Today is May 1, or May Day, depending upon which circles you run in. For investors, the first day of May ushers in what I call the “slogan months.” This period is when you hear a loud chorus of market wizards warning investors to “sell in May and go away.”   Interestingly, this market cliché

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  As April winds down, the market will enter the slogan months that warn investors to “sell in May and go away.” Interestingly, this is one market cliché that actually does have some historical merit. You see, a majority of the time, the real money in stocks is made between November and April. From May […]

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“Ideas are one thing and what happens is another.”   –John Cage   This quote from the composer, writer and artist definitely applies to the financial markets, especially during the past several years. We all have ideas about what is likely to happen in stocks, bonds and commodities, but most often, the reality of what

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In keeping with last week’s theme of highlighting international technology companies, today’s ETF Talk focuses on China. Indeed, China is the world’s most populous country and its people increasingly have money to spend on the latest smartphones, computers and other devices. U.S. companies such as Apple are placing big bets on the Chinese consumer, but

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Rebounding off Bad News The action in the financial markets over the past week and a half has been tumultuous to say the least. Last week (between Monday’s open bell and Friday’s closing bell), the major market indices — the Dow, S&P 500 and NASDAQ Composite — all sank more than 2%, with the selling

The action in the financial markets over the past week and a half has been tumultuous to say the least. Last week (between Monday’s open bell and Friday’s closing bell), the major market indices — the Dow, S&P 500 and NASDAQ Composite — all sank more than 2%, with the selling really heating up after

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  So much happened this week, it’s hard to know where to begin. On Monday we saw a massive sell-off in both stocks and commodities. The major domestic indices, gold, silver, copper and oil all got slammed, and that was before we got word of the heinous events that took place at the Boston Marathon. […]

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Volatility is the Precursor to Correction The fear trade is back on Wall Street. With the events of the past three days, it’s no wonder why.   The Boston Marathon bombing, and then ricin-laced letters to at least one Senator and to President Obama, would alone be enough to cause sellers to run for the

Used, abused, without clues I refused to blow a fuse They even had it on the news Don’t believe the hype   –Public Enemy, “Don’t Believe the Hype”   There’s a lot of rumor, speculation and conspiracy thinking running rampant in the news right now, and I guess that’s to be expected — given the

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Countries in Asia and Europe are joining the United States as drivers of technology innovation. Indeed, technology advances can come from developed and developing countries alike. For that reason, I want to bring to your attention a globally focused technology exchange-traded fund (ETF), the SPDR S&P International Technology Sector (IPK). The fund tracks non-U.S. technology

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