It’s been one of the most overlooked aspects of earnings season… I’m not talking about the market’s strong gains or the recent robust employment growth. I’m talking about stock buyback announcements. I’ve counted more than 30 companies that have announced plans to buy back at least $1 billion… Read More

Friday’s impressive jobs report, which showed an economy creating 192,000 new jobs in February, was even more impressive than you might think. The sheer quantity of jobs created — nearly 200,000 — was the best monthly figure in several years, but it’s the types of jobs created that really matter. The factory sector and the construction sector created 33,000 jobs apiece, aiding a six-figure jump in service-sector employment. The factory sector had been shrinking for nearly two decades, while and the construction sector has been on the ropes since 2007. That now looks set to… Read More

Friday’s impressive jobs report, which showed an economy creating 192,000 new jobs in February, was even more impressive than you might think. The sheer quantity of jobs created — nearly 200,000 — was the best monthly figure in several years, but it’s the types of jobs created that really matter. The factory sector and the construction sector created 33,000 jobs apiece, aiding a six-figure jump in service-sector employment. The factory sector had been shrinking for nearly two decades, while and the construction sector has been on the ropes since 2007. That now looks set to change and I’ve found just the way to profit. The virtuous cycle Service-sector jobs are important, but the factory and construction sectors really hold the key to a sustained upturn. That’s because they both form the backbone of capital spending, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that cash-rich companies are finally opening the spigot, laying the groundwork for the coming years. Once the process starts, it builds a head of steam as companies all along the economic food chain work to build inventories, upgrade equipment, and modernize or expand facilities. In the… Read More

In the recent economic crisis, global investors fled to the safety and solidity of the U.S. dollar, pushing it up in value after a steady downward trend. As the global economy begins to strengthen, the dollar is once again losing altitude. And all signs point to yet further weakness, perhaps by a significant amount. And that’s why you need to be prepared… A perfect storm The dollar is being buffeted by a range of factors, led by expectations that European interest rates are bound to start rising before the U.S. Read More

In the recent economic crisis, global investors fled to the safety and solidity of the U.S. dollar, pushing it up in value after a steady downward trend. As the global economy begins to strengthen, the dollar is once again losing altitude. And all signs point to yet further weakness, perhaps by a significant amount. And that’s why you need to be prepared… A perfect storm The dollar is being buffeted by a range of factors, led by expectations that European interest rates are bound to start rising before the U.S. Federal Reserve hikes rates. European Central Bank head, Jean-Claude Trichet, said on March 3 that interest rates may increase in April for the first time in 23 months. The euro now stands at $1.40 to the dollar, up from $1.30 in early January. The Japanese yen, Australian dollar and Swiss franc are also rising in value against the dollar.   In times of crisis, such as is occurring in the Middle East and North Africa, the dollar has tended to strengthen as investors take a “… Read More

Early-stage companies spend many years planning for the day when everything clicks. For a number of them, 2012 could be the year when all their hard work pays off. So I decided to look at companies set to see sales rise more than 200% next year. Most… Read More

During quarterly conference calls, CEOs go to great lengths to talk about their company’s prospects. But if they really want to attract investors’ interest, they can back up their bullish words by pulling out their checkbooks. Stock purchases by insiders are still the clearest way to say… Read More

In the market’s remarkable run-up in the past two years that saw the major averages roughly double from the March 2009 lows, an increasing number of investors have looked to take profits in some of their best picks. As a result, some of these stocks have lost their momentum and… Read More

I’m always looking for stocks that have a chance to make a solid upward move in several quarters or several years. But sometimes, you catch a break and can bag some upside much more quickly than that. At the end of January, I suggested that… Read More

In recent years, Warren Buffett seems to have drifted from his roots. The legendary investor was a pure disciple of Graham & Dodd, seeking out companies that possessed clear tangible value, either in the form of a rock-solid balance sheet or under-appreciated equity in its brand. More recently, Buffett started to look like a lot of other portfolio managers, shifting into stocks that were in high-growth mode. More important, he no longer seemed inclined to hold stocks for the long haul, shuffling some positions with — for him — a high… Read More

In recent years, Warren Buffett seems to have drifted from his roots. The legendary investor was a pure disciple of Graham & Dodd, seeking out companies that possessed clear tangible value, either in the form of a rock-solid balance sheet or under-appreciated equity in its brand. More recently, Buffett started to look like a lot of other portfolio managers, shifting into stocks that were in high-growth mode. More important, he no longer seemed inclined to hold stocks for the long haul, shuffling some positions with — for him — a high degree of frequency. And when he bought into risky but potentially lucrative special investments from the likes of Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) at the height of the financial crisis, the Buffett we once knew seemed to have truly changed his stripes. (That Goldman stake is now worth more than $5 billion and will likely be bought out by Goldman in coming quarters.) You can’t blame him. Value investing hasn’t been as profitable as in decades past and Buffett simply learned to “beat the market at its own game.” Kudos to the elderly investor for showing the flexibility… Read More

The stock market has seen plenty of ups and downs in the past 25 years. Through it all, hedge fund Baupost Group’s Seth Klarman has managed to stay on the right side of the ledger, racking up an average annual gain of about 20%. Read More

I’m a big fan of low-priced stocks — especially those that are under $5 a share. At that level, most mutual fund managers are restricted from owning them. But if growth plans pan out and shares move above that threshold, those same fund managers then have the green… Read More