MAT

Mattel Inc

Technology

You Can Invest Alongside One of the Savviest Tech Players of All Time

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Lots of folks know Kevin O'Leary as the host of the long-running ABC reality show, "Shark Tank."

Go-getting entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to O'Leary and a panel of industry "sharks" – successful heavy hitters who'll invest in ideas they like.

If you think that's cool, wait till I tell you about O'Leary's "day job."

He's a world-class tech investor with a special emphasis on web-related firms.

I'm not telling you this to impress you, impressive as it is. What you need to know is O'Leary runs an investment vehicle that anyone can use to invest in the companies he likes.

His track record speaks for itself: He's doubled the market for years on end.

Now you can, too.

This Is a Shark You'll Want to Swim With

O'Leary's interest in computing goes all the way back to 1986. That's when he started a company called SoftKey in a Toronto basement. The firm specialized in collecting educational software and distributing it on CD-ROMs.

By the early 1990s, SoftKey had become one of the biggest players in educational software. It acquired competitors such as WordStar, and in 1995, it bought The Learning Company for $606 million. That became its name until toy giant Mattel Inc. acquired it for $4.2 billion.

Shortly after, O'Leary cashed out. Nowadays, of course, CD-ROMs are practically museum pieces. Software is now downloaded from the Web, and often runs on the Cloud instead of only on the user's computer.

Which brings us to O'Leary's most recent venture… Full Story

Which brings us to O'Leary's most recent venture...

Dow Jones

Dow Jones Industrial Average Is Flat as Coronavirus Death Toll Passes 900

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The Dow Jones Industrial Average will shrink back today after reports that 23 Americans have contracted coronavirus while aboard a cruise ship quarantined in Japan.

More on this below.

Plus: eyes are on the central banks of the world as earnings season quiets down and global economic woes ramp up...

Stocks

9 "Zombie" Stocks to Sell Now Before They Drag Your Money to the Grave

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We've found nine stocks to sell that could cost you if they happen to be lurking in your portfolio.

These "zombie stocks" have become trapped by their own debt. Lured by the cheap money afforded by very low interests, these firms borrowed more than they could handle. The can't make enough income to cover their interest payments, which is unsustainable.

If you own any of these stocks, get rid of them now...

Wall Street

Toy Story: How Wall Street Tries to Play You for a Fool

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Today, I have a toy story for you.

It isn't a story about toys. Well, it is, but that part is tangential. This is a story about how Wall Street toys with you. And I use the term loosely. Because Wall Street is playing with your money. For the Street, it is a game. And its goal, just like the croupiers at Vegas casinos, is to keep you playing on the other side of its trades. Never forget. The Street is the dealer, and you are the mark.

So here's a story that I noticed just the other day that shows just how Wall Street toys with your emotions to keep you in the game and skim you as it distributes its inventory, its "stock in trade," to you.

It almost fooled me, too.

But fortunately, I have seen its games before, and that experience along with my computer program made me a little too smart for the Street...