On Wednesday, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the decision-making arm of the U.S. Federal Reserve, concluded its latest policy-setting meeting and, as widely expected, reduced the size of its monthly debt purchases by another $10 billion. Beginning in July, the U.S. central bank will buy $15 billion in agency… Read More

Earlier this week, we again followed an investment firm specializing in small-cap stocks.  Our new portfolio member is a global leader in irrigation systems that helps to address two major problems that will worsen over time: food and water scarcity.  Some peer-reviewed studies estimate that crop yields must double over the next 30 years in order to provide sufficient food for the world's population. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, moreover, by 2050 the world will need food production to rise 70 percent from its current level. It’s a worrisome trend for this planet and its inhabitants but a potentially lucrative opportunity for companie (such as our new pick) that offer the technologies to increase food supply. Read More

As it does the first Friday of every month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its assessment of the job market today. In May, the U.S. added 217,000 jobs (slightly better than the consensus expectation). The U.S. has now officially recovered the 8.7 million jobs lost during the recession, which… Read More

Earlier this week, following the lead of another top hedge fund, we bought shares in a Chinese online retailer specializing in flash sales of discounted merchandise. Founded in 2008, the company has achieved tremendous growth through leveraging China’s expanding middle class and its appetite for brand-name apparel and low prices. Annual revenue has exploded from just $2.8 million in 2009, the first full year of operations, to $1.7 billion in 2013. The company also passed an important milestone: it reached profitability for the first time last year, with net income of $52.3 million, compared to a $9.5 million loss for 2012. If early 2014 results provide any indication, the momentum is still very strong. Read More

This week, we review why it makes sense to follow one of the best stock pickers of our time and why we have repeatedly followed his lead. We also profile our lates Brain Trust Profit pick from the stock guru's portfolio. The company is a developer of therapies to treat our four-legged friends. If approved, these drugs will be first-in-class in the pet market. Read More

The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the widely followed U.S. large-cap stock indexes, both set new record highs earlier this week. Yet beneath the surface, there are reasons to be cautious. For one, the total trading volume of listed U.S. stocks as the indexes made their highs… Read More

This week we review the first-quarter results of the premier consumer Internet and consumer media company. After a rough fourth quarter of 2013 that saw its shares fall sharply (creating an entry opportunity for us), the company's latest results are more encouraging and suggest that it may be on its way to redemption and reaccelerate its growth rate. Read More

With the first-quarter earnings season in full swing, this week we take a look at some of our portfolio holdings that announced financial results in recent days. First, however, we'll review this morning’s monthly government jobs report. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said that the U.S. added 288,000 non-farm… Read More

Stocks ended the week on a bad note, wiping away the previous four days’ gains. Overall, the S&P 500, the widely followed large-cap stock index, ended the week slightly in the red. Disappointing earnings results from heavyweights like Amazon and Visa and fears that the Ukraine situation may escalate pressured… Read More

After the S&P 500 Index—the widely-followed proxy for the stock market—lost 2.6 percent last week and sank into the red for the year, most of the lost ground has been recovered in just three days. As we noted last Friday in our regular weekly Market Update and a Special Update,… Read More

Yesterday, U.S. stocks experienced one of their worst days of the year. The S&P 500 declined more than 2 percent for the third time this year, and after today’s action, all of the major averages are underwater for the year. In light of stock valuations that have… Read More

Yesterday the U.S. stock market experienced one of its worst days of the year. The S&P 500 dropped more than 2 percent for the third time in 2014. Including today’s action, all major stock indexes have fallen into the red for the year. As the market rallied… Read More

This morning, as it does on the first Friday of every month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported its monthly assessment of the labor market. In March, the U.S. gained a net of 192,000 non-farm jobs, slightly below economist expectations but the best showing since November 2013. The official unemployment… Read More

Earlier this week, we invested in a company that owns, operates and invests in a diversified group of infrastructure businesses in the U.S. including: liquid storage, airport services, gas utility service, and renewable energies. Similar to a utility or telecom, it generates stable revenue and cash flow and rewards shareholders with an attractive cash dividend. Historically, the company has paid out most of its available cash flow to shareholders—management targets 80 percent to 85 percent of free cash flow per year. Last year, it paid out 82 percent. Read More

Earlier this week, we purchased a consumer Internet and media stock. The company is devoted to providing information and advice to its audience (mainly women of marriageable and childbearing age) related to weddings and lifestyles. Founded in 1996 under another name and focused purely on weddings, the company has expanded into other brands, covering other important life events such as pregancy and home purchase. Read More

As the weekend draws near, investors are concerned over the Ukraine situation, one of the biggest geopolitical crises in Eastern Europe since the end of the Cold War. Russia has seized control or blockaded most key ports, military bases, and other strategic military assets on Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula heavily… Read More

This week, we look at our newest portfolio addition, one of the world’s leading manufacturers and providers of synthetic and natural graphite and carbon-based products and solutions to industrial and various high-tech end markets. It generated $1.17 billion in net sales last year and has customers in more than 70 countries. Read More

This week we profile a leading manufacturer and distributor of both residential and nonresidential building materials. Its products are used in new construction and renovation projects alike. While the bulk of its current sales are to U.S. and Canadian markets, the company does have a growing international presence. However, it remains first and foremost a bet on the ongoing U.S. housing market recovery, in particular building activity. Read More

This week we profile both a successful company in our portfolio and also a promising recent addition. Read More

Valentine’s Day or not, red is a color investors would rather not see when it comes to their investments. Fortunately, today the Big Board showed mostly green to conclude a strong week for the market—the S&P 500 posted a solid 2.3 percent gain for the week. As we expected, the… Read More