Here in the States everyone is keen to see the non-farm payrolls report. It comes out on Friday. Anecdotal evidence (what people say) suggests that the employment situation here is still pretty bad. But government statistics can say pretty much whatever you want them to say. If you’re looking for the ...read more

Nearly every economic and corporate development over the past few months has been translated into a reason to buy stocks. But underneath the elation over Dow 10,000 lies the palpable feeling that this rally is to be “rented,” not “owned.” As cool weather descended upon the Northeast U.S., risk appetites started to ...read more

I'm a contrarian--and a rebel, and I am fed up with people telling me that the days of America's greatness are over and we're all going to have to settle for drab, uncertain, very low-end lives to repent sins of the past and so that the rest of the world ...read more

When it comes to judging a stock's potential, there are really just two schools of thought. They're called fundamental analysis and technical analysis. And while successful traders often use both types of analysis, the most successful traders master one or the other. In general, fundamental analysts concern themselves with a company ...read more

I’m sure you’ve heard people say that Wall Street never gives you the whole story. That it’s not in the Street’s best interests to tell you about the market’s biggest opportunities. That it keeps you in the dark about all the money over-the-counter and bulletin board stocks can deliver. It might ...read more

Asia Times is reporting that stock market transaction volumes are exploding in China: “Six months ago, total transaction volumes on the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges were less than US$5 billion per day. That figure now stands 10 times as high, at $50 billion per day. This volume is something China can ...read more

STOCK OPTIONS ARE pure speculations...and the chance of loss is quite high. If you can't afford to lose money on them, you shouldn't bother buying them. I firmly believe it is my job to be as blunt about that as possible. The potential rewards of options are very tempting, and anyone ...read more

"Relax, the Over-all Market Probably Won't Tank" BusinessWeek, April 27, 2000 Introduction Although I read and collect information and ideas every day, whenever the day comes each month when I actually have to start writing this report, the words of Gene Fowler (an extremely successful screenplay, sports, and humorous writer) come to ...read more

This week, the stock market flashed warnings that investors should fasten their seat belts and revisit fundamentals. The fundamentals underlying the broad market are weakening, so if you are invested in the stock market, you want to be in the right sectors. As my colleague Chris Mayer wrote in this ...read more

The Conference Board publishes various lists of Business Cycle Indicators. Those indicators are categorized as "leading," "coincident," or "lagging." This post will take a look at indicators 6-10 on the list of leading economic indicators. Indicators 1-5 will be covered in a second post at a later date. Leading Indicators Average ...read more