Recently, I had to take an exam for yet another license my industry requires me to have. Aside from feeling like I’d given birth to a compliance officer afterwards, I came away from the experience, newly minted license in hand, with an investment idea. I took the exam, on a computer workstation of course, at one of the many testing centers owned and managed by British education and multi-media publisher Pearson PLC (NYSE: PSO). Although my exam was specific to the financial industry, qualification exams for other professions are also administered at the centers, including nursing and engineering to name… Read More

Recently, I had to take an exam for yet another license my industry requires me to have. Aside from feeling like I’d given birth to a compliance officer afterwards, I came away from the experience, newly minted license in hand, with an investment idea. I took the exam, on a computer workstation of course, at one of the many testing centers owned and managed by British education and multi-media publisher Pearson PLC (NYSE: PSO). Although my exam was specific to the financial industry, qualification exams for other professions are also administered at the centers, including nursing and engineering to name a few.  Honestly, when I first looked at the stock, I was not impressed.     As you probably know, I’m not a chart guy. But if you go by these tea-leaves, the wiggles aren’t encouraging — and neither are the fundamentals. Earnings Per Share (EPS) has declined, on average, 131% on an annual basis over the last two years. Annual revenue has shrunk by 9.5% on average for the same period. But the short-term pain may be paving the way for long term gain. #-ad_banner-# Pearson, like most large publishing and media companies, is grappling with the disruptive technological… Read More

Last month, Reuters uncovered an internal report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security estimating the cost of a border wall with Mexico at $21.6 billion. The report projected a timeframe of nearly four years for construction. Whatever your view on the wall may be, that is a huge project. It amounts to more than a full year of sales at Fluor Corp (NYSE: FLR), the world’s largest engineering firm by revenue, or 5.6 times annual revenue at leading industrial materials firm Martin Marietta Materials (NYSE: MLM). Can companies afford to pass up the opportunity to… Read More

Last month, Reuters uncovered an internal report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security estimating the cost of a border wall with Mexico at $21.6 billion. The report projected a timeframe of nearly four years for construction. Whatever your view on the wall may be, that is a huge project. It amounts to more than a full year of sales at Fluor Corp (NYSE: FLR), the world’s largest engineering firm by revenue, or 5.6 times annual revenue at leading industrial materials firm Martin Marietta Materials (NYSE: MLM). Can companies afford to pass up the opportunity to bid on such a project? One company did just that, publicly refusing to participate. It’s one of the largest cement producers in North America and could have made billions on materials sales. But this company may still win out and, even better, shares are attractively-priced for strong 2017 fundamentals. #-ad_banner-# The Surprising Winner In The Border Wall Construction It wasn’t a complete surprise when $12 billion Cemex (NYSE: CX) didn’t show up on the list of initial bidders for the border wall project issued by the Department of Homeland Security.  The Mexican industrial company has a huge footprint in… Read More

Jim Cramer’s investment picks have captured headlines and the dreams of investors for years. This one-time hyper-successful hedge fund manager-turned television personality attracts a huge audience of investors with his market pontifications. His following is so influential that a stock market phenomenon, known as the “Cramer Bounce” often occurs after he touts a particular stock. That’s right, this single individual is thought to have the power to move markets. The Man Behind The Legend Jim Cramer has reached legendary status on Wall Street with his often uncannily accurate stock calls and hyper-energetic persona. Not only has he amassed millions of… Read More

Jim Cramer’s investment picks have captured headlines and the dreams of investors for years. This one-time hyper-successful hedge fund manager-turned television personality attracts a huge audience of investors with his market pontifications. His following is so influential that a stock market phenomenon, known as the “Cramer Bounce” often occurs after he touts a particular stock. That’s right, this single individual is thought to have the power to move markets. The Man Behind The Legend Jim Cramer has reached legendary status on Wall Street with his often uncannily accurate stock calls and hyper-energetic persona. Not only has he amassed millions of followers who hang on his every word, I;ve even seen trading platforms boasting a built-in Jim Cramer stock picks data feed. But Cramer was not always a public persona. Early in his career as a reporter, he was so poor that he lived in his car for several months. Despite creating popular lead stories for high-profile cases like the Ted Bundy murders, Jim was not satisfied with the low pay of a reporter’s life. #-ad_banner-#Seeing a legal career as a way out of the low-income lifestyle, he attended from Harvard Law School and was admitted to the New York Bar… Read More

Editor’s Note: Today we’d like to feature a guest column from Nathan Slaughter, Chief Stock Market Strategist for Scarcity & Real Wealth, StreetAuthority’s premium newsletter that seeks to profit from the producers and processors of the rarest and most valuable assets on the planet — precious metals, energy and other natural resources. In this column, Nathan addresses what’s become something of a buzzword again this year: Infrastructure. As Nathan points out in the article that follows, President Trump has pledged to rebuild outdated infrastructure on a scale not seen since Dwight Eisenhower proposed the national interstate highway system in the… Read More

Editor’s Note: Today we’d like to feature a guest column from Nathan Slaughter, Chief Stock Market Strategist for Scarcity & Real Wealth, StreetAuthority’s premium newsletter that seeks to profit from the producers and processors of the rarest and most valuable assets on the planet — precious metals, energy and other natural resources. In this column, Nathan addresses what’s become something of a buzzword again this year: Infrastructure. As Nathan points out in the article that follows, President Trump has pledged to rebuild outdated infrastructure on a scale not seen since Dwight Eisenhower proposed the national interstate highway system in the 1950s. If Trump and his allies have their way, it could lead to as much as $1 trillion in infrastructure-related spending over the next 10 years. That’s a lot of cement (and other resources and services), but it’s just icing on the cake when it comes to the appeal these companies hold for investors. So… Which companies are likely to profit the most? Here’s Nathan’s take on some of the opportunities for investors — and it’s actually a prelude to his next issue, which is due out in a couple weeks. If you’re interested in learning more about Scarcity &… Read More

It’s 1720 in England. A hard-working printer is busy at work. But he’s not happy… #-ad_banner-#All around him are ordinary people starting businesses and making great sums of money by selling their stock. What bothered him was that the businesses didn’t seem legitimate on the surface. For instance, one company’s prospectus promised, “to bring up hellfire for heating.” Another business advertised the ability, “to squeeze oil out of radishes.” Unbelievably, these business owners sold out all their stock in a matter of days. So he asked himself how rational people could… Read More

It’s 1720 in England. A hard-working printer is busy at work. But he’s not happy… #-ad_banner-#All around him are ordinary people starting businesses and making great sums of money by selling their stock. What bothered him was that the businesses didn’t seem legitimate on the surface. For instance, one company’s prospectus promised, “to bring up hellfire for heating.” Another business advertised the ability, “to squeeze oil out of radishes.” Unbelievably, these business owners sold out all their stock in a matter of days. So he asked himself how rational people could buy into such stupid business concepts. But then he made a decision. Instead of trying to understand the rationale behind such silliness, he decided to join the club. He printed a prospectus describing a business “for carrying out an undertaking of great advantage, but nobody to know what it is.” When he opened for business the next morning, long lines of people were waiting to buy his stock. The printer took every penny offered for the stock, and immediately boarded a boat for France. He disappeared forever. Now, the efficient market… Read More

2017 is expected to bring the highest gasoline prices since 2014. According to a recent report from Triple A, the average cost for regular, unleaded gas is expected to rise to $2.49 per gallon this year, up from $2.13 in 2016. That’s bad news for corporate America — higher energy prices means rising operating expenses for most of the S&P 500. However, there is one company that is actually in position to benefit. Rising gasoline prices are a profit trigger for this industry leader. That’s why I am expecting shares to close to 2017 at a new all-time high. Union… Read More

2017 is expected to bring the highest gasoline prices since 2014. According to a recent report from Triple A, the average cost for regular, unleaded gas is expected to rise to $2.49 per gallon this year, up from $2.13 in 2016. That’s bad news for corporate America — higher energy prices means rising operating expenses for most of the S&P 500. However, there is one company that is actually in position to benefit. Rising gasoline prices are a profit trigger for this industry leader. That’s why I am expecting shares to close to 2017 at a new all-time high. Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) owns and operates the largest rail network in the United States. It operates 8,500 locomotives over 32,100 route-miles in 23 states west of Chicago, Illinois and New Orleans, Louisiana. Union Pacific stock has been on a roll. Shares are up 23% in the last 12 months, a 54% premium to the S&P 500. Take a look below. Looking forward, I am expecting another market-beating performance from Union Pacific in 2017. A powerful profit trigger is on the horizon for the entire US rail shipping industry and Union Pacific in particular. When gasoline is cheap, companies… Read More

If you’re like the typical American, you’ve probably got a closet full of stuff you simply don’t wear anymore. And if you’re female, statistics show you may have a few more “unwearables” than men. According to ClosetMaid, the average woman has more than 100 items in her closet, yet finds 21% of those items unwearable. That means clothing and footwear designers have to work extra hard at keeping our attention, especially if their lines cater to women, as today’s target does. If you’re a company that produces “unwearables,” chances are your customers aren’t coming back to… Read More

If you’re like the typical American, you’ve probably got a closet full of stuff you simply don’t wear anymore. And if you’re female, statistics show you may have a few more “unwearables” than men. According to ClosetMaid, the average woman has more than 100 items in her closet, yet finds 21% of those items unwearable. That means clothing and footwear designers have to work extra hard at keeping our attention, especially if their lines cater to women, as today’s target does. If you’re a company that produces “unwearables,” chances are your customers aren’t coming back to add more. But before we go pointing fingers at either sex or even at the fast-changing, mega-consumer society we live in, let’s remember one key element that’s always influenced our lives and the clothes we wear: style. From the flapper dresses of the early 20th century to the bell-bottoms of the ’70s, clothing styles can change dramatically from year to year. And some, (thankfully) never come back. Clothing styles can shift dramatically from year to year, and these shifts can bankrupt a clothing company. Changes in style helped steal the mojo from hip companies like Urban Outfitters (Nasdaq: URBN) and… Read More

This is BIG… For the first time since 1933, the SEC is now allowing regular people like you and me to invest in brand-new explosive-growth companies BEFORE THEY GO PUBLIC. Imagine getting in on the next Facebook for 33 cents a share or the next Apple at 78 cents. In StreetAuthority’s Pre-IPO Millionaire, I vet six to eight deals like this one, and offer my exclusive in-depth analysis of a single opportunity that I believe could return 1,000% or more. Click here for more information. — Joseph Hogue, CFA The Boston University School of Medicine estimated in 1900 that 80%… Read More

This is BIG… For the first time since 1933, the SEC is now allowing regular people like you and me to invest in brand-new explosive-growth companies BEFORE THEY GO PUBLIC. Imagine getting in on the next Facebook for 33 cents a share or the next Apple at 78 cents. In StreetAuthority’s Pre-IPO Millionaire, I vet six to eight deals like this one, and offer my exclusive in-depth analysis of a single opportunity that I believe could return 1,000% or more. Click here for more information. — Joseph Hogue, CFA The Boston University School of Medicine estimated in 1900 that 80% of the children in Boston suffered from rickets, a softening of the bones and a symptom of vitamin D deficiency. Dairies started adding vitamin D to milk in the 1930s, helping about a third of the population that got insufficient amounts of the vitamin and the incidence of rickets in Boston dropped to almost nothing. These days, almost all milk is fortified with vitamin D and other minerals. It’s an industry standard that we take for granted but one that provides a huge benefit to society. #-ad_banner-#Now comes an exciting development about a healthy fortification of a different sort. In… Read More