SmartMoney - The Wall Street Journal

Beware the Dividend Fakers; Hough: Some companies pay cash to stockholders while quietly issuing plenty of new shares.

Utility stocks have a reputation for providing investors with plump dividends. Sure enough, the utility sector of the S&P 500 index carries a dividend yield of 4.1%, versus a 2.2% yield for the broader index.

Where the stock and bond bargains are hiding; Both the safest and the riskiest assets are overbought

If Wall Street is a struggle between fear and greed, both sides seemed plenty crowded this past week. The fearful, eyeing political turmoil and deep fiscal woes in Greece, snapped up 10-year Treasury notes with yields as low as 1.70%, near ...

The Right Way to Buy Facebook

J.P. Morgan may turn loss into gain; The bank has penchant for share buybacks, and shares are cheaper now

J.P. Morgan Chase, America’s biggest bank, admitted last week it lost $2 billion on a derivatives trade that its chief executive, James Dimon, called “flawed” and “poorly reviewed.” Its shares have tumbled in response.

J.P. Morgan May Turn Loss Into Gain

Gas Pains Bring Investor Gains; Hough: Where to look now that natural gas stocks are out of steam.

In the past year, U.S. natural gas prices have fallen by half, and recently sat near a 10-year low. How cheap can gas get? Some say it may soon trade for next to nothing, and that has important -- though not-so-obvious -- implications for ...

College: ‘best investment’ or big risk? Financial return for a four-year degree may surprise you

College is the best investment you can make, President Obama told students last month at the University of Colorado. As a metaphor for the benefits of education, that statement is fine. But taken as a claim about the financial returns of a ...

Why U.S. House Prices Won't Recover; Hough: Taking inflation into account, U.S. home prices are down to 1895 levels.

When will U.S. house prices recover? Likely never. But that's no reason not to buy. The latest S&P / Case-Shiller numbers, reported last week, show that prices in 20 major markets declined 3.5% over the year through February. They're now ...

By Jack Hough; How to Beat Government Bonds—Using Social Security

For an investment return that tops those offered by hedge funds, insurance firms or Wall Street banks, baby boomers should look to Social Security.

The Problem With Emerging-Markets Funds; Hough: Many lack sufficient exposure to, of all things, emerging markets.

Your emerging-markets stock fund might need more exposure to emerging markets. Many such funds have large exposure in markets that bear more economic resemblance to the U.S. than to China and India. They also tend to favor companies with ...

Retirement; When to Take Social Security: Your Questions Answered; A column on the decision to delay benefits got a big response from readers. Here are some questions answered.

Last week's Upside column looked at the question of when Social Security participants should start collecting payments: as early as age 62, as late as age 70 or somewhere between the two. Those who delay payments miss out on early ones but ...

3 Stocks With Real Earnings Surprises; Hough: Here's how to tell companies that truly beat expectations from those that merely set the bar low.

Studies have long linked upside earnings surprises with handsome future stock returns. The problem with today's upside surprises, however, is that most aren't especially surprising.

The Fed in 57 Words

Apple, IBM Push Tech to No. 2 in Dividends

4 Growth Stocks Without the Hefty Price; Hough: They aren't the cheapest stocks, but they offer pep with less of a premium.

Chipotle Mexican Grill presents a dilemma, and not just for burrito buyers torn between black beans and pinto beans. Store traffic is booming, margins look plump, and Wall Street expects the company's earnings per share to jump 31 percent ...

3 Stocks for Those Seeking Safety; Hough: Worried about a summer sell-off for the market? Consider these shares.

Don't expect the stocks below to escape losses entirely if the broad market slides this summer. But history says they hold up relatively well in downturns, making them a good fit for jittery investors who want to stay in the market.

Are 'Long-Short' Funds a Good Bet? These funds offer ways to seek profits, protection or some of both. But with their high fees and complexity, they aren't for everyone.

Investors are caught between the fear of another stock market crash and the punishingly low yields on safe havens like Treasurys. "Long-short" mutual funds, which bet for and against stocks at the same time, offer ways to seek profits, ...

The Frugal Fund Company That's Up 38%; Hough: This value manager's shares look a lot pricier than its holdings.

An investment company known for its frugal approach to stock selection has seen its own shares reach lofty levels on Wall Street. WisdomTree Investments shares have gained 38% this year -- nearly four times the broad U.S. stock market's ...

How to Invest in a U.S. Manufacturing Boom; Hough: Trends suggest America's manufacturing renaissance is just getting started. Here's what investors need to know.

Investors who have favored emerging markets like China in recent years should pay attention to another growing manufacturing center. It boasts plenty of skilled workers; cheap and abundant energy; stable institutions; and a large middle ...

3 Stocks With Scattered Earnings Estimates; Hough: As earnings season approaches, forecasts for these companies are all over the place.

Earnings season kicks off next week amid high uncertainty on Wall Street--especially concerning the companies below. Analysts have spent more than seven months steadily lowering their first-quarter earnings forecasts for the broad market. ...

3 Stocks Short-Sellers Are Targeting; Hough: Investors who bet on falling share prices have turned their attention to these companies.

As share prices broadly rise, some investors are betting big against the three stocks listed below. Each has seen heavy "short-selling" in recent weeks. That's a trading tactic that involves selling shares without actually owning them in ...

Stocks Hit All-Time High (Sort Of); Real-Time Advice: By one measure, the market has fully recovered from the 2008 global financial crisis.

Why it's Time to De-Risk; Hough: Investors should consider swapping bold bets for boring ones.

Bulls say the capital markets are in a "risk rally," while cynics call it a "dash for trash." Whatever the label, assets that investors were too fearful to touch last year have lately been the market's top performers.

By Jack Hough; Will a Dividend-Tax Hike Spoil the Party?

Apple's dividend announcement this past week is good news for income investors, but bad news might be lurking around the corner. Unless Congress takes action, the top tax rate for the highest earners on most dividends, currently 15%, is ...

Strategist: Stock Market Should Double Again; Hough: Why one market forecaster thinks the current bull market isn't nearly over.

U.S. stock prices have doubled from their financial-crisis lows of just over three years ago, judging by the S&P 500 index. That has investors wondering if the market has rallied too far, too fast.

An Insider Trading Loophole Congress Didn't Close; Real-Time: A bill passed Thursday bans lawmakers from profiting from privileged information. But company execs can still do so.

Dividend Investors to Get 15% Raise; Real-Time Advice: Apple isn't nearly alone in answering shareholder demand for yield this year.

How to Know If a Pricey Stock Is Worth It; Hough: Amazon, Priceline or Salesforce.com? Here are guidelines for figuring out which is still a bargain.

Intuitive Surgical, a maker of medical robots, is expected to increase its earnings by 33% this year. That is tantalizing growth at a time when the broad Standard & Poor's 500-stock index is projected to see a 9% gain in operating ...

Think Stocks Have Risen Too Far? Try Utilities; Hough: Shares of electricity and gas companies typically offer generous dividend yields -- and slow but steady growth.

Investors who are worried that stocks have risen too far, too fast, should give utilities another look. Shares of electricity and gas companies typically offer generous dividend yields -- dividend payments as a percentage of stock price -- ...

How to Spot a Company That's at the Top of its Game; Hough: Sometimes the next big thing is the current big thing.

Starbucks has been the subject of punch lines about chain store ubiquity at least since the summer of 1998, when The Onion, a satirical newspaper, ran a headline about the opening of a new Starbucks inside the restroom of an existing one. ...

Coffee Stocks Look Shaky; Hough: Green Mountain's tumble is a cautionary sign. It's time to kick caffeine.

For a 500 year-old beverage made from water and fruit pits, coffee sure has got investors buzzing. Consider: The broad S&P 500-stock index sells for 13 times this year's earnings forecast. But Starbucks fetches more than 25 times ...

3 Stocks Bucking the Earnings Slowdown; Hough: Profit growth is slowing for most of the market, but not for these firms.

Over the past three years, corporate profits underlying the S&P 500 index have rebounded from a negative number to a record sum. Soaring profits, in turn, have helped to justify a quick rise in stock prices. But profits for the current ...

How to Outsmart Social Security; Hough: A new study offers tips on when to begin collecting benefits.

Social Security is designed to be fair, but it plays favorites. A savvy retiree can maximize benefits by choosing to begin payments at just the right time. Most choose wrong, whether from necessity or because they don't understand the ...

Finding Bargains in a Rallying Market; Hough: Investors should seek out values in pockets of the stock market, as well as junk-bond funds.

Stocks and higher-yielding "junk" bonds have surged so much in recent months that bargains are getting difficult to find. At the same time, safer investments such as Treasury bonds and high-grade corporate issues have meager ...

When Will Apple Hit $1,000 a Share? Hough: There's reason to believe Apple can grow much bigger, but it's not a sure thing. What investors should do from here.

With Apple shares having recently topped $500, how soon might they hit $1,000? That is an impatient thought for an investor, perhaps. But Apple shareholders have gotten used to fast gratification: The share price has doubled five times in ...

Why College Aid Makes College More Expensive; Hough: New research shows how federal spending on higher education can backfire.

Federal aid for students has increased 164% over the past decade, adjusted for inflation, according to the College Board. Yet three-quarters of Americans and even a majority of college presidents see college as unaffordable for most, and ...

The ABCs of Dodging Mutual Fund Fees; Hough: Two investors who buy into the same fund could end up with significantly different returns, thanks to a confusing array of share classes.

Cash poured into mutual funds during the first week of February at the fastest pace in nearly two years, according to data from the Investment Company Institute, a trade group.

The Surprising Truth About Positive Earnings Surprises; Hough: Shares not only leap after good earnings news, they drift higher for months.

Two companies report earnings that surpass Wall Street estimates by 10 percent. Shares of the first company jump, but those of the second are unchanged. Why?

How Families Can Get $3.5M in FDIC Coverage; Hough: Bank account insurance stretches much further than savers may realize.

It's a nice problem to have, but a problem nonetheless: Some savers have more than $250,000 in cash, the current limit for protection by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

3 Retailers Betting Big on Shares; Hough: These chains are spending richly on stock repurchases. That could help or hurt investors.

A trio of retailers has lately spent massive sums on a single investment: their own stock. Stock repurchases are one of two ways companies return the cash they earn to investors. Dividends are the other. The long historical record for stocks ...

Time to Leave Your Money Market Fund; Hough: Banks offer much better rates and an added layer of protection.

Short-term savings yields won't make anyone rich these days. But investors can pick up some extra cash -- and get a little added safety -- by switching from money-market funds offered by investment companies to money-market accounts ...

Energy Pipelines That Pay 6% -- With Tax Breaks; Master limited partnerships are high-maintenance but worth the hassle, writes Jack Hough.

A quirky and complex investment class called master limited partnerships has been one of the market's best performers of late. The widely followed Alerian MLP index of 50 energy MLPs returned 14% in 2011, including dividends, versus ...

To Beat the S&P 500, Try the Other S&P 500; Hough: For equal-weight indexing fans, "the market" is doing just fine -- and closing in on an all-time high.

Investors seeking better returns from the stock market might want to change their definition of it. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index -- "the market" to many investors -- must climb another 16% to top its October 2007 ...

Tech Stocks: Safer Than You Think; Hough: Here are four reasons even risk-adverse investors should favor the sector.

The technology sector is known for two things: growth potential and risk. Apple's trouncing of Wall Street earnings forecasts this past week suggests growth is still abundant. Yet Big Tech is looking less risky than it has in the past.

Big Fracking Deal: The Looming Takeover Boom in Oil; Hough: Investors with an appetite for risk might want to drill deeper into the oil sector to find smaller firms sitting on U.S. oil-shale riches.

Energy profits are booming and Big Oil shares look inexpensive. But investors with an appetite for risk might want to drill deeper into the sector to find smaller firms sitting on U.S. oil-shale riches -- which make tempting takeover ...

The Mystery of Closed-End Fund Discounts; Hough: A pot of stocks and bonds worth $15 a share can sometimes be had for $13. What that means for investors.

Investors are rational agents, economists like to say. In other words, for the most part, we're not nuts. If IBM trades at $190 a share, Uncle Hank isn't going to offer his lot at $150 -- and if he does, it's time to talk to ...

'Safe' Stocks Off to Wobbly Start in 2012; Hough: Consumer staples shares have been stars in recent years. Now they look vulnerable.

Stock investors are having a mostly happy new year. The S&P 500-stock index returned around 5% through Friday. And yet the slice of the index that represents safety to many investors -- consumer staples -- is down slightly.

Profiting From Stock Buybacks; Hough: When companies buy back stock, it's not always a buy signal for investors. Here's how to tell which purchases matter.

American companies are gobbling up their own stock. Investors who view that as a buy signal, however, should consider that some repurchases bode much better than others for future stock performance.

How to Make Money Off Analysts' Stock Recommendations; Hough: New research suggests a way for investors to tell which "buys" are worth heeding -- and which ones aren't.

If Wall Street's stock tips were reliable, portfolio selection would be easy. Investors could simply load up on Apple because analysts give it more positive ratings like "buy" and "outperform" than any other stock, ...

Ugly Acronym, Handsome Stock Returns; Hough: Why investors should learn to love the "EV/Ebitda" ratio.

Many investors use the price-to-earnings ratio to tell whether stocks are cheap. It shows how many dollars a buyer must pay for each $1 in yearly earnings the company produces. There are other such measures that show how much investors must ...

3 Stocks That Could Start Dividends in 2012; Hough: These firms sit on excess cash and may feel pressured to pay, given investor appetite for yield.

Cisco stock has been a poor performer since the dot-com stock bubble of more than a decade ago. But it's up 14% since last March, when the maker of networking equipment announced it would start paying quarterly dividends.

10 Stocks Analysts Say to Sell; Hough: Eastman Kodak is only the latest example of why Wall Street's pans, while rare, are worth heeding.

On Wall Street, "sell" recommendations are exceedingly rare. Perhaps for that reason, they tend to be worth following. Among companies with the most sell recommendations is Eastman Kodak, which the Wall Street Journal reports this ...

Why U.S. Stocks Could Outperform in 2012; Hough: Improving fundamentals, a dollar revival and a manufacturing rebound make the U.S. market a potentially attractive investment.

A new year, an old investor dilemma: Is it better to run with last year's biggest winner even though it has gotten pricier, or to shift money into the losers even though they might have further to fall?

For Bank Stocks, Smaller Is Better in 2012

For stock investors, banks weren't where the money was in 2011. The KBW Bank Index, which includes 24 U.S. firms, from global giants like Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase to large regional players, plunged 25% in 2011. The broader ...

Signs of Hope for Investors Waiting to Get Back In

Just in time for Christmas, there is a sprinkling of good news for investors. Jobless claims are the lowest since April 2008, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Housing starts hit their highest level since April 2010. Companies are ...

Why Food Stocks Could Give Investors Heartburn; Hough: Two recent stock collapses look like isolated cases, but lofty valuations are widespread.

Six months ago this column drew reader attention to a trio of food stocks that looked too expensive. One of them, snack specialist Snyder's-Lance, has risen a bit since then, but the other two have plummeted.

2 Cheap Tech Stocks With Analyst Upgrades; Hough: Wall Street has recently turned keener on these battered shares.

Boring stocks are basking in popularity. The utilities and consumer staples sectors within the S&P 500 index are 12% and 22% more expensive, respectively, than the broader index based on 2011 earnings forecasts.

How to Invest in China; Hough: The country's economy may be slowing, but long-term stock investors should still gain some exposure.

China's economy has swelled four times in size in a decade, but growth is slowing. Market forecasters are locked in a debate over what comes next.

Dividend Stock Guide for Boomers; Hough: Firms that supply boomers with steady dividends will be in high demand.

By 2030, around 20 percent of the U.S. population will be 65 and older, up from 13 percent today, reckons the Census Bureau. There's a gloomy theory on how that will affect stocks. As boomers earned and saved in the 1980s and 1990s, ...

ETFs That Pay Up to 7% -- Then Mature; Hough: A new class of exchange-traded fund puts the "fixed" back in fixed income. Should investors buy in?

In about two weeks, one exchange-traded fund will do something highly unusual. It will mature. The Guggenheim BulletShares 2011 Corporate Bond ETF is like most fixed-income ETFs in that it holds a diversified basket of bonds, passes the ...

Diamond Shares: Tasty or Nuts?

How to Steady Your Stock Portfolio; Hough: An index options strategy might be just the thing for a stingy stock market.

Stocks have generated more worry than gains this year -- and for more than a decade. Yet slim yields on bonds and savings give stockholders little enticement to sell.

Don't Spend 2012 Hiding in Cash; Hough: Why it's time to stop sitting in money market and savings accounts while waiting for the big crash.

Presidential election years usually cheer stock investors. The S&P 500 has returned more than 22%, on average, during election years since World War II. But don't get excited for 2012. Those past returns are from too small a sample ...

3 Cheap Stocks Hitting 2011 Highs; Hough: Not all rising shares are pricey. These sell for less than the market based on earnings.

U.S. stocks have rallied fiercely since Thanksgiving, but the S&P 500 index is still 8% below its 2011 high, reached in May. The stocks listed below have done better. On Monday, they all hit new highs for the year.

The 3 Things Every Investor Can Control; Hough: Even in an unruly market, everyone should get these moves right.

Year-end financial planning might feel a bit like trying to fit an alligator for a suit. The S&P 500-stock index provided a year's worth of typical gains this past week after losing nearly a year's worth the week before. How ...

Why Investors Should Sell Their Losers Now; Hough: Investors tend to wait until year's end for tax loss harvesting. That's a mistake.

There are 23 trading days left in 2011 -- plenty of time to sell losing stocks for tax purposes. But investors shouldn't wait, for two reasons.

$100 Billion for Facebook? Buy This Instead; Hough: The dotcom's rumored valuation could get investors a lot more.

Large numbers are difficult to conceptualize. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Facebook is targeting a spring initial public offering that would value the company at $100 billion. Is that a lot or a little for a website with ...

Better 'Dow Dogs' Pay 4%; Hough: This old-school strategy has been beating the market of late, and there's reason to believe it will continue its run.

The Dogs of the Dow are running strong this year. The decades-old strategy, which calls for buying the 10 highest-yielding shares among the 30 Dow Jones Industrial Average members at the end of each year, has returned 5.5% this year through ...

Bottom-Fishing: Netflix Vs. H-P; Hough: Both stocks have been shattered of late. Which offers investors the better deal?

Netflix and Hewlett-Packard are dissimilar companies that have met a common fate: a spectacular loss of popularity on Wall Street. The causes of these declines are more alike than different.

AAA-Rated Companies With 3% Dividends; Hough: These firms have better credit scores than the U.S. government--and their shares pay plenty.

Investors already had two good reasons to lighten up on U.S. Treasury bonds. This week they got another. The first reason is a puny payoff. The 10-year Treasury note recently yielded less than 2%, or less than one-third of what it has paid, ...

Cloud Investing, Buffett-Style; To invest in "cloud computing" without paying a stratospheric price, take a cue from Wall Street's newest tech enthusiast, Warren Buffett.

For a way to invest in "cloud computing" without paying a stratospheric price, take a cue from Wall Street's newest tech enthusiast: Warren Buffett.

4 Stock Traits That Will Outperform; During a down economy, investors should look for a combination of low price, low risk, high quality and size when picking stocks.

If your stocks are plunging, your income is stagnant, and your spouse just lost his or her job, economists have "good" news. According to their definition of prosperity, the current period may not qualify as a recession. Hosanna!

IPO Feast: Worth a Bite? Hough: Several companies are scheduled to go public today, including Angie's List, but investors should be cautious.

Wall Street is serving up its biggest buffet of initial public offerings in six months -- but the menu isn't especially appetizing. Among issues slated to begin trading today is Angie's List, a review site for local businesses. The ...

Gushing Oil Prices: Which Consumers Will Feel It First?

Buffett Buys Big Blue -- Should You? The value guru has turned keen on IBM. Other investors might want to consider a purchase, too, writes Jack Hough.

Berkshire Hathaway bought $10.7 billion worth of IBM shares, raising its stake to 5.5%, Warren Buffett told CNBC Monday, a day before Berkshire is scheduled to report its third quarter holdings.

Why Munis Are Worth a Look

Municipal bonds faced two key tests this past week—and came out looking sturdy. The first was a spike in Italian government bond yields that culminated Wednesday with a global flight from risky assets. Muni prices rose, a sign that investors ...

No Pension? You May Still Owe $30,000 On One; State and local retirement shortfalls are everyone's problem, writes Jack Hough.

Pension accounts for state and local government workers are underfunded by $4 trillion, according to one recent analysis. If America's households were to split that tab today, each would have to kick in $34,000.

Why Italy's Yield Spike May Spread; Investors are losing confidence in artificial bond protections that have kept yields low, writes Jack Hough.

World stocks plunged Wednesday after Italy's 10-year government bond yield jumped to 7.4%. Ordinary savers might wonder what one has to do with the other.

Is Salesforce.com Worth 100 Times Earnings? The cloud software stock fetches a stratospheric price. It could be due for a tumble, writes Jack Hough.

You might not have heard of Salesforce.com. It's only 12 years old and it does business mainly with other companies, not consumers. But its stock market value is larger than that of J.C. Penney, Hasbro and Netflix -- combined.

Where Government Bonds Pay 6%; Emerging markets offer meaty yields and rising creditworthiness, writes Jack Hough.

Emerging-market bonds might be that rare investment that holds appeal for both the aggressive and the timid. The aggressive investor will like the 6.5% yield on the JP Morgan Emerging Market Bond index. That's triple what investors get ...

3 Small-Company Stock Bargains; Small-cap indexes look pricey, but among individual shares are plenty of good deals, writes Jack Hough.

Small-company stocks look expensive as a group, and their performance has underwhelmed this year. But that's no reason to ignore all of them, because many small-company stocks are bargains.

As Dow Plunges, Beware 'Low-Beta' Stocks; The latest threat to the European debt deal could send investors scrambling for less-volatile shares. That move could backfire, writes Jack Hough.

U.S. stocks shed more than 2.5% on Tuesday, as Greece's call for a voter referendum threw a newly inked European debt deal into doubt. This, after October proved the best month for stocks in decades. Head-scratching volatility like ...

3 Cheap Stocks That Trounced Estimates; Upside surprises in sales and earnings bode well for these affordable shares.

Upside earnings "surprises" aren't all that surprising nowadays. The percentage of U.S. companies that beat Wall Street projections come reporting time jumped from 49% in the late 1980s to 76% in 2000, and it has stayed high ...

Why Value Will Beat Growth

Glamour stocks might be losing their glow. Amazon.com, Netflix and Apple have each more than quadrupled in value over the five years through September. But their shares have tumbled of late because of shriveling profit margins, subscriber ...

Industrials Post Strong Earnings -- 3 Names to Watch; Caterpillar and Boeing are the latest manufacturers to beat forecasts. That bodes well for the sector.

Large U.S. companies are nearly halfway through earnings-reporting season, and predictably, the news is mostly good. Despite some high-profile forecast misses from Apple and Amazon, only 21% of companies have done worse than projected. ...

Why Netflix Plunge Is a Problem for Amazon; Investors may be souring on glamour stocks in general, writes Jack Hough.

In early September this column argued that Netflix stock, which had gotten one-quarter cheaper since summer, was no bargain (see "Is Netflix Cheap Enough" ). It was $218 then. It's $80 or so now.

At Half-Off, Is Groupon a Buy? The discount site gets its IPO price slashed -- but not all markdowns are bargains.

As with half-priced crochet lessons, Groupon's newly planned stock offering is sharply discounted from a price that was arbitrary to begin with.

Better Ways to Fight Inflation

With the economy growing slowly and commodity prices well off their recent highs, inflation wouldn't seem to be an imminent threat. Yet investors are piling into inflation-protected bonds.

Apple 'Disappoints'? Blame Wall Street; The earnings shortfall is mostly owed to starry-eyed forecasting, but buyers should wait, writes Jack Hough.

Normally, a 54% profit jump would be impressive even for a promising start-up in a booming economy. On Tuesday, America's largest firm reported such a feat -- even though its posh gadgets fetch high prices and consumer sentiment is ...

Could Apple Disappoint? It's not as far-fetched as a soaring stock price and bumper phone sales might suggest.

It's a testament to Apple's new management that the stock hasn't tumbled since founder Steve Jobs died on Oct. 5. But shares have done more than hold their ground; they've jumped 11% in that time, twice as much as the ...

What Store Closings Mean for Retail Stocks; Lowe's and Gap are the latest chains trying to grow by shrinking. Will it work?

Lowe's announcement Monday that it will close 20 underperforming stores sent its shares 1.5% higher by midday, bucking a broad market selloff. For retailers, judicious store closings can reduce long-term expenses and improve profit ...

It's Time to Buy That House

U.S. house prices have plunged by nearly a third since 2006, and homeownership rates are falling at the fastest pace since the Great Depression.

RIMM Stock: Cheap but Troubled; Shares of the Blackberry maker are luring bottom fishers. Should you bite?

Bottom-fishing stock investors generally look for two things in a company: a battered share price and a reason to believe things aren't as bad as feared.

How to Tame the Volatile Stock Market; Investors may not know what's causing the wild swings, but here are four steps they should take, writes Jack Hough.

Oops -- investors on Friday made a $400 billion mistake. That's the amount by which they left the U.S. stock market underpriced over the weekend, judging by Monday's dramatic 3% rise in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Where to Find 7% Yields; Preferred shares issued by real estate trusts are one of today's few sources of healthy investment income.

Income investors have scant choices as the moment. The 10-year Treasury bond pays just 2.1%, and safe corporate and municipal bonds are similarly stingy. U.S. stocks have dividend yields averaging just over 2%--but they've frightened ...

Getting the Most From a Lame 401(k) Retirement Plan

It isn't easy picking investments when quality bonds offer meager yields, stocks seem bipolar and the richest economies are struggling to expand. But many 401(k) investors face an added challenge: choosing from a mutual-fund menu that ...

The Future of AAPL; Real-Time Advice: With the death of the firm's legendary founder, shareholders must decide if Apple can stand on its own, writes Jack Hough.

Stock Forecasts Fall, Managers Go Mum

New iPhone Bodes Well for Speech Stock; Buyers of the device might want to tell it, "Show me a quote on Nuance."

Star Trek fans must have sweaty palms just thinking about it: Apple on Tuesday confirmed that its newest iPhone, available mid-month, will feature a natural speech personal assistant called Siri. Voice recognition is nothing new, but this ...

How to Join Sprint's iPhone Gamble; The carrier is reportedly betting big on Apple's popular device. Here's a low-stakes way to get in on the action.

Sprint is reportedly making a high-stakes bet on Apple's iPhone. Investors who wish to join in the gamble might want to keep their own stakes low--by using options contracts rather than shares.