Last year, I wrote a somewhat bearish article on the long-term price of oil. While I am sticking to my guns long-term, a recent research piece published by Confluence Investment Management’s Bill O’Grady (one of the best energy analysts) sets a near-term bullish tone for the price of crude and natural gas. O’Grady suggests that oil prices remain steady thanks to “OPEC production discipline and solid global oil demand”. Based on his firm’s methodology, he suggests a fair value price of $72.49. Looking at a recent chart of the price action for West Texas Intermediate (WTI),… Read More

Last year, I wrote a somewhat bearish article on the long-term price of oil. While I am sticking to my guns long-term, a recent research piece published by Confluence Investment Management’s Bill O’Grady (one of the best energy analysts) sets a near-term bullish tone for the price of crude and natural gas. O’Grady suggests that oil prices remain steady thanks to “OPEC production discipline and solid global oil demand”. Based on his firm’s methodology, he suggests a fair value price of $72.49. Looking at a recent chart of the price action for West Texas Intermediate (WTI), I would have to agree. As the first quarter of 2018 ends, crude has traded in a 10-point range. If O’Grady’s forecast is accurate, it would suggest a near-term upside of 18% — not bad for an asset that will be range-bound for the near future. Natural gas may be going along for the ride as well. After a significant pullback, it looks as though the commodity has bottomed. So how do investors play this short-term trend? One of the best ways would be in the master limited partnership (MLP) space. I’ve identified three names in… Read More

Legal cannabis is already the fastest growing industry in North America. North American cannabis sales jumped 30% in 2017, a repeat of 2016’s stunning gain. While that’s impressive on its own, the pace of growth is about to accelerate due to a huge catalyst directly on the horizon. Canada has announced plans to legalize recreational cannabis by July 2018. That would make Canada the first developed country in the world to legalize both medical and recreational cannabis. It’s also set to unleash a multi-billion dollar industry. Cannabis sales are expected to be between $5 and $7… Read More

Legal cannabis is already the fastest growing industry in North America. North American cannabis sales jumped 30% in 2017, a repeat of 2016’s stunning gain. While that’s impressive on its own, the pace of growth is about to accelerate due to a huge catalyst directly on the horizon. Canada has announced plans to legalize recreational cannabis by July 2018. That would make Canada the first developed country in the world to legalize both medical and recreational cannabis. It’s also set to unleash a multi-billion dollar industry. Cannabis sales are expected to be between $5 and $7 billion in the first 12 months after legalization. That would be between a 400 percent and 600 percent increase from Canada’s 2017 numbers. If you want to learn how you can potentially profit from this cannabis revolution, let me tell you about one of the most promising companies in Canada’s high-growth cannabis market. #-ad_banner-#​Aphria (TSE: APH) is an early leader in Canada’s high-growth cannabis industry. With a market cap of $2.4 billion, Aphria is the second-largest cannabis company in Canada behind Canopy Growth Corp’s (TSE: WEED) $6.6 billion. Shares of Aphria are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the… Read More

One of the signs of a healthy market is the number and the overall quality of new companies going public. This is how investors get a wider array of choices, as well as a chance to learn more about new ideas. It’s also how we, as investors, get an opportunity to get in on the ground floor. (Or as close to the ground floor as possible.) Indeed, the more choice we have, the better. —Sponsored Link— Bitcoin’s April 27 ‘Flash Point’ Could Ignite A Frenzy April 27 could be a fateful day in the cryptocurrency… Read More

One of the signs of a healthy market is the number and the overall quality of new companies going public. This is how investors get a wider array of choices, as well as a chance to learn more about new ideas. It’s also how we, as investors, get an opportunity to get in on the ground floor. (Or as close to the ground floor as possible.) Indeed, the more choice we have, the better. —Sponsored Link— Bitcoin’s April 27 ‘Flash Point’ Could Ignite A Frenzy April 27 could be a fateful day in the cryptocurrency markets. One that could change bitcoin forever — and send dozens of other cryptocurrencies flying. So what’s this April “Flash Point” Event? You’ll have to click here to find out. HINT: It involves an EXTREMELY popular e-commerce company… Yes, THAT e-commerce company. Click here now, or miss out on this explosive opportunity. This is why I like to watch how initial public offering (IPO) activity is shaping up. My interest in the IPO market isn’t purely academic. It’s not because I love data (although I do love it —… Read More

Have you ever “unplugged” from your cell phone? If you have, you’ve likely experienced the phenomenon of phantom vibrations — the perception that your phone is ringing or vibrating when in fact it’s not. (In the 1990s, people reported incidences of “phantom pager syndrome.”) We’ve become so accustomed to being “connected” that for many it controls our lives. My cell phone is the first thing I reach for in the morning (and usually the last thing I’ve touched before falling asleep). I can turn on and adjust the music streaming through my Sonos speakers, my Apple TV, and my heat… Read More

Have you ever “unplugged” from your cell phone? If you have, you’ve likely experienced the phenomenon of phantom vibrations — the perception that your phone is ringing or vibrating when in fact it’s not. (In the 1990s, people reported incidences of “phantom pager syndrome.”) We’ve become so accustomed to being “connected” that for many it controls our lives. My cell phone is the first thing I reach for in the morning (and usually the last thing I’ve touched before falling asleep). I can turn on and adjust the music streaming through my Sonos speakers, my Apple TV, and my heat and air conditioning. Heck, nowadays you can use your smartphone to lock and unlock your doors, control your lights, open your garage, start your car… I even use it to track the internal temperature of whatever meat I’m smoking. —Sponsored Link— Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy Now Louis Navellier just completed his latest analysis on more than 5,000 stocks and 10 rose to the top of the list. 10 top-notch stocks that are his top picks for double or triple-digit gains in the months ahead. The full list — every name, every buy… Read More

The dark times of early 2018 may be back upon us. As I write this, bitcoin has lost over 7% of its value in the last 24 hours alone. The current level around $8,500 represents a 26% drop from the February high of $11,600 and a full 56% drop from all-time highs reached in late 2017. #-ad_banner-#Like with the previous drops, the culprits seem to be unfortunate news and the ensuing panic selling (as well as stop-loss algorithmic selling). The news, as is always the case, is questionably relevant to bitcoin’s value. First, Google announced today… Read More

The dark times of early 2018 may be back upon us. As I write this, bitcoin has lost over 7% of its value in the last 24 hours alone. The current level around $8,500 represents a 26% drop from the February high of $11,600 and a full 56% drop from all-time highs reached in late 2017. #-ad_banner-#Like with the previous drops, the culprits seem to be unfortunate news and the ensuing panic selling (as well as stop-loss algorithmic selling). The news, as is always the case, is questionably relevant to bitcoin’s value. First, Google announced today that it will be restricting advertising for cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency-related content. Bitcoin’s value dropped 12 percent following a similar announcement by Facebook in late January. However, the other piece of news likely affecting bitcoin’s price is more general: regulatory uncertainty. As the SEC and Congress draw nearer to drafting and implementing cryptocurrency policies, uncertainty and doubt over the market’s future is building. Why this is particularly relevant today is thanks to a blog post by European bank Allianz Global. The post declares that bitcoin’s intrinsic value “must be zero” and that a lack of regulation signals… Read More

There is a lot of news in the financial world, but tariffs seem to top the list. While the Trump administration’s new tariffs are all anyone can talk about right now, this is just the beginning of the story. It could end up being significant, or it could become trivial. We won’t know for sure for at least several weeks, until we have a chance to see exactly what the president decides to do and how other countries react. Higher interest rates are also a popular topic for journalists. For several years now, we have heard that rates are going… Read More

There is a lot of news in the financial world, but tariffs seem to top the list. While the Trump administration’s new tariffs are all anyone can talk about right now, this is just the beginning of the story. It could end up being significant, or it could become trivial. We won’t know for sure for at least several weeks, until we have a chance to see exactly what the president decides to do and how other countries react. Higher interest rates are also a popular topic for journalists. For several years now, we have heard that rates are going to go up. And they most certainly will… someday. But we don’t know exactly when someday will be. What I do know is that it’s unlikely that it will be an issue for stocks in the near term. —Sponsored Link— Tech Insider’s #1 Pick For 2018 Invest before midnight May 4 because, thanks to Trump, this must-own tech stock is poised to soar… Click here for the full story.   In theory, higher interest rates mean bonds will start paying out higher yields to bondholders, making them more attractive. Investors… Read More

“When rates are high, stocks will die, and when rates are low, stocks will grow.” I’ll never forget hearing this at a stock market seminar when I was around 12 years old.  Taken to the symposium by my investor grandfather, this was my first actual exposure to stock market wisdom. These were the days of 17%-plus interest rates and some Fidelity mutual funds posting massive returns of over 25%! #-ad_banner-#If someone had predicted rates near zero less than a generation in the future, they would have been laughed out of the room. However, the impossible has now happened, with rates… Read More

“When rates are high, stocks will die, and when rates are low, stocks will grow.” I’ll never forget hearing this at a stock market seminar when I was around 12 years old.  Taken to the symposium by my investor grandfather, this was my first actual exposure to stock market wisdom. These were the days of 17%-plus interest rates and some Fidelity mutual funds posting massive returns of over 25%! #-ad_banner-#If someone had predicted rates near zero less than a generation in the future, they would have been laughed out of the room. However, the impossible has now happened, with rates pushed to zero in a valiant effort to save the U.S. economy. Fast forward to the early part of 2018 and the low rates and massive quantitative easing measures have worked their magic, with the stock market making record high after record high. Now, with the economy potentially going into overdrive, the Fed has slowly started to bump up rates. Rates have begun to climb with up to four increases possible for this year. Will the old saying about stocks dying when rates climb pan out this year? Does the rate rise regime mean the bull market will soon be… Read More