Friday, May 09, 2008

Strategy Lab / Round 17

There's risk in sitting out a rally
Stock strategy © Getty Images

Vad Yazvinski is leading the race with 10% returns in his hedged portfolios that mix long and short positions. The Amateur looks like he needs a new nickname.


Jubak's Journal

Is ExxonMobil's future running dry?
Jim Jubak

The petroleum giant is shying from risky exploration and spending money on buying back stock. Over the long haul, those moves could lead the company to go private or disappear.


Thursday, May 08, 2008

Market Dispatches

Crude oil at $124, another record

Stocks end higher, with gains in energy, metals and technology shares. Financial stocks, however, swoon. Wal-Mart benefits from consumers' penny-pinching. Reporting a huge loss, American International Group plans to raise $12.5 billion in new capital.


SuperModels

An end to the economy's nose dive?

The US financial engine is sputtering, but all the recent tinkering just may keep it running. Maybe we can turn off the warning signals, at least for now.


Extra

5 stocks that blossom in May

The collective wisdom of an online community combined with some canny data-mining can lead investors to companies ready for their moment in the sun.


Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Market Dispatches

Dow falls 206 as crude tops $123

While crude oil hits new highs, weakness in financial stocks drags just about all stocks lower. Weak pending home sales hit home-building shares. International tourists help Disney work its magic. Cisco's caution pushes shares lower.


Extra

Computer makers chase '$100 laptop'

The goal is to develop new lines of affordable, slimmed-down PCs for the next billion users, primarily in the developing world.


Strategy Lab Open

A corn-fed stock to dig into

Agriculture stocks have risen like growth stocks over the past year. But one star, Archer-Daniels-Midland, is in a lull that could be a buying opportunity.


Extra

The real threat to Google

It's not the prospect of a Microsoft-Yahoo deal. The Web giant's bigger worry is the mobile phone in your pocket or purse. Here's why.


SuperModels

Credit crisis over? Not likely

Short-term rallies and wishful thinking have buyers ready to pounce, but the end of the credit mess isn't yet here. In the meantime, here's some speculation on bank stocks.


Company Focus

Why CEO pay fed the mortgage mess

How did the nation's biggest banks stumble into the subprime crisis? Consider this: Lax boards dangled huge rewards for short-term performance with little incentive to limit risk.


All-Star Team / Ken Kam

The best funds for your core portfolio

It's not easy to build a low-risk fund that delivers with reasonable risks. Here are the ones I think do it best -- and how we do it at Marketocracy.


Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Market Dispatches

Crude oil tops $122; stocks rally

One analyst sees oil hitting $150 to $200 a barrel. Energy stocks jump, and the major indexes are higher. Fannie Mae reports a loss and cuts its dividend. Strong earnings help Cisco Systems and Walt Disney shares move higher in after-hours trading.


StockScouter

Nabors and 9 other hot stocks

The world’s biggest contract driller for onshore oil and gas appears on an MSN Money list of stocks poised for gains. Here are StockScouter’s best investment ideas.


The Amateur / Vad Yazvinski

The high risks of low interest rates

When interest rates are lower than inflation, we're bailing out Wall Street at the expense of retirees and working people trying to save money. That's not sustainable.


Mutual Funds

A fund that's not at market's mercy

When the market turns down, investors too easily settle for weak returns. Here's one mutual fund that shows you can make money even when others aren't.


Jubak's Journal

Financial doom and other fairy tales

Go ahead and read those apocalyptic books on the economy if you like a good scare. But be sure you recognize fiction when you see it.


Monday, May 05, 2008

Market Dispatches

Yahoo tumbles; crude oil tops $120

Yahoo investors sell after Microsoft gives up on a $47.5 billion offer; Microsoft shares drop as well. Stocks fall as crude oil tops $120 for the first time and ends at a new closing high. Sprint may sell or spin off Nextel.


Extra

Microsoft, Yahoo to rethink Internet options

A buyout was supposed to provide the software giant with the heft needed to block Google in Web search and online advertising. Now, it's back to the drawing board.


Contrarian Chronicles

Why we can't cruise past a recession

Many analysts look at the market's current upswing and conclude the US economy has escaped with merely a drive-by downturn. Common sense suggests they're wrong.


Extra

5 strong dividend-paying stocks

The collective wisdom of an online community and a stock-screening tool help identify companies that pay a juicy portion of their profits in the form of regular dividends.


Dog Pound / Robert Walberg

You can't lose money taking profits

I'm playing it safe and selling off Goldman Sachs, although there's still room for gains. A buy on Kinross Gold will help hedge my portfolio.


Fund Spy

Reopened funds: Buy while you can?

The recent economic downturn means investors have an opportunity to buy some top-notch, long-closed funds with great managers. But you might want to hurry.


Saturday, May 03, 2008

Market Dispatches

How will Yahoo shares fare on Monday?

Microsoft abandons its Yahoo offer after boosting its offer to $33 a share. The software giant says Yahoo's demands for $37 and growing ties to Google make a deal unworkable. Yahoo insists $33 undervalues the company. Shareholders get to weigh in next.

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