It’s been a rough year for those in the branding business at big corporations. SEC investigations, massive product recalls and oil spills (among more traditional factors like competition and slowing sales) have taken a toll on the reputations, as well as the stock prices, of some of America’s most well-known… Read More

Right now, I’m in “pre-board” mode. That’s what I call the day before I go on vacation. Part of my mind is already swimming with all the fun things I’m going to do during my time off. But I’m also grounded by the work I have to… Read More

Anybody who’s ever divvied up a pizza understands that the more people at the table, the thinner the slices need to be to accommodate everyone. You don’t have to love pizza like I do to understand this principle. It’s the same with stocks. The more… Read More

Long before the days of growth stocks, investors used to search for value in stocks that were trading for less than the net assets on their balance sheets. It was a tried-and-true formula for protecting your downside while searching for upside. The stock market’s original gurus –… Read More

For as long as anyone can remember, the Federal Reserve has been tasked with keeping a close eye on inflation. But these days, Ben Bernanke and his peers are not worried about prices rising so much as they fear falling prices. Read More

Not all CEOs are as generous as Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) Steve Jobs. The company’s founder makes $1 a year (although he holds plenty of Apple stock), while a starting sales associate at one of his Apple stores makes more than $31,200. But Jobs is an exception, not the rule. Even… Read More

The great thing about being a trader is that we can be very light on our feet. You don’t have to worry about getting out of a position. You are not married to stocks, like value investors. Being opportunistic and attentive to the vagaries of the market… Read More

Investors may feel like they have nowhere to turn during times like these. Equity investors have seen a -35% return in the S&P 500 during the past 10 years, making it known as “The Lost Decade.” Meanwhile, those who turn to bonds are likely to find themselves sorely disappointed — the 10-year T-bill currently yields a measly 3.02%. So what’s an investor to do? Well, there is a security that provides diversification with bond-like regular income along with a shot at capital gains. Trouble is, most people haven’t heard of… Read More

Investors may feel like they have nowhere to turn during times like these. Equity investors have seen a -35% return in the S&P 500 during the past 10 years, making it known as “The Lost Decade.” Meanwhile, those who turn to bonds are likely to find themselves sorely disappointed — the 10-year T-bill currently yields a measly 3.02%. So what’s an investor to do? Well, there is a security that provides diversification with bond-like regular income along with a shot at capital gains. Trouble is, most people haven’t heard of it. And if they have, investors often shy away from them because they seem too complicated. It’s a real shame, because these readily available securities often make terrific investments for a portfolio. The security in question is known as “preferred stock.” Investors should think of preferreds as stock-bond hybrids, because they share characteristics of both. Let’s walk through how a preferred issuance is characterized and how investors can score juicy and stable returns. Hospital REIT Ashford Hospitality Trust (NYSE: AHT) issued eight million… Read More

During the past few months, experts have been slowly ratcheting down their global economic growth forecasts. A robust first half rebound is likely to be followed by a second half slowdown. Where the global economy heads from there is a crucial question for… Read More

Heading into a long holiday weekend, company-specific news may be light. But Washington is gearing up to release a slew of important data. Here’s a look at three economic items to watch: Home Prices look for a Floor Here’s a sobering stat: As of the first quarter of 2010, average home prices across the United States are at levels similar to what they were in the spring of 2003. They rose sharply in the middle of the decade, but have given back all of those gains during the past three years. On Tuesday,… Read More

Heading into a long holiday weekend, company-specific news may be light. But Washington is gearing up to release a slew of important data. Here’s a look at three economic items to watch: Home Prices look for a Floor Here’s a sobering stat: As of the first quarter of 2010, average home prices across the United States are at levels similar to what they were in the spring of 2003. They rose sharply in the middle of the decade, but have given back all of those gains during the past three years. On Tuesday, we’ll get the latest reading on housing prices from the S&P Case Shiller Home Price Index. So many potential home buyers are sitting on the sidelines waiting to see when housing prices will turn up. They know that prices are cheap, they just don’t want to see a newly acquired asset become even cheaper. But an upturn in housing prices could be a big motivator to get in the game, and trigger a long-awaited rebound in demand. Analysts at Case Shiller noted in their last report that “housing prices rebounded from crisis lows, but recently have… Read More