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 all-time high. ...

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 2.1% ...

Getting back to the gold standard; Commentary: Jim Grant says gold, not paper currency, is the future

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Jim Grant’s rise to power may be delayed. The legendary Wall Street writer, publisher of Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, has been mentioned by two of the rivals for the Republican presidential nomination. Newt ...

Ten questions about the European crisis; Commentary: Two years in, the crisis still makes no sense

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — I must be very stupid. I have been watching this European financial crisis for two years now. And it still doesn’t make any sense to me whatsoever.

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.

'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.

Buy Signals: How to Decipher Stock Buybacks

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.

2011's Winners Tank in 2012

Last year's stock-market goats are this year's heroes, and vice versa. But investors betting that the reversal will persist should tread carefully, analysts say.

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 newspaper that said ‘up yours’ to the Internet

A column by Brett Arends on Friday included a typographical error in the number for Private Eye’s circulation record. See the corrected column.

The newspaper that said ‘up yours’ to the Internet; Commentary: You only cheapen your work when you give it away

This update corrects the number a typographical error in Private Eye’s record number of copies sold. BOSTON (MarketWatch) — You gotta be online.

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 ...

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 Aunt Lily about ...

How to save Research in Motion; Commentary: An open letter to Thorsten Heins, new CEO

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — An open letter: Dear Thorsten Heins, Congratulations! You’ve just become the new chief executive of Research In Motion, the BlackBerry maker.

The Real Problem With the Global Bond Markets; Arends: Global bond funds are taking needless risks, but a new set of indexes unveiled today aim to fix the problem.

If you think this ends with Greece and Italy, you're crazy. The Japanese government has gross debts of nearly $15 trillion, says the International Monetary Fund. The United States government, depending on how you calculate it, has about the ...

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, according to Thomson ...

Will 2012 be the year of the contrarian? Commentary: Out-of-favor stocks are beating the analysts’ picks

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — The Mayans have Dec. 21 penciled in for the end of the world, but after the first few weeks of 2012, there’s one question to ask on Wall Street.

How to Buy Bonds in King Harald's Norway; Arends: Most investors need more foreign bonds -- but they're so hard to buy.

Everyone knows the U.S. government faces a budget crisis. Everyone, it seems, except the bond market. Investors are still willing to lend to Uncle Sam for 2 to 3 percent interest, even for 30 years. Money continues to pour into bond funds.

Why Europe stocks are too cheap to ignore; Commentary: The Old World is on sale

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — How cheap is Europe these days? Very. Especially for a U.S. investor. Not only have the stocks plummeted over there, but the currency has plummeted too.

The truth about Kim Kardashian’s taxes; Commentary: Facts, schmacts on the Internet — again

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — It takes a lot to get me to write about Kim Kardashian. Let alone to come to her defense. But this week a pressure group in California, campaigning for higher taxes on the rich, has done just that.

In 2012, something’s gotta give; Commentary: Stocks, bonds, the euro, China — all under pressure

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — Get ready for 2012. Because if the markets around the world are to be believed, this is the year when something’s gotta give.

The euro-crisis horror show; Commentary: Suspense over Europe’s fate may be worse than reality

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — Watching the European crisis takes me back to a moment at my English boarding school a couple of decades ago. About 70 of my fellow students were sitting in the dark in the communal TV room late on Saturday night, ...

Low-volatility ETFs can carry a high price; Commentary: New funds cut risk — and potential for greater return

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — The stock market quaked with volatility last year, and some gurus are predicting more rocking and rolling for 2012. Smelling opportunity, exchange-traded fund providers are gearing up to offer new indexes and ...

Analysts' Picks No Better Than Throwing Darts; Arends: It's the time of year when the geniuses on Wall Street tell you the best stocks to buy for the year ahead. Don't listen.

It's the time of year when the geniuses on Wall Street tell you the best stocks to buy for the year ahead. So-called "analysts' top picks" are a popular topic on the Street of Shame. For some people it's just a parlor game. Others pay close ...

Why the U.S. May Be Your Best Bet; Domestic Markets Have Improving Fundamentals; Plus, 'You Have to Be Pretty Brave to Bottom-Fish Now in Europe'

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?

Frack Attack: How to Play the Next American Oil Boom

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 companies sitting on U.S. oil-shale riches—which make tempting takeover ...

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.

How to Make Your 401(k) Plan Work Harder

Chances are you have a 401(k) plan at work. And the chances are you're not making nearly enough of it. A new year means a new leaf: This is as good a time as any to start turning that around.

Fasten Your Seatbelts, It's Going to Be a Bumpy Year

2011 was a year of surprises. An Arab revolution no one predicted. A downgrade of the U.S.'s formerly pristine debt rating. European debt troubles that threatened the future of the continent's common currency.

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 ...

Cash Exits Mutual Funds

Investors pulled a net $2.62 billion from long-term mutual funds in the latest week, as withdrawals from equity funds outpaced additions to bond and hybrid funds, according to estimates from the Investment Company Institute.

The online poker gold rush; Commentary: Gambling is America’s favorite tax

LONDON (MarketWatch) — The news over the holiday weekend is that the Obama administration may be moving towards legalizing online poker. An opinion by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, written in September but only published ...

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 week is ...

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.

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 ...

Will the Europeans have to sell their gold? Commentary: Pressure on gold is bullish in the long term

LONDON (MarketWatch) — If the Italians can’t persuade the bond markets to keep them in business, they have another card up their sleeve. Few people realize it, but Italy holds the world’s fourth biggest stockpile of gold, at 2,452 tonnes. ...

The stock market’s big lie revealed; Commentary: Private-equity companies outperform the market

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — Millions of people still put their faith in the stock market. Even after the events of the past dozen years people still hold trillions of dollars in equities and equity mutual funds in their personal accounts and ...

Harnessing the Anything-Goes IRA; Investors in Self-Directed Accounts Face New Fraud Threats

Tired of the stock market's wild ups and downs, a growing number of investors are opening self-directed IRAs, which allow them to hold real estate, precious metals and other alternative investments.

Hidden in Your Value Fund: Bank Stocks; Arends: Financial stocks can make a value mutual fund uncomfortably volatile.

Aunt Sally has a problem. We all do, really, but especially Aunt Sally. Where is she supposed to put her savings? Interest rates on certificates of deposit are pitiful. Treasury bonds are little better: A five-year Treasury pays 1 percent, ...

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.

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 ...

How to make ‘zillions’ on Wall Street; Commentary: Anyone can try their hand at the stock-options game

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — When it comes to Wall Street, a lot of people are like Dilbert’s boss. Anything they don’t understand, they figure, must be easy to do.

'Cloud' Stocks With Less Risk

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.

Gushing Oil Prices: Which Consumers Will Feel It First?

A nation of suckers; Commentary: Nancy Pelosi, Spencer Bachus and me

SALT LAKE CITY (MarketWatch) — I’m an idiot. After watching the “60 Minutes” expose of insider-dealing by members of Congress, I’m left wondering (not for the first time, I might add): Why on Earth did I choose journalism as a career? Watch ...

Diamond Shares: Tasty or Nuts?

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.

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, the ...

Why Merkel-Sarkozy pact is doomed to fail; Commentary: Greece and Portugal have no reason to accept plan

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — If you want to understand the latest Franco-German proposal to “save” the euro, imagine this. Imagine the governments of China and Japan demanding they be given the legal right to override the U.S. budget’s legislative ...

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.

Revealed: What Christmas Will Really Cost; Arends: Few of us realize how much we're spending. Here's the shocking truth.

Fistfights in aisles. Gunfights in the parking lot. Ah, yes. It must be Christmas! Jesus would be so proud. Nothing says "Rejoice, a Savior is born!" quite like gas masks and a cloud of mace in the kitchen appliances department.

10 reasons the crisis isn’t over; Commentary: There may be a lot more bad news to come

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — Boom! Stock markets around the world soared yesterday. The Dow jumped more than 300 points. News out of Europe says they’re working on a fix to resolve the crisis there. Reports here say the holiday season may be off to ...

$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 ...

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.

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 company ...

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 ...

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 to ...

Why You Should Buy Japanese Stocks; Arends: Japan might be the best-kept secret in the global markets.

Bear markets usually end with a whimper, not a bang. No one on Wall Street fired a pistol in the air in 1932, or in 1982, to announce that shares had stopped falling. These were some of the most interesting investing opportunities in the ...

Why bankers are Scrooge this Christmas; Commentary: Modern bankers are even stingy with business

LONDON (MarketWatch) — Our local Too Big To Fail bank has a simple Christmas message for us all this year. Bah, humbug! If Charles Dickens’s Ebenezer Scrooge were alive today, he’d be happily working in the TBTF bank — maybe as the CEO of the ...

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.

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.

Taking Control of an Out-of-Control Portfolio

The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index shot 7% higher this past week after plunging nearly 5% the week before. Investors are left wondering whether to cheer or cringe.

How the 'Dogs of the Dow' Strategy Got Its Bite Back

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 ...

Which countries aren’t bust? Commentary: Supercommittee flop isn’t unique

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — Okay. Let’s get this straight. Italy’s bust. Spain, maybe, too. Greece? Well, we know about them. France is wobbly. Portugal? Ireland? Don’t ask.

Give the gift of life this Christmas; Commentary: Making a real difference for $40

LONDON (MarketWatch) — Desperately hunting for that last stocking stuffer? Scratching your head for last-minute gift ideas? If you are completely stumped, you could always try this: You could give the gift of life.

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, ...

Money managers fear euro zone breakup; Commentary: Major investors weigh in on debt crisis

BOSTON (MarketWatch) —Nearly half of all institutional money managers now fear a partial break-up of the euro zone, a new survey revealed. And nearly 75% predict that the U.S. debt will be downgraded still further by ratings agencies.

Panicking About the Markets? Read This -- Now; While the Dow plummeted nearly 250 points Monday, consider that many high-quality blue chips are on sale, and getting cheaper.

Yikes! No wonder markets are tanking. The financial crises, here and in Europe, are terrifying. Just ask anyone on Wall Street. He super committee has broken apart in failure. The US budget process is in disarray. Meanwhile, across the pond, ...

How to Save $10,000 by Next Thanksgiving

OK. So you want to save an extra $10,000 by next Thanksgiving. How can you do it? You've heard the usual finger-wagging frugality lessons over and over. And you already do the obvious things, like cutting back on lattes, raising your ...

Europe’s new fiscal integrity is a hard sell; Commentary: History breeds skepticism on latest deal

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — European Union leaders claimed their latest deal this weekend will usher in a new era of fiscal stability and strength.

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!

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.

How to Save $10,000 By Next Thanksgiving; Video: Brett Arends offers some tips, including being wily with airline travel schedules.

Why everyone is wrong about defense; Commentary: Contractors will do better than you think

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — Disgusted with Congress and the so-called “super-committee”? Cynical about politics? Convinced that America is in decline, and that our system of government is childish and corrupt?

Investment Funds You Can 'Buy and Forget'

Wouldn't it be great if you could just invest your money and forget about it? Investors have suffered another year of stomach-churning turmoil. Stocks boomed, suckering many people in, only to slump again as government finances here and in ...

Behind the Stock Market's Great Myth; The stock market's big lie is revealed, writes Brett Arends.

Millions of people still put their faith in the stock market. Even after the events of the past dozen years people still hold trillions of dollars in equities and equity mutual funds in their personal accounts and 401(k) plans.

How to steal like Wall Street; Commentary: If we all acted like bankers there would be chaos

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — It’s a lucky thing these kids only tried to “occupy” Wall Street. If they’d been really radical they would have done something much more dangerous.

Are You Ready to Be a Landlord? Buying Investment Properties Can Be Risky. Here's How to Do It Smartly

The pitch is compelling: Buy a vacant house or apartment building and rent it out to some of the throngs of Americans who have lost their homes to foreclosure. With interest rates near record lows and property values still slumping, getting ...

How do you do business in Greece? You don’t; Sorry tale of a European investment in Crete show why the Greek economy is such a basket case

BOSTON (MarketWatch)— If you want to see up close why Greece is circling the drain, talk to Christopher Egleton. He’s a businessman in London who’s spent the last 12 years and $50 million trying to create thousands of jobs in Crete and to ...

Why MF Global's Collapse Matters; You may be watching the news about MF Global and shrugging. But it's sigfinicant. Here's why.

Here's a brain-teaser for you. Which corporate honcho bragged recently about his company's strong resources, positive outlook and outstanding "execution" skills? Who said he was "particularly pleased" at recent developments, and predicted ...

'Target-Date' Funds Shortchanging Retirees

Retirees can't catch a break these days. As if rock-bottom interest rates and a lousy stock market weren't bad enough, even many mutual funds touted as providing retirement income aren't offering much in the way of attractive payouts to ...

A Holiday Hit to Buy Now: GameStop Shares; While the world frets over Europe and recession, bargain hunters should think "Batman" and "Gears of War."

There are fewer than 100 shopping days until Christmas, but with Europe flirting with a financial crisis and America at risk for a second recession, few investors are thinking about retail stocks.

Buffett’s tax fight misses the payoff punch; Commentary: End favorable rates for capital gains and dividends

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — How did Warren Buffett pay just 11% of his adjusted gross income in tax last year? We don’t know for certain, but there are two likely reasons: charitable donations and municipal bonds.

European debt worries ease — again! Commentary: We’ve seen this suckers’ rally before

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Wow! Great news! The markets are back up because the European crisis is over! What a deal! And so easy! Who knew? The headline said it all. “Stocks bounce back as worries ease about Europe,” said Reuters. They picked ...

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 ...

Seven reasons Italy may fall further; Commentary: Why bargain-hunters should be wary of Milan

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — They say the time to buy is when there’s blood in the streets. In the case of Italy, are we there yet? If you want to go against the herd and buy into Italian equities, good luck. My contrarian instincts want to do the ...

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.

Should You Ditch Your Bonds? For investors who own their homes and collect Social Security, buying bonds might be redundant.

Do you own too many bonds? If you are retired, or near retirement, the question probably sounds crazy. After all, aren't you supposed to have most of your money in bonds? Aren't they the "safe" investment for those who can't take on too much ...

Stock Forecasts Fall, Managers Go Mum

Do 'Alternative' Funds Deliver?

Amid a rocky few years for U.S. stocks, investors have poured billions of dollars into "alternative" mutual funds, which employ strategies used by hedge funds to protect against stock-market declines while still providing growth.

Finally, Time to Buy a House; Hough: The conditions are now right for homebuyers looking long-term.

U.S. house prices have plunged by nearly one-third in five years and the nation's homeownership rate is falling at the fastest pace since the Great Depression.

Dividends Should Jump. These 3 Just Did; Companies look likely to increase payments to shareholders. Here are three that already have.

Wall Street projects handsome increases to both profits and dividends for large U.S. companies in coming years. Investors should view the profit forecast with suspicion, but the dividend outlook seems believable. Below are listed some ...

The Age of 'Macro' Investing; Sept. 11 Ushered in an Era of Geopolitical Turmoil That Continues to This Day. Here's How Investors Can Protect Themselves

Sept. 11, 2001, had only a modest effect on the economy, but the shadows cast over the minds of investors still haven't lifted. The terrorist attacks set the stage for a decade of setbacks that have led many people to regard the stock ...

Did Trump call the peak in gold? Commentary: The Donald is a contrary indicator

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — Uh-oh. Has Donald Trump just called the top in the gold market? The Donald has just accepted gold bullion instead of cash. According to my colleague at the Wall Street Journal, Trump accepted $176,000 in bullion as a ...

'Dr. Feelgood's' Prescription for a Jittery Market

Editor's Note: It's been a stormy few months for investors. And we're not talking about hurricanes. The year started off well enough, but by May, the bull market was showing its age. By Memorial Day, the bulls were in full retreat. Or were ...

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.

Doubts Reign as Stocks Head Into the Holidays

It's a challenge making sense of the stock market lately. After weeks of losses, the market soared in October amid Herculean efforts by European political leaders to stem their debt crisis.