Investing Basics

“What will you do the first time your toddler gets swallowed by a tumbleweed?”  I actually ask people that question a couple times a year. It comes up in conversation when tourists cross my path here in Wyoming. That question is also my favorite example of unintended consequences.  —Recommended Link— SECRET: Add $8,760 Extra to Any Retirement Account​ Finally revealed! This “long lost” secret turns a quick 3-minute phone call into the opportunity to collect $8,760 checks. Every payment is backed by the full authority of the U.S. Government… and over $1.75 billion will be… Read More

“What will you do the first time your toddler gets swallowed by a tumbleweed?”  I actually ask people that question a couple times a year. It comes up in conversation when tourists cross my path here in Wyoming. That question is also my favorite example of unintended consequences.  —Recommended Link— SECRET: Add $8,760 Extra to Any Retirement Account​ Finally revealed! This “long lost” secret turns a quick 3-minute phone call into the opportunity to collect $8,760 checks. Every payment is backed by the full authority of the U.S. Government… and over $1.75 billion will be delivered to income-seeking Americans. But your action is required TODAY while the enrollment window is open. You must click here right now to get started. First of all, tumbleweed is big but it’s light. So, kids don’t get hurt when the wind blows tumbleweed into them, or when the wind blows the littlest kids into the tumbleweed. They just untangle themselves and keep playing.  But tumbleweed is an unintended consequence of living in the country. It’s a weed, so it cannot be stopped. It’s an excellent example of the annoyances that disrupt life in the country.  I… Read More

I have three young boys running around in the yard right now. They seem to be playing “Calvinball.” That’s a game from the old “Calvin & Hobbes” comic strip.  Now, if you’ve never played Calvinball, the rules are confusing. It’s a game that you never play the same way twice. Anyone can add a rule, and any player can change the rules at any time, even if no one else agrees with the change.  Calvinball is what I call it when the boys are just running around and getting along. It’s simply a few moments of peaceful chaos.  Now that… Read More

I have three young boys running around in the yard right now. They seem to be playing “Calvinball.” That’s a game from the old “Calvin & Hobbes” comic strip.  Now, if you’ve never played Calvinball, the rules are confusing. It’s a game that you never play the same way twice. Anyone can add a rule, and any player can change the rules at any time, even if no one else agrees with the change.  Calvinball is what I call it when the boys are just running around and getting along. It’s simply a few moments of peaceful chaos.  Now that you know I’m a fan of Calvinball, you might understand why I’m so excited about the chart below. It’s a chaotic picture, but it offers investors important information.  —Recommended Link— BOMBSHELL: America’s Favorite New “Paychecks” You need to see this to believe it. CLICK HERE to see how a 3-minute phone call could hand you the opportunity to collect checks worth up to $225,326. And best of all, this program is backed by the full force and authority of the United States government… Click here to see all the details. Let… Read More

The S&P 500 Index and Dow Jones Industrial Average are at all-time highs. The same is true for the NASDAQ 100 Index and many other market averages. But some important averages remain well below their all-time highs.  Small-cap and mid-cap stocks are well below their all-time highs. For example, if we take a look at the S&P 600 – a small-cap benchmark index – we see it ended last week more than 13% below its August 2018 high.  —Recommended Link— Secret “Paycheck Program” Just Discovered…  It’s delivering up to 30 checks each year… Checks for… Read More

The S&P 500 Index and Dow Jones Industrial Average are at all-time highs. The same is true for the NASDAQ 100 Index and many other market averages. But some important averages remain well below their all-time highs.  Small-cap and mid-cap stocks are well below their all-time highs. For example, if we take a look at the S&P 600 – a small-cap benchmark index – we see it ended last week more than 13% below its August 2018 high.  —Recommended Link— Secret “Paycheck Program” Just Discovered…  It’s delivering up to 30 checks each year… Checks for $29,799… $62,046… and even up to $225,326 are being raked in using this program. If you’re looking for reliable cash, you need to act right now. This is instantly valuable, so don’t miss out.  Click here for the “Paycheck Program” details. The mid-cap S&P 400 (below) is almost 5% below its August high.  These indexes demonstrate that the strength in this year’s stock market rally has been driven by large-cap stocks. That can easily be explained by the “TINA” thesis; in fact, pension fund managers and other institutional investors have been citing TINA as… Read More

It seems worse than it really is… If you read any of the mainstream financial media, you might think that we are on the precipice of another Great Recession. That we are in a correction and headed for a bear market. There’s constant chatter about a slowing global economy and the ongoing trade war with China, and then there’s Brexit — the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. Or not. But let’s step back and look at the bigger picture… —Recommended Link— 3 Minutes to Collect 12 Times More Money Than Social Security… Read More

It seems worse than it really is… If you read any of the mainstream financial media, you might think that we are on the precipice of another Great Recession. That we are in a correction and headed for a bear market. There’s constant chatter about a slowing global economy and the ongoing trade war with China, and then there’s Brexit — the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. Or not. But let’s step back and look at the bigger picture… —Recommended Link— 3 Minutes to Collect 12 Times More Money Than Social Security Just make this simple little 3-minute call and you can get set up to start collecting your checks. All told, your checks can add up to $225,326 over the next 25 years. Imagine that! And these checks are supported by $1.75 billion in new money every year. But you must act right now… because the next wave of checks will be sent out in just a few days. ​Click here for the details. The S&P 500 is only about 5% off its all-time highs set in May. It would need to drop to 2,651 to… Read More

Just as with many simplified strategies, the “Sell in May and go away” maxim often rings true.  But investors who follow this kind of advice could be setting themselves up for failure. Take this past May, for example. The market became more difficult as stocks began to slide. As of Friday, May 31, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, an index that measures the performance of blue-chip stocks, declined for the entire month, about 6.5% total. The broader market, as measured by the S&P 500 index, which set a record on April 30, declined by 6% or so as well.  And… Read More

Just as with many simplified strategies, the “Sell in May and go away” maxim often rings true.  But investors who follow this kind of advice could be setting themselves up for failure. Take this past May, for example. The market became more difficult as stocks began to slide. As of Friday, May 31, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, an index that measures the performance of blue-chip stocks, declined for the entire month, about 6.5% total. The broader market, as measured by the S&P 500 index, which set a record on April 30, declined by 6% or so as well.  And the CBOE Volatility Index, also known as the “fear index,” traded above the three-year average for nearly the entire month.  In all honesty, though, we’ve been spoiled.  While we are still in bull-market territory (notwithstanding the recent pullback, which has not broken the uptrend), investors are less accustomed to volatility, having had 11 years of a bull market without meaningful corrections. And the market still trades near its all-time highs, despite the headlines. That’s a good sign. Strength, after all, begets strength.  But the higher the market goes, the more it feels — to individual investors and to professionals –… Read More

How to make money in the stock market?  One answer, often said in jest, is to “buy low, sell high.” Of course, the “buy low, sell high” formula, while 100% correct, does not give us any real insights into the process of investing. That’s because, on its own, it has little to do with the how-tos of the market. Rather, it describes post-factum, how a typical profit is booked: you make money when a stock you sell is trading higher than your purchase price. This simplistic way of thinking about the market — that, in order to make money, one… Read More

How to make money in the stock market?  One answer, often said in jest, is to “buy low, sell high.” Of course, the “buy low, sell high” formula, while 100% correct, does not give us any real insights into the process of investing. That’s because, on its own, it has little to do with the how-tos of the market. Rather, it describes post-factum, how a typical profit is booked: you make money when a stock you sell is trading higher than your purchase price. This simplistic way of thinking about the market — that, in order to make money, one has to “buy low” — can probably be blamed for keeping some investors out of the rallying market. —Recommended Link— SECRET: Add $8,760 Extra to Any Retirement Account Finally revealed! This “long lost” secret turns a quick 3-minute phone call into the opportunity to collect $8,760 checks. Every payment is backed by the full authority of the U.S. Government… and over $1.75 billion will be delivered to income-seeking Americans. But your action is required TODAY while the enrollment window is open. You must click here right now to get started.. Then… Read More

One of the things investors fear the most is volatility.  And now that volatility has reared its ugly head again in the markets this week, it’s worth looking back and examining just what exactly makes a market “volatile,” and what we can do about it… —Recommended Link— 3 Minutes to Collect 12 Times More Money Than Social Security Just make this simple little 3-minute call and you can get set up to start collecting your checks. All told, your checks can add up to $225,326 over the next 25 years. Imagine that! And these checks… Read More

One of the things investors fear the most is volatility.  And now that volatility has reared its ugly head again in the markets this week, it’s worth looking back and examining just what exactly makes a market “volatile,” and what we can do about it… —Recommended Link— 3 Minutes to Collect 12 Times More Money Than Social Security Just make this simple little 3-minute call and you can get set up to start collecting your checks. All told, your checks can add up to $225,326 over the next 25 years. Imagine that! And these checks are supported by $1.75 billion in new money every year. But you must act right now… because the next wave of checks will be sent out in just a few days. Click here for the details. What Is “Volatility”? The most commonly used metric to measure market volatility is the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX), commonly referred to as the “fear gauge” or “fear index.” The VIX is a benchmark of expected volatility over the next 30 days in the S&P 500 index. It’s calculated by the Cboe Options Exchange, using the mid-point of real-time index… Read More

Last week, I read a paper called “How the Wealth Was Won: Factor Shares as Market Fundamentals.” For a slightly wonky student of the markets like me, this paper is the equivalent of a horror movie.  It’s a rather technical paper, and I won’t bore you with all the details. But for those who’d like to really dive in to all the math and details, the paper can be found here. This paper explained why the profit margin contraction I wrote about last week is a long-term problem for investors. Data in the paper confirmed my view… Read More

Last week, I read a paper called “How the Wealth Was Won: Factor Shares as Market Fundamentals.” For a slightly wonky student of the markets like me, this paper is the equivalent of a horror movie.  It’s a rather technical paper, and I won’t bore you with all the details. But for those who’d like to really dive in to all the math and details, the paper can be found here. This paper explained why the profit margin contraction I wrote about last week is a long-term problem for investors. Data in the paper confirmed my view that the future for investors is much different than what investors have come to believe is normal based on their experience of the past few decades.  —Recommended Link— [Free Webinar] The Secret to Making $125,000 In a Year On May 9th at 1 p.m. investing legend Jim Fink is going to share four ways to tap the market for gains of 114%, 211%, 246% and 433%. Sometimes in as little as 36 hours. His new system is so powerful, we’re promising anyone who uses it will have the opportunity to make $125,000 in the next… Read More

April showers bring May flowers.  As with most proverbs, this one should not be taken literally. Ostensibly about the weather, the wisdom of this saying goes much deeper: it shows a cause-and-effect relationship, with an inevitable conclusion that good things often follow (and even result from) things less pleasant.  Case in point: The market’s first-quarter rally that was preceded by fourth-quarter volatility.  —Recommended Link— Little-Known Gov’t-Backed “Paychecks” Deliver $65,572 Extra Per Year Ordinary Americans are collecting $8,760… $16,771… and even $65,572 in checks every year. Now, this little-known program is set to deliver even bigger… Read More

April showers bring May flowers.  As with most proverbs, this one should not be taken literally. Ostensibly about the weather, the wisdom of this saying goes much deeper: it shows a cause-and-effect relationship, with an inevitable conclusion that good things often follow (and even result from) things less pleasant.  Case in point: The market’s first-quarter rally that was preceded by fourth-quarter volatility.  —Recommended Link— Little-Known Gov’t-Backed “Paychecks” Deliver $65,572 Extra Per Year Ordinary Americans are collecting $8,760… $16,771… and even $65,572 in checks every year. Now, this little-known program is set to deliver even bigger payments… up to a staggering $225,326. It’s your turn to get started collecting. Click here to learn how to collect your first check. And what a rally it’s been… The S&P 500 index has already rebounded 17% year-to-date, and it’s now trading just points off its all-time highs. These are the levels many observers expected by year-end 2019, not by April, and it took many by surprise that it has only taken this market four months to deliver 12 months-worth of returns.  But is it a good or a bad thing that the market has rallied… Read More

Two and twenty… that’s the typical fees that hedge funds charge. With this fee structure, it means that they charge a flat 2% of total assets as a management fee and an additional 20% of any profits earned. There’s a good reason that hedge funds can charge this much, and that’s because they usually earn outsized returns for their investors. Of course, that’s not always the case. Just as with us regular investors, hedge funds go through rough patches.  For instance, Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Holdings has lost money in the previous three years (he’s since turned that around and… Read More

Two and twenty… that’s the typical fees that hedge funds charge. With this fee structure, it means that they charge a flat 2% of total assets as a management fee and an additional 20% of any profits earned. There’s a good reason that hedge funds can charge this much, and that’s because they usually earn outsized returns for their investors. Of course, that’s not always the case. Just as with us regular investors, hedge funds go through rough patches.  For instance, Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Holdings has lost money in the previous three years (he’s since turned that around and is doing quite well so far this year). And David Einhorn’s Greenlight Capital (Nasdaq: GLRE) has greatly underperformed over the last three years. The investing environment hasn’t been easy on hedge funds over the last couple of years. Since 2017, more than 16 hedge funds have returned money to investors and closed their doors. One such hedge funder, Whitney Tilson, who folded his fund in September 2017, talked about the biggest mistakes that lead him to close his doors.  And I was shocked by what he said… #-ad_banner-#First, you must understand that Tilson ran a long/short hedge fund, with an… Read More