Strategies

Extremes eventually reverse, and generally in rough symmetry with their explosive rise and we are reaching such extremes in valuation, complacency and margin debt. When the speculative frenzy dissipates, central banks will be the only buyers left and unless the Fed increases its balance sheet from $4.5 trillion to $14.5 trillion in a matter of months, even central bank manipulation will be swamped by sellers exiting bursting-bubble markets.

As the markets are propelled higher by the successive interventions of the Federal Reserve, it is hard not to think that the current rise will continue indefinitely, but the reality is that markets cycle from peaks to troughs as excesses built up during the up cycle are liquidated...This time...[will be no] different...[so what's an investor to do? Below] are 10 basic investment rules that have historically kept investors out of trouble over the long term [and hopefully will for you as well].

We understand the appeal of passive investing. It offers lower fees and simplicity and many investors are skeptical about the ability of active managers to consistently beat a benchmark...yet there’s also a lot of evidence supporting the benefits of an active approach. Today, we see many risks that are hard to avoid by hugging a benchmark—and opportunities that simply cannot be captured by going passive. While not every point is relevant to every investor, in every market, we can think of ten good reasons to stay active in equities today.

Before placing trades, it’s good practice to review market-moving indicators such as jobless claims, housing starts and sales, consumer confidence, and inflation as they can help you make smarter investments and grow your wealth. Here's a look at each of the above mentioned indicators that you may want to become familiar with.

Have you ever made a spur of the moment trading decision without fully thinking things through and later come to regret it? Do you feel like your investment decision-making process could use some help? Here's an investing checklist you can use as a useful guide to develop a systematic, organized, and thorough approach to trading.

At this mature stage of a cyclical bull market, it’s important to avoid allowing your hubris to go haywire - to believe you’re just so damn good that your next goal should be to “beat an index.” I offer 3 ways to let you keep yourself in check - to avoid losing your ass - as markets eventually revert to a mean.

There is a simple way for any logical person to determine whether a crash is imminent. It isn’t listening to fear mongering, or a commentator trying to grab attention so stop listening to the experts who are blowing out their ……. Start looking around yourself.

Even seasoned U.S. investors can make basic (and wrong) assumptions and generalizations when it comes to investing internationally. Here are a few common traps that investors tend to fall into when they start looking outside their own country’s borders.

Numbers don’t lie. You’re either making money or you’re losing money. Sometimes you get lucky. Sometimes you make incredibly careless errors that could cost you dearly. There’s no better meritocratic environment. So, do you possess the characteristics of what it takes to become a successful trader? Here are 10.

Don’t ever take financial headlines at face value. They seldom tell the whole (or true) story - and you definitely shouldn’t rely solely on insiders to govern your investment decisions. They’re just as unreliable.