In Scarcity & Real Wealth last month, I urged readers to be mindful of China’s ongoing fight to contain inflation. If I were forced to pick a single barometer that could predict the weather for all types of real assets, it would be China’s… Read More
Results
The yield on a 10-year Treasury bond is hovering just below 3%. This means investors earn less than 3% for locking up their money in this security for a decade. Shorter-term rates are even stingier — a three-year Treasury yields only 0.70%, while… Read More
George Soros is a world-renowned former billionaire hedge-fund manager and philanthropist. He co-founded the Quantum Fund in the 1970s with Jim Rogers, another world-famous investor. Soros’ fame grew in 1992 when he made $1 billion by short-selling the pound sterling, speculating that the British government would be forced to devalue the currency. He became known as “The Man Who Broke the Bank of England.” Unlike his former partner Jim Rogers, who is credited with anticipating the commodity boom that started in… Read More
George Soros is a world-renowned former billionaire hedge-fund manager and philanthropist. He co-founded the Quantum Fund in the 1970s with Jim Rogers, another world-famous investor. Soros’ fame grew in 1992 when he made $1 billion by short-selling the pound sterling, speculating that the British government would be forced to devalue the currency. He became known as “The Man Who Broke the Bank of England.” Unlike his former partner Jim Rogers, who is credited with anticipating the commodity boom that started in the late 1990s and who is keeping his gold, Soros has been selling a lot of gold. The moves speak volumes. He believes gold is in a bubble and he’d rather sell before everybody else catches on. #-ad_banner-#In September of 2010 Soros said “Gold is the ultimate bubble, it is certainly not safe.” In the first quarter of 2011, he sold nearly $800 million worth of gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and stocks. After that sale, his company, Soros Fund Management, owned less than 50,000 shares of the SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE:… Read More
There is a current raging debate about the merits of government support for Big Oil compared with support for clean-energy technologies such as wind and solar power. The clean-energy crowd is adjusting to a world of fewer government subsidies, but these “green” advocates insist that wind, solar and other technologies… Read More
This tech stock tells of a classic “dot bomb” recovery story. But unlike most of its peers that recovered in the early years of the past decade, this stock is just now blooming, thanks to a recent surge in demand for its cloud-based communications services. This late recovery gives savvy… Read More
It’s an open secret that Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) can’t seem to find meaningful growth opportunities. The massive retailer’s sales grew just 1% in fiscal (January) 2010, 3% in fiscal 2011 and will be hard-pressed to grow much more in fiscal 2011 and 2012. Tepid growth explains why shares have… Read More
Where’s an income investor to go for a decent yield these days? Money markets are obviously out. So are U.S. government bonds, unless you’re willing to tie up your money for a few decades. Corporate and emerging-market bond yields have shrunk to… Read More
This stock’s story started in 1972 with a nagging stomachache. To ward off chronic discomfort, a Utah school teacher put a spoonful of cayenne pepper into an easy-to-swallow gelatin capsule. He felt immediate relief, but perhaps more importantly realized his remedy also had business potential. Shortly after,… Read More
“If you grow it, biofuel will come,” isn’t much of a slogan. So let me be blunt: Biofuel is important because we need it. My current prediction: Oil prices will hold fast and end 2011 above $100, and this will keep biofuel an important ongoing business and… Read More
In this current tough stock market, it pays to play defense with value-oriented stocks. But you should always make sure you have exposure to the more dynamic investment opportunities as well by holding at least a few names that carry major upside potential. Taking this approach, I… Read More