Four years ago, anxious policymakers in Washington threw automakers a badly-needed life line. The “cash for clunkers” program, which bribed people into buying new cars, helped stave off a death spiral that had beset the auto industry.#-ad_banner-# Yet just four years later, few people even think about “cash for clunkers” anymore. Sales trends for the major automakers (and their parts suppliers) are now booming, and it’s easy to see how trends will get even stronger from here. Within a… Read More

Four years ago, anxious policymakers in Washington threw automakers a badly-needed life line. The “cash for clunkers” program, which bribed people into buying new cars, helped stave off a death spiral that had beset the auto industry.#-ad_banner-# Yet just four years later, few people even think about “cash for clunkers” anymore. Sales trends for the major automakers (and their parts suppliers) are now booming, and it’s easy to see how trends will get even stronger from here. Within a few years, sales trends are likely to meet or exceed the previous annual peaks, and share prices in this sector now have upward of 50% upside. The Long Climb Back In the middle of the past decade, the auto industry sold roughly 16 million to 17 million cars and trucks annually in North America. That figure slumped to just 10.4 million in 2009 but had rebounded to 14.4 million in 2012. This year, that figure is expected to be about 15.4 million. Read More

When I first started writing about investing in the 1990s, the whole notion of “e-commerce” was just getting going. Analysts then thought this emerging form of retail would continually take away market share from traditional brick-and-mortar stores. They might not have expected that e-commerce would still be growing at a fast clip nearly two decades later.#-ad_banner-# Last year, U.S. e-commerce sales rose 15.6% to $71 billion, triple the growth… Read More

When I first started writing about investing in the 1990s, the whole notion of “e-commerce” was just getting going. Analysts then thought this emerging form of retail would continually take away market share from traditional brick-and-mortar stores. They might not have expected that e-commerce would still be growing at a fast clip nearly two decades later.#-ad_banner-# Last year, U.S. e-commerce sales rose 15.6% to $71 billion, triple the growth rate of traditional retail sales. However, considering that e-commerce sales still account for less than 6% of all sales, there’s no reason to expect this niche to slow down anytime soon. In fact, revenues of the major players could double in size over the next five years and still reach just 10% penetration (assuming that traditional store-based sales also rise a modest amount). Of course, much of that growth will be picked up by Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN), which had more than $60 billion in sales… Read More

When I first started writing about investing in the 1990s, the whole notion of “e-commerce” was just getting going. Analysts then thought this emerging form of retail would continually take away market share from traditional brick-and-mortar stores. They might not have expected that e-commerce would still be growing at a fast clip nearly two decades later.#-ad_banner-# Last year, U.S. e-commerce sales rose 15.6% to $71 billion, triple the growth… Read More

When I first started writing about investing in the 1990s, the whole notion of “e-commerce” was just getting going. Analysts then thought this emerging form of retail would continually take away market share from traditional brick-and-mortar stores. They might not have expected that e-commerce would still be growing at a fast clip nearly two decades later.#-ad_banner-# Last year, U.S. e-commerce sales rose 15.6% to $71 billion, triple the growth rate of traditional retail sales. However, considering that e-commerce sales still account for less than 6% of all sales, there’s no reason to expect this niche to slow down anytime soon. In fact, revenues of the major players could double in size over the next five years and still reach just 10% penetration (assuming that traditional store-based sales also rise a modest amount). Of course, much of that growth will be picked up by Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN), which had more than $60 billion in sales… Read More

Question: I’ve read that inflation could pick up in coming years. What can I do about it? The Investing Answer: Every few decades, investors start to grow concerned about the runaway effects of inflation. In response, they reflexively place their funds into gold, silver and other precious metals. But that’s a huge mistake — gold and these other hard assets are simply “perceived” hedges against inflation. As we’ve recently seen, gold prices have tumbled as the reality… Read More

Question: I’ve read that inflation could pick up in coming years. What can I do about it? The Investing Answer: Every few decades, investors start to grow concerned about the runaway effects of inflation. In response, they reflexively place their funds into gold, silver and other precious metals. But that’s a huge mistake — gold and these other hard assets are simply “perceived” hedges against inflation. As we’ve recently seen, gold prices have tumbled as the reality of increased gold production reminds us of the immutable laws of supply and demand. If the world needs more gold, producers will simply mine more. Of course, the next time we get a temporary inflation scare, you’ll hear lots of talk about gold again, as fearful investors seek bullion. What should you do? Ignore the crowd. If you really want to hedge against inflation, look to the types of… Read More

There are many good reasons to look for stocks that the top hedge fund managers like. Activist managers such as Carl Icahn can shake a company up until shareholder value is unlocked. Warren Buffett‘s best ideas often have great long-term potential. But some fund managers can actually destroy value for other shareholders. During the past half decade, fund manager and Sears Holdings (Nasdaq: SHLD) CEO and Chairman Eddie Lampert… Read More

There are many good reasons to look for stocks that the top hedge fund managers like. Activist managers such as Carl Icahn can shake a company up until shareholder value is unlocked. Warren Buffett‘s best ideas often have great long-term potential. But some fund managers can actually destroy value for other shareholders. During the past half decade, fund manager and Sears Holdings (Nasdaq: SHLD) CEO and Chairman Eddie Lampert has taken millions of dollars out of his investment in the faltering retailer through a series of one-time payments to his investment firm, ESL Investments. And while Lampert was giving himself robust paydays, he’s virtually ignored the operational trends at Sears and Kmart, the company’s two major retail divisions.#-ad_banner-# Those stores have fared so badly that Standard & Poor’s kicked Sears out of its S&P 500 index last year, where Sears had been… Read More

Question: I’ve read that inflation could pick up in coming years. What can I do about it? The Investing Answer: Every few decades, investors start to grow concerned about the runaway effects of inflation. In response, they reflexively place their funds into gold, silver and other precious metals. But that’s a huge mistake — gold and these other hard assets are simply “perceived” hedges against inflation. As we’ve recently seen, gold prices have tumbled as the reality… Read More

Question: I’ve read that inflation could pick up in coming years. What can I do about it? The Investing Answer: Every few decades, investors start to grow concerned about the runaway effects of inflation. In response, they reflexively place their funds into gold, silver and other precious metals. But that’s a huge mistake — gold and these other hard assets are simply “perceived” hedges against inflation. As we’ve recently seen, gold prices have tumbled as the reality of increased gold production reminds us of the immutable laws of supply and demand. If the world needs more gold, producers will simply mine more. Of course, the next time we get a temporary inflation scare, you’ll hear lots of talk about gold again, as fearful investors seek bullion. What should you do? Ignore the crowd. If you really want to hedge against inflation, look to the types of… Read More

Question: I’ve read that inflation could pick up in coming years. What can I do about it? The Investing Answer: Every few decades, investors start to grow concerned about the runaway effects of inflation. In response, they reflexively place their funds into gold, silver and other precious metals. But that’s a huge mistake — gold and these other hard assets are simply “perceived” hedges against inflation. As we’ve recently seen, gold prices have tumbled as the reality… Read More

Question: I’ve read that inflation could pick up in coming years. What can I do about it? The Investing Answer: Every few decades, investors start to grow concerned about the runaway effects of inflation. In response, they reflexively place their funds into gold, silver and other precious metals. But that’s a huge mistake — gold and these other hard assets are simply “perceived” hedges against inflation. As we’ve recently seen, gold prices have tumbled as the reality of increased gold production reminds us of the immutable laws of supply and demand. If the world needs more gold, producers will simply mine more. Of course, the next time we get a temporary inflation scare, you’ll hear lots of talk about gold again, as fearful investors seek bullion. What should you do? Ignore the crowd. If you really want to hedge against inflation, look to the types of… Read More

Question: I’ve read that inflation could pick up in coming years. What can I do about it? The Investing Answer: Every few decades, investors start to grow concerned about the runaway effects of inflation. In response, they reflexively place their funds into gold, silver and other precious metals. But that’s a huge mistake — gold and these other hard assets are simply “perceived” hedges against inflation. As we’ve recently seen, gold prices have tumbled as the reality… Read More

Question: I’ve read that inflation could pick up in coming years. What can I do about it? The Investing Answer: Every few decades, investors start to grow concerned about the runaway effects of inflation. In response, they reflexively place their funds into gold, silver and other precious metals. But that’s a huge mistake — gold and these other hard assets are simply “perceived” hedges against inflation. As we’ve recently seen, gold prices have tumbled as the reality of increased gold production reminds us of the immutable laws of supply and demand. If the world needs more gold, producers will simply mine more. Of course, the next time we get a temporary inflation scare, you’ll hear lots of talk about gold again, as fearful investors seek bullion. What should you do? Ignore the crowd. If you really want to hedge against inflation, look to the types of… Read More

Question: I’ve read that inflation could pick up in coming years. What can I do about it? The Investing Answer: Every few decades, investors start to grow concerned about the runaway effects of inflation. In response, they reflexively place their funds into gold, silver and other precious metals. But that’s a huge mistake — gold and these other hard assets are simply “perceived” hedges against inflation. As we’ve recently seen, gold prices have tumbled as the reality… Read More

Question: I’ve read that inflation could pick up in coming years. What can I do about it? The Investing Answer: Every few decades, investors start to grow concerned about the runaway effects of inflation. In response, they reflexively place their funds into gold, silver and other precious metals. But that’s a huge mistake — gold and these other hard assets are simply “perceived” hedges against inflation. As we’ve recently seen, gold prices have tumbled as the reality of increased gold production reminds us of the immutable laws of supply and demand. If the world needs more gold, producers will simply mine more. Of course, the next time we get a temporary inflation scare, you’ll hear lots of talk about gold again, as fearful investors seek bullion. What should you do? Ignore the crowd. If you really want to hedge against inflation, look to the types of… Read More

Question: I’ve read that inflation could pick up in coming years. What can I do about it? The Investing Answer: Every few decades, investors start to grow concerned about the runaway effects of inflation. In response, they reflexively place their funds into gold, silver and other precious metals. But that’s a huge mistake — gold and these other hard assets are simply “perceived” hedges against inflation. As we’ve recently seen, gold prices have tumbled as the reality… Read More

Question: I’ve read that inflation could pick up in coming years. What can I do about it? The Investing Answer: Every few decades, investors start to grow concerned about the runaway effects of inflation. In response, they reflexively place their funds into gold, silver and other precious metals. But that’s a huge mistake — gold and these other hard assets are simply “perceived” hedges against inflation. As we’ve recently seen, gold prices have tumbled as the reality of increased gold production reminds us of the immutable laws of supply and demand. If the world needs more gold, producers will simply mine more. Of course, the next time we get a temporary inflation scare, you’ll hear lots of talk about gold again, as fearful investors seek bullion. What should you do? Ignore the crowd. If you really want to hedge against inflation, look to the types of… Read More