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Is hot air deflating your portfolio?
I just returned from a week in Orlando at the Money Show. The speakers were terrific and I came back with a lot of good ideas that I’ll share in the coming weeks. I’m not sure what happened to your portfolio but I came back to a lot of triggered stop losses. My Wall...
8Feb2010 | Shawn | 0 comments | ContinuedU.S. Unemployment Rate Falls to 9.7%
While the number of jobs lost was relatively greater than expected, the overall unemployment rate came down to under 10%. There are other positives in today’s report as well, particularly with respect to revisions, temporary hirings and length of work week. The Labor Department...
5Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedThe Road Map to Higher Interest Rates: Seven Signs of the End of Free Money
by Louis Basenese, Small Cap and Special Situations Expert Thursday, February 4, 2010: Issue #1190 Looking for an exact date as to when Ben Bernanke and his fellow Fed bankers will raise interest rates? Sorry… I don’t have that for you (I loaned my crystal ball to Miss...
5Feb2010 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedNews Corporation Tops Consensus Estimates
Today, News Corporation (NWS) reported better-than-expected second-quarter 2010 results on the heels of an improved advertising environment, and significant cost-cutting initiatives taken by management to combat the downturn. The quarterly earnings of 25 cents a share outdid...
4Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedAAII Asset Allocation Survey: Bonds Up, Stocks Down
Individual investors pulled money out of stocks and bought bonds instead last month, according to the latest AAII Asset Allocation Survey. Allocations toward bonds and bond funds rose in January, while allocations to individual stocks experienced nearly a seven percentage point...
1Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedThe Smart Grid Initiative: The First Great Infrastructure Project of the 21st Century
by David Fessler, Energy and Infrastructure Expert Monday, January 25, 2010: Issue #1182 You don’t have to look around too much to find the latest buzz on renewable energy sources and the companies behind them. Since oil prices began rising and the movement toward a cleaner,...
25Jan2010 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedAAII Sentiment Survey: Bearish Sentiment at a 4-Week High
Bearish sentiment jumped by nearly eight percentage points in the latest AAII Sentiment Survey. Nearly 35% of individual investors said they expect the markets to trend lower over the next six months, the highest level in four weeks. The historical average for bearish sentiment...
21Jan2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedAAII Sentiment Survey: Bullish Sentiment Rebounds to 47.4%
Bullish sentiment remained above its historical average for the eighth time in the past nine weeks. Nearly 48% of individual investors said they expect the markets to trend higher over the next six months, according to the latest AAII Sentiment Survey. The improvement reflected...
14Jan2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedIRAs and Roth IRAs: What You Need to Know Before You Make This Retirement Account Switch
by Karim Rahemtulla, Options Expert Monday, January 11, 2010: Issue #1172 Let’s talk retirement – and specifically, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). Simply put, these are accounts that investors set up to save for retirement. They come in various forms, including...
12Jan2010 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedPut this Commodity at the Top of Your Wish List
by Robert Williams, Publisher Tuesday, January 12, 2010 Capital shortfalls are always met with cost-cutting measures. Period. And when the credit markets froze up last year, cash became harder to come by than a popsicle stand in the desert. On the personal level, plans for...
12Jan2010 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedDecember Unemployment at 10% – Economic Highlights
The Unemployment Rate for December was unchanged at 10%, as was the number of unemployed persons, at 15.3 million. At the start of the recession in December 2007, the number of unemployed persons was 7.7 million and the unemployment rate was 5%, which means these figures have...
8Jan2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedJan 7: Initial Jobless Claims Up – Economic Highlights
Initial Claims increased to 434,000, for the week ending 01/02, less than the expected increase to 441,000, following a decrease to 433,000, the revised figure for the previous week. The 4-week moving average fell for the 18th successive week to 450,250, by 10,250 from the previous...
7Jan2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedAAII Sentiment Survey: Bullish Sentiment Falls, But Stays Above Historical Average
Bullish sentiment pulled back from its four-month high, according the latest AAII Sentiment Survey. The percentage of investors expecting the markets to rise over the next six months fell 8.2 percentage points to 41%. Nonetheless, this is the seventh time in the last eight weeks...
7Jan2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedCan The Battered Auto Sector Mount a Real Recovery In 2010?
This analysis is from Sheena Martin, Contributing Editor, Investment U Wednesday, January 6, 2010 After another brutal year, the auto industry summoned up some end-of-year strength in 2009, with analysts projecting annualized sales of cars and trucks to top 11 million in December. If...
6Jan2010 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedGeneral Motors Sees Impressive China Sales
General Motors (GM) has witnessed a staggering 67% rise in sales to 1.8 million vehicles in 2009, driven by Government incentives including tax cuts and subsidies. GM has revealed that its joint venture with Shanghai Automotive Industries Corp. (SAIC) has shown a sales rise of...
5Jan2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedGet Ready for 2010: What You Need to Know Before You Start Investing
Jeannette Di Louie, Investment U Research Team Last year left investors hoping for positive change, and they certainly seemed to have gotten it in 2009. Though the Dow plummeted to a bruising low of 6,547 in March, the major U.S. indexes have since largely reflected a more upbeat...
31Dec2009 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedGeneral Motors Offers Unusual Incentives to Clear Lots
General Motors (GM) plans to make a payment of $7,000 to auto dealers for each Saturn and Pontiac brand car they can move off their lots. The dealers would technically have to become the first owner of the cars in order to get the incentive. Afterwards, they would be able to...
30Dec2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedWill the “January Effect” Prove Faithful This Year?
by Sheena Martin, Contributing Editor Tuesday, December 29, 2009 If you want to bank on a reliable market opportunity, you’d better pay close attention. January is just around the corner and a trend known as the “January Effect” gives your money potential to multiply. In...
29Dec2009 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedDec 29: Consumer Confidence Up – Economic Highlights
The S&P/Case-Shiller 10-City Home Price Index was unchanged in October following an increase of 0.5% in September, revised from 0.4% and 1.3% in August. Over the year, the index has fallen by 6.4%.The S&P/Case-Shiller 20-City Home Price Index was also unchanged after...
29Dec2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedGeneral Motors Shuts Down Saab
GM Shuts Down Saab General Motors has decided to discontinue its Swedish brand, Saab Automobile, after talks failed with a Dutch automaker, Spyker Cars, to sell the unit. The Detroit automaker was struggling hard to conclude the sale by the end of this month. A few days back,...
19Dec2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedWhy the Dollar Will Soar in 2010
by Alexander Green, Chief Investment Strategist Monday, December 14, 2009: Issue #1157 We all know why the dollar is in the cellar right now. We also know why it’s expected to continue right through to the basement floor: Massive budget and trade deficits. Ultra-low interest...
14Dec2009 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedChina Automaker Buys General Motors’ Saab
Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Group (BAIC) – China’s fifth largest automaker – has finally agreed to buy technology from General Motors’ Swedish brand, Saab Automobile. The cost and timing of the acquisition is not yet disclosed. Last week, General Motors...
14Dec2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedThe Next Technology Boom: Why Innovation Will Blast Us Out of the Recession
This analysis is by Sheena Martin, Contributing Editor, Investment U Friday, December 11, 2009 As I mentioned briefly in this column a couple of days ago, the next technology boom is upon us. It’s one borne out of the shift to 4G broadband – and it’s a catalyst that...
14Dec2009 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedGeneral Motors to Offload Saab Technology
General Motors has entered discussions with China’s fifth largest automaker, Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Group (BAIC), about a partial sale of assets associated with its Swedish brand, Saab, including tooling and technology. BAIC showed its interest in Saab in order...
9Dec2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedOil Prices Retreat as Key Players Abandon the Market
This analysis is from Sheena Martin, Contributing Editor, Investment U Wednesday, December 9, 2009 The fundamentals of investing in crude oil are changing. Tuesday marked the fifth straight day that oil futures fell on the NYMEX, extending their losing streak to the longest...
9Dec2009 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedDec 3: Initial Claims Down – Economic Highlights
Initial Claims dropped down to 457,000 for the week ending 11/28, better than the expected increase to 477,000, following a revised level of 462,000 from the previous week. The 4-week moving average was 481,250, a decrease of 14,250 from the previous week’s revised average...
3Dec2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedBreaking Down the Disparity Between Oil and Gold Prices
This analysis is by Sheena Martin, Contributing Editor, Investment U Thursday, December 3, 2009 It’s no secret that the gold and oil markets have boomed this year. However, while gold continues to climb, hitting a high of $1,218.40 per ounce this week, oil keeps hitting...
3Dec2009 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedDec 1: ISM Manufacturing Down – Economic Highlights
The ISM Manufacturing Index decreased to 53.6 in November from the 55.7 level in October, which is less than the expected increase to 55, which is the 4th consecutive month of expansion in the manufacturing sector, as indicated by an index value above 50, following 18 months...
1Dec2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued6 Criteria for Picking Great Stocks
We’ve come a long way, in a short period of time. The market has rebounded ferociously from the March lows. And overall the S&P 500 is up +22.5% on the year (as of 11/23/09). Most importantly, there are signs of an economic rebound that has allowed us to dodge a bullet...
28Nov2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued406 Days Until This Market Crashes
by Robert Williams, Publisher Friday, November 20, 2009 David Fessler has a sector that warrants your attention. But first, I want to officially raise a red flag in another market. Something’s amiss in the municipal bond market. Year-to-date, “munies” have behaved more...
20Nov2009 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | Continued