ETFs

Gold was out when the seventies ended, but the loss of confidence in paper money has sent it soaring once more. Investors who missed the metal's recent rise should not despair: There's still plenty time to get in on the action. Here's how.

There's no such thing as a summertime lull when earnings season is upon us. Even if you don't feel like alerting the "sell in May and go away" camp of investors, there are plenty of headlines to be written about. Here are five things that will shape the way the market acts in the week ahead.

With gold trading at around $1,600 an ounce, this most precious of metals seems to many like a smart investment. And if you have a television, you've doubtless seen ads encouraging you to buy physical gold. But think twice: Owning bullion can be more trouble than it's worth, and alternatives exist.

As gold surges past $1,600 an ounce, it's tempting to start rummaging through your jewelry box to raise cash. But there are other, better ways of making money from rising prices. Read on to find out how -- but first, you should know why gold is spiking, and how the price might change.

The Shanghai Composite is as close to a proxy for public firms in China as investors can get, and indexes are believed to reflect where markets think a nation's economy is headed. So what does it mean that, despite China's white-hot growth, the Shanghai Composite has been seriously lagging the S&P; 500?

Tiger Woods may not have won a PGA tournament in nearly two years, and his last attempt to take home a green jacket from the Masters was a bust, but the virtual Tiger is on a roll: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters has broken all sales records for the Electronic Arts franchise.

Last week, President Obama outlined a new energy policy that aims to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil. How can patient investors capitalize on his vision?