It’s the spoiled brat market. Dozens of companies this past month posted blow-out earnings but instead of being thankful, investors stomped their feet and sold. The result: The Dow Jones industrial average fell 3.5 percent in January, the worst month for stocks since the depths of the bear market last year.

C ommon sense says the current earnings season should be a good time for stocks. Eighty per cent of the companies on the S&P 500 that have already reported quarterly results have beaten the Street’s expectations. But nothing is as it seems these days in the markets, and the benchmark U.S

J. P. Morgan and the Concentrated Silver Position Feb 1, 2010 Dianne Smith The price of silver has historically been one twelfth to one sixteenth that of gold.

Trade as a Business to Gain Several Tax Benefits Jan 31, 2010 David Todd Trading stocks or other securities, as opposed to investing in those securities, may result in the trader qualifying for a special tax status. To do so, the trader must be trading stocks (or other securities such as options, futures, Forex, etc.) as a business. IRS rules, while not being very exact, give guidance to the trader and tax preparers as to when trader tax status can be claimed

With the recent increase in advertisements for cheap and low-cost health solutions, many consumers are becoming increasingly skeptical of the veracity of some health insurance advertisements. Those consumers may be wise, says the Idaho Department of Insurance – the state regulatory authority for the Idaho insurance industry. However, if consumers need lower-cost health plans, they should look into opening Health Savings Accounts that come with low-cost high deductible health plans

The Medi-Cal program, which provides health care coverage for qualifying California residents – announced this month that it will restore dental coverage benefits to its beneficiaries who lost their coverage as a result of state budget cuts in 2009. With the restored benefits, more Californians will be able to receive important dental care coverage that they had to go without for a portion of last year. The Medi-Cal program is offered through Health Net of California.

I f you want to know whether Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan POT-T still has a target on its back, don’t look at the markets or the financial news.