Roughly 18 months ago, I spelled out the relationship between economic growth and the stock market.  My key takeaway still stands: “The difference between 2% and 3% (economic growth) may not seem like… Read More

Since the second half of 2012, bank stocks have really found their footing. Shares of Citigroup (NYSE: C) and Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) have rallied more than 50% in the past six… Read More

It looks like Carl Icahn was on to something. Last year, he tried to acquire the The Greenbrier Companies (NYSE: GBX) for $22 a share, an offer that was subsequently rebuffed by management. In November, I cautioned that it was unwise to follow… Read More

It looks like Carl Icahn was on to something. Last year, he tried to acquire the The Greenbrier Companies (NYSE: GBX) for $22 a share, an offer that was subsequently rebuffed by management. In November, I cautioned that it was unwise to follow Icahn into this crowded stock because once he loses interest (as he often does when pursuing his prey), shares tend to wilt.  And that’s precisely what happened with Greenbrier. Read More

It looks like Carl Icahn was on to something. Last year, he tried to acquire the The Greenbrier Companies (NYSE: GBX) for $22 a share, an offer that was subsequently rebuffed by management. In November, I cautioned that it was unwise to follow Icahn into this crowded stock because once he loses interest (as he often does when pursuing his prey), shares tend to wilt.  And that’s precisely what happened with Greenbrier. Yet we can add a fresh twist to the much-ballyhooed “Icahn effect.” The legendary investor may be known for too many head fakes, but after he walks away, then real value may emerge. Indeed, it now looks as if Icahn was on the right track in his ardor for this stock, as just-released quarterly results show. As it turns out, Greenbrier and another transportation firm, Wabash National (NYSE: WNC). may be shaping up to be top gainers in 2013.#-ad_banner-# Replacing the fleets Greenbrier, a leading provider of railroad cars, and Wabash, a top provider of truck trailers that ply… Read More

Fifty years after Yugoslavian President Josip Tito founded the Non-Aligned Movement, the economies of the association’s roughly 120 nations have grown in excess of 5% per year on average, while larger developed economies in North America, Europe and Japan have slowed to a crawl. Yet, it’s easy to forget the… Read More

The past year was a profitable one for most investors: The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose nearly 10%, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq rose around 15% each. Toss in dividends, and total returns were a few percentage points higher. Of course, the goal of… Read More

Tech stocks have been on a remarkable run, at least as measured by the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index. The Nasdaq rose a heady 46% in 2009, and another 26% in 2010, a more modest… Read More

“Let your winners ride.” It’s a favorite maxim among gamblers, and also applies to a top-performing casino stock. Recently announced monthly revenue figures from the world’s newest gambling mecca… Read More

Looking for stocks poised to make a major move? Then find the companies that are loved and hated by investors. These three hotly-debated stocks have been in the headlines recently as bulls and bears duke it out. And depending on which camp… Read More

As investors stepped away from their computers during the holidays, they may have failed to notice an absolutely stunning headline. In the days before Christmas, the Federal Reserve announced that a typical U.S. household spent 10.6% of its after-tax income on debt payments in the third quarter. This measure, known… Read More