So far this year the markets can’t seem to maintain any rally. Days after the run-ups on Columbus Day and in anticipation of Election Day, all the gains were more than wiped out as bad news continued to weigh on investors. Read More

Many fund managers can profit no matter which direction the markets are moving. But is it skill or beginners luck? Read More

While oil prices could remain under pressure in the near term due to demand concerns, don’t be lulled into a false sense of complacency. Supply is still the larger issue. As demand returns and supply contracts, we’re likely to see USD200 a barrel oil as soon as 2010. Read More

Renowned Swiss biologist and psychologist Jean Piaget observed, “Intelligence is an adaptation…To say that intelligence is a particular instance of biological adaptation is thus to suppose that it is essentially an organization and that its function is to structure the universe just as the organism structures its immediate environment.” Read More

US stocks rallied from earlier losses, sparked by shares in the tech sector, which overcame news that consumer spending declined 1 percent last month to finish the session with solid gains. Read More

The three major US stock indexes finished the day with mixed results. Shares in the financial sector posted solid gains after the Federal Reserve announced that it will use up to $800 billion in an effort to support consumer and small-business lending. Meanwhile, tech shares struggled today amid concerns about weakening consumer demand. Read More

If you’re feeling sick about your portfolio’s performance this year, you’re not alone. The US stock market is truly in unprecedented territory. Read More

US stocks rallied spectacularly after federal regulators stepped in to rescue Citigroup (NYSE: C), agreeing to guarantee up to $306 billion of its troubled assets. Read More

With the notable exception of Citigroup’s (NYSE: C) shares, US stocks moved back from the brink and into the green. Why the turnaround? Investors were heartened by reports that President-elect Barack Obama will nominate New York Federal Reserve head Timothy Geithner as his Treasury Secretary. Read More

Many of the bond fund holdings in the Growth Portfolio have come under considerable selling pressure not only today but over the past several days as well, largely because of the selloff in the broader market. Read More