[Editor’s Note: When it comes to global investing, longtime market guru Martin Hutchinson is one of the very best – because he knows the markets firsthand. After years of advising government finance ministers, crafting deals with global investment banks, and analyzing the world’s financial markets, Hutchinson has used his creative insights to create a trading service for savvy investors.

The Permanent Wealth Investorassembles high-yeilding dividend stocks, profit plays on gold and specially designated “Alpha Bull Dog” stocks into high-income/high-return portfolios for subscribers. Hutchinson’s strategy is tailor-made for periods of market uncertainty, during which investors all too often go completely to cash – only to miss some of the biggest market returns in history when market sentiment turns positive. But it can work in virtually every market environment.

To find out about this strategy – or Hutchinson’s new service, …

[Editor's Note: When it comes to global investing, longtime market guru Martin Hutchinson is one of the very best - because he knows the markets firsthand. After years of advising government finance ministers, crafting deals with global investment banks, and analyzing the world's financial markets, Hutchinson has used his creative insights to create a trading service for savvy investors.

The Permanent Wealth Investorassembles high-yeilding dividend stocks, profit plays on gold and specially designated “Alpha Bull Dog” stocks into high-income/high-return portfolios for subscribers. Hutchinson’s strategy is tailor-made for periods of market uncertainty, during which investors all too often go completely to cash – only to miss some of the biggest market returns in history when market sentiment turns positive. But it can work in virtually every market environment.

To find out about this strategy – or Hutchinson’s new service, …

This post is a guest contribution by Asha Bangalore* of The Northern Trust Company.

The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), the arbiter of business cycles, officially announced the trough of March 1991 on December 22, 1992 and the trough of November 2001 on July 17, 2003. Based on this history, there is a lapse of roughly 20 months before the Business Cycle Dating Committee has announced the date of a business cycle trough. Real gross domestic product had risen in the second quarter of 1991 (see chart 1) and the fourth quarter of 2001 (see chart 2) and stayed positive until the next recession.

Real gross domestic product is projected to show an increase in the third quarter of 2009. Real gross domestic product is a quarterly estimate.

Why Is Beijing Investing $200 Billion in One Company? The answer is simple. This rail company hauls 25% of the world’s freight – but it only has 6% of the world’s track. Right now, freight supply is 65% shy of demand. Sales for this company have grown on average 47% over the last five year. And now, with a $200 billion infusion, it’s about to jump even higher. Estimates show the potential gains at 356%. Click here for the full report.

By Bob Blandeburgo
Associate Editor
Money Morning

The much-anticipated earnings report from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) and new data from the U.S. Department of Commerce yesterday (Thursday) showed that consumers are not only reeling in their discretionary spending, but may also be pulling the reins on the necessities.

Retail sales fell 0.1% in July from the previous month, and 8.3% from a …