The stock market may seem chaotic and unpredictable — but there is some order, if you know where to look. Some things, history tells us, tend to repeat. One such instance happens every time the S&P 500 Index… Read More

If you think “widow and orphan” utility stocks are boring, then you’ve never heard of this one. It’s an electric utility that has increased its dividend each year for the past 20 years. Not only does it offer its shareholders an… Read More

The market rebound, which began in March, has so far increased the value of the S&P 500 by about +55%. Economic indicators are still weak, but the market tends to lead the recovery by several months. Despite the worry, cyclical stocks — those affected by the economic cycle — are… Read More

If anyone ever tells you that you must choose between dividends and capital gains, it’s now safe to laugh. A full 135 companies have increased their dividends AND decreased their shares outstanding through buybacks in each of the past five years. Stock buybacks… Read More

I doubt you’ve ever heard of John Wightkin. He’s the Director of Equity Research Applications of the Schwab Center for Financial Research. Sure that’s a fancy title, but John is doing some very important work in the field of income investing. In fact, John Wightkin just confirmed what I’ve been… Read More

They say what’s past is prologue. So when history starts repeating itself like this, it’s wise to take notice. Mergers and acquisitions are picking up after a drought in activity for much of the past year. On Monday, Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) said it would buy computer-services provider Perot Systems (NYSE:… Read More

It’s amazing what a simple metric can tell you about a company. Especially an unflappably accurate metric. This yardstick cuts to the chase and tells you exactly how well a company performs. It’s in every company’s SEC filings. It’s on nearly… Read More

More federal spending will mean higher taxes. It has to. Tax-rate increases for people earning more than $250,000 are already on the table. But tax increases are unlikely to stop there. That’s the bad news. The good news is a rule change can give taxpayers the chance… Read More

When everyone agrees on something, it’s much more likely that everyone is wrong than everyone is right. Universal consensus about the end of the dollar makes me think it won’t happen. Several things move currencies: Economics, interest rates and politics. I’m going to show… Read More

“Advertising is totally unnecessary. Unless you hope to make money.” – Jef I. Richards What’s true for companies is also true for investors. Advertising spending can be a leading indicator, one that provides valuable information on future stock-market leaders and laggards. Read More