50 stocks to buy in December

Nov 30, 2011

StockScouter, MSN Money’s stock-picking tool, identifies companies capable of outperforming the broader market in the weeks ahead.

Has the new bear market arrived?

Nov 30, 2011

Yes, stocks just had a big up day. But growing debts and tighter budgets here at home and in Europe are leading us toward a new recession and a prolonged downturn. In fact, we may already be there.

4 Scenarios in Bill Gross’s New Normal Minus Paradigm

Nov 30, 2011

Robert Huebscher at AdvisorPerspectives.com summarized Bill Gross’s remarks at the opening session of the recent Schwab’s IMPACT conference in San Francisco. The PIMCO’s New Normal Minus paradigm is essentially “a  2%-minus type of real growth world, in...

There Is No Secret Haven of High Returns for Big Investors

Nov 30, 2011

Q. A recent piece by MarketWatch columnist Brett Arends,“The Stock Markets Big Lie Revealed”, indicated that private equity funds provided their well-heeled investors with higher returns than regular investors can achieve in the public stock market. Does this have any direct impact on regular investors? My husband and I are 59. He expects…

There Is No Secret Haven of High Returns for Big Investors

Nov 30, 2011

Q. A recent piece by MarketWatch columnist Brett Arends,“The Stock Markets Big Lie Revealed”, indicated that private equity funds provided their well-heeled investors with higher returns than regular investors can achieve in the public stock market. Does this have any direct impact on regular investors? My husband and I are 59. He expects…

A mutual fund legend fades away

Nov 30, 2011

Bill Miller demonstrated great skill in beating the market for 15 consecutive years. But his story may end up being remembered as a cautionary tale.

Bear or Bull, Leveraged ETFs Lose in the Long Term

Nov 29, 2011

Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X (FAS) and Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3x (FAZ) are really meant for day traders. They are harmful to portfolio asset allocation building, let alone for a retirement account (such as an IRA). These two ETFs are trying to match 3x...

Home Prices vs. Stock Returns

Nov 29, 2011

S&P/Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index registered a small gain (0.1%) from the previous quarter, but was down 3.9% from the third quarter of 2010. Here is a chart that shows the relative performance of S&P 500 vs. Case-Shiller Composite-20 (20...

It’s a Saks or dollar-store Christmas

Nov 29, 2011

The trends of a struggling middle class and a happy high end will play out in retail stores over the holidays. So where should investors be spending their money?

Winter Heating Costs Report

Nov 28, 2011

Many older consumers will receive high heating bills during the 2011-12 winter heating season. Consumers heating with fuel oil will be most affected.

Winter Heating Costs Report

Nov 28, 2011

Many older consumers will receive high heating bills during the 2012 winter heating season. Consumers heating with fuel oil will be most affected.

Winter Heating Costs Report

Nov 28, 2011

Many older consumers will receive high heating bills during the 2012 winter heating season. Consumers heating with fuel oil will be most affected.

Corporate Balance Sheets Are Only Reasonable in History

Nov 28, 2011

Hussman’s recent weekly commentary has the following chart that illustrates how corporate cash positions fare since post World War II.   He further furnished this chart to show that corporate America is actually burdened by debts (though not at the peak...

Two ‘Identical’ Mutual Funds!?

Nov 28, 2011

A user questioned the following two funds Asset Class Symbol Name MyPlanIQ Fund Ranking LARGE VALUE INUTX RiverSource Dividend Opportunity A 96% LARGE VALUE RSDFX RiverSource Dividend Opportunity R5 78% The question is why the two almost ‘identical’ funds...
Stock Prices vs. Fine Wine Prices

Stock Prices vs. Fine Wine Prices

Nov 28, 2011

Here is the price comparison between S&P 500 price and Liv-ex Fine Wine 100 Index. It represents the price movement of 100 of the most sought-after fine wines for which there is a strong secondary market and is calculated monthly. This index can be used as an...

The Ever Increasing College Cost

Nov 27, 2011

After Thanksgiving’s big turkey feast, many of us sent our kids back to school. Ever wonder why college tuition costs have been rising so much? We found this article Why tuition costs are rising by Reuters’ Felix Salmon informative on this subject. Here...

Portfolio Management: Hedging Using S&P Diversified Trends Indicator

Nov 25, 2011

S&P Diversified Trends Indicator is a long-short strategy over financial, currency and commodity futures. MyPlanIQ maintains the strategy using ETFs:  S and P Diversified Trend Indicators. The portfolio was mediocre in the last one and half year when stock markets...