Finance

Value-Based Trading On A High Yielder

Recognizing ‘fair value’ is the key to investing success.  In Sonoco Products’ case, investors should send its shares packing. Many investors gravitate towards time-tested dividend growth stocks without understanding the value, or lack of value, that they may offer at various points in time. Specialty packaging firm Sonoco Products (SON) meets the consistent dividend grower criteria but…

2014 In Review: Hot Or Not?

We introduced the “Hot or Not” segment last year as a lighthearted way to break down important themes for individual investors. Rather than looking at page views or ratings, we want to review economic, market, and public policy themes that could help you most in the new year. In this illustrated review of the year, the…

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Shares of NeuroDerm (NDRM) surged as much as 100% during the trading session on December 30, 2014 after the company announced positive results from an early stage trial treating Parkinson’s Disease. Parkinson’s Disease is a mental disorder in which patients shake and lose their ability to control movement of the body. The drug used in…

2014 Was A Remarkable Year

  These are the last days of 2014 and it is interesting to line up a couple of important things that happened over the year. More than a few remarkable twists and turns have happened, and it makes us more excited about 2015. Think about the surge of the Chinese stock market out of the…

Chicago PMI Misses, Drops To 5-Month Lows

Only 1 of MNI’s Chicago Business Barometer components rose in December as the headline index tumbled from October’s multi-year highs at 66.2 to today’s December print of 58.3 – lowest in 5 months and missing expectations for the 2nd month in a row. While new orders, prices paid, and production all fell, employment (the sole improvment)…

Chicago PMI Misses, Drops To 5-Month Lows

Only 1 of MNI’s Chicago Business Barometer components rose in December as the headline index tumbled from October’s multi-year highs at 66.2 to today’s December print of 58.3 – lowest in 5 months and missing expectations for the 2nd month in a row. While new orders, prices paid, and production all fell, employment (the sole improvment)…

Euro – From Bad To Worse

Europe is a mess, and in spite of all the papier mache offering a pretty facade, it’s just going to get messier. From a charting perspective, the big break took place at the place marked with an arrow (which I nailed to the day for my Slope+ subscribers). There’s nothing to suggest this downtrend will…

This Month In Gold — December 2014

​China May Ease Gold Import Rules Bloomberg – The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) is considering a plan to allow qualified miners and more banks to import gold. The intention is to attract more foreign investors and get China more involved in world markets. Chinese miners would be incentivized to “explore opportunities overseas,” said Wallace Ng,…

Yield Curve Today

The beaten to a pulp yield curve has been quietly rising the last few days.  Here is today’s view of a gentle rise as nominal yields on all durations decline.  If 2014’s main macro trends (for example, stocks up, gold down) are to continue in 2015, the curve would most likely keep dropping.  A problem…