Most of us are taught, at an early age, that cynicism is wrong. Being distrustful of others and believing people are only motivated by self-interest is a difficult way to approach life. However, as in most everyday wisdom, there is a dramatic exception to this rule.  Being a cynic has… Read More

Ever since he took the reins of Citigroup (NYSE: C) in mid-October, Chairman Michael O’Neill has been making the rounds with the company’s key stakeholders. And as he’s found, the global banking giant still has many detractors in the investment community. Read More

In his book “How to Make Money in Stocks,” famed investor and founder of the Investor’s Business Daily publication William J. O’Neill suggested that the performance of the sector and industry in which a stock is categorized ultimately determines one-third of an individual stock’s performance. In other words, just by… Read More

During the past two years, software developers in Redmond, Wash., have been fine-tuning the millions of lines of code that comprise Windows 8, the latest version of Microsoft’s (Nasdaq: MSFT) ubiquitous software operating system. It’s been an ambitious task, as Microsoft has… Read More

Insider purchases — when a director or company executive buys shares — are some of the most closely followed events in the market. Who better knows whether a stock is… Read More

Finding the right investment can be a challenge for anyone, especially during a down economy. But many don’t realize that the research has already been done for you.  #-ad_banner-#If you’ve read my articles,… Read More

The financial media has been on fire with frightening stories about the pending fiscal cliff due to begin on Jan. 1, 2013. The fear in the market is strongly reflected by a drop of more than 900 points in the Dow Jones… Read More

Roughly a decade ago, consumers finally realized they were truly addicted to the Internet.  If you spent a few days offline, without checking e-mail or favorite websites, then withdrawal symptoms began to occur. More recently, we’ve become dependent on a new fix: “WiFi.” As we roam towns and cities, or… Read More

When the market hit bottom in March 2009, investors needed to weigh two variables: The negative pull of a weak economy against the positive push of compelling low valuations. That push-and-pull dynamic has stayed… Read More

Very few hedge fund managers get to have an investing maxim named after them. But so many people follow in the slipstream of activist hedge fund manager Carl Icahn, trying to profit from his moves, that there’s even… Read More