While real rebound in the economy is still uncertain, the best investments may be in stocks that pay investors to wait. Dividend plays are back in demand and Michael Crofton, CEO of Philadelphia Trust Company and Tim O’Brien, senior portfolio manager at Evergreen Utility and Telecommunications Fund said they should remain the core of any portfolio. Read More
Following are the week’s biggest winners and losers. Find out why shares of Amgen and American Express popped while NYSE and Microsoft dropped. Read More
It is now four weeks since the S&P 500 hit its recent closing high of 946.21 on June 12. The benchmark index is down 6.7% since then and some components have been hit harder than others bringing dividend yields back up again. Here is a screen for companies that have been beaten up but might have good value in the longer term. Read More
Although financial stocks remain well off of their 2007 highs, some have been clawing their way back. Brokerage stocks have rebounded with such force that they’re among the top-performing sectors year-to-date, benefiting as investors slowly come back to the market. Trading volume has also improved in the past few months. Read More
Unemployment hit 8.9 percent in April and some predict that number could climb over 10 percent in 2009 as major companies further streamline operations to combat the recession. While some industries are more labor intensive than others, employee productivity is a key measure that managers and investors look at when evaluating performance. Take a look at which companies are squeezing the most out their shrinking workforces. Read More