The move by Burger King Worldwide, Inc. (BKW) to acquire Canada-based Tim Hortons Inc. (NYSE/THI) was a genius move and buying opportunity that surprised many in the stock market. Just look at the reaction of the traders after the news surfaced that Burger King was indeed buying Tim Hortons; Burger King stock surged on the news, which I also believe was a very strategic move by the company and a possible buying opportunity for investors. The initial speculation was valid as an $11.0-billion deal was announced. Tim Hortons stock closed up more than 31% after the announcement and the initial buying opportunity. For the acquisition, Warren Buffe ... Read More

The housing market continues to hold. But there are some warning signs. Famed investor Warren Buffett suggested the housing market was overvalued and due for an adjustment.

Now, while there are some indications of an overhyped housing market, I’m not convinced it’s bubble-like quite yet. But be warned: mortgage rates and interest rates are heading higher. This means it will become more expensive to finance mortgages going forward.

We are already seeing some fragility in the hou ... Read More

The tension in the stock market is clearly evident, especially with the NASDAQ and Russell 2000 breaching their respective 50-day moving average (MA). What we have seen in the stock market is a shift away from higher-beta growth and small-cap stocks to the perceived safety of blue chips and large-cap stocks, which I recently wrote about. Driving much of the current malaise in the stock market has been the selling in the technology groups, specifically the high-momentum stocks that attracted major buying euphoria in 2013, in spite of what were high valuations and overdone optimism. While I continue to like technology for growth inve ... Read More

Another day and another 300-point decline in the Dow Jones Industrial Average—that seems to be the norm right now. But despite my assurances that things will inevitably get better, I continue to see extreme nervousness out there. Now it’s probably time for more hand-holding as we move along during this mini crisis in the markets. Look, the world isn't going to blow apart. We are simply hoping through a stock market correction that should have occurred in 2013 but didn’t, largely due to the Federal Reserve’s easy money policy. That’s coming to an end as the tapering continues, but so what? Based on the morning t ... Read More

There’s more to the Bakken in North Dakota and Montana and the tar sands in Alberta than oil. Oil may be the primary opportunity for most investors, but there are a number of interesting secondary and tertiary investing platforms to consider. And when it comes to oil and petroleum products, one of the biggest growth areas has to be North American railroad stocks. Despite the fact that a new pipeline in the booming Bakken fields in North Dakota was recently completed, more ways to transfer oil are needed to keep up with production. That’s because North American production is outpac ... Read More