (Actual data were released on July 10.) 1. Pfizer (NYSE: PFE ) The short interest in this drugmaker surged a hefty 53%, to… Read More

Beleaguered shareholders of this coal miner probably feel like Lee Dorsey in the classic 1966 song “Working in the Coal Mine”: “Lord! I’m so tired! How long can this go on?” That’s a good question. It’s been a wild ride for Walter Energy (NYSE: WLT) over the past seven years. The share price is lower than it was during the apex of the financial crisis. But while there was a massive sell-off of all types of assets in 2008 and 2009, current conditions seem much more stable. So what gives? The End Of The Supercycle With… Read More

Beleaguered shareholders of this coal miner probably feel like Lee Dorsey in the classic 1966 song “Working in the Coal Mine”: “Lord! I’m so tired! How long can this go on?” That’s a good question. It’s been a wild ride for Walter Energy (NYSE: WLT) over the past seven years. The share price is lower than it was during the apex of the financial crisis. But while there was a massive sell-off of all types of assets in 2008 and 2009, current conditions seem much more stable. So what gives? The End Of The Supercycle With explosive economic growth in emerging markets such as the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China) has come a rapid escalation in commodity prices based on what has seemed like an insatiable need for raw materials. Commodity producers and investors have enjoyed very good returns. How good? This 10-year chart of the S&P GSCI Commodity Index says it all. But these days? Not so much. As the U.S. dollar strengthens, commodity prices… Read More

The main character in Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.’s 1965 book, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, is an eccentric philanthropist. He thinks it’s unfair that babies don’t all start with an equal playing field. “I think it’s a heartless government that will let one baby be… Read More

With the market rally showing no signs of cooling off, it has become quite risky to short stocks.#-ad_banner-# Indeed, many hedge fund managers that tend to make a living from short selling have moved to the sidelines, waiting for the market to switch direction before loading up on shorts. It’s a wise move to preserve both your capital and your sanity. Still, not all short sellers have abandoned… Read More

With the market rally showing no signs of cooling off, it has become quite risky to short stocks.#-ad_banner-# Indeed, many hedge fund managers that tend to make a living from short selling have moved to the sidelines, waiting for the market to switch direction before loading up on shorts. It’s a wise move to preserve both your capital and your sanity. Still, not all short sellers have abandoned ship, and some of them are making increasing bold bets. You may not want to follow their lead — just yet — but it’s instructive to see which stocks they are targeting. If you own or are thinking of buying one of these stocks, the rising short interest should give you pause. Here are seven stocks (and funds) seeing big changes in short interest in the two week-period that ended June 28. (Actual data were released on July 10.) 1. Pfizer (NYSE: PFE ) The short interest in this drugmaker surged a hefty 53%, to… Read More

Investors spend a lifetime developing a suitable philosophy that helps shape their financial decisions. To develop their views, they seek the sage advice of successful investors. The best advice has a quality of timelessness and can be thought about in virtually any economic environment. Here are five of my favorite pieces of advice, starting with perhaps the world’s most famous investor: 1. Warren Buffett “The line separating investment and speculation, which is never bright and clear, becomes blurred still… Read More

Investors spend a lifetime developing a suitable philosophy that helps shape their financial decisions. To develop their views, they seek the sage advice of successful investors. The best advice has a quality of timelessness and can be thought about in virtually any economic environment. Here are five of my favorite pieces of advice, starting with perhaps the world’s most famous investor: 1. Warren Buffett “The line separating investment and speculation, which is never bright and clear, becomes blurred still further when most market participants have recently enjoyed triumphs. Nothing sedates rationality like large doses of effortless money.” — Warren Buffett in a letter to shareholders in March 2000 Buffett wrote that as the dot-com boom was in its final stages, and soon after this annual letter to shareholders was written, the market tumbled. Buffett’s insights apply to today’s market as well. Whenever the market goes up for an extended period (as it has for the past four years), investors develop a sense of hubris and begin… Read More

Beleaguered shareholders of this coal miner probably feel like Lee Dorsey in the classic 1966 song “Working in the Coal Mine”: “Lord! I’m so tired! How long can this go on?” That’s a good question. It’s been a wild ride for Walter Energy (NYSE: WLT) over the past seven years. The share price is lower than it was during the apex of the financial crisis. But while there was a massive sell-off of all types of assets in 2008 and 2009, current conditions seem much more stable. So what gives? The End Of The Supercycle With… Read More

Beleaguered shareholders of this coal miner probably feel like Lee Dorsey in the classic 1966 song “Working in the Coal Mine”: “Lord! I’m so tired! How long can this go on?” That’s a good question. It’s been a wild ride for Walter Energy (NYSE: WLT) over the past seven years. The share price is lower than it was during the apex of the financial crisis. But while there was a massive sell-off of all types of assets in 2008 and 2009, current conditions seem much more stable. So what gives? The End Of The Supercycle With explosive economic growth in emerging markets such as the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China) has come a rapid escalation in commodity prices based on what has seemed like an insatiable need for raw materials. Commodity producers and investors have enjoyed very good returns. How good? This 10-year chart of the S&P GSCI Commodity Index says it all. But these days? Not so much. As the U.S. dollar strengthens, commodity prices… Read More

Investors spend a lifetime developing a suitable philosophy that helps shape their financial decisions. To develop their views, they seek the sage advice of successful investors. The best advice has a quality of timelessness and can be thought about in virtually any economic environment. Here are five of my favorite pieces of advice, starting with perhaps the world’s most famous investor: 1. Warren Buffett “The line separating investment and speculation, which is never bright and clear, becomes blurred still… Read More

Investors spend a lifetime developing a suitable philosophy that helps shape their financial decisions. To develop their views, they seek the sage advice of successful investors. The best advice has a quality of timelessness and can be thought about in virtually any economic environment. Here are five of my favorite pieces of advice, starting with perhaps the world’s most famous investor: 1. Warren Buffett “The line separating investment and speculation, which is never bright and clear, becomes blurred still further when most market participants have recently enjoyed triumphs. Nothing sedates rationality like large doses of effortless money.” — Warren Buffett in a letter to shareholders in March 2000 Buffett wrote that as the dot-com boom was in its final stages, and soon after this annual letter to shareholders was written, the market tumbled. Buffett’s insights apply to today’s market as well. Whenever the market goes up for an extended period (as it has for the past four years), investors develop a sense of hubris and begin… Read More