What exactly makes an exchange-traded fund in a given economic segment “cheap?” I am beginning to think that the concept is as arbitrary and as disobliging as the automatic spending cuts in Washington D.C. For example, Russ Koesterich is the Chief Investment Strategist for Blackrock. I genuinely enjoy reading his perspectives on “everything iShares.” Indeed, every [...] Continue Reading...
Investing in stock assets when the S&P 500 is hitting fresh highs can be as dangerous as driving on a yet-to-be-plowed stretch of highway. You may get to your destination without a hitch. Then again, you might spin out of control and crash. At present, both the Eurozone’s ongoing recession and “Snowmageddon” on the East Coast [...] Continue Reading...
What are the alternatives for an investor when a large majority of assets are fundamentally overvalued and technically overbought? One can wait to participate, of course. Even if there are no obvious reasons for sellers to enter the marketplace, they always do. On the other hand, stock fund managers are being flooded with cash that they [...] Continue Reading...
Jack Hough recently wrote an “Ahead of the Crowd” article for Barron’s on finding value in the stock market. The author cited a Merrill Lynch study that looked at core fundamental data dating back 25 years — data like book value, cash flow and earnings — to determine overpriced and under-priced sectors. My first reaction to [...] Continue Reading...
Over the last 20+ years, my opinions have aroused emotional reactions from readers and listeners alike. And the forum — national talk radio, podcast, newspaper, magazine, digital ink — has been far less critical than the topics themselves. For example, I was one of a handful of original ETF advocates in the mid-90s when few people [...] Continue Reading...
Back on September 14, the Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke shocked and “awe-struck” the investing world. The U.S. Fed did not merely embark on another bond-buying binge like they had in previous versions of quantitative easing (i.e., QE1, QE2). Whereas the earlier iterations had specific dates, “QE3″ is open-ended. Bernanke has made it clear that the [...] Continue Reading...
Timber has been weak since the Federal Reserve announced its enormous bond buying initiative. Agricultural grains have been even weaker since the peak of drought fears in mid-July. And crude oil? Instead of surging past $100 per barrel, it closed below $88 per barrel on 10/3/12. The question is simple: If gurus from Jim Rogers to [...] Continue Reading...
The Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing in 2010 (a.k.a. QE2) significantly boosted the share prices of resources-related ETFs. Some of the biggest winners from QE2 included iShares Oil Equipment (IEZ), SPDR Oil & Gas Exploration/Production (XOP), Market Vectors Russia (RSX), SPDR Metals & Mining (XME) and First Trust Natural Gas (FCG). Indeed, FCG went on a [...] Continue Reading...
Long-time readers know that I have always been a fan of pipeline partnerships. In fact, when presented with the opportunity to discuss one of my highest conviction investments years ago, I served up Energy Transfer Partners (ETP). As I explained at the time of the general recommendation, however, I never “buy-n-hold” any asset. It follows that as attractive [...] Continue Reading...
In 2011, the S&P 500 began the year with remarkable fanfare. The benchmark raked in 2.4% in January alone. And yet, in 2012, the S&P 500 has been even more impressive, snagging an eye-popping 4.4%. The reasons for the risk-on gains may be easy to identify, from the notion that U.S. economic prospects are improving to the feeling that Europe will contain [...] Continue Reading...
