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

With U.S. stocks hitting record highs, investors face a question of where to invest. True, that’s always THE question — but this market isn’t an ordinary one.  Expectations for monetary easing have largely been behind the recent market strength (up nearly 10% since the beginning of June). That’s unusual for a market trading at all-time highs, but these expectations have been all but confirmed after Congressional testimony last week from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.  While investors await the next earnings cycle (which gets underway this week) for more clues about the direction of profits and the economy, Chairman Powell’s… Read More

With U.S. stocks hitting record highs, investors face a question of where to invest. True, that’s always THE question — but this market isn’t an ordinary one.  Expectations for monetary easing have largely been behind the recent market strength (up nearly 10% since the beginning of June). That’s unusual for a market trading at all-time highs, but these expectations have been all but confirmed after Congressional testimony last week from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.  While investors await the next earnings cycle (which gets underway this week) for more clues about the direction of profits and the economy, Chairman Powell’s words are the basis of their near-term bullishness. But stocks have gotten expensive, and many growth stocks — the ones we invest in over at Fast-Track Millionaire — look reasonable only if their fast growth remains intact.  In these conditions, it would be wise to also consider somewhat slower-growing and/or better-valued stocks. If you agree, then this screen is for you…  —Recommended Link— How to collect checks for $1,278. $3,225… and even $8,760 Plenty of ordinary Americans are collecting from this “long lost” program. Backed by $1.75 billion in cash and the full authority of… Read More

We need to talk about China…  #-ad_banner-#And no, I’m not referring to the ongoing trade spat with the country. While that is important and it will be touched on, that is something you can read about anywhere. I want to talk about the country’s importance in the broader global economy, its impact on our portfolio over at Top Stock Advisor, and specifically our direct exposure through two holdings: Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) and Tencent (OTC: TCEHY).  Before we dive into our holdings, let’s take a step back and look at the bigger landscape of the country… Massive Size = Massive Opportunity… Read More

We need to talk about China…  #-ad_banner-#And no, I’m not referring to the ongoing trade spat with the country. While that is important and it will be touched on, that is something you can read about anywhere. I want to talk about the country’s importance in the broader global economy, its impact on our portfolio over at Top Stock Advisor, and specifically our direct exposure through two holdings: Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) and Tencent (OTC: TCEHY).  Before we dive into our holdings, let’s take a step back and look at the bigger landscape of the country… Massive Size = Massive Opportunity In terms of land mass, China and the United States are close in size. However, China boasts nearly 1.4 billion people, which dwarfs the roughly 325 million folks in America. Its economy, as measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP), sits at $13.6 trillion, which is second only to the United States’ $20.6 trillion. China and the United States trade more goods — nearly $700 billion last year — than any other two countries in the world. But let’s go back to the country’s population… 1.4 billion citizens. That is a lot of people. And a key reason why nearly… Read More

Money is cheap and, with the Fed apparently re-embarking on an easing course, it will be getting even cheaper. This is a negative for your savings account. On the flip side, though, borrowing is not expensive — personal and corporate alike. This historically low cost of money (i.e. interest rates) has been a factor in the surge of merger and acquisition (M&A) activity over the past few years. Last year, for instance, the volume of M&A transactions jumped 16% globally from 2017 to $4.1 trillion. One of the recent standouts here is biopharma. The need to supplement or replace revenue… Read More

Money is cheap and, with the Fed apparently re-embarking on an easing course, it will be getting even cheaper. This is a negative for your savings account. On the flip side, though, borrowing is not expensive — personal and corporate alike. This historically low cost of money (i.e. interest rates) has been a factor in the surge of merger and acquisition (M&A) activity over the past few years. Last year, for instance, the volume of M&A transactions jumped 16% globally from 2017 to $4.1 trillion. One of the recent standouts here is biopharma. The need to supplement or replace revenue streams from expiring patents, consolidation, rising stock prices (which equals more equity that can be used as a takeover currency) are some of the reasons pharmaceutical and biotech companies, large and small, continue to merge. It’s eat or get eaten out there. —Recommended Link— Life-and-death investing. ​At the office, we call them “essential-service” stocks. Because people don’t just want what they sell, they need it. Nobody is going to go without air conditioning in Arizona. It can be a matter of life and death. And try spending a winter in North Dakota with no heat. Read More