Michael Hooper

Union Pacific handled the first quarter weather delays better than its Eastern competitors. Look for this railroad to edge out its competitors throughout 2014 and beyond.

Follow Warren Buffet's lead in creating intrinsic value by increasing your annual earnings while growing the value of your investments and net worth.

Railroads are an excellent barometer of the health of the economy and so far in 2014 rail traffic is pointing to a slowdown in the first-quarter economy in North America.

Disgruntled investors have been selling PepsiCo's shares, driving the stock down 4% since the company announced earnings. At what price is this stock a buy?

Using a modified dollar-cost-averaging technique, investors can selectively and incrementally buy stocks in a falling market to reduce risk.

Hershey is the leading chocolate company in North America, but it's committed to spreading its iconic brand globally, particularly in Asia.

Hedge fund manager William Ackman agreed to sell some Canadian Pacific Railway to fund other investments, but is he selling the stock too early?

A strong harvest and falling commodity prices will benefit food giants Archer Daniels Midland, ConAgra and Bunge. Get the full scoop here...

Canadian National Railway is the only transcontinental railroad with connections to three coasts. And it's the most efficient in the business.

Consumer stocks can be a great addition to a portfolio of dividend stocks. However, some consumer stocks are struggling to grow revenue and earnings.

As railroads spend billions to move larger volumes of oil and freight, smart investors should look for rail companies that earn the fattest returns on their capital investments.

The price of gold is down 22% this year. If the U.S. economy continues to grow and inflation remains tame, gold prices may remain flat for a while.

If the economy continues to chug ahead, even at low growth rates, rail traffic will rise, resulting in higher earnings for railroads.

Income investors may want to consider buying food stocks that provide steady dividends.

Consumer stocks are up 20% this year, yet investors can still earn 2.5% dividend yield from stocks that sell dish soap, dog food and baking soda.

Chipotle's create-your-own burrito concept is so wildly popular that pizza companies are using the concept to cater to customers who like to build their own pizza.

Tobacco stocks have a history of providing steady dividends. Here are four tobacco companies with yields ranging from 4.6% to 9.3%.

Railroads' growth in intermodal, auto, and oil shipments have offset losses in coal.

Stocks in Overstock.com and eBay fell this week after their third-quarter results failed to meet analysts' expectations, although both posted higher revenues and earnings from a year ago.

Asian manufacturers import metallurgical coal from western Canada to build cars and appliances. One way to profit from this trend is to own railroads and terminals that move coal.