Meredith Whitney became a household name last winter. The banking analyst, who was formerly known only by the Wall Street crowd, caught the attention of Main Street when she predicted that many state and local governments would start defaulting on their municipal bonds as… Read More

One of the biggest energy discoveries of the decade has been made in our own back yard. It’s not really a new discovery at all. In fact, we’ve known about the potential for years. It’s just that, until now, no one’s been able to do anything about… Read More

Bruce Berkowitz is ready for a long Labor Day respite. The founder of Fairholme Capital, who was named as Morningstar’s “Fund Manager of the Decade” for his audacious and well-timed investments, made a major gaffe this summer. He loaded up on financial stocks in the first… Read More

If you’re like most Americans, you probably own a pet and spend hundreds of dollars each year to keep your furry friend happy and healthy. As it turns out, man’s best friend can also be an intriguing investment angle. Last year alone, Americans spent $48.3 billion on their pets, including… Read More

Income investors are like anyone else when it comes to getting paid: they’d rather get paid sooner rather than later. But unlike some, they have a good reason for it. Because of inflation, money is always worth more now than later. Plus, money you get now… Read More

I recently heard from a reader who wondered aloud why shares of LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK), which have lost half of their value since early May — and 90% of their value since 2007 — are trading so poorly. After all, this major player in the solar industry has… Read More

I’ve been in the investing business a long time. I’ve witnessed two nasty bear markets and three bull markets, including the massive one from the 1990s. I’ve seen a technology boom then bust, a collapse of the… Read More

It’s really tempting to fill your portfolio with biotech stocks. This is because biotech investors who find the next breakthrough stock are able to double, triple or quadruple their money almost overnight. Take Dendreon (Nasdaq: DNDN), a maker of a pricey prostate cancer drug, for instance. As… Read More

If you’ve been looking at a sea of red on your stock screens lately, then you have plenty of company. A hefty 495 stocks in the S&P 500 have moved lower since the market sell-off began July 22. Yet a quick look at the five lonely stocks that have been… Read More

When it comes to stock buybacks, we tend to assume investors will surely benefit sooner and later. In the near-term, shares can find support from a large institutional buyer — i.e. the company itself — and in the long-term, earnings per share… Read More