investment

Is Adobe Systems' Stock Cheap by the Numbers? Sat, 25/12/2010 - 08:27 by Anand Chokkavelu Numbers can lie -- yet they're the best first step in determining whether a stock is a buy. In this series, we use some carefully chosen metrics to size up a stock's true value based on the following clues: Comments Read more	What the Market Taught Me This Week Fri, 24/12/2010 - 12:00 by Travis Hoium As a member of our 10% Promise team, I see a lot of wild swings in the market. Sometimes there's an easy explanation and sometimes the market knocks us for a loop without telling us why. But every week I learn something new. Here are a few things from this week. Comments Read more	Embraer Passes This Key Test Fri, 24/12/2010 - 10:33 by Seth Jayson There's no foolproof way to know the future for Embraer (NYSE: ERJ) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result. Rest assured: Even if you're not monitoring these metrics, short-sellers are. Comments Read more
Is Applied Materials Working Hard Enough for You? Fri, 24/12/2010 - 10:30 by Seth Jayson Margins matter. The more Applied Materials (Nasdaq: AMAT) keeps of each buck it earns in revenue, the more money it has to invest in growth, fund new strategic plans, or (gasp!) distribute to shareholders. Healthy margins often separate pretenders from the best stocks in the market. That's why I check on my holdings' margins at least once a quarter. I'm looking for the absolute numbers, comparisons to sector peers and competitors, and any trend that may tell me how strong Applied Materials's competitive position could be. Comments Read more	Should You Get Out of II-VI Before Next Quarter? Fri, 24/12/2010 - 09:58 by Seth Jayson There's no foolproof way to know the future for II-VI (Nasdaq:IIVI) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result. Rest assured: Even if you're not monitoring these metrics, short-sellers are. Comments Read more	Is WellPoint the Perfect Stock? Fri, 24/12/2010 - 08:02 by Dan Caplinger Everyone would love to find the perfect stock. But will you ever really find a stock that gives you everythingyou could possibly want? One thing's for sure: If you don't look, you'll never find truly great investments. So let's first take a look at what you'd want to see from a perfect stock, and then decide if WellPoint(NYSE: WLP) fits the bill. Comments Read more
Is Arbitron Going to Burn You? Fri, 24/12/2010 - 07:30 by Seth Jayson There's no foolproof way to know the future for Arbitron (NYSE: ARB) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result. Rest assured: Even if you're not monitoring these metrics, short-sellers are. Comments Read more	Steven Madden Passes This Key Test Fri, 24/12/2010 - 07:24 by Seth Jayson There's no foolproof way to know the future for Steven Madden (Nasdaq: SHOO) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result. Rest assured: Even if you're not monitoring these metrics, short-sellers are. Comments Read more	Why the Street Should Love Luxottica Group's Earnings Fri, 24/12/2010 - 07:16 by Seth Jayson Although business headlines still tout earnings numbers, many investors have moved past net earnings as a measure of a company's economic output. That's because earnings are very often less trustworthy than cash flow, since earnings are more open to manipulation based on dubious judgment calls. Comments Read more
Shares of Regional Banks Popped: What You Need to Know Thu, 23/12/2010 - 12:24 by Matt Koppenheffer Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis. Comments Read more	9 Consumer Stocks to Anchor Your Portfolio Thu, 23/12/2010 - 11:20 by Matt Koppenheffer Have you been buying junk? Have you been thumbing your nose at default risk and chasing after companies that have shown more red than the Philadelphia Phillies? If you have, you've probably been pretty happy with the results. As a recent Bloomberg article highlighted, the seemingly lowest-quality companies have watched their stocks outperform so far this year. Bloomberg notes: Comments Read more	Is Evergreen Solar Near The End? Thu, 23/12/2010 - 11:14 by Travis Hoium If you've been watching Evergreen Solar's(Nasdaq: ESLR) stock price, you may be wondering how long it will be until this stock hits zero. The recent slide accelerated after the company announced a recapitalization plan and fellow Fool Anders Bylund didn't have a positive response to the plan. As a shareholder I was less than pleased about the likely dilution -- and everything was made worse by a stock price that keeps plummeting. Comments Read more