Thursday, December 13, 2007
Stock w00t
Recession starts next Tuesday at noon!
Good retail sales or bad?
Everything you want to know about the Fed move but didn't know who to ask
Who cares about inflation!
Central banks step in over credit crisis
Is this the beginning of the end of the credit crisis?
Are you feeling impatient on the Fed?
Rate forecasters still predict lower rates ahead
Behind Bernanke's bombshell
ECB warns of danger of a wider squeeze
Why the Fed bailout might not work
Worrisome bank statements
How not to fix the economy
"If the Fed needed a little help from its friends, or vice-versa, wouldn’t that suggest that the situation we’re seeing is far worse than even we know?" - Herb Greenberg
Up +21% over the past year, Harry Schultz thinks a financial tsunami is upon us
20 takeaways from the Fed's move
Don't blame the Fed, blame bullish sentiment
O'Shaughnessy thinks the sell-off in U.S. bank stocks may have run its course
Financial advertisers show no fear
Hedge fund vet Leon Cooperman still thinks equities are a buy and shares some of his best picks
Bulls tie their hope to the jobs market
Jason Kelly suggests a smart way to play this market
Value is always in the eye of the beholder
Please remember, participation in this market is optional
Points & Figures: an end-of-the-year rally appears possible
Hedge-fund guy is up SIV creek without a paddle
If you're sitting on 12% ytd gains, how are you going to spend the final two weeks of the year?
A historical look at the market’s history between now and after New Year’s Day
Time to buy? That's a big YES according to Morningstar
Four people offer perspectives for what's ahead for 2008
Why the housing sector collapse is wonderful
According to Standard & Poor's, about 27% of all the companies in danger of losing their investment-grade status are likely to do so because they are contemplating an acquisition or leveraged buyout
A few reasons to look at the utilities
Paul Tudor Jones has partnered with several big firms to form a new electronic venue for trading carbon greenhouse gases and other emissions
Easy comes as easy goes in the copper market
Sovereign funds should be watched with caution
Wall Street's big bang
10 things every investor should know about U.S.-China Relations
Do you own Apple, Dell, or HP? If so, check out this research
Everybody now loves AT&T!
For the right price, Cellcom may offer a decent income opportunity
IBD analyzes Baidu
I have been flooded with questions about Clean Energy Fuels probably because of this
According to Brush, these retailers could surprise the pessimists
Fortune provides 40 stocks to retire on
Harry Domash's 10 small stocks for a happy new year
8 stocks to own in 2008
MSN CAPS finds 5 stocks with great potential
StockScouter picks are fairly widespread this week
Five stock disappointments in 2007
Morningstar's stocks that are priced to sell
10 stocks with insider buying & buybacks
If you get the big picture right, stock picking gets easier
ThinkEquity provides a handy product checklist among other things
Wealthtrack profiles hot handed John Montgomery & Whitney Tilson
10 ways to build trading discipline
A stock's price and value are entirely two different things
Johnny Chan shares some real-life game theory
6 simple steps to achieve laser-like focus
Get started with Excel
"Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do." - Benjamin Spock
Roth IRA is the surest route to retirement-savings success
Last minute tips for trimming your 2007 taxes
New tax brackets for all taxpayers
Kiplinger's names the best 529 college-savings plans
Trade on a Mac? VMware offers a solution that is getting good reviews
$20 bucks a year for phone service
A number of stock trading software & system utilities
Rupert Murdoch is already at work at the WSJ
The rich are taking it with them, at least as far as the mausoleum
Bermuda will soon become the the destination of choice for hedge funds
Track those Christmas packages!
Make the perfect holiday party drinks
Ron Paul beats Hillary Clinton
How saying thanks will make you happier
Mark Cuban on Warren Buffett, taxes and the presidency
"I am the luckiest guy in the world in terms of what I do for a living. No one can tell me to do things I don’t believe in or things I think are stupid." - Warren Buffett
Posted by Kirk at 2:59 PM in Readings | Bookmark | Feeds | Link |
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Plugged In To The Market
What should investors take away from 2007?
Is the stock market now taking a turn toward recovery?
Do you believe in the Santa Rally?
A naughty November leads to a nice December?
Why exploiting year-end seasonal trends is harder than it looks
The hedge funds jocks must be motivated close the year well after their November losses
"Only the post-9/11 holiday season and recession-stricken 1991 were less festive [on Wall Street]" - Battalia Winston
The market is on the verge of a new breakout
U.S. lends a hand on ARMs
Hedge funds are betting big on US presidential race
Like a ticking time bomb!
Banks scale back size of super fund for SIVs
The banks shift the blame
Ben Stein blasts Goldman Sachs
Moody's states the obvious
Rating agencies are under fire again
Wall Street firms are subpoenaed
SEC probes the smart money
One of the main reasons why homebuilders are up so much this week
Remember how everyone believed that you can't lose money in real estate?
Climbing the wall of worry
Stay long - don't be wrong!
Investors should buy U.S. stocks in 2008 because corporate profits may rise and the economy will avoid a recession
U.S. corporate profits are already in a recession?
According to Thomson Financial, bottom-up analysts are calling for company profits to rise 11.8% next year
No recession in 2008, study says
Markets are ill-prepared for bout of stagflation
Jeff Thredgold's outlook for 2008
Everyone hates the dollar - time to buy?
Five reasons to cheer foreign markets
Foreign companies flee US bourses at record level
India's biggest bull is on the verge of becoming its biggest bear
Jim Rogers has three pearls of investment wisdom to pitch
A big wave of Asian trust fund babies
Is Europe a country?
The support for gold is only getting started
Growth companies may outperform. But what counts as growth?
Bill Miller sees value in the financials while coming under fire for his new streak
Etrade teams up with Citadel
How BlackRock forged a plan to rescue fund
Eddie Lampert is the worst CEO in America?
Morningstar names some large-cap picks for the patient investor
John Neff's prosaic profits
The best Buffett stocks by book
Trade like this super-secret hedge fund
The top 50 growth stocks according to pivotal investing
An interesting tool using research & development stats
Traders tend to make things much more complicated than they really are
10 ways to improve your market timing
How should you select a benchmark to evaluate your portfolio?
This is your brain on trading
Michael Covel uncovers the real story behind a Wall Street legend
Suri Duddella offers a useful TA book and website where he shares some interesting chart setups daily often incorporating Fibonacci
Interested in trading futures? Visit the NFA learning center
Explaining the 1987 stock market crash and potential implications
James Altucher shares his discipline
How do I start a lazy portfolio with just a few thousand bucks? Farrell offers some hybrid ideas
Jonathan Clements offers some thoughts about 100% stock portfolios
Making the case for the Pharmaceutical ETF
Using ETFs to track IPOs
Intelligent ETFs offer the best of both worlds
How long will my money last? Miller/Howard offers some guidance
In search of the best portfolio management software? AAII offers a shopping comparison
Forbes' luxury gift guide 2007
Although I prefer using Quotetracker, MarketWatch has upgraded their portfolio tool
For those who like podcasts: CIT Executive Insights
Tired of getting those unwanted catalogs? These guys get the job done
Have broadband? Try Google's Web Accelerator
If only trading stocks were this easy - Mansion Impossible!
NLOP is the web's largest free poker community
What is your Chinese name?
Microsoft shuts down dirty Santa
For just under $5K, my golf pro is offering a 5 day golf school at the luxurious Casa de Campo for three weeks in February/March 2008. If you have the time/money and would like to improve your game, check it out
Making the case for informed optimism
"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." - Walter Bagehot
Posted by Kirk at 4:19 PM in Readings | Bookmark | Feeds | Link |
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Links To The Kirk Report
About every month try to remember to take a look at my website stats that measure how many visitors I have, where they are coming from, what posts/links they find the most interesting, etc. I'm always amazed by what topics interest readers the most (at least based on sheer popularity) and the global reach of the website.
Although I don't do a good job of letting other websites know that I appreciate being linked to nor do I engage in quid pro quo link exchanges (i.e. "you link to me - I'll link to you" sort of nonsense), I continue to be amazed that so many people still find the time to visit this website with so many very good offerings out there.
For me, it always serves as inspiration and also fires up my competitive spirit when I see how good of a job people are doing with sharing their thoughts and insights about the market. When I started writing about stocks and the market back in 1997, my bookmark list had about a handful of websites. Now, I could spend hours looking through what others now bring to the table.
Over the past 30 days, here's a list of 50 websites that have sent at least 50 visitors my way. They are ranked in order of the most visitors I've received from those websites:
There are some very good blogs within this list and I encourage you to visit them when you have some free time.
Posted by Kirk at 11:09 AM in Readings | Bookmark | Feeds | Link |
Monday, November 19, 2007
The Dick Davis Dividend
It has been an annual tradition around this time of the year to put together a list of recommended books that I find helpful for those looking to add items to their Christmas list and/or to buy books for others who may be interested in the markets. See my recommend reading lists from 2005 & 2006.
In a major break away from that tradition, I really have just one book to recommend this year - The Dick Davis Dividend. Hands down, it is my favorite investment book of 2007.
I was lucky to receive an advance copy and I will be buying many copies of it for my friends and family this year who also have expressed an interest in the market. It is currently available for pre-order at many online bookstores and will be widely available by mid-December.
Mr. Davis has been a long-time member of The Kirk Report and has been my mentor for many years. In the interest of full disclosure, members should also know that his book does contain positive comments about me. Such comments were completely unsolicited and have absolutely no bearing on my response to the book or this recommendation. If I had been criticized or not mentioned at all, my opinion of the book would be the same. I urge you to read the book and judge for yourself.
I'm also very excited to announce that I have invited Mr. Davis for the next members' only Q&A to talk about his 40 years of experience in the markets, his life, book, and legacy. You can read about Mr. Davis' background here. I'm highly confident that December's Q&A with Mr. Davis will be one of the best of 2007!
Posted by Kirk at 10:40 AM in Readings | Bookmark | Feeds | Link |
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Wall Street Watch
Dirk provides an early earnings update
The reasons why October always is such a scary month
"If you're never scared or embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take any chances." - Julia Sorel
Gross predicts further rate cuts
Interest rate futures inch up
Bernanke offers no clues on next move
Paulson's plan to shore up asset-backed commercial paper is drawing criticism from free-market advocates
Mortgage bankers predict tough times until at least the third quarter of 2008
The most significant risk to our economy is housing?
The baby boomers' stampede for Social Security benefits has begun
The CPI rose the quickest since May
Leuthold's Diffusion Index
One additional reason out of many why the government cooks the books on the inflation data
Yuan & Rupee rise at record pace in fight on inflation
Jim Rogers backs the buck
Declining dollar is just what the doctor ordered
Behind subprime woes, a cascade of bad bets
The bailout plan that is supposed to revitalize credit markets raises two crucial questions
Central bankers got us in this mess
December 7th starts the next 20-week bullish cycle?
Time to invest in disaster capitalism!
Food companies face probe over Iraq deals
Have new hedging techniques created a false sense of security among investors?
Dark pools threaten Wall Street
The biggest fear of hedge funds? The transparency trap!
Wall Street loves Hillary
Consultants are unhappy with quant trading
Hedge funds find trend is their friend
From uranium to barges, hedge funds covet all
A bull market for commodities traders
Yes, I still think that water is our most precious commodity
Foreigners dumped U.S. debt securities in record numbers in August
China bank bids for Bear Stearns stake
China's next big export: inflation!
Little concern even if the China bubble pops
Regulation plan shakes Indian stocks
How do you say give me a Big Mac in Russian?
Wilbur Ross believes the U.S. mortgage market will rise from the dead
On Wall Street these days, growth is the new value
Is the venture industry shrinking?
Whitney Tilson roots for activist shareholders
One of the things I like to look for are companies that grow fast without any advertising
Questions arise about Goldman's blowout quarter
Why is Children's Place still listed on the Nasdaq?
Nadine Wong makes the case for Xenoport
MSN Money CAPS offers 5 stocks to consider
Top 10 guru buys and sells
Everybody now loves Valero
Harry Domash names 9 hot stocks for a year-end rally
After the Fed, the worst performing sectors
Trending123 offers a nice stock sector performance table
Have you tried Zacks Predefined Screener?
There are no surprises on this week's update in StockScouter
The best way to learn to trade or invest? Nothing replaces experience
7 mistakes to avoid when you're trading options
How to take the spin out of earnings announcements
Always remember that volatility creates opportunity
Valuation tools are powerful but dangerous
Although I posted it over six months ago, I continue to receive email about Trading To Win
According to a recent study, CEOs whose compensation packages include a large percentage of stock options tend to make risky decisions that generate big share price losses more often than big gains
Should you short the stocks recommended by columnists in major business magazines? CXO runs the numbers
When evaluating newsletters, focus on risk-adjusted returns
Dr. Steenbarger asks everyone what resources have helped your trading?
How to collect basic data on a stock
How to find top dividend plays
Geoff Considine offers some food for thought on getting the most return for your risk
A true measure of ETF liquidity is based on the liquidity of the underlying stocks in the index
Building an ETF portfolio: from the simple to the complex
ETF lifecycle funds: low fees, tax efficient
Getting the best large cap ETF for your money
Is now the right time for the preferred stock ETF?
ETFs face loss of seed money
9 dumbest retirement moves
Online estate planning is hot
Mutual funds add short selling to their arsenals
Do you fear lawsuits? If so, here are ways to protect yourself
What to protect your privacy? You may want to opt out!
10 ways to improve your financial situation in just 15 minutes
A bull market in news futures attracts Internet traders
Should you consider starting a private foundation? You should if you meet one or more of the following criteria
Test both sides of your brain at once
Would more money really make you happier?
"A big part of being happy and successful is finding the right set of life mirrors." - Dr. Brett Steenbarger
Posted by Kirk at 12:26 PM in Readings | Bookmark | Feeds | Link |
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Street Smarts
The calm before the earnings storm
Second-quarter earnings seen slower but decent
Yahoo's earnings calendar is always helpful even though I use Briefing.com's calendar quite a bit more. (Reuters also offers one as well). Yet, if you want more intensive earnings-focused research, BeSpoke is hard to beat
How is retail doing?
For Americans, shopping is the national pastime
Stress levels in the major indexes
A test of resistance (and the year’s high) is very likely in the cards for trading this week
Using the latest COT report, Jason Goepfert tracks the smart money
The latest from Helicopter Ben
Keep your eye on bond yields!
The relationship between stocks and interest rates is far more nuanced than the Fed Model assumes
Paul Kasriel chimes in
David Merkel shares his reasons for short-term optimism
The dash for cash goes global?
Jeffrey Saut shares some of the latest Wall Street rumblings
Carl Swenlin offers the 20-week cycle
Walter Updegrave breaks down why equities have beat other investments
There is plenty of company in the play-it-safe camp
Are you a chart freak?
End of the private equity party?
Citigroup chief stays bullish on buy-outs
No big surprise - hedge fund launches in the U.S. are up sharply this year
There is no hedge fund bubble!
Disgusted with hedge funds? Fight back!
Hedge funds are the office landlord's new best friend
Billions in subprime ARMs will be subject to higher payments
It turns out there is no such thing as a typical subprime borrower
States push ahead with subprime-mortgage laws as Congress lags
Looks can be deceiving for companies trading near book value
Good times for Memphis
It took awhile, but the pattern I noticed back in April in shares of Silver Wheaton (SLW) are starting to pan out
Gold and other metals regain shine
The fondle factor of bullion
Cellphones may take banking to the rural poor in the third world
Tech investors hope the Middle East growth cycle will boost IT shares
Jim Kingsdale's energy investment strategies
Jim Jubak sees opportunity in natural gas stocks
Oil sands offer no quick fix as Big Oil leaves Venezuela
Whenever there is a shortage, there is a profit-making opportunity
While 85% of investors believe there is money to be made from investing in areas such as solar power and wind power, only about 20% of investors have broached the subject with a financial adviser
Will climate advocacy pay off for shareholders?
Shouldn't we have best pricing for every stock, not just 250 hand-picked selections?
Jason Kelly shares some interesting observations about the iPhone and Apple
An interesting review of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals
The historic MERC-Board of Trade deal
Interactive Brokers cries foul
Investors lose patience with Sears
Google's latest weapon
Business 2.0 annual ranking of the 50 people who matter now in business
Bear Chief’s golf outings draw mixed reviews
You gotta love it - BeSpoke tracks down the golf handicaps of Wall Street CEOs
5 reasons why hobbies are important
When doing research in certain industries (like alternative energy, for example), I find it helpful to look at where the mutual funds specializing on this sector are putting their money both in terms of specific stocks as well as overall weighting to industry sectors
Interesting to see which stocks have earned low-ratings over at MSN CAPS
Yes, I continue to track the Value 40 Fund
I'm still working on my dividend focused screen, but until then, here are S&P's smartest dividend plays
StockScouter's latest picks
ModernGraham offers a defensive stock screen
A stockpickr screen that looks for stocks that will benefit from the unrolling of the subprime mess
If I can do it, you can do it too!
For every stock, there's a season
On a day like today, you may want to do some scanning for single day bearish patterns
Tape Reading by Linda Bradford Raschke
What is Fibonacci retracement?
You may find one traders use of band entries interesting
Learning to avoid the vengeance trade takes time and experience
It's bullish when companies buy back their shares
Is sentiment a useful trading indicator?
Are you searching for earnings spikers?
Ptrades offers free practice trading in commodities
Brett Steenbarger offers up some useful trading resources among many other great stuff
How to make smart decisions in less than 60 seconds
Investing 101: a reading list
What books do other successful traders recommend?
Worthy of a repeat - Trading To Win
An interesting interview with contrarian value investor Anthony Bolton
The ability to recognize and learn from your missteps is a enormous advantage in investing
Why a billionaire lost on Wall Street
Men with a lot of testosterone make curious economic choices
You’ve heard of bulls and bears in the stock market. But, what about chickens?
Value stocks or growth stocks: what's your investment style?
Paul B. Farrell provides a mid-year update for several lazy portfolios
Robot stock portfolio rides high again
Interesting research on sector rotation strategies
More info on Fundamental Index ETFs
Dispelling ETF myths
ETF lessons from the year's first half
I love price wars, especially involving ETFs
ProShares leads pack among Mid-Cap ETFs
Diversification paid off in strong first half for global markets
Fixed target return funds have left many investors feeling short-changed
New research shows how couples can maximize social security
Click your way to an architect-designed house
As corporate takeovers soar, the scourge of the 1980s is back
SEC uses automated systems to trap offenders
Insider trading is even more rampant outside of the U.S.
Nobody cares much about accounting scandals anymore?
SEC says hijacked computers aided stock scam
A 5-minute guide to protecting your identity
A college student's guide to credit card investing
Did you know that the average person will spend two weeks over their lifetime waiting for the traffic light to change?
30 Boxes lets you connect with the people who matter most
Mr. Softee's live alerts!
A handy RSS ticker for firefox
market simplified is another new tool for investors
I'm guilty of using many of these annoying business expressions
We've been thinking about making a summer trip to Panama
"The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work." - Harry Golden
Posted by Kirk at 4:24 PM in Readings | Bookmark | Feeds | Link |
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Wall Street Watch
David Weidner looks at the most explosive stories on Wall Street so far this year
Todd Harrison shares 10 main themes
Slowing earnings growth has been highlighted as the probable death knell for the bull market, but so far the timing has been wrong
A recent strategist survey showed a decrease in the recommended allocation for stocks
Only a week ago, the buyout boom seemed ready to deflate
Buyout firm KKR files to go public
Big investors sound note of caution
LBO debt sets of some alarms
An interesting comparison between the current M&A cycle and the last one
The last time stocks were less attractive than bonds on a cash yield basis was March 2005?
The Bear Sterns' fire sale has few takers
Brokers' wrong bets cost South Florida seniors millions
Investors angry as Supreme Court refuses help
Jeffrey Saut worries about the political winds currently blowing in Washington D.C.
Anthony Bolton predicts coming decline in investor confidence
Jim Rogers has sold his emerging market bets with the exception of China
An important trendline break in Shanghai?
Bear Stearns thinks small
Dividends lose starring role in recent stock rally
Mrs Watanabe shakes up the currency markets
Socially responsible ratings for the largest 100 companies by market cap
Go with the trend or maybe not
An experienced trader knows that nothing is sacred
Brett Steenbarger reviews some helpful resources for non-programmers who want to develop and test trading systems
After tracking newsletters for 27 years, Mark Hulbert shares 4 lessons
David Miller shares 5 rules for biotech investing
Economic indicators for the DIY investor
Are you coveting thy neighbor's equities?
Managed futures: a model for incubating talent
Charlie Rose has a conversation with Buffett
In as little as two weeks, and for about $35,000 in fees, hedge funds can set up shop in the Caymans
Almost everyone wants to manage a hedge fund
The Chinese stock market has been on a tear the past year, but China-focused mutual funds are lagging far behind
More support for disciplined ETF strategy
Year-to-date returns in emerging markets
Your long-term market assumptions may be all wet
John Wasik shares his joy and personal prosperity of turning 50
Tax-managed funds outperform non-deductible IRAs
Tech-industry experts tell how they avoid ID theft
Growing debit-card use sparks warnings
The cheapest days to buy certain items
Consumer Reports rates the airlines
More hedge funds need to focus on venture philanthropy
The 10 most-hyped product launches
Who invented that? Take the quiz
Yet another handy RSS tool
Feeling tired? Perhaps this will help
9 great reasons to drink more water
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain
Posted by Kirk at 12:29 PM in Readings | Bookmark | Feeds | Link |
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
The American Hedge Fund
In case you're wondering, right now I'm reading an advance copy of "An American Hedge Fund" by Timothy Sykes. So far I've enjoyed it quite a bit and will be adding it to my recommended reading list when I'm finished. The book isn’t out for sale just yet, but will be later this year.For a brief sample, here's a quote:
"My best trades have occurred when I happened to glance at the markets and recognize an opportunity. While market study is important, it can lull you into a false sense of security; the first rule of the market is that it changes on a dime. Don't get sucked into trying to analyze every variable. The greatest opportunities stand out from the rest of the market noise, so observing the markets from a great distance allows for better hunting. Many traders weaken their profit potential before they enter a trade because obsessive research clouds their objectivity. After all their hard work, they cannot accept the fact that the most effective course of action might be the exact opposite of their findings. Great amounts of money are lost by people who adhere to their research without remaining flexible enough to respond to changing market conditions that occur at any particular moment. A stock can always turnaround in a hurry, but only fools count on their ability to predict those turnarounds for their livelihood. Short term trades that turn into long term situations often become the source of great financial and mental agony. Sometimes you need to acccept defeat and move onto new opportunites."
Posted by Kirk at 10:06 AM in Readings | Bookmark | Feeds | Link |
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
The 100 Most Influential Books
With the holidays fast approaching, I'm often asked which books I recommend for either gifts or for reading while traveling. So, like last year, I recently compiled a list of the top 100 most influential books I've read:- A Complete Guide to Technical Trading Tactics by John L. Person
- A Short Course in Technical Trading by Perry J. Kaufman
- Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk by Peter L. Bernstein
- Beating the Street by Peter Lynch and John Rothchild
- Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
- Bollinger on Bollinger Bands by John A. Bollinger
- China Shakes the World: A Titan's Rise and Troubled Future by James Kynge
- Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits by Philip A. Fisher
- Contrarian Investment Strategies in the Next Generation by David Dreman
- Creating Wealth: Retire in Ten Years by Robert G. Allen
- Dave Landry on Swing Trading by Dave Landry
- Encyclopedia of Chart Patterns by Thomas Bulkowski
- Enhancing Trader Performance by Brett N. Steenbarger
- Entries and Exits: Visits to 16 Trading Rooms by Dr. Alexander Elder
- Evidence-Based Technical Analysis by David R. Aronson
- Financial Fine Print: Uncovering a Company's True Value by Michelle Leder
- Financial Freedom Through Electronic Day Trading by Van K. Tharp
- Financial Shenanigans: Detect Accounting Gimmicks & Fraud by Howard M. Schilit
- Fire Your Stock Analyst by Harry Domash
- Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
- Fortune's Formula by William Poundstone
- Four Steps to Trading Success by John F. Clayburg
- Getting Started in Chart Patterns by Thomas Bulkowski
- Getting Things Done by David Allen
- Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't by Jim Collins
- Hedge Fund Masters by Ari Kiev
- Hedgehogging by Barton Biggs
- High Probability Trading by Marcel Link
- Hot Commodities by Jim Rogers
- How Charts Can Help You in the Stock Market by William L. Jiler
- How I Made 2,000,000 in the Stock Market by Nicolas Darvas
- How to Buy Stocks by Louis Engel
- Inside the House of Money by Steven Drobny
- Intermarket Analysis: Profiting from Global Market Relationships by John J. Murphy
- Investing with Exchange-Traded Funds Made Easy by Marvin Appel
- It's When You Sell That Counts by Donald L. Cassidy
- Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques by Steve Nison
- John Neff on Investing by John Neff
- Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street by Michael Lewis
- Market Wizards by Jack D. Schwager
- Mastering the Trade by John F. Carter
- Methods of a Wall Street Master by Vic Sperandeo
- New Market Timing Techniques by Thomas R. DeMark
- Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham
- Option Volatility & Pricing: Advanced Trading Strategies by Sheldon Natenberg
- Options for the Stock Investor by James B. Bittman
- Options, Futures and Other Derivatives by John C. Hull
- Pit Bull: Lessons from Wall Street's Champion Day Trader by Martin Schwartz
- Pivot: How One Simple Turn in Attitude Can Lead to Success by Alan R. Zimmerman
- Professional Stock Trading: System Design and Automation by Mark R. Conway
- Reminences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefèvre
- Rule #1: The Simple Strategy for Successful Investing by Phil Town
- Screening the Market by Marc H. Gerstein
- Secrets For Profiting in Bull and Bear Markets by Stan Weinstein
- Stock Market Primer by Claude N. Rosenberg
- Studies in Tape Reading by Rollo Tape
- Sun Tzu on Investing by Curtis Montgomery
- Technical Analysis Explained by Martin Pring
- Technical Analysis of Stock Trends by Edwards and Magee
- The Art of Low Risk Investing by Michael Zahorchak
- The Essays of Warren Buffett : Lessons for Corporate America by Warren E. Buffett
- The Four Pillars of Investing by William J. Bernstein
- The Future for Investors by Jeremy Siegel
- The Global-Investor Book of Investing Rules by Philip Jenks and Stephen Eckett
- The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey
- The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham & Jason Zweig
- The Master Swing Trader by Alan S. Farley
- The Maui Millionaires by Diane Kennedy and David Finkel
- The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley
- The Misbehavior of Markets by Benoit Mandelbrot and Richard L. Hudson
- The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing by Jason Kelly
- The New Market Wizards by Jack D. Schwager
- The New Money Masters by John Train
- The New Science of Technical Analysis by Thomas R. Demark
- The New Trader's Tax Solution by Ted Tesser
- The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias
- The Psychology of Trading: Tools and Techniques by Brett N. Steenbarger
- The Secrets of Economic Indicators by Bernard Baumohl
- The Single Best Investment: Consistently Creating Wealth by Lowell Miller
- The Stock Market Jungle by Michale Panzner
- The Stock Trader's Almanac 2007 by Yale Hirsch
- The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey
- The Vital Few vs. the Trivial Many by George Muzea
- Timing the Market: Using the Yield Curve, TA, and Cultural Indicators by Deborah Weir
- Trade Stocks & Commodities by Larry Williams
- Trade Your Way to Financial Freedom by Van K. Tharp
- Trader Vic II--Principles of Professional Speculation by Victor Sperandeo
- Trading Classic Chart Patterns by Thomas Bulkowski
- Trading for a Living by Alexander Elder
- Trading in the Zone: Master the Market with Confidence by Mark Douglas
- Trading Rules by William F. Eng
- Trend Following by Michael W. Covel
- Trend Trading: Timing Market Tides by Kedrick Brown
- Ugly Americans by Ben Mezrich
- Unconventional Success by David F. Swensen
- Understanding Options by Michael Sincere
- Way of Warrior Trader by Richard D. McCall
- When to Sell by Justin Mamis and Robert Mamis
- Winning on Wall Street by Martin Zweig
- Yes, You Can Time The Market by Ben Stein
Earlier this week I also asked readers to let me know if they had read any great books in the past year. Without any measure of doubt, the #1 book recommended by readers (by a large overwhelmingly margin) was Entries & Exits : Visits to 16 Trading Rooms by Dr. Alexander Elder.
Happy reading!
Posted by Kirk at 4:23 PM in Readings | Bookmark | Feeds | Link |
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Understanding Options
Do you trade options? If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me that, I would be able to afford that dream house in Kauai by now. As many of you already know, options aren't "my thing." I'm a stock guy. I always have been, and probably always will be. However, I do realize that a growing number of you desire to learn more about options and frankly a basic understanding of how they work is an absolute must for everyone, even if you never intend to go that route in your own trading/investing. A book just out by Michael Sincere, called Understanding Options, is a very good choice. It is short, to the point, and I think offers a great primer for those of you who are new to options market. I skimmed over it in a couple of hours last night and I learned a few things. :)
Posted by Kirk at 4:14 PM in Readings | Bookmark | Feeds | Link |
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Stock Trader's Almanac 2006
My new copy of Stock Trader's Almanac 2006 arrived in the mail yesterday and as usual I spent some to leafing through it. Among a few new book suggestions (they named Technical Analysis - Power Tools for Active Investors the best investment book of the year), I found a few handful of market stats that I'm sure will make the rounds as the gurus make their bold predictions for 2006.One that caught my eye is why a +50% gain in the Dow is possible from its 2006 low to its 2007 high (the logic follows that since 1914 the Dow has gained 50% on average from its midterm election year low to its subsequent high in the following pre-election year). There are other stats out there this year's Almanac covers and I'm sure you're going to hear various interpretations of them as the market forecasters look through their crystal balls.
Posted by Kirk at 10:14 AM in Readings | Bookmark | Feeds | Link |
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Random Thoughts & Readings
- John Dorfman provides a top 10 list of places to find stock-picking ideas
- BCA Research believes positive things are in store for the non-discretionary household products sector
- Is the United States a debtor waiting to go bust or a huge demand engine powering the global economy?
- Tobin Smith looks for market catalysts
- Want a good real-estate short?
- We watched Sideways last night on DVD. It was a good film (I liked it more than my wife). But, it left me wondering if there were any pure plays on growth of wine tasting. Any ideas? Let me know!
- Jeffrey Saut makes his call for the week
- "This week is options expiration week. Tuesdays and Thursdays of these weeks tend to be the strongest, while Wednesdays tend to be the weakest. As I stress every month, though, the most consistent bias of all is for weakness the day after expiration." - Jason Goepfert at Sentimentrader
- No one can buy 100 stocks, but you can use Zack's list as a start point
- The mismeasure of TV
- Stocks between $21 & $40 where the odds favor near-term gains
- The best-kept secret on Wall Street is corporate dividend reinvestment programs or DRIPs
- With the market's latest grind, we're no longer in oversold territory
- Here are some examples of hilariously bad behavior interviewers report as actually happening during interviews with potential job candidates
- Thompson believes the most likely scenario is that oil prices will come down dramatically
- Drug prices outstrip inflation?
- Bill Fleckenstein sees gold as the beneficiary of an inevitable economic crisis of confidence
- CXO finds that technical analysis can be significantly profitable when applied to relatively immature stock indices (NASDAQ Composite and Russell 2000), but not when applied to mature stock indices (DJIA and S&P 500)
- How many buy signs make a bottom?
- The booming market for armored cars
- Real estate agents flood a hot market
- Those who seek to find trouble rarely miss
- Whitney Tilson shares a few of his 50-cent dollar stock picks with Wall Street Week
- Trading tip: if you're losing, don't continue until you know why. Every trader knows when they're not doing their best, but the key is to adjust when you acknowledge it. Try to develop the ability to stop what you're doing, back up and re-evaluate before proceeding forward
- Falling fortunes of the wage earner
- The best time to buy gas is before lunchtime?
- When you are right no one remembers; when you are wrong no one forgets
- Have any $2 dollar bills laying around?
- Bankruptcy will be a tougher road, but few options exist
- If you're bored, you can always play with your change
- I performed poorly in Fortune's corner office quiz
- Trade-Ideas provides a handy stock screen which looks for stocks that have went down at least six consecutive trading days
- The cold war begins anew?
- No more free trades!
- "The answers to three questions will determine your success or failure. (1) Can people trust you to do your best? (2) Are you committed to the task at hand? (3) Do you care about other people and show it? If the answers to all these questions are yes, there is no way you can fail." - Lou Holtz
Posted by Kirk at 10:48 AM in Readings | Bookmark | Feeds | Link |
Monday, March 21, 2005
Jeremy Siegel & The Future For Investors
After watching Geoff Colvin's interview of Jeremy Siegel on Wall Street Week last weekend, I've decided to go ahead and purchase his new book titled "The Future for Investors: Why the Tried and True Triumph over the Bold and New." Siegel comes up with several extraordinary observations in this book that hold merit for those of us who make long-term investments. If you missed the interview, I highly recommend reading at least the transcript at Wall Street Week's website. Very interesting stuff! READ
Posted by Kirk at 11:32 AM in Readings | Bookmark | Feeds | Link |
Thursday, January 27, 2005
What I'm Reading
- Jon Markman reviews the cycle work of McClellan, Erlanger, and others
- Did you know the tech insider sell/buy ratio has exploded to the upside? At the beginning of 2004, the ratio was less than 25 sellers per buyer. It has since soared above 150!
- The sector projected to see the most M&A activity in 2005 is the technology sector, followed by manufacturing and distribution, and health care and life sciences
- Growing tensions in Venezuela worry oil executives
- Dr. Marc Faber provides his views on Japan
- When we bought our home last July, I'm fairly sure the home appraisal was not accurate
- In case you haven't heard, a new Oil ETF is under development. Let's just hope it performs better than the Gold ETF (GLD) after its debut
- Is Alan Greenspan finally putting pressure on Dubya?
- Investments in the agricultural commodities during recessionary times do pretty well
- The New York Times looks at Chile's partially privatized social security system, which President Bush has called a "great example" for the U.S.
- Yet another similarity between now and the conditions before the 1987 crash
- If I were a long-term only investor, I would probably check my portfolio only about two times per month. As Bill Mann writes, frequent checking usually causes underperformance
- As goes January, goes the year? As Doug Gillespie says, the stock bulls better hope not
- Dorfman looks for turnaround candidates which have posted losses during the past four quarters
- According to a Linda Killian, 51% of the companies that went public last year had poor to very poor governance practices
- Jeremy Siegel believes that investing in the stocks of the fastest-growing companies is a bad idea because investors too often overpay for growth
- You've got to know when to hold'em, and when to fold'em
- Here is one less thing to look forward to over the next five years
- The future of Netflix (NFLX) does look pretty grim
- Daniel Gross at Slate takes a look at the new chicken economy
- Is it a bullish sign that being a personal finance advisor is deemed this year's top most wanted job?
- According to the usually upbeat McKinsey Global Institute, industrialized nations' annual growth in financial wealth will have slowed by two-thirds by 2025 due to massive demographic changes
- Mark Hulbert joins the commodities bandwagon
- Buyer beware in all stocks, but especially in the penny-stock world
- Michael Brush lays out several strategies to profit from China's oil hunt
- In a commodity boom, many investors see a gold mine in the equipment makers like Caterpillar (CAT), Bucyrus (BUCY), & Joy Global (JOYG)
- As we've seen by the huge amount of inflows, many investors currently believe that emerging markets are no longer risky investments
Posted by Kirk at 9:49 AM in
