When CERN released the World Wide Web in 1991, few thought it would amount to much. In fact, noted Author and Astronomer Clifford Stoll proclaimed in a Newsweek article that it was just a passing fad and would never catch on.  That was just before tech… Read More

A deal on the fiscal cliff — at least the tax part — caused the “risk on” trade to go into hyper-drive on Jan. 2. The first trading session of the year saw nearly every major average, and most sectors, soar between 2% and 3% on average. This relief rally over the certainty on tax policy wasn’t lost on the technology sector, as the Technology Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLK) surged 3.33% in the first session of 2013. For the technology ETF, the gains are… Read More

A deal on the fiscal cliff — at least the tax part — caused the “risk on” trade to go into hyper-drive on Jan. 2. The first trading session of the year saw nearly every major average, and most sectors, soar between 2% and 3% on average. This relief rally over the certainty on tax policy wasn’t lost on the technology sector, as the Technology Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLK) surged 3.33% in the first session of 2013. For the technology ETF, the gains are a welcome respite from the mostly downbeat trade that’s taken place since September. In fact, from the most recent high in September through the end of 2012, XLK was hit with a loss of nearly 9%. Thanks to an early 2012 run higher in the shares, technology seemed like it would be the place to be for most of the year. Then we started to see the sector falter. So, why was the September selling in the tech ETF so sharp? The one big answer is Apple (Nasdaq:… Read More

Imagine getting the chance to look over the shoulder of the world’s greatest investors as they go about their work, to get a glimpse of what Warren Buffett, George Soros or David Einhorn just bought or sold. You may be surprised to learn… Read More

Most industry-leading retailers are household names. In apparel, there is Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS). In consumer electronics, there is Best Buy (NYSE: BBY). And in home goods, companies such as Home Depot (NYSE: HD) and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) maintain high levels of… Read More

Carla Pasternak, editor of Street Authority’s High-Yield Investing, calls it “the most dramatic turnaround in U.S. history.” And millions of people across the country are reaping its benefits, increasing their net worth, while reducing the stress point that used to cause many to lose sleep at night. I’m talking about the clear recovery taking place in the residential and commercial real estate markets.#-ad_banner-# The latest read on the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price… Read More

Carla Pasternak, editor of Street Authority’s High-Yield Investing, calls it “the most dramatic turnaround in U.S. history.” And millions of people across the country are reaping its benefits, increasing their net worth, while reducing the stress point that used to cause many to lose sleep at night. I’m talking about the clear recovery taking place in the residential and commercial real estate markets.#-ad_banner-# The latest read on the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, a leading home-value index that tracks prices in 20 residential markets, showed that home values rose 4.3% in October 2012 from the previous year, ahead of estimates looking for 4% growth. That follows the trend that has been in play for the past 12 months, with home prices showing steady gains through most of the year. And sure to fuel the rebound in home prices is the recent settlement of a massive lawsuit against 10 major U.S. banks and mortgage companies brought by the federal government. Not only is… Read More

Most industry-leading retailers are household names. In apparel, there is Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS). In consumer electronics, there is Best Buy (NYSE: BBY). And in home goods, companies such as Home Depot (NYSE: HD) and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) maintain high levels of visibility that fuels interest from consumers and investors. But behind the scenes, there is a secret retailer that is crushing the competition, seeing huge gains in earnings and jumping higher on the chart. In fact, earnings have been growing so sharply,… Read More

Most industry-leading retailers are household names. In apparel, there is Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS). In consumer electronics, there is Best Buy (NYSE: BBY). And in home goods, companies such as Home Depot (NYSE: HD) and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) maintain high levels of visibility that fuels interest from consumers and investors. But behind the scenes, there is a secret retailer that is crushing the competition, seeing huge gains in earnings and jumping higher on the chart. In fact, earnings have been growing so sharply, shares are up almost 100% in just two years. Take a look at the market-beating rally below… But just because early investors have seen big gains doesn’t mean the growth story is over. With the bullish trend still well in play and management confident, Tractor Supply (Nasdaq: TSCO) can continue to grow its store count and still leave plenty of room for investors to profit.#-ad_banner-# This little-known industry-leading retailer… Read More

The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) is a widely followed sentiment indicator. When VIX is high, it indicates that traders are worried about… Read More

Financial stocks have been out of favor for much of the period since the financial crisis. In the United States, the S&P 500 Financials Index rallied just 9% between the end of 2008… Read More

Here’s a situation every investor faces sooner or later… Imagine you are sitting on solid profits from a stock you foresee climbing higher. But then a little bad news hits the newswire, sending the stock lower.#-ad_banner-# The news becomes modestly worse… Read More