You don’t often hear a lot about United Technologies Corporation (UTX) these days; it’s an old economy name that doesn’t seem to garner much attention from the media. Nevertheless, the company that makes elevators, helicopters, airplane engines, and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) and fire/security systems continues…

I’m blessed to be able to travel to Europe once or twice a year. I use the trips as an opportunity to see how the economies are faring over there. And I can tell you this first-hand: the economic situation in Europe is much worse than what we’re…

What the heck is with this stock market? The ability of the stock market to hold and avert a major correction over the past two weeks and then follow this with an upward move on the charts is a surprise—at least in my view it is, as it…

While I avidly follow the actions of central banks to see where the gold bullion prices may be headed next, when I look at them today, their actions are speaking louder than words. Central banks have pretty much stopped selling gold bullion, which is very important. In 1999,…

Companies in key stock indices have started to report their corporate earnings for the third quarter of this year. Not surprising, they are weak and show signs of stress. According to FactSet, up until October 4, 90 companies in key stock indices like the S&P 500 issued negative…

In 2010, on average, for every one dollar in sales posted by the S&P 500 companies, $0.135 came from Europe. In 2011, this number declined to $0.11. In 2012, sales from Europe accounted for only $0.097 for every one dollar of sales generated by the S&P 500 companies.…

You can learn a lot about the welfare of the global economy by looking at global bellwether stocks such as FedEx Corporation (NYSE/FDX), MasterCard Incorporated (NYSE/MA), and Visa Inc. (NYSE/V). These are the companies that tend to ebb and flow along with the action of the global economy,…

I love the smell of coffee brewing in the morning—and in the afternoon and evening. As you can tell, I do enjoy my coffee—but I also like watching some of the market’s top coffee stocks. At the top of my watch list in the coffee sector is Starbucks…

According to a study by economists at the University of California, Berkeley, the Paris School of Economics, and Oxford University, the income gap in the U.S. economy in 2012 was similar to what it was in 1920s! (Source: Associated Press, September 10, 2013.) In 2012, the income of…

It’s the elephant in the room no one wants to talk about… The middle class in the U.S. economy is on the verge of collapse. Yes, I said collapse. That social class that once helped the U.S. economy grow and prosper is coming apart. Will the U.S. economy…

Late last year, the concept of the “Great Rotation” became popular. The idea behind the Great Rotation was simple: the theory was that once the bond prices started to decline, investors would take their money out of bonds and put them into the equity markets. The logic behind the…

After the financial crisis, companies in the U.S. economy were able to show robust growth in their corporate earnings; they were able to sell their products and services to where the demand was outside the U.S., to the global economy. Unfortunately, the tides are turning. The global economy…

I was having dinner with a friend the other day and the discussion moved to the concept of risk and reward. My friend Sam couldn’t understand why he was underperforming the S&P 500 despite owning shares like The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE/PG), General Electric Company (NYSE/GE), Wells…

Syria is on the verge of expanding its current conflict to include the United States and its allies as the chaos in the Middle East continues. Then there are also the tensions in Egypt and Iran. If the U.S. and its allies attack Syria, the impact on the…

If there ever was an example illustrating why good timing is important in the investment business, it’s Tesla Motors, Inc. (TSLA). For quite some time, the company wasn’t doing anything on the stock market until it garnered operational momentum combined with buoyant market conditions. Making the case for…

If everything is so fine with the economic recovery in both America and the global economy, then why are the emerging markets failing to rebound? It seems somewhat odd how the global economy could be fine when its key trading partners in the emerging markets are not. You…

The S&P 500 may be nearing a new record high, but trust me when I say there’s some nervousness growing in the market. I really don’t blame you if you want to take some profits. In fact, I insist. When I look for sectors that I feel are…

CEO Thorsten Heins of BlackBerry (NASDAQ/BBRY) may be smart to start thinking about looking for a new job. No, there’s no evidence he will be fired anytime soon. Hired in early 2012, Heins has been at the job just over a year. But while he may be the…

I just filled my gas-guzzling SUV that only uses premium gasoline; trust me when I say it wasn’t pleasant. And I know I will need to visit the gas station again in just a few days. I accept that, but what I don’t understand is the surging increase…

The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) Market Volatility Index—better known as the “VIX” or even the “fear gauge”—sits just above 14. That means investors are continuing to ignore stock market risks and, in the process, are actually assuming even more risk. All you have to do to see…