Infrastructure has been a favorite Silk investment theme for more than a year. Not a day passes that I don’t see solicitations from multiple outlets touting new opportunities. Infrastructure is a great long-term idea, but it shouldn’t have a disproportionate position in your portfolio. Read More

The question of whether the US will fall into recession--or how deep the one the world’s largest economy inevitably suffers will be--animates all forms of financial media these days. Read More

Exploration and production (E&P) firms have been among the most successful recommendations in The Energy Strategist over the past year; my five pure-play E&Ps are up an average of nearly 50 percent since their initial recommendation. Read More

A year ago, few investors wanted anything to do with the coal markets. Inventories of coal at US utilities were tight at the end of 2005, but a warm winter in 2005-06 changed all that: Inventories ballooned, and coal prices plummeted. Read More

Preliminary economic numbers in China indicate that private consumption was the biggest contributor to China’s GDP for 2007. This confirms the idea that domestic demand is gradually becoming more important to the Chinese economy. Read More

Canada’s engagement in Afghanistan appears to be receding as a potential election catalyst after Stephane Dion, leader of the official opposition Liberal Party, said his party would support Canada staying in Central Asia for two years longer than scheduled but not in a combat role. Read More

Slumping natural gas prices, restrictions on new capital resulting from prospective 2011 taxation, the spiking Canadian dollar and finally the US economic slowdown: Trusts that survived and thrived during those stress tests last year are literally ready for anything 2008 can throw at them. Read More

With the possibility of higher natural gas prices, many energy picks in the Portfolio are set to rise. I'm also adding a few new recommendations this month. Read More

Canada is better positioned against a recession than many economies, as noted by its banks. But it still faces three big challenges: US trade dependency, the value of the Canadian dollar and the credit crunch. Read More

This month's High Yielders are Ag Growth Income Fund and Trinidad Energy Services Income Trust. Read More