Stock market volatility has caused many investors to question their commitment to buying individual stocks. This combined with a decade of flat to slightly negative stock market returns has stoked a debate over whether buy-and-hold investing makes any sense going forward. Defensive-minded investors looking to lower equity… Read More

My friend Chris was irate. “My broker just ripped me off!” he pouted. “Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-A) said in a press release they would pay $0.84 a share, but instead my broker gave me $0.714 a share.” I tried to explain to Chris that it’s not… Read More

It’s no secret. Markets have been tanking. Investors are fearful that the debt crisis in Europe will derail the recovery. As many analysts predict slower economic growth or a “new normal” in the years ahead, high dividend stocks could replace growth… Read More

Here’s the most important number you need to know today: $8 billion. That’s the amount of cash that BP (NYSE: BP) is likely to generate, year-in and year-out, assuming energy prices stay where they are right now. And that number should be kept in mind as investors tally up all… Read More

The Dow Jones Industrial Average has notched another loss this morning, a triple-digit decline as I write this, with some wondering if the blue-chip index can remain above the 10,000 mark. All sectors are in the red. What… Read More

I’m not a pack rat, but I saved the October 6, 2008 issue of The New Yorker magazine. Only weeks earlier, the investment bank Lehman Brothers had failed and the markets were spiraling downward. As always, the magazine had its signature… Read More

The Greek debt crisis sent the world’s financial markets reeling, particularly across the so-called “PIIGS” nations in Europe — Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain, five European countries considered to be in the most questionable financial shape. The fear is that… Read More

Want proof that we’re not out of the woods just yet? Last Thursday, the Dow fell as much as -9.2% in just minutes before snapping back nearly as fast. One eight-minute span during the day wiped out almost $700 billion in equity before the market rebounded, according to Bloomberg. Read More

Investing in small market capitalization stocks is a time-tested approach to beating the stock market. For starters, it is easier for small companies to grow the top line rapidly because new business can have a significant impact on their smaller sales levels. They can… Read More

Israel, believe it or not, is a blossoming emerging market. That’s because the country has an obsession with technology. You could argue that Israel is more focused on technology than any other emerging market in the world. On a per capita basis, the country has the highest… Read More