2014 has been a kick to the teeth for investors in momentum stocks.  The popular names of last year, such as social media darlings Facebook (FB) and LinkedIn (LNKD) and new technology stocks like Netflix (NFLX) and Tesla Motors (TSLA) are all down 15%-30% from their March highs.  And Twitter (TWTR), the biggest IPO story...Read More

Would you trust a money manager who couldn’t recall the names of the stocks in his portfolio? Probably not.  You expect the person overseeing your investments to have intimate knowledge of every holding.  It’s your money on the line, after all.  To not know would be reckless and irresponsible. Yet for Thomas Howard, finance professor,...Read More

2014 has been something of a lackluster year in the markets.  Economic data and earnings results haven’t exactly lived up to the expectations implied by last year’s 30% returns.  With earnings season almost over, about 76% of the companies in the S&P 500 have beaten analyst estimates.  But keep in mind, those estimates were not...Read More

Here’s a little something to think about following Mother’s Day. I trot this chart out every few months to drive home an important point: Over the long term, China is destined to undergo a Japan-style demographic malaise.  It is unavoidable, and there is no policies the Chinese government can implement at this point to stop...Read More

India—the world’s largest democratic country—is in the early stages of a parliamentary election that won’t be wrapped up until the last polls close on May 12 (votes will be counted by May 16).  India has the world’s largest population after China, and it is a young country with a growing voting-age population.  So every Indian...Read More