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As we approach tax time, many investors open their brokerages statements for the first time in a year. Those that 'outsourced' their investing decisions to fund managers are often disappointed. On the whole, these vehicles tend to underperform the broader market.
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We are often asked what effect the upcoming election will have on the economy, particularly because of the surprising support in this election cycle for candidates that advocate radically different political solutions. Whether people applaud the proposed solutions or despise them, most agree there is extensive support for major change. To properly analyze what impact the election might have, it would help to better understand why voters are so eager for change.
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In the spirit of confusing four letter words, TiVo and Rovi are in talks to merge.
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Will this coming data-packed week put some punch back into the stock market party that ended abruptly last week?
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There are only two ways to beat The Street. The good news: one way is stunningly easy. The bad news: The other way is incredibly difficult.
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The markets took a long awaited pause last week as the Dow Industrials declined 0.5% as did the Nasdaq Composite while the S&P 500 lost 0.7%. The decline corresponded with a drop in crude oil prices after the May contract moved briefly above the $42 level. The drop in crude was attributed to an increase in supply. This was the sixth week in a row where supplies had increased however the 9.4 million barrel jump was more than three times the average forecast. My analysis of crude oil in 2016 provides a good example of a missed opportunity. On January 21st I wrote a column " Time To Squeeze The Short Oil Speculators?" where I expressed my view that crude oil was ready for a short covering rally. Psychology plays an important role in one's investing success so by concentrating on ones mistakes you are less likely to succeed in the future. Many investors and traders spend too much time over their missed opportunities. This is the reason I have always placed a strong emphasis on having a plan and focusing on the risk rather than the potential reward of any investment.
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Perhaps unsurprisingly, the economic headlines out of Russia haven't been great recently. Predictions of 2016 GDP growth have been revised downwards, and at current oil prices the economy might not come out of recession until 2017 or 2018. The government also recently announced that it was mulling a enormous tax increase on the critically important oil industry. This tax proposal was so huge in scale and so likely to cripple oil producers that it has sparked renewed debates about the country's long-term solvency.
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Under certain circumstances, disabled children quality for Social Security. Here's what you need to know.
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Wall Street research fun and games
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Investors, spooked by the massacre of 2008 and the market’s latest gyrations, are making the same mistake again. They’re running scared into so-called “safe” fixed-income investments like CDs and treasuries—and ignoring stocks altogether.
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