— "Profit Confidential" Column, by Michael Lombardi, CFP, MBA If I didn't know better, I'd say Washington has declared war against Wall Street. And who can blame the White House? Wall Street made billions of dollars in profits in the years leading up to the bust. But, once…

— "Calling the Trend" Column, by by George Leong, B. Comm. No matter how you look at it, China is widely regarded as one of the world's top growth regions for investors looking for opportunities to make big profits. The risk is higher due to the communist political…

— "Calling the Trend" Column, by George Leong, B. Comm. China is becoming hot once again. The economy is turning and is expected to show strong growth in 2010 and beyond. I have held our positive view towards China throughout and so far it is paying off, as…

— by George Leong, B. Comm. For those trading the long side of the market, it has been an excellent ride since the March test of the bottom. The rally has been steady and managed to avoid any major sell-off in that time. On Monday, markets made another…

It was a nasty day on Monday that reminded me of the technology melt down in 2000 and Black Monday in 1987. The selling capitulation was evident, as about 2.8 billion shares traded on the NASDAQ, but the volume was not that bad given the degree of selling.…

Tourism is down sharply in Europe this year. The high price of gas and a tougher economy at home are keeping American vacation travel lower than in recent past years. The hotels in Italy are feeling the pinch, so are the restaurants. The funny thing is that most…

The DOW rallied 416 points or 3.55% on Tuesday on news that central banks in the United States, Canada, Britain and Europe would help the current credit crunch, which could impact world markets and economies. The U.S. central bank plans to inject about $200 billion into the financial…

There aren't many pristine places for investing left in the world. Everyone is already way in on China, India, South America, etc. And the more investors there are, the fewer investment opportunities truly exist. In the topsy-turvy world of capital markets, investment fads are like hurricanes -- they…

The big surprise last week... Out of nowhere, the Bank of England stunned the European market by raising interest rates in the UK by one-quarter point. Interest rates in England are now at their highest level in six years. What does the Bank know that analysts don't? While…

In my last Profit Confidential article, I wrote about Canada losing the race against emerging economies. As it turns out, we're losing it against Europe too. According to a recent global survey of 125 countries and more than 11,000 businessmen conducted by the World Economic Forum, Canada and…

Last week, things heated up in the Middle East, unfortunately in more ways than one. As a result, crude oil catapulted above $78.00 a barrel, while Canadians, along with the rest of the world, squirmed at gas pumps. Unlike Europe, North Americans have created their lives around cars.…

Takeovers are sometimes the only way to grow. This is at the heart of Inco Ltd.'s proposal to take over Falconbridge Ltd. Falconbridge has already merged with former Noranda, and now is a perfect takeover target. The competition, however, is hoping/praying that Canadian regulators will pull the breaks…

In continuing on my recent discussion on the impressive economic growth in China, a report was just released by Michael Tieu, a Brean Murray Carret & Co. analyst. According to Michael Tieu, the Internet-based services sector in China, which has been on a nice positive trend, is set…

Have you checked Goldcorp (NYSE/GG) lately? This stock is on a tear. It was just trading around $20 per share in December. Now it just broke through $28 per share. It just goes to show you that gold remains hot in this market. A company I really like…

The economic climate in Europe seems to be improving of late, especially in Italy. Confidence in business increased to an 11-month high this month, while the confidence index, put out by the Isae Institute in Rome, has increased to 89.5 -- up 0.2 since last month.  "This report,…

The newly appointed German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently talked of a rising sales tax, resulting in a plummet in the consumer confidence rating.  Between high energy costs, high unemployment rates, and rising taxes, German consumers are feeling cash-strapped this holiday season, which is showing in decreased spending.  I…

The newest members to join the European Union -- the ones that have overcome communism and attempted to rebuild themselves -- might be facing even further hardship if Prime Minister Tony Blair's proposed budget cut becomes reality. As it stands at the moment, Blair is proposing a near…

"I wish you the best of luck."  These words were spoken by Gerhard Schröder, as he departed from his role as the Chancellor of Germany on Tuesday to make room for the newly elected Chancellor Angela Merkel.  From the actual election results, it looks as though Merkel may…

Changes are expected in Germany, which could in fact hurt the currently weak European growth.  It seems that the "grand coalition" government is looking at raising taxes and cutting the budget deficit, while not focusing on such things as labor market and welfare.  In the meantime, Angela Merkel,…

Unemployment claims continue to rise in the United Kingdom, continuing an eight-month increase. This is the longest period of rising unemployment claims the United Kingdom has seen in close to 13 years. This does not bode well for the second largest economy in Europe.  Economists predicted that an…