The pharmaceutical sector is well known as one of the most volatile and lucrative stock market sectors. It can also be the most emotionally rewarding, as you invest in companies that are creating innovative, life-saving treatments for various illnesses. #-ad_banner-#But with high returns come high risk, and the pharmaceutical sector’s reputation as one of the riskiest is well deserved. In fact, pharma’s inherent volatility can make it downright dangerous for investors. Share prices can quickly gain 100% on the back of the positive news or lose 50% or more in a short time when negative news hits the wire. The… Read More

The pharmaceutical sector is well known as one of the most volatile and lucrative stock market sectors. It can also be the most emotionally rewarding, as you invest in companies that are creating innovative, life-saving treatments for various illnesses. #-ad_banner-#But with high returns come high risk, and the pharmaceutical sector’s reputation as one of the riskiest is well deserved. In fact, pharma’s inherent volatility can make it downright dangerous for investors. Share prices can quickly gain 100% on the back of the positive news or lose 50% or more in a short time when negative news hits the wire. The key to success in pharmaceutical investing is to locate firms that are on the cutting edge of novel research and have multiple products in their pipeline. Ideally, you also want a company whose shares have recently taken a hit due to a short-term negative event that caused an investor overreaction. With these points in mind, I have located an ideal pharmaceutical stock that has been recently been pushed down, creating massive upside potential. The company, Alnylam (Nasdaq: ALNY), was founded in 2002 with a mandate to advance RNA interference (RNAi) as an entirely new class of medicines. RNAi is a… Read More

The old saying that every dog has its day is particularly applicable on Wall Street. In this case, the dogs are reliable companies that have underperformed over a one-year period that then outperform over the next year. In many instances, the opposite is also true; outperformers one year can be… Read More

Investors are gearing up for an exciting 2017. The new White House has exciting and lucrative plans for our nation. Stocks have already performed extremely enthusiastically to the pending changes. #-ad_banner-#Many investors are particularly excited about the ramp-up in infrastructure spending about to be released on America’s aging bridges, roads, and waterways. There is little question that the pending increase in spending will create a plethora of jobs and greatly benefit the population across the board. At the same time, there is a quiet revolution taking place in the infrastructure space. I am not talking about traditional infrastructure like most… Read More

Investors are gearing up for an exciting 2017. The new White House has exciting and lucrative plans for our nation. Stocks have already performed extremely enthusiastically to the pending changes. #-ad_banner-#Many investors are particularly excited about the ramp-up in infrastructure spending about to be released on America’s aging bridges, roads, and waterways. There is little question that the pending increase in spending will create a plethora of jobs and greatly benefit the population across the board. At the same time, there is a quiet revolution taking place in the infrastructure space. I am not talking about traditional infrastructure like most others. You can’t as easily see, touch, or feel this critical American infrastructure; but it is every bit as important to our economy as the traditional infrastructure. This is internet infrastructure, also known as the “backbone” of the web. Companies involved in this sector are poised for substantial gains in 2017 and beyond. I have identified three such companies that are poised to ride the wave higher. The way I see it, there are three main factors that will be driving this boom. First, the pending statutory corporate tax rate reduction will encourage U.S. Internet infrastructure firms to use… Read More

Freedom, opportunity, rock ‘n’ roll, baseball, apple pie, and a cultural melting pot are commonly associated with American culture. #-ad_banner-#But perhaps even more ubiquitous are our mega-corporations. Giants like Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), Ford (NYSE: F), and Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) are on the forefront of American corporate identity. Digging deeper, names like McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD), Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS), and Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) come to mind. I cannot help but think of all the stock market fortunes these seven American icons have built over the years. It’s truly staggering to realize all the family fortunes that have been made with… Read More

Freedom, opportunity, rock ‘n’ roll, baseball, apple pie, and a cultural melting pot are commonly associated with American culture. #-ad_banner-#But perhaps even more ubiquitous are our mega-corporations. Giants like Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), Ford (NYSE: F), and Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) are on the forefront of American corporate identity. Digging deeper, names like McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD), Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS), and Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) come to mind. I cannot help but think of all the stock market fortunes these seven American icons have built over the years. It’s truly staggering to realize all the family fortunes that have been made with only one or two of these iconic American corporations as the core component. And there’s another one of these American icons that is a great buy right now. This company is 118 years old and has a logo that is globally recognizable by nearly everyone. Despite boasting a market cap of over $8 billion and revenue of more than $15 billion, this company has been widely disregarded by investors over the last several years. Shares are just below breaking even on the year, down 2.2% to date. That makes Goodyear Tire & Rubber (Nasdaq: GT) a great buy at its… Read More

2016 has been a great year to be a stock market investor. All the major indexes have moved solidly higher, providing profits for short-term traders and long-term investors alike. Dark, bearish fears of the regulatory regime change have been proven wrong as the indexes accelerate on the upside. There is even a chance for the DJIA to break 20,000 before 2017, an unthinkable accomplishment just a few months ago. Thanks to the monster bull market of 2016, nearly everyone is sitting on substantial profits as the year winds down. I can feel the excitement and anticipation whenever I speak with… Read More

2016 has been a great year to be a stock market investor. All the major indexes have moved solidly higher, providing profits for short-term traders and long-term investors alike. Dark, bearish fears of the regulatory regime change have been proven wrong as the indexes accelerate on the upside. There is even a chance for the DJIA to break 20,000 before 2017, an unthinkable accomplishment just a few months ago. Thanks to the monster bull market of 2016, nearly everyone is sitting on substantial profits as the year winds down. I can feel the excitement and anticipation whenever I speak with my fellow investors. The optimism and positive energy are truly off the charts wherever stock market investors gather. One thing that I have noticed is that many investors are so excited about their success, they forget about the taxes due by April 15. Investors of all types still must return a portion of their gains to Uncle Sam come Tax Day.  And some will be shocked at the amount owed! The good news is that there are several legal ways to mitigate your 2016 federal tax bill. Before we get started, it is critical to note that I am not… Read More

Stock investors have truly been blessed in 2016. The major averages have been rocketing higher despite dire predictions of a crash due to the uncertainty revolving around the current president-elect. Rather than dropping on this uncertainty, stocks have embraced the pro-business and nationalistic stance of the pending administration with an incredible vigor. But it poses the question: Is this the end of the bull market? To answer this vexing question, I decided to take a close look at the most popular stock market barometer for answers. What I discovered was surprising. While no one knows for certain what the future… Read More

Stock investors have truly been blessed in 2016. The major averages have been rocketing higher despite dire predictions of a crash due to the uncertainty revolving around the current president-elect. Rather than dropping on this uncertainty, stocks have embraced the pro-business and nationalistic stance of the pending administration with an incredible vigor. But it poses the question: Is this the end of the bull market? To answer this vexing question, I decided to take a close look at the most popular stock market barometer for answers. What I discovered was surprising. While no one knows for certain what the future holds, my research reveals that the bull market could easily last another two or more years. What Has Happened So Far? At the time of this writing, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) has pushed another 100 points higher into the 19,900 area. Early in 2016, the DJIA hit a low in the 15,450 zone on pre-election jitters. Since that time, this index, affectionately known as the stock market barometer, has added over 14% in a steady climb higher. In the short time since the election, the index has risen by over 8%. #-ad_banner-#These figures mean that the DJIA… Read More

Initial public offerings (IPOs) can be the most profitable stock market investments on the face of the earth. Every investor has heard tales of, or been fortunate enough to participate in, newly issued stocks that have returned gains in the hundreds of percentage points over the holding period. Often, it’s only the insiders who can earn those incredible returns from an IPO. This is because the underwriter of the IPO deal allocates shares to its ideal institutional client, who in turn typically distributes them to their best customers at the public offering price. Unless you are a major customer of… Read More

Initial public offerings (IPOs) can be the most profitable stock market investments on the face of the earth. Every investor has heard tales of, or been fortunate enough to participate in, newly issued stocks that have returned gains in the hundreds of percentage points over the holding period. Often, it’s only the insiders who can earn those incredible returns from an IPO. This is because the underwriter of the IPO deal allocates shares to its ideal institutional client, who in turn typically distributes them to their best customers at the public offering price. Unless you are a major customer of the institution or have insider connections there, the odds of getting in first are slim to none. #-ad_banner-#Those lucky enough to obtain an allocation can sell the shares for a fast profit, a tactic known as flipping. Fortunes have been made by investors who get the chance to participate in this lucrative technique. However, it is important to note that employees and company officials are barred from flipping their shares for a profit. Called a lock-up, this SEC rule mandates that employees and management not sell their IPO shares for a minimum of 90 days after the IPO date. The… Read More

The cybersecurity market is projected to be worth over $200 billion by 2021. This translates to a 10% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next five years. Now is the perfect time to grab a piece of this burgeoning industry. I have identified three perfect stocks primed to ride the wave to long-term profits. #-ad_banner-#First, let’s take a closer look at the market. The rapid expansion of cybersecurity is in response to a major problem facing our internet-connected society. Many incidents of fraud, theft, and other illegal activities have moved from the physical world to a far more difficult… Read More

The cybersecurity market is projected to be worth over $200 billion by 2021. This translates to a 10% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next five years. Now is the perfect time to grab a piece of this burgeoning industry. I have identified three perfect stocks primed to ride the wave to long-term profits. #-ad_banner-#First, let’s take a closer look at the market. The rapid expansion of cybersecurity is in response to a major problem facing our internet-connected society. Many incidents of fraud, theft, and other illegal activities have moved from the physical world to a far more difficult place to discover. While crime is still rampant in the physical world, a clear majority of white collar crime has moved into cyberspace. Police departments, and even many government agencies, are powerless to fight this hidden epidemic in the traditional fashion. In 2014, it was estimated that $445 billion is lost annually due to cybercrime. Cybercrime is targeted is at companies, governments, and individuals. Bloomberg reports that 40 million people in the United States had their personal information stolen within the last year. Also last year, an unnamed oil company lost hundreds of millions of dollars in business opportunities when… Read More

I love attending investment conferences. Investors gather to discuss the latest and most efficient methods of profiting from the financial markets. Encouraged and guided by the speakers, who are recognized experts in their discipline, the discourse among the attendees often reveals the current state of the markets. Knowing the consensus… Read More

On the night of the U.S. Presidential election, I was rudely awakened by an alert siren on my trading station. Stumbling out of bed, I could not believe my eyes. Dow Jones futures were down nearly 800 points! #-ad_banner-#Just then my phone rang — my fund manager friend called to warn me that the market could be down another several thousand points by the end of the next day. Having followed his lead, I had a minuscule short position on in the futures and was thrilled with the huge gains earned by the short. Rather than doing the right thing… Read More

On the night of the U.S. Presidential election, I was rudely awakened by an alert siren on my trading station. Stumbling out of bed, I could not believe my eyes. Dow Jones futures were down nearly 800 points! #-ad_banner-#Just then my phone rang — my fund manager friend called to warn me that the market could be down another several thousand points by the end of the next day. Having followed his lead, I had a minuscule short position on in the futures and was thrilled with the huge gains earned by the short. Rather than doing the right thing by setting stops, I decided to go back to sleep and let the trade ride. Upon awakening, I was shocked to see the trade almost back to even, crushing all of my gains. The market panicked on the Trump win, but investors quickly realized their collective mistake and bought back into the market aggressively. The Dow has since rallied over 1,000 points to all-time highs. The move has confounded the bears and surprised even the most hard-core bulls. In retrospect, the rally should not have been that surprising. Trump’s protectionist rhetoric, corporate tax slashing, and even pending inflationary pressure can… Read More