web analytics

Monthly Archives: December 2010

The Energy Goldilocks: As Oil Rises, Green Stocks Surge

December 30, 2010
By

There’s a smart way to play the rising price of oil (discussed yesterday), and it’s one that returns us to the idea of creating wealth through appreciating assets: Green stocks. Higher oil prices get people antsy and anxious for alternatives. This sends them looking at electric cars and hybrids. It gets corporations serious about natural gas-powered fleets, trading up to next generation batteries and buying high-tech fuel cells for remote power needs. It gets local governments and utilities moving on energy efficiency programs and incentives for energy sipping LED lighting. It gets national governments pushing for wind farms and...

Read more »

Where are Oil and Gas Prices Headed? Hint: Not Down

December 29, 2010
By
Where are Oil and Gas Prices Headed? Hint: Not Down

I’ve mentioned before in this space that I’m not a car guy. I drive one, sure, but I view a vehicle simply as a means to get from one place to another. I think my disdain for cars comes from when I was 16. I got my license and my brother-in-law gave me his old, no-frills Subaru hatchback. My first car. Except I couldn’t afford the insurance, $1,600 for 6 months—more than I pay now for two cars annually! While working hard to cobble together the money for the insurance, one day I came home from sorting photos at...

Read more »

To Use Options Right, You Have to Understand Them

December 28, 2010
By

Mention that you trade options at a party and you are likely to hear something like “Wow, that’s gutsy.”  That’s because investors have heard stories about people losing their shirts trading options or they’ve heard statements to the effect that 75% of options expire worthless. But the fact is, there are many ways to use options, and investing with options can actually be less risky than investing in stocks. Let’s start with the basics. What is an option? There are two kinds of options: puts and calls. A put allows the buyer to sell the underlying stock at a...

Read more »

Which Cabot Letter is Right for You?

December 24, 2010
By

Happy holidays! I hope you’re having a wonderful season, surrounded by family and friends, with lots of food and fun. We get a lot of emails here at Cabot and one of the most frequently asked questions is, “Which Cabot letter is right for me?” As we’ve expanded over the years, we’ve offered more newsletters to reach a wider investing audience and fulfill our subscribers’ investing needs. But I know it can be overwhelming to figure out which one is right for you. So today, I’m going to try to help you sort them out! Each Cabot advisory offers...

Read more »

Cabot Chart School: Selling Strategies

December 23, 2010
By

This week, because of the holiday we’re bringing you a Cabot Chart School video instead of the usual Weekly Review. In it, Cabot Market Letter Editor Mike Cintolo discusses portfolio management focused on selling strategies. He weighs taking profits versus trailing stops and discusses offensive versus defensive selling tactics. This video is a classic, so don’t miss it! Click to watch.

Read more »