Monday, May 2nd, 2011
Stock-index futures were higher ahead of Monday’s (5/2) market opening, and commodity prices dipped in the wake of the confirmed death of terror leader Osama bin Laden in a U.S. military special-operations raid. Stocks were modestly higher just after the opening bell as analysts predicted a “feel-good rally” would permeate market sentiment for at least the short term.
Just after the closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange, however, all major stock indices were modestly lower as was crude oil, while precious metals were down sharply for the day.
But what about the longer term? (more…)
Tags: commodities, gold, INVESTING, oil, silver, STOCK MARKET, terrorism
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Friday, April 8th, 2011
Most anyone who holds bonds can tell you: As the stock market improves, life gets tougher for bond holders. An improving economy generally leads to higher interest rates, and that means lower bond prices.
If you look at the economy now, corporate earnings are strong and even unemployment is improving. So, many analysts suggest that investors should consider increasing the proportion of stocks to bonds in their portfolios.
Consider that many American companies and corporations have accumulated lots of cash, which makes their bond holders feel secure. With the economy looking up, however, (more…)
Tags: bonds, INVESTING, municipal bonds, portfolio, STOCK MARKET
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Wednesday, January 19th, 2011
Standard options — whether on individual equities, stock indices or other instruments — have long offered a more flexible, and potentially more l way to invest. But a relatively recent product called Weekly Options, or “Weeklies,” gives investors an even more efficient way to use leverage and target profits.
Weekly options have the same terms as standard options, except they expire every Friday instead of every third Friday.
In other words, you can now trade options on a select group of underlying assets that have expiration dates every week of the year. To be precise, they’re first listed on Thursday of each week and expire at the close of trading on Friday of the following week (adjusted for holidays). (more…)
Tags: INVESTING, naked puts, options, STOCK MARKET, weekly options
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Monday, January 10th, 2011
Stocks, as measured by the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, have been trending gently upward in the last three weeks, including the traditionally slow trading sessions from just before Christmas to New Year’s. This notwithstanding Monday’s (1/10) modest burp.
Commodities were a mixed bag in that period as gold fell, crude oil jumped out to a new two-year high, and the grains rose to a one-year high as well, led by corn. But the new star of the show for commodities is sugar, which stormed out to a new high after word that a cold front had virtually wiped out Florida’s sugar cane crop, which is the largest in the United States. (more…)
Tags: commodities, INVESTING, NIKE, STOCK MARKET, stocks, sugar
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Thursday, November 4th, 2010
The bears took a beating last Thursday (11/4) in covering their short sales to help propel the three major stock indices to two-year highs. Also adding fuel to the bullish fires was President Obama’s suggestion that he’ll consider extending all of the Bush tax cuts, including those for the wealthiest Americans, which he had balked on before. As Larry Kudlow pointed out on CNBC Thursday evening, this removes what would have been great incentive for investors to sell equities by the end of this year to avoid a feared tax hit. (more…)
Tags: bull market, INVESTING, short sales, STOCK MARKET
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Thursday, November 4th, 2010
So you are an investor or have decided you will become one. How do you develop a solid investment strategy?
First, determine your goals. Then, establish how much time and money you have to invest. Finally, choose a mix of investment products that fit your situation.
Your Goals
Of course, every investor wants to earn money. But you must force yourself to be specific. How much money do you want to earn? How soon will you need those funds and for what purposes? (more…)
Tags: exchange traded funds, financial planning, goals, growth, INVESTING, mutual funds, retirement planning, STOCK MARKET, stocks, value
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Saturday, October 2nd, 2010
Owning stock that you think is headed for the heavens is good, right? Well, yeah, we all love that.
How about owning stock that may rise just a little—but let someone pay you a fee in return for your agreeing to sell them the shares at a modest profit? And perhaps doing this again and again, month after month, until—oh, either you get tired of making money, or the stock runs out of room to run?
Educated investors, including graduates of Wealth Magazine Investor Education, know this easy-to-use tactic to be writing covered calls. (more…)
Tags: call options, covered calls, covered-call writing, INVESTING, option premium, STOCK MARKET, wealth generation
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Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
Your initial reaction may be: Retirement? I’m YEARS away from retirement. I don’t have to think about that now.
Think again.
If you’re more than a decade away from retirement, now is the best time to begin preparing. Younger workers, of course, can use the power of compound interest to ensure a smooth financial picture in retirement. (more…)
Tags: debt, financial freedom, goals, interest rates, INVESTING, RETIREMENT, savings, STOCK MARKET, wealth
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Tuesday, September 21st, 2010
Americans are a staggering $6.6 trillion shy of the savings they need for retirement. That’s the figure arrived at by Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research in a report published Monday, Sept. 20, 2010.
To get there, the researchers made an interesting and highly optimistic set of assumptions: All retirees will take out a reverse mortgage. And they’ll put (more…)
Tags: debt, financial freedom, health care, INVESTING, RETIREMENT, retirement planning, reverse mortgage, savings, STOCK MARKET
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