An old trader once told me, “Trading is the hardest easy money you’ll ever make.” In theory, trading is easy enough — all you have to do is buy low and sell high, right? After all, there are thousands of books claiming to have all the information we’ll ever need. #-ad_banner-#In practice, however, trading is among the most difficult activities in the financial world. Despite the availability of a wealth of information, few do it well. In fact, all that accessible information actually makes it harder to trade successfully. Think about that for a moment. If you could really win… Read More

An old trader once told me, “Trading is the hardest easy money you’ll ever make.” In theory, trading is easy enough — all you have to do is buy low and sell high, right? After all, there are thousands of books claiming to have all the information we’ll ever need. #-ad_banner-#In practice, however, trading is among the most difficult activities in the financial world. Despite the availability of a wealth of information, few do it well. In fact, all that accessible information actually makes it harder to trade successfully. Think about that for a moment. If you could really win in the markets by simply buying stocks with low price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios, then we would all be successful. As an old trader also once told me, “To know what everyone knows is to know nothing.” If everyone has the same tools, it’s difficult to use them to gain an advantage over everyone else. The secret to beating the market — and your fellow investors — is to use little-known indicators, which act like secret weapons for trading. That’s why I developed my own indicator, which I call the Income Trader Volatility (ITV) indicator. ITV is similar to the Volatility S&P… Read More

The S&P500 has gone nowhere since mid-February as investors start to wonder how much farther the bull can run. Fears over geopolitical issues, weakening expectations for earnings and the economy, and doubts on tax reform have all put investors on edge. The VIX volatility index, also known as the “Fear Gauge,” jumped 29% to 15.9 over the first two weeks of April to reach its highest point this year. A total of 527 companies cut their dividend payments at the height of the financial crisis in 2009 and only the most stalwart dividend-payers survived. Even bellwether names like General Electric,… Read More

The S&P500 has gone nowhere since mid-February as investors start to wonder how much farther the bull can run. Fears over geopolitical issues, weakening expectations for earnings and the economy, and doubts on tax reform have all put investors on edge. The VIX volatility index, also known as the “Fear Gauge,” jumped 29% to 15.9 over the first two weeks of April to reach its highest point this year. A total of 527 companies cut their dividend payments at the height of the financial crisis in 2009 and only the most stalwart dividend-payers survived. Even bellwether names like General Electric, Dow Chemical, and JP Morgan cut their payments to investors. Protecting your portfolio from falling stock prices and dividend cuts today means finding companies with sustainable dividends from strong cash flows and a best-of-breed brand. When looking for which stocks have the highest dividends, I use four fundamental factors to find the companies with the commitment and cash flow to keep putting money in my pocket. Seeking Sustainable Dividends Against Market Stress First-quarter earnings are slowly starting to come in and the results are a mixed bag. The S&P 500 closed flat last week as investors started to question… Read More

The list of global events keeps piling up: A recent U.S. airstrike in Syria and bombing of ISIS in Afghanistan, increasing tensions with North Korea, a pivotal election in France that could determine the future of the European Union, talk of a renewed healthcare push in Congress (and tax reform in the works), the list goes on… But the world keeps turning and money never sleeps. And in today’s article, I’d like to do something a little different and tell you about how one of my fellow StreetAuthority experts developed one of the most reliable indicators I’ve ever seen. I’m… Read More

The list of global events keeps piling up: A recent U.S. airstrike in Syria and bombing of ISIS in Afghanistan, increasing tensions with North Korea, a pivotal election in France that could determine the future of the European Union, talk of a renewed healthcare push in Congress (and tax reform in the works), the list goes on… But the world keeps turning and money never sleeps. And in today’s article, I’d like to do something a little different and tell you about how one of my fellow StreetAuthority experts developed one of the most reliable indicators I’ve ever seen. I’m talking about Amber Hestla, Chief Strategist of Income Trader. I’d like to give you a little background on Amber and how she developed this indicator — which has delivered winning trades 93% of the time — and then tomorrow, you’ll have a chance to hear Amber talk about this indicator in more detail herself. Introducing Amber Hestla For those who aren’t familiar, Amber is one of the most well-respected options experts in the United States. But in her former life, she was a military intelligence operative. I’m not kidding. The transition from that to a… Read More

The financial sector was on fire in 2016. Immense annual gains of 50%, 60%, and greater were pocketed by investors who caught the trend. Don’t worry, I’m not talking about speculative fintech or other risky high-tech financial names. Believe it or not, the outsized gains were made in solid, multi- billion dollar companies like JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM) and Bank of America (NYSE: BAC). Hopefully, your portfolio captured some or all of this historic upside. But It’s Not Too Late If you missed riding the uptrend higher, or simply want to have a chance to pocket additional gains, it’s… Read More

The financial sector was on fire in 2016. Immense annual gains of 50%, 60%, and greater were pocketed by investors who caught the trend. Don’t worry, I’m not talking about speculative fintech or other risky high-tech financial names. Believe it or not, the outsized gains were made in solid, multi- billion dollar companies like JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM) and Bank of America (NYSE: BAC). Hopefully, your portfolio captured some or all of this historic upside. But It’s Not Too Late If you missed riding the uptrend higher, or simply want to have a chance to pocket additional gains, it’s not too late. I have identified five solid financial stocks that still have tremendous upside potential and pay hefty dividends. #-ad_banner-#Amazingly, these stocks trade in a market that has never had a financial calamity since the 19th century. This industry remained stable during both the Great Depression and the global banking crisis of 2008. This market, the Canadian banking industry, never experienced a financial crisis due to a myriad of reasons that are beyond the scope of this article. Suffice to say; the Canadian banking system is widely considered to be a bastion of stability. In comparison, the United States… Read More

Let’s not beat around the bush… You’re probably not going to like what I have to say in today’s issue.  But that’s OK. Many of you need to hear it.  #-ad_banner-#It’s time for a little tough love in today’s issue. If you’ve been thinking to yourself lately that you could use a good pep talk, then today is your lucky day. As for everyone else, feel free to tune out.  Even ‘Perfect’ Portfolios Experience Painful Losses I’d like you to consider for a moment an interesting find made by the folks at AlphaArchitect, a prominent “robo-advisor”… Read More

Let’s not beat around the bush… You’re probably not going to like what I have to say in today’s issue.  But that’s OK. Many of you need to hear it.  #-ad_banner-#It’s time for a little tough love in today’s issue. If you’ve been thinking to yourself lately that you could use a good pep talk, then today is your lucky day. As for everyone else, feel free to tune out.  Even ‘Perfect’ Portfolios Experience Painful Losses I’d like you to consider for a moment an interesting find made by the folks at AlphaArchitect, a prominent “robo-advisor” firm. (A robo-advisor is an online wealth management firm that uses complex algorithms to custom design portfolios for clients.) The question: If you were God, could you create a hedge fund so good that you would never get fired? The study assumes you are able to know the returns for all stocks in the S&P 500 for the next five years ahead of time. This level of omniscience comes with a catch, though. You have to hold your positions for the entire five-year duration. Only then can you rebalance the portfolio by selling those… Read More

If you listen to the talking heads on CNBC, gold’s move from $1,230/oz. to $1,280/oz. since last December occurred despite the threat of at least one, and possibly two, interest rate hikes in 2017. This reasoning has resulted in the idea that gold prices will have to decline from current levels unless the Fed fails to raise interest rates. And frankly, unless the United States enters a recession, the likelihood of at least one more rate increase in 2017 is inevitable. #-ad_banner-#But are the talking heads correct? I don’t think so. Here’s why… Gold prices correlate more to ‘real’ interest… Read More

If you listen to the talking heads on CNBC, gold’s move from $1,230/oz. to $1,280/oz. since last December occurred despite the threat of at least one, and possibly two, interest rate hikes in 2017. This reasoning has resulted in the idea that gold prices will have to decline from current levels unless the Fed fails to raise interest rates. And frankly, unless the United States enters a recession, the likelihood of at least one more rate increase in 2017 is inevitable. #-ad_banner-#But are the talking heads correct? I don’t think so. Here’s why… Gold prices correlate more to ‘real’ interest rates than to ‘nominal’ rates. Real interest rates are nominal rates less the rate of inflation. In simple terms, a nominal interest rate of 3% yields a real rate of 1% if the inflation rate is 2%. Now, nominal interest rates are likely to rise in 2017. But real rates are not, since expectations are for higher inflation, not less. What this means is that even if the Fed attempts to ‘normalize’ them, real interest rates have likely already hit their highs — meaning that gold prices are not likely to go significantly lower from here.   In fact, given… Read More

The car business is in trouble. But it could actually help one of my holdings in Top Stock Advisor. Let me explain… On April 3, Autodata released March sales numbers and they revealed that vehicle sales fell to the lowest level in more than two years. Auto sales have risen every year since the financial crisis and hit a record 17.6 million vehicles last year. But since the turn of the New Year sales have begun to fade. And the situation is likely only to get worse. #-ad_banner-#You see, used-car prices are beginning to fall. According to the National Automobile… Read More

The car business is in trouble. But it could actually help one of my holdings in Top Stock Advisor. Let me explain… On April 3, Autodata released March sales numbers and they revealed that vehicle sales fell to the lowest level in more than two years. Auto sales have risen every year since the financial crisis and hit a record 17.6 million vehicles last year. But since the turn of the New Year sales have begun to fade. And the situation is likely only to get worse. #-ad_banner-#You see, used-car prices are beginning to fall. According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, used car prices fell roughly 4% in February and are likely to continue heading that direction as a plethora of previously leased vehicles hit the market. The weakness in used-car prices puts pressure on new car sales. Think about it this way. If the price of a used car isn’t that much different from a brand spanking new one… why not get a new vehicle? But as used car prices fall, then the disparity in price makes it easier for consumers to choose used. But the real problem looming in the auto industry — one hardly anyone is… Read More

Flying an airplane is one of my passions. The view from 4,500 feet on a clear day is just unbelievably refreshing. Despite my passion for flying, there are inherent risks in taking an aircraft 10,000 feet above the earth. Everything from weather to mechanical issues can provide a brutal end to an otherwise beautiful day. #-ad_banner-#So safety is paramount when planning a trip. Whether the trip is to practice landings or a cross-country trip, emergency planning is the rule. Now, think about what equipment you’d want when flying — beyond the most basic stuff like fuel and a properly functioning… Read More

Flying an airplane is one of my passions. The view from 4,500 feet on a clear day is just unbelievably refreshing. Despite my passion for flying, there are inherent risks in taking an aircraft 10,000 feet above the earth. Everything from weather to mechanical issues can provide a brutal end to an otherwise beautiful day. #-ad_banner-#So safety is paramount when planning a trip. Whether the trip is to practice landings or a cross-country trip, emergency planning is the rule. Now, think about what equipment you’d want when flying — beyond the most basic stuff like fuel and a properly functioning aircraft. The most obvious piece of equipment is a GPS. A good GPS provides the pilot with information about the position of the aircraft in relation to the earth, but most models today provide weather data as well as charts identifying backup airports in the event of an emergency. Another piece of equipment essential to the safe operation of an aircraft is a radio. The ability to communicate with air traffic control — especially when the weather unexpectedly turns — is critical. And that alone has saved thousands of lives. So what does flying have to do with investing? It… Read More