My top-rated stock this week (out of more than 6,000 stocks and ETFs) is a basic materials company that focuses on industrial metals, minerals and oil and gas. In general, I like the basic materials segment of the global economy and even more so… Read More

September has been a wonderful month for stocks. The S&P 500 Index, for example, has risen in 10 of the past 13 sessions, rebounding to levels seen last May, before the bears took the reins. Shares are rising on expectations that we’re increasingly… Read More

An important trend that will drive stock market returns in the coming decades is demographics. Simply put, the age of citizens across the world is advancing. In the United States, the first of the Baby Boom generation was born in 1946 and is in the process of retiring. Japan, Europe… Read More

A seldom mentioned emerging market country is nurturing a future oil giant. Few are aware that Colombia is a growing and dynamic economy. Many people think of Colombia as a violent and lawless place dominated by drug cartels, or perhaps even… Read More

Every few years, demographers raise their estimate for human longevity. Whereas 70 years old once signified a rapidly aging body and the early signs of mortal illness, now 70 year-olds run marathons, chop wood and settle for long retirements. Ninety is the new 70. And who could complain about that?… Read More

I attended an investment conference last week and listened to a number of business updates from leading financial institutions. The vast majority are staying extremely conservative with their lending activities and are waiting for more tangible signs of an economic recovery before they start shifting gears from surviving the credit… Read More

Make it seven straight. Nokia (NYSE: NOK) has reeled off a winning streak that has seen its shares rise every day thus far in September. The surge comes amid a pair of analyst upgrades and a change in the corner office. The rebound is also due to the fact that this unloved stock had become so cheap that it had nowhere to go but up. As I wrote last month: “shares have fallen so far, and the company’s balance sheet is so strong,… Read More

Make it seven straight. Nokia (NYSE: NOK) has reeled off a winning streak that has seen its shares rise every day thus far in September. The surge comes amid a pair of analyst upgrades and a change in the corner office. The rebound is also due to the fact that this unloved stock had become so cheap that it had nowhere to go but up. As I wrote last month: “shares have fallen so far, and the company’s balance sheet is so strong, that any further share price weakness looks unlikely.” [Read: 3 Stocks That Can Survive a Bear Market ]   But is this just a head fake, or are shares really on the road to recovery? Let’s take a look. It can’t get worse Both Morgan Stanley (U.K.) and Merrill Lynch boosted their rating on Nokia this week with a fairly unusual investment thesis: business is so lousy and expectations for a rebound are so low that any positive news would be a real surprise. Morgan Stanley notes that Nokia’s latest line of smart… Read More

Today’s market environment might be uncertain, but one thing is certain: the crowd is flocking to bonds. In 2009, investors put $375 billion into bond funds, about 14 times more than in 2008 and more than double the previous record in… Read More

Talk about great timing. Major casino operators decided a decade ago to build massive new casinos in Macau, just a stone’s throw from Hong Kong and mainland China. Those new gambling halls are now packed to the gills, thanks to the region’s ever-rising tide of freshly-minted millionaires. Meanwhile, traffic at casinos in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Biloxi and elsewhere in the United States remains in a funk. The fact that shares of Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) and Wynn Resorts (Nasdaq: WYNN) are up +110% and +50% year-to-date, respectively, is solely… Read More

Talk about great timing. Major casino operators decided a decade ago to build massive new casinos in Macau, just a stone’s throw from Hong Kong and mainland China. Those new gambling halls are now packed to the gills, thanks to the region’s ever-rising tide of freshly-minted millionaires. Meanwhile, traffic at casinos in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Biloxi and elsewhere in the United States remains in a funk. The fact that shares of Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) and Wynn Resorts (Nasdaq: WYNN) are up +110% and +50% year-to-date, respectively, is solely due to their exposure to Macau. U.S.-focused Casino operators like Isle of Capri (Nasdaq: ISLE) can only look on with envy. That firm announced very tepid quarterly results August 31st, pushing shares down -14%. If you think you missed the Macau surge, fret not. There is a way to play the region with a stock that is only starting to find appreciation among investors. #-ad_banner-#Building boom After years of construction, new casinos have been opening at a frenzied pace during the past few years in Macau. Industry revenue rose more than +50%… Read More

The stock market has not been a great place to invest in the past decade. In fact, the S&P 500 is lower now than it was 10 years ago. Bonds, on the other hand, have been a much better place to invest. The Barclay’s Capital U.S. Aggregate… Read More