A name and a ticker symbol can have a very powerful meaning in the marketplace. Case-in-point: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

The U.S. economy is on track to grow only 2.2% in 2008, while China is expected to grow 9%. And this country will grow despite high oil prices, rising inflation and the U.S. housing market collapse. That's why the most profitable opportunities are based on the strength of the Chinese consumer.

The credit crisis has created historical levels of uncertainty for banks, mortgage companies and brokerage firms. Yet, there are some banks that seem to rise from the ashes. MBIA might just be one of them.

It's tough to watch grown men cry, especially when they are unemotional, conservative bankers. But before we all start to feel bad for them, we need to remind ourselves that these guys got rich off greed and the easy lending practices of the past two decades.

China's strong consumer spending, economic strength and low inflation are contributing to the building momentum of the Chinese stock market. But propelling the market forward will be the "Olympic effect," in which the Chinese stock market will experience a bullish run in the weeks, months and years following the Olympics.

Barack Obama visited my hometown yesterday to talk about oil. He suggested that more oil could be saved by simply keeping tires properly inflated and engines tuned. When it comes to oil, I agree with him. We need to change our own behavior. Aside from the obvious environmental benefits, lower oil prices drive stocks higher.

Oil industry executives are partying like its 1999. Actually, out in the oil patch it looks more like the roaring 1920s as oil speculators rake in more money than they ever thought possible. And this is an industry in need of billions of dollars in tax payer subsidies?

Remember that song by Carly Simon, "You're So Vain?" I heard it on the radio the other day and thought it would be good song in an ad campaign for Palomar Medical Technologies (PMTI). Palomar sells lasers and pulsed light systems for popular cosmetic treatments that remove age spots or even that fading college tattoo.

I think most of us would agree that our health care system is far from perfect. Thankfully, health care is now at the front and center of the political debate. No matter who voters choose to elect this November, health insurance companies will be an integral part of the solution.

Was Dr. Seuss a stock and political pundit when he wrote, "Some are red. Some are blue. Some are old and some are new. Some are sad and some are glad. And some are very, very bad"?That sums it up pretty nicely if you ask me. We have some serious choices to make during this election season, and the outcome will impact portfolios in a big way.

Companies that are booming and producing record profits are watching their shares sold off as risk-adverse investors try to lock in any profit they can make. Maybe they figure the good times won't last. Who knows? All I know is that I can take advantage of the irrationality by scooping up shares of undervalued companies.

Why is it that when I think of oil giant ExxonMobil (XOM), all I can see is the tanker Valdez sinking in Prince William Sound and creating one of the greatest ecological disasters on record? Is this perhaps a premonition of what will become of ExxonMobil in the future? Unfortunately, I think so.

For those that enjoy warm sunny days and bright blue skies, the market rally over the last two weeks has been a very welcome tonic. Of course with the weather, a storm can blow in at any time putting an end to the euphoria. Same too in the market,

There are a lot of different ways to play the stock market. One can be successful using just about any discipline–be it value, growth, income… you name it. But sometimes–if you are lucky–you run across a stock that fits into more than one category.

Enough of the bad news. Let's all turn our attention to sectors and companies that are actually performing well during these turbulent times. Front and center is the biotechnology sector.

Shares of Chicago Bridge and Iron (CBI) were stung last week on the news of a huge pre-announcement of earnings. Apparently CBI would be taking a large charge to for unexpected cost over-runs at two of its liquefied natural gas terminals (LNG) in the United Kingdom.

Earnings season is always a difficult time to invest, but this one seems to have been harder than most. Companies that have hit earnings homeruns have gotten punished, while the ones that deserve to strike out, have seen their shares rally. And sometimes a good company's stock gets so beaten up it simply defies logic.

A few years back, I made Deckers Outdoor (DECK) one of my top portfolio selections. Back then, we were buying at below $30 a share. With a little help from an Oprah Winfrey endorsement of its furry little boot, DECK stock took off. By the end of 2007, shares crossed the $160 mark. But that was then and this is now...