In stressful times like these, it’s important to distinguish between investors’ appetite for stocks in general and the actual outlook of each company. The market plunge is related to top-down concerns about the U.S. economy, but a bottom-up approach is still warranted. This is because — despite the weak… Read More

Great companies know the key to future success lies in the steps you take today. These companies dole out massive amounts of cash to their engineering teams to develop cutting-edge products that will provide for sales and profit growth in the… Read More

Here we go again. This week is starting off where last week ended — on a dismal note. Since hitting an intra-day peak of 1,346 back on July 22, the S&P 500 Index is on track (as of Aug. 8) to mark its 10th losing session in the last… Read More

With the outlook for the U.S. economy in question for the rest of the year, this is a bad time to pursue high-priced growth stocks. Any hit to growth forecasts can lead to a double hit from both lowered profit forecasts… Read More

We’re coming up on the one-month anniversary of Netflix’s (Nasdaq: NFLX) fateful decision to sharply boost its monthly pricing. The sudden jolt led many customers to vent their disapproval, and the video-rental service eventually conceded it will lose a chunk of customers in coming months. A large… Read More

As the calendar flipped from 2010 to 2011, stock strategists routinely included both Ford (NYSE: F) and GM (NYSE: GM) among their top picks for the coming year. After all, both car makers had staged a remarkably recovery and looked poised to boost sales and profits at a continued robust pace. Seven months later, the wheels have fallen off, and each stock trades near a 52-week low. Judging by the stock price movements for both of these companies, you would think consumers are about to stop buying cars and trucks, as was the case in 2008. Will… Read More

As the calendar flipped from 2010 to 2011, stock strategists routinely included both Ford (NYSE: F) and GM (NYSE: GM) among their top picks for the coming year. After all, both car makers had staged a remarkably recovery and looked poised to boost sales and profits at a continued robust pace. Seven months later, the wheels have fallen off, and each stock trades near a 52-week low. Judging by the stock price movements for both of these companies, you would think consumers are about to stop buying cars and trucks, as was the case in 2008. Will this really be the case? After all, the economy was imploding in 2008. Now, it’s merely flat. Another question: if investors are being overly bearish about these automakers, then which one has the better looking stock right now? First, let’s take a quick look at how business is faring so far this year. Thee figures in the table below compare the first six months of 2011 with the first six months of 2010. One item quickly jumps out. Even though Ford and GM have both posted similar sales gains in the first… Read More

Investors are pressing the “Sell” button as fast as they can, dumping stocks that have already fallen 20% or 30% on fears they’ll fall even more in the sessions to come. The current environment appears based on fear more than fact. Indeed, the… Read More

Investing in stocks in 2011? Sadly, that’s not where the action has been. For the most part, the biggest gains for the year have been reaped in precious metals, energy and agriculture. Plain old equities are on track for forgettable year after posting stunning gains in the prior two years. Read More

When a stock such as Apple (Nasdaaq: AAPL) or Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) is universally loved, you should think twice about buying in, lest you arrive as the euphoria starts to fade. Instead, look for stocks that aren’t being chased by the crowd. These stocks often hit a rough… Read More

The U.S. economy sure looks dicey. This week’s trading kicked off with news that the Institute of Supply Management’s (ISM) index of manufacturing activity came in well short of forecasts — just another sign the economy has slowed. You may think… Read More