Behind each trade or investment, they are there… lurking, waiting to reveal themselves during a moment of weakness. —Recommended Link— Put An Extra $23,000 In Your Pocket Every Year… There’s a simple investing system that regular investors are using to collect extra paychecks every month… totaling as much as $23,000 per year. It’s called The Dividend Trifecta, and they are telling us that this $23,000 number is the real thing. They don’t have special resources or connections… they just have The Dividend Trifecta… and 10 spare minutes a month to use it. Now it’s your turn: click here to… Read More

Behind each trade or investment, they are there… lurking, waiting to reveal themselves during a moment of weakness. —Recommended Link— Put An Extra $23,000 In Your Pocket Every Year… There’s a simple investing system that regular investors are using to collect extra paychecks every month… totaling as much as $23,000 per year. It’s called The Dividend Trifecta, and they are telling us that this $23,000 number is the real thing. They don’t have special resources or connections… they just have The Dividend Trifecta… and 10 spare minutes a month to use it. Now it’s your turn: click here to learn how it works. They are the four fears of investing. I learned about these early into my trading career, and I’ve been a victim of each one over time. All drama aside, they affect every investor or trader who actively manages his or her own money.  In no particular order, the four fears are as follows: 1. Fear Of Loss 2. Fear Of Missing Out 3. Fear Of Letting A Profit Turn Into A Loss 4. Fear Of Being Wrong #-ad_banner-#Despite their prevalence, there are fortunately many methods to help conquer each of these fears. One… Read More

Don’t get distracted by the alphabet soup of emerging market investing — there are other areas to get quality foreign exposure than just through BRIC or MINT countries. U.S. equities have bounced back since their October stumble, but the drop no doubt threw some investors for a loop. Although the bulls seem to have taken over again, I’ve turned some of my attention toward finding good yields and diversification elsewhere. That means going abroad — to one country in particular. #-ad_banner-#The island nation of Taiwan occupies a space of less than 14,000 square miles, but the sovereign state manages to… Read More

Don’t get distracted by the alphabet soup of emerging market investing — there are other areas to get quality foreign exposure than just through BRIC or MINT countries. U.S. equities have bounced back since their October stumble, but the drop no doubt threw some investors for a loop. Although the bulls seem to have taken over again, I’ve turned some of my attention toward finding good yields and diversification elsewhere. That means going abroad — to one country in particular. #-ad_banner-#The island nation of Taiwan occupies a space of less than 14,000 square miles, but the sovereign state manages to rank as the 18th-largest economy in the world by GDP. Strong ties to technology and consumer electronics have left the country with a laundry list of mature, cash-rich companies both forging their own paths and riding the coattails of hardware giants like Apple. Despite this, Taiwan is still viewed as an emerging market, not yet fit to be bestowed with “developed” status by investing benchmarks. Don’t be swayed by the terminology, however, as the increased global shipment of smart phones helped boost GDP growth and push down the jobless rate to 3.99%.  In comparison, the U.S. jobless rate sits at… Read More

Brace yourselves — the busiest retail season of the year is almost upon us.   Many economists have high hopes for consumer activity during the upcoming holidays and for good reason. Three big factors are making a good argument for increased spending in the fourth quarter: 1.    More jobs: September’s unemployment rate of 5.9% is just a few clicks off from what is considered full employment. The American work force has gained two million jobs this year. 2.    Higher confidence: Consumer confidence, which puts a number to how optimistic people feel about the overall state of the economy, is at its highest… Read More

Brace yourselves — the busiest retail season of the year is almost upon us.   Many economists have high hopes for consumer activity during the upcoming holidays and for good reason. Three big factors are making a good argument for increased spending in the fourth quarter: 1.    More jobs: September’s unemployment rate of 5.9% is just a few clicks off from what is considered full employment. The American work force has gained two million jobs this year. 2.    Higher confidence: Consumer confidence, which puts a number to how optimistic people feel about the overall state of the economy, is at its highest point in seven years. 3.    Lower gas prices: Oil prices have fallen to two-year lows, bringing gas prices down with them. Those savings mean income is free to move elsewhere (i.e. into retail).  Analysts expect even more drops to come soon too.   #-ad_banner-#Thinking that the perfect storm is brewing for consumer spending, I set out a few days ago to see if I could uncover a few beat-up apparel stocks that could benefit from a bounce this holiday season. I started with a few basic criteria, whittling down my universe to stocks that are trading near yearly… Read More

Ask any investment advisor, and they’ll tell you that long-term gains trump short-term winnings every day of the week. Big name hedge fund managers like Buffett and Icahn have gained popularity due to their long tenures in the game and envious rates of return. #-ad_banner-#Louis Navellier is a multi-billion dollar asset manager who is a member of those ranks, carving out a niche in growth investing and earning a name for himself through decades of successful stock picking. His performance has earned him a treasure trove of accolades and support.  Even Steve Forbes has recognized the manager’s career, saying Navellier… Read More

Ask any investment advisor, and they’ll tell you that long-term gains trump short-term winnings every day of the week. Big name hedge fund managers like Buffett and Icahn have gained popularity due to their long tenures in the game and envious rates of return. #-ad_banner-#Louis Navellier is a multi-billion dollar asset manager who is a member of those ranks, carving out a niche in growth investing and earning a name for himself through decades of successful stock picking. His performance has earned him a treasure trove of accolades and support.  Even Steve Forbes has recognized the manager’s career, saying Navellier “has had a most enviable long-term investment record.” The de facto growth guru publishes his long stock picks every quarter in a 13F filing as required by the SEC.  This quarter, he’s submitted those picks a month in advance, giving us a fresh look as to what his portfolio looks like without the typical 45-day delay. Navellier sunk a quarter of a billion dollars into four new stocks in Q3 of this year.  However, the four fit within the narrative of a market finally flipping over (which I covered in detail recently), while still keeping some growth stock traits. Tailoring… Read More

Stock exchanges are not alone in seeing prices pull back lately. In at least one case, however, that is actually a good thing.  Drivers both state-side and abroad have no doubt felt the pain at the pump subsiding this fall.  In the United States, many gas stations are now hawking unleaded for under $3.00 a gallon — a welcome sight in my eyes, at least.  #-ad_banner-#Those lower prices have come at a cost to some portfolios, however.  Oil prices have been steadily declining since making highs in June, falling from north of $104 to around $81 at the time this… Read More

Stock exchanges are not alone in seeing prices pull back lately. In at least one case, however, that is actually a good thing.  Drivers both state-side and abroad have no doubt felt the pain at the pump subsiding this fall.  In the United States, many gas stations are now hawking unleaded for under $3.00 a gallon — a welcome sight in my eyes, at least.  #-ad_banner-#Those lower prices have come at a cost to some portfolios, however.  Oil prices have been steadily declining since making highs in June, falling from north of $104 to around $81 at the time this article was written. Considering that nearly every industry is affected by oil in some way, this means there’s a good chance some of your holdings have fallen in tandem. Naturally, oil explorers, producers, and those along the supply chain have been hit the hardest.  Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM), the world’s largest oil company by revenue, has fallen 11% since July.  In contrast, the S&P 500 is only down 2.6% in the same time period.  The big question now: have prices reached a bottom, and is it time to go long big oil? A recent pop in energy stock prices… Read More

I could tell you that October trading has been rocky, but then I’d just be preaching to the choir.    While I’m not ready to declare that the sky is falling, I think the smell of fear among bulls is palpable. Global issues, Ebola news, seasonality and panicked profit-taking are having quite the effect on the markets.   #-ad_banner-#While the recent pull backs may just be corrections ahead of another upswing, the possibility looms that bigger downward volatility could be right around the corner. Keeping this uncertainty in mind, it’s wise to start thinking defensively, in the event this instability… Read More

I could tell you that October trading has been rocky, but then I’d just be preaching to the choir.    While I’m not ready to declare that the sky is falling, I think the smell of fear among bulls is palpable. Global issues, Ebola news, seasonality and panicked profit-taking are having quite the effect on the markets.   #-ad_banner-#While the recent pull backs may just be corrections ahead of another upswing, the possibility looms that bigger downward volatility could be right around the corner. Keeping this uncertainty in mind, it’s wise to start thinking defensively, in the event this instability is here to stay.     To be more specific, I’m talking about protecting profits, considering products that perform well in both bear and bull markets and speculating to make money in the meantime.   Protect Your Profits With the recent rash of 1% moves in equity markets, now is a good time to take a closer look at your portfolio and see if an overhaul is due. For your longer-term, blue-chip “Forever” stocks, stay the course.  Short-term fluctuations should not matter and attempting to time the market is difficult to do profitably.   For your more… Read More

Most investors you meet fall in two categories: those who love to find and follow trends, and those who are contrarians and habitually go against the grain. I’m not ashamed to admit that I fit into the latter category, following a Buffett-esque approach that pushes me to search for stocks that have fallen out of favor with the broader market.  I’m also not ashamed to admit that I love stock screens. Anyone who has read my previous research can attest to that. I see them as a great way to uncover stocks that might not normally come across your desk. Read More

Most investors you meet fall in two categories: those who love to find and follow trends, and those who are contrarians and habitually go against the grain. I’m not ashamed to admit that I fit into the latter category, following a Buffett-esque approach that pushes me to search for stocks that have fallen out of favor with the broader market.  I’m also not ashamed to admit that I love stock screens. Anyone who has read my previous research can attest to that. I see them as a great way to uncover stocks that might not normally come across your desk. #-ad_banner-#So what better way to combine my two investing loves than in a search for the latest, greatest reversal trades going into the end of 2014?  With the idea to source stocks that institutions love but markets hate, I set out to perform a multi-step screen to drill-down my investing universe.  I started with a basic sort by market capitalization and stock price.  While this screen is pretty speculative in nature, I wanted to eliminate any extra risk due to tiny stock prices or micro-cap sizes.  As such, I made sure market caps were $750 million or greater and stock… Read More

When most people start investing, they are urged to go with what they know. Used Colgate toothpaste all your life?  Buy some CL stock. Can’t imagine a day without a can of Coke?  Time to buy some KO shares. While I agree with the underlying premise, it proves a point about what I consider the “tangibility” of a brand.  Many stocks make their way into portfolios because they are seen, used or visited on a consistent basis by their investors. Falling under that argument are U.S. retail pharmacies, which seem to… Read More

When most people start investing, they are urged to go with what they know. Used Colgate toothpaste all your life?  Buy some CL stock. Can’t imagine a day without a can of Coke?  Time to buy some KO shares. While I agree with the underlying premise, it proves a point about what I consider the “tangibility” of a brand.  Many stocks make their way into portfolios because they are seen, used or visited on a consistent basis by their investors. Falling under that argument are U.S. retail pharmacies, which seem to find a home on every other major intersection in cities and towns across the country.  Drugstores like CVS Health, Walgreen, and Rite Aid are just as ubiquitous as Wal-Mart or Home Depot these days, making them prime candidates for investment under the “go with what you know” mantra. It’s a great starting point to whittle down your investing universe, but drugstores in particular happen to have many characteristics that make attractive investments in their own right. For long-term investors, the allure of drugstores centers on the two main industries they are tied the closest… Read More

Every quarter, I sift through a list of thirty billionaire asset managers and their holdings, uncovering the biggest similarities and differences that might be ripe for in-depth study. All the favorites are on my list: Warren Buffett, George Soros and Carl Icahn are some of the more notable names.  Big earners like David Einhorn, Stanley Druckenmiller and Donald Yacktman add extra weight to the group, joining twenty-four others who have amassed a ten-figure (or higher) bank balance through market speculating.   One of my favorite studies is to see which stocks appear most often in the portfolios of these gurus. … Read More

Every quarter, I sift through a list of thirty billionaire asset managers and their holdings, uncovering the biggest similarities and differences that might be ripe for in-depth study. All the favorites are on my list: Warren Buffett, George Soros and Carl Icahn are some of the more notable names.  Big earners like David Einhorn, Stanley Druckenmiller and Donald Yacktman add extra weight to the group, joining twenty-four others who have amassed a ten-figure (or higher) bank balance through market speculating.   One of my favorite studies is to see which stocks appear most often in the portfolios of these gurus.  They must have a broad following from billionaires for a reason, so let’s make it a point to find out why.  See below for a list of six stocks that at least half of the thirty managers I follow own. Stock Symbol No. of Funds That Own (out of 30) Apple, Inc. AAPL 18 Anadarko Petroleum Corp. APC 18 Facebook, Inc. FB 17 Liberty Global PLC LBTYK 16 Micron Technology, Inc. MU 15 Actavis PLC ACT 15 You’d be hard-pressed to visit any stock research website and not see tons of commentary about Facebook and Apple.  In the interest of… Read More

It’s always important to keep an eye on where the big money is headed, namely Warren Buffett’s Bershire Hathaway, Inc. After all, Buffett is one of the wealthiest people on Earth. Since the SEC requires institutional money managers who oversee more than $100 million to disclose certain transactions each quarter, following firms like Berkshire is made easy. And Buffett’s firm easily makes the mark, managing more than $180 billion.  That includes Berkshire’s record $55 billion in cash piling up in the bank, which my colleague David Sterman wrote about recently. Berkshire’s 13F filing from the second… Read More

It’s always important to keep an eye on where the big money is headed, namely Warren Buffett’s Bershire Hathaway, Inc. After all, Buffett is one of the wealthiest people on Earth. Since the SEC requires institutional money managers who oversee more than $100 million to disclose certain transactions each quarter, following firms like Berkshire is made easy. And Buffett’s firm easily makes the mark, managing more than $180 billion.  That includes Berkshire’s record $55 billion in cash piling up in the bank, which my colleague David Sterman wrote about recently. Berkshire’s 13F filing from the second quarter of 2014 is now available, and there are two big additions. See below for a quick glance at each. That’s over $430 million worth of capital dumped into just two companies last quarter, which is quite the vote of confidence, even when you’re playing with billions.   Looking a bit closer, however, we can see that the $66 million worth of DNOW was the product of a spin-off versus an outright purchase.   The oil and gas parts distributor used to be a part of National Oilwell Varco, Inc. (NYSE: NOV) but was split-off at the start… Read More