RLI Corp’s (RLI) third quarter earnings of $1.18 per share were well ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 94 cents. Results reflected higher underwriting income and favorable reserve development from prior years’ loss reserves. The company had earned $1.12 per share in the year-ago quarter. RLI’s underwriting income was $23.0 million, up 51.3% year-over-year. Book [...]

(RLI) RLI Corporation Surpasses Consensus Estimates

Fortunately my portfolio management methods don’t revolve around  frequent trading.  One of my kids came up to me recently and said, “What did you do today, Dad?”  I said, “I made one trade, and I did a bunch of research.”  He then asked, “How often do you trade?”  I answered, “That was my first trade in a week, and I haven’t traded much in the last two months, but that’s not normal.  There is no normal for me. When the market is really volatile, I trade a lot more, selling when stocks are rising, and buying when they are selling off.  When the market is relatively placid, I don’t do much.” He looked at me, kind of smiled, and moved on.  Information overload from Dad. Most people and investment managers trade too often.  They sell their winners too rapidly, and panic too soon on their losers.  Now, I’m not advocating “buy and forget,” or Buffett’s statement, “Our favorite holding period is forever.”[More...]

Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of RLI Corp. (NYSE: RLI). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis:[More...]

BB&T (BBT) and Legg Mason (LM) are the latest financial stock to drastically cut dividends . This didn’t shock anyone, as the financial sector has received a pretty bad reputation for its enormous losses and massive dividend cuts. The careful income investor who is looking for ways to generate some income from ...

Legg Mason (LM) is the latest financial stock to drastically cut dividends after reporting a large fourth quarter loss for 2008.[More...]