The next time you run out of ideas for that perfect gift, save this column. I am about to give you over 200 one of a kind gift ideas that will cost you only as much as you want to spend and at the same time make anyone happy. Global Giving beats the heck out of giving your old man that gift set of Old Spice or your brother a gift card from Amazon. (more…)

One week up, the next down, with nary a profit to be found over the last two months. Unfortunately, I see more of the same ahead of us. The bottom won’t be in until investors throw in the towel. It will require fear, panic and a bit of loathing among global investors. Obviously, we have not reached that stage as of yet. (more…)

Newspapers around the world heralded the news that China was easing their currency peg. Global markets soared overnight Sunday and into Monday on the announcement. At last, crowed the pundits, the Chinese had caved into pressure from its trading partners to drop the two-year old Chinese practice of pegging the value of the Chinese Yuan to the rise and fall of the U.S. dollar. Yet, three days later it is hard to see what all the fuss is about.

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After the S&P 500 Index’s sharp 5% bounce, gains have been tougher to come by this week although the index still put together a 2% move higher. The bulls are loving that and expect even more upside in the coming week. (more…)

The beat goes on with dizzying regularity: big down days, followed by big up days with nary a reason for either. Hedge funds, flash traders and computer-driven programs are now calling the shots in our stock markets. It has truly become a casino. (more…)

Given the volatility of the stock market over the last few weeks, it is no surprise that annuity and life insurance salesmen, brokers and financial advisors are once again touting the wonderful benefits of fixed and variable annuities. Don’t get sucked into their sales pitch because the facts are that annuities only make sense for a tiny fraction of the population. (more…)

This is not the kind of market  in which one should stay fully invested. If your broker or investment advisor is recommending that strategy, tell them to take a hike. (more…)

“The ES_F can’t get above the vwap and high volume node.”

“SPY –a perfect symmetrical triangle on the one minute.”

“Obama jobs report baked in. I’m short until tomorrow’s real report then we get a fluff rally.”

The above comments were lifted from a daily internet trading service peopled by day traders and other speculators. There are hundreds of them. Their comments make little or no sense to most readers, nor should they. Yet, in order to compete in today’s stock markets as an individual investor, this kind of investing behavior is required. Is it any wonder that individual investors are abandoning the stock market in droves as the reality of how the markets have changed hits home? (more…)

Although the Dow, NASDAQ and S& P 500 all gained over 3% on Thursday, triggering predictions that the correction is over, I remained unconvinced. Everything I witnessed this week has only persuaded me that we are going lower. (more…)

The stock market’s sell-off this week amidst high volatility has triggered worries among investors that we were heading right back into those bad old days of 2008-2009. Those fears are understandable given that for the first time since the markets bottomed in March of 2009, we are having our first official correction. (more…)