For the second straight quarter our major portfolios have outperformed the market and relevant benchmarks. Growth gained nearly 3 percent, Income 4 percent, and Fast Track around 6 percent. We think these solid results validate our approach to stock picking. But we are acutely aware that we… Read More

Good for all: protecting the U.S. and finding financial security, too   From locusts to the Black Plague to the endless clash of armies, the world always has been rife with risk and danger. Still, it’s not being egocentric to argue that today’s world is more… Read More

It leads in eye health care and controls Botox, two sure growth areas   You can make a lot of money investing in health care stocks—but only if you focus on those that tap into long-term trends. These are the ones that will see their revenues… Read More

Sempra’s has it all: a high yield anda solid underlying stock   While long-term bonds continue to offer little upside, there’s still a way to pick up a decent coupon payment without punting on principal. Convertible bonds and convertible preferreds offer a nice middle ground between… Read More

Large-cap growth funds provide welcome peace of mind in uncertain times   One way mutual fund investors can diversify is across different sectors—energy, technology, health, and so on. Equally important, though, is to diversify across different investment size groups—small caps and big caps.   In… Read More

ICAP scoops up a lagging oil company and a drug maker   On the preceding page, in recognition of the rising level of insecurity in the world, we urged fund investors to make sure they own at least one large-cap growth fund. By the same token,… Read More

But George Foreman lacks muscle, Sun falls to earth   We’re adding four new positions, two longs and two shorts, some of them with names you’ll quickly recognize. The first long is consumer play Movado Group, designer, manufacturer, and distributor of fine watches. Well… Read More

A look back at how our picks have performed and where they are headed   Each issue in Sector Sense we zero in on a particular geographical area or investment segment, make a general case for it, and present a handful of enticing stocks for your… Read More

How Now Dow Jones?   This issue we’re profiling not a person but an institution: Dow Jones, parent of the Wall Street Journal and keeper of the venerable Dow Jones Industrial Average and other indices. Or at least we’re taking a look at the import of… Read More

If short-selling has intrigued but also intimidated you, read on   THE BASICS   When you buy a stock outright, your goal is to buy low and sell high. Simple.   When you sell a stock short, you want to do the same thing—just in… Read More