Investing

The stock market does not turn on a dime... at least historically that's been the case. There was always a distinctive topping process going on before the bear finally struck. In every case you can look back and detect the same pattern: a marked deterioration of market internals and of interest rate based indicators before any crash so, if history is our guide, we should not expect this time to be different. So, what should we look for?

Buying penny stocks can pay off extremely well when it succeeds but, in addition to the business odds against success, it’s much easier to launch and promote a stock than it is to find a mine, for example, or invent a new battery. That’s why penny stocks are so common, even though profit-making companies are rare. It’s also why we think penny stocks should make up only a very small part of your portfolio. Words: 475

Since there is such a wide range of emotions, it might be helpful for you to do a 'gut-check' before you actually buy or sell any type of security. Knowing how you "feel" about investing might turn out to be just as important as knowing what you "know." Words: 737

You'll get a good return from the stock market -- in nominal terms -- in coming years but in real terms, it's unsustainable and unrealistic. Oil, gold, and agriculture are going to be the biggest winners when the dollar starts its slide. Words: 825

Over the longer term, some of history's top strategists actually say that inflation is a big reason to buy stocks – not to avoid them. Foremost among them is Warren Buffett. His inflation research goes way back. In 1977 – just before the U.S. was about to enter into one of the worst inflationary climates in history – in a column for Fortune magazine he said, “stocks are probably still the best of all the poor alternatives in an era of inflation – at least they are if you buy in at appropriate prices.” Words: 664

We often get questions from readers about the criteria we use when considering positions in a market. Because of that, we decided to release our best insights in this article in line with what we believe are actual market conditions. To illustrate that, we have included recent charts and data points. Read on!

What are fractals, what causes them, and how we can use them to improve our trading? It's a subject worthy of a lengthy research paper, but hopefully this article and the following excerpts to whet your appetite to read the full article will be a good introduction.

Inflation expectations have been on the rise since before the U.S. election, but markets are now more convinced of higher inflation to come due to President-elect Trump’s talk of fiscal stimulus and tax cuts. Measured by break-evens in the Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) market, inflation expectations for the next 10 years rose to 1.93%, the highest level since the summer of 2015. The long decline in inflation seems to be turning, as the CPI climbed 1.6% year-over-year, the most in two years. This changing environment has piqued investor interest in TIPS, and in turn, TIPS ETFs.

We see attractiveness in using TIPS as an alternative for core Treasury allocations in fixed income portfolios. Here's why.

The potential for greater bond market volatility ahead associated with central bank policy uncertainties, and paltry expected returns, should make investors wanting to own government bonds for their perceived "safe" value think twice.