Despite economic challenges, the United States remains as a compelling hotbed of innovation. So many items in everyday use — especially in the field of medicine — got their start here. [In fact, Andy Obermueller recently revealed his favorite game-changing medical picks in the latest issue of Game-Changing Stocks]… Read More

Savvy investors know how to be creative and seek rich yields in unusual places. With the average S&P 500 stock yielding less than 2%, you have to explore off the beaten path to find big dividends. Luckily, there are little explored corners of the investment world where great yields can still be found. You just need to know where to look. Carla Pasternak is an expert in this area. Every month her High Yield Investing newsletter searches out exceptional yields and, more often than not, she finds them in unusual places. Here are four high-yielding asset classes… Read More

Savvy investors know how to be creative and seek rich yields in unusual places. With the average S&P 500 stock yielding less than 2%, you have to explore off the beaten path to find big dividends. Luckily, there are little explored corners of the investment world where great yields can still be found. You just need to know where to look. Carla Pasternak is an expert in this area. Every month her High Yield Investing newsletter searches out exceptional yields and, more often than not, she finds them in unusual places. Here are four high-yielding asset classes Carla recently highlighted in her newsletter. Most are unfamiliar to the average investor, yet each offers hefty dividends. 1. Business Development Companies (BDCs) BDCs are the 21st century version of venture capital funds. There are only about three dozen of them out there, but most pay sizable yields, with a few exceeding 11%. BDCs make loans to small companies, often taking an equity stake as well, and pass the income along to their investors. BDCs paying great dividends right now include Black Rock Kelso (Nasdaq: BKCC), which yields 11%, and… Read More

Every company looks at a new year as a fresh opportunity. Companies make plans to boost sales, watch costs and deliver investor-pleasing bottom-line results. The three companies we’re discussing today clearly didn’t meet those goals in 2010. But the stars are aligning for better results this year, perhaps spectacularly so. Read More

It’s no secret that the media industry has been deeply affected by the advent of the Internet. It is the most efficient distribution channel ever for consumers to read, listen, and watch content. Newspapers and magazines continue to give way to online content outlets, airwaves are being replaced by Internet… Read More

As my colleague Tom Hutchinson recently pointed out, defense sector spending may be under threat of budget cuts, but make no mistake: demand will always be robust. That makes the defense sector not only a safe place for investors to be, but it also ensures a solid growth path. Read More

Signs have emerged in the past two weeks that China is paving the way for its currency to start appreciating. It may take a year or two to see even a 10% or 20% rise, and practically nobody else is writing about this at all (which surprises me), but this will mean big ramifications for investors. Under steady pressure from the United States, Chinese policy planners have generally shrugged at the prospect of letting its currency appreciate. In recent months, other trading partners in Asia, along with emerging powerhouses such as Brazil have also chafed… Read More

Signs have emerged in the past two weeks that China is paving the way for its currency to start appreciating. It may take a year or two to see even a 10% or 20% rise, and practically nobody else is writing about this at all (which surprises me), but this will mean big ramifications for investors. Under steady pressure from the United States, Chinese policy planners have generally shrugged at the prospect of letting its currency appreciate. In recent months, other trading partners in Asia, along with emerging powerhouses such as Brazil have also chafed at a currency policy that has been seen to help China and hurt the rest of the world. Although the rising pressure has certainly been noted in Beijing, Chinese planners have long sought to let their currency appreciate when they’re good and ready. That time finally seems to be at hand. Laying the groundwork China’s currency has actually begun to modestly appreciate in recent months. Six months ago, 10 yuan were worth about $1.46. That figure has steadily risen to a recent $1.52, though many economists think that if… Read More

Are you locked and loaded with the financial industry’s so-called “Top Stocks for 2011?” If you are, or even if you’re just mulling them, you may want to look beyond those names — these stocks don’t always pay off no matter how reputable their pickers may be. You don’t even have to look too far back for proof. Last year, Assured Guaranty (NYSE: AGO), Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), and Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA) were among the most-suggested picks for 2010. Yes, Apple and Comcast gained 54% and 29%, respectively, but Hewlett-Packard fell 19% last year,… Read More

Are you locked and loaded with the financial industry’s so-called “Top Stocks for 2011?” If you are, or even if you’re just mulling them, you may want to look beyond those names — these stocks don’t always pay off no matter how reputable their pickers may be. You don’t even have to look too far back for proof. Last year, Assured Guaranty (NYSE: AGO), Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), and Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA) were among the most-suggested picks for 2010. Yes, Apple and Comcast gained 54% and 29%, respectively, but Hewlett-Packard fell 19% last year, while Assured Guaranty lost 22%. By comparison, the broader market gained 11% during this timeframe. That’s not meant to be a critique of the folks who picked those names in early 2010. It’s difficult to see the future. On the other hand, if the odds of success are 50/50 and the losing stocks lagged as badly as the winning names outpaced the market, what’s the point? So which equities were last year’s actual leaders? And to be clear, we’re not talking about any wild and illiquid (not to mention unlisted) penny stocks either —… Read More

It takes ample courage to bet against stocks when they’re rising. Indeed, many investors that seek out stocks to short have been moving to the sidelines throughout the late 2010 rally. Yet with stocks now notably more pricey than they were last summer, the temptation to start… Read More

Last week it was announced that Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) and Russian firm Digital Sky Technologies would be investing $500 million in social networking sensation Facebook. Investments by Goldman are rather common, and the amount was a tiny fraction of the company’s nearly $90 billion market cap, but a buzz… Read More

Ten years ago, people would have laughed at you for saying we would soon be walking around with mini-computers tethered to us. Now millions of people won’t step out the door without their beloved BlackBerry or iPhone. If you had put $10,000 into Research… Read More