You just can't win in this economic environment. Competition is fierce and the market reacts negatively to whatever path companies choose to take in dealing with the difficulties.

Have you noticed how popular the "X-Games" have become? You know, those Olympic-like contests featuring dare devil bikers, skateboarders, snowboarders and the like that are featured on ESPN. Heck, some of those disciplines have become so popular they've become part of the real Olympics as BMX biking was this summer in Beijing! One of the companies that gets this demographic and gets it well is Volcom, Inc. (VLCM).

As a business owner, I have a strong bias against unions and labor issues.  In my opinion, competition should dictate all results on both sides of the capitalism coin.  Companies should be free to compete with other companies and workers should be free to compete with other workers.

With the announcement of the U.S. government seizing control of mortgage giants Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE) the housing crisis appears to be nearing its zenith. This means is more money in consumers' wallets more money store cash-registers. Think of the rescue as a massive economic stimulus package for consumers!

This weekend the government finally took over mortgage lenders Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE). World markets cheered and stocks are higher across the board. That's good news for all involved, right? Not so fast...

That’s the only word I can use to describe the market. Disappoint it, and you will pay the price. Case-in-point: Mining equipment maker Joy Global (JOYG).

There's no doubt about it: 2008 is turning out to be a winner-takes-all election year. As both candidates hit the campaign trail, you can be sure that they will be ramping up their economic rhetoric. In order to help you make sense of it all, here are the Top 5 hot-button election issues and their net "bull" or "bear" impact on your portfolio!

Those that pursue the task of building portfolios (like me) will always find that in some cases, they are just flat out wrong. I liken it to baseball player's ERA. The best hitters fail 7 out of 10 times.

I recently asked a good friend of mine what he was buying in the stock market these days. Given his 40 years of institutional knowledge combined with his strong sense for fundamental value, I can honestly say he is one of the best investors I know. Needless to say, I was surprised by his fanaticism with crude. Wasn't oil just another bubble that was bound to pop?

In case you missed it, there has been a major shift in the tectonic plates of the software war brewing between Microsoft (MSFT) and Google (GOOG).

Investing can take on a similar path as parenting. As an investor, those who are prepared will generally see prosperity over the long haul...

Rational Investors that understand the business cycle tends to outperform the stock market over the long term. Depending on the stage of the cycle, those who plan ahead can ride the wave to prosperity. Seeing that the average business cycle lasts 4 years, we can have a pretty good idea as to where to put our money.

Stocks rise and fall for so many different reasons, it's nearly impossible to predict exactly what will happen. Truly confounding is when a stock plummets on what would be interpreted by most to be good news. Case-in-point: Big Lots, Inc. (BIG).

The Beijing Olympics ended Sunday night with a bang and China took a well deserved bow. How could you not be impressed? I was personally struck by the enormity of it all, and frankly, as a capitalist, I was just about drooling!

With most of the market fixated on oil prices and credit during these dog days of summer, few have noticed the incredible run in the technology. This new bull market that began in Mid-July, 2008, may be the return to glory for technology stocks.

These days it seems that Warren Buffett has very low expectations for the stock market. Case-in-point: The recent disclosure that Buffett sold a portion of his stake in Anheuser-Busch (BUD) during the second quarter of 2008.

Here's a riddle for you: If a business makes its profit from the agriculture boom, yet the majority of its products run on oil (and are therefore dependent on oil prices) does its stock go up…or down? This is the conundrum of farm equipment behemoth Deere & Co.

A name and a ticker symbol can have a very powerful meaning in the marketplace. Case-in-point: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (HOT). Starwood enforces their brand with a ticker symbol that has powerful implications when abbreviated. Unfortunately for investors, the stock's performance over the past year has not been so hot.

One of the most striking features of the current economic meltdown is the growing chasm between the rich and the poor. To those that study social economics it is well known that the middle class is disappearing.