Wall Street is inherently cold-blooded. It cares only for what affects the economy—and that leads above all to oil prices. If oil prices, which operate both as a deflationary tax and an inflationary agent, keep rising, they will short-circuit the U.S. economy, the world economy, and the… Read More

As inflation heats up, don’t even think about buying these stocks   Short term, stocks may have a few upside hi-jinks left (see Marketpulse). Longer term, though, we’re likely facing a broad trading range in which only a relative handful of stocks will earn you money… Read More

To be prepared for anything, you’ve got to own a little of everything   Our Growth Portfolio, as of this issue,  contains 34 stocks. Subscribers often ask: which do we like best? It sounds like a simple question, but there’s no simple answer. We have constructed… Read More

CNOOC is a dominant offshore oil and gas company with a strong yield   With expectations of inflation on the rise, long-term bonds and REITs have sold off sharply. This makes it smart to further balance our interest rate-sensitive holdings by adding another energy company to… Read More

Former small caps that have grown up, they balance spunk and safety   A useful way to think about mid-cap stocks is to view them as former smallcap stocks that, propelled by strong and steady growth and often blessed with positive and stable earnings and cash… Read More

All the stocks in FundFinds remain buys   FundFinds is a stock portfolio with a difference. We don’t look just for stocks we like—we first look for funds we like and then seek out the newest, or biggest, or most unusual of their holdings. Read More

Its electronic trading business in Treasuries will surge as rates edge up   With interest rates still at 40-year lows and Alan Greenspan no longer talking about “patience,” it’s almost a sure bet that rates will continue trending up. How can aggressive investors parlay this knowledge… Read More

It’s a vast frontier with tremendous investment potential   Editor’s Note: Two of the stocks recommended below, Thermo-Electron and Tyco International, were also featured last issue (May 2004) in our front page article; in addition, Tyco is a member of our Growth Portfolio—SL.   W… Read More

Matthew Simmons: An Energy Guru’s Grim Outlook   Matthew R. Simmons is not some nutty doomsayer who parades around with sandwich boards predicting the end of the world. And that’s frightening.   Why? Because if he were less respectable, it would be easier to dismiss… Read More

“You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, Know when to walk away, and know when to run.” —Kenny Rogers, “The Gambler”   Are you a gambler or an investor—and is there really a difference? Some people may still think… Read More