Fools were out and about this week in an investing world jampacked with actions and ideas. Here are three articles you might find useful as you decide how to invest your money.
Why China Hates QE2
China doesn't like the United States' newest program of quantitative easing, aka QE2. Tim Hanson, co-advisor of Motley Fool Global Gains, took a look this week at both why China is worried about it and why we should care that China isn't happy.
"The goal of QE2 is to drive down long-term interest rates, thereby making it cheaper for individuals and corporations to borrow money," Tim wrote. Beneficiaries will include borrowers who "use cheap money to make speculative investments," and this outflow of money from the U.S. could work to destabilize the economies of emerging-market countries such as China.
This is only one reason China hates QE2; check out the article to read the rest of what Tim had to say.
Next Up for Banks: Dividends?
Fool contributor Matt Koppenheffer has good news for dividend-loving investors whose hearts were broken by the banking sector over the past few years.
"If we're to believe reports circling late last week, then the Federal Reserve may be preparing guidelines for banks that want to start boosting their dividend payouts," Matt wrote. So he rounded up four banks for your consideration, banks with "some of the best balance sheets in the business right now and [which] will all be in a good position to raise dividends when the green light starts flashing." These banks include PNC Financial and Comerica (NYSE: CMA ) .
Then Matt went a step further and found four strong banks already offering meaningful payouts. Cullen/Frost Bankers (NYSE: CFR ) made the cut with a 3.2% dividend yield, and M&T Bank (NYSE: MTB ) topped his list with 3.4%.
Read the article to see whether you're ready to give dividend-paying banks another chance.
Jim Cramer's Worst Advice Ever?
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (Nasdaq: GMCR ) sells an upscale gadget allowing people to make coffee at home. Can SodaStream (Nasdaq: SODA ) have similar success with its carbonated-beverage maker?
Maybe, maybe not. The point of longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz's article about the SodaStream stock, and about Jim Cramer's commentary on it, was that there's a flaw in trying to compare the two stocks because they aren't starting from the same place. If for no other reason, SodaStream isn't likely to see the torrid growth rate that Green Mountain Coffee did because it isn't as small as Green Mountain used to be. When considering any stock's potential, it's important to remember that it's easier for a smaller company to double than a larger one.
See the article to read more about the in-home soda machine and the company's potential.
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