Utilities are the proverbial red-headed stepchild of stock market sectors. During bull markets (so the thinking goes), utilities tend to underperform more aggressive sectors like technology or industrials. But during a good market rout, utilities take a beating along with the rest. How unloved are utilities? As I wrote in a recent article, they were...Read More

2011 has been a rough year for investors.  Stocks, as measured by the S&P 500, are down nearly 8% for the year and down 14% from the April highs.  And while 14% may not sound like all that much in the grand scheme of things, investors felt every point in a surge of volatility that...Read More