During economic slowdowns, owning cyclical stocks isn’t the best bet. Furthermore, the coal trade has been crowded of late, and many of the companies are trading at high multiples. But given coal prices and the infrastructure problems, things can improve for coal companies before they get worse. Read More

After the 25 percent drop from its late October highs, Asia looks ready for a rally, bear market or otherwise. Pessimism reigns supreme, and analysis of how the region’s being distracted is in full swing. Read More

Wall Street historian Charles Geisst had a few things to say about the state of the global economic system in a recent story for the online edition of the Financial Times. Geisst addressed the growing economic power that’s spreading throughout the Middle East and Asia. Read More

Investors are still evaluating the impact of the credit crunch on the US economy, Europe is showing early signs of a slowdown, and Japan is yet to establish itself as a viable alternative. Meanwhile, the selloff continues. Read More

According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2008 is a year of danger. And although superstition isn’t good company for an investor, last year was quite rewarding, just as the Chinese Zodiac forecast. Read More

Strong economic growth is the most important item on voters’ priority lists these days; ideological differences have taken a back seat in almost every electoral debate. Read More

The markets don’t want to rally, and negative news continues to hit daily. There’s still a possibility for a sprint up to the New Year and into January, but for now negativity prevails. In the current situation, Asian markets are in danger of a bigger correction, although not all indicators point to such an outcome. Read More

The US is struggling to find the right approach to deal with its economic problems and rapidly deteriorating growth rates; there’s not a lot of success to be reported on that front yet. But the rest of the world, particularly the developing world, faces a different kind of problem: too much growth.   Read More

I’ve long favored Russia as a destination for investment, building my case primarily around its energy sector. But I’ve also highlighted the increase in domestic demand and the infrastructure boom taking place there. Read More

The US continues to feed the world morsels of negativity. The latest is a request from one of the world's biggest banks for capital infusion to the sheikdom of Abu Dhabi. Read More