STOCKS posts
FeedPosted Nov 10th 2009 5:45PM by Connie Madon (RSS feed)
Filed under: Major movement, International markets, Products and services, Management, Competitive strategy, India, China, Market matters, Money and Finance Today, Japan, Commodities, Oil, DJIA
The stock market is rallying. Commodities are on a tear. Yet the dollar is falling. Why?
There are several reasons for the drop in the dollar, but the most obvious and simple answer is that investors around the world are selling dollars and using the money to buy stocks and commodities, particularly oil and gold.
Last week India announced that it had bought 200 tons of gold from the International Monetary Fund (IMF.) At an average of say $1000.00 per ounce, the transaction amounted to about $7 trillion dollars. Chances are that India sold dollars from their sovereign fund to buy the gold.
Continue reading Why do we have a weak dollar?
Posted Oct 22nd 2009 7:30AM by David Schepp (RSS feed)
Filed under: Before the bell, Earnings reports, eBay (EBAY), AT and T (T), Black and Decker (BDK), Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY), Chubb Corp (CB), Chipotle Mexican Grill'A' (CMG), Economic data, Bunge Ltd. (BG)

Despite largely positive corporate earnings reports, investor caution has set upon Wall Street. For the third straight day stocks are set to move into negative territory, with futures showing the three major U.S. indexes heading lower ahead of Thursday's opening bell.
Some blamed Wednesday's near 1% drops in the Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 on a late-day sell-off driven by the latest
Beige Book survey from the Federal Reserve that showed the economy is ever so slowly emerging from recession -- too slowly, it would seem, for investors.
Continue reading Before the bell: Investors' caution reigns amid earnings season
Posted Oct 21st 2009 7:21AM by David Schepp (RSS feed)

Stocks are poised to head lower as investors continue to digest news out Tuesday about the nation's flagging housing market. While in recent months optimism had crept into builder stocks in anticipation of recovery, a report from the Commerce Department showed new-home construction flat last month.
The news sent the three major U.S. stock indexes lower in trading yesterday, and futures this morning show the Nasdaq Composite Index and the S&P 500 each lower by a half percent, along with the Dow Jones industrial average, which could be trading back under the 10,000 level.
Continue reading Before the bell: Investors cautious amid earnings bonanza
Posted Oct 8th 2009 5:20PM by John Jagerson (RSS feed)
Filed under: Other issues

Earnings season seems to be off to a promising start. So far
Alcoa (NYSE:
AA) cut enough costs to get back into profitable territory and same-store retail sales are up collectively for the first time since last year.
This sounds good and the major market indexes are up on the news reaching mid-September's resistance levels. A break here could turn into another extension of the rally. However, should investors be moving more heavily into stocks?
Continue reading How fragile are stock returns?
Posted Sep 30th 2009 6:20PM by Michael Fowlkes (RSS feed)
Filed under: Major movement, Forecasts, Good news, Market matters, Money and Finance Today, S and P 500, DJIA, Housing, Recession

The market was able to stage a late day rally which erased some of its earlier losses, but still ended the day in the red, with all
3 major indexes closing down on the day.
September is typically not a good month for the market, but even with today's losses this September was positive, as more and more investors have started to believe the economy is coming out of its recession.
Continue reading Market ends the day lower, but up for the month
Posted Sep 29th 2009 3:40PM by Michael Fowlkes (RSS feed)
Filed under: Forecasts, Bad news, Consumer experience, Recession, Financial Crisis

As we continue to question whether or not America is emerging from the recession, one indicator that a lot of people are paying attention to is consumer confidence. Unfortunately,
consumer confidence fell unexpectedly this month, as more and more people are worried about their jobs.
According to the New York-based Conference Board, its consumer confidence index dipped to 53.1 in September, down from 54.5 in August.
The dip ends a three month streak, and is being blamed mostly on Americans concerns over job security. The drop raises concerns over any economic rebound, and comes at a bad time for retailers that are gearing up for the upcoming holiday season.
Continue reading Consumer confidence drops unexpectedly
Posted Jun 23rd 2009 3:50PM by Nikhil Hutheesing (RSS feed)

Canadian stocks are set to give American investors a twofer. As stocks go up, Gordon Pape, one of Canada's leading experts on mutual funds and the editor of
The Canada Report, says that Americans get stock appreciation and a currency bonus – making investing in Canadian stocks more profitable than U.S. stocks.
And now, says Pape, is an especially good time to invest since stocks and the Canadian dollar have recently taken a breather.
We caught up with Gordon Pape to talk to him about earning market profits plus a currency bonus.
Continue reading Guru Strategy: Americans should turn to Canada for outsized returns
Posted Jun 20th 2009 10:30AM by Ted Allrich (RSS feed)
Filed under: Comfort Zone Investing
On Monday the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped more than 200 points before closing a little better. No real reason for it. Pundits suggested the drop in commodity prices (oil and gold were down a little, not enough to comment on) were the reason for the dip, suggesting the economy may not be as robust nor inflation as big a problem as thought on the Friday before.
But here's the real scoop: the market has rallied well beyond a level where economic numbers justify.
Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: Stops and starts ... partly steam ahead!
Posted May 16th 2009 10:30AM by Ted Allrich (RSS feed)
Filed under: General Motors (GM), Citigroup Inc. (C), Comfort Zone Investing
The stock market, as measured by the Dow Jones Industrial Average, sharply rebounded from its low of 6440 in March of this year. Currently, as this is written, the notable index is hovering around 8400. That's an increase of 30%. Not bad for two months of trading. While the average is made up of only 30 stocks, those 30 stocks are some of the best. There are also some real losers, such as General Motors (NYSE: GM) and Citigroup (NYSE: C). But for the most part, the index contains the strongest industries with some of the strongest stocks. With that kind of recovery already in place, is it too late to buy stocks or is this just the start of a major rally?
Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: Is it too late ... or too early to buy stocks?
Posted Apr 11th 2009 10:30AM by Ted Allrich (RSS feed)
Filed under: Comfort Zone Investing
Most CEOs expect things to get worse. Chief Executive Officers of major U.S. corporations were more pessimistic than three months ago about their business and the economy over the next six months, the Business Roundtable reported last Tuesday. The CEO confidence index fell to negative 5.0 in the first quarter from 16.8 in the fourth quarter. It was at 79.5 a year ago. The CEOs expect the economy to contract 1.9% in 2009. Over the next six months, about two-thirds of CEOs expect lower sales, lower capital spending and fewer jobs at their company. About a quarter expect sales to rise in the next six months, while less than 10% expect to increase hiring or capital spending.
Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: Good times coming for investors?
Posted Feb 21st 2009 10:30AM by Ted Allrich (RSS feed)
Filed under: Daimler (DAI), General Motors (GM), Economic data, Comfort Zone Investing, Recession
Ted Allrich is the founder of The Online Investor and author of the book: Comfort Zone Investing: Build Wealth and Sleep Well at Night. In this weekly column, he'll offer advice to investors who are just getting started.
Lately I've looked in vain for good news. I mean news that has some substance, that would make a real difference to an investor. I can't find any. In fact, I feel like a pinball, bouncing from one rubber post to another, each one accelerating the downward, inevitable path toward the black hole at the bottom of the board.
Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: That pinball feeling
Posted Jan 13th 2009 11:35AM by Peter Cohan (RSS feed)
Filed under: Competitive strategy, Define investing
Is this science or science fiction? That thought came to mind when I read that traders who were exposed to more testosterone in the womb made six times more money than their low-testosterone-level peers on very volatile trading days. So if you want to breed a trader, expose him to lots of testosterone in the womb. How do you do that? Beats me.
To determine the traders' prenatal testosterone exposure, University of Minnesota researchers measured their "2D:4D ratio" which is the relative lengths of the index and ring fingers on the right hand. Those exposed to higher levels of testosterone in the womb tend to have relatively longer ring fingers.
Based on the 2D:4D measure, researchers who studied the traders' profits over a 20-month period between 2004 and 2007, found that those with the highest in-womb testosterone exposure in the womb earned six times more than those exposed to the least. They also tended to have the longest careers, surviving about three years longer on average.
Continue reading Traders with higher in-womb testosterone make six times more money
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