Ed. note: Here the latest installment from longtime reader Myron Martin. As always, he has agreed to our trading restrictions, we have not reviewed, approved or screened his stocks or ideas, and the opinions he expresses are solely his own. Many of the stocks Myron covers are microcap “penny stocks” that can move dramatically with or without fundamental reasons, so please be cautious. Myron’s past commentaries can be seen here.

This year-end article will be different than most, as it is more of a reflection on what we have accomplished together in the past nine months of my columns and the potential for the new year. Because of staff holidays, I am writing this several weeks ahead of its actual publishing date, so I will not be able to offer as much up-to-date information. But, because of information that may accumulate during the holidays, I will post at least one year-end stock pick in the “comments section,” once this is published, as well as whatever pertinent press releases may come out between December 17th and the end of the year, and probably the first week of January. So, check back often for updates.

I am hoping you will have some time over the holidays to check out the links I have provided to essays and videos that I think will lead to even better investment decisions in 2014. Without understanding what is happening on the political level and how it affects the markets, or how the markets are likely to react to explosive political situations, it will be difficult to make sound investment decisions for the new year.

Here is an example of important press release about IBC Advanced Alloys (IB.V IAALF).

I post the press release because it shows how quickly a junior stock, in particular, can react to news that can not be known in advance. However, it is very relevant to the quote from legendary investor Benjamin Graham, which is of great encouragement to me, because it reflects exactly how I think and act based on my research. I have confidence in my convictions and always believed that IBC Advanced Alloys would be a long-term winner.

“If you have formed a conclusion from the facts, and if you know your judgement is sound, act on it – even though others may hesitate or differ. You are neither right nor wrong because the crowd disagrees with you. You are right because your data and ...