Just before I started trading on the floor of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, I spent some time at an old Philadelphia boutique investment firm. The firm was small, but handled some of Philly’s wealthiest and most respected clients.  The experts at the firm were some of the best in America,… Read More

Just before I started trading on the floor of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, I spent some time at an old Philadelphia boutique investment firm. The firm was small, but handled some of Philly’s wealthiest and most respected clients.  The experts at the firm were some of the best in America,… Read More

The current market environment is tough for traders. There’s a plethora of indicators that are either disconnected or conflicting, making the market difficult to navigate. But I’ve seen incongruities such as this many times before. It’s analogous to piloting an aircraft with only minimal gauges, using the “feel”… Read More

The current market environment is tough for traders. There’s a plethora of indicators that are either disconnected or conflicting, making the market difficult to navigate. But I’ve seen incongruities such as this many times before. It’s analogous to piloting an aircraft with only minimal gauges, using the “feel”… Read More

A recent breakout sets shares up for a rally to last year’s highs and possibly beyond. As the broader market moves sideways in a fairly tight range, we must dig a little deeper for opportunities. After all, quiet markets let the underlying conditions develop away from prying eyes. Read More

A recent breakout sets shares up for a rally to last year’s highs and possibly beyond. As the broader market moves sideways in a fairly tight range, we must dig a little deeper for opportunities. After all, quiet markets let the underlying conditions develop away from prying eyes. Read More

The commodities frenzy in 2007-2008 drove energy and mining stocks up to astronomical heights before the ensuing bear market erased all of those gains. While energy stocks and precious metals miners were able to rally back, miners of industrial metals stalled. The Dow Jones U.S. Industrial Metals & Mining Index… Read More

The commodities frenzy in 2007-2008 drove energy and mining stocks up to astronomical heights before the ensuing bear market erased all of those gains. While energy stocks and precious metals miners were able to rally back, miners of industrial metals stalled. The Dow Jones U.S. Industrial Metals & Mining Index… Read More

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) surprised investors who were concerned about slowing iPhone sales when it reported its fiscal Q3 earnings in late July. While profits on the smartphone were down, Apple reported sales of 40.4 million iPhones, slightly beating projections by 400,000. Read More

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) surprised investors who were concerned about slowing iPhone sales when it reported its fiscal Q3 earnings in late July. While profits on the smartphone were down, Apple reported sales of 40.4 million iPhones, slightly beating projections by 400,000. Read More

I’m going contrarian with today’s pick: oil refining stock HollyFrontier (NYSE: HFC). In the words of 18th century British nobleman and banker Baron Rothschild, “The time to buy is when there’s blood in the streets.” That has become the mantra of contrarian investors. When everybody is selling something, prices become… Read More

I’m going contrarian with today’s pick: oil refining stock HollyFrontier (NYSE: HFC). In the words of 18th century British nobleman and banker Baron Rothschild, “The time to buy is when there’s blood in the streets.” That has become the mantra of contrarian investors. When everybody is selling something, prices become… Read More

When it comes to what people say versus what the market says, I think it is wisest to listen to the market. Just look at mining machinery maker Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT), which fell almost 1% in premarket trading on Tuesday after the company beat second-quarter earnings estimates but reported declines… Read More

Fast food purveyor Shake Shack (NYSE: SHAK) burst onto the trading scene last January with a hotter-than-hot initial public offering. SHAK soared from its $21 offering to $45.90 by the close on its first day of trading. And just four months later, the stock traded above $96. Unfortunately, such a… Read More

Fast food purveyor Shake Shack (NYSE: SHAK) burst onto the trading scene last January with a hotter-than-hot initial public offering. SHAK soared from its $21 offering to $45.90 by the close on its first day of trading. And just four months later, the stock traded above $96. Unfortunately, such a… Read More

After a record-setting rally in bonds, the better-than-expected June jobs report gave bond traders an excuse to bank some fat profits. However, a look under the hood shows that, structurally, nothing has really changed. The bull market in bonds and trend toward lower interest rates remain intact. And that is… Read More

After a record-setting rally in bonds, the better-than-expected June jobs report gave bond traders an excuse to bank some fat profits. However, a look under the hood shows that, structurally, nothing has really changed. The bull market in bonds and trend toward lower interest rates remain intact. And that is… Read More

For as much time as analysts spend studying charts and getting the opinions of other professionals, sometimes the most useful information comes from people outside the job. Whenever I attend one of my kids’ activities, I invariably end up near someone who wants to talk about what I do for… Read More

For as much time as analysts spend studying charts and getting the opinions of other professionals, sometimes the most useful information comes from people outside the job. Whenever I attend one of my kids’ activities, I invariably end up near someone who wants to talk about what I do for… Read More