Falling oil prices in 2008 led to a stock market meltdown. It’s 2014, and oil prices are crashing again. Will stocks follow the 2008 script? We live in a complex world, and there are a number of correlations that may cause a surprise outcome.... >> READ MORE...

The Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEArca: XLE) lost as much as 28.57% from June to December. Every attempt to go bottom fishing was greeted by further losses … until now. Here's an interesting development.... >> READ MORE...

It’s been an ugly December for the global economy, and many believe it will get worse. However, not all is terrible. There are some positives. Patience may be rewarded as stocks gyrate at a near-term inflection point.... >> READ MORE...

Historically, December is a good month to own small caps. However, the tendency for a nasty mid-month pullback is often overlooked. Will this correction send small caps even lower, or is it a good time to buy?... >> READ MORE...

Friday was the first time since October 15 that the S&P 500 displayed a blatant internal deterioration. The ensuing Friday/Monday slump quickly erased three weeks of up side progress.... >> READ MORE...

The Nasdaq-100 bars painted a bearish reversal pattern in early December. We’ve just seen the effects of this reversal pattern, but as long as trade remains about this support, there’s no reason to worry.... >> READ MORE...

Gold was the most hated asset class going into December, especially after Swiss voters rejected a proposal to boost the country’s gold reserves by some 1,500 tons (about 7% of global annual demand). Is this a good ‘blood in the streets’ trade?... >> READ MORE...

The Dow Jones has been up for seven consecutive weeks, but this nearby resistance level threatens to break the Dow’s winning streak. Any pullback should result in renewed buying and the Dow may bounce from this support.... >> READ MORE...

ETFs are cost effective, tax efficient, liquid and can be traded throughout the day (unlike mutual funds). Most investors are familiar with the appealing ETF basics, but here are a few tricks and traps the average Joe investor may not know.... >> READ MORE...

Much to the dismay of many mutual funds, ETFs have taken the financial world by storm. In recognition of the incredible variety available, ETFs are now considered Exchange Traded Products (ETP). Here’s a list of them along with advantages and disadvantages.... >> READ MORE...