Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
The Wall Street Journal just provided a big tip for investors: Buy value stocks. This tip was wrapped in a “contrarian” package, meaning they described well why investors are ignoring value. And whenever investors choose to pooh-pooh something, that is where we should look for potentially profitable investments. »
Tags: Contrarian, Contrarian invest, Earnings, Earnings growth, Equities, Investing success, P/E ratio, Price/earnings ratio, Screen, Statistical analysis, Stocks, Value stocks
Posted in Contrarian Investing, Investment Insights, Investment Mojo | No Comments »
Friday, August 27th, 2010
Lower home sales articles were everywhere this week and were universally loud and dire. On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal linked almost every market problem to home sales, starting with its front page article proclaiming, “Plunge in Home Sales Stokes Economy Fears” (By Sudeep Reddy and Nick Timiraos, August 25, page A-1). Here’s what... »
Tags: Contrarian, Contrarian invest, Home sales, Homebuilders, Homebuilding, House prices, Housing
Posted in Housing & Homebuilding, Investment Insights | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
The search for income is in high gear. With short-term investments providing little yield, investors are seeking out alternatives. There are large flows into all types of bonds, including riskier emerging market (third world) and low quality (junk). Even specialty securities like royalty trusts are finding wider appeal. Are these moves unhealthy and signs... »
Tags: Bond yield, Bonds, Dividend yield, Interest Rates, Wall Street
Posted in Investment Insights, Investment Mojo | 2 Comments »
Friday, August 20th, 2010
Early this year, I speculated that housing could show improvement this year – “A Robust Housing Market – 2010’s Biggest Surprise?” (January 7). While some might argue with the adjective, “robust,” housing has moved ahead due to the factors listed in the article as well as the government’s incentive plan. »
Tags: Equities, Home sales, Homebuilders, Homebuilding, Housing, Stocks
Posted in Housing & Homebuilding, Investment Insights | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010
Stock analysts and investment managers are preparing for the post-Labor Day move to 2011. They know the way to earn superior returns is to anticipate well, and that means not waiting until New Year’s Day. This move to the next year, like last year’s, is especially challenging because neither the economy nor the stock... »
Tags: DJIA, Dow Jones Industrial Average, Earnings, Earnings growth, Equities, Forecast, Outlook, P/E ratio, Price/earnings ratio, Stocks
Posted in Investment Insights, Investment Mojo | No Comments »
Friday, August 13th, 2010
Deflation is being presented as a force that trips up the economy. The simple reasoning: As prices fall, consumers and businesses postpone buying, thereby causing prices to fall further. Hence, a downward-spiraling cycle. Like many of the negative forecasts we have read over the past months, this one is overly simplistic. It ignores two... »
Tags: Bonds, Business cycle, Deflation, Forecast, Inflation, Outlook
Posted in Investment Insights | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010
An article in The Wall Street Journal says this August might be a good time to be concerned. “Typically, the stock market does just fine in August, but every now and then, the month’s evil twin shows up. Given how nervous investors have become about the risk of deflation or renewed recession, they are... »
Tags: Equities, Stocks
Posted in Investment Insights | No Comments »
Friday, August 6th, 2010
The latest housing reports show sales have slipped (particularly for new homes) since the April 30 expiration of the US government homebuyer incentive. Yet, the latest S&P/Case-Shiller data has house prices continuing to rise. Well, that’s not supposed to be how supply/demand works. Demand has clearly tapered off, and we know there continues to... »
Tags: Home sales, Homebuilders, Homebuilding, House prices, Housing, Statistical analysis
Posted in Housing & Homebuilding, Investment Insights | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
The big, bad forecasts refuse to die. It’s time to shoot (i.e., ignore) the messenger. We need to focus on what is really happening, not the latest scary scenario being pushed by an investment manager. The people furnishing frightening visions are not altruistic. When some wise investment manager issues a warning, question the motive... »
Tags: Beat Wall Street, Deflation, Equities, Stocks
Posted in Investment Insights | No Comments »