Note from the editor: Before we get started today, right this minute, investors are collecting hundreds and even thousands of dollars in additional income on stocks like Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN), Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Google (Nasdaq: GOOGL) and other popular names.  These aren’t special dividends or anything like that. Instead, these investors are “stealing” the money from Wall Street’s biggest firms. Even though it may not sound 100% legal, it is — and it could allow you to collect an additional $850 a week in income. Click here to find out how. The major U.S. Read More

Note from the editor: Before we get started today, right this minute, investors are collecting hundreds and even thousands of dollars in additional income on stocks like Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN), Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Google (Nasdaq: GOOGL) and other popular names.  These aren’t special dividends or anything like that. Instead, these investors are “stealing” the money from Wall Street’s biggest firms. Even though it may not sound 100% legal, it is — and it could allow you to collect an additional $850 a week in income. Click here to find out how. The major U.S. stock indices closed in the green last week. The advance was led by the small-cap Russell 2000 and tech-heavy Nasdaq 100, which gained 3.5% and 2.9%, respectively, posting their best weekly closes since late December. This is a good sign, but keep in mind that these market leaders are still in negative territory for the year, underperforming the benchmark S&P 500. This suggests stocks have some work to do before the all-clear can be sounded. #-ad_banner-#All sectors of the S&P 500 finished in positive territory last week except for energy, which fell 1.3%. Technology and consumer staples led, both gaining… Read More

I have some exciting news to share with StreetAuthority readers… As a StreetAuthority veteran, I can personally attest that we’re always looking to make improvements to our product line-up. Whether it’s tweaking the mission of one of our newsletters, fine-tuning our portfolios or merely making cosmetic changes to the layout of the issues, we’ve strived to always think of ways to upgrade the experience for our loyal premium subscribers. #-ad_banner-#So after careful deliberation over the past few months, we’ve decided to make a big change… Starting with the April issue, our Top 10 Stocks premium newsletter will be incorporated into… Read More

I have some exciting news to share with StreetAuthority readers… As a StreetAuthority veteran, I can personally attest that we’re always looking to make improvements to our product line-up. Whether it’s tweaking the mission of one of our newsletters, fine-tuning our portfolios or merely making cosmetic changes to the layout of the issues, we’ve strived to always think of ways to upgrade the experience for our loyal premium subscribers. #-ad_banner-#So after careful deliberation over the past few months, we’ve decided to make a big change… Starting with the April issue, our Top 10 Stocks premium newsletter will be incorporated into an exciting new premium advisory authored by two of StreetAuthority’s finest analysts: Amy Calistri and Jimmy Butts. This new premium newsletter offering is called Top Stock Advisor. It will bring our premium readers the same investments that prompted many of them to join Top 10 Stocks in the first place — but it will also offer much, much more.  In short, this new advisory will feature investments designed to function as core holdings for any investor’s portfolio. It will feature companies with a fantastic record of rising dividend payments, and they’ll have the ability to consistently outperform the market without… Read More

It takes a licking but keeps on ticking: the U.S. economy shows no signs of altering the slow-but-steady economic growth path it’s been on for years now. More important, the healthy job-growth trend we’ve seen for two years remains in place. That’s true in spite of potential trainwrecks in Europe and Asia. Investors seem to agree on this interpretation of the data, which is why markets are behaving much differently now than they did in January. Let’s examine what the indicators are telling us — and in part two of this article later this week, I’ll tell you what it… Read More

It takes a licking but keeps on ticking: the U.S. economy shows no signs of altering the slow-but-steady economic growth path it’s been on for years now. More important, the healthy job-growth trend we’ve seen for two years remains in place. That’s true in spite of potential trainwrecks in Europe and Asia. Investors seem to agree on this interpretation of the data, which is why markets are behaving much differently now than they did in January. Let’s examine what the indicators are telling us — and in part two of this article later this week, I’ll tell you what it means for our portfolios. #-ad_banner-#​The U.S. Economy: The economy has been growing slowly but steadily for many years, but in the past year job growth picked up — a sign that employers have enough confidence in demand for their goods and services that they’re willing to increase capacity even if it means higher expenses. The U.S. economy has created at least 200,000 jobs in 21 of the 24 months since March 2014 — nothing like the gains we saw in the 1990s, but far better than the early years of the recovery. Job growth isn’t only in low-wage service sectors… Read More

After five weeks of consecutive gains, the major U.S. stock indices closed in the red last week. They were led lower by the Russell 2000, which declined 2%.   In the March 14 Market Outlook, I said that a chart pattern in the Russell 2000 targeted an eventual 19% decline to 880 as long as the 1,096 area loosely held as overhead resistance. The small-cap index traded as high as 1,104 on March 21 before closing at 1,080 on Friday. As long as resistance continues to contain on the upside, my 880 target remains valid. #-ad_banner-# Every sector… Read More

After five weeks of consecutive gains, the major U.S. stock indices closed in the red last week. They were led lower by the Russell 2000, which declined 2%.   In the March 14 Market Outlook, I said that a chart pattern in the Russell 2000 targeted an eventual 19% decline to 880 as long as the 1,096 area loosely held as overhead resistance. The small-cap index traded as high as 1,104 on March 21 before closing at 1,080 on Friday. As long as resistance continues to contain on the upside, my 880 target remains valid. #-ad_banner-# Every sector of the S&P 500 finished in negative territory last week except for health care, which gained 1.6%. This was the reverse of the previous week, which saw all sectors finish higher except for health care. Asbury Research’s proprietary metric shows that the biggest sector-related inflows of investor assets over the past month went into energy and technology, which are up 2.5% and 1.8%, respectively, for the year. As long as these two sectors continue to attract investor assets from other sectors, they are likely to outperform the S&P 500 in the weeks and potentially months ahead. Focus On Technology This… Read More

The stock market closed modestly higher last week for its fifth consecutive weekly gain, once again led by the defensive Dow Jones Industrial Average, up 2.3%. Although any positive weekly close is good, it’s important to note that the tech-heavy Nasdaq nand small-cap Russell 2000 showed the smallest gains and are the only major U.S. indices still in negative territory for 2016. #-ad_banner-# Since these indices typically lead in a healthy and sustainable market advance, I will continue to view the broader market rally with some skepticism until they start doing so. Every sector of the… Read More

The stock market closed modestly higher last week for its fifth consecutive weekly gain, once again led by the defensive Dow Jones Industrial Average, up 2.3%. Although any positive weekly close is good, it’s important to note that the tech-heavy Nasdaq nand small-cap Russell 2000 showed the smallest gains and are the only major U.S. indices still in negative territory for 2016. #-ad_banner-# Since these indices typically lead in a healthy and sustainable market advance, I will continue to view the broader market rally with some skepticism until they start doing so. Every sector of the S&P 500 finished in positive territory last week except for health care, which lost 2.6%.  In the March 7 Market Outlook, I pointed out that the biggest sector-related outflows over the previous one-week and one-month periods, according to Asbury Research’s proprietary metric, came from health care. This fueled the sector’s recent relative underperformance. As the table below shows, investors have continued to pull assets from health care for better perceived opportunities in other sectors. For instance, energy received the biggest inflows in the past one-week and one-month periods.   Health care has been the weakest sector… Read More

The U.S. stock market closed modestly higher last week, notching its fourth consecutive weekly gain. It was led by the defensive Dow Jones Industrial Average, which advanced 1.2%. The market was held in check by major overhead resistance levels in the Dow and S&P 500, which I will discuss in detail in a moment. #-ad_banner-# All sectors of the S&P 500 finished in positive territory last week, led by energy. As I pointed out in the previous report, Asbury Research’s metric showed energy has had the biggest sector-related inflow of investor assets over the past month, which fueled… Read More

The U.S. stock market closed modestly higher last week, notching its fourth consecutive weekly gain. It was led by the defensive Dow Jones Industrial Average, which advanced 1.2%. The market was held in check by major overhead resistance levels in the Dow and S&P 500, which I will discuss in detail in a moment. #-ad_banner-# All sectors of the S&P 500 finished in positive territory last week, led by energy. As I pointed out in the previous report, Asbury Research’s metric showed energy has had the biggest sector-related inflow of investor assets over the past month, which fueled its gains. Since its Jan. 20 low, the Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSE: XLE) is up 24.9%, outperforming the S&P 500 by 13.3 points. As long as investor assets continue to flow into energy, the recent strength is likely to continue. Market Tests Major Resistance But Leaning Higher In the Feb. 29 Market Outlook, I identified a bullish chart pattern in the Dow that targeted a move to 17,500. The index has since risen 3.5% into Friday’s 17,213 close, putting it just above formidable overhead resistance at 17,153 to 17,210. This resistance corresponds to significant resistance near 2,020 in the… Read More

The major U.S. indices politely responded to the title of last week’s Market Outlook, “Odds Favor a Continued Rally in Stocks,” with a broad-based advance. They were led by the small-cap Russell 2000, which gained 4.3%. #-ad_banner-#However, despite a nice rally over the past few weeks, the Russell 2000, S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq 100 remain down between 2% to 6% for the year. All sectors of the S&P 500 finished last week in positive territory, led by energy and financials, up 6.5% and 4.5%, respectively. Defensive health care brought up the rear, gaining just… Read More

The major U.S. indices politely responded to the title of last week’s Market Outlook, “Odds Favor a Continued Rally in Stocks,” with a broad-based advance. They were led by the small-cap Russell 2000, which gained 4.3%. #-ad_banner-#However, despite a nice rally over the past few weeks, the Russell 2000, S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq 100 remain down between 2% to 6% for the year. All sectors of the S&P 500 finished last week in positive territory, led by energy and financials, up 6.5% and 4.5%, respectively. Defensive health care brought up the rear, gaining just 0.2% last week.  Asbury Research’s own metric shows the biggest inflow of ETF-related investor assets went into financials in the past week and into energy in the past month. The biggest outflow of assets during both time periods came from health care. Market Testing Formidable Resistance Last week, I said the bullish chart pattern in the Dow Jones Industrial Average targeted a move to 17,500. The blue-chip index finished last week 2.8% below that objective. For that target to be met, though, the broader market, as represented by the S&P 500, must first break a formidable band… Read More

The major U.S. indices posted their second consecutive positive weekly close last week. They were led by the small-cap Russell 2000 and tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 indices, which gained 2.7% and 1.7%, respectively.  This is a positive near-term sign, as these indices typically lead the broader market higher and lower. Moreover, all sectors of the S&P 500 except for defensive utilities finished in the green last week. The best performers were materials, up 3.2%, and consumer discretionary, up 2.9%. #-ad_banner-# As I… Read More

The major U.S. indices posted their second consecutive positive weekly close last week. They were led by the small-cap Russell 2000 and tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 indices, which gained 2.7% and 1.7%, respectively.  This is a positive near-term sign, as these indices typically lead the broader market higher and lower. Moreover, all sectors of the S&P 500 except for defensive utilities finished in the green last week. The best performers were materials, up 3.2%, and consumer discretionary, up 2.9%. #-ad_banner-# As I said in last week’s Market Outlook, stocks are at a critical decision point from which the market’s next near-term move is likely to begin. Heading into this week, that move appears to be higher. A Near-Term Bottom Emerging? In last week’s report, I said a sustained rise above 1,947 in the S&P 500 would clear the way for a move to the 1,993 to 2,005 area. While the index is still negotiating this overhead resistance, others are starting to signal an emerging breakout.   On Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above its 16,511 Feb. 1… Read More

The last Saturday in April this year marks the beginning of another Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting. Held at Berkshire’s hometown headquarters in Omaha, the Woodstock of Capitalism grows bigger and attracts more attention each and every year. But beneath the spectacle is an opportunity to hear directly from one of the greatest investors in history. Every year, Buffett holds court with shareholders and the press, fielding questions and giving frank, honest answers with his trademark Midwestern wit. #-ad_banner-#I said this last year, but to put it simply, investors would be wise to pay attention to what Buffett says at… Read More

The last Saturday in April this year marks the beginning of another Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting. Held at Berkshire’s hometown headquarters in Omaha, the Woodstock of Capitalism grows bigger and attracts more attention each and every year. But beneath the spectacle is an opportunity to hear directly from one of the greatest investors in history. Every year, Buffett holds court with shareholders and the press, fielding questions and giving frank, honest answers with his trademark Midwestern wit. #-ad_banner-#I said this last year, but to put it simply, investors would be wise to pay attention to what Buffett says at this event. At 85 years old, this could be one of the last times we’ll be able to hear straight from the “Oracle of Omaha” about his thoughts on the market, the U.S. economy, and what it means to be a successful investor. Many of our analysts here at StreetAuthority have attended Berkshire meetings over the years, and they all spoke highly of their experience. But one thing that has always stuck with me about Warren Buffett is that while everyone wants to hear him speak, what often seems to be lost is what Buffett actually says… or more importantly,… Read More

All major U.S. indices closed in the green last week, led by the small-cap Russell 2000, up 3.9%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100, up 3.6%.  One of the main characteristics of the market in 2016 has been see-sawing, directionless trading with huge intraday swings. This is a relatively recent phenomenon, as seen in the chart below. The average daily trading range of the benchmark S&P 500 since the beginning of the year is 37.2 points. That is 54% higher than 2015’s average daily trading range and more than double what it was in 2010. This spike… Read More

All major U.S. indices closed in the green last week, led by the small-cap Russell 2000, up 3.9%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100, up 3.6%.  One of the main characteristics of the market in 2016 has been see-sawing, directionless trading with huge intraday swings. This is a relatively recent phenomenon, as seen in the chart below. The average daily trading range of the benchmark S&P 500 since the beginning of the year is 37.2 points. That is 54% higher than 2015’s average daily trading range and more than double what it was in 2010. This spike in the daily trading range, which many attribute to the combination of lower volume and an increase in high frequency trading, has made it more difficult to determine the underlying trend of the market — but it’s still possible. In this week’s Market Outlook, we will take a closer look at some metrics that can help us determine the market’s near- and intermediate-term direction. #-ad_banner-# All sectors of the S&P 500 posted gains last week, led by real estate and consumer discretionary. Defensive utilities and consumer staples, which ironically are the only sectors in positive territory year to… Read More