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  • How to Choose a Stock

    Buying individual stocks can augment an already diversified investment portfolio. Here’s how to get started.

  • How to Find Your Cost Basis

    Brokers are now required to keep better tabs on the costs of your investments. Here’s what do for investments made before 2011.

  • How to Choose a Stock Mutual Fund

    When choosing a stock mutual fund, consider performance, manager track record and cost before investing.

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    Latest Stocks News

    Barrons.com - 4:00 AM ET

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    3 Cheap Stocks with Steady Earnings

    Safety-minded investors have made a subtle shift in their stock buying habits, which spells opportunity for bargain hunters.One way to gauge the safety of a stock is to measure the smoothness of past price swings ("beta"). Another is to ...

    • WSJ.com - Jun 16, 2013

  • Will the Stock Market Party On? It's All Up to the Fed.

    It was a week of turmoil and red ink on Wall Street, as fears continued to grow about the risk of rising interest rates.The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.2% last week—including a 106-point selloff on Friday. The Dow is now down 2.2% ...

    • Barrons.com - Jun 15, 2013

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    Finally Getting Up to Speed

    BB&T has trailed a broad bank-stock rally over the past year, but it looks likely to regain favor with investors in coming quarters. Shares could return more than 30% over the next two years.

    • MarketWatch - Jun 14, 2013

  • The hidden threat to your portfolio; The 60/40 strategy may leave you broke in retirement

    If I suggested that you hand your grandmother’s retirement savings over to a cardsharp in the hope that he might gamble with them on a riverboat casino, you would probably give me a very funny look.

    • Barrons.com - Jun 13, 2013

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    Cardinal Poised to Take Flight

    Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the nature of AssuraMed's business.A pair of big contract losses will cost drug distributor Cardinal Health (ticker: CAH) billions in revenues. As a result, its shares have ...

    • Barrons.com - Jun 11, 2013

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    Tenneco Investors Can Breathe Easy

    In Europe, the amount of carbon dioxide coughed up by cars fell 2.6% last year as carmakers adopted new clean-air technologies in the face of stricter environmental rules. In the U.S., carmakers have until 2016 to lower carbon dioxide ...

    • WSJ.com - May 19, 2013

  • Is This the Best Time for Investors? Don't Bet On It.

    These have been good times—surprisingly good times—for investors.Interest rates on Treasury bonds are near historic lows. Corporate bonds, including those for blue-chip and riskier companies, are booming.

    • MarketWatch - Jun 10, 2013

  • Why Wall Street loses its mind every summer; Commentary: When the market enters the Twilight Zone

    Rod Serling, where are you now?People of my generation, or older, will remember the eerie genius behind the original Twilight Zone TV series – the greatest sci-fi series ever made.

    • WSJ.com - Jun 9, 2013

  • Intel's Share Price Could Double

    Intel's future is beginning to look brighter than investors have assumed.The company seems on the verge of market-share gains for tablet and smartphone chips, strong growth in servers and even a stabilization in personal ...

    • Barrons.com - Jun 8, 2013

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    Foot Locker Has Room to Run

    Foot Locker is proving that expansion isn't everything. The sneaker chain (ticker: FL) has closed more stores than it has opened over the past decade while driving sales per square foot more than 40% higher. That has done wonders for its ...

    • WSJ.com - Jun 7, 2013

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    By Mark Hulbert; Why 'Boring' Stocks Have an Edge Over 'Exciting' Ones

    In the stock market, boring is often beautiful.That is because "boring" stocks—those that have exhibited the least historical volatility—on average outperform the most "exciting" issues—those that have been the most volatile. And not by ...

    • Barrons.com - Jun 6, 2013

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    3 Stocks for Impatient Value Investors

    Patience and value investing are close companions: Warren Buffett says his favorite holding period for stocks is "forever." But how about an approach for stock buyers who are both frugal and antsy?

    Latest Stocks News

    MarketWatch - Apr 26, 2013

  • Why everyone is wrong about austerity; Mistakes in the war over government debt aren’t limited to spreadsheets

    Have you heard? Wonderful, wonderful news. The economic “austerians” have been defeated!The deficit cutters and budget balancers have been routed in the field of economics. All those worries about government debts have been debunked. It ...

    • Barrons.com - Apr 25, 2013

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    Apple Dividends Don't Wow—for Now

    Apple, with its gargantuan $145 billion cash hoard, is pulling out the stops to regain investor affection, and yet skepticism continues to rule the day. However, we are confident that patient investors will be amply rewarded.

    • Barrons.com - Apr 23, 2013

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    TIPS Are Cheaper Than You Think

    "Guaranteed to reduce wealth" doesn't make for a tempting sales pitch. But the U.S. Treasury has raised more than $50 billion from investors since 2011 with just such an offer. Its Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities, or TIPS as they ...

    • Barrons.com - Apr 20, 2013

  • A Smart Alternative to Junk Bonds

    For high investment yields that are worth the extra risk, look beyond junk bonds. Investors have piled into them, causing prices to rise and yields to fall to record lows. The BofA Merrill Lynch High Yield Master II index recently yielded ...

    • MarketWatch - Apr 22, 2013

  • The Boston bombing and ‘black swans’; Commentary: Role of risk in our lives is little understood

    Human beings seem to have a real problem with the idea of risk. We can’t get it into perspective. We worry about the wrong things and the wrong dangers. It’s a massive problem for investors, and it’s a problem in other parts of our lives. ...

    • WSJ.com - Apr 21, 2013

  • Too Much Food? Try the Alternatives.

    Nervous investors have been piling into the pantry and fridge for financial comfort food. Hormel Foods (HRL) and Campbell Soup (CPB) are up more than 30% apiece so far this year, and General Mills (GIS) and Hershey (HSY), more than 20%, ...

    • WSJ.com - Apr 19, 2013

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    The Great Gold Divide: Which Side Are You On?

    This past week's turmoil in the gold market knocked the precious metal down to its cheapest price in two years.Yet when adjusted for inflation, it remains far above the average price levels it has seen since 1975, when it became freely ...

    • Barrons.com - Apr 18, 2013

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    Why Utilities Beat Bonds for Income

    Utility stocks look pricey relative to earnings. But some are worth the premium, especially for nervous investors seeking income.The utility sector of the Standard & Poor's 500 index is up 15% this year, versus 10% for the broader ...

    • Barrons.com - Apr 16, 2013

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    5 Reasons a Crash Is Unlikely

    Monday's Boston bombing sent stock prices tumbling and has given investors a new reason to reconsider risk. The Standard & Poor's 500 index (ticker: SPY), a benchmark for U.S. stocks, is up 10% so far this year--as much as it has ...

    • WSJ.com - Apr 12, 2013

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    Are Commodities a Buy? Recent Price Drops Mean Time Could Be Ripe to Diversify

    Your investment portfolio already has stocks and bonds. Do you need to add commodities such as soybeans, copper and oil as well?Some experts argue that you should—and that this may be a good moment in which to make the move.

    • Barrons.com - Apr 13, 2013

  • Put Your Portfolio on a Diet

    As the U.S. stock market hits new highs, investors have been piling into the pantry and fridge for financial comfort food. Hormel Foods (ticker: HRL) and Campbell Soup (CPB) are up 30% apiece so far this year, General Mills (GIS) 22% and ...

    • WSJ.com - Apr 14, 2013

  • How Investing Dimes Can Beat Dollars

    If you have some money to invest in stocks, but you're worried you're late to the party now that both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index have hit new highs, Burton Malkiel, the renowned economist ...

    Latest Stocks News

    WSJ.com - Apr 12, 2013

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    Dividend Stocks: Where to Find the Best Performers

    When it comes to dividends, more isn't always better: A company isn't necessarily more attractive just because it pays a higher dividend.That is the clear lesson I draw from the dividend-oriented newsletter with the best long-term record ...

    • Barrons.com - Apr 11, 2013

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    Falling Earnings Estimates? Not Here

    When Wall Street analysts raise their earnings estimates for a company, it's an excellent sign for stock investors. Studies show such good news tends to play out gradually, with one estimate boost being followed by others in coming weeks ...

    • Barrons.com - Apr 9, 2013

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    How to Beat the Bond Market

    Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled Jeffery Elswick's name.The era of easy, outsized bond returns is over.Today, bond investors should forget about price gains and instead seek to safely squeeze extra yield out of a ...

    • MarketWatch - Apr 9, 2013

  • The truth about Margaret Thatcher; Commentary: What the ‘Iron Lady’ meant for Britain

    Most of the people criticizing Margaret Thatcher, who died on Monday, have one thing in common: They never lived in Britain before she came on the scene to transform it.

    • WSJ.com - Apr 7, 2013

  • Jobs Fall, Stocks Stumble. Next Up? It's Earnings Time.

    A dismal jobs report sent the stock market tumbling on Friday, but the raging bulls came back before the close to turn a rout into a modest down day.

    • WSJ.com - Apr 5, 2013

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    Pay Off That Mortgage Now!

    Want to beat the Treasury market? Pay off your mortgage.Repaying a mortgage early offers, in essence, a risk-free return in the form of the interest saved. Nowadays anyone with a mortgage of 4% or 5% can earn more by repaying the loan than ...

    • MarketWatch - Apr 4, 2013

  • Mom and pop: The world’s worst investors; Commentary: They buy high, sell low, and the ending is predictable

    Oh, brother.I don’t know Mark Villa and Lucie White, a pair of doctors in Houston, Texas, who were featured in a big story in our sister publication, The Wall Street Journal, a few days ago.

    • WSJ.com - Mar 31, 2013

  • Five Really Dumb Money Moves You've Got to Avoid

    You know the smartest things to do with your money. But what are the worst moves? What should you avoid?Weirdly enough, they are things that a surprising number of people are still doing—even though they probably know, in their heart of ...

    • Barrons.com - Mar 30, 2013

  • Buybacks That Companies and Investors Can Love

    Plenty of big companies are buying back gobs of their own stock, but only a handful are doing so in a way that gives a bullish signal for investors. Among them are WellPoint (ticker: WLP), Seagate Technology (STX), Western Union (WU), and ...

    • Barrons.com - Apr 2, 2013

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    A Chip Stock With 50% Upside

    Chip stocks have hit a rough patch, and Photronics (ticker: PLAB) is no exception.The Brookfield, Conn., company, valued at just $400 million, makes photomasks, or plates that allow light to shine through in patterns to create miniscule ...

    • WSJ.com - Mar 31, 2013

  • Quarterly Quota

    MarketBeat bloggers Paul Vigna and Steven Russolillo give their take on the biggest hits of the first quarter.

    • WSJ.com - Mar 29, 2013

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    Why Italy Looks Cheap

    You would have to be crazy to invest in the Italian stock market, right?After all, the country is plunged into yet another political crisis. It is struggling through its longest recession since World War II. Italy's national debts are among ...

    Latest Stocks News

    Barrons.com - Mar 26, 2013

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    Investors Are in Good Hands with Insurance Stocks

    Sandy was the second-costliest hurricane in U.S. history, yet it didn't sink insurance stocks. In fact, since the end of October when the storm cleared Ace Limited (ticker: ACE) is up 13%, Travelers (TRV) 19% and Allstate (ALL) 23%, versus ...

    • Barrons.com - Mar 28, 2013

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    Mattress Firm's Shares Can Bounce Higher

    Shares of Mattress Firm Holding soared 12% Wednesday after the retailer raised its sales guidance. The retailer's stock looks likely to head higher still.

    • Barrons.com - Mar 23, 2013

  • A Rewarding Development

    America's high-tech companies are ramping up spending on research. That's a good sign for the country's competitiveness—and an opportunity for stock investors.

    • WSJ.com - Mar 22, 2013

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    Low-Quality Stocks Have Zoomed. Time to Shift Gears?

    "Junk" continues to beat "quality" on Wall Street. Nearly four years after the end of the recession of 2007-09, it should be the other way around.

    • Barrons.com - Mar 21, 2013

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    A Top-Notch High-Yield Fund

    "Cash is king." Well, not always.Conditions continue to be punishing for investors holding cash. Short-term Treasuries and bank deposits pay well less than 1%, while inflation has run at 2% over the past year. That means the cost of keeping ...

    • Barrons.com - Mar 19, 2013

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    3 Small Stocks With Big Upside

    Investors are hungry for dividends, and big U.S. companies are delivering. Payments among Standard & Poor's 500 members will hit a record high this year after 77 increases just last month. The portion of index members that pay ...

 
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