Advisors qualified based on quantitative and qualitative factors.

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Realize that some risk factors will not be apparent when basic quantitative analysis is performed.

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Apart from the statistical problems that hide inflation, there are also macroeconomic factors that have helped keep prices down despite the quantitative easing.

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Ira Epstein, director of the Ira Epstein division of The Linn Group, cited quantitative easing and early expectations for improvement in Christmas-related sales as factors that may help commodities.

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Along with the quantitative and valuation analysis, they also look at: key success factors, key risk factors, the competitive landscape, insiders, institutional holdings, what type of institutions are holding the stock, and catalysts that might drive the stock up (or down).

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