Precious metals have become much more interesting trading vehicles since the Federal Reserve started sending mixed messages about plans for interest rates and the curtailment of its bond-buying program.  Until recently, Janet Yellen has been viewed as a dovish Fed chair, leading investors to believe that while the central bank… Read More

Assured Guaranty (NYSE: AGO) is in the business of insuring bond offerings for corporations and municipalities. Not the most exciting stuff, but the bond insurance industry is relatively small with only a few key players. Essentially, these insurers put their stamp of approval on new bonds sold by… Read More

Assured Guaranty (NYSE: AGO) is in the business of insuring bond offerings for corporations and municipalities. Not the most exciting stuff, but the bond insurance industry is relatively small with only a few key players. Essentially, these insurers put their stamp of approval on new bonds sold by… Read More

The recent pullback in small-cap stocks has introduced a significant amount of risk for the overall market. Many view the Russell 2000 index — a good proxy for small caps — as a leading indicator for the large-cap indices like the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average.  Last week,… Read More

Solar stocks have been commanding attention as advances in technology have made it possible to generate power at costs that are now on parity with more traditional methods such as coal and natural gas. With “grid parity” now a reality, profitable business lines are emerging for solar manufacturers,… Read More

A stable and climbing market may be a great thing for long-term investors, but it can present significant challenges for active traders who rely on price swings. Even more at risk are income traders who collect options premiums using covered call and put selling strategies. The CBOE Volatility… Read More

The most recent Federal Reserve meeting stirred up a good bit of speculation among precious metal investors. While the understanding was that the central bank was on a trajectory of curtailing its bond-buying program and eventually allowing interest rates to rise, Fed Chair Janet Yellen’s comments caused some… Read More

The most recent Federal Reserve meeting stirred up a good bit of speculation among precious metal investors. While the understanding was that the central bank was on a trajectory of curtailing its bond-buying program and eventually allowing interest rates to rise, Fed Chair Janet Yellen’s comments caused some… Read More

The Federal Reserve’s recent dovish statements regarding long-term interest rates have lit a fire under dividend-paying stocks. Low interest rates naturally support stock prices for companies that pay dividends because investors who need to generate income from their capital have little choice but to buy equities that have generous payouts. Read More

The Federal Reserve’s recent dovish statements regarding long-term interest rates have lit a fire under dividend-paying stocks. Low interest rates naturally support stock prices for companies that pay dividends because investors who need to generate income from their capital have little choice but to buy equities that have generous payouts. Read More

Precious metals traded lower this spring as investors worried about the potential for interest rates to rise later in the year. After an unprecedented period in which the Federal Reserve has kept interest rates near zero and spent billions of dollars per month buying Treasury bonds, it is now making… Read More

Precious metals traded lower this spring as investors worried about the potential for interest rates to rise later in the year. After an unprecedented period in which the Federal Reserve has kept interest rates near zero and spent billions of dollars per month buying Treasury bonds, it is now making… Read More

One of the most challenging issues traders have had to deal with in 2014 has been the utter lack of volatility in the market. The Dow and S&P 500 may be near all-time highs, but the lack of back-and-forth movement on a day-to-day basis has made it very difficult for… Read More

While the Dow Jones Industrial Average may be within striking distance of its all-time highs, the bull run for many of the leading blue-chip stocks is getting a bit long in the tooth. Valuations for a number of key components are high compared with historical norms, leaving them vulnerable to… Read More