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J.B. Eccard

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  • Three Energy Plays for a Diversified Portfolio

    By J.B. Eccard - May 6, 2013 | Tickers: GE, SDT, TOT

    When buying and selling stocks, I ask myself how I can get an advantage over market conditions, corporate malfeasance, or economic fluctuations? One way to get ahead is by diversifying a diversified portfolio. Instead of buying a single technology stock, buy a semiconductor, a social network, a small cap internet security firm, and a bellwether blue chip. If you do adequate research, slowly add to your position, and sell high more »

  • Citi and Country: Picking Bank Stocks

    By J.B. Eccard - February 6, 2013 | Tickers: BBT, C, USB

    Instead of simply hiding out in an exchange-traded fund, which mitigates much of the risks associated with picking individual stocks, a much better method for selecting banking stocks is to offset risk by investing in a regional company and a global company. There are positives and negatives to both types of stocks, but if you are smart and choose wisely, the rewards may significantly outweigh those gained from investing solely more »

  • One Pfizer or Two Pfizers?

    By J.B. Eccard - January 27, 2013 | Tickers: ABT, ABBV, PFE

    When is a company too big? When does it make sense to break up a company, like General Electric or Citi, into smaller parts? In most cases, streamlining a corporation means getting rid of ill-fitting pieces, like General Electric did with NBC Universal. Historically, the decisions to break up a company or to sell off individual business units are almost always company-specific. Rarely does a company follow an industry-wide trend more »

  • The Post-Password Internet

    By J.B. Eccard - January 24, 2013 | Tickers: FB, GOOG

    One thing about contemporary life that is absolutely annoying is the log-in screen. Every digital service has one in order to protect its users’ privacy and information. But, it is almost impossible to keep track of so many usernames, not to mention the increasingly complicated passwords and security questions. Recently, there has been a spate of articles about a concept product called “One Ring” that employees at Google have outlined more »

  • Europe's Value: Two High-Yield Telecom Stocks

    By J.B. Eccard - January 18, 2013 | Tickers: FTE, NTLS

    Two questions should always be asked before purchasing a stock. One, am I willing to hold this stock for as long as ten years? Two, will the business behind the stock be viable in fifteen years? If the answer is no to either question, a long-term investor should simply walk away and move on to greener pastures. An even more important question should be, does the investor have the advantage more »