John Dorfman is chairman of Thunderstorm Capital in Boston and a syndicated columnist. His firm or clients may own or trade securities discussed in this column.
John Dorfman can be reached via e-mail or at 617-542-8888
5 stocks to sell right now
By John DorfmanThe adage “Sell in May and Go Away” is, like most adages, an oversimplification. Nonetheless, almost all of the stock market’s net gains do tend to come in the seven months from October through April. The five months from May …
Dormant stocks can be a deal
By John DorfmanIs it an honor to belong to the Do Nothing Club? That’s a trick question. I started the “club” in a whimsical moment 14 years ago. It contains stocks that have gone absolutely nowhere in the past year, but that …
5 stocks to play it fairly safe
By John DorfmanMost investors are torn right now. The stock market’s party is fun, so they don’t want to leave. Yet, with recession raging in Europe and the federal budget in the United States still a mess, they are tempted to follow …
Don’t lower your standards when picking stocks
By John DorfmanOver a pizza late one night in college, a few male friends and I were discussing our “ideal woman.” Not surprisingly, we had similar visions — beautiful, intelligent, kind, sexy, fun. “But Chip,” said my friend Michael, “what makes you …
If you’re going to be a cheapskate, be patient
By John DorfmanInspired by a paper written by my mentor, David Dreman, I wrote five columns in 2002-2006 about the “Cheapskate Portfolio.” This hypothetical portfolio contains the cheapest stock, measured by price/earnings ratio (P/E), in each of the 10 sectors of the …
Small-cap fans should consider these five stocks
By John DorfmanThe saying that “good things come in small packages” applies to the stock market. During the past few decades, small-capitalization stocks — though probably riskier than large-caps — have outperformed their bigger brethren. If only a few analysts follow a …
30-30 Club for stocks, not baseball
By John DorfmanBaseball’s 30-30 Club is reserved for players who smash 30 homes runs and steal 30 bases in the same season. Last year only two players – Mike Trout and Ryan Braun – did it. Since major league baseball began more …
Prediction: Dow to hit 25K in ’17
By John DorfmanFor the past 13 years, the stock market has zigged and zagged but shown only a modest net gain. I believe that long-bleak period is ending and a new, secular bull market is beginning. My prediction is that stocks will …
6 Nasdaq companies are enticing
By John DorfmanI can’t believe it’s been so long. I used to write an annual column recommending a few stocks from the Nasdaq Stock Market. The Nasdaq is an interesting arena for stock pickers because it is home to many smaller companies, …
Ready to try economic forecasting?
By John DorfmanFooled ’em again. That is, the economy fooled almost all of the contestants in my annual Derby of Economic Forecasting Talent, or DEFT. The nation’s economic recovery continued in 2012, but at so feeble a pace that 22 out of …
An almost sure-fire way to lose money in stocks
By John DorfmanOne warning signal that reckless investors disregard is extreme overvaluation. And one compelling sign of that is a stock selling for 100 times revenue. To be sure, some stocks with that sort of wild price tag do go up, but …
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