It all started back in 2008. Oil and gas prices were soaring. Credit was getting tight, people were losing jobs and the Great Recession was in full force. As these trends took shape, auto sales plummeted. These historical changes forced consumers to… Read More

The worst drought in more than 50 years has slammed the U.S. agricultural industry this summer. About 46% of the lower 48 states are in severe drought conditions, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor Map. The situation has become so bad, that the U.S. Department of… Read More

Small-cap value stocks have consistently outperformed all other categories of stocks. That’s the message coming from the industry’s most respected academic and financial institutions. #-ad_banner-#Small-cap value stocks outperformed the general market by 4.3% annually from 1926-1997, according to Morningstar’s registered investment adviser subsidiary… Read More

As different as they are, stocks and bonds often share a key feature — yield, the annual dividend or interest payment divided by the price of the security, expressed as a… Read More

So far in 2012, merger and acquisition (M&A) activity has been fairly subdued. But the few deals that have been announced have taken the stocks of the firms being acquired much higher. Read More

The art of short-selling is inextricably tied to the direction of the market. If the market has sold off for a number of sessions, then it’s risky to short stocks. This is because a reversal from… Read More

What would compel insiders to buy up company stock? After all, they typically receive shares anyway through annual stock option grants — for free. Some market watchers suggest that these folks buy… Read More

There is no question that Warren Buffett has had a great run as an investor and money manager. His ability to spot great deals and hold companies through thick and thin is… Read More

Most successful investors figure out ways to spot opportunity before the masses figure it out. They often get in early — before the crowd catches on and sends the stock price up — and reap large benefits along the way. And… Read More

There’s Wall Street, and then there’s the “Wallflowers.” These are companies that go out of their way to avoid the Wall Street banking-and-research mill, content to let their businesses speak for themselves. Some companies end up as Wallflowers even if they prefer otherwise. Read More