I’ve written many times about using a cash-secured put sale strategy as a disciplined way to enter a long stock position at a lower price or get paid not to.#-ad_banner-# I have a slight twist on this strategy that I call the… Read More

The earnings cycle is widely followed by economists and some long-term investors, but traders often overlook the state of the economy when they develop their… Read More

Would you rather have a 60% or a 100% return on an investment? The obvious answer is 100%. But this answer ignores an important factor: How long will this investment take to reach this amazing return? That’s exactly what’s happening with financial services stocks… Read More

It started out as an experiment. It wound up being one of the greatest investment discoveries we’ve ever found. About two years ago, StreetAuthority co-founder Paul Tracy approached me with an idea. He wanted me to build a portfolio of dividend stocks that would pay out… Read More

The recent decision by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to artificially inflate the economy to the tune of $40 billion dollars a month has the markets screaming higher. The big talk on the Street is that most money managers and individual investors… Read More

Bad news can send stocks sharply lower, and that initial down move based on the news is often just the first step in a steeper decline. But unless the company is destined for bankruptcy, the stock will eventually stop falling and turn up. That’s the idea behind bottom fishing. There are some trading strategies that can be used to spot when the selling has gone too far and an upward bounce should be expected. But keep in mind that bottom fishing should… Read More

Bad news can send stocks sharply lower, and that initial down move based on the news is often just the first step in a steeper decline. But unless the company is destined for bankruptcy, the stock will eventually stop falling and turn up. That’s the idea behind bottom fishing. There are some trading strategies that can be used to spot when the selling has gone too far and an upward bounce should be expected. But keep in mind that bottom fishing should only be done in a bull market when stocks have a stronger tendency to rise.#-ad_banner-# The first step is to identify when the selling may have peaked. In a downtrend, it is very common to see the selling pressure accelerate. As prices fall, more and more traders want to sell and the result is a fast down move. When the selling stops, we often see prices bounce higher, and this is a good time to buy if we can find rules that define this pattern. To find… Read More

Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) at some of the nation’s biggest companies have a problem on their hands. They’re tasked with watching over billions, tens of billions or even hundreds of billions of dollars every day, making sure to find ways to deliver the best returns to shareholders while keeping enough aside for a rainy day. With interest rates sitting at multi-decade lows, these executives can’t afford to let the money just sit there. That’s why more of them are looking at share buybacks, dividends, acquisitions or higher levels of capital spending to take some of that cash off of the… Read More

Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) at some of the nation’s biggest companies have a problem on their hands. They’re tasked with watching over billions, tens of billions or even hundreds of billions of dollars every day, making sure to find ways to deliver the best returns to shareholders while keeping enough aside for a rainy day. With interest rates sitting at multi-decade lows, these executives can’t afford to let the money just sit there. That’s why more of them are looking at share buybacks, dividends, acquisitions or higher levels of capital spending to take some of that cash off of the sidelines and put it into action. This is good news for investors. Because the more cash a company deploys, the better the chances of bolstering the stock price. We took a look at the cash balances of leading corporations and were stunned to find how much some companies were sitting on. In some instances, these companies have such a large amount of cash that it equals or surpasses what some countries produce in terms of annual economic activity (GDP). Here are the top ten profitable companies sitting on stunning amounts of cash (we excluded traditional… Read More

For most men, two of the scariest words they’ll ever hear are “I do.”  Without a doubt, marriage is one of the most difficult decisions a person can face. But for men in particular, the mere thought of uttering these words prompts painful visions of a future filled with deep… Read More

I doubt you’ve ever heard of Howard Silverblatt. Mr. Silverblatt is a senior analyst at Standard and Poor’s. He covers a lot of topics when it comes to his work at S&P, but what’s made him a hot commodity for reporters (and why I like to… Read More

The sole purpose of the Federal’s Reserve’s recent moves and commentary is to inspire the economy‘s “animal spirits.” The most recent action, known as QE3, or the third round of quantitative easing, is simply an effort to provide a spark where none… Read More