Even if you’re a buy-and-hold investor by nature, you have to be nimble enough to profit from any short-term gifts the market may hand you. Read More

Investors have cheered the central bank easing its position on the economy as the S&P 500 recovered to its highest levels since 2007. Europe seems on the way out of its multi-year debt crisis,… Read More

The search for income-producing investments keeps getting harder. Uncle Sam continues to deliver paltry payouts on government bonds and notes, which has forced many investors to seek out dividend-paying common stocks. Trouble is, the popularity of these investments has pushed their stock prices up — and their dividend yields down. The average dividend-paying stock in the S&P 500 yields just 2.5%. Even investment-grade corporate bonds offer little help. The average payout (with a duration… Read More

The search for income-producing investments keeps getting harder. Uncle Sam continues to deliver paltry payouts on government bonds and notes, which has forced many investors to seek out dividend-paying common stocks. Trouble is, the popularity of these investments has pushed their stock prices up — and their dividend yields down. The average dividend-paying stock in the S&P 500 yields just 2.5%. Even investment-grade corporate bonds offer little help. The average payout (with a duration of 2-5 years) is just 3.5%, which is well below the historical average yield of around 5%. That’s why preferred stocks are getting a fresh look from many investors. Not only do their payouts often exceed 5%, but they offer the chance of solid capital appreciation if the stock market moves higher. Preferred stocks are a favorite vehicle for companies with steady, predictable cash flows. If the going gets tough, these companies can temporarily defer payments to preserve cash. This… Read More

With interest rates showing no sign of improving anytime soon, investors are more apt to continue turning to dividend-paying stocks for decent income, despite the added risk relative to bonds. But these stocks have become so popular, that reasonably-priced assets are getting… Read More

Stocks in the financial sector have been red-hot of late. In fact, the gains in many of the largest and most-prominent banking and brokerage companies have been on fire, particularly during the past month, and especially during the past week.#-ad_banner-# So, what’s the reason for the big spike in financials?… Read More

Traders sometimes overreact to bad news. One of the most common occurrences of this is when a company reports lower-than-expected earnings or guidance, which causes the stock to sell off sharply. If the earnings miss is isolated to that quarter, the sell-off… Read More

Politics may not be something traders want to be concerned with, but it is a factor they should be aware of. Political pundits expect this to be a close election, perhaps similar to the nail-biter we saw in 2000. That year, the… Read More

For some, choosing the right stock is an art and a science. It’s important to weigh in factors from the economy and the stock’s growth prospects in relation to its past performance in order to make a sensible… Read More

It’s the first thing I look for when I buy a stock.  You won’t find it often, because it’s extremely rare. But when you do, you have the chance to make a significant amount of money in a short period of time. Let me explain… If you’re a regular Investor… Read More