There are two ways to invest in retail stocks. You can focus on strong and steady operators such as Costco (Nasdaq: COST) or Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) and hope to secure moderate upside. Or you can be bold and buy shares of truly struggling retailers that have fallen deeply out of favor. That latter approach has been extremely profitable in 2013 for anyone with the guts to invest in GameStop (NYSE: GME) or Best Buy (NYSE: BBY). Just a few… Read More

There are two ways to invest in retail stocks. You can focus on strong and steady operators such as Costco (Nasdaq: COST) or Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) and hope to secure moderate upside. Or you can be bold and buy shares of truly struggling retailers that have fallen deeply out of favor. That latter approach has been extremely profitable in 2013 for anyone with the guts to invest in GameStop (NYSE: GME) or Best Buy (NYSE: BBY). Just a few quarters ago, these companies looked to be in deep trouble as spending on video games and consumer electronics, respectively, increasingly was taking place at rivals. Those two retailers have found a way to lure back customers, and the payoff has been huge. Major investors are now scouring the retail landscape in search of the next turnaround play, and mega-investor George Soros thinks he’s found one. In this year‘s second quarter, he plunked down $3 million to buy shares of J.C. Read More

There are two ways to invest in retail stocks. You can focus on strong and steady operators such as Costco (Nasdaq: COST) or Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) and hope to secure moderate upside. Or you can be bold and buy shares of truly struggling retailers that have fallen deeply out of favor. That latter approach has been extremely profitable in 2013 for anyone with the guts to invest in GameStop (NYSE: GME) or Best Buy (NYSE: BBY). Just a few… Read More

There are two ways to invest in retail stocks. You can focus on strong and steady operators such as Costco (Nasdaq: COST) or Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) and hope to secure moderate upside. Or you can be bold and buy shares of truly struggling retailers that have fallen deeply out of favor. That latter approach has been extremely profitable in 2013 for anyone with the guts to invest in GameStop (NYSE: GME) or Best Buy (NYSE: BBY). Just a few quarters ago, these companies looked to be in deep trouble as spending on video games and consumer electronics, respectively, increasingly was taking place at rivals. Those two retailers have found a way to lure back customers, and the payoff has been huge. Major investors are now scouring the retail landscape in search of the next turnaround play, and mega-investor George Soros thinks he’s found one. In this year‘s second quarter, he plunked down $3 million to buy shares of J.C. Read More

While the markets seem to only be interested in rising rates and earnings, an entire sector has gone unnoticed and blown the doors off the market. The Dow Jones U.S. Railroad Index is surging with a 24% gain this year and has quadrupled since its 2009 low. Besides the general rebound in the economy, crude production is at 20-year highs, far exceeding… Read More

While the markets seem to only be interested in rising rates and earnings, an entire sector has gone unnoticed and blown the doors off the market. The Dow Jones U.S. Railroad Index is surging with a 24% gain this year and has quadrupled since its 2009 low. Besides the general rebound in the economy, crude production is at 20-year highs, far exceeding pipeline capacity and growth. That means a massive surge in demand for transportation by rail. An estimated 1.4 million barrels of crude and refined products were transported by rail every day in the first six months of 2013, an increase of almost 50% from the first half of 2012.#-ad_banner-# All signs pointed to another great year in 2013 and the sector again being a good investment. Then the unthinkable happened: Just after 1 a.m. on July 6, a freight carrier operated by Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway crashed in the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic,… Read More

It’s unusual to hear someone in the financial media suggest selling a stock — particularly one they previously recommended. But knowing when to close a position at the right time is just as important as getting into the right trade at the right time. That’s why I’d prefer not to leave this loose end open. If you stepped into a Wendy’s (NYSE: WEN) position about a year ago on my recommendation, I think it’s time… Read More

It’s unusual to hear someone in the financial media suggest selling a stock — particularly one they previously recommended. But knowing when to close a position at the right time is just as important as getting into the right trade at the right time. That’s why I’d prefer not to leave this loose end open. If you stepped into a Wendy’s (NYSE: WEN) position about a year ago on my recommendation, I think it’s time to lock in your 40% gain and use those proceeds to invest in McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD).#-ad_banner-# A little more than a year ago, I concluded that “based on the company’s plausible growth forecast, shares could be worth somewhere around $7 by the end of 2013 or mid-2014 — about 60% higher than current levels.” The stock actually hit $7 in late July and has since reached a high of $8.05. But it’s time to lock in the gain. Don’t… Read More

While the markets seem to only be interested in rising rates and earnings, an entire sector has gone unnoticed and blown the doors off the market. The Dow Jones U.S. Railroad Index is surging with a 24% gain this year and has quadrupled since its 2009 low. Besides the general rebound in the economy, crude production is at 20-year highs, far exceeding… Read More

While the markets seem to only be interested in rising rates and earnings, an entire sector has gone unnoticed and blown the doors off the market. The Dow Jones U.S. Railroad Index is surging with a 24% gain this year and has quadrupled since its 2009 low. Besides the general rebound in the economy, crude production is at 20-year highs, far exceeding pipeline capacity and growth. That means a massive surge in demand for transportation by rail. An estimated 1.4 million barrels of crude and refined products were transported by rail every day in the first six months of 2013, an increase of almost 50% from the first half of 2012.#-ad_banner-# All signs pointed to another great year in 2013 and the sector again being a good investment. Then the unthinkable happened: Just after 1 a.m. on July 6, a freight carrier operated by Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway crashed in the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic,… Read More

While the markets seem to only be interested in rising rates and earnings, an entire sector has gone unnoticed and blown the doors off the market. The Dow Jones U.S. Railroad Index is surging with a 24% gain this year and has quadrupled since its 2009 low. Besides the general rebound in the economy, crude production is at 20-year highs, far exceeding… Read More

While the markets seem to only be interested in rising rates and earnings, an entire sector has gone unnoticed and blown the doors off the market. The Dow Jones U.S. Railroad Index is surging with a 24% gain this year and has quadrupled since its 2009 low. Besides the general rebound in the economy, crude production is at 20-year highs, far exceeding pipeline capacity and growth. That means a massive surge in demand for transportation by rail. An estimated 1.4 million barrels of crude and refined products were transported by rail every day in the first six months of 2013, an increase of almost 50% from the first half of 2012.#-ad_banner-# All signs pointed to another great year in 2013 and the sector again being a good investment. Then the unthinkable happened: Just after 1 a.m. on July 6, a freight carrier operated by Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway crashed in the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic,… Read More

While the markets seem to only be interested in rising rates and earnings, an entire sector has gone unnoticed and blown the doors off the market. The Dow Jones U.S. Railroad Index is surging with a 24% gain this year and has quadrupled since its 2009 low. Besides the general rebound in the economy, crude production is at 20-year highs, far exceeding… Read More

While the markets seem to only be interested in rising rates and earnings, an entire sector has gone unnoticed and blown the doors off the market. The Dow Jones U.S. Railroad Index is surging with a 24% gain this year and has quadrupled since its 2009 low. Besides the general rebound in the economy, crude production is at 20-year highs, far exceeding pipeline capacity and growth. That means a massive surge in demand for transportation by rail. An estimated 1.4 million barrels of crude and refined products were transported by rail every day in the first six months of 2013, an increase of almost 50% from the first half of 2012.#-ad_banner-# All signs pointed to another great year in 2013 and the sector again being a good investment. Then the unthinkable happened: Just after 1 a.m. on July 6, a freight carrier operated by Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway crashed in the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic,… Read More

While the markets seem to only be interested in rising rates and earnings, an entire sector has gone unnoticed and blown the doors off the market. The Dow Jones U.S. Railroad Index is surging with a 24% gain this year and has quadrupled since its 2009 low. Besides the general rebound in the economy, crude production is at 20-year highs, far exceeding… Read More

While the markets seem to only be interested in rising rates and earnings, an entire sector has gone unnoticed and blown the doors off the market. The Dow Jones U.S. Railroad Index is surging with a 24% gain this year and has quadrupled since its 2009 low. Besides the general rebound in the economy, crude production is at 20-year highs, far exceeding pipeline capacity and growth. That means a massive surge in demand for transportation by rail. An estimated 1.4 million barrels of crude and refined products were transported by rail every day in the first six months of 2013, an increase of almost 50% from the first half of 2012.#-ad_banner-# All signs pointed to another great year in 2013 and the sector again being a good investment. Then the unthinkable happened: Just after 1 a.m. on July 6, a freight carrier operated by Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway crashed in the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic,… Read More

Lackluster retail results have inspired recent headlines such as “Tepid U.S. Retail Sales Raising Doubts About Economy” and “Consumer Caution Hits Sales at U.S. Retailers.”#-ad_banner-# The latest wave of quarterly financial… Read More

The business of retailing is quite simple. You have a large base of fixed costs tied up in real estate, inventory and personnel, and you aim for a base of… Read More