To comfortably live in an online world, we need to make sure our actions and devices are secure. When dealing with our bank, for instance, we want to know the transactions are secure. We want to rest assured that information in our smartphones is safe, and that we can login quickly and securely into our tablets and laptops. One obvious and widely used means of protecting data is by locking your device, thereby restricting unauthorized access. And modern “locks” are increasingly using our unique human features to establish our identification, a technology known as biometrics.   #-ad_banner-#And when it comes… Read More

To comfortably live in an online world, we need to make sure our actions and devices are secure. When dealing with our bank, for instance, we want to know the transactions are secure. We want to rest assured that information in our smartphones is safe, and that we can login quickly and securely into our tablets and laptops. One obvious and widely used means of protecting data is by locking your device, thereby restricting unauthorized access. And modern “locks” are increasingly using our unique human features to establish our identification, a technology known as biometrics.   #-ad_banner-#And when it comes to utilizing unique human features, what is easier and more convenient than your own fingerprints?   Many iPhone owners would agree that their feeling of security significantly improved after Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) introduced a fingerprint recognition feature in 2013. The adoption of Touch ID has proceeded smoothly, and improvements in the technology itself have proceeded apace —  today’s second-generation sensor is up to twice as fast as the original version. Driven by the increasingly urgent need for security, as well as consumers’ smooth adoption of such sensors in mobile devices, the market for fingerprint sensors is on fire. According to… Read More

With stock markets setting new records in 2017, it might be prudent to recall the much weaker start to 2016. In January 2016, the S&P 500 declined 5%, followed by another 5% decline in early February. About a year ago, on February 12, 2016, a rebound started, and the market… Read More

The other day, a headline in a financial publication caught my attention. “Small Is No Longer Beautiful,” it read. I was intrigued. I knew all about the strength in small-cap stocks this past year and how their strong post-election rally started to fizzle in December. But would I go so far as to predict that these stocks have totally lost their appeal compared with their large and mega-cap peers? I don’t think so. Yes, it’s true that the Russell 2000, represented on the chart by the iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSE: IWM), strongly outperformed the S&P… Read More

The other day, a headline in a financial publication caught my attention. “Small Is No Longer Beautiful,” it read. I was intrigued. I knew all about the strength in small-cap stocks this past year and how their strong post-election rally started to fizzle in December. But would I go so far as to predict that these stocks have totally lost their appeal compared with their large and mega-cap peers? I don’t think so. Yes, it’s true that the Russell 2000, represented on the chart by the iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSE: IWM), strongly outperformed the S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY) index of U.S. large-cap stocks over the past year. And it might also be true that the index was getting a little ahead of itself, as suggested by its December pause. —Sponsored Link— The 8% Income Strategy: Never Run Out Of Money In Retirement If you’re living off income from your investments, or are nearing retirement and worry how long your savings will last, the “No Withdrawal” approach could change everything. Inside, you’ll discover the simple portfolio strategy to locking in 8%-plus dividends, along with six top high-yielders set to gain 20%… Read More