As a student of the stock market, I pay close attention to trends.  Investing into an established trend is a time-proven way to find success. When two or more trends merge, it creates a high-potential stock market investment. #-ad_banner-#Trends come in two types: societal trends and price trends. Societal trends are those that sweep across the culture, making certain things attractive or even a must-have among consumers.  An excellent example of a major societal trend is the one toward healthy eating. Organic fast food and low-fat dining have become the hot new things among the masses. We see successful restaurant… Read More

As a student of the stock market, I pay close attention to trends.  Investing into an established trend is a time-proven way to find success. When two or more trends merge, it creates a high-potential stock market investment. #-ad_banner-#Trends come in two types: societal trends and price trends. Societal trends are those that sweep across the culture, making certain things attractive or even a must-have among consumers.  An excellent example of a major societal trend is the one toward healthy eating. Organic fast food and low-fat dining have become the hot new things among the masses. We see successful restaurant chains like Chipotle (NYSE: CMG) riding the organic, healthy fast food trend.  Another major trend is the growth of pet-ownership spending in the United States. According to the American Pet Products Association, total pet spending in 2010 hit $48.35 billion. This number has been growing steadily and is expected to hit $62.75 billion in 2016 with $27 billion being attributed to food products.  Combining these two seemingly unrelated trends pointed me toward the organic pet food market. As pet ownership trends higher, wholesome food-oriented consumers seek to provide their pets a similarly healthy diet.  The leading company in the wholesome… Read More

In 1977, a man named Mike Markkula had already made his millions from stock options while working as a marketing manager for Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel. He was introduced to two renegade engineers by the name of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniack, who were working on a new personal computer, the Apple II.  After talking with Jobs, Markkula decided to fund the company, thus becoming its first “angel investor” and employee number three. Three years later, Apple went public and Markkula’s stake was worth $203 million.  —Recommended Link— Play The Presidential Market Plunge For Triple-Digit Returns ​Economic turmoil historically… Read More

In 1977, a man named Mike Markkula had already made his millions from stock options while working as a marketing manager for Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel. He was introduced to two renegade engineers by the name of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniack, who were working on a new personal computer, the Apple II.  After talking with Jobs, Markkula decided to fund the company, thus becoming its first “angel investor” and employee number three. Three years later, Apple went public and Markkula’s stake was worth $203 million.  —Recommended Link— Play The Presidential Market Plunge For Triple-Digit Returns ​Economic turmoil historically follows nearly every newly elected president. In fact, Bush fueled a 78% Nasdaq collapse in 2002. So regardless of who wins on November 8… you MUST take steps to protect your portfolio today. Click here to discover three POTUS-proof industries to play for up to 200.6% profits. That’s a serious chunk of change. Consequently, Markkula retired from Apple in 1996. Had he retained his full stake in Apple, it would be worth more than $177 billion today. Success stories like this are more common than you might think. That’s what can happen when you’re able to get in on the early stages of a promising… Read More

1933 was an important year for U.S. investors. That was the year the 18th amendment was repealed. This regulatory breakthrough accomplished two things. For one, it once again made it legal to drink a cold beer after work. #-ad_banner-#Then, it unleashed one of the best investment opportunities of the century, setting the stage for a billion dollar wealth transfer and giving birth to future global leaders such as Budweiser and Jack Daniels. If you weren’t around back then to capitalize, don’t worry. Today, that same cycle is repeating itself. Cannabis is being legalized all across North America. In the United… Read More

1933 was an important year for U.S. investors. That was the year the 18th amendment was repealed. This regulatory breakthrough accomplished two things. For one, it once again made it legal to drink a cold beer after work. #-ad_banner-#Then, it unleashed one of the best investment opportunities of the century, setting the stage for a billion dollar wealth transfer and giving birth to future global leaders such as Budweiser and Jack Daniels. If you weren’t around back then to capitalize, don’t worry. Today, that same cycle is repeating itself. Cannabis is being legalized all across North America. In the United States, 25 states have adopted medical marijuana programs. Three states have legalized recreational consumption. The list of cannabis-friendly states continues to grow. Nine states are set to vote on cannabis initiatives on Election Day (November 8). In Canada, medical marijuana is already legal on the federal level. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party are making it a top priority to also legalize recreational cannabis. It is possible an initiative could be voted on in Canada within the next 12 months. In Mexico, it’s already legal for citizens to carry up to an ounce of cannabis. In April, Mexican… Read More

Back on October 26, I told you about one of the most exciting revolutions for investing to happen in years. The new opportunity has to do with an asset class that has delivered out-sized returns for wealthy, elite investors while remaining off-limits to everyone else.  I’m talking about pre-IPO investing. As you probably know, before well-known giants like Facebook or Twitter were public companies, they were burgeoning startups. As such, they weren’t traded on the public exchanges most of us are familiar with.  —Recommended Link— Only One Thing Stands Between You And $457K If you invested $10,000 into one… Read More

Back on October 26, I told you about one of the most exciting revolutions for investing to happen in years. The new opportunity has to do with an asset class that has delivered out-sized returns for wealthy, elite investors while remaining off-limits to everyone else.  I’m talking about pre-IPO investing. As you probably know, before well-known giants like Facebook or Twitter were public companies, they were burgeoning startups. As such, they weren’t traded on the public exchanges most of us are familiar with.  —Recommended Link— Only One Thing Stands Between You And $457K If you invested $10,000 into one unexpected group of stocks in 1972, you’d have $457,791 in your pocket in 2015. But if you put $10k into their counterparts instead, you’d have just $30,153. The only difference between these 2 choices is… Get the full story. But as it turns out, certain select wealthy, elite investors were able to get in on these companies before the rest of us. And in many cases, they were able to make millions. Until now. #-ad_banner-#You see, thanks to the passage of new regulations, regular investors are able to get in on the same kinds of pre-IPO deals that these “accredited”… Read More

Third-quarter earnings season has ushered in an important turning point for the S&P 500. With more than 25% of the index reporting, earnings are on pace to increase 0.1% from the same period last year. That 0.1% increase doesn’t exactly jump off the page. But with S&P 500 earnings declining for five consecutive quarters, a return to earnings growth is a positive signal for U.S. stocks. This reversal back to earnings growth is being led by some of America’s most popular brands. #-ad_banner-#For example, JPMorgan Chase’s (NYSE: JPM) per-share earnings of $1.58 beat expectations by 13%. Similarly, Walgreens Boots Alliance’s… Read More

Third-quarter earnings season has ushered in an important turning point for the S&P 500. With more than 25% of the index reporting, earnings are on pace to increase 0.1% from the same period last year. That 0.1% increase doesn’t exactly jump off the page. But with S&P 500 earnings declining for five consecutive quarters, a return to earnings growth is a positive signal for U.S. stocks. This reversal back to earnings growth is being led by some of America’s most popular brands. #-ad_banner-#For example, JPMorgan Chase’s (NYSE: JPM) per-share earnings of $1.58 beat expectations by 13%. Similarly, Walgreens Boots Alliance’s (NYSE: WBA) earnings of $1.07 beat expectations by 8%. While these reports are both excellent in their own right, one company crushed them both. In fact, I am calling it the best earnings report of the season, beating expectations by 100%. In the short run, that should help shares outperform the S&P 500 for the rest of the year. In the long run, this exceptional quarter signals that this market leader still has plenty of growth ahead. A Massive Positive Earnings Surprise Should Trigger Post-Earnings Drift Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) should be a familiar name. It virtually created the streaming… Read More

Looking at his brokerage statement, Ira’s heart sinks. He once thought his savings were sufficient to last the rest of his life. But his retirement account balances have fallen to levels that make him nervous. He’s now thinking he may need to find part-time work. Ira isn’t alone. Many retirees struggle to generate enough income to pay their bills.   #-ad_banner-#The fault for this lies squarely with the Federal Reserve. Their zero interest-rate policy (ZIRP) has driven investors to lower yielding and higher risk investments. You see, interest rates have declined for more than three decades. But in the last… Read More

Looking at his brokerage statement, Ira’s heart sinks. He once thought his savings were sufficient to last the rest of his life. But his retirement account balances have fallen to levels that make him nervous. He’s now thinking he may need to find part-time work. Ira isn’t alone. Many retirees struggle to generate enough income to pay their bills.   #-ad_banner-#The fault for this lies squarely with the Federal Reserve. Their zero interest-rate policy (ZIRP) has driven investors to lower yielding and higher risk investments. You see, interest rates have declined for more than three decades. But in the last decade, they have been hammered. The long-term average return on 10-Year Treasuries is 6%. That generates about $600 in annual interest income on a $10,000 investment. But with the 10-Year currently yielding just 1.7%, seniors with the same investment today earn a mere $170 a year.   That’s a 72% decline in income. And it’s only going to get worse. The Fed is roughly 350 basis points behind their own schedule for where rates should be. It will take years to normalize rates from current levels, especially as rates in many places are negative. These Policies Have Hurt Retirees… Read More

A few weeks ago, I wrote about one of the most exciting revolutions to happen to investing in years. The new opportunity has to do with an asset class that has delivered out-sized returns for wealthy, elite investors while remaining off-limits to everyone else.  In short, if you’ve ever wished you could have invested in companies like Facebook and Twitter BEFORE they went public, then you’ll want to pay attention to what I have to say… —Recommended Link— Your Personal Paycheck Plan  One simple strategy is helping folks enjoy retirement more. In fact, the $2,194 Annie from Nevada makes… Read More

A few weeks ago, I wrote about one of the most exciting revolutions to happen to investing in years. The new opportunity has to do with an asset class that has delivered out-sized returns for wealthy, elite investors while remaining off-limits to everyone else.  In short, if you’ve ever wished you could have invested in companies like Facebook and Twitter BEFORE they went public, then you’ll want to pay attention to what I have to say… —Recommended Link— Your Personal Paycheck Plan  One simple strategy is helping folks enjoy retirement more. In fact, the $2,194 Annie from Nevada makes with this method covers all her monthly expenses. The $1,100 that Gordon from California earns makes life easier each month. And Curtis of Washington State puts the $4,200 he collects monthly toward home improvements. Discover the strategy that can enrich your life,too… Until May of this year, to invest in companies before they undergo an initial public offering (IPO), you had to be an “accredited” investor — that means a net worth of at least $1 million (excluding the value of your house), or an individual income of at least $200,000 a year ($300,00 combined). Now, thanks to the passage… Read More

It’s nearly impossible to click through to Bloomberg or another financial news site without being inundated with analysis predicting the next rate hike by the Federal Reserve.  Everything seems to be tied back to the potential for higher rates, and current 30-day Federal Funds futures put the odds at 65.6% that the central bank will hike by at least 25 basis points at its December meeting. #-ad_banner-#Volatility has spiked several times this year on investor fears of higher borrowing costs. The VIX volatility index spiked 88% in June when economic reports suggested higher rates were coming. Volatility jumped again, rising… Read More

It’s nearly impossible to click through to Bloomberg or another financial news site without being inundated with analysis predicting the next rate hike by the Federal Reserve.  Everything seems to be tied back to the potential for higher rates, and current 30-day Federal Funds futures put the odds at 65.6% that the central bank will hike by at least 25 basis points at its December meeting. #-ad_banner-#Volatility has spiked several times this year on investor fears of higher borrowing costs. The VIX volatility index spiked 88% in June when economic reports suggested higher rates were coming. Volatility jumped again, rising 52% in the third week of September, and then did so a third time this month.  All three surges in volatility have been met with a sell-off in stocks. But investors may be missing one very important point about rate hikes. It’s something only the economists know and something that could change the way you invest over the next several years. Understanding The Whole Rate Cycle, Not Just The Hike The watch for higher rates has turned into a Wall Street nail-biter as the market rises and falls with each piece of economic data or speech by a member… Read More

Recently I had the honor of accompanying a group of friends to Las Vegas for a bachelor party. The betrothed couple in question for this event has been very dear to me for years — and honestly, aside from a few of the typical travel hiccups, the trip was a blast.  #-ad_banner-#I’ve been to Sin City a number of times, and I know firsthand that the things you can do to have a good time are only limited by your imagination (and, yes, perhaps your inhibitions). But among these activities — whether you’re shooting dice, playing Texas Hold ‘Em, lounging… Read More

Recently I had the honor of accompanying a group of friends to Las Vegas for a bachelor party. The betrothed couple in question for this event has been very dear to me for years — and honestly, aside from a few of the typical travel hiccups, the trip was a blast.  #-ad_banner-#I’ve been to Sin City a number of times, and I know firsthand that the things you can do to have a good time are only limited by your imagination (and, yes, perhaps your inhibitions). But among these activities — whether you’re shooting dice, playing Texas Hold ‘Em, lounging at the pool, shopping, or having a nice meal at one of the many five-star restaurants in Vegas — there’s always alcohol within reach. It got me to thinking… I hope the teetotalers among the StreetAuthority crowd will forgive me for saying this, but a little booze in moderation can make certain activities a little more fun. Perhaps that’s why alcohol has historically been such a resilient investment. So today, I’d like to share a pick with you from my colleague Jimmy Butts, Chief Investment Strategist of Top Stock Advisor. And as you may have guessed, it has to do… Read More

The primary way investors create long-term wealth in the stock market is by riding trends. I am not talking about price trends but rather the overall societal and technological macro-trends that come together to change the world.  Trillions of dollars have been made by identifying these macro trends and purchasing shares in companies riding them. The trick is identifying companies that are leaders in their niche — the companies that possess the momentum and fortitude to withstand resistance to change, and are the first movers into the space. These three fundamental factors are what distinguish long-term winners in the stock… Read More

The primary way investors create long-term wealth in the stock market is by riding trends. I am not talking about price trends but rather the overall societal and technological macro-trends that come together to change the world.  Trillions of dollars have been made by identifying these macro trends and purchasing shares in companies riding them. The trick is identifying companies that are leaders in their niche — the companies that possess the momentum and fortitude to withstand resistance to change, and are the first movers into the space. These three fundamental factors are what distinguish long-term winners in the stock market. #-ad_banner-#One major macro societal and technological trend right now is the move to a mobile society. This trend is driven by the ubiquitous use of smartphones powered by Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and other companies in the space. We are all familiar with the fortunes that were made by those who jumped aboard this trend as early investors.  The trend toward making everything mobile has also led to the development of various sub-trends. One of the most exciting and world changing sub-trends is the move toward decoupling the transfer of money from banks and other traditional financial institutions to upstart… Read More