I recently wrote about how September is historically the worst month for stocks, and that this September, there are more reason than ever to expect a sell-off. Some of those reasons include a potential disappointment from the Federal Reserve on the stimulus front, continued economic slowing in… Read More
Jim Woods has covered the economy and stocks for nearly two decades. His varied experience as a financial journalist, stockbroker and money manager provides him with unique insights into the often complex world of investing. He is the co-author of Billion Dollar Green: Profit from the Eco Revolution. Jim holds a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of California, Los Angeles and is a former U.S. Army paratrooper. He celebrates the virtue of making money from his home on the California coast.
Analyst Articles
Big Gains Could be Ahead if Bad News Continues
September 11, 2012
In response to news from central banks in Europe and the United States, stocks and gold ended the week with solid gains following big moves on Thursday and Friday. Easing has been bullish in the past, and traders have learned they… Read More
A 27% ‘Instant Dividend’ From Amazon
September 10, 2012
Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) is changing the world, again. The first time this happened, Amazon was changing the retail landscape and demonstrating that success didn’t require brick-and-mortar stores. In the late 1990s, Amazon gained more than 4,500% in less than three years, before peaking at $356 (unadjusted for splits) in December… Read More
A Potential 40% Gain… from the Most Hated Commodity on Earth
September 10, 2012
Being born and raised in the former industrial city of Pittsburgh exposed me to the old-school way of doing things at a young age. Although it’s currently evolving, Pittsburgh was a city stuck in its ways for decades. The city was built upon the so-called dirty businesses of steel and… Read More
Forget Bank Stocks: These High-Yield “Private Wealth” Stocks are Much Better
September 10, 2012
When Lehman Brothers failed in September 2008, the U.S. financial system locked up and proceeded to plummet in a classic deflationary spiral. As the value of overpriced, overleveraged assets came back to Earth, the banks that had lent money and accepted those assets as… Read More
The Best Stock to Profit from the Agriculture Boom
September 10, 2012
There are so many reasons to invest in agriculture, it’s ridiculous. First, global population growth, which continues to fuel demand. During the next 30 years, the United Nations estimates global population will increase by 50%, climbing to 10 billion. This will have a profound effect on demand for food resources,… Read More
Buy or Sell? Monday’s Winners: PPHM, CENX
September 10, 2012
Among the biggest winners in Monday’s early trading are Peregrine Pharmaceutical (Nasdaq: PPHM) and Century Aluminum (Nasdaq: CENX). The key to find winning investments in biotech: focus on companies that can handily exceed the increasingly stringent restrictions placed on Phase II trials. As noted in today’s look at falling… Read More
Buy or Sell? Monday’s Losers: TITN, GERN
September 10, 2012
Among the biggest losers in Monday’s early trading are Titan Machinery (Nasdaq: TITN) and Geron (nasdaq: GERN). The drought of 2012 is just starting to show up in quarterly reports, and investors are in no mood to take the long view: Drought-related profit… Read More
Why I’m Buying 600 Shares of this Well-Known Stock
September 10, 2012
If you’re like me, then you’ve grown dependent on a digital video recorder (DVR) for your evening’s entertainment. The ability to store hours of my favorite shows — and access them instantly — was only hinted at when video-tape recorders (VCRs) were first introduced in the 1980s. But as it… Read More
Gold is a Good Investment, But Not as Good as This
September 10, 2012
After a steep decline last fall, metal markets traded sideways for months and many traders seemed to move on to other opportunities. In recent weeks, gold broke out of a consolidation pattern, leading to higher prices. Read More