The Kirk Report

January Barometer Portfolio

You've probably heard by now that there's a strong belief that the sectors that outperform in the month of January tend to outperform for the full-year ahead. I've heard the same for many years, so last year to test that theory we looked at the sectors (as represented by ETFs) which outperformed in January of 2009. At the time, three sectors outperformed the rest: Utilities (XLU), Healthcare (XLV), and Energy (XLE).

So for the full year of 2009, how did those groups perform for the entire year? Here's the data:

As you see the three sectors which outperformed the S&P 500 as represented by the SPY were Technology (XLK), Materials (XLB), and Consumer Discretionary (XLY). None of these outperformed in January of 2009. In fact, Utilities (XLU) which was the best sector performer in 2009 underperformed everything else. While one year's performance doesn't offer much to go on, it just goes to show that sometimes market beliefs are not validated by the performance.

With that said, this year we'll do the same thing by looking at the sectors which outperformed the most last month to see if we see the same thing again in 2010.

So far, Healthcare (XLV), Consumer Staples (XLP), Industrials (XLI), & Financials (XLF) are outperforming while Materials (XLB) and Technology (XLK) are underperforming.

For those of you more interested to see subindustry relative strength, I recommend the ETFdb 60 Index which offers you the ability to track on a year-to-date basis the largest unleveraged ETFs covering a variety of sectors. According to that, here are the ETFs which are positive on a year-to-date basis:

We will check back in a year from now to see if what we saw in 2009 continues again this year and that sector performance in January has no direct relationship to year-long performance trends.

Healthcare Investment Opportunities

As I promised last week, I spent some time over the past few days focusing my stock screening tools on the healthcare sector. It is my view that sector is relatively undervalued and it presents some attractive longer-term opportunities with a 12-24 month time horizon.

The goal here is to create a long-term healthcare watchlist composed of the sector's best risk/reward opportunities. As of today, my healthcare focus list is composed of the following 15 stocks.....[READ]

Junk Mail Indicator

In recent days I've received a ton of junk mail offering me opportunities to make money from the falling dollar or diversify beyond it. Case in point, yesterday's junk mail from EverBank marketing their WorldCurrency CDs. I love the subtle tag line on this one - "Don't let the economy take you down with it. Diversify beyond the dollar."

Clearly, this trend has been intact for a long-time now although it really has picked up speed in recent months due to the Fed's aggressive rate cutting actions.

Hats off to Buffett among others who said throughout this time that the dollar was going to get trashed and who still remain convinced that this trend will remain intact for some time to come.

Will the junk mail indicator be helpful this time around as a contrarian tell? Only time will tell.

Trade Like A Bookie

• Banking on the Fed

• Bernanke is under pressure to open up the monetary spigots

• Federal Reserve System 101

• The desire for government intervention to fix problems that grown adults have created for themselves is dangerous

• Falling into the liquidity trap

• There is still an abundance of modern-day economists who insist that a flawless financial model is still within their reach

• How misfiring quant funds are distorting the markets

• The Roller Coaster Stock Market of 2007

• The market is climbing the wall of ignorance

• Up the wall of worry

• "It's often said the market is a forward-looking mechanism. Perhaps - especially if "forward" means five minutes from now, or may be next week. People sell like they did in early August because they don't like the ways things look right now and they're not sure what's going to happen tomorrow. And they buy like the did in the aftermath because they think they're going to make money right now, credit crunch or no crunch." - Mark Etzkorn

• SIMFA predicts slow economic growth

• A boob job indicator?

• The Christmas Price Index hits a new 23rd year high

• January effect is alive and well

• Earnings Trends by Dirk Van Dijk

• We're facing a tsunami of earnings downgrades next year?

• The profit miracle is over

• Experts are wrong on economy. So go wild!

• Time for the year-end shuffle

• "We remain bullish into year-end, thinking the equity markets will work their way irregularly higher." - Jeffrey Saut

• No sign of sell on Wall Street as analysts say buy & hold

• 2008 forecasts all expect gains for the S&P 500 next year (around +5%)

• Major trends just keep going and going

• The top 10 worst business deals of 2007

• The current mortgage crisis rivals S&L meltdown

• Twisted ARMs & figures that lie

• 13 reasons Bush's bailout won't stop a recession

• Get used to it, America, it's a boomers' world after all

• The other market crisis - America has become less competitive

• But, foreign funds may invest in much more in U.S. firms

• Paying taxes 2008: the global picture

• India has one of the best potential for emerging growth over the next few decades

• Islamic finance spurs new risk management methodologies

• The Warren Buffet of Asia makes a prediction

• Waterworld!

• You'd think that Garmin's stock would be doing better amid all of the positive buzz

• Slot machines are set to get a makeover (and generate profits for IGT & BYI)

• Breakout for Intuitive Surgical

• Goldman Sachs enjoys bonus bonanza

• Cabot is a recent buy by Steven Cohen

• Massive insider buys boost McMoRan

• Toll Brothers scorched in Arizona

• The economy according to Overstock's CEO

• As Mac sales rise, so does Apple's risk

• Best Buy founder sells stock

• "There once was a company called Potash. Which made its investors lots o' cash. The stock was a riser. 'Cause all that fertilizer. Had margins that were totally kick-ash." - John Heinzl

• Sectors & their 50 Day MA

• The best & worst performers since the last rate cut

• Top Blackstone stocks

• Morningstar's all-star fund managers' picks

• John DeGulis finds relative bargains in tech, health care and media

• A few recommendations from a cheap investor

• Nice find: SuperInvestor insight

• Microcap insider buying

• Zack's recovery plays

• Nasdaq short-squeezers

• 11 stocks that pass Buffett's value criteria

• How to catch falling knifes: top tips for counter trend trading

• "There is nothing better as a trader than to see what you think is going to happen actually happen. The market is humbling, though. The worst results follow periods when I decide I'm really good at this and have figured out the markets." - Dan Allen

• One of the greatest problems for traders is that life situations contaminate trading decisions

• Time to turn off CNBC & ignore my link posts? According to a new study, individual investors can significantly reduce the volume of investment information sources in their investment decision-making process

• Information overload and the need for filters

• Never, ever, trade what you cannot afford to lose. Please learn from this example

• I wholeheartedly subscribe to the bucket strategy

• Is buying a stock on a split announcement a sound strategy?

• When does momentum investing work best?

• Confused by business/accounting/trading jargon? Give the BusinessDictionary a try

• Breaking down the income statement

• How to trade the Dow

• Backtesting is far from a perfect science

• Ben Stein shares some lessons learned

• Over $100 billion has flowed into ETFs this year

• Some interesting trends in personal finance

• Face-off: Mutual Funds vs ETFs

• Time to buy a COW?

• Does Vanguard have a hedge fund in the works?

• Individual-bond model portfolios seen as filling a niche

• Making the case for cheap closed-end funds

• The downside of fundamental indexing

• Develop a strategy for dividend-paying stocks

• Monthly dividends

• Beware of the Wal-Mart Supplier ETF

• The homebuilders ETF is tempting?

• 5 benefits of trusts

• These stories are far too common - one couples' descent into health-care hell

• An Excel workbook to help you create a budget

• Chuck Jaffe's annual lump of coal awards

• Thanks Harry for including The Kirk Report on your list of important new investing resources!

• A handy list of investing/personal finance podcasts

• IB's international trading calendar

• Need to make some fancy charts? Google can help

• 10 gifts that sort-of saves money

• Forbes' holiday gift list for the rich

• Tis the season for charitable donations. Here are some timely tips

• Giving to a favorite charity can be a wise tax move if you follow the rules

• Do you need hassled?

• Turkey gone wild!

• Please hold the ice!

• 7 ways to get what you want in 2008

• "Don't worry about being right. Just focus on making money and deal with being wrong. The purpose of trading is not being right; the purpose is to make money. Don't get hug up on your current positions." - Dan Allen

For What It's Worth

• Our plan to help homeowners by Henry M. Paulson, Jr.

• Paulson's SIV

• The Subprime Bailout Bonanza

• On mortgage relief, who gains the most?

• Mortgaged principles!

• A corrupt banking system?

• Is the subprime mess just the beginning of the credit crunch?

• More departures from Florida

• Headline of the day: A Goldilocks jobs report

• A look behind today's jobs report

• Indeed, perception moves markets

• The Scrooge of Wall Street

• Barry Ritholtz sits down with WallStrip

• OECD predicts global economy will slow in 2008

• Foreign small-cap financials aren't feeling the pain like they are in the United States

• Dollar's fall delivers takeover bargains

• S&P 500 correlation to oil prices

• Jack Hough profiles Darling International

• Two guys hold up Bankrate

• Smith & Wesson blown up

• Which tech company has the most cash? IBM, HP, Intel, Google, or Apple (Click here for answer)

• Howard Lindzon's nirvana stocks

• If you love junk, this is your kind of market!

• Meanwhile, the best performing financials since June

• S&P's low-priced gems

• Feeling contrarian? Turnaround guru delivers 10 picks

• Top 4-star stocks according to CAPS

• The latest guru buys & sells

• The power of momentum stocks

• Q&A with the Prince of Value

• The evolution of an investor

• Prop trader shares three rules

• Top 10 bottom fishing tips by Thomas Bulkowski

• Money Management by Robert Deel

• Keeping it super simple is a good approach

• Having a rough time with trading lately? Brett offers some advice

• Kiev on mastering trading stress

• It's time to make those New Year's Trading resolutions. Here is how you should get started!

• Do your worst!

• Some interesting fund statistics

• Contrary to popular opinion, mutual funds with relatively few holdings tend to underperform

• The pitfalls of chasing performance

• Investor timing and fund distribution channels

• According to Ned Davis Research, a high-yielding portfolio launched at the worst time in the past 40 years not only would have kept your income growing at the pace of inflation but would have increased in value eightfold

• Will active ETFs make mutual fund obsolete?

• ETF performance tracker

• Wanna master the Universe? First, master the tax code!

• How a family of seven is able to live on $35,000 a year after taxes

• Why living frugally is only part of the solution

• What would Jesus buy?

• Checkbook Math is increasingly rare

• Why do companies make it so tough for you to guard your social security number?

• Get in shape with the Wii?

• "If A is success in life, then A equals X plus Y plus Z. Work is X; Y is play; and Z is keeping your mouth shut." - Albert Einstein

Points To Consider

• GDP: Hot, It's not!

• Can the GDP turn negative right after 2 quarters of strong growth?

• The outlook for the fourth quarter earnings could be key

• "No one can, with certainty, forecast a recession or any other outcome in the economy." - Charles Evans

• Have you heard the latest from Bill Gross?

• Beware our shadow banking system

• Credit flowing to American companies is drying up at a pace not seen in decades

• Goldman's Beige Book highlights the major issues

• Goldman's top trade for 2008

• The last days of the United States dollar?

• Pummer's trash talk

• The ivory towers ponder Wall Street's risk management

• So is this is a tradeable bottom or just a head fake? Bob Pisani presents both sides

• Dave Landry shares some charts

• The bulls keep looking for the FTD or follow through day

• A Bad November = A Good December?

• "The market bottom is in. The race for the roses is on!" - Tobin Smith

• Big rally doesn't mean all is well

• Home builders aggressively slash prices

• Beware of liquidity traps in builders

• Time to hedge your home?

• Help may be on the way to rescue troubled homeowners

• America - land of the foreclosure

• Ogg wonders which homebuilder stock goes to zero first?

• Back on September 10th, I put together two sets of portfolios of six stocks each that represent the low risk and high risk homebuilders. As of tonight's close, the high risk group is down -50.7% and the low risk group is down -12.4%. The best performer during this time frame was Toll Brothers and the worst was Dominon Homes. Indeed, some things never change!

• When is the right time to buy homebuilders?

• Jeff Thredgold's global ABCs

• Sovereign funds quietly increase Western holdings

• Maybe the globe isn't immune to slowing U.S.

• It's no wonder economists are buzzing about the Dubai Bubble

• Yes, it is worth repeating - keep an eye on the Baltic Dry Index

• Should we really be in love with international stocks & emerging markets?

• Russians live the caviar dream

• Investors rush in to Malaysia's Super Corridor

• U.S. immigration at a record level!

• 71% of consumers say they plan to buy eco-friendly or energy-efficient products when possible this holiday season

• Richard Moroney's value buys in energy

• Solar Power as the next great investment bonanza

• The best inventions of 2007

• Why you can't get your hands on a Wii (I'm still skeptical)

• For toddlers, apparently they want the real stuff

• Verizon opens up in bid to preempt Google

• Kindle is a dud?

• A blockbuster holiday for Apple?

• Bidz.com is just another lemon?

• Tears for Sears

• Newsletters made handsome profits from trading NovaStar

• Citigroup pulls a page from their old playbook

• Wells Fargo, The anti Citigroup

• More than a few are tempted by financials' fat dividends

• Interesting - about 30 bidders made overtures to E*Trade

• Now everyone loves Freddie!

• Top value stocks of Renaissance Technologies

• It's been a bloody awful time for event-driven hedge funds

• Opportunities in arbitrage

• One-month high-volume winners & losers

• Harry's momentum stocks

• A screen of stocks trading at 52-week lows, owned by gurus, and bought by insiders

• The Disciplined Investors' SAPI slugs quant screen

• Five stocks institutional investors are buying

• Undercovering value in spin-offs

• 5 Bill Miller values

• Barron's takes a look at some insider activity

• Top dividend stocks

• Top yielding China stocks

• Perhaps I should create a stock screen of companies that have Goldman Sachs ties

• Very interesting - stocks that currently have the most buy & sell ratings

• "Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy." - Dale Carnegie

• As trading becomes more mathematical and firms look to revamp their risk management systems, the demand for quantitative skill sets is never ending

• Bloomberg profiles the legendary Jim Simons

• 7 things Brett Steenbarger hears from fellow traders

• More backtesting with Van Tharp

• All good traders plan their work and work their plan

• eToro makes Forex trade child’s play

• AOL Money & Finance rolls out a website upgrade

• 10 blogs that will make you a better trader

• Takeover jargon!

• 5 books for those just starting in the stock market

• Multiple-indicator techniques for index funds

• How to lose $9 trillion in a bull market

• Jonathan Clements sees opportunity in high-yield ETFs

• PowerShares files for first actively managed ETF

• ETFs designed for 401(k)s

• A number of Vanguard mutual funds see large capital gains distributions

• Value-focused mutual funds are not for the faint of heart

• Can you build an excellent all-socially responsible portfolio?

• Questions to ask when contemplating variable annuities

• Online lender Zopa is coming to the U.S.

• 10 most-hated money saving tips

• How to teach your kids the value of money

• Some of the world's richest people are also the world's most frugal people

• Wow - an estimated 34% of adults face problems with medical bills or have accrued medical debt

• Consumer guides for getting and keeping health insurance

• 10 things your primary-care physician won't tell you

• Should you buy car-rental insurance?

• Buying an HDTV soon? Here's some advice

• RIP Gatorade inventor

• In times of market upheaval, I try to get at least one more hour of sleep. Here are some ways to fall asleep faster

• Is it just me, or does Thanksgiving seem like it was about a month ago?

• Speaking of which, what it really means to be thankful

• "I do count my blessings, but then I end up counting those of others who have more and better blessings, and that pisses me off." - Bob Mankoff

Tilting the Odds

• Fleeing risk for Treasurys

• Stocks sink into correction as credit fears take toll

• The next dominos: junk bond & counterparty risk

• Money managers have been scrambling to open new or larger lines of credit with banks

• The Fed makes efforts to counter end-of-year cash crunch

• Fed hawks don't soften stance on rates

• Fed funds rate predictions

• Economists & Fed still think economy can avoid a recession

• Bernanke & Co. may find the present pain is increasing more than they think

• Four Fed Scenarios

• Nice to know that Greenspan has no regrets

• Consumer confidence sinks to a two-year low

• Investor optimism in free fall

• But the stock bloggers are bullish!

• The RV Indicator

• The IPO markets are put on hold

• Hulbert tries to make lemonade out of lemons

• "Now – or very close to now – is one of those times that smart traders make big fortunes in short periods of time." - Steve Sjuggerud

• Why can't the Japanese experience be repeated in the U.S.?

• When things are this bad, it is always smart to ask what could go right

• Bernie Schaeffer searches for a tradeable bottom

• Have you taken a gander at the High-Low Indicators lately? They all suggest a near-term rally

• Are we oversold for a reason? Some of the nation's most powerful investors are unloading shares in a big way

• The Dow's high of 14,143.53 should come with an asterisk

• Just thinking more about your portfolio may actually cause you to spend more this holiday!

• Online retailers say their busiest day will come in December's second week

• Ignore the naysayers - nothing can stop the American holiday shopper!

• Nevertheless, restaurants are feeling the pinch

• The 12 Days of Christmas gets costly

• Death of inflation is a dangerous delusion

• The commercial property market is facing its worst year since the early 1990s

• Home prices in U.S. fell a record -4.5% in the third quarter

• At least 1.4 million homeowners will lose their properties to foreclosure in 2008

• Homeowners face doomsday scenario without government bailouts

• Lahde Capital has made more than 1,000% return this year by betting against US subprime home loans

• Despite setbacks, Wall Street bonuses top record

• If the employment picture is so bright, why are there so many people standing in line to work at Wal-Mart?

• "In the next three to five years, index stock yields might top bond rates, a dramatic departure from where the markets now stand." - Jonathan Hoenig

• CDOS spell trouble

• Do CDOs have a future?

• Time to seek safety in utilities?

• Defensive sectors are holding up

• The cheapest small-cap stocks in four years are luring value investors

• The return of the dollar carry trade

• Politics and the declining dollar

• Web publishers slammed by sliding U.S. dollar

• Online trading blooms in Europe

• Will the Middle East rescue the market?

• Growth in spending on research and development by the world’s largest companies accelerated last year

• Global equity declines around the world

• But, those declines should be compared with international returns year-to-date

• China is already in a bear market!

• Hedge funds ditch Japan

• China Fund seeks talent around the world

• Toyota's Green Problem

• It’s all about energy, stupid!

• Peak Possibilities

• Google earmarks millions for green power

• The ethanol fiasco

• Pond scum power!

• Greenpeace provides some environmental rankings on technology firms

• Alt Energy Stocks' five stocks for a green Christmas

• The portable Web still has a long way to go

• Google still remains the king of search

• iPhone still dominates Wall Street Journal gift list

• CME Group's boss is hungry for more

• The analyst who rocked Citi

• China Mobile's dominance bothering its regulators

• Not to be missed - Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA

• The top 25 stocks most actively traded by insiders

• Top 10 stocks most liked & least liked by insiders

• News leaders

• StockScouter still shows love for energy stocks

• Douglas A. McIntyre shares 6 stocks that could go to zero

• Have you spent time looking through Forbes' list of 200 best small companies?

• A free guru stock screener

• How do fund managers behave when they have recently outperformed or underperformed? CXO offers some insight

• "I'm convinced that the most successful people are not those who avoid those ruts in life, but the ones who use those to turn themselves around." - Brett Steenbarger

• How contrarians view market-related news

• Forget the P/E - focus instead on the Price/Sales to find cheap stocks

• Watch those profit margins!

• How to create PCFs and EasyScans to find moving average crossovers

• A service dedicated only to helping traders finding stops

• If your portfolio has 100 stocks, are you really diversified?

• New to investing? Harry Domash suggests some educational links to help get you started

• 5 steps to invest like Buffett

• Mutual funds that aim to protect investors from inflation are on a tear

• Mutual-fund investors need to take steps to avoid the year-end tax trap

• Use ETFs to dodge tax-loss rules

• Target-date funds not always best way to hit mark

• Need to deduct losses in a Roth IRA?

• Saving for your child's education? 529 plans are not always the best option

• AAII's personal tax & financial planning guide

• How safe is your money market fund?

• How hi-tech thieves stole millions of customer financial records

• Concerned about protecting your assets? Don't neglect disability insurance

• A prescription plan for a healthy life

• The best places to raise your kids

• Just in case this market isn't mentally challenging enough - here are some brain teasers

• When it comes to the web, you can't beat free stuff

• Stupid holiday gifts

• "Find out what you like doing best and get someone to pay you for doing it." - Katherine Whitehorn

Black Friday Roundup

• A Post-Thanksgiving Rally
• Black Friday kicks off with discounts and expanded hours
• The market monitors Black Friday sales
• Polls can be wrong, but 39% said they would spend a little less or a lot less this year
• Black Friday gets off to a frigid start
• One investor's optimistic Thanksgiving
• What Wall Street should be thankful for this year
• What Wall Street is unthankful for

• The U.S. economy is melting down

• The bulls cling to the insider indicator for hope

• Dow Theory says sell
• Will a very oversold rally bail out the bulls once again?

• How clear is the central bank’s crystal ball?

• $300 billion in write-offs now predicted

• Those who handle asset-back securities think 2008 may be their worst year ever

• Superfund lines up BlackRock

• Freddie & Fannie seek a few billion

• Gulf liquidity offers glimmer of hope
• How long with the credit crisis last? Six months or more

• How Goldman Sachs defies gravity

• Goldman Sachs starts drive to build philanthropy fund

• Have companies feasted too heavily on low-interest loans?

• Even average homeowners feel rising mortgage floodwaters
• The upside to $100 oil
• BlackRock fund manager bullish on oil stocks
• Four reasons why gold is going to $1,000

• Big buybacks begin to haunt firms

• The bosses of Dell and HP are excited about their newest computers' energy savings

• A look at sector correlation to the S&P 500

• Only 10% of hedge funds will go bust?

• Quant funds must innovate to regain investor confidence

• The bears have taken control of China?

• Japanese shift cash out of U.S. investments

• Well-developed stock screens allow you to invest like a guru

• The best and worst stocks since October 9th
• Five overstuffed turkeys

• The Berkshire Hathaway Portfolio

• A Buffett investment that wasn't

• Patience and persistence will pay off eventually for value-focused investors

• An interesting review of Rob Morrison's approach to the market

• Backtesting with Van Tharp

• Feeling anxious about the market? Brett offers some advice on how to get a handle on it

• A nervous investor's guide to overcoming market jitters

• How to save during the holidays
• Want to find useful gifts? Check out the monthly archives of Cool Tools
• One man who gives thanks daily

• "If you have made mistakes... there is always another chance for you... you may have a fresh start any moment you chose, for this thing we call "failure" is not the falling down, but the staying down." - Mary Pickford

Turkey Shoot

• "My portfolio has lost a boatload of money in recent weeks, and I couldn't be happier." - Jonathan Clements

• Obvious headline of the day award - "Investors begin to show a darker mood"

• Is this the hardest stock market to navigate ever?

• Straight from the horse's mouth - Fed minutes

• The bulls still are placing big bets on a Fed rate cut bonanza

• Robert Walberg gives thanks to Alan Greenspan & Co. for the mess we're in

• Bernanke parts the curtains, but will the view be clearer?

• More money for less Turkey

• The credit crunch is back!

• Goldman sees subprime cutting $2 trillion in lending

• The risk that banks and brokerages will default on their debt is accelerating as analysts increase their estimates of losses from subprime mortgages & credit-default swaps show

• Not to be missed - The Last Laugh

• I find it interesting to see that bounce fade in E Trade (ETFC)

• Did you know that the S&P 500 would have returned roughly 8% if it were not for financial services?

• S&P 500 profit flips negative for Q3

• There are three factors that seem to be keeping the median earnings growth rate buoyant

• The long-awaited, long-feared consumer crunch may finally be here

• CXO evaluates the Weekly Leading Index by the ECRI

• Jeffrey Saut shares some observations from his European vacation

• Liz Ann Sonders provides a detailed market review

• 17 reasons America needs a recession

• Home price cuts put builders in a bind

• Another day, yet another new low for the buck

• Wealthy nations in Gulf rethink peg to dollar

• The dollar doesn't drive U.S. inflation like it used to?

• Yet another contrarian alert for the U.S. dollar

• The dollar is overdue for a bounce? Greenwald doesn't think so

• Hedge funds bounce back in a big way

• Little white hedge fund lies

• "A lot of people end up on Wall St. not because they're great stock pickers, but for their ability to persuade others to take risks. More huckster than guru." - Zubin Jelveh

• It's bonus time for Wall Street

• Hired or fired, Wall Street CEOs give thanks

• Another Wall Street sell signal

• A lesson not yet learned on Wall Street

• SEC takes smaller bite in sanctions

• How well can Wall Street handle a Pandemic flu?

• Will the 200-day MA save the Nasdaq?

• Unless we see a dramatic reversal and soon, this market is going to skew the pre-election year stats

• Stocks are now a great bargain?

• More than 30% of undervalued equities consist of financial stocks

• If you like dividends, it's hard to pass up these bank stocks

• Emerging markets are long in the tooth

• Chinese authorities are slamming the brakes on bank lending

• Even most Chinese investors think it is a bubble

• If you want to play China...

• Brazil's transformation

• Online trading craze grips Vietnam

• Merrill makes big play in India

• The pitfalls of Islamic investing remain

• Will the U.S. get LBOed?

• The Globalization Index 2007

• The world is approaching a practical limit to the number of barrels of crude oil that can be pumped every day

• Clean technology investment soars!

• Ethanol is this year's worst energy investment

• Waterworld!

• Oprah's favorite things

• It's my opinion (and I may be wrong), but I think companies are creating these supply problems just to generate hype and to boost sales

• Kindle will be the iPod of books

• A juicy Apple 10-K

• This has to be good news for the internet networking sector

• Wal-Mart's greed is shameful

• Barron's reports some interesting insider activity

• Don't squeeze the Charmin

• Growth stocks for a troubled economy

• Why Mark Hines sold Google at $741

• TheStreet.com's top value stocks

• StockScouter picks a solar stock

• Stocks with unusual high option volume

• Just copycatting Buffett delivered twice the return of the S&P 500 during the past three decades

• Did Buffett just buy some banks?

• Ugly's top two picks for the next 9 months look interesting

• Do you have enough courage for seeking above average returns?

• "If a 20% hit to your stock portfolio is going to change your standard of living, or force you to work longer before you retire, then you are pushing the envelope." - David Nelson

• Keep cash safe by learning FDIC rules

• If your broker goes broke - how solid is coverage for losses over $500K?

• ChartFilter covers the fundamentals

• One of the most important factors to consider when analyzing a company from a fundamental perspective is that company’s ability to generate free cash flow

• Lessons from The Intelligent Investor and Triumph of the Optimists

• Using pivot points for predictions

• Do you know anything about the Volume Weighted Average Price (VWAP)?

• If you have the means, you should backtest often

• Do you speak IFRS?

• Sign me up - Tulane University brings real-time trading to the classroom

• Richard Moroney on three market myths

• The best investing reads of 2007

• The next book on my reading list - unSpun

• How to shave 10 hours off your work week

• With ETFs, it's easy being green

• Have you noticed the relative strength in the iShares MSCI Spain Index Fund ETF (EWP) and the PowerShares DB Agriculture Fund ETF (DBA)?

• ETFs with the highest short interest ratios

• Currency ETFs have gained in popularity for many reasons

• Taking a close look at inverse and leveraged ETFs

• Coming soon: ETFs within ETFs

• Don't we already have enough ETFs?

• A tax-free way to track Dogs of the Dow

• Are funds of funds superior to managers of managers?

• Fabian's lemons and their ETF alternatives

• In recent weeks I've received a few questions about bank loan funds

• Cars that have the best resale value

• A lot of people in real estate love doing 1031 Exchanges but the IRS is cracking down

• Q&A with Robert Kiyosaki

• The best way to prevent a holiday shopping hangover is to create a budget and stick to it

• Teaching kids about money

• Yes, $50 is enough to start retirement fund

• The baby boomer's guide to social security

• Put your finances on autopilot

• Need to track your flight? Try Flightstats

• Need to stay on top of the market while traveling? My mobile links are here to help

• I try to recycle as much as I can which is why I hate reading stories like this

• The six sins of greenwashing

• Big changes start with small steps - join me in washing your laundry in cold water

• Want to give back? Here are some simple rules for good charity giving

• Such an incredibly sad story. Can't we be nicer to others?

• A life without left turns

• Small companies put charity into their business plan

• A Proclamation of Thanksgiving by Abraham Lincoln

• "Choosing to be positive and having a grateful attitude is going to determine how you're going to live your life." - Joel Osteen

Read'em & Reap

• Investor safe haven becomes a concern

• Banks prop up money market funds

• Money funds set aside cash for trouble

• When $1 is not worth $1

• A FAS 157 Primer

• Some thoughts on FASB regulation 157

• Here comes more Fedspeak

• Inflation was tame in October (if you believe the government)

• Best long-term market timers still believe we're in a bull market

• Fund managers are still positive on equities

• A quick look at SPY short interest

• All eyes on Dow 12,845

• The focus on risk, not the potential for investment rewards, are what wealthy individual investors are most concerned about

• Majority of economists now expect credit turmoil to continue

• According to Fred, what the charts are now saying about the financials

• Another day, another billion dollar writedown

• This crisis came for exactly the right reason

• Uh-oh. It's Enron all over again

• Subprime blame game

• Why some mortgage bailouts make sense

• After the housing bust

• As more homebuilders flounder, their customers face a number of issues

• No kidding - home sales are contingent on buyer confidence

• Sometimes things get worse before they get better

• A careful analysis of consumer sentiment shows that it has a poor record as a leading indicator of the economy in general and the stock market in particular

• Time to beware of the annual Christmas warning for retail

• An alphabetic view of the U.S. economy

• Expected earnings growth for the S&P 500

• Wall Street doesn't want you!

• "America's trade deficit is selling the nation out from under us." - Warren Buffett

• Jim Rogers dumps dollars in favor of agricultural commodities

• Is the dollar down or is the euro up?

• 5 misconceptions about the dollar

• Ways to play the coming dollar rally

• Economic growth in Europe accelerated more than forecast

• Eight major risks to the global economy

• Energy trading and risk management is just not the same anymore

• M&A chatter in the airlines

• This holiday season, electronics top Christmas wish lists

• Vista's biggest problem is Windows XP

• Meet the PayPal mafia

• McCaw bets again on wireless frontier

• The lowdown on DivX

• Everyone now loves McDonald's

• A green potato chip?

• Buffett buys into Carmax

• How long will it take Google to overtake Microsoft? Paul runs the numbers

• Which stock market gurus intrigue the most? CXO provides a comparison

• America's best young entrepreneurs

• The best CEOs in America

• The top 50 fastest-growing women-led companies

• A handy solar stocks comparison table

• StockScouter goes bullish on gold stocks

• Marketocracy gurus buy into tech

• Stocks with the largest changes in short interest

• Dogs of the Dow for 2008

• Steven A. Cohen's top yielding stocks

• 24 high-yielding financial stocks

• 5 highly rated stocks in the bargain bin

• According to Ben Steverman, some companies that could fare well even in the worst of times

• Performance & price targets for the Dow 30

• Minimize your market risk and volatility by focusing on beta

• A new volatility index

• How to get a handle on broad market statistics

• Multiple regressions

• Implications of short selling with no tick test

• Feeling burned out? Here are some trouble signs and methods to cope

• Six trading behaviors among elite performers

• Some research on herding behavior

• NYSE moves to prevent abuses in odd-lot trades

• Random Roger offers up another lazy portfolio idea

• WisdomTree's building of a better index fund

• Cheap ETFs loaded with wide-moat stocks

• 2007 is shaping up to be the year of the emerging market ETFs

• Valuation perspectives on the BRICs

• Investors explore uncharted land

• It is always a good time to do a home inventory

• Six ways to safeguard your online assets

• 10 reasons you aren't rich

• Are you in debt trouble? Here are some options to consider

• Payday lending, revisited

• A child is priceless—but raising one can break the bank

• Scientist find that low self-esteem and materialism go hand in hand

• Unbelievable - Sugar Daddy dating sites get popular

• I agree with Mike, Donny Deutsch does a good job with his tv show

• Forget about software, here's a lot of webware

• The NYMEX Charitable Foundation auction is now open and offers the opportunity to bid on lunch with Jim Rogers to T. Boone Pickens

• "There are old traders and there are bold traders, but there are very few old, bold traders." - Ed Seykota