Investors

Top 10 Software Performers of 2010 Tue, 28/12/2010 - 07:19 by Eric Bleeker It's been a pretty kind year to stock investors, with the S&P showing a 12.7% 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. Comments Read more	Is Medtronic Earning Its Keep? Tue, 28/12/2010 - 07:10 by Seth Jayson Margins matter. The more Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) 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 Medtronic's competitive position could be. Comments Read more	Is Kimberly-Clark's Stock Cheap by the Numbers? Tue, 28/12/2010 - 07:01 by Anand Chokkavelu Numbers can lie -- but they're the best first step in determining whether a stock is a buy. In this series, we use some carefully chosen metrics to size up a stock's true value based on the following clues: Comments Read more
3 Stocks That Blew the Market Away Tue, 28/12/2010 - 06:59 by Rick Aristotle ... Don't settle for ordinary quarterly reports. Every week I take a look at three companies that beat market expectations, since I believe that it's the biggest factor in a stock beating the market. Leaving Wall Street's pros with stunned expressions can be a good thing. It usually means the companies have more in the tank than analysts figured. Capital appreciation typically follows. Comments Read more	Does This Make Digital River a Sell? Tue, 28/12/2010 - 06:51 by Seth Jayson There's no foolproof way to know the future for Digital River(Nasdaq: DRIV) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result. Rest assured: Even if you're not monitoring these metrics, short-sellers are. Comments Read more	If You See This, Should You Sell Monster Worldwide? Tue, 28/12/2010 - 06:40 by Seth Jayson There's no foolproof way to know the future for Monster Worldwide (NYSE: MWW) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result. Rest assured: Even if you're not monitoring these metrics, short-sellers are. Comments Read more
Black Swan Hunting for 2011 Mon, 27/12/2010 - 09:53 by Owain Bennallack This article has been adapted from our sister site across the pond, Fool U.K. The entire point of author Nassim Taleb's ironically now ubiquitous "Black Swan" metaphor was that nobody in the white swan-strewn Old World foresaw the black version of the bird until they encountered Australia, where millions of black swans were waddling about their business. Comments Read more	These Companies Will Profit from Intel's Demise Sat, 25/12/2010 - 08:49 by Eric Bleeker On Tuesday, a monumental piece of news leaked out from the technology world, and in response, people merely sighed. The news amounts to nothing less than the final piece of the puzzle needed to shatter "Wintel," the combination of Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Windows operating systems and Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) processors that came to define the PC era of computers. Comments Read more	How Cheap Is Xerox's Stock by the Numbers? Sat, 25/12/2010 - 08:15 by Anand Chokkavelu Numbers can lie -- yet they're the best first step in determining whether a stock is a buy. In this series, we use some carefully chosen metrics to size up a stock's true value based on the following clues: Comments Read more
Durable Goods Report: Here We Go Again Fri, 24/12/2010 - 12:05 by Rich Smith To every rule there is an exception. But month after month, when all you see is exceptions, you've got to start to wonder: Is this a new rule? This morning, the Census Bureau released its monthly tally of U.S. durable goods orders. Here's the rundown: Comments Read more	5 More Beaten-Down Stocks Worth Buying Fri, 24/12/2010 - 12:03 by Matt Koppenheffer I don't like to keep any sacred cows in my investing stable. Though I build my portfolio around high-quality, stable, and usually dividend-paying stalwarts, I know that there are many ways to find value in the market. Comments Read more	Amass Your Fortune With These Top Stocks Fri, 24/12/2010 - 11:47 by Rich Duprey You don't need the investing acumen of Warren Buffett or the riches of a trust fund baby to achieve financial success. Since the stock market is your best hope for realizing your dreams, start investing today, by putting away small sums of money every month. Then seek out undervalued small-cap stocks for your greatest returns. I like these stocks because they offer opportunities for growth, while still being mostly overlooked by the big investors. Comments Read more