Investing isn’t a leisure activity. It’s work. Anyone who says otherwise is a fool. Read More

Up: High-quality bonds, utility stocks, Super Oils, select convertible preferred shares, infrastructure-related limited partnerships and nonenergy-producing Canadian trusts. Read More

In late October, Advantage Portfolio holding Toshiba reported solid earnings results for the first half of its fiscal year. Japanese companies typically have a fiscal year-end in March, so interim results are released in October. Read More

About seven years ago, palladium was one of the most expensive platinum group metals, which includes rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and platinum. Today, palladium is the cheapest on a per-ounce basis because of high inventories and less-than-robust current industrial demand. Read More

The catalytic converter market drives platinum and palladium. The returning interest in palladium is very much an expression of environmental concerns and tightening legislation worldwide on emission standards, which is likely to get tougher and tougher. Read More

Immigration raids coupled with tough sentencing guidelines for drug crimes have continued to fuel the boom in prison populations. And although there’s a move afoot to address sentencing disparities, any reforms in that arena are still years away. Read More

Investors have been conditioned over the past several months to fear acronyms. SIVs (structured investment vehicles) are going to sink the big money center banks... Read More

Coinmach Service Corp’s buyout by Babcock & Brown is in the works. Look for cash to hit your account. Read More

Both our closed-end fund selections—Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred Income Fund and ING Prime Rate Trust... Read More

Drilling activity in the shallow-water Gulf of Mexico was weak in the third quarter as producers stepped down activity ahead of the Atlantic hurricane season... Read More