The S&P 500 isn’t just in record territory on the chart. It’s also on one of its best annual winning streaks ever. #-ad_banner-#2016 was the eighth consecutive year that the S&P 500 finished in the green. That is the second-longest annual win streak ever, even including its 1982 to 1989 run. The S&P 500’s best annual winning streak stands at nine years, stretching from 1991 to 1999. 2017 is the year the S&P 500 has a chance to tie this impressive streak. There’s no question U.S. stocks will have their work cut out for them this year. U.S. and global… Read More

The S&P 500 isn’t just in record territory on the chart. It’s also on one of its best annual winning streaks ever. #-ad_banner-#2016 was the eighth consecutive year that the S&P 500 finished in the green. That is the second-longest annual win streak ever, even including its 1982 to 1989 run. The S&P 500’s best annual winning streak stands at nine years, stretching from 1991 to 1999. 2017 is the year the S&P 500 has a chance to tie this impressive streak. There’s no question U.S. stocks will have their work cut out for them this year. U.S. and global economic growth remain stubbornly slow. The S&P 500’s average P/E ratio is at a multi-year high. And higher bond yields are attracting more attention from investors. Despite the usual bevy of challenges, I believe the S&P 500 is up to the challenge. There are three reasons the leading U.S. index is set to close the year at another all-time high. The S&P 500 Will Return To Earnings Growth In 2017 The S&P 500 has been trapped in a nasty earnings recession for most of the last six quarters. That streak was finally broken in the third quarter when earnings… Read More

Being extremely wealthy can be lonely. Most of us can only imagine what it is like to no longer be concerned about money or possessions. To be able to do nearly everything you have ever imagined, with the world truly being a playground of opportunity and adventure. If you want… Read More

Grab My New Book FREE! This Special Edition of Investing in the Next Big Thing tells you everything you need to know to get started in Pre-IPO Investing and includes an exclusive bonus chapter revealing 3 startups that I’m telling my clients to buy right now. They are 3 of the best… Read More

Working for IBM (NYSE: IBM) was the dream of many students in my business school. A job with the world’s leading high-tech company was far and away the most popular goal of both the graduate and undergraduate students. The talk was always very positive about the disciplined environment, the uniform of a dark suit, crisp white shirt, sober looking tie, the respect from others, and of course the relatively high pay for their sales representatives. When this company would visit the campus for career day interviews, it was insane. Everyone jockeyed to look their best and get an interview. #-ad_banner-#Perhaps… Read More

Working for IBM (NYSE: IBM) was the dream of many students in my business school. A job with the world’s leading high-tech company was far and away the most popular goal of both the graduate and undergraduate students. The talk was always very positive about the disciplined environment, the uniform of a dark suit, crisp white shirt, sober looking tie, the respect from others, and of course the relatively high pay for their sales representatives. When this company would visit the campus for career day interviews, it was insane. Everyone jockeyed to look their best and get an interview. #-ad_banner-#Perhaps best known for their work in the very early days of the personal computer, “Big Blue” is sometimes credited with its invention, a disputed fact. But one thing is for sure: they certainly popularized the PC. The world changed on August 12, 1981; the company announced the personal computer with the unheard-of price tag of $1,565. Just twenty years earlier, machines with similar capabilities could cost millions of dollars, demanded an entire office building floor, and required a large staff to maintain. This initial mass-produced PC was powered by an Intel 8088 microprocessor running at speeds measured in millionths of… Read More

In yesterday’s edition of StreetAuthority Daily, I made the case that investors should look to increased military spending by the new Trump administration and Republican-controlled congress as a strong catalyst for investing in the sector. The pick I shared in that article was a company that’s responsible for the construction of the bulk of the current U.S. Navy fleet. And since the Navy itself has said it will need at least 82 new vessels to maintain operational capacity, it is very likely that this company will continue to benefit. Another way to indirectly benefit from increased military spending in general… Read More

In yesterday’s edition of StreetAuthority Daily, I made the case that investors should look to increased military spending by the new Trump administration and Republican-controlled congress as a strong catalyst for investing in the sector. The pick I shared in that article was a company that’s responsible for the construction of the bulk of the current U.S. Navy fleet. And since the Navy itself has said it will need at least 82 new vessels to maintain operational capacity, it is very likely that this company will continue to benefit. Another way to indirectly benefit from increased military spending in general is with a recent pick made by my colleague Jimmy Butts, Chief Investment Strategist of Maximum Profit. —Recommended Link— 10 Stocks That Will Survive (And THRIVE) In The Era Of Trump Prime your portfolio for a chaotic 2017 with these rock solid, profit-packed stocks. They’re set to soar no matter which direction the market turns, so check out the list here… For those who are unfamiliar, Jimmy’s system uses two important momentum-based indicators to deliver “buy” signals on stocks when they are entering a period of rapid growth, and “sell” signals for when it’s time to book profits and… Read More

Membership now has its privileges at Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN). The e-commerce giant recently announced its new Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature credit card, giving Prime shoppers more ways to buy and earn cash back in the process. Meanwhile, critics who continue to bet against AMZN stock — citing outdated valuation arguments — must prepare for more losses while the longs ride these shares higher. Too Good To Be True Or Too Good To Pass Up? The new Amazon Prime Rewards Visa card, in partnership with JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM), gives Prime shoppers a whopping 5% cash back on all… Read More

Membership now has its privileges at Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN). The e-commerce giant recently announced its new Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature credit card, giving Prime shoppers more ways to buy and earn cash back in the process. Meanwhile, critics who continue to bet against AMZN stock — citing outdated valuation arguments — must prepare for more losses while the longs ride these shares higher. Too Good To Be True Or Too Good To Pass Up? The new Amazon Prime Rewards Visa card, in partnership with JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM), gives Prime shoppers a whopping 5% cash back on all Amazon purchases. The card also rewards members with 2% cash back at restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores and 1% back on all other purchases. There is no cap on the amount of rewards cardholders can earn. The card has no annual fee and does not charge foreign transaction fees, and charges 14.74% to 22.74% annual percentage rate (APR) on unpaid balances versus the average credit card interest rate of 16.35%. #-ad_banner-#Still undecided? According to Zach Honig, editor in chief of rewards site The Points Guy, Amazon’s new card is a good choice for someone looking for “a very simple option… Read More

The Dow Jones had a great year in 2016. The leading index delivered a price return of 14% and paid a dividend yield of 2.7% for a total return of almost 17%. Any way you look at it that is an excellent year for U.S. stocks. However, you could have… Read More

The concepts, designs, gadgets — everything that is being showcased — provide a glimpse of the future. Every January thousands of people from around the globe converge on Las Vegas to attend the biggest trade show in the world. Incredible innovations and mind-boggling products are presented at the International Consumer… Read More

Grab My New Book FREE! This Special Edition of Investing in the Next Big Thing tells you everything you need to know to get started in Pre-IPO Investing and includes an exclusive bonus chapter revealing 3 startups that I’m telling my clients to buy right now. They are 3 of the best bets for an explosive payoff that I’ve seen out of the 289 firms I’ve reviewed in the past three years. This Special Edition won’t be available on Amazon.com or anywhere else. It will only be available through StreetAuthority. Learn more.​ — Joseph Hogue, CFA I used to laugh when entrepreneurs would pitch… Read More

Grab My New Book FREE! This Special Edition of Investing in the Next Big Thing tells you everything you need to know to get started in Pre-IPO Investing and includes an exclusive bonus chapter revealing 3 startups that I’m telling my clients to buy right now. They are 3 of the best bets for an explosive payoff that I’ve seen out of the 289 firms I’ve reviewed in the past three years. This Special Edition won’t be available on Amazon.com or anywhere else. It will only be available through StreetAuthority. Learn more.​ — Joseph Hogue, CFA I used to laugh when entrepreneurs would pitch my venture capital clients for funding based on the idea that their product was in a new industry with no competition. After years of startup investing, I learned that “no competition” often means a market that just isn’t worth competing in. #-ad_banner-#I’m much more interested in the startup that can bring something new to an established industry. A company that can reinvent a product and take fast market share in a multi-billion dollar industry. Now, that’s a startup that is going to reward early investors. I recently found a company on one of the equity crowdfunding platforms I follow that… Read More

Circuit City, RadioShack, Blockbuster and Borders. The names read like an obituary for American retail over the last ten years. #-ad_banner-#The slow death of traditional brick-and-mortar retail has been one of the clearest trends over the last decade. The combination of slow economic growth and increasing e-commerce sales has already meant bankruptcy for many department stores and retailers will continue to face hard times. Investors have time and again been drawn into ‘value-plays’ on the hope of a rebound in retailers and stocks hit by the trend. Instead of trying to defy the trend, investors need to look for retailers… Read More

Circuit City, RadioShack, Blockbuster and Borders. The names read like an obituary for American retail over the last ten years. #-ad_banner-#The slow death of traditional brick-and-mortar retail has been one of the clearest trends over the last decade. The combination of slow economic growth and increasing e-commerce sales has already meant bankruptcy for many department stores and retailers will continue to face hard times. Investors have time and again been drawn into ‘value-plays’ on the hope of a rebound in retailers and stocks hit by the trend. Instead of trying to defy the trend, investors need to look for retailers that can survive and thrive within it. I’ve found two companies that will do just that with experience-oriented products that can still draw shoppers. These two aren’t waiting around to develop their e-commerce platforms either, and in-store demand will help support sales as online revenue picks up. Rumors Of American Retail’s Untimely Demise Are Not Exaggerated Holiday spending rose 3.6% in 2016 according to the National Retail Federation, a solid gain over the previous year, but the breakout shows a far weaker picture for traditional brick-and-mortar stores. Most of the increase is due to a 12% jump in online… Read More