Everyone grew up hearing the story of the shepherd boy who frequently lied to the local townspeople about the threat of wolves on his flock. Time after time, the people rushed to his aid after hearing shouts that wolves were threatening his sheep. However, each time, the townspeople found the shepherd had lied about the presence of wolves. #-ad_banner-#Eventually, the townspeople become immune to the boy’s calls. When real wolves appeared and the boy cried for help, the people of the town assumed the cries were another hoax and ignored him. Later the townspeople realized the cries were real, but… Read More

Everyone grew up hearing the story of the shepherd boy who frequently lied to the local townspeople about the threat of wolves on his flock. Time after time, the people rushed to his aid after hearing shouts that wolves were threatening his sheep. However, each time, the townspeople found the shepherd had lied about the presence of wolves. #-ad_banner-#Eventually, the townspeople become immune to the boy’s calls. When real wolves appeared and the boy cried for help, the people of the town assumed the cries were another hoax and ignored him. Later the townspeople realized the cries were real, but it was too late. The wolves killed the sheep, and in one version of the story, the shepherd, too. Centuries later, we have a similar refrain… Aesop’s story of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” reminds me of Michael Hartnett’s message from five years ago. Mr. Hartnett is the chief investment strategist for Bank of America Merrill Lynch who famously coined the term the “great rotation.” If you’re not familiar with the term, Mr. Hartnett believed that a great rotation out of bonds and into stocks was just beginning in 2011. He sounded the alarm. But it wasn’t true. Since then,… Read More

You know it’s December when you begin hearing long sets of holiday classics on the radio, when you start seeing gift-wrapped cars with huge bows on TV, and when you simply cannot escape reading about the Santa Claus rally in the financial press. In keeping with some of these traditions, I present to you an idea that seems both timely and appropriate for the next year: a position in an asset management company. Why do I like asset managers, particularly right now? The idea might seem controversial — but I think it allows us to make use of several market… Read More

You know it’s December when you begin hearing long sets of holiday classics on the radio, when you start seeing gift-wrapped cars with huge bows on TV, and when you simply cannot escape reading about the Santa Claus rally in the financial press. In keeping with some of these traditions, I present to you an idea that seems both timely and appropriate for the next year: a position in an asset management company. Why do I like asset managers, particularly right now? The idea might seem controversial — but I think it allows us to make use of several market trends and expectations. —Recommended Link— Banned Since 1933 — Now Open For Investing This year, the SEC cracked open a door it had kept shut since 1933. They finally allowed everyday investors to get into explosive early-stage companies BEFORE they go public — while they are still in their strongest growth curves. But here’s the thing… there’s only one way you can get into these startups — and here’s how it works. Global asset manager AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. (NYSE: AB) is a good place to turn, allowing us to take advantage of the stock market’s strength while providing a… Read More

Recently, I discussed the encouraging growth in research and development spending in the most recent U.S. GDP report issued by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). While GDP growth for the third quarter of this year was a modest 2.9%, R&D spending growth came in at an astonishing annualized rate of 17%. The significance of this bodes well for the economy as a whole, in that increased R&D spending leads to new products, processes, and overall economic expansion. And although I mentioned this development to my Game Changing Stocks newsletter subscribers, various opportunities tied in with this type of spending… Read More

Recently, I discussed the encouraging growth in research and development spending in the most recent U.S. GDP report issued by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). While GDP growth for the third quarter of this year was a modest 2.9%, R&D spending growth came in at an astonishing annualized rate of 17%. The significance of this bodes well for the economy as a whole, in that increased R&D spending leads to new products, processes, and overall economic expansion. And although I mentioned this development to my Game Changing Stocks newsletter subscribers, various opportunities tied in with this type of spending also exist for my other publication, The Daily Paycheck. Best of all, many of these opportunities out-yield the market, and the two of my best ideas currently offer an average yield greater than 6%. Digital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR) Recently, the combined selloff in bonds and pullback in tech stock prices has created an opportunity in DLR shares. Organized as a real estate investment trust (REIT), Digital Realty owns, acquires, develops, and manages technology related real estate. In short, its business is to provide data center solutions to many industries that depend on data usage, collection and storage every… Read More

On the night of the U.S. Presidential election, I was rudely awakened by an alert siren on my trading station. Stumbling out of bed, I could not believe my eyes. Dow Jones futures were down nearly 800 points! #-ad_banner-#Just then my phone rang — my fund manager friend called to warn me that the market could be down another several thousand points by the end of the next day. Having followed his lead, I had a minuscule short position on in the futures and was thrilled with the huge gains earned by the short. Rather than doing the right thing… Read More

On the night of the U.S. Presidential election, I was rudely awakened by an alert siren on my trading station. Stumbling out of bed, I could not believe my eyes. Dow Jones futures were down nearly 800 points! #-ad_banner-#Just then my phone rang — my fund manager friend called to warn me that the market could be down another several thousand points by the end of the next day. Having followed his lead, I had a minuscule short position on in the futures and was thrilled with the huge gains earned by the short. Rather than doing the right thing by setting stops, I decided to go back to sleep and let the trade ride. Upon awakening, I was shocked to see the trade almost back to even, crushing all of my gains. The market panicked on the Trump win, but investors quickly realized their collective mistake and bought back into the market aggressively. The Dow has since rallied over 1,000 points to all-time highs. The move has confounded the bears and surprised even the most hard-core bulls. In retrospect, the rally should not have been that surprising. Trump’s protectionist rhetoric, corporate tax slashing, and even pending inflationary pressure can… Read More

Repositioning. That’s the best word I’ve heard to describe what’s going on in the markets right now. The minute the 2016 election was called, investors on both sides immediately put their party affiliation aside and began trying to figure out what comes next. And the prevailing outlook can only be described as optimistic. The S&P 500 enjoyed a gain of 3.8% between November 7-11, while the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average bounced 5.4% and the Russell 2000 Index surged 10%. That’s a decent year’s worth of gains in just five trading sessions. Overall, it was the strongest week for both… Read More

Repositioning. That’s the best word I’ve heard to describe what’s going on in the markets right now. The minute the 2016 election was called, investors on both sides immediately put their party affiliation aside and began trying to figure out what comes next. And the prevailing outlook can only be described as optimistic. The S&P 500 enjoyed a gain of 3.8% between November 7-11, while the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average bounced 5.4% and the Russell 2000 Index surged 10%. That’s a decent year’s worth of gains in just five trading sessions. Overall, it was the strongest week for both small-cap stocks and giant blue-chip stocks since December 2011. And the rally continues. It’s almost forgotten now, but the market suffered a 9-day losing streak leading up to the election. Oh, how quickly investor sentiment changes. But to gain real insight into how the market views a Trump presidency, you have to examine performance on a more granular level. With that in mind, I want to spend some time today pinpointing the areas of the market that will most likely be affected. —Recommended Link— The Top ‘Crash Protection’ Stock To Buy Now? We’ve identified the top “Crash-Protection” stock to… Read More

I flew into Cabo San Lucas, Mexico a few months ago and made the mistake of exchanging my money at the airport rather than a local bank or financial institution. If drinking the local water is mistake #1, then this one isn’t far behind. I was paid an exchange rate of just 15/1, so my $1,000 turned into 15,000 pesos. Had I walked a few blocks away, the going rate was closer to 18/1 — meaning I could have traded my dollars for 18,000 pesos instead.   #-ad_banner-#3,000 pesos buys a lot of Pacifico beer. And this isn’t just my… Read More

I flew into Cabo San Lucas, Mexico a few months ago and made the mistake of exchanging my money at the airport rather than a local bank or financial institution. If drinking the local water is mistake #1, then this one isn’t far behind. I was paid an exchange rate of just 15/1, so my $1,000 turned into 15,000 pesos. Had I walked a few blocks away, the going rate was closer to 18/1 — meaning I could have traded my dollars for 18,000 pesos instead.   #-ad_banner-#3,000 pesos buys a lot of Pacifico beer. And this isn’t just my experience — the Mexican peso has been one of the weakest currencies in the world for the past three weeks. Since November 8, its value has fallen more than 15% against the U.S. dollar. That selloff is largely being driven by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Investors are worried Trump will restructure trade agreements between the United States and Mexico or levy tariffs on Mexican exporters. If that happens, it could be a huge drag on the Mexican economy. The weak peso has caused somewhat of a panic in Mexican stocks. In the past three weeks the iShares MSCI Mexico Capped… Read More

Financier Baron Rothschild famously said, “The time to buy is when there’s blood in the streets.” What he meant is that the largest profits are made when traders purchase shares in companies whose share price has been beaten down so far that most investors have lost all interest. It’s at this point that spectacular turnarounds can happen. Today, one industry in particular has come under fire. Extreme regulatory pressure, public outcry, massive defaults, and even having its financial lifeline threatened have caused investors to flee the sector in droves. Stock prices in this sector plunged to lows last July. Then,… Read More

Financier Baron Rothschild famously said, “The time to buy is when there’s blood in the streets.” What he meant is that the largest profits are made when traders purchase shares in companies whose share price has been beaten down so far that most investors have lost all interest. It’s at this point that spectacular turnarounds can happen. Today, one industry in particular has come under fire. Extreme regulatory pressure, public outcry, massive defaults, and even having its financial lifeline threatened have caused investors to flee the sector in droves. Stock prices in this sector plunged to lows last July. Then, before prices recovered, investors quietly starting snapping up shares again. These brave investors have since been rewarded handsomely with monster gains. The leading names in the sector have been trading higher by over 30% year-to-date, and I expect much greater gains over the next several years. That sector? For-profit education. Regulatory Pressure Has Crushed Profitability The for-profit education sector is a $23 billion industry with over 1,000 active businesses. Recently, for-profit universities and colleges have increasingly come under fire for their marketing tactics and admissions standards. The industry suffers from a shockingly high level of student loan defaults and… Read More

While there are no sure things in the stock market, there is one thing that’s almost certain: After stocks go up, bears start calling for a correction. You might remember the bears warning in April 2009 (shortly after the market bottomed) that the rise in stocks was a bear market rally and new lows were inevitable. The S&P 500 had jumped more than 15% in three weeks at that time and was overbought… according to the bears. Yet, stocks continued higher from there, embarking on a seven-year bull run. Fast-forward to present day, and after the S&P 500 shot up… Read More

While there are no sure things in the stock market, there is one thing that’s almost certain: After stocks go up, bears start calling for a correction. You might remember the bears warning in April 2009 (shortly after the market bottomed) that the rise in stocks was a bear market rally and new lows were inevitable. The S&P 500 had jumped more than 15% in three weeks at that time and was overbought… according to the bears. Yet, stocks continued higher from there, embarking on a seven-year bull run. Fast-forward to present day, and after the S&P 500 shot up 5.5% in less than a month’s time, the bears are once again calling the market overbought. Stocks being overbought means prices have gone up too far, too fast. There’s no precise definition of “too far, too fast,” but many analysts use indicators like the stochastics oscillator shown at the bottom of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSE: SPY) chart. When the market becomes overbought, a pullback is expected. That’s the theory anyway, but the chart shows why it doesn’t really matter if the market is “overbought.” Beginning in 2012, stochastics showed SPY was overbought for 42 consecutive months. Read More

Editor’s Note: In the past year, one expert has used market pullbacks similar to the one John is predicting to capture huge returns in a matter of days. These include 62.4% in nine days, 33.8% in four days and 18.5% in a single day. As you read John’s report, consider how this strategy could help you get positioned for the next market sell-off. Stocks took a breather this past week following three consecutive weekly gains in the major indices. The decline was led by the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (-2.7%) and small-cap Russell 200 (-2.4%), which were both leaders… Read More

Editor’s Note: In the past year, one expert has used market pullbacks similar to the one John is predicting to capture huge returns in a matter of days. These include 62.4% in nine days, 33.8% in four days and 18.5% in a single day. As you read John’s report, consider how this strategy could help you get positioned for the next market sell-off. Stocks took a breather this past week following three consecutive weekly gains in the major indices. The decline was led by the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (-2.7%) and small-cap Russell 200 (-2.4%), which were both leaders on the way up. #-ad_banner-#One catalyst for last week’s decline was yet another failed attempt by the Nasdaq 100 to remain above its March 2000 tech-bubble high, which it has been negotiating since August. I’ll talk about this in more detail later in the report. From a sector standpoint, all sectors of the S&P 500 ended in negative territory for the week except financials, energy, materials and industrials. Much, if not all of this, was related to the recent spike in long-term interest rates, which has boosted financial stocks while driving investors into hard assets as a hedge against what… Read More

The Trump rally may have stalled but the best trades of 2017 may still be made in companies that will benefit from policy changes in Washington. One of those trades has gotten started early with a court decision mid-November and could help boost earnings in important sectors of the economy. Companies in these sectors were looking at dramatically higher staffing costs but now may be able to beat expectations as the economy heats up and costs stay low. I’m going after two best-of-breed companies that stand to benefit big time. Business Strikes Back Against Wage Regulations A federal court… Read More

The Trump rally may have stalled but the best trades of 2017 may still be made in companies that will benefit from policy changes in Washington. One of those trades has gotten started early with a court decision mid-November and could help boost earnings in important sectors of the economy. Companies in these sectors were looking at dramatically higher staffing costs but now may be able to beat expectations as the economy heats up and costs stay low. I’m going after two best-of-breed companies that stand to benefit big time. Business Strikes Back Against Wage Regulations A federal court judge in Texas issued an injunction mid-November blocking the Department of Labor from enforcing new regulations that would increase the minimum salary for supervisory workers that qualify for overtime pay. #-ad_banner-#Under the old standard set in 2004, employees classified in a supervisory role are not entitled to overtime pay as long as their salary is at least $23,660 annually. The new rule would have more than doubled the minimum salary to $47,892 and would have meant companies would have to pay overtime for more than four million workers. The court found the Department of Labor (DOL) exceeded its authority in… Read More