The books have been shut on Q3, but rather than finishing with a bang, the Fed-fueled quarter fizzled out on new concerns over the economy. Now, I think it’s important to admit here that the markets have enjoyed a strong move higher over the past three months, and that our cautious approach to stocks […]

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An agricultural commodity-oriented ETF has captured my attention recently. The Market Vectors Agribusiness ETF (MOO) owns the biggest and best agribusiness companies around, and the ETF has been moving up since June.   In addition to its gains during the past several months, MOO provides exposure to what I view as the 50 best companies

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  “La plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu’il n’existe pas.”    —Charles Pierre Baudelier, Le Joueur Généreux    Pardon my French, but this famous Baudelier line has to be read in its original context to be fully appreciated by language lovers. The translation here is, “The finest trick of the

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When it comes to exchange-traded funds (ETFs), there’s a flavor for just about every investor’s palate. Whether your money is positioned primarily for growth, or dividends, or yield, you’ll find a host of funds that can service your investing goals.   Recently, I gave a presentation to the Los Angeles chapter of the American Association

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Stocks sold off sharply in Tuesday’s trading session, with the Dow sinking more than 100 points. The decline was the single-biggest, one-day slide since late June. Moreover, stocks now have fallen four straight sessions. Midway through today’s session, stocks were on pace to log yet another loss.   So, the logical question here is —

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  The equity markets took a breather this week, a move that was way overdue given the Fed-induced run up in stocks since early June. Wall Street traders and Main Street investors still are digesting the implications of a new QE reality, a world where money will continue to be printed until the unemployment rate […]

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"Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday."    –John Wayne    The iconic American movie star provides us with this week’s snippet of wisdom, and I must say it’s one that really applies to the markets. That’s because when it comes to investing, we all must learn from our successes and failures. The host

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The health-care sector has faced heavy uncertainty in recent months, following the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold almost all of the Affordable Care Act — also known as "Obamacare." With Republican presidential candidate Gov. Mitt Romney vowing to rescind Obamacare, the future of the healthcare sector and the mandate that all citizens buy health insurance

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Over the weekend, I spoke to the Los Angeles chapter of the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII). There was a great turnout for this event, and judging by the feedback I received from the audience, the topic really resonated with attendees.   My presentation was all about the growth of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and the

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By far the biggest story in the markets now is the Federal Reserve’s game-changing announcement about what has been aptly dubbed "QE Infinity." Last week, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and crew essentially pushed the monetary panic button by announcing an ultra-aggressive plan to expand the U.S. central bank’s existing mortgage backed security purchase program to

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