U.S. News: Bonds Are Ideal For Balancing a Portfolio

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Even people who understand the stock market sometimes slip when it comes to bonds.

It makes sense because to most people fixed-income investing equates to math, which can be scary. Still, it doesn't have to be hard, and such securities are usually a vital part of a portfolio. Read more here.

Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash

Forbes: Why Do We Worship Nasty Bosses?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Mean Men: The Perversions of America's Self-made Man by Mark Lipton, published Tuesday, is a long overdue book. How long overdue? I'd say at least a quarter century.

As the title suggests, the topic is the character of the entrepreneur and how unpleasant such individuals can be in the work place. Perhaps more than that, its topic is the dichotomy between the hero status given to the most successful entrepreneurs and the diabolical behavior that some such individuals exhibit. Read more here.

Forbes: Twelve Reasons Why Gold is Better Than Bitcoin

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The world has gone wild for the cryptocurrency known as Bitcoin.

One Bitcoin would set you back $4,425 at the time of writing. That's up from less than $600 a year ago, according to CoinBase.

But a word of caution. Gold is still a better bet for anyone who wants to own a time-tested asset.

Here's why:

WSJ: What is GARP?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

In a recent report—“The Death of Value?”—Wall Street powerhouse Goldman Sachs poses an important question about an out-of-favor investing style.

Its conclusion seems to be that value investing isn’t dead. Rather, it has morphed into a stock-picking strategy known as GARP, or “growth at a reasonable price.” Read more here.

WSJ: Could Some VIX-Related Funds Go ‘Poof’ in a Day?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Some exchange-traded funds related to the CBOE Volatility Index, or VIX, could vanish just when traders might want them most.

The VIX, also known as the fear gauge, measures the cost of buying insurance against a drop in the broad market. At issue are funds that seek to profit when short-term VIX futures contracts fall in value. The VIX itself isn’t an investible product and the VIX futures don’t exactly track the VIX, but they are closely correlated. Read more here.

Tigerzeng, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

P.J. Media: Here's Why a Storm Surge in Gas Prices Should Settle Down Soon

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Ugh!

As if a humongous hurricane battering the Gulf Coast wasn’t enough of a problem, now gas prices are surging to their highest level in two years.

But don’t listen to the scaremongers. Sticker shock at the pump is most likely a temporary phenomenon. Unlike the storm itself, and the associated devastation, in a year you won't remember the surge in gas prices. Read more here.

U.S. News: Why You Should Consider Frontier Markets

By SIMON CONSTABLE

If you've never heard of frontier markets, then get ready. You are likely to do so a lot more over the coming years.

In the meantime, there is potential for savvy investors to profit. Read more here.