In May 2016, a historic event for individual investors was announced by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This new opportunity to take control of your wealth revolves around an asset class that has brought outsized returns only for the richest investors. It has remained off-limits to everyone else because you had to have a specific net worth just to get in. Now for the first time since 1933, individual investors have been given the same access to this market, and it could be bigger than the internet boom of the 1990s. I’m talking about the concept of investing in… Read More

In May 2016, a historic event for individual investors was announced by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This new opportunity to take control of your wealth revolves around an asset class that has brought outsized returns only for the richest investors. It has remained off-limits to everyone else because you had to have a specific net worth just to get in. Now for the first time since 1933, individual investors have been given the same access to this market, and it could be bigger than the internet boom of the 1990s. I’m talking about the concept of investing in companies before they go public on the major stock exchanges — specifically, investing in pre-IPO companies with equity crowdfunding. If this sounds new to you, then pay close attention, because it’s going to change the very idea of investing as you know it. And understanding this new opportunity means looking deeper and knowing where to find the analysis you need to move the odds in your favor. Your Ticket To “The Next Big Thing” Until last year, by law, only the wealthiest investors could invest in “pre-IPO” companies. Now, thanks to the passage of Regulation CF (crowdfunding), any investor can… Read More

The new year is turning out to be just as I predicted for jet-maker and defense specialist Boeing (NYSE: BA). Fresh on the heels of better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings results, shares of the Dow component have posted year-to-date gains of 3.59%. Within the Dow, Boeing trails only Disney (NYSE: DIS) and Visa (NYSE: V) in 2017 performance. New Orders, New Growth Prospects Boeing stock, currently trading at around $163, reached a new 52-week high of $170 on January 26. This marks a 10% rise since we last recommended the stock on December 15. And it would be a mistake to… Read More

The new year is turning out to be just as I predicted for jet-maker and defense specialist Boeing (NYSE: BA). Fresh on the heels of better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings results, shares of the Dow component have posted year-to-date gains of 3.59%. Within the Dow, Boeing trails only Disney (NYSE: DIS) and Visa (NYSE: V) in 2017 performance. New Orders, New Growth Prospects Boeing stock, currently trading at around $163, reached a new 52-week high of $170 on January 26. This marks a 10% rise since we last recommended the stock on December 15. And it would be a mistake to lock in these gains now, especially as the Chicago-based company continues to secure long-term contracts with various local and international government agencies. Most recently, Boeing announced a win on a $2.1 billion contract to build 15 more KC-46A refueling aircrafts. #-ad_banner-#The recent order for 15 planes follows a $2.8 billion deal in August for 19 planes, which now puts Boeing’s KC-46A orders at 34. But wait, there’s more. Earlier this month, the company won a $22 billion deal from SpiceJet Ltd., an India-based, low-cost airliner looking to expand its domestic and international operations. India’s fourth-largest airline by number of passengers… Read More

When the chorus of investment commentary gets so strong in one direction, I start to question the collective wisdom of the market. I’m a believer in general market efficiency, that most news is recognized in prices. #-ad_banner-#But occasionally, herd mentality sets in and the market outlook clearly needs to be reevaluated. It’s in this ability to step back and question the herd’s stampede in one direction that investors can find huge opportunities. It was obvious when pundits argued that valuations didn’t matter during the tech bubble. It was obvious in 2007 when subprime defaults exploded and mortgage lenders started going… Read More

When the chorus of investment commentary gets so strong in one direction, I start to question the collective wisdom of the market. I’m a believer in general market efficiency, that most news is recognized in prices. #-ad_banner-#But occasionally, herd mentality sets in and the market outlook clearly needs to be reevaluated. It’s in this ability to step back and question the herd’s stampede in one direction that investors can find huge opportunities. It was obvious when pundits argued that valuations didn’t matter during the tech bubble. It was obvious in 2007 when subprime defaults exploded and mortgage lenders started going bankrupt, even as analysts still predicted higher prices. That same collective wisdom is starting to skew to one side again, despite strong evidence to the contrary. Traders and analysts alike are nearly unanimous in a trend that could unravel and become one of the biggest surprises of 2017. The Market’s Love Affair With The U.S. Dollar The greenback made a run at fresh highs in late 2016 and closed the year out strong on the prospect for faster U.S. economic growth and rate hikes. Net long positions by traders in the U.S. dollar reached $25.4 billion on January 3… Read More

Successful stock market investing over the long term takes skills in several disciplines. First, you need to be able to think outside of the box by looking behind the headline stocks into lesser-known names operating behind the scenes. Now, I am certainly not saying to avoid the headline names. Getting in early on a favorite stock is a sure way to stock market profits. But often, once a stock starts making mainstream news headlines it’s upward price momentum is about to slow or fail altogether. #-ad_banner-#Identifying companies that support one or a combination of headline names yet do not get… Read More

Successful stock market investing over the long term takes skills in several disciplines. First, you need to be able to think outside of the box by looking behind the headline stocks into lesser-known names operating behind the scenes. Now, I am certainly not saying to avoid the headline names. Getting in early on a favorite stock is a sure way to stock market profits. But often, once a stock starts making mainstream news headlines it’s upward price momentum is about to slow or fail altogether. #-ad_banner-#Identifying companies that support one or a combination of headline names yet do not get the same attention as the headliner is a consistent way to locate winning stocks for the long term. Once you locate your behind-the-news stock, it’s time to take a close look at its fundamentals to make certain there is support behind the price move. Are the fundamentals improving over time? Are revenue and sales upward-trending from quarter to quarter? Do the products and services support an overall societal or economic trend? These are the basic questions to answer before making an investing decision. Next, make certain the share price is in an overall upward trend. This means judging whether the… Read More

Sometimes, names can be misleading. Consider hedge funds, for example. The “hedging” in hedge funds’ day-to day-operations sometimes generates more risk, not less. How much more? Well, Long-Term Capital Management L.P. (LTCM), which had a great name that implied longevity and long-term thinking, had a fantastic team that counted not one but two Nobel Laureates in economics. Long-Term Capital Management ended up being relatively short-lived during the 1990s, lasting only about six years. Fast forward two decades. The hedge fund industry is alive and well, having survived not only LTCM, but also the Great Recession, during which many funds closed. Read More

Sometimes, names can be misleading. Consider hedge funds, for example. The “hedging” in hedge funds’ day-to day-operations sometimes generates more risk, not less. How much more? Well, Long-Term Capital Management L.P. (LTCM), which had a great name that implied longevity and long-term thinking, had a fantastic team that counted not one but two Nobel Laureates in economics. Long-Term Capital Management ended up being relatively short-lived during the 1990s, lasting only about six years. Fast forward two decades. The hedge fund industry is alive and well, having survived not only LTCM, but also the Great Recession, during which many funds closed. The industry has also weathered outright frauds such as the Bernie Madoff scandal. The modern hedge fund world is diverse. Some hedge funds (defined as private investment pools available to qualified, or “accredited,” investors) are similar, by composition, to mutual funds, albeit with more concentrated portfolios. Some invest in everything from stocks to bonds to real estate to gold and other commodities, and many continue using derivative strategies and hedging techniques. Leverage is not uncommon. These days, many hedge funds invest (and trade) in equities, and it’s normal to see a hedge fund or two among the top holders of… 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. In StreetAuthority’s Pre-IPO Millionaire, I vet six to eight deals like this one each month, and offer my exclusive in-depth analysis of a single opportunity that I believe could return 1,000% or more. Click here for more information. — Joseph Hogue, CFA The leading cause of teenage fatalities in the United… 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. In StreetAuthority’s Pre-IPO Millionaire, I vet six to eight deals like this one each month, and offer my exclusive in-depth analysis of a single opportunity that I believe could return 1,000% or more. Click here for more information. — Joseph Hogue, CFA The leading cause of teenage fatalities in the United States is car accidents — not guns or drugs, but automobile collisions. Nearly 40,000 people of all ages lost their lives in car accidents last year, on top of the 4.4 million people that needed medical assistance after an accident. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that 94% of these accidents were a result of human error — speeding and reckless and distracted driving. #-ad_banner-#With estimated costs of $847 billion a year for accidents and related injuries, America desperately needs a solution. To date, the only advances have been in monitoring a driver’s habits to better price insurance. A few… Read More

Over the years, one thing has become abundantly clear: that is being a contrarian makes sense in the stock market. To be clear, I am not talking about going against my research. When I say contrarian, what I mean is going against the prevailing public/media sentiment. Often, when everyone is saying one thing, it’s time to take the opposite side. #-ad_banner-#For example, when everyone is overtly bullish, it’s time to look for compelling reasons to get short. The same thing can be said when the entire financial press has turned bearish, meaning it’s actually a superb time to search for… Read More

Over the years, one thing has become abundantly clear: that is being a contrarian makes sense in the stock market. To be clear, I am not talking about going against my research. When I say contrarian, what I mean is going against the prevailing public/media sentiment. Often, when everyone is saying one thing, it’s time to take the opposite side. #-ad_banner-#For example, when everyone is overtly bullish, it’s time to look for compelling reasons to get short. The same thing can be said when the entire financial press has turned bearish, meaning it’s actually a superb time to search for reasonable long ideas. Along with offering a reliable supporting case for the contrarian view, the recent Presidential election made several additional market axioms clear. First, things are not always as they seem. The media tends to exaggerate the harmful to obtain viewership. Second, it is critical to look behind the headlines and think for yourself when it comes to making investment decisions. This can be tough, but the rewards for bucking media bias and the consensus are often handsome. Even the mighty George Soros has been carried away with biases and media hype. One particular error in judgment resulted in… Read More

There are few things more exciting in stock investing than buyout rumors. Since the stock market runs on an anticipatory mechanism, just the talk of a buyout can light the bullish fire under the shares. The old “buy the rumor, sell the fact” mantra can be very right when it… Read More

When cell phones became popular in 1981, they were as big as bricks and felt twice as heavy. The only thing you could do with one was make a call — and sometimes not even that would work. #-ad_banner-#The second generation of phones allowed voice and data connections in 1992 while 3G and 4G brought advancements in speed and the ability to view videos. They’re not even called cell phones anymore. They’ve evolved into ‘smart phones’. With each evolutionary step, they ‘ve become more ubiquitous in our daily lives. Now, the next stage in mobile technology is upon us. And… Read More

When cell phones became popular in 1981, they were as big as bricks and felt twice as heavy. The only thing you could do with one was make a call — and sometimes not even that would work. #-ad_banner-#The second generation of phones allowed voice and data connections in 1992 while 3G and 4G brought advancements in speed and the ability to view videos. They’re not even called cell phones anymore. They’ve evolved into ‘smart phones’. With each evolutionary step, they ‘ve become more ubiquitous in our daily lives. Now, the next stage in mobile technology is upon us. And it might not be merely evolutionary but revolutionary. 5G technology could bring the capabilities for which consumers have been waiting for more than a decade. The speed available could allow consumers to take their computing completely mobile. The next wave in mobile tech could refresh the buying cycle, from manufacturers to carriers and consumers, and a few leaders are already positioning for an advantage. Internet Speeds Up To 200-Times Faster Could Create A Tectonic Shift 5G could finally mean the death of the desktop. Mobile is already over half of search and 5G could bring speeds comparable with desktop… Read More

As an analyst who spends every day looking at numbers, I have a tendency to try and quantify everything. We humans, as a species, tend to do this all the time. For the most part, it serves us well. But it can also sometimes be a trap, diminishing the value… Read More