bull market and bear market, 2011-12-30

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New Year’s Prediction #1: Corporate America Borrows Smart My first prediction for 2012 is that the trend of companies issuing debt to implement corporate stock buybacks will continue and push stocks like Altria higher...... Year-End Zigzag Reflects Confused Sentiment Down 140 points Wednesday, up 136 Thursday. Even in the last days of 2011, the market doesn't know what to make of the good news/bad news coming every day...... ETFs: Love ‘Em or Leave ‘Em? An explosion in exchange-traded funds' popularity in 2011 sent out plenty of shrapnel. Here's how to navigate the growing minefield...... Gold Records 11th Consecutive Annual Gain, Ends 2011 Up 11% Gold's rise this year was in stark contrast to losses in silver, base metals and the world's stock markets...... 2012′s 5 Biggest Non-Apple Tech Releases While every eye is on the next iSomething launch, these companies are hoping their new products will take the spotlight off Apple...... 6 Bank and Mortgage Finance Stocks to Foreclose Mortgage finance companies and thrifts, which specialize in mortgages and savings, have been on the losing end of the stock market in 2011...... A Bearish Play on the Volatility ETF to Start the New Year Market conditions should continue to put downward pressure on VXX, making bearish plays all the more appealing...... 2011′s Stock Gainers and Groaners from InvestorPlace’s Will Ashworth Green Mountain proved him out, while Rackspace proved him wrong -- but perhaps Will Ashworth's most interesting call was on a stock that's no longer with us...... Time to Explore Discover Financial Services The credit card company still doesn't get the respect that its more popular, well-known rivals do -- but it should...... InfoSpace — Yes, That InfoSpace — Is Alive and Well The former dot-com darling and early pioneer in Internet search has survived and is catching fire once again. Momentum traders, take note...... 8 Materials Stocks to Shuck Off Basic materials, precious metals, forestry, container and packaging producers have been on the decline as of late. ..... The Best and Worst Dow Jones CEOs of 2011 Companies don't always live and die by their CEOs, but they sure make a difference. These winning and losing stocks are good reflections of who was behind the wheel in 2011...... 3 Vanguard Funds to Buy for 2012 As we sail into the new year, it's time to shed a couple of losers and invest in these three Vanguard funds instead...... What the Market Faces as it Heads Into the New Year Despite a higher close yesterday, there is no change to the technical position of the key indices. In order to move forward, here is what must happen...... Google Ready to Go to $700 Google has finally broken from a dramatic "W" formation. See the trade for GOOG...... Homes Are Where the Gains Are — Thursday’s IP Market Recap Better-than-expected housing reports push the S&P back into the black...... Gold Has Further to Fall — Before It Can Rally Gold was expected to finally stop its bleeding at at $1,548 per ounce, but a more severe drop is likely still to come. And as crazy as it sounds, that may be a good thing...... 10 Financial Stocks to Get Rid of Now There's nothing pretty about the state of the financial sector. If you haven't dumped these 10 big-name stocks, you should do so now. ..... 7 Safe Overseas Dividend Plays Here's how to safely get some international diversification and dividend yield...... The High-Probability Outlook for 2012 After 12 troublesome months, the major U.S. indices seem primed to end 2011 on a high note. Is this another mini-bull, or will 2012 be met with harsh reality?..... 6 Hot Semiconductor Stocks Semiconductors have become essential to the gadgets, smartphones and other technologies we use on a daily basis. Stocks including INTC have benefited immensely...... Google+: Gunning for Facebook Facebook isn't the only hyper-ambitious network out there -- Google+ has stepped up its game of late and is getting aggressive about building its social brand...... Charles Sizemore’s Best, Worst Trades of 2011 Sin stocks were the story of success for Charles Sizemore in 2011, but not all of his picks were such winners. His worst pick was ........ 4 Hot Option Trades to Kick Off 2012 Keep your resolution for a prosperous new year with these four option trades in AT&T, AOL, CNOOC Ltd. and Western Digital...... Gold Hits 6-Month Low, Breaches Lehman 2008 Support Level The euro zone debt crisis keeps downward pressure on gold. In London trading, the price fell below the trendline off the October 2008 low......

Falling Bargains at Low-End Retailers It's true that discounters still have a lot going for them, but investors need to be extremely mindful of one thing before they buy......     Energy-Drink Maker Hansen Natural Ready to Pop The Monster Energy drink maker looks ready to pop; capture the upside with covered calls...... InvestorPlace Experts’ Big Winners of 2011 and Top Trades for 2012 When the "smart money" is on, it's on. Here's a look at some of our experts' best calls of 2011 -- and the stocks they think will boom in 2012...... Hold Off on New Positions Until the New Year With most charts at the apex of ascending triangles, the market should reveal its next move soon...... VZ Sell Signal Is Your Chance to Buy A correction is likely in the communications sector. Buy Verizon Communications on a pullback under $38...... Vanguard: An Energy Stock Leading the Way Vanguard Natural Resource's oil and gas reserves and output are leaping, it has sharp management -- and it yields over 8%...... 7 Most Dramatic Market Charts of 2011 Sometimes, a simple chart is a more effective storyteller than scores of artfully written articles. Here are seven compelling market charts that describe 2011...... Strength in Wireless and Bundling Boosts Verizon Verizon's ability to counter the consumer trend of choosing wireless over wireline by bundling makes for a strong, cash-generating dividend stock...... Light Up With Reynolds American’s High Dividend The tobacco company's current yield is 5.4%, with its quarterly dividend going from 19.4 cents to 70 cents in the past 10 years...... S&P Sinks Into the Red — Wednesday’s IP Market Recap Techs, financials and casinos led Wednesday's equity markets lower...... 3 Sectors Aided by Holiday Cheer The holidays typically bring excitement to the stock market. The retail, shipping, and lodging sectors are among the most affected by Santa...... Philip Morris’ Dividends Are Addicting Philip Morris International can give you the benefit of high income levels in addition to dividend growth rates over time...... Hard-to-Find Bargain Stock Buys The stock market's brisk fourth-quarter rally (which has since begun to stall) has made bargains more difficult to find, but here's a few...... 9 Software Stocks to Buy Despite Nasdaq's overall decline year-to-date, some tech stocks providing in-demand products are making a successful push into 2012...... 3 Shorts Set to Crash Harder Than Sears Aggressive investors with a pessimistic streak could profit big by shorting these three losing stocks...... How Private Equity Could Save Sears Getting value from distressed assets is something good private equity firms can do, and Sears has plenty of undervalued assets...... 2011′s Best and Worst Picks From InvestorPlace’s Barry Cohen Barry Cohen discusses some of his picks from 2011 -- and how that will affect his take on companies moving forward...... Where Will You Put Your Money in 2012? Two areas of the market are slated to do well in the upcoming months and year, but be wary of this one sector...... 5 Stocks You Want to Dump in 2012 These big names were badly damaged in 2011 and unfortunately for shareholders, they won't be getting back on their feet anytime soon...... 7 Biotech and Health Care Stocks to Buy Biotechnology and health care companies are growing at an alarming rate. Do not miss the boat on some of fastest-growing companies among them...... Is Sears the Next Berkshire Hathaway? Don't laugh. Eddie Lampert's strategy at Sears Holdings could be regarded as being very similar to Warren Buffett's makeover of Berkshire Hathaway in the sixties...... The January Effect: Fact or Fiction? Before you decide to play the momentum wave known as the "January Effect," you should look at whether the theory holds water...... 3 Things Helping to Revive Investor Sentiment A combination of a hint of lower interest rates in the U.S. along with boosted euro zone confidence has lifted the stock market back to positive territory...... Why Stock Buybacks Are So Popular Now Companies have eschewed spending on new hires, R&D, even dividends, and instead are buying back stock at a rapid clip. Here's why...... Cloud Computing Edge Can Lead VMware Sky-High After the recent Oracle earnings debacle, VMW is gaining back most of its losses......