Issues
Everything You Need to Know About ETF Investing
As 2009 draws to a close, I’d like to thank you for your loyalty. Readers like you are truly a blessing. …
A Low Volume Stock Market Rally and a Burst Real Estate Bubble
One of the most basic technical rules says that sound stock market rallies are accompanied by high and rising volume. By contrast ... …
As Delhi Proves, Dividends Know No Borders
While a lot of folks were spending December 25 opening presents, my family and I were hurriedly packing our bags and running off to the airport... …
Beating the Dow by More Than Six to One!
Martin here with a brief review of global markets for 2009 and some basic thoughts regarding the risks and opportunities in 2010 ... …
Risk Aversion vs. Risk Taking: What's in Store for 2010?
With 2009 coming to a close, I’d like to take a look back at the role that the big-picture environment has played in determining how currencies ... …
From Brazil: Warmest Holiday Wishes
As Elisabeth and I gather with our family and their children at this very special time of the year, we are reminded of the many blessings in our lives ... …
Stuff Your ETF Stocking With Micro-Caps
Do you remember the childhood wonder of looking at all the colorfully wrapped packages under the Christmas tree, trying to guess what ... …
Time's Person of the Year Drives the Crisis Spiral
Fed President Ben Bernanke has been named Time magazine’s Person of the Year for 2009. However, in looking back at former People of the Year it becomes crystal clear that this title doesn’t necessarily mean that the honored person has done something good for the world ... …
Tips for Last-Minute Holiday Shoppers …
The National Retail Federation projects U.S. consumers will spend an average of $682.74 on holiday shopping this year ... …
Three Government Reports Reveal New Looming Risk
Never before have I seen a broader range of investment opportunities as those opening up early in January! But if you’re among those throwing caution to the wind ... or if you’re slashing ... …
Has the Dollar Bottomed?
For much of 2009, the dollar has been the Tiger Woods of global currencies. There has been a relentless snowball of negative sentiment ... …
Treasuries, Treasuries Everywhere, but Not an Aggressive Bidder to Bid
The holiday season is here — and in just a couple of weeks, 2009 will fade into the history books. I truly hope that you and your ... …
Mega-Cap ETFs Give You the Bluest Blue Chips
People often associate “big†with “safe.†They think big ships are safer than small boats. Big banks are safer than small banks. Big stocks are safer than small stocks... …
Why You Should Expect Interest Rates to Rise Soon
Last December, the yield on the 10-year Treasury bond fell to 2 percent, the lowest level in 40 years. The financial and economic crisis had investors heading for a safe harbor ... …
Reminder: It’s Not Too Late for Year-End Moves
Since I’m not only doing the usual holiday running around, but also trying to prepare for an upcoming three-week trip to India, I’m acutely aware of just how hectic this time of the year can be... …
Here’s how to make 2010 your most profitable year EVER …
These are the times that we investors live for — one of the most target-rich environments I’ve ever seen! This time ... …
What Could Lift the Dollar?
The most recent employment data in the U.S. came in significantly better than what was expected. And the financial markets reacted in a different way this time. Interest rates went screaming ... …
Sovereign Debt Defaults the Next Shoe to Drop?
Governments the world over have spent the past year bailing out, backstopping, insuring, and stimulating their financial sectors and economies ... …
Know Your ETF Sponsors
The ETF business is exploding as the many advantages of exchange-traded funds are drawing investors away from individual stocks and old-fashioned mutual funds. Since you can’t know the players ... …
Gold Gets Hit Hard; My Thoughts …
On Thursday of last week, gold hit an all-time high of $1,227 an ounce. Since then, gold’s price is down to $1,145 per ounce for a quick loss of nearly 7 percent... …
The Many Faces of Unemployment
Last Friday we got word that the employment picture in the U.S. improved substantially over the month of November... …
Our 11 Startling Forecasts for 2010
Two recent mega-events — the Wall Street collapse in 2008 and the Washington response in 2009 ... the debt implosion and then the money printing explosion — are mind-boggling in their dimensions ... …
Has the Yen Topped?
The Japanese yen has been the best performing currency over the past two-and-a-half years. Since the unraveling of the subprime mortgage market and the subsequent peak in the carry trade, the yen has ... …
Where to Look in a World Starved For Yield
The Federal Reserve’s policy of pegging interest rates to the floor is having a slew of consequences. It’s driving down the dollar. It’s helping fuel new asset bubbles... …
ETFs Bring the Middle East to You
The Middle East is big news this week with a state-owned company in the tiny emirate of Dubai asking for an extension on debt payments. Markets around the globe are watching intently... …
Reasons to Be Suspicious of this Market
A healthy bull run for the stock market must come from rising prices and rising volume. This is an old and time-honored stock market analysis ... …
Give Thanks for Dividend Bargains
My wife and I hosted a big Thanksgiving dinner last Thursday, and as you might expect, the subject of investing came up before we even sat down ... …
The Bigger and Riskier Monster
Martin here with an urgent reminder that, despite what you may be hearing from Washington, risk is still a four-letter word ... …
Weighing the Dollar Alternatives: Part II
In last week’s Money and Markets column, I analyzed the three major liquid currencies as prospective alternatives to the U.S. dollar: The Japanese yen, the British pound and the euro ... …
See No Asset Bubbles … Hear No Asset Bubbles … Speak No Warnings About Asset Bubbles
Ever see one of those “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil†statues or pictures? The ones with the three monkeys, one covering his eyes, one covering his ears, and one covering his mouth ... …
Happy Thanksgiving!
Today is a special day for my family — filled with joy, love and laughter — and I sincerely hope it is for you as well. Elisabeth and I have so many things to be thankful for this year. We have our ... …
The Fed Fears a New Mortgage Crisis
Although the number was just revised downward, the U.S. economy still expanded by 2.8 percent during the third quarter. So it definitely looks like the recession is history. What’s more, last ... …
Another Options Strategy for Income Investors
Writing covered calls is one of my favorite ways to generate additional income from stocks already owned, especially if they also pay dividends. That’s because you basically get two cash flows from ... …
The Biggest Rip-off of All Time
In the scenario I’m about to paint for you, the dialog is fictional, but all the figures real. The time: 1 AM, November 23, 2011, exactly two years from now. The place: the White House, suddenly and unexpectedly under siege as a new financial crisis ... …
Weighing the Dollar Alternatives
The dollar has suffered a landslide of scrutiny and negative sentiment over the past eight months. Yet just nine months ago it was the currency that every investor and central banker in the world wanted ... …
The Hidden Costs of Too Much Government Debt
This week was a fascinating one on the geopolitical front. President Barack Obama travelled to China in what was billed as a major diplomatic trip. The idea? Try to reach common ground on ... …
Profit from the Falling Dollar With ETFs
The U.S. dollar is falling like a rock! And while we could always see a short-term rally, I’m growing more and more convinced that the dollar is heading much lower against other world currencies ... …
Two Forces Pushing Gold Higher
When gold broke out of a triangle formation in early September, a technical buying signal was generated. I discussed this bullish signal in my Money and Markets column and told readers that a move to ... …
Fighting Soaring College Costs
I’ve talked a lot about soaring costs for many of our biggest needs and wants — energy, health care, food, and more. But if you have kids or grandkids, you’re probably aware of another ... …
The Strongest BRIC Country
I have a trick question for you, especially if you’re interested in emerging markets: Among the four BRIC countries ... …
Is China’s Currency Manipulation Coming to a Head?
I’ve written several times here in Money and Markets about the geopolitical time bomb surrounding China’s currency manipulation. The most recent was in my October 31 column. I expect this issue to ... …
The Latest on Rates, the Fed, Asset Inflation, and More
When it comes to Lay’s potato chips, the saying goes, you can’t eat just one. And when it comes to the interest rate and financial markets, I just can’t focus on one thing this week. There’s just too ... …
Schwab Changes the ETF Landscape
I’ve been talking for years about the way exchange traded funds (ETFs) are changing the investment landscape. Yet sometimes I’m still startled to see the world change in front of my eyes ... …
The Sorry State of Modern Economics
Since last year’s collapse of the banking system, hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent to bail out some of the major players. Additionally, governments all over the world, and their central ... …
I Blame Everyone for the Credit Card Fiasco
I was recently talking to my mother, and she started talking about the evil credit card companies, and how they were out to get us all — right now — by jacking up our rates unfairly in a bid to ... …
Massive Revolutionary Changes
I've just returned from Munich, Germany, where Claus Vogt and I addressed the 8th Annual Conference of Sicheres Geld subscribers. Here are the highlights of my side of the presentation ... …
The Next Bust: The "Risk Trade"
A lot of focus was given to the central banks' meetings this week. That's because a lot of people would really like to see target rates start moving up from their low levels. Some argue for higher rates because ... …
Fed Signals "All Systems Go" for More Inflation
I have been adamant recently in saying that the Federal Reserve would not ... would NOT ... signal an end to the easy money environment at this week's policy meeting. These guys simply lack the political ... …
Five Tips for Trading ETFs
Every week I tell you about exchange traded funds (ETFs) that you can use for various investment purposes. You could be wondering, though, what’s the best way to buy them. So in today’s ... …
Leading Economic Indicators Point to a Continuation of the Economic Rebound
The Conference Board Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI) has a very good track record in forecasting recessions ... It gave advance warnings for each of the past eight U.S. recessions ... …
A Preferred Share Primer
When I talk about dividend stocks here at Money and Markets, I almost always mean common shares of a company. But today I want to tell you about another class of stock that some income investors ... …
Earning Higher Income in a Low Yield Market
If your goal is to aim for good, steady income while lowering your risk, then you’re facing great challenges today. For one thing, interest rates on bank CDs, money market funds, and even short-term ... …
The Great Hoax of 2009-2010
Before he died, Dad warned me of false profits ... and fake promises. “Beware,†he said, “of shaky gains hyped up by Wall ... …
The Most Undervalued Currency in the World
When the leaders from the 20 most powerful countries in the world (including China) met last month, they left with a pledge to work toward rebalancing global economies. That means countries running large ... …
Your Fall Housing Market Update
Every few months for the past couple of years, I’ve made it a point to update you on the state of the housing market. I feel it’s ... …
Playing the Health Care Sector with ETFs
We’ve all been waiting on pins and needles to see what kind of health care reform comes out of Washington. Aside from the fact that we’re all patients of one kind or another, health care is a ... …
A Perfect Setup for a Stock Market Correction
Since there’s no holy grail to analyze financial markets, the best approach is an eclectic one. So I incorporate as many tools as possible in my analysis, including: Fundamental valuations ... …
Two More of My Favorite Technical Indicators …
Two weeks ago, I told you why a quick look at Colgate’s chart led me to believe that its run was going to continue through the early fall. And I also said that I had a few reasons to be wary of the ... …
Webinar Transcript: The War on the Dollar
Last week, I showed you the most shocking numbers I’ve seen in my lifetime: Up until the day Leman Brothers collapsed in September of last year, it took the Fed 5012 days — 13 years and 8 months — to double the cash currency and reserves ... …
Hedge Fund Investing
Hedge funds and the managers who run them have been getting a lot of publicity lately — and not of the flattering kind. We have massive Ponzi schemes, equally massive losses and outsized systemic ... …
The Fed's Latest, Greatest Round of Asset Inflation
There goes oil, surging past $80-a-barrel. That’s up 150 percent from the December low, in case you’re keeping score. Gasoline? Wholesale prices are up more than 40 cents a gallon in just under a month ... …
Unbundle the Stock Market with Sector ETFs
Investors often think about “the stock market†as if it were some kind of giant creature rumbling through the woods. However, the stock market is more like a whole bunch of little creatures, each of ... …
Another Important Market Has Given a Clear Buying Signal …
During the past six weeks gold has broken above two very important resistance lines thus giving clear buy signals. And I presented several more arguments calling for much higher gold prices in my ... …
Yet Another Government Insult to Retirement Incomes
As if it isn’t bad enough that most retirement portfolios are still down significantly from their levels a year or two ago ... that housing wealth has been evaporated in towns across the country ... …
Bernanke gone berserk! Bank reserves explode!
My conclusion: Fed Chairman Bernanke has dumped so much funny money into the U.S. banking system and has done so little to manage how that money is used, the fate of our entire economy has now been ... …
The Fed's Perfect Scenario
If you consider all of the structural problems in the U.S. economy, there has not been a lot of progress toward getting things back on track. The root causes of what created the near debilitating ... …
Getting Inside the Fed's Head
Every so often, someone decides to pick a fight with me over the Federal Reserve. They say I’ve got it all wrong. They say the ... …
How to Target the Rising Financial Sector with ETFs
I’ve had great success with sector-based exchange traded funds (ETFs) over the years. And that’s because − despite whatever problems the broader stock market may be having − usually one ... …
Gold Giving Another Strong Buying Signal
In my September 9 Money and Markets column I showed you a gold chart. On that date, I said, "This breakout of a huge triangle is a clear technical buying signal." I added that the minimum ... …
Have you been watching that stock I named in August?
Back in August, I did something I rarely do here in Money and Markets ... I profiled a specific stock, one that was currently in the Dividend Superstars portfolio. The company was ... …
Aiming For Higher Current Income in a World of Near ZERO Yields
Financial markets around the world have enjoyed a major bounce since March. U.S. stocks ... foreign stocks ... commodities ... even long-term government bonds have rebounded far off ... …
Dangerous Unintended Consequences
Martin here with an urgent update on the next phase of this crisis ... Fed Chairman Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Geithner are in for a rude awakening. Even as they declare “victory†in ... …
Is Intervention for the Yen on the Horizon?
In the summer of 2007, Bear Stearns confessed it had spent $3.2 billion bailing out two of its funds that were exposed to the sub-prime market. At the same time, the yen carry trade ... …
Tightening Begins Overseas; Here? Not So Much …
Just a couple of weeks ago, I told you what to expect from the U.S. central bank on the interest rate front. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not now. And not for a long, long time ... …
How to Trade China with ETFs
Right now, China is celebrating 60 years of Communist party rule. Most of the party-goers aren’t old enough to remember anything else, of course, but that isn’t stopping the nationwide ... …
Where — and Who — Are the Bulls?
Bull markets are said to climb a wall of worry. And during the past week this valued adage came to my mind again and again. You see, I’ve been travelling quite a bit in Europe ... …
Two Barriers on the Road to Wealth
Have you ever been driving on the road when traffic suddenly comes to a halt? You sit there wondering what the heck is going on up ahead for ten or fifteen minutes. Then, suddenly .. …
Three Government Reports Point to Fiscal Doomsday
When our leaders have no awareness of the disastrous consequences of their actions, they can claim ignorance and take no action. Or when our leaders have no hard evidence as to ... …
What Does the G-7 Think About Currencies?
The G-7 meets this weekend in Istanbul. So what’s on the minds of these leaders of the top industrialized countries of the world? They’re all worried about currencies. Specifically ... …
Three Caution Flags Warning of a Market Correction
As the Director of Research and Client Communications at Weiss Capital Management, I write a weekly e-newsletter, Weiss Advice. Recently, I cautioned our readers that the month ... …
Many Flavors of Bond ETFs
Stocks are definitely the most popular asset class covered by exchange-traded funds (ETFs), but you can buy a lot of other things, too. For instance, did you know you can invest in the ... …
Fed Promises Easy Money for an Extended Period
Every few weeks the world’s most powerful and influential central bankers ― those in charge of the world’s number one reserve currency, the U.S. dollar ― come together in what’s ... …
Four Big Economic Indicators to Watch
There are many items that influence the day-to-day moves in a stock, bond, or commodity’s price — earnings news, corporate financials, simple supply and demand, and a whole lot ... …
Dollar crashes against yen! Time to act!
Martin here with an urgent update on the dramatic events that took place late last week and what they could ultimately mean for you ... …
Did You Miss the 62% Run-Up in the Stock Market?
I normally talk only about currencies here in my Money and Markets column. But today I want to address some commonly held misconceptions many investors have about how their ... …
Preemptive Tightening from THIS Fed? You Can’t Be Serious.
This week’s Federal Reserve meeting was supposed to be a big deal. Ahead of the two-day gathering, I don’t know how many stories I read suggesting that the Fed might start ... …
Five Hot New International ETFs To Consider
Today, much of the world’s economic growth is outside of the U.S. So for now at least, many (and maybe most) of the compelling investment opportunities are outside the U.S., too ... …
Is This the Time to Be a Contrarian?
Many successful investors and speculators, like Warren Buffett and George Soros, are said to be contrarians. But what does this really mean? And is it true? Let’s have a look at the concept ... …
What Company Would You Buy with $100 Million?
Today, I’d like to play make believe by pretending we’ve just won $100 million with a Powerball ticket. I only suggest playing the lottery in Fantasy Land, of course. In real life I consider ... …
From Deflation to Inflation
Step by step, with little fanfare and great complacency, we are witnessing a fundamental, global shift that's rapidly transforming the investment scene: The forces of deflation are ... …
Protectionism: Enemy of Recovery
In the most global-reaching recession since the Great Depression, protectionism is a poison pill for recovery. And we got a taste of it this week ... The Chinese supply about 19 percent of ... …
Easy-Money Fed Fueling Dollar “Carry Tradesâ€
A fascinating thing just occurred in the global interest rate market: For the first time since 1993, it became cheaper to borrow dollars than Japanese yen! The three-month dollar-based London ... …
Get Creative With Alternative Weighting ETFs
You probably know that exchange traded funds (ETFs) are usually based on an index. In some cases the indexes are broad, like the S&P 500. Others are narrowly specialized in sectors ... …
Three Different Ways of Looking at the Stock Market
Many investors are finding that the current situation in the stock market is very difficult to read because the conclusions of different analytical approaches are unusually conflicting ... …
Pension Plan Shocker Dead Ahead!
I’ve talked about corporate pension plans before, but in a few short weeks I think we’re going to get some shocking news. Namely, that the government backup for failed pension plans is ... …
Passionate Plea From Asia
Martin's off this week. So I'm writing you today from Asia with a passionate plea to our country — to its citizens and especially to our leaders in Washington. We are now the laughing stock ... …
The Alarming Tale of Two Economies
The contrast between the U.S. and China has never been more disturbing. Here in the U.S., our government is sinking into debt at the fastest pace in history. The federal deficit has nearly ... …
Strong Currencies — Not Welcome
Many governments are warning about the risks that may undermine economic recovery. And a lot of that concern is surrounding the value of their currency. Since March, most currencies ... …
What happens when they DO find an alternative to U.S. bonds?
Every time I talk about the risk of our foreign creditors selling off their U.S. Treasuries, I hear the same objection: These guys have no place else to put the money! They’ll ALWAYS buy our ... …
Commodity ETFs Under Fire From Washington!
When it comes to investing in commodities, the people I know have two opposite emotions — either obsessed or terrified. I can see why. The commodity markets — contracts representing ... …
