Despite the long odds against them, many people are drawn to the oil and gas industry. Like gold miners in the gold rush days, they know that one big discovery could lead to wealth for successful drillers. Others see the promise of the industry but prefer to take on less risk. This led to the business model of selling picks and shovels to miners. In the modern world, an updated version of that business plan is to provide data for the drillers showing them where oil is most likely to be found.#-ad_banner-# This data… Read More

Despite the long odds against them, many people are drawn to the oil and gas industry. Like gold miners in the gold rush days, they know that one big discovery could lead to wealth for successful drillers. Others see the promise of the industry but prefer to take on less risk. This led to the business model of selling picks and shovels to miners. In the modern world, an updated version of that business plan is to provide data for the drillers showing them where oil is most likely to be found.#-ad_banner-# This data is often difficult to obtain and requires specialized expertise to analyze. TGC Industries (Nasdaq: TGE) says they are “a leading provider of seismic data acquisition services with operations throughout the continental United States and Canada. The company has branch offices in Houston, Midland, Oklahoma City and Calgary.” This gives the company broad exposure to the oilfields that have traditionally dominated the industry. Expansion into the shale oil fields in North Dakota and other states not usually thought of as part of as oil patches is possible and could boost the company’s fortunes. Seismic… Read More

PC maker Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) kickstarted the era of affordable personal computers — and made many people very wealthy along the way. Then, it lost its way, eventually culminating in its recently proposed buyout. It’s hard to pinpoint precisely where Dell got… Read More

Editor’s note: Today we’re featuring a guest essay by one of the most successful financial publishers in America, Bill Bonner, the founder of Agora. Mr. Bonner recently launched a new venture, Diary of a Rogue Economist to share his 30+ years of… Read More

During the past 18 months, Microsoft’s (Nasdaq: MSFT) army of software engineers worked feverishly to prepare for the tablet revolution. The company’s newest version of Windows was aimed at taking back lost market share from the likes of Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Google (Nasdaq:… Read More

You know interest rates are low when your most conservative customers are looking to move out of the safety that certificate of deposits (CDs) provide and into dividend-paying stocks, which provide… Read More

As the European crisis unfolds, businesses and consumers are forced to cut back spending on all non-essential services. Having enough money to cover the basics is enough of a challenge. From phone service to mail delivery to electricity, there are certain regular expenditures that simply can’t be avoided. Yet European… Read More

Groupon (Nasdaq: GRPN) has been hit hard during the past year, but a price bottom may have formed with extreme lows below $3 a share. As of this writing, Groupon is trading around $5.36 a share. The unfilled gap down in August from $6.35 to the… Read More

During the past 18 months, Microsoft’s (Nasdaq: MSFT) army of software engineers worked feverishly to prepare for the tablet revolution. The company’s newest version of Windows was aimed at taking back lost market share from the likes of Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG). Yet as I noted in this article, the launch for Windows 8 has been underwhelming. Nearly three months later, this view still holds. Still, Microsoft has many other core strengths outside of operating software. Management should shift focus and ensure that each of these divisions has the right growth… Read More

During the past 18 months, Microsoft’s (Nasdaq: MSFT) army of software engineers worked feverishly to prepare for the tablet revolution. The company’s newest version of Windows was aimed at taking back lost market share from the likes of Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG). Yet as I noted in this article, the launch for Windows 8 has been underwhelming. Nearly three months later, this view still holds. Still, Microsoft has many other core strengths outside of operating software. Management should shift focus and ensure that each of these divisions has the right growth drivers to take market share. With more than $60 billion in net cash just sitting in the bank, it’s foolhardy to stand back and do nothing. Here’s a look at three Microsoft niches and how the company can strengthen them through acquisitions of young, fast-growing firms that are gaining relevant traction. History has shown that the fast-changing technology landscape often produces tomorrow’s top-performing investments. And these are the kind of opportunities no investor should ignore. Server and tools It’s easy to overlook this division as it… Read More

You know interest rates are low when your most conservative customers are looking to move out of the safety that certificate of deposits (CDs) provide and into dividend-paying stocks, which provide higher yields, but may not be completely risk-free. The past few years there has been a “buzz” surrounding dividend-paying stocks, and rightly so. Consider the average retiree who needs more income, for example. It’s possible to choose the negligible 1-2% yields Treasury bonds… Read More

You know interest rates are low when your most conservative customers are looking to move out of the safety that certificate of deposits (CDs) provide and into dividend-paying stocks, which provide higher yields, but may not be completely risk-free. The past few years there has been a “buzz” surrounding dividend-paying stocks, and rightly so. Consider the average retiree who needs more income, for example. It’s possible to choose the negligible 1-2% yields Treasury bonds or CDs are offering, but there’s a lot more assets that offer higher yields right now. In fact, StreetAuthority Co-Founder Paul Tracy has already gone on record saying that we’re headed for a “Dividend Decade” — a period where ALL of the market‘s returns in the next decade will come from dividends. He’s convinced that shares of companies that are… Read More

Groupon (Nasdaq: GRPN) has been hit hard during the past year, but a price bottom may have formed with extreme lows below $3 a share. As of this writing, Groupon is trading around $5.36 a share. The unfilled gap down in August from $6.35 to the 52-week low at $2.60 has midpoint support at about $4.50 to lean on. “Cheap” is a relative term, but with the downside risk of zero and unlimited upside potential, I’d say Groupon… Read More

Groupon (Nasdaq: GRPN) has been hit hard during the past year, but a price bottom may have formed with extreme lows below $3 a share. As of this writing, Groupon is trading around $5.36 a share. The unfilled gap down in August from $6.35 to the 52-week low at $2.60 has midpoint support at about $4.50 to lean on. “Cheap” is a relative term, but with the downside risk of zero and unlimited upside potential, I’d say Groupon stock qualifies. Due to volatility, another word for opportunity, the options on the stock offer many strategies with mathematical advantages over a straight purchase of the shares. If you are comfortable holding on to this inexpensive stock to wait for a potential recovery, then selling put options could allow you to collect income while you wait to get into the stock at a 16% discount. Cash-Secured Put Selling Strategy While the typical investor might use… Read More