Weekly Roundup

Market Whiplash
So much for the new thesis of market "decoupling". This is what MarketWatch had to say about the impact of US markets on emerging markets

"Asian Asian stocks stumbled to their lowest levels in several months on Wednesday, with bourses in Japan, Hong Kong, China, Australia and South Korea dropping at least 2%, as worries about the U.S. economy and global financial sector sparked a regional sell-off"

If you are still inclined to invest oversees - check out some sage advice from Money Magazine's Walter Updegrave. For the ones who want to play defensive in an atmosphere rife with pessimism - check out the benefits of vice stocks.

"Hard times won't stop gamblers from betting, partygoers from drinking and smokers from puffing. In fact, economic turbulence might give them even more reason to indulge. That makes so-called sin stocks, or shares of alcohol, gaming and tobacco companies, a safe bet as the U.S. economy slows."

Time to Get Educated
If you ever wondered what were REITs and what benefit they provide in a diversified portfolio - check out an excellent post from My Money Blog on this subject.

"When deciding on your portfolio’s asset allocation, another option beyond broad
stock funds in domestic or international markets is to invest in is real estate.
Besides directly owning a home or office complex, an easy way to get exposure is
to own Real Estate Investment Trusts, or REITs."

What about Sovereign Wealth Funds? They have been hitting the news pretty regularly. If you need to come up to speed on this subject - check out this short article at SmartMoney.

Interesting Posts and Articles
Blogging is becoming a vocation and new sources of income generation are on the horizon.

"As more people see potential in earning money off the Internet, there is a quickly expanding array of advertising services and tools for bloggers that go well beyond the standard pay-per-click text ads or display ads."
WSJ - New Services Help Bloggers Bring in Ad Revenue

Do the latest energy efficient applicances really save you money? The Digerati Life provides a compelling case (25% reduction in energy expense) in favor of this investment.

Do you ponder the merits of lump sum investing versus little by little. Little by little (also called dollar cost averaging) may be the winner but for reasons that are more psychological than financial. Check out this CNNMoney story on this subject.

Seth Godin pointed out this riff by Polly. Freedom = Success (And not the other way around). Hmmmm!

A very interesting view on how we shortchange ourselves, while serving others. Money $mart Life's post is a compelling read. Check out the Seven Steps to Investing in Yourself.

Subscribe to Investing Lessons RSS Feed or Get Email Updates