by Shah Gilani
Where there's smoke there's fire.
When it comes to rising home prices, the question is whether the on-fire price increases are a healthy sign of a housing recovery or a smoke screen masking another investor-led real estate bubble.
The answer is it's both.
So, the real question is: are the two compatible and is the trend sustainable.
The answer to that compound question is "yes" and "no," in that order.
On the surface, everything is coming up roses.
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After a slow start to April with just one deal scheduled for pricing, the IPO calendar is getting crowded again in the second week of the month.
The equity markets remain fairly strong and recent IPOs have performed very well so there is strong institutional demand for equities in general, and new offerings specifically.
As long as the market is propped up by an aggressive U.S. Federal Reserve policy, stock prices should stay firm and that makes for favorable conditions for new equity offerings.
Here are five to keep on your radar.
by Diane Alter
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Anyone hoping the U S. economy in 2013 would gain strength from job growth needs to check out Wednesday's ADP National Employment Report.
According to ADP, the U.S. economy added 158,000 private-sector jobs in March, well below projections of 200,000 – 215,000. That's the smallest gain since October when companies hired just 148,000.
March's lackluster showing was mainly due to lower job creation in construction. The industry enjoyed robust hiring in the months following late October's Hurricane Sandy. In its wake, the superstorm left behind upwards of $50 billion in damages.
A tepid recovery in the housing market in Q1 also helped the sector in January, with recent monthly gains in construction averaging 35,000.
In March, however, no new construction jobs were added.
"If that's the case, underlying job growth is not changed appreciably," Moody's Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi told Reuters. He estimates overall employment growth is running near 175,000 a month.
March's jobs report included a revised 237,000 gain for February from the previously reported 198,000. But January's numbers were revised down to 177,000 from 215,000.
So what does this mean for Friday's U.S. jobs report?
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Copper prices are up 170% over the past four years – meaning huge profits for anyone who has been investing in copper.
But now many investors are bailing on the red metal. Prices have slipped about 9% this year, and inventories are soaring.
Copper prices hit an eight-month low today (Wednesday) as slowing economic growth has led speculators to take more short positions on the metal.
Copper inventories also appear to signal low demand. Stockpiles of the red metal in the London Metals Exchange are at the highest level since October 2003.
But what appear to be bearish signals for investing in copper are not the case. Here's what investors need to understand…
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by David Zeiler
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When Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) kicked Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) off its celebrated Conviction Buy List, casual observers might have seen the move as yet another blow to a battered stock.
But don't be surprised if Apple stock rallies in the months ahead.
That's because when you look at the record, most stocks that get dropped from Goldman's Conviction Buy List – a frequently updated list of equities the bank says will outperform the market – don't falter.
In fact, over the past six months, most of the stocks that Goldman has booted off the Conviction Buy List have gone up, and several have actually outperformed the market.
That might seem strange but for Goldman's checkered past.
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One of the best indicators that a company will have future growth is the strength of its top line number – revenue.
Growing revenue gives companies more access to capital, enabling them to reinvest in their business and reward shareholders through returns and dividends.
On the other hand, if a company struggles to generate sales, it's often a good reason to dump a stock.
That's why we've gone through the S&P 500 to bring you the fastest-growing companies based on last quarter's year-over-year sales growth.
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On Apr 2, Zacks Investment Research upgraded national homebuilder, D.R. Horton Inc. (DHI) to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), following solid fundamentals of the overall housing market. Why the Upgrade? D.R. Horton has been witnessing rising earnings estimates ahead of its fiscal second-quarter results later this month. We believe that the estimates are rising […]
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Shares of Perrigo Company (PRGO) soared to a 52-week high of $120.94 during the course of the trading session on Apr 2, 2013 buoyed by a series of positive developments. The closing price of the company on that day was $37.94, representing a solid 1-year return of 14.2% and an impressive year-to-date return of 12.3%. […]
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Ready to plunk down some money with a private equity firm? If you are an accredited high net worth investor with at least $1 million to risk with the firm on whatever their latest deal is, you have many quality outfits to choose from. But if you're not in "the 1%," there is another path. […]
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A wave of mergers and acquisitions is almost inevitable in the energy sector, making attractive takeover candidates among stocks to buy now.
Strategic buyers looking to maximize near-term growth opportunities, as well as private equity firms looking to capitalize on the industry's long-term potential, are making lists of possible takeover targets.
Individual investors should do the same.
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