February 19th, 2012 Written by Z
Mastercard is one hot stock. After an IPO at $50 per share in 2006, the company has rewarded shareholders with a return of nearly 700% as the stock hovers around $400 per share.
The company is certainly successful. Mastercard’s “priceless” advertising spree made it one of the best known payment processors in the business. It’s diversification away from credit card issuance helped it avoid an otherwise awful credit crunch.
Can Mastercard Beat New Payment Systems?
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Investing MA, Mastercard, mastercard competitors, mastercard stock
February 13th, 2012 Written by Z
The Empire State Building is up for sale – and you soon might be able to grab a piece of it!
The Empire State Realty Trust Inc., which owns the Empire State Building as well as 11 other buildings in Manhattan and around New York, filed with the SEC to go public.
The company will trade under the ticker symbol ESB, an obvious abbreviation for a building that is one of the United States’ best known landmarks.
Ready for Real Estate IPOs?
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Real Estate empire state building IPO, Empire State Realty Trust, ESB
February 12th, 2012 Written by Z
Gold has certainly made a mark in the investment world. More people are now considering investing in gold stocks, a small part of the total stock market.
There are a few things investors should know about before they take the plunge, however. We’ve outlined some things that make gold investing different from other investments.
Investing in Gold Stocks
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Investing GDX, gold mining stocks, gold stocks, investing in gold mining stocks, investing in gold stocks
February 6th, 2012 Written by Z
Coinstar (CSTR), the parent company of video rental service Redbox, announced a new joint venture with Verizon (VZ) to bring a streaming solution to more devices.
The joint venture will involve both Redbox’s offline distribution service, as well as a new service geared toward other devices through the online streaming business. The companies plan to offer a subscription service that, I’m guessing, will be very similar to Netflix’s current offerings.
Where Redbox and Verizon Meet
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Investing CSTR, NCR, redbox, VZ
February 4th, 2012 Written by Z
New investors often wonder why companies pay dividends to investors. Given that not all companies are in a position to pay dividends – and even those that can pay dividends sometimes do not – why should a company pay dividends to investors?
This is a very good question.
In fact, dividends are a very “old school” part of any stock investment. A long time ago, most companies paid dividends to investors. That’s the very reason that anyone would ever consider buying a stock that pays dividends. Investors wanted access to the cash flow that a company generated and would naturally seek out the safest dividend paying stocks.
A New Type of Investing
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Stocks dividend investing, dividend stocks, dividends, why companies pay dividends
January 31st, 2012 Written by Z
Little more than a year ago the investing world was on fire when Meredith Whitney made a dreary prediction about the state of the municipal bond market.
On one of the highest rated television shows, 60 Minutes, Whitney said that she expected several hundred billion dollars of municipal bond defaults. That is to say that Whitney believed that the municipal bond market would essentially blow up because cities and local borrowers wouldn’t be able to pay back their growing debt balances.
Municipal Bonds Blossom
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Bonds Meredith Whitney, municipal bond defaults, municipal bonds
January 26th, 2012 Written by Z
How long can the Federal Reserve continue to keep US interest rates at record lows?
This is the million dollar question.
Potential home buyers are waiting to see if they can wait just a little longer to score a cheaper interest rate. The mortgage industry is loving all the refinances, especially now that some people have refinanced once or even twice at low interest rates compared to previous home loans.
Low Rates Until 2014
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Investing how long will rates be low, interest rates, will interest rates go lower
January 23rd, 2012 Written by Z
Many people want to start investing but don’t know how. Many more want to start planning, but don’t know how to invest in stocks with little money.
It’s unfortunate that investing requires money to make money. The only way to get started with any kind of investment is to have the cash available to make an investment. Thus, many find that investing in stocks with little money is almost impossible.
The good news is that you can invest in stocks, even without a lot of money!
Where to Start Your Investments
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Mutual Funds how to invest in stocks, How to Invest in Stocks with Little Money, investments, Mutual Funds, Stocks
January 19th, 2012 Written by Z
Investors realize many things about the market but fail to piece them together.
The executives that lead companies are mostly paid for growing the company. The shareholders reward the company with a higher stock price when it grows.
Naturally, companies should want to grow at any time they can to make more money. But it’s hard to grow a company in recession. So companies will have to buy growth.
How Companies Buy Growth
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Business acquisitions, buyouts, growth stocks, mergers
