Our economy is slowing down, so it is time to protect your stock investments by defending what you have and moving it to stock funds that do well when growth is slow. Using ultra-short bond funds can help, as well as moving your investments into small-capitlization stocks. Also, the less sexy, yet tried-but-true companies, that [...]

Getting used to the format of stock quotes is part of the battle when it comes to stock investing. At first, stock quotes look like so much gobbledy-gook. However, with a little help from Motley Fool, you can understand the basics:

BUKBUK — SCRUFFY’S CHICKEN SHACK (This is the company’s ticker symbol and name.)Exchange: NYSE (Scruffy’s trades on [...]

The short term outlook for companies tied to the middle east doesn’t look good.  Due to the escalating tensions in the region, companies that are heavily involved in these areas are seeing rampant volatility today.
If you are a long term stock holder, as most strategies suggest, then you’ll see no lasting effect from this issue.  [...]

Oil affects more than we may realize in the stock market.  Exports and imports are impacted when oil prices rise, therefore the costs of said trades increase relatively.
That said, oil is affected by the current unrest in Turkey.  Late today we saw oil hit $78 per barrel.
The medium term implications will soon be seen.  Watch [...]

MasterCardRecently released as an IPO, this heavy mover is one to watch.  Second to Visa in the credit card wars, their IPO was eagerly watched and treated well, even though they are in the middle of a legal battle and are struggling to beat regulatory battles.
Proctor and Gamble/Roche/Merck/GSKAll of these companies are embroiled in a [...]

How long should you hang on to worthless stock?  If you haven’t placed stop orders then YOU will have to decide how you want to handle a losing stock. 
Possibly you can consider your loss a tax loss as well.  Just make sure do it correctly.  The IRS has some lengthy regulations on this topic:
(1) [...]