To survive these uncertain times, we’re adding to our health care exposure and establishing a position in the ultimate hedge, gold. Read More

It may be some years before a stronger, more conservative US financial services industry emerges from the wreckage of recent months. Well-run local banks, however, are healthy as ever. Read More

Consumer staples remains one of the best performing sectors in the market today, and that trend is likely to hold. Read More

Reminder: As is usual when there are five Wednesdays in a month rather than four, look for your next PF in three weeks instead of two. Read More

The only places to find growth in 2009 will be the emerging market economies. All the developed nations are most likely looking at negative GDP growth next year. Read More

Bayer (OTC: BAYZF) is a pharmaceutical/chemical conglomerate with three main divisions: HealthCare, CropScience (agrichemicals), and MaterialsScience (chemicals and polymers). It’s one of the so-called hybrid companies in the chemical sector because of the increasing role the pharmaceutical business is playing in its profitability and earnings growth. Read More

Cash-conscious consumers and lenders may be pulling back, but the Federal Reserve is pulling out all the stops to improve liquidity, stimulate lending and stabilize the roiling financial markets. Read More

A far-reaching economic event. Big changes in the investment markets. And a new editor of Personal Finance. It’s a sequence I’ve been involved with three times now as publisher. Read More

US stocks rebounded in today’s shortened trading session, as consumer spending managed to top analysts’ expectations. Read More

The three major US stock indexes continued their slide after statistics indicated that housing markets have worsened further and the government confirmed that US GDP contracted 0.5 percent in the third quarter--the most since 2001. Read More