Last Wednesday, LinkedIn (NYSE: LNKD) traded for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange. Exuberant buying quickly pushed share prices up from an offer price of $45 to more than $122. And in the process, co-founder Reid Hoffman became a billionaire. LinkedIn is just the latest in the slew ...read more

You may have heard of “the cloud” before. No, it’s not a white, fluffy thing in the sky or the catchphrase in a recent mattress commercial — it’s the latest and greatest industry buzzword out there in the tech space today. And unlike most, it’s a buzzword that has significant ...read more

If you’ve been trading the market for any length of time, you’ve likely picked up on the fact that we’re currently facing especially tough trading conditions right now. But difficult trades aren’t a reason to panic – instead, they’re an opportunity to reevaluate your trading strategy and reduce your risk. ...read more

At the beginning of 2011 I gave a special forecast to Agora Financial Reserve members (see below)… the resounding recommendation was for silver. Specifically I was quoted saying “I see more potential in silver [than gold.] I look for silver to double in price this year, again.” In retrospect that was ...read more

While market manipulations have traditionally been the domain of the tiniest micro-cap stocks, that’s been changing lately. In 2011, manipulative short attacks have jumped the shark, making their way to major exchanges without anything standing in their way. Today, short attacks are one of the biggest threats to any small-cap ...read more

If you’ve been following the markets for a while, chances are you’ve heard of the “head-and-shoulders pattern”. I’d venture to say that it’s probably the most well-known chart pattern in the world of technical trading. But just being able to spot this formation on a chart doesn’t necessarily mean that ...read more

First it was unrest in the Middle East. Now it’s a natural disaster of unfathomable proportions in Japan. The world is throwing everything it can at the economy, and yesterday, stocks here in the U.S. tumbled under the pressure. Before you begin thinking about where to go from here, it's important ...read more

Another hectic week for stocks is behind us, and more than a few investors have been left scratching their heads. Remember, it’s only natural to get frustrated in a market like this. Don’t think that anyone – present company included – is immune from the frustrations of seeing portfolio positions dip ...read more

Richard Branson, the founder of the multibillion-dollar Virgin Group, is attributed with saying that the best way to become a millionaire is to start off as a billionaire and buy an airline… Unfortunately for many airline investors, that piece of advice has held true for decades. Airlines are highly susceptible to ...read more

The market’s “Fear Index” rallied hard on Friday, leading some to question whether 2011 is going to be another banner year for volatility. But for traders, an upswing in volatility and fear is actually a good thing – here’s a more in-depth look at the VIX, and how you can ...read more