Articles written by James Brumley

When Hormel Foods (HRL), Tyson Foods (TSN), Wal-Mart (WMT), and Sysco (SYY) are rising while all other stocks are falling, it's a 'flight to safety.'

May 18, 2010 - James Brumley

The S&P 500 made progress last week, but was losing ground fast by Friday. Hints from the VIX and certain industries suggest more weakness is on the way.

May 16, 2010 - James Brumley

Investors looking for a stock-picking strategy should learn from the real-world experience of Frederick R. Kobrick - a successful fund manager and analyst.

May 2, 2010 - James Brumley

Consumer confidence was up last month, but what does it really mean to investors? Longer-term charts of the data provide economic perspective.

Apr 29, 2010 - James Brumley

Online brokerage firm Scottrade's 'Elite' trading platform is very competitive with similar software from more established stock and option trading brokers.

Apr 28, 2010 - James Brumley

Selloffs from the iShares Dow Jones US Basic Materials Fund (IYM), AK Steel Holding (AKS), and Stillwater Mining (SWC) bode bearishly for basic materials.

Apr 27, 2010 - James Brumley

Why are healthcare stocks struggling, and how much more risk do they pose? Simultaneously, can the new rally from energy stocks be sustained?

Apr 26, 2010 - James Brumley

How well does the thinkorswim (Think or Swim) stock and option trading platform serve its users? Here's a look at some of its most powerful features.

Apr 24, 2010 - James Brumley

How does an option spread trade make a profit up-front, and yield its maximum profit if the underlying stock doesn't move at all? An iron condor does both.

Apr 23, 2010 - James Brumley

The Black-Scholes option pricing model is a highly regarded theoretical option pricing formula in significant use today. Traders should be familiar with how it works.

Apr 1, 2010 - James Brumley

One of technical analysis' simplest but most powerful trading tools is the relative strength index, or the 'RSI' indicator. Here's what it is, and how to use it.

Mar 22, 2010 - James Brumley

Most option spread trades take advantage of a stock's price within a finite timeframe, but diagonal bull call spreads allow traders to add a time element to the trade.

Feb 26, 2010 - James Brumley

Retiring isn't a one-step process done because an eligible employee decides to stop working. Specific steps should be worked through to ensure maximum retirement income.

Dec 20, 2009 - James Brumley

As Social Security and pension payouts shrink, workers will rely more on individual retirement accounts, or IRAs. Here's where retirement income will come from.

Nov 9, 2009 - James Brumley

Standard individual retirement accounts or Roth IRAs are not self-employed business owners' only options. Qualified, tax-friendly plans offer higher contribution limits.

Nov 2, 2009 - James Brumley

Unemployment, capacity utilization, the Fed Funds rate, and the inflation rate are the most accurate economic indicators investors can use to spot a recession.

Oct 20, 2009 - James Brumley

Science, nature, and investing overlap when a key pattern of Fibonacci numbers are applied to stock charts to make technical price forecasts.

Oct 20, 2009 - James Brumley

Though mutual funds have lost some of their luster now that so many exchange-traded funds (or ETFs) are available, mutual funds are still the smart choice in many cases.

Oct 15, 2009 - James Brumley

Forex trading courses that promise riches are easy to find. However, finding a quality currency trading class should actually be a challenge.

Oct 14, 2009 - James Brumley

Sophisticated stock trading tools don't have to be costly. In fact, three web-based charting platforms are totally free... TrixyChart, FreeStockChart, and StockCharts.

Oct 14, 2009 - James Brumley

Commodity futures trading offers huge reward potential, and in many ways is less complicated than trading stocks. Here's an overview of how to get started.

Oct 1, 2009 - James Brumley

Finding a mortgage lender is easy; finding a good one can be more difficult. Here's some background on the home loan business that will help a borrower choose wisely.

Sep 30, 2009 - James Brumley

Though there's no such thing as risk-free investing, investors can tip the risk-versus-reward scale in their favor by writing covered calls on stocks they already own.

Sep 29, 2009 - James Brumley

Forex trading's biggest earners are successful usually just because they stick to a simple set of rules. Here are the highlights of their forex trading tips.

Sep 25, 2009 - James Brumley

Choosing a forex trading broker boils down to asking a few simple questions regarding price, speed, tools, and support. Here are some tips to help select the right one.

Sep 24, 2009 - James Brumley

The trickiest part of buying a home can be properly and effectively completing the home loan application. Here are some simple steps to make a mortgage loan a snap.

Sep 16, 2009 - James Brumley

The idea of speculatively trading foreign currencies- often called forex trading- can be intimidating. This example illustrates how simple it can be.

Sep 15, 2009 - James Brumley

Investment banking is the process of raising funds for companies by connecting those corporations with investors. There's more to it than just that, however.

Aug 26, 2009 - James Brumley

Major stock trends start and stop with common high, low, opening, and closing price patterns shaped over a short time. Here are four patterns traders must recognize.

Jul 30, 2009 - James Brumley

A wide variety of stock screeners, option calculators, market research, and technical analysis tools await investors with online brokerage firm TradeKing.

Jul 19, 2009 - James Brumley

Online brokerage firm Zecco offers a wide array of tools for traders: screeners, research, and account management features. A detailed look at them is well-invested time.

Jul 4, 2009 - James Brumley

Spotting overbought and oversold stocks is made simple with Larry Williams %R Indicator. Plus, the tool can be easily incorporated into a trading system.

May 10, 2009 - James Brumley

There's more to stock trading than simply spotting momentum or following the trend. The open, high, low, and close from one day to the next can be vital clues.

May 8, 2009 - James Brumley

Traders love momentum, whether it's bullish or bearish. However, how's a trader to know when a trend is likely to stall?

May 8, 2009 - James Brumley

One of the first tools a new technical analyst is apt to learn is the moving average convergence divergence indicator, or MACD. The cons are as numerous as the pros.

Apr 23, 2009 - James Brumley

For traders seeking a stock charting and market data platform that directly integrates with a trading interface, schwab.com's StreetSmartPro deserves a closer look.

Mar 30, 2009 - James Brumley

Exchange-traded funds are a great way to capitalize on styles and sectors without committing to an individual stock. But, popular ETFs may not always be profitable ETFs

Mar 21, 2009 - James Brumley

Though capital expenditure spending cuts affected many industries, wind energy has managed to continue drawing a crowd. As such, wind turbine stocks remain attractive.

Feb 23, 2009 - James Brumley

Finding a great Valentine's Day gift for a man is a matter of fun and creativity. Here are a few ideas to get Valentine's Day shoppers started.

Feb 8, 2009 - James Brumley

Though fundamental analysis is typically reserved for individual stocks, the strategy is still helpful when evaluating exchange-traded funds.

Feb 5, 2009 - James Brumley

Get more out of the stock market by finding the hottest industries, and avoiding the coldest ones. Here are a few industry suggestions to get investors started.

Dec 30, 2008 - James Brumley

Too often, investors own stocks moving against the grain. A portfolio is easier to manage, and considerably more profitable, when the wind is at an investor's back.

Dec 22, 2008 - James Brumley

Don't just guess about option price projections based on Greeks like delta and theta. Proper use of these free calculators can help you maximize your trading profits.

Dec 15, 2008 - James Brumley

Not only do option traders have to predict a stock's direction, they have to beat the clock too. Wise traders learn how to minimize this time-decay known as 'theta'.

Dec 14, 2008 - James Brumley

Not all stock options behave the same. Delta is a measure of how much (or how little) a particular option changes relative to the price of the underlying stock or index.

Dec 14, 2008 - James Brumley

If you want to become a master of predicting the market's direction, you must first understand investors' opinions....and then trade in the other direction.

Oct 13, 2008 - James Brumley

New equity option traders should familiarize themselves with 'the greeks' - like theta and delta - to maximize their potential trading gains.

Sep 29, 2008 - James Brumley

Solar power stocks aren't new, but only recently - thanks to record breaking oil prices - has the industry gotten investors' attention. Finding the right ones is the key.

Aug 29, 2008 - James Brumley

Fundamental analysis assumes a stock will always trade at an appropriate value. Technical analysis will highlight periods when it's not.

Aug 28, 2008 - James Brumley

Though the list of tripwires an investor faces is virtually endless, there are five that seem to constantly resurface.

Aug 27, 2008 - James Brumley