If market history is any guide, the best time to buy stocks is in late October and the best time to sell them is in May.

According to Thackray's 2010 Investor's Guide, the most profitable trade since 1950 has been to buy large-cap stocks (S&P 500 Index) on October 28 and selling those same stocks on May 5.

Judging by the break-even rates on inflation-protected bonds, the United Kingdom is home to the highest future inflation of any major nation. And that means shorting – or betting against – British gilts (government bonds) will probably rank as one of the smartest speculations over the next five years.

Long-term break-even rates for U.K. TIPS in 2035 show a 3.4% inflation rate – the highest in the G-10. This compares to 2.2% for U.S. break-even rates maturing in 2039.

By Ashish Advani

Despite fears plaguing the dollar and a questionable financial system in Western countries, the Indian subcontinent isn’t just soldiering on; it’s already thriving.

By Eric Roseman

In late 2008 I made the compelling case for high quality investment-grade bonds. In 2009, high-grade debt has gained 16.4%, according to the Dow Jones Corporate Bond Index compared to 18.6% for the S&P 500 Index, including dividends.

By Eric Roseman

Gold is rising because the post-Breton Woods exchange rate system doesn’t work.

It’s a big mistake to assume that bank balance-sheets across Europe have already seen the worst as the global economic recovery enters its sixth month.

Credit default swaps, contracting bank lending, tepid consumer spending and regional woes in Central Europe all pose ongoing threats to a sustainable recovery in Europe.

By Eric Roseman

Global Finance magazine's August 25 survey of the world's safest banks pegs The Royal Bank of Canada (RY), or RBC, as the world's tenth safest financial institution. Five other Canadian banks managed to land in the Top 50.

The trend in copper might be bullish as prices border $3 per pound amid a race to the moon since earlier this year. China, more than any other consuming nation this decade, is largely responsible for driving the primary trend in copper prices as she builds her rapidly growing domestic infrastructure.

But the fundamental picture for Dr. Copper is growing more bearish by the day as the Chinese have completed recent stockpiling for this cycle…

At least from my home here in Montreal, the emerging markets “bubble” appears to be pricked.

Though it’s still too early to tell if this big rally off the October lows is finally over for emerging markets, investors are glued to the price action in Shanghai this summer for clues if this is a correction or the “beginning of the end” for the asset class.

According to InsiderScore.com, U.S. corporate insider selling reached its highest levels for the week ending August 11 since June 5, 2007.

Insiderscore.com tracks publicly traded buying and selling activity in the United States, and it’s the best service I’ve seen focusing on this discipline.

If you’re like me and reluctant to join the stock market frenzy with open arms, then consider buying reverse index funds that bet against Treasury bonds.

This strategy offers a high value alternative to joining a 50%-plus stock market rally since March as long-term interest rates rise on most days when the stock market climbs.

Junk bonds are the next “bubble

Since March, credit spreads on the most speculative debt have crashed to their lowest levels since the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy in mid-September.

By Eric Roseman

Credit card securitization is the new dirty phrase in mid-2009, as banks face an avalanche of bad loans tied to consumer loans that were aggressively sold to investors as individual securities prior to the credit crash almost 24 months ago.

By Eric Roseman

How many investors shorted technology stocks in the late 1990s ahead of the bust in March 2000?

By Eric Roseman

Germans will soon be able to buy gold in vending machines across the country the same way most people purchase a chocolate bar or a soda. That’s not the sort of bullish development that’s conducive to new highs for the gold market – at least not for now.

By Eric Roseman

One of the greatest asset reversals has occurred over the last three months with stunning velocity…

By Eric Roseman

Depending on your outlook for the global economy and corporate earnings over the next 12 months, Norwegian stocks are either a great buy or a timely sell. But in my view, the investment-grade corporate bond market looks far more attractive – especially for dollar and euro based investors.

This is my second visit to Norway since May.

Oslo is a great city, and a superb walking town. Just 100 meters from my hotel is the Norwegian Parliament building and from there a great “Handler Ømradet” or shopping area littered with all sorts of interesting things to see and buy.

Ten years ago, Asian equities paid pitifully low dividends following the bull market in the late 1990s. But that’s all starting to change as many markets in the region now offer higher dividend payouts than the S&P 500 and many European equity markets…

Asia, unlike major Western markets, already suffered from an economic depression in 1997-1998 as country after country was sucked into a massive currency and debt crisis smashed into the region.

By Eric Roseman

The lack of dividends today will probably delay a full recovery for the stock market.