The Weekend Investor section of The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article on dividend stocks. From the article: Mutual funds specializing in dividend stocks have seen inflows of $12.6 billion so far this year, four times as much as in all of 2010—even as stock funds as a whole have posted outflows of nearly …
Continue reading ‘Not All Dividend Stocks Are Worth Investing In’ »
The Internet retailer Amazon is one of the survivors of the great dot-com bubble of the 1990s. Unlike other retail companies like pets.com that disappeared when the bubble burst, Amazon not only survived but has thrived ever since. As the retail industry is highly competitive and has one of the lowest profits margins, it takes …
Continue reading ‘Euromonitor: Amazon’s Long-Term Outlook Remains Positive, But More Competitive’ »
One of the main reasons to invest in foreign stocks is for portfolio diversification. In the past, the correlation U.S. markets and foreign markets were very low which lead to foreign stocks going higher when US stocks went down and vice versa. However in recent decades the benefits due to international diversification are declining. According …
Continue reading ‘Benefits of International Diversification Declining’ »
One of the key figures to review in earnings reported by banks is the fee income. Unlike other types of incomes, income from various types of fees are somewhat predictable and stable. Many U.S. banks in recent decades have ventured into the insurance business and their insurance subsidiaries generate sizable revenues. In the first quarter …
Continue reading ‘Top 12 Banks in Insurance Brokerage Fee Income’ »
The Global Finance magazine recently announced its annual ranking of the World’s 50 Safest Banks for 2011. These top banks were selected based on an evaluation of long-term credit ratings—from Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch—and total assets of the 500 largest banks worldwide. From the magazine report: The sovereign debt crisis is still raging …