I enjoy warm weather as much as the next person. But during the end of August when temperatures are hitting the high 90s and low 100s, I get tired of it… quickly. I yearn for the crisp mornings of fall and the changing of the leaves.  This year at home in the Northwest, however, it seems we skipped fall and jumped right into winter. We’ve already had snow and below-freezing temperatures. In fact, temperatures over the last month have been significantly below average.  Some might point towards El Nino or La Nina bringing about the onslaught of cold. But according… Read More

I enjoy warm weather as much as the next person. But during the end of August when temperatures are hitting the high 90s and low 100s, I get tired of it… quickly. I yearn for the crisp mornings of fall and the changing of the leaves.  This year at home in the Northwest, however, it seems we skipped fall and jumped right into winter. We’ve already had snow and below-freezing temperatures. In fact, temperatures over the last month have been significantly below average.  Some might point towards El Nino or La Nina bringing about the onslaught of cold. But according to the National Weather Service, there’s about an 85% chance that neither will be present this year. But regardless of the reasoning behind the weather events, the cold and snow reminds me to check in with some of my favorite “winter” stocks. You see, colder temperatures also bring the possibility of thicker profits for many companies that rely heavily on seasonal trends. For instance, many utility companies that provide natural gas or electricity for folks can see a spike in profits if it’s an exceptionally cold winter.  I’ve highlighted a few other companies that benefit from a cold and snowy… Read More

Among Warren Buffett’s biggest all-time winners is Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO).   Buffett owns 400 million shares of the stock, and paid a split-adjusted average price of less than $3.25 a share. Today, that stake in KO is worth about $20 billion, which means Buffett has made nearly than 1,500% on his investment. That’s truly remarkable. And Buffett obviously made a great decision when he bought KO. You probably know most of that part of the story, but what you may not know is that Buffett still fought to get the best price possible on his buy. In fact, in at least one case,… Read More

Among Warren Buffett’s biggest all-time winners is Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO).   Buffett owns 400 million shares of the stock, and paid a split-adjusted average price of less than $3.25 a share. Today, that stake in KO is worth about $20 billion, which means Buffett has made nearly than 1,500% on his investment. That’s truly remarkable. And Buffett obviously made a great decision when he bought KO. You probably know most of that part of the story, but what you may not know is that Buffett still fought to get the best price possible on his buy. In fact, in at least one case, the “king of buy-and-hold” sold put options to help him get the share price he wanted… —Recommended Link— Wharton Economist Reveals Fatal 5G Flaw… And The $5 Stock That Can Fix It It’s true… the latest and greatest wireless technology has a devastating problem that could cripple cellular communications worldwide. But one company has developed a fix. Wireless carriers around the globe are throwing billions of dollars their way… boosting the company’s stock price up to 2,247% over the next 12 months. Click here to stake your claim. In 1993, Buffett wanted… Read More

There’s some much-needed good news to report for shareholders of one of America’s most storied companies. Shortly after sealing the $34 billion acquisition of Red Hat back in July, IBM (NYSE: IBM) predicted the open-source software provider would generate $350 million in revenues in its first full post-merger quarter. The actual number: $371 million. That contribution helped third-quarter revenues from Big Blue’s cloud and cognitive software unit rise 6.4% to $5.3 billion. That’s the good news. For those who may not be familiar, the Red Hat acquisition is one of a number of moves Big Blue has made in… Read More

There’s some much-needed good news to report for shareholders of one of America’s most storied companies. Shortly after sealing the $34 billion acquisition of Red Hat back in July, IBM (NYSE: IBM) predicted the open-source software provider would generate $350 million in revenues in its first full post-merger quarter. The actual number: $371 million. That contribution helped third-quarter revenues from Big Blue’s cloud and cognitive software unit rise 6.4% to $5.3 billion. That’s the good news. For those who may not be familiar, the Red Hat acquisition is one of a number of moves Big Blue has made in recent years to remake itself. The bad news: Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to offset weakness elsewhere, most notably in the core global technology services division. Can Big Blue Finally Turn It Around? Overall sales for the period dipped 4% to $18 billion. That was about $200 million below expectations — and the fifth consecutive quarterly decline. On the positive side, adjusted earnings of $2.68 per share came in ahead of expectations for the 9th straight quarter. But the investment community remains fixated on the persistent top-line slump. This has dogged IBM as the company transitions from legacy mainframe… Read More

Believe it or not, but the first battery came about from the dissection of a frog. In 1780, Luigi Galvani was dissecting a frog affixed to a brass hook. When he touched the frog’s leg with his iron scalpel, the leg twitched. Galvani believed the energy stemmed from the frog and called it “animal electricity.” His friend and physicist Alessandro Volta thought differently. Volta thought the animal electricity was actually a result of two different metals joined together. Volta was right. After much experimentation, he invented the first true battery around 1800, called the Voltaic Pile. The voltaic pile consisted… Read More

Believe it or not, but the first battery came about from the dissection of a frog. In 1780, Luigi Galvani was dissecting a frog affixed to a brass hook. When he touched the frog’s leg with his iron scalpel, the leg twitched. Galvani believed the energy stemmed from the frog and called it “animal electricity.” His friend and physicist Alessandro Volta thought differently. Volta thought the animal electricity was actually a result of two different metals joined together. Volta was right. After much experimentation, he invented the first true battery around 1800, called the Voltaic Pile. The voltaic pile consisted of pairs of copper and zinc discs piled on top of each other, separated by a layer of cloth or cardboard soaked in brine. The device pile produced a continuous stream of electricity, albeit only an hour’s worth at best. Still, it was a major leap forward that launched a rapid evolution in batteries.  Today, alkaline batteries are what you’ll usually find when you purchase a pack of AA or AAA batteries. Alkaline batteries are still in high demand, but there’s been a major shift towards lithium. In fact, we have good reason to believe that lithium batteries are the… Read More

How do you pick the best investment in an emerging, but promising industry like cannabis? After all, don’t most start-ups fail?  According to the Pareto principle, which very much applies here (also known as the good ol’ 80/20 rule of thumb), we know that at least eight out of 10 start-ups will not survive. Really, it’s more like nine out of 10. And that’s in already-established industries. Factor in the volatile, emerging nature of the cannabis business, and we might as well be talking about the Wild West. That’s why we recommend investors look at the current big… Read More

How do you pick the best investment in an emerging, but promising industry like cannabis? After all, don’t most start-ups fail?  According to the Pareto principle, which very much applies here (also known as the good ol’ 80/20 rule of thumb), we know that at least eight out of 10 start-ups will not survive. Really, it’s more like nine out of 10. And that’s in already-established industries. Factor in the volatile, emerging nature of the cannabis business, and we might as well be talking about the Wild West. That’s why we recommend investors look at the current big players in the marijuana space — the future “blue chips” of cannabis, if you will.  —Recommended Link— Make $37,500 This Week From Legal Cannabis? The doors just swung wide open for a completely new way to invest in the marijuana boom. One that delivers insane profits in the blink of an eye. Better still, you can do it without getting involved in some far-flung idea like buying into a private pot company or taking part in an IPO. The next recommendation could hand you gains of up to 1,400% (or more). In as little as… Read More

Hollywood’s fortunes may rest on the big screen, but one movie theater chain is making an important move to diversify. AMC Entertainment (NYSE: AMC) is launching a brand new service that will stream video right to your mobile phone or living room. It will be the first movie exhibitor in the U.S. to offer such a platform.  Members of AMC’s premium Stubs loyalty program — 21+ million strong — will soon have the option to rent or buy more than 2,000 feature films and view them on any internet-connected TV or mobile device. The company has already secured licensing… Read More

Hollywood’s fortunes may rest on the big screen, but one movie theater chain is making an important move to diversify. AMC Entertainment (NYSE: AMC) is launching a brand new service that will stream video right to your mobile phone or living room. It will be the first movie exhibitor in the U.S. to offer such a platform.  Members of AMC’s premium Stubs loyalty program — 21+ million strong — will soon have the option to rent or buy more than 2,000 feature films and view them on any internet-connected TV or mobile device. The company has already secured licensing agreements with every major Hollywood studio. They’ll even stream new releases once they are out of theaters. Why Move Into Streaming? You may be wondering why a movie theater chain like AMC would make such a move. This article in The New York Times summarizes the problem thusly: The movie theater industry has long been at odds with online video. Why trek to theaters if thousands of movies are available at the click of a button at home or on your phone? Sure, new films do not arrive on V.O.D. until they have played in… Read More

We all have to-do lists that grow longer every day. Many of us look at what needs to be done right now, and we deal with things as they become urgent. You could say we have a short-term focus. For example, as I look out the window, I see tumbleweed piled up against the fence. The wind blows it into the fence, and, in a perfect world, I’d get out there and throw it to the other side so the wind could blow it to Nebraska or wherever tumbleweed goes. If I don’t do that, it weakens the fence, and… Read More

We all have to-do lists that grow longer every day. Many of us look at what needs to be done right now, and we deal with things as they become urgent. You could say we have a short-term focus. For example, as I look out the window, I see tumbleweed piled up against the fence. The wind blows it into the fence, and, in a perfect world, I’d get out there and throw it to the other side so the wind could blow it to Nebraska or wherever tumbleweed goes. If I don’t do that, it weakens the fence, and eventually the fence will need to be repaired. But the dishwasher also needs to be emptied, and a load of laundry needs to be folded, and three more loads need to be done, and… Well, let’s just say the fence isn’t urgent, and I am doing urgent chores around the house today. That fence will hold out for years. Investors — even those who claim to be long-term investors — can often adopt a short-term focus. Even while saying they believe that stocks always deliver gains in the long run, they focus on today’s price changes and they look at… Read More