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Will Interest Rates Ever Rise?
WSJ.comFor decades, bond investors have been stuck in their own version of "Waiting for Godot."Year after year, some analysts and economists wait anxiously for yields to rise and prices to drop. Year after year, they have been stood up.
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Protecting Your Portfolio From a Downturn
WSJ.comWhat makes a good fund manager?The answer to that question is arguably the most important decision an investor has to make. To many, the answer is easy: Just look at the returns. But recent research points to a different way of sorting out ...
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Don't Pay High Fees for Index Funds
WSJ.comYou might think that a plain-vanilla index mutual fund is synonymous with low fees. But some such funds are charging expenses that might make even a high-turnover momentum-fund manager blush.
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Rethinking Apple: Growth Stock, Value Play—Or Both?
WSJ.comIf you're an Apple stockholder, there's good news and bad news.The good news is the stock is once again an attractive investment—especially after plunging from September's $705 peak all the way down to $417. The bad news is that many of its ...
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The Great Gold Divide: Which Side Are You On?
WSJ.comThis 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 ...
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Are Commodities a Buy? Recent Price Drops Mean Time Could Be Ripe to Diversify
WSJ.comYour 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.
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Pay Off That Mortgage Now!
WSJ.comWant 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 ...
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Why Italy Looks Cheap
WSJ.comYou 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 ...
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By Brett Arends; How to Play Investing's Wild Frontier
WSJ.comFinding the real emerging markets can be tougher than it sounds.Most emerging-market funds are dominated by a handful of big stock markets, such as South Korea, China, Brazil and India. But some of the most interesting opportunities might ...
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By Brett Arends; The Small-Cap Stock Trap
WSJ.comIf you think big-company stocks have risen a long way lately, you should look at small-company ones. They have been on a tear—raising questions of just how much risk investors are willing to take on in today's gung-ho market.
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By Brett Arends; Cash Shouldn't Be the Only Apple of Your Eye
WSJ.comIs there a secret pile of cash hiding in your stock portfolio? And, if so, is there a way to get at it?Many investors must be wondering following the news that Apple has come under pressure to return more of its $100 billion-plus cash hoard ...
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As Stocks Surge, Is It Time for Some Protection?
WSJ.comYou buy insurance for your home, your car and maybe even your iPad. Should you buy it for your portfolio as well?Many investors, as they watch stock prices rebound to levels last seen in 2007, might be wondering if it is time to cash in ...
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By Brett Arends; Looking for Inflation Protection? Take TIPS off Your List
WSJ.comWould you buy an investment that was guaranteed to lose money?That is the situation investors are embracing today in the market for Treasury inflation-protected securities, or TIPS—bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury whose value is designed ...
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Housing Is Back—But Housing Stocks Are Due for a Fall
WSJ.comStock investors seem convinced that housing is headed for another boom. The shares of companies that build homes have rocketed in the past 18 months in anticipation of much better times.
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Uranium: Mining a Contrarian Play With Big Potential
WSJ.comIs it time to go nuclear with your portfolio?Investors looking for a bold contrarian bet should consider the stocks of companies exposed to uranium, the fuel used in nuclear reactors. Uranium prices have been in a slump since the reactor ...
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How to Find a Fund Manager Who Can Beat the Market
WSJ.comThink picking stocks is hard? Try picking a good mutual-fund manager.Last year, fully 65% of U.S. large-capitalization core stock funds trailed the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index after fees, according to Goldman Sachs Group—in line ...
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Weighing Three Retailers' Bargain-Basement Stocks
WSJ.comClothing, gadgets and other consumer items aren't the only things on sale this January. Many of the biggest-name retailers at your local mall have seen their own share prices dumped on the clearance rack as well.
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By Brett Arends; How Investors Should Play Analysts' 2013 Stock Picks
WSJ.comAs investors look into their crystal balls and try to decide which stocks to own in 2013, they could always invest in the ones most highly recommended by Wall Street pros.
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By Brett Arends; How to Tell When a Stock Buyback Is Good for Investors
WSJ.comStock buybacks are booming—but investors should be careful. While they are designed to return capital to shareholders, buybacks often don't pan out the way investors hope.
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Avon Is Calling Investors
WSJ.comWall Street wisdom says investors should never try to catch a falling knife. But what about a falling makeup brush?Avon Products, the New York-based cosmetics company famous for its "Avon ladies" direct-sales force, is in crisis. A string ...
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In Gold Investing, Forget the Metal and Focus on Stocks
WSJ.comWant to buy some cheap gold? Consider gold-mining stocks.Shares of the leading precious-metals companies have lagged behind the price of physical gold bullion so steeply in recent years that they now trade for significantly less than the ...
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By Brett Arends; Trash Stocks Unfairly Trashed
WSJ.comStocks of the leading trash collectors are in the dumps.Waste Management, based in Houston, and Republic Services, based in Phoenix, are unloved on Wall Street. They are attracting little support from analysts or interest from investors.
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Is It Time to Play Defense on Defense-Company Stocks?
WSJ.comEveryone is worrying about possible deep cuts to the defense budget starting in January—everyone, it seems, except investors in defense stocks.
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Why Microsoft Beats Apple Beats
WSJ.comToday, those old rivals Microsoft and Apple both look like inexpensive stocks.Microsoft could be the better value. Not only is it cheaper than Apple relative to its earnings per share, but Microsoft's business also has greater strengths, ...
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Emerging Markets: Why So Many Funds Are Flawed
WSJ.comAfter a rough year and a half, emerging-market stocks have come back down to reasonable levels. But investors who want exposure to the faster-growing economies of the developing world should think twice about standard emerging-market mutual ...
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The Benefits of Owning Insurance Company Stocks
WSJ.comSome investors rushed to sell their insurance stocks as superstorm Sandy barreled toward the Atlantic seaboard, fearing the cost of billions of dollars in claims.
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Profiting From Closed-End Funds Without Getting Burned
WSJ.comIt's a tale of two markets in the $230 billion world of closed-end funds, those peculiar investment vehicles that are a hybrid between a mutual fund and a stock.
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It's Time to Time the Market
WSJ.comTrying to "time" the market is risky. But as stocks and bonds sit near record highs, investors might want to consider some version of it.Merely to suggest market-timing is to reject generations of advice. "Don't try it—ever," warned Charles ...
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Web Stocks: Is It Time for Bargain-Hunters to Dive In?
WSJ.comMany of the Internet and social-media stocks that went public during the past two years have come down a long way. Bargain hunters might be wondering if now is the time to snap up some shares at distressed prices.
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The Great Dividend Hunt
WSJ.comStocks that pay dividends have been hot lately. But despite the recent rally—the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index is up 10% so far this year—there still are some decent opportunities, especially for investors willing to think globally.
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Four Wall Street Obsessions You're Better Off Ignoring
WSJ.comStock investors are said to be motivated by fear and greed, but after the recent rally it might feel more like fear and fear.There is the age-old fear that share prices could fall tomorrow. Then there is the more modern fear that the ...
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Don't Buy the Earnings Hype
WSJ.comWall Street's rosy predictions for corporate profits could be setting stocks up for disappointment in 2013. Investors can protect themselves by favoring companies whose prices reflect low expectations.
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Health-Care Stocks Are Red Hot—But Bargains Remain
WSJ.comThe health-care sector is flashing mixed signals—but the prognosis is good for investors who can navigate the risks.A Thursday report from Morgan Stanley proclaimed health care the most attractive stock sector in the U.S. Among the reasons: ...
How to Find 'Turnaround' Stocks; Hough: Investors trying to squeeze extra returns out of an aging bull market might want to consider some "turnaround" candidates.
SmartMoney.comInvestors trying to squeeze extra returns out of an aging bull market might want to consider some "turnaround" candidates.These are companies that have stumbled badly, whether because of missteps or outside events, but now look cheaper than ...
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Election or Not, Stocks Seem Poised for Trouble in 2013
WSJ.comThe first years of presidential terms have historically been disappointing for stock investors.That's one of those patterns that easily could be a statistical fluke. (Please see " Playing the September Effect ".) But this election season, ...
Time to Follow the Herd; Hough: A look at mutual fund flows suggests some moves to make now.
SmartMoney.comInvestors continue to pull more money out of stock mutual funds than they are putting in. Should you join them?Net outflows were $3.2 billion for the week ended Aug. 15, according to data released Wednesday by the Investment Company ...
Finding the Next Dividend-Paying Stars; Hough: For stock buyers, one ticket to share-price gains may be to look for tomorrow's high-yielders. Here's how to do it.
SmartMoney.comCisco Systems shareholders had a good week -- one that highlights an opportunity for other investors.On Wednesday, the technology company announced it will boost its quarterly dividend to 14 cents a share from eight cents.
Try 'Junk' Munis for Higher Yields; Hough: High-yield corporate bonds have seen huge inflows. For better deals, investors should shift their attention to ones issued by state and local governments.
SmartMoney.comFor investors with an appetite for risk, high-yield or "junk" bonds can provide a big boost to income. But so much money has recently poured into junk bonds issued by companies that investors should turn their attention to ones issued by ...
Time to Sell Amazon Stock; Hough: The e-tailer's earnings may multiply, but it's stock is likely to disappoint.
SmartMoney.comJust over a week ago, the online retailer Amazon.com reported a 96% drop in second-quarter earnings and said it would miss Wall Street's forecast and lose money in its third quarter.
It's Time to Get Choosier With REITs; Real-estate investment trusts have soared in recent months -- but there are still pockets of opportunity.
SmartMoney.comReal-estate investment trusts have racked up handsome gains, leaving the sector looking pricier than usual. That isn't necessarily a reason to exit the REIT market, but investors should favor the pockets that still look affordable.
Tax Shelters for All; Arends: Here are proven ways to protect your assets before new investment tax rates kick in.
SmartMoney.comIs your portfolio ready for higher taxes? The Bush-era tax cuts might well be extended again this year, at least for most taxpayers. But the long-term picture is less rosy.
3 Steps to a Dirt-Cheap Portfolio; Hough: Taking low-cost investing to new extremes.
SmartMoney.comU.S. stocks have offered minimal returns over the past five years, and bond yields are near historic lows. At least investors have one thing to cheer about: Thanks to a price war among mutual-fund firms, creating a low-cost portfolio has ...
Where Government Bonds Still Yield 5%; Hough: Even cautious investors should consider trading some of their Treasurys for better yields abroad.
SmartMoney.comInvestors who find Treasury yields too meager can choose from a long menu of meatier government bond yields abroad. But finding the right combination of risk and return is getting trickier.
Time to Buy the Sinking BRICs; Hough: Stocks in Brazil, Russia, India and China have gotten cheap.
SmartMoney.comStock markets in Brazil, Russia, India and China have tumbled of late on signs of slowing economic growth. That is presenting an opportunity for investors to buy what others are fleeing. The BRIC markets now look cheap based on their ...
How to Find 'Wide Moat' Stocks; Hough: Companies able to defend their profits from marauding competitors are worth seeking out.
SmartMoney.comWhen investors talk about a "wide moat" company, they mean one able to defend its profits from marauding competitors. Such companies are worth watching. One gauge, the Morningstar Wide Moat Focus index, has returned 6.3% a year since it ...
For Safe, 4% Dividends, Look Here; Hough: U.S. income stocks look pricey. Try these markets instead.
SmartMoney.comWith interest rates near record lows and financial markets getting choppy, investors are seeking safety and income in U.S. stocks with high dividend yields.
Why Your Portfolio Doesn't Need Gold; Hough: Gold defies efforts to calculate its worth -- or even to describe how it behaves as an investment.
SmartMoney.comAfter sliding 6% in May, the price of gold jumped 3.7% on Friday. Skeptics say it is a temporary rise in a longer downturn. Fans of the metal say it is the start of another glorious run.
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European Banks: Is Now the Time to Take the Plunge?
WSJ.comFew investments at the moment make Wall Street squirm as much as European bank stocks. A contrarian with an appetite for risk might call that a reason to buy.
Where the Stock and Bond Bargains Are Hiding; Hough: Both the safest and the riskiest assets are overbought. We hunt for the best deals in the middle.
SmartMoney.comIf 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 ...
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How to Pay for a Wedding
With most couples waiting to marry and three quarters of marriage partners living together first, many celebrants are paying at least part of their wedding bill.
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How to Teach Kids about Money
It’s never too early to start talking dollars...and sense.
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How to Manage Your Grocery Bill
Your grocery bill is your biggest weekly household expense, so keeping a lid on it will go far to stretch your dollar.