As the saying goes, there are three kinds of falsehoods: lies, damned lies, and statistics.  That quote is often attributed to 19th century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. I doubt he was referring to financial matters. But there are few places where numbers are as frequently bent, twisted, adjusted, and dissected as the investment world.  Even when data isn’t being deliberately manipulated, numbers can still paint a misleading picture. Case in point, you might be surprised to hear that nearly 400 large-cap U.S. stocks are in negative territory this year. That sure doesn’t jive with the healthy 22% return of… Read More

As the saying goes, there are three kinds of falsehoods: lies, damned lies, and statistics.  That quote is often attributed to 19th century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. I doubt he was referring to financial matters. But there are few places where numbers are as frequently bent, twisted, adjusted, and dissected as the investment world.  Even when data isn’t being deliberately manipulated, numbers can still paint a misleading picture. Case in point, you might be surprised to hear that nearly 400 large-cap U.S. stocks are in negative territory this year. That sure doesn’t jive with the healthy 22% return of the S&P 500. —Recommended Link— $5 Stock To Rake In $4.6 Million A DAY In 5G Patent Royalties Apple, Samsung, LG, and others will owe one under-the-radar company up to $6.65 billion in 5G licensing fees… potentially sending this $5 stock to Google levels or higher. Early investors could see $5,000 turn into $117,385 in the next 12 months. Stake your claim before this company’s name hits the evening news. Click here for full details. ​ But this market-cap-weighted barometer isn’t representative of the market as a whole. The… Read More

Last month, I hauled the family from Shreveport, Louisiana, to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for a few days of fun and relaxation at the end of the summer. That’s about a 1,900-mile journey round-trip.  #-ad_banner-#I’m not sure how many interstate exits there are along that particular stretch of road, but I think we must have taken pit stops at about half of them for fuel, snacks, and/or bathroom breaks. Years ago, weary travelers had no clue what amenities could be found at upcoming exits (except whatever tall signs were visible from a distance). Of course, we have a wealth of… Read More

Last month, I hauled the family from Shreveport, Louisiana, to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for a few days of fun and relaxation at the end of the summer. That’s about a 1,900-mile journey round-trip.  #-ad_banner-#I’m not sure how many interstate exits there are along that particular stretch of road, but I think we must have taken pit stops at about half of them for fuel, snacks, and/or bathroom breaks. Years ago, weary travelers had no clue what amenities could be found at upcoming exits (except whatever tall signs were visible from a distance). Of course, we have a wealth of information at our fingertips these days. GPS-enabled navigation systems not only provide turn-by-turn directions but an alphabetized list of food and lodging options at the push of a button. This amazing technology can even alert drivers to upcoming traffic jams and suggest an alternate course. But even without digital assistance, travelers can still rely on those faithful blue signs along the way. You know… the ones that display the logos of nearby restaurants, hotels and gas stations.  Hungry? One glance and you will know there’s a Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and Subway coming up just a mile or two down… Read More

It’s hard to believe, but the holiday season is right around the corner. And some of us will have just a little bit more to be thankful for this year than others. Why? Because we’re raking in more income. Plain and simple.  As many of you know, each month I update my readers on what companies I think are likely to announce a dividend hike in the coming month. I scan the market for noteworthy special distributions on the horizon, as well as for potential dividend hikes over the next four to six weeks. I give special attention to outsized double-digit increases… Read More

It’s hard to believe, but the holiday season is right around the corner. And some of us will have just a little bit more to be thankful for this year than others. Why? Because we’re raking in more income. Plain and simple.  As many of you know, each month I update my readers on what companies I think are likely to announce a dividend hike in the coming month. I scan the market for noteworthy special distributions on the horizon, as well as for potential dividend hikes over the next four to six weeks. I give special attention to outsized double-digit increases and reliable dividend-payers that have been steadily growing payouts for a decade or more. I flag these stocks first for readers of my premium newsletter, High-Yield Investing. Then, I share them with the public.  So without further delay, here are three potential dividend hikes I’m looking at right now… —Recommended Link—   This opportunity is just too big to keep under wraps. Dr. Stephen Leeb has just exposed details of a devastating flaw in next-generation 5G technology. One that could cost the world economy up to $12 trillion if a solution isn’t found. Thankfully. Dr. Leeb has… Read More

Back in August, I mentioned that Colony Capital (Nasdaq: CLNY) was exploring the sale of its industrial unit. The company owns 465 warehouses from Texas to California that are 92% leased, mostly for ecommerce fulfillment. For those who may not remember, CLNY is a High-Yield Investing portfolio holding. It’s been a rare disappointment for us so far, but as I explained back then, there’s reason for hope. That turned out to be prescient, as shares have since rallied by about 24%. But back to the sale… At the time, these properties were expected to fetch about $5 billion on the… Read More

Back in August, I mentioned that Colony Capital (Nasdaq: CLNY) was exploring the sale of its industrial unit. The company owns 465 warehouses from Texas to California that are 92% leased, mostly for ecommerce fulfillment. For those who may not remember, CLNY is a High-Yield Investing portfolio holding. It’s been a rare disappointment for us so far, but as I explained back then, there’s reason for hope. That turned out to be prescient, as shares have since rallied by about 24%. But back to the sale… At the time, these properties were expected to fetch about $5 billion on the open market. But management hinted that the final price tag could be “significantly higher” based on preliminary demand from interested parties. It turns out they were right. On September 30, Colony officially announced the sale of its industrial division to Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) for $5.9 billion. I’m quite bullish on industrial real estate. In fact, that was the primary motivation behind my initial recommendation of CLNY.  #-ad_banner-#It’s no secret that a growing percentage of retail spending is migrating online. When you buy a new pair of shoes or a television from an online retailer like Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN), those… Read More

“Don’t get too accustomed to those big commission checks.” That’s what my old manager at regional brokerage house Morgan Keegan used to tell me. I was less of a cold-calling stockbroker and more of a financial advisor. Still, every now and then I’d field a random call for 100 shares of something or other. That could mean a quick $100 commission just for answering the phone. It was good money — but it wasn’t meant to last. Even then (this was the early 2000s), online trading was becoming a real threat to full-service brokers. It was difficult to justify charging… Read More

“Don’t get too accustomed to those big commission checks.” That’s what my old manager at regional brokerage house Morgan Keegan used to tell me. I was less of a cold-calling stockbroker and more of a financial advisor. Still, every now and then I’d field a random call for 100 shares of something or other. That could mean a quick $100 commission just for answering the phone. It was good money — but it wasn’t meant to last. Even then (this was the early 2000s), online trading was becoming a real threat to full-service brokers. It was difficult to justify charging $100 to buy or sell a stock when an internet site could process the same order for $10. Many investors (particularly the do-it-yourself set) were willing to forgo personalized advice in exchange for thousands of dollars in cost savings each year. Nobody wanted to admit it, but the discount online brokers were poaching customers left and right. The writing was on the wall — adapt or become obsolete. That’s the way of all business. Seeing a downhill slide in commission rates, we began steering clients away from transaction-based accounts toward fee-based platforms that charged fixed annual fees (maybe 1% to… Read More

You’ve most likely heard of the attack on a Saudi Arabian oil production facility. On September 14, a salvo of cruise missiles rained down on state-owned Saudi Aramco’s Abqaiq facility, crippling infrastructure that handles 5.7 million barrels per day. Approximately 5% of the world’s entire oil supply passes through this facility, making this one of the biggest supply disruptions on record. It was worse than Hurricane Katrina, the Invasion of Kuwait, the Libyan Civil War and other such events. #-ad_banner-#As you might expect, oil prices immediately shot higher on the news. Benchmark Brent Crude spiked about 20%. West Texas Intermediate… Read More

You’ve most likely heard of the attack on a Saudi Arabian oil production facility. On September 14, a salvo of cruise missiles rained down on state-owned Saudi Aramco’s Abqaiq facility, crippling infrastructure that handles 5.7 million barrels per day. Approximately 5% of the world’s entire oil supply passes through this facility, making this one of the biggest supply disruptions on record. It was worse than Hurricane Katrina, the Invasion of Kuwait, the Libyan Civil War and other such events. #-ad_banner-#As you might expect, oil prices immediately shot higher on the news. Benchmark Brent Crude spiked about 20%. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Crude also moved sharply higher. There has probably been an impact at your local gas station as well (mine went from $1.99 to $2.29 per gallon almost overnight). Government officials were quick to blame Iran for the strike. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo went so far as to declare the unprovoked attack an overt “act of war.” And the President ordered tightened economic sanctions. Meanwhile, investors wasted little time in bidding oil-related stocks sharply higher. Within hours of the opening bell the following Monday, Marathon Oil (NYSE: MRO) was up 12%, Devon Energy (NYSE: DVN) rallied 13%, and Apache… Read More

I took the family to see the adventures of Buzz, Woody and the rest of the gang in Toy Story 4 recently. We weren’t alone — the fourth installment in the blockbuster franchise has already netted over $1 billion in global box office revenue. That’s the fifth billion-dollar release for the Walt Disney studio alone this year. But what really struck me was the whole experience at the theatre and how it’s changed over the years. As an investor, this piqued my interest… I mean, is the movie business really dying after all? Could it just be that there’s an… Read More

I took the family to see the adventures of Buzz, Woody and the rest of the gang in Toy Story 4 recently. We weren’t alone — the fourth installment in the blockbuster franchise has already netted over $1 billion in global box office revenue. That’s the fifth billion-dollar release for the Walt Disney studio alone this year. But what really struck me was the whole experience at the theatre and how it’s changed over the years. As an investor, this piqued my interest… I mean, is the movie business really dying after all? Could it just be that there’s an overlooked opportunity here for investors?  So I did some digging and recently shared my findings with my High-Yield Investing subscribers. And today, I’d like to share them with you… —Recommended Link— Is This Trump’s Favorite $5 Tech Stock? In early 2019 President Trump warned this company’s biggest customers to “step up their 5G efforts.” A few months later, he banned their biggest competitor from doing business in the U.S. Now, this $5 stock could turn a $10,000 stake into $234,770 this year. But timing is critical. A single mention on the evening news and this… Read More

You’ve probably noticed a recent uptick in local gasoline prices. I paid $2.29 per gallon this morning, versus $1.99 a few weeks ago. The blame can be pinned squarely on a spike in crude oil following a surprise attack on a Saudi Arabian oil production facility. In case you missed it, here is the short version… On September 14, a salvo of cruise missiles rained down on state-owned Saudi Aramco’s Abqaiq facility, crippling infrastructure that handles 5.7 million barrels per day. Government officials were quick to blame Iran for the strike. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo went so far as… Read More

You’ve probably noticed a recent uptick in local gasoline prices. I paid $2.29 per gallon this morning, versus $1.99 a few weeks ago. The blame can be pinned squarely on a spike in crude oil following a surprise attack on a Saudi Arabian oil production facility. In case you missed it, here is the short version… On September 14, a salvo of cruise missiles rained down on state-owned Saudi Aramco’s Abqaiq facility, crippling infrastructure that handles 5.7 million barrels per day. Government officials were quick to blame Iran for the strike. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo went so far as to declare the unprovoked attack an overt “act of war,” and the President ordered tightened economic sanctions. About 5% of the world’s entire oil supply passes through this facility, making this one of the biggest supply disruptions on record. Worse than Hurricane Katrina, the Invasion of Kuwait, the Libyan Civil War, and other such events. The surgical strike was designed to inflict heavy damage to key equipment in at least 17 different spots. It remains to be seen how much capacity stays offline and for how long. Benchmark Brent crude prices shot up about 20% in the aftermath, but have… Read More