With talk of recovery in the United States filling the economic debate, it's important to ask what is meant by the term recovery.  Semantics matter.    Read More

Just because it's Independence Day, that doesn't mean you can't make some investing hay. In fact, holidays are a great time for the average Joe to earn money. During holidays, most top traders take time off. And that spells opportunity for those who stick around.   Read More

When you throw in a short-armed consumer and the massive deleveraging of both households and businesses, an ugly fiscal picture begins to take shape with deficits exploding beyond the already huge projections put forth by the White House.   Read More

Hyundai is trying to ease consumer fears about rising gas prices by running a new promotion where buyers of most Hyundai models join a program where they never pay more than a $1.49 a gallon for the next year. As promotions go, I think it's a smart move. It will get Hyundai in the conversation with many buyers.    Read More

It's been a long time coming. Roughly two years if you're keeping score. That's the last time Ford was locked in as the #2 automaker in the U.S. Well, after the first six months of 2009 Ford as once again pulled ahead of Toyota in U.S. sales year-to-date.    Read More

After we get the June auto sales today, we will be halfway through a year that has thrown the auto makers and American car buyers for loop. Some thoughts on what's changed, what's the same, and some trends/ideas worth examining.    Read More

People tend to see what they want to see, so it's not surprising Bernie Madoff was able to convince scores of investors his scam was legit. And while many still wonder how such a large-scale fraud could happen, there were a number of missed warning signs for investors.   Read More

Markets are selling off in midmorning trading after being hit with disappointing economic data. The S&P/Case Shiller index indicated U.S. home prices continue to tumble in April....and retreating consumer confidence is also weighing on the markets.   Read More

If you have, you've probably noticed things are a little different. Those deals that we've seen for months (ok, in many cases years) offering huge discounts are harder and harder to find. It's a little early to say we are done with the days when the buyer could call the shot on most models. You still, have some leverage, but not as much as in the past.    Read More

Growing confidence that the U.S. economy is putting the worst recession in decades behind it has pushed the index known as Wall Street's fear gauge to its lowest level since just before Lehman Brothers collapsed last September.   Read More