The land of the rising sun’s economic fortunes are turning around. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s aggressive monetary policies, known as “Abenomics,” are starting to work their magic on the economy, creating an opportunity for forward-thinking stock investors.#-ad_banner-# First-quarter results indicate Japan’s gross domestic product grew 3.5%, sparking hopes that a recovery is underway. Exports grew 3.8%, driven by strong auto sales and the weaker yen, which has fallen 20% against the U.S. dollar since… Read More

The land of the rising sun’s economic fortunes are turning around. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s aggressive monetary policies, known as “Abenomics,” are starting to work their magic on the economy, creating an opportunity for forward-thinking stock investors.#-ad_banner-# First-quarter results indicate Japan’s gross domestic product grew 3.5%, sparking hopes that a recovery is underway. Exports grew 3.8%, driven by strong auto sales and the weaker yen, which has fallen 20% against the U.S. dollar since November. Abe’s policy of weakening the yen, major fiscal spending and generating 2% inflation by 2014 has sent the Japanese stock markets soaring higher. The Nikkei has jumped 46% since Abe took office. Leading Japanese economists are projecting strong growth for the next three years thanks to Abe’s policies. I think these changes are strong signals for investors to look for opportunity within Japan. My eyes are on this pair of leading Japanese companies. Canon (NYSE: CAJ) Boasting a… Read More

I want to show you a surprising statistic. It’s nothing tricky or complicated. In fact, it’s really simple and straightforward. My long-time readers know that I’m always on the lookout for “secrets of the pros.” I love to look at the wealth rich people have accumulated, and figure out how they did it. So a few months ago, I dug into Forbes’ list of the 400 wealthiest people on Earth. I wanted to see if anything jumped out… if there were any patterns.#-ad_banner-# Sure enough,… Read More

I want to show you a surprising statistic. It’s nothing tricky or complicated. In fact, it’s really simple and straightforward. My long-time readers know that I’m always on the lookout for “secrets of the pros.” I love to look at the wealth rich people have accumulated, and figure out how they did it. So a few months ago, I dug into Forbes’ list of the 400 wealthiest people on Earth. I wanted to see if anything jumped out… if there were any patterns.#-ad_banner-# Sure enough, there were. I found something that I think applies to every single one of us. It’s something that could help any investor — no matter their age or income level — earn a significant amount of money in the stock market. What I found was this: Approximately one-third of the people on Forbes’ top 400 list all made their money thanks to the same simple secret. 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… 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

I want to show you a surprising statistic. It’s nothing tricky or complicated. In fact, it’s really simple and straightforward. My long-time readers know that I’m always on the lookout for “secrets of the pros.” I love to look at the wealth rich people have accumulated, and figure out how they did it. So a few months ago, I dug into Forbes’ list of the 400 wealthiest people on Earth. I wanted to see if anything jumped out… if there were any patterns.#-ad_banner-# Sure enough,… Read More

I want to show you a surprising statistic. It’s nothing tricky or complicated. In fact, it’s really simple and straightforward. My long-time readers know that I’m always on the lookout for “secrets of the pros.” I love to look at the wealth rich people have accumulated, and figure out how they did it. So a few months ago, I dug into Forbes’ list of the 400 wealthiest people on Earth. I wanted to see if anything jumped out… if there were any patterns.#-ad_banner-# Sure enough, there were. I found something that I think applies to every single one of us. It’s something that could help any investor — no matter their age or income level — earn a significant amount of money in the stock market. What I found was this: Approximately one-third of the people on Forbes’ top 400 list all made their money thanks to the same simple secret. Read More

Las Vegas is one of the all-time great boom towns in U.S. history. Nothing more than a forgotten Dust Bowl in the 1940s, Vegas grew into one of the hottest tourist destinations in the world by the late ’50s and early ’60s. Tourists, vacationers, celebrities and gamblers from across the world flocked to Vegas, producing an economic boom that continues to produce huge gains for investors. But now, 50 years later, that same incredible growth story is repeating itself in another part of the world. In fact, this… Read More

Las Vegas is one of the all-time great boom towns in U.S. history. Nothing more than a forgotten Dust Bowl in the 1940s, Vegas grew into one of the hottest tourist destinations in the world by the late ’50s and early ’60s. Tourists, vacationers, celebrities and gamblers from across the world flocked to Vegas, producing an economic boom that continues to produce huge gains for investors. But now, 50 years later, that same incredible growth story is repeating itself in another part of the world. In fact, this Far East gambling destination is growing so fast that its annual revenue last year was more than six times that of Vegas. I’m talking about Macau, the undisputed leader in the global entertainment and gambling industry.#-ad_banner-# Along with Hong Kong, Macau is one of two special administrative regions of China. Under the principle of “one country, two systems,” Macau enjoys a high degree of autonomy, governed by its own legal system, police force, monetary system and immigration policy. Read More

He is the richest person in history. Warren Buffett? At his peak, Buffett’s wealth is less than one-fifth this man’s fortune. Bill Gates doesn’t even come close. Neither does Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton or telecom magnate… Read More

We have all experienced the guy at the party who is always talking about his stock-picking skills. He will brag to anyone who will listen how he bought one stock or another near the lows, making a killing. I call this type of investor a “hot-stock chaser.” Hot-stock chasers are always looking for the next big thing in the market. They jump aboard whatever is moving or whatever is supposed to be the next… Read More

We have all experienced the guy at the party who is always talking about his stock-picking skills. He will brag to anyone who will listen how he bought one stock or another near the lows, making a killing. I call this type of investor a “hot-stock chaser.” Hot-stock chasers are always looking for the next big thing in the market. They jump aboard whatever is moving or whatever is supposed to be the next big thing. Jim Cramer is their hero, and their TV is always tuned to CNBC for the next sizzling tip. Jumping from stock to stock in a manic effort not to miss the stock of the day, week or month, hot-stock chasers are never satisfied.#-ad_banner-# When you first meet a hot-stock chaser, all you will hear about are his winning investments. Dig a little deeper, and you may discover that the hot-stock chaser also has a long history of money-losing investments. This is due to the tendency of the professional… Read More

If “Frankenstein” author Mary Shelley had been an investment fanatic, she might’ve liked the idea of the business development company, or BDC: Fashion a company out of parts of other companies, then set the creation loose by taking it public. Of course, society doesn’t shun BDCs as it did Victor Frankenstein’s monster, nor has Mel Brooks made a comedic movie about the investment (though that would be cool). In fact, BDCs can be gentle giants.#-ad_banner-# But before you invest in one, it’s best to understand a few key… Read More

If “Frankenstein” author Mary Shelley had been an investment fanatic, she might’ve liked the idea of the business development company, or BDC: Fashion a company out of parts of other companies, then set the creation loose by taking it public. Of course, society doesn’t shun BDCs as it did Victor Frankenstein’s monster, nor has Mel Brooks made a comedic movie about the investment (though that would be cool). In fact, BDCs can be gentle giants.#-ad_banner-# But before you invest in one, it’s best to understand a few key terms, lest you wake one night to a financial monster staring back at you. What’s A BDC? First things first: What is a BDC? It’s basically a private equity or venture capital firm that goes public. It uses the proceeds of the public offering to invest (typically) in small or midsize private companies — but it can’t invest in just any company. The goal is to invest in new companies and provide… Read More