Opinions

The situation in Crimea should be closely monitored as it pertains to Europe and the eurozone. Russia is a major trading partner with the eurozone as well, supplying about 40% of the energy requirements in the area. That is why an escalation in Crimea could devastate the region, especially at

There’s some hand-holding required out there in the stock market. We have seen destruction in the momentum biotech and Internet stocks that have corrected by more than 30%.  Now we are hearing some analysts on Wall Street saying to jump back in—but I’m hesitant at this juncture, as the downward

Lots of companies have broken out of their previous long-term trends on the stock market, and it’s a positive, contributing signal to a secular bull market.  One company that recently beat Wall Street consensus and just broke out of its previous price trend is A. Schulman, Inc. (SHLM) out of

Growth in the U.S. economy, as it stands, can be explained with one word. That word is “mirage.” The Merriam-Webster dictionary explains the word mirage as “something that is seen and appears to be real but that is not actually there.” (Source: Merriam-Webster online, last accessed April 3, 2014.)  It’s

In 2013, consumer spending accounted for 67% of U.S. gross domestic product. (Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis web site, last accessed April 2, 2014.) It’s plain and simple: economic growth cannot be achieved unless consumers are spending.  And unfortunately, higher prices and lower discretionary spending are putting the

The S&P 500 index really hasn’t done much since the beginning of the year but churn…but then again, why shouldn’t it?  For stocks, 2013 was an exceptional year. If we get another positive year on top of dividends, then it’s total gravy.  The capital gains over the last several years

I’m starting to receive more questions regarding the state of the stock market and whether it’s simply a bout of profit-taking or the set-up of a deeper stock market correction.  First of all, panicking is not what you want to do. Yes, we are seeing some selling surfacing, but that

Puerto Rico promises to now do for Americans what Singapore and Hong Kong have done for bankers and businessmen from London. In this interview with The Gold Report, three experts with in-depth knowledge of the pros and cons of living and investing in Puerto Rico share what it is like on the

 Those who follow the stock market closely know that on days when we hear the chairwoman of the Federal Reserve speak and she mentions something about “easing” or how the central bank will continue to use its “extraordinary measures” for a long period of time, the stock market jumps.  I’ve

With the broader stock market selling off, it’s amazing to see a company’s share price defy the near-term trend and appreciate in value.  Time and time again, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) gets bid when the broader market faces convulsion. It’s a powerful signal, and there is still a great deal

Is the Federal Reserve ignoring the very basic law of economics…the law of diminishing marginal utility? You remember that term from economics in high school. The law of diminishing marginal utility states that the more of something you have, the lesser its impact on you.  The Fed has been printing

are beginning to roll in and quite a few companies are missing Wall Street consensus.  This doesn’t mean, however, that there isn’t growth out there; only that estimates have so far been a little optimistic.  CarMax, Inc. (KMX) is a well-known used-car dealer. The company’s latest numbers were decent, but

Despite the recent big gains in gold stocks, company insiders and institutional investors are still 2.5 times more likely to be buyers than sellers. According to Ted Dixon, co-founder and CEO of INK Research, this shows that those in the know are still quite bullish, despite the pullback in March.

We all know the importance of the railroad in linking the nation from coast to coast in its early beginnings. Railways allow for the transportation of people and goods across an expansive territory; but for businesses, it’s even more vital as an avenue to ship goods, such as oil, chemicals,

Boy…did investors ever get excited about Friday’s jobs market report. In case you haven’t heard, in March, 192,000 jobs were added to the U.S. economy.  The chart below shows stock market investor reaction after March’s jobs market report was released Friday morning; and investors bought more stocks!  Sure, the March

There’s a boom going on, and it’s old economy. The railroad business is alive and well. And equally as impressive as the freight and earnings results, railroad services and related businesses are benefitting.  Over the near-term, it’s likely there’s going to be further legislation regarding the safety of oil railcars,

In the early days of the 2008 financial crisis, the Federal Reserve said, “Job losses, declining equity and housing wealth and tight credit conditions have weighed on consumer sentiment and spending. Weaker sales prospects and difficulties in obtaining credit have led businesses to cut back on inventories and fixed investment.”

could be setting up for an upside break if the situation in Crimea intensifies and a military conflict emerges between Russia and Ukraine over the rights to Crimea.  Since the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude broke out to over $100.00 a barrel in early 2011, oil prices have

There’s one company that is likely to have a very good year in 2014.  As my readers will know, the most valuable information going as an equity investor (businessperson) is what an enterprise says about its business conditions. And according to this company, business conditions are looking up.  Acuity Brands,

The stock market appears to be getting somewhat top-heavy. Scanning through my screens, I am quite amazed to find that the majority of S&P 500 stocks are well above their respective 200-day moving averages, which makes opportunities much more difficult to come by for the average investor who might look