“The best way to predict the future is to create it yourself.”  –Dr. Peter Diamandis, founder and chairman of the X PRIZE Foundation We all wonder what’s ahead for us. When it comes to investing, we essentially are trying to predict where the market will go next. Yet the future is unknown, and largely out

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With all of the recent talk about the economic turmoil in Europe, the growth in emerging market economies could be a bit overlooked. But let’s not overlook this potential opportunity for investors. A quick review of the 2011 performance of country-specific exchange-traded funds (ETFs) reveals one that is doing well but not gaining much attention.

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There’s no denying that the stock market is flashing bullish signs, but what about the bond market? Shouldn’t bond prices fall and bond yields rise in a bullish equity environment?   Historically, when stock prices surge, bond prices fall and bond yields rise. This time around, however, stock prices are rising along with bond prices.

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  Today is leap day, the additional calendar marking in February that comes around every four years. So far in this leap year, the markets are making their own kind of leap — namely a very bullish leap of faith. In 2012, investors have placed their bets that the worst is over in Europe, and

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Stocks logged what was, in essence, a flat performance in this holiday-shortened week. The Dow inched just 0.26% higher while the S&P 500 crawled up 0.33%. The NASDAQ Composite saw a mere 0.41% weekly gain. After the recent surge in stocks, it appears that things are settling down somewhat. In fact, you might say that […]

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And when the night is cloudy, There is still a light that shines on me. Shine until tomorrow, let it be.   –The Beatles, “Let It Be”   No matter how down we may be in life, we still can find a light that shines on us. If you have your reason, and the will

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If you are hoping to profit from the market’s recent run-up, consider buying an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that gives you exposure to some of the best-established companies available. One way to do so is by investing in the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (DIA).   The fund seeks to provide investment results that, before

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  After seven months of difficult negotiations, Greece finally has won the 130 billion euros  in aid it needs to avoid the dreaded March bankruptcy. But that by no means is the end of this Greek tragedy. In fact, now that the bailout deal is done, investors already are weighing the prospect of a possible

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  Equities continue to march higher and, admittedly, it’s a trend that I didn’t think was going to turn out the way it has. In fact, I recently told listeners of my Monday Morning Market Outlook podcast that I’ve been wrong about the markets so far in 2012, and that the strength we’ve seen in stocks

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Stocks are in rally mode, and the Dow now is pushing up very close to the technically significant 13,000 mark. This week’s action was yet another in a bullish milieu that’s taken stocks up six of the first seven weeks of 2012. By Friday’s closing bell, the Dow added 1.16% on the week while the […]

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