SKARBECK: Brokerage soft costs under tighter scrutiny
Many investment firms, hedge funds and mutual funds participate in this less-than-desirable industry practice.
Investing Column
Articles
HAUKE: History tells us that bull will stay here a while
American stock market history goes back far enough to give us a lot of data and reference points we can use to help us understand the future.
SKARBECK: GM’s return to market not your usual IPO
This unusual taxpayer-owned IPO did create some interesting conflicts.
HAUKE: Fed pulling out all stops to keep inflation down
U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke wants the entire world to believe that the United States is in a deflationary economic cycle and, therefore, the drastic, insane steps he is taking are justified.
SKARBECK: Benchmarks helpful, but have their problems
Benchmarking has exploded with the industry’s propensity to slice and dice and categorize every segment of the overall investment pie.
SKARBECK: Changes on horizon for mutual fund fees
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is proposing significant changes to the structure of the annual marketing or distribution fee on mutual funds known as a 12(b)-1 fee.
HAUKE: Lofty expectations sting some high-profile stocks
Sometimes the inner workings of Wall Street confound the wily and the wise.
SKARBECK: Short sellers maligned, but play a useful role
True professional short sellers are typically intelligent, above-board investors who often alert the markets and investors to overvalued securities and, in some cases, to fraud.
SKARBECK: Expect more battles over public pensions
This year, 15 states have enacted legislation to reduce future public pension obligations.
HAUKE: Examining the virtues of a successful investor
I went back to ancient Greece and Rome and found long-running philosophical discussions about The Virtues.
HAUKE: Stock market not ready for bear quite yet
I continue to believe the April 23 high was not the end of the bull market that began in March 2009.
HICKS: Most majors pay off, but some a lot more than others
There is clearly something important about the totality
of what is learned in college, but, if you want to apply all those upper-level classes in your major, you’d better study
hard or pick the right field.
SKARBECK: Investors may miss mark by switching to bonds
It seems more likely that bond investors today are making the same mistake stock investors made back at the peak of the stock-market bubble.
HAUKE: Research, not gut, should drive market decisions
The greatest investors I know all use time-tested principles and apply them rigorously in their activities.
SKARBECK: U.S. will someday have to deal with debt
After years of easy borrowing that helped boost economic growth, governments around the globe are dealing with evil twinsâ??high levels of debt and shrinking revenue to repay.
HAUKE: Growth of government takes toll on stock returns
The unprecedented size of government in America matters to anyone who is concerned about wealth creation in this country.
SKARBECK: Financial overhaul law leaves much uncertainty
The public, to no surprise, is skeptical that the new regulations will succeed. A Bloomberg poll shows nearly four out of five Americans have little confidence the measures will prevent a crisis.
HAUKE: Future of car stocks may be electrifying
At some point, fuel cells may answer the hype they’ve lived under the last 15 years.
SKARBECK: Short-term sizzle can’t beat consistency
To achieve outsized returns, whether in mutual funds or individual stocks, investors must avoid the hype and reliance on past outperformance.
HAUKE: A long market slump would defy history
While the stock market is not as easy to follow as watching a calendar, it leaves evidence as to what it is going to do next,
much like falling leaves warn you about the coming of winter.