Mexico and Brazil had a big problem several decades ago. They had a small but very wealthy elite class and a massive underclass. The middle class in these countries was relatively small, leading to low levels of domestic consumption. Since then, a set of far-sighted government policies has helped… Read More

It looks like the summer of 2013 could be a repeat of last summer with extreme volatility in crop prices thanks to more potential drought concerns. Little, if any snow cover or moisture to replenish the soil across much of the Midwest leaves the season ahead vulnerable to another price… Read More

Most people are going to miss the biggest opportunity to money in the next decade. I recently told you about the upcoming “dividend decade.” I predict there will be no gain in the broader market during the next 10 years (adjusted for inflation). Instead, I believe dividends will account for all of… Read More

Most people are going to miss the biggest opportunity to money in the next decade. I recently told you about the upcoming “dividend decade.” I predict there will be no gain in the broader market during the next 10 years (adjusted for inflation). Instead, I believe dividends will account for all of the market’s total return. The reason is simple… During the past 30 years, the United States has grown faster than any time in history. But that growth was fueled by debt. Household debt has soared from 60% of income to 120%. Now we’ve reached a point where the average American can’t easily take on any more debt. In fact, since the recession, the trend among U.S. households has been toward reducing debt. The bill is coming due on the largest segment of the American… Read More

Whatever deal gets struck to resolve the imminent “fiscal cliff,” the U.S. budget mess will be far from fixed. There will still be a yawning gap between government revenue and government spending, let alone the… Read More

Investing in a stock isn’t throwing your money into a poker pot and betting you’ll magically become rich overnight.  When you “buy” a stock, you’re not buying a… Read More

Billionaire bond manager Bill Gross calls it the “new normal.” Most economists agree with him. And it’s changing the way many people invest. In the past 30 years, the U.S. economy has seen an… Read More

The “January Effect“ is a well-known market phenomenon famous for causing the stock market to rally during the month in most years. It’s considered an anomaly because it’s not driven by the market’s forces. Read More

There is a little-known method that could soon become very controversial in the investing community, but if used correctly, could make huge profits for investors.#-ad_banner-# This secret method has been proven in numerous tests and the real… Read More

Value investors look for stocks that offer low risk. The idea is to buy a stock at a price level that should be near a low as measured by the fundamentals. Some value investors look for stocks with sound business models… Read More

While there are hundreds of technical indicators available, many of them give the same signals, and using several that are similar adds little value to your analysis process. The wide variety of indicators may disguise the reality that most indicators simply apply different mathematical techniques to closing prices in their… Read More