Investing

Solutions to Shale's Problems Thu, 23/12/2010 - 12:22 by David Lee Smith By definition, the act of buying and selling of stocks indicates that each of those securities has both bulls and bears ready to line up behind it. And the same can be said for entire industries -- perhaps none more so than energy.However, that's a dichotomy that's far more pronounced for natural gas these days than for oil. Crude has been slowly but steadily rising in price for approximately the past 18 months. Indeed, it currently hovers at $90 per barrel. And while we hardly appear headed for $200 or even $150 a barrel during the next couple of years, neither are we apt to chance upon serious forecasts that a downward spiral to, say, $50 or $60, is in the offing. Comments Read more	Why the Street Should Love DigitalGlobe's Earnings Thu, 23/12/2010 - 12:17 by Seth Jayson Although business headlines still tout earnings numbers, many investors have moved past net earnings as a measure of a company's economic output. That's because earnings are very often less trustworthy than cash flow, since earnings are more open to manipulation based on dubious judgment calls. Comments Read more	The Top 10 Semiconductor Equipment Stocks of 2010 Thu, 23/12/2010 - 12:14 by Eric Bleeker It's been a pretty kind year to stock investors, with the S&P showing a 12.5% gain in 2010. Of course, kindness might still feel relative after a lost decade of negative returns that included the nauseating depths and panic of the financial crisis.However, while the general market might have edge up at a low double digit pace last year, quite a few stocks poured in monster performances either by riding new trends or by rebounding much stronger than investors expected. Comments Read more
Here's How Syniverse Holdings May Be Failing You Thu, 23/12/2010 - 12:10 by Seth Jayson Margins matter. The more Syniverse Holdings (NYSE: SVR) keeps of each buck it earns in revenue, the more money it has to invest in growth, fund new strategic plans, or (gasp!) distribute to shareholders. Healthy margins often separate pretenders from the best stocks in the market. That's why I check on my holdings' margins at least once a quarter. I'm looking for the absolute numbers, comparisons to sector peers and competitors, and any trend that may tell me how strong Syniverse Holdings' competitive position could be. Comments Read more	Another Deep Value in Tech Thu, 23/12/2010 - 11:51 by Andrew Bond For value investors, a prolonged market run, with very few market pullbacks sprinkled in, is a very tough time to find deep-value stocks. High momentum names sporting huge price-to-earnings ratios (P/Es) -- think Amazon and F5 Networks -- continue to fly, but those companies are out of my price range. Many times it is those high-beta names that give up the most ground if a shallow pullback becomes a larger correction. Comments Read more	Beware the Attack of the Apple Clones Thu, 23/12/2010 - 11:43 by Travis Hoium It isn't hard to see who is dominating this holiday season. Watch television for an hour and you're bound to see commercials for smartphones and tablet computers. But if you take a closer look you can see they're all just clones of Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) products.I just envision product developers at electronics companies around the world waiting for Apple product launches to see what they're going to try and reverse engineer next. Comments Read more
Live Chat With the Fool: 24 Hours of Foolishness Tue, 21/12/2010 - 21:35 by Sean Williams Over the past few years, we've had numerous live chats here at the Fool, but we've never attempted what we're going to do today: a 24-hour live chat.From 8 a.m. ET today (Tuesday) to 8 a.m. ET Wednesday, we will be answering your questions while raising money for charity. Comments Read more	Big Picture: A Completely Broken Tax System Sat, 18/12/2010 - 14:25 by Morgan Housel Two months ago, Bloomberg showed how Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) uses a host of loopholes to bring its tax rate down to 2.4%. According to Forbes, General Electric (NYSE: GE) made $10.3 billion in pre-tax income in 2009, but didn't pay a dime to the Internal Revenue Service. Comments Read more	FedEx to Investors: Honest! The Check's in the Mail! Sat, 18/12/2010 - 14:13 by Rich Smith After initially plummeting on an anemic earnings report yesterday, FedEx (NYSE: FDX) shares rebounded to end the day notching a 2% gain. Fast-forward fewer than 24 hours, though, and FedEx has already given back yesterday's winnings as investors think, rethink, and re-rethink what the report actually told them. So which is it, Fools? Should FedEx fly, or did it fumble its fiscal Q2 2011 earnings report? Comments Read more
The Stimulus Package That's Free to Taxpayers Sat, 18/12/2010 - 13:59 by Travis Hoium Buried deep in the tax package being shoved through Congress is a much-needed stimulus for the solar industry. It is an extension to the 1603 Program, a grant program for "green energy" projects started during the original stimulus package. The program includes everything from solar and wind to geothermal. Comments Read more	Gannett's Dividends May Not Last Forever Sat, 18/12/2010 - 13:55 by Jordan DiPietro Whether you're a beginning investor or a near-retiree, the importance of purchasing stocks that pay dividends cannot be overstated. Not only do companies that have quarterly or annual payouts provide you with a steady stream of income, they also have the potential for capital appreciation. Simply put, dividend stocks can give your portfolio what almost no other investment can -- both income and growth. Comments Read more	Power Up Your Investments! Sat, 18/12/2010 - 13:43 by Travis Hoium The energy sector can be one of the most stable places to invest money over the long term. Oil, electricity, and natural gas are not items people are willing to quickly cut back on, even in a recession. But in such a stable business, finding growth stocks isn't always easy. Here are a few stocks I'm watching that might give investors some growth in energy. Comments Read more