The annual financial summit in Jackson Hole, Wyoming concluded on Sunday, and one of the biggest stories out of the conference for central bankers were the words of European Central Bank President Mario Draghi. Essentially, Mr. Draghi said that European policy makers are ready to perform a stimulus package in Europe similar to the one […]
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The S&P 500 market benchmark hit a new all-time high this week and topped the psychologically important 2,000-level for the first time ever. The S&P 500 is up approximately 8% for the year, after rallying a very impressive 29% in 2013! If you lived on another planet and were told the S&P 500 is at […]
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A few weeks ago I told you about a very strong situation unfolding concerning insider transactions for one particular stock. Since some time has passed, I wanted to give you some insight into what has happened to that stock, and what could happen next. So, has insider influence overcome negative characteristics to alter the stock’s […]
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We’re hearing a lot of noise about oil production being at record highs and low gas prices, but I’m seeing some conflicting data from where I sit because my ‘Wealth from Power’ service, which is packed with high-flying oil stocks, is doing very well. So let’s see if we can sift through all the clutter […]
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There are many axioms and adages surrounding the stock market. Sayings like, “Sell in May and go away,” for example. They sound like they make sense as they roll off the tongue of someone who wants to sound knowledgeable (like a financial advisor). But most of them are pure nonsense, and this one is a […]
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Since the beginning of 2014, the market has been moving upward. Yes, there were three small downdrafts along the way in January, April, and the most recent one that started at the end of July. But for the most part, the bullish run that started at the end of 2011 has continued in 2014. However, […]
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Steel stocks serve as a good “tell” for the U.S. and global economy. Since steel is used to build so many things and has such a large impact across all sectors, steel stocks tend to rally when the market believes the economy will strengthen. So what is steel telling us right now?
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The conversation is raging within the technology sector over whether or not a bubble is forming. And this argument is perfectly embodied by the valuation, or overvaluation, of three companies. They have recently been valued at $17 billion, $10 billion, and $850 million. The big question is whether this will lead to more innovation and […]
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Tracking the insiders on Wall Street can be an extremely nuanced and complex process at times. Looking at every piece of information, every clue, and every transaction can become tedious, and when that happens, the possibility of you making the wrong decision or inference can arise. That’s why I have a set of 4 rules […]
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It never ceases to amuse me how people always want a reason for everything that happens, especially in markets. You never seem to hear a news story that says, “Stocks dropped today.” It has to be paired with a news piece that must account for it, so instead the headlines go more like this: “Stocks […]
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One of the most prominent sectors in recent months, and for the better part of 2014, has been utilities. Since February, it has actually been one of very few places you could feel confident about trading with relatively consistently. However, utilities hit a significant snag a couple of months ago as they unraveled and dropped […]
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The market is at a fork in the road, and it is going to have to choose which path it will take in the near future. So, should we have our guard up right now? Should we start buying in anticipation of a market rise? Or should we start selling before the market nosedives? Only […]
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While the S&P 500 (the benchmark representative of the overall market) has gained 5.1% since January, the Standard and Poor’s biotechnology index has shot up 13.6% in the same time frame. This gain, in part, has caused Federal Reserve chairwoman Janet Yellen to call the biotech sector, “substantially stretched.” However, better data coming out of […]
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Tracking the insiders can give us incredibly valuable information and foresight into the life of a stock, but simply seeing when company officers and directors buy or sell isn’t enough. We have to look at a number of other aspects of the stock in question in order to know if and when the insider transactions […]
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Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) are a healthy component for a modern economy. In the simplest sense, M&As are designed to be accretive for the long-term prospects of the new company. In today’s global interdependent world, companies are almost forced to cut the fat and operate as efficiently as possible. Sometimes the best way to accomplish […]
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Although virtually every insider transaction has some sort of significance to a certain degree, not all insider actions are equal. For instance, purchases and sales are not equal for a stock. In other words, some circumstances surrounding insider transactions are just more meaningful than others. One of the most powerful situations is when several officers […]
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In last week’s article, I talked about interest rates and how I was looking for them to rise in the coming months. Part of the reason for that insight was the outlook for the U.S. economy and the economic reports that were due out last week. The reports were even more impressive than I thought […]
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Every once in a while, it’s beneficial to take a step back and look at everything from a distance. When you do that, you can often see things you previously couldn’t, and you can find answers or insight that had been evading you. I find that one of the best times to do this is […]
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With 209,000 jobs being added last month, July marked the sixth-straight month in which the U.S. economy added more than 200,000 jobs. Unemployment rose up to 6.2%, but that is due to the addition of more workers to the labor force—another positive sign. Among the strongest hiring industries were construction and manufacturing, but insider buying […]
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Well, here comes that healthy correction I’ve been waiting for, and a well overdue one at that. Meanwhile the mainstream media start screaming about crashes again. I’ve lost count of the times that I’ve commented in this column on such healthy corrections being nothing more than that within an ongoing bull market. Of course, if […]
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With tension between the US and Russia that features sanctions on Russia’s energy, which is predominantly natural gas, is now a good time to buy gas stocks? Let’s take a closer look, and perhaps see if there isn’t a smarter way to play this development…
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