If you Google the phrase, “is the stock market overpriced,” you’ll get more than 600,000 hits on how the market is ready to fall off a cliff. That search will find you article after article comparing today’s market to 1999 and even 1929. #-ad_banner-#Several articles try convincing their readers that the market is as much as 80% overvalued — as if that statement has any real meaning. Others say prudent investors should stay away from the stock market after it hits a new high. They reason that the market must revert to some mean level before it can sustain a… Read More

If you Google the phrase, “is the stock market overpriced,” you’ll get more than 600,000 hits on how the market is ready to fall off a cliff. That search will find you article after article comparing today’s market to 1999 and even 1929. #-ad_banner-#Several articles try convincing their readers that the market is as much as 80% overvalued — as if that statement has any real meaning. Others say prudent investors should stay away from the stock market after it hits a new high. They reason that the market must revert to some mean level before it can sustain a move higher. On that, I call BS. Here’s why… It turns out that, historically, the best time to buy stocks is after a new 12-month high as opposed to a new 12-month low. Now this may seem illogical or counterintuitive. After all, you’d think the market would have more upside potential after hitting a new low than a new high. But I have 90-years of data to prove that hypothesis incorrect. You see, the historical record going back to 1928 shows that stocks perform 160% better after hitting an all-time new high. Take a look at the chart below. The… Read More

It’s hard to argue with the claim that retail chain Victoria’s Secret brought sexy lingerie to the mainstream, out from the backwater of catalogs and specialty stores that most consumers wouldn’t be caught dead in. Ironically, however, Victoria’s Secret’s original incarnation was as a specialty catalog. #-ad_banner-#Founded in 1977, the original target customers of the brand were men who were too embarrassed to buy lingerie for their wives or girlfriends at department stores. But after struggling to the edge of bankruptcy, the business was bought in 1982 by rising mall retailer The Limited, now L Brands (NYSE: LB). The new… Read More

It’s hard to argue with the claim that retail chain Victoria’s Secret brought sexy lingerie to the mainstream, out from the backwater of catalogs and specialty stores that most consumers wouldn’t be caught dead in. Ironically, however, Victoria’s Secret’s original incarnation was as a specialty catalog. #-ad_banner-#Founded in 1977, the original target customers of the brand were men who were too embarrassed to buy lingerie for their wives or girlfriends at department stores. But after struggling to the edge of bankruptcy, the business was bought in 1982 by rising mall retailer The Limited, now L Brands (NYSE: LB). The new owner shifted the brand’s focus toward women and translated the catalog into physical stores. And this strategy worked wonders; Victoria’s Secret was off to the races with over 300 locations by 1987. Why the focus on this division of L Brands? Because Victoria’s Secret is L Brands. The chain contributes 63% of the company’s annual revenue, which has averaged nearly $11.5 billion over the last three years. And the stock is on sale. As a whole, the retail sector has had a rough go, especially recently due to lackluster holiday sales reports. The performance of the Retail Sector SPDR ETF… Read More

Welcome to the first issue of Disruptor Deals & Cool Concepts, an unfiltered look at the crowdfunding deals on the major platforms I regularly monitor. All courtesy of your subscription to Pre-IPO Millionaire, the newsletter that opens up the world of startup investing through… Read More

There are few things more profitable in the stock market than finding a long-term bullish economic trend and identifying a backdoor way to invest in the trend. #-ad_banner-#Major economic trends are often well known the observant investor, and many of them invest directly into the major companies riding the trend. While this tactic can and does work miracles at the start of any economic or societal trend, the profit potential becomes diluted when the trend matures. Shifting consumer tastes can turn one company’s products from a huge hit into a has-been at the drop of a hat. The key to… Read More

There are few things more profitable in the stock market than finding a long-term bullish economic trend and identifying a backdoor way to invest in the trend. #-ad_banner-#Major economic trends are often well known the observant investor, and many of them invest directly into the major companies riding the trend. While this tactic can and does work miracles at the start of any economic or societal trend, the profit potential becomes diluted when the trend matures. Shifting consumer tastes can turn one company’s products from a huge hit into a has-been at the drop of a hat. The key to long-term success is to locate those under the radar, backdoor companies that are crucial for supporting the overall trend but aren’t the obvious financial media darlings. These companies are often those that support or complement the more obvious ones. Today’s Big Trend A major trend that appears poised to continue is the shift to dining out and away from at-home meals. In 2015, for the first time, restaurant spending surpassed grocery store expenditures. The U.S. Department of Commerce reported that Americans spent $52.3 billion at restaurants and bars compared to $49.7 billion in grocery stores. It is the first… Read More

When it comes to international exposure, investors have literally thousands of mutual funds, closed-end funds, and exchange-traded funds to choose from. European small-cap stocks, Latin American dividend stocks, Asian government bonds — you name it. Vanguard alone offers 19 different equity funds with either global or purely foreign portfolios. But investing in individual securities is a different matter entirely. While the introduction of online trading platforms has facilitated the buying and selling of foreign stocks, it’s still an onerous process. Many brokers can’t help you buy shares of a company trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange, for example — and… Read More

When it comes to international exposure, investors have literally thousands of mutual funds, closed-end funds, and exchange-traded funds to choose from. European small-cap stocks, Latin American dividend stocks, Asian government bonds — you name it. Vanguard alone offers 19 different equity funds with either global or purely foreign portfolios. But investing in individual securities is a different matter entirely. While the introduction of online trading platforms has facilitated the buying and selling of foreign stocks, it’s still an onerous process. Many brokers can’t help you buy shares of a company trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange, for example — and Canada is a relatively accessible market. Want to buy or sell a stock on exchanges in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Brussels or Tokyo? You’ll have to submit specific paperwork and pay substantially higher brokerage commissions. There will also be foreign currency exchange fees if you choose to settle positions in U.S. dollars, as well as foreign tax withholding in some countries. Heck, even getting a ticker symbol and price quote can be tricky. —Recommended Link— The Government Can’t Hide This Forever There’s a secret way to increase your portfolio exponentially. A former secretary used it to turn $200 into $7 million. Read More

After a rocky start, driverless cars are becoming a reality, from driver-assist features to fully automated driving. One report puts the number of autonomous cars on the road at 10 million over the next three years and the Honda Americas R&D chief has set a goal of zero crashes for… Read More

If you’re an investor looking for game-changing trends, your formula for success should include seeking out a growing business, trend, sector, or even country. Often, knowing what to look for is the most important step in your process. That’s why just this month, my Game-Changing Stocks subscribers and I went… Read More

Grab My New Book FREE! This Special Edition of Investing in the Next Big Thing tells you everything you need to know to get started in Pre-IPO Investing and includes an exclusive bonus chapter revealing 3 startups that I’m telling my clients to buy right now. They are 3 of the best bets for an explosive payoff that I’ve seen out of the 289 firms I’ve reviewed in the past three years. This Special Edition won’t be available on Amazon.com or anywhere else. It will only be available through StreetAuthority. Learn more.​ — Joseph Hogue, CFA Ask me ten years ago and I wouldn’t… Read More

Grab My New Book FREE! This Special Edition of Investing in the Next Big Thing tells you everything you need to know to get started in Pre-IPO Investing and includes an exclusive bonus chapter revealing 3 startups that I’m telling my clients to buy right now. They are 3 of the best bets for an explosive payoff that I’ve seen out of the 289 firms I’ve reviewed in the past three years. This Special Edition won’t be available on Amazon.com or anywhere else. It will only be available through StreetAuthority. Learn more.​ — Joseph Hogue, CFA Ask me ten years ago and I wouldn’t have believed it but social media is now an inescapable part of our daily lives. Nearly four-fifths (78%) of Americans reported having a social media profile in 2016 and users approach nearly two billion worldwide. Early investors in the major platforms booked massive returns on investments when the sites were small startup companies. #-ad_banner-#For example, hedge-fund manager and venture capitalist Peter Thiel was one of the first investors in Facebook (Nasdaq: FB) with a $500,000 investment in 2004. When the company went public just eight years later, Thiel’s investment was worth $1.67 billion. That works out to an annualized return… Read More