At no other time in modern U.S. history has a new administration intervened so directly in the business environment. Whether you agree with President Trump’s policies or not, it’s difficult to ignore that the new administration is reshaping the American economy. Any time you get such a dramatic shift in policy and the business environment, there are bound to be industries that benefit. #-ad_banner-#Positioning in those industries before the good times begin could be one of the strongest investment themes over the next four years. President Trump reiterated his call for a $1 trillion infrastructure plan in his… Read More

At no other time in modern U.S. history has a new administration intervened so directly in the business environment. Whether you agree with President Trump’s policies or not, it’s difficult to ignore that the new administration is reshaping the American economy. Any time you get such a dramatic shift in policy and the business environment, there are bound to be industries that benefit. #-ad_banner-#Positioning in those industries before the good times begin could be one of the strongest investment themes over the next four years. President Trump reiterated his call for a $1 trillion infrastructure plan in his recent speech to Congress. He also reinforced his pledge to boost American manufacturing with a mandate that requires new energy pipelines to be made with domestically-produced U.S. steel. In that mandate, the President may have signaled one of the best investments of the year and made one group some of the top stocks of 2017. Steel Benefits From Increased Demand And Decreased Competition Not only could U.S. steel producers get a sales boost from pipeline projects already approved, but any major infrastructure improvement could mean a surge in non-residential and construction steel. Steel gets a further boost… Read More

Last week, I wrote about Buffett’s bet with the hedge fund industry (for more on that, go here). I also advised readers to check out Buffett’s letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, which was released last weekend. I hope you took the time to follow my advice. Despite amassing a $76 billion fortune, Buffett remains as folksy and accessible as ever. He’s not perfect — but then again, he’s also rarely wrong. #-ad_banner-#A few years ago, the Wall Street Journal reported that Buffett made an absolutely stunning $10 billion on investments he made at the height of… Read More

Last week, I wrote about Buffett’s bet with the hedge fund industry (for more on that, go here). I also advised readers to check out Buffett’s letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, which was released last weekend. I hope you took the time to follow my advice. Despite amassing a $76 billion fortune, Buffett remains as folksy and accessible as ever. He’s not perfect — but then again, he’s also rarely wrong. #-ad_banner-#A few years ago, the Wall Street Journal reported that Buffett made an absolutely stunning $10 billion on investments he made at the height of the financial crisis. True to form, Buffett sheepishly commented that any average investor could have done just as well. In fact, more recently, he has stated that it should be possible for any individual investor to beat his performance at Berkshire Hathaway going forward. Does this mean Buffett has lost a step? Hardly. It’s simply a matter of the law of large numbers coming into effect. To earn that $10 billion, Buffett had to invest $26 billion. That put his return at about 38%, or 6.7% a year over five years. Now let’s put that into context. Buffett made his… Read More

Powerball and the other assorted government sponsored lotteries are big business. During 2014,  players spent $70 billion on legal lotteries in America alone. Global lottery sales bring in about $300 billion each year. The urge for fast money is so strong that ticket sales on U.S. lottery games average $300 per adult in the 43 states hosting the games. Putting this number into perspective, it’s more money than U.S. citizens in all 50 states spent on movies, recorded music, sports tickets, books and even video games combined! #-ad_banner-#While many players participate in the lottery as a fun diversion, some view… Read More

Powerball and the other assorted government sponsored lotteries are big business. During 2014,  players spent $70 billion on legal lotteries in America alone. Global lottery sales bring in about $300 billion each year. The urge for fast money is so strong that ticket sales on U.S. lottery games average $300 per adult in the 43 states hosting the games. Putting this number into perspective, it’s more money than U.S. citizens in all 50 states spent on movies, recorded music, sports tickets, books and even video games combined! #-ad_banner-#While many players participate in the lottery as a fun diversion, some view it differently. A study published in 2004 revealed a sad truth. Cornell professors, Garrick Blalock, David R. Just, and Daniel H. Simon authored a study called “Hitting the Jackpot or Hitting the Skids.” The research discovered that local lottery ticket sales are higher in areas of low income. However, movie ticket sales decline with poverty levels. Bluntly stated, the lottery is viewed as a possible source of income by the destitute, despite the astronomical  odds against winning. Although the odds of winning the Powerball can be as low as 1 in 258 million, there is a way to significantly improve… 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. Each… Read More

What an incredible time to be a stock market investor. Prices have been surging higher over the past few months, with the popular benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average breaking the 20,000 barrier for the first time in its history. Driven by the new Presidential administration’s anti-regulatory, pro-infrastructure spending, and tax-slashing… Read More

In 1980, economist Julian Simon had had enough. For the past decade-plus, he had watched Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich make all sorts of grim predictions about the human race. For example, in 1968, Ehrlich predicted that 20% of the world’s population would starve to death by 1985. Later, he predicted that England would not exist as a country by the year 2000. This kind of thinking has its roots in the theories of Thomas Malthus. (Not that you asked, but I think Malthusianism has had far too much influence in both academia and the larger public for far too long. Read More

In 1980, economist Julian Simon had had enough. For the past decade-plus, he had watched Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich make all sorts of grim predictions about the human race. For example, in 1968, Ehrlich predicted that 20% of the world’s population would starve to death by 1985. Later, he predicted that England would not exist as a country by the year 2000. This kind of thinking has its roots in the theories of Thomas Malthus. (Not that you asked, but I think Malthusianism has had far too much influence in both academia and the larger public for far too long. It’s one of those theories that has a nasty habit of influencing some of history’s absolute worst ideas.) #-ad_banner-#Despite all of the hand-wringing and pearl-clutching, nothing seemed to ever come of these prognostications. So Simon thought it was time to make a little wager with Ehrlich… If the predicted world population explosion transpired, leading to the vast depletion of natural resources, then the prices of commodities would naturally skyrocket. So Simon challenged Ehrlich to buy $1,000 in any mix of commodities he chose. Then, after a 10-year period, if prices were higher, Simon would pay the difference. If prices were… Read More

The Trump rally has come in two phases, with an initial burst of optimism after the election and another run higher since Inauguration Day. But has hope for tax reform and fewer regulations taken the market as far as it can? Investors are starting to get skeptical about the prospect for economic growth this year and the market is struggling to make new highs. When the reality of a slow process for the President’s business agenda sets in, investor caution could turn into a full-blown rout. On the other hand, you don’t want to miss out on further gains if… Read More

The Trump rally has come in two phases, with an initial burst of optimism after the election and another run higher since Inauguration Day. But has hope for tax reform and fewer regulations taken the market as far as it can? Investors are starting to get skeptical about the prospect for economic growth this year and the market is struggling to make new highs. When the reality of a slow process for the President’s business agenda sets in, investor caution could turn into a full-blown rout. On the other hand, you don’t want to miss out on further gains if improved business sentiment turns into a rebound in corporate profits. That could quickly legitimize the rally and send shares even higher. Fortunately, I’ve found one segment of the market that can offer both protection from a selloff as well as participation in further gains. This dual protection makes them some of the best growth stocks for 2017. Is The Trump Rally Over? The Trump rally has taken stocks to all-time highs but has really come in two phases. The first, from the election to mid-December, gave investors new hope in a business-friendly environment and a 6% bump in asset… Read More

Ever since I was a kid, I loved discount stores. I remember the old TG&Y five and dime store in my neighborhood. I’d trade in enough Coke (NYSE: KO) bottles at the A&P next door to cobble together twenty five cents to buy a bag of green plastic army men… Read More

Today’s investors are barraged with technology-driven investment tools. Everything from a standard online trading platform to completely automated, decision-making robo-advisors is at our fingertips. #-ad_banner-#Known collectively as Fintech, these revolutionary changes have deeply altered our relationship with the financial markets. The stock market had grown tremendously since the days when investors had to phone in orders to brokers who in turn called the stock exchange to execute orders. Things are continuing to change and change fast for individual investors. And whenever there is change there are many opportunities for profit. And this is especially true of the fintech revolution, one… Read More

Today’s investors are barraged with technology-driven investment tools. Everything from a standard online trading platform to completely automated, decision-making robo-advisors is at our fingertips. #-ad_banner-#Known collectively as Fintech, these revolutionary changes have deeply altered our relationship with the financial markets. The stock market had grown tremendously since the days when investors had to phone in orders to brokers who in turn called the stock exchange to execute orders. Things are continuing to change and change fast for individual investors. And whenever there is change there are many opportunities for profit. And this is especially true of the fintech revolution, one of many smart stocks to invest in now. Early Fintech Advances Fintech can be traced back to the early 1960s with the advent of the Quotron system on brokers’ desks. Quotron was the first electronic system for distributing stock quotes in real time. In 1966, the global telex network was launched with the goal of creating the backbone for future international financial technology. Later on, the Clearing House Interbank Payments System was founded to allow large global banks the ability to convey and settle payments in greenbacks. While it feels like forever, it has only been since 1983 that… Read More

While headlines of the new presidential administration’s various actions have dominated the news since the start of the year, the stock market has quietly been on a tear. According to Bespoke Investment Group, 36 stocks in the S&P 500 reached all-time highs last Monday. Another 24 new highs followed on Tuesday. Wednesday saw 40. Here is a full list of S&P 500 companies that have set new all-time highs as of last week, courtesy of Bespoke: Hopefully, you’ve personally benefitted from this. The question is: How long can this last? —Sponsored Link— Turn $500… Read More

While headlines of the new presidential administration’s various actions have dominated the news since the start of the year, the stock market has quietly been on a tear. According to Bespoke Investment Group, 36 stocks in the S&P 500 reached all-time highs last Monday. Another 24 new highs followed on Tuesday. Wednesday saw 40. Here is a full list of S&P 500 companies that have set new all-time highs as of last week, courtesy of Bespoke: Hopefully, you’ve personally benefitted from this. The question is: How long can this last? —Sponsored Link— Turn $500 Into $650,000 Without Risking A Single Dollar In The Market The Wall Street Journal reports that this innovation “blows open the doors to investing.” Forbes says that “this changes everything.” And if you click here now, we’ll share the details behind this investing breakthrough. If this article from the Wall Street Journal is to be believed, one disconcerting sign about the economy could come from the National Federation of Independent Business. Last month, its survey of small business optimism reached its highest level in 12 years. At a reading of 105.9,… Read More