The Globe and Mail - John Heinzl Columns

A 'magic formula' for finding cheap companies

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00 EST

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?Stock markets have been no fun whatsoever lately - unless you're a value investor. So many stocks have plunged that it's hard to know where to begin when searching for underpriced companies.

Behold the magic moving average: It's not perfect, but it's close

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00 EST

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a nearly foolproof way to know when the stock market has bottomed? A signal that, with almost 100 per cent accuracy, could tell us when the carnage was over and a new bull market had begun?

BUILDING FOR TOMORROW

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:00 EST

If you read finance books or listen to investment analysts, you probably think building a stock portfolio is as complicated as flying the space shuttle. For example, you've got to track 50-day moving averages, pay attention to earnings surprises and navigate bouts of extreme volatility like we've seen this fall.

That flushing sound you hear? That would be a spiral of chaos

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:00 EST

After some detailed cause-and-effect analysis, we have finally determined what is causing the global economy and financial markets everywhere to spiral relentlessly downward.Turns out the culprit is the men's toilet at The Globe and Mail.

STARS AND DOGS

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:00 EST

Starbucks DOG SBUX: NASDAQYesterday's close$8.61 U.S., down $1.94 over weekThings you can do with $5 instead of going to Starbucks: 1) Buy some underwear to replace the pair you were wearing when the stock market plunged; 2) Repair the flat tire on your old bike so you can cut your commuting costs this winter; 3) Stock up on Nescafe. With consumers in no mood to splurge, Starbucks' quarterly profit plunged 97 per cent, including costs to close 600 U.S. stores.

Brother, can you spare a dividend increase?

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:00 EST

Cheer up, people. Everyone is so glum, you'd almost think there was a severe credit crisis threatening to plunge the global economy into its worst downturn since the Great Depression or something.

Investors not too stimulated by China's stimulus package

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:00 EST

For years, China was the wind beneath the wings of Canada's stock market. Energy, base metals and fertilizer shares all owed their dizzying (and ultimately unsustainable) runups, at least in part, to China's voracious appetite for raw materials.

STARS AND DOGS

Sat, 8 Nov 2008 00:00 EST

La-Z-Boy Yesterday's close: $4.71 U.S., down $1.07 over weekRecession tip #347: Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on a new chair, try standing up to watch your favourite TV shows. Plenty of other folks are doing it. With consumer confidence plunging and credit drying up, ''the furniture industry is in the midst of an unprecedented downward spiral,'' La-Z-Boy president Kurt Darrow said. No wonder the company is cutting 850 jobs and closing up to 20 stores.

Investors searching for reasons to buy

Fri, 7 Nov 2008 00:00 EST

If someone has a morsel of encouraging news they've been waiting to toss to investors, now would be a good time. Because the stock market is increasingly hungry for something - anything - to reverse its latest slide.