Companies in the high-technology industry must innovate constantly in order to stay competitive. Right now, a predictable turn of events is unfolding: an industry pioneer has posted very impressive growth. Heavy competition ensued, crimping growth and profit margins, forcing the company to refocus its game plan to remain on the leading edge. And now that things are turning around, it spells real opportunity for investors. This is precisely what’s happening with Cree Research (Nasdaq: CREE). Cree grew hordes of fans when sales of its light-emitting diode (LED) lighting products began… Read More

Companies in the high-technology industry must innovate constantly in order to stay competitive. Right now, a predictable turn of events is unfolding: an industry pioneer has posted very impressive growth. Heavy competition ensued, crimping growth and profit margins, forcing the company to refocus its game plan to remain on the leading edge. And now that things are turning around, it spells real opportunity for investors. This is precisely what’s happening with Cree Research (Nasdaq: CREE). Cree grew hordes of fans when sales of its light-emitting diode (LED) lighting products began to surge in mid 2007. But growth and profit in recent quarters has slumped and the company is now saddled with many detractors. The good news is clear catalysts are in place to win back the hearts of currently dubious investors. An impressive stretch of sales growth has come to an end Cree has poured massive sums into research and development (R&D) efforts to establish a leading position in LED lighting, which is more energy-efficient than standard forms of lighting. These lights used to be too dim for many industrial applications, but with… Read More

If you’re an investor who likes fat dividends during tough times (and who doesn’t), then you should own pharmaceutical stocks. Drug companies have traditionally been a safe haven during economic downturns. In fact, the S&P Pharmaceuticals Index lost only 3% of its value during… Read More

Contrary to what the financial media machine may imply, starting out with a sizeable brokerage account balance and constantly trading it isn’t the only way to turn a few bucks into a small fortune. Some of today’s biggest personal portfolios started out very small, yet haven’t bought or sold a… Read More

On July 13, I told you about the simple strategy that’s never lost money. Put simply, the longer you hold an investment, the better your chances of making a… Read More

Many investors tend to ignore stock buyback announcements. Seemingly massive share repurchase programs become a lot less impressive when you realize they are mostly attempting to offset generous stock option grants for insiders by reducing growth in the share count. Adding insult, some… Read More

Retirees are usually much more concerned with income than growth, but this doesn’t mean they should avoid investing in stocks. In fact, most financial advisors encourage retirees to have at least some stocks in their investment portfolios, not only to help offset inflation… Read More

Behind every obvious economic boom there’s a less-obvious boom. The story with China is no different. It easily got back into its pre-recession growth-groove once it was clear the global recession was easing, but it couldn’t have done so without help from these two… Read More

To paraphrase a frequently-cited Warren Buffett quote, it’s only when the tide goes out that you can see who has been swimming naked. To build on his analogy, the financial tide went out quickly during the credit crisis and left many banks without the proper swimming attire to make it… Read More

Growing up, I spent most of the summer at the neighborhood tennis and swim club. July 4th was a special day and featured the club’s summer tennis tournament, a cookout and fresh watermelon giveaway. There were also pool games. For me, the highlight of the day was what I called… Read More

Michael Dell is surely heaving a sigh of relief. His efforts to revamp his namesake computer company had received little respect on Wall Street, but since last Labor Day, analysts are finally warming up to the stock. Shares have risen more than 30%, and some analysts speak bullishly about… Read More